bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rates of anagenetic evolution and selection intensity in Middle and Upper Ordovician species of the bryozoan genusPeronopora
Authors: Pachut Joseph F. , Anstey Robert L.
Published: June 2012

Evolutionary rates and selection intensities in eight cladistically defined species-level evolutionary sequences of the Middle and Upper Ordovician bryozoan genusPeronoporawere calculated for comparison with values published for fossil and living taxa. Calculations were restricted to statistically significant unidirectional segments of anagenetic series to minimize the mixing of different modes, directions, and rates of evolutionary change.

Rates and selection intensities ranged from 10−7to 10−6darwins and from 10−6to 10−5haldanes. Across characters, the weighted mean evolutionary rate equaled 5.86 × 10−7darwins and the mean selection intensity was 6.44 × 10−7. Mean rates of 2.15 × 10−6, 4.31 × 10−6, and 8.61 × 10−6haldanes, and corresponding mean selection intensities equaling 2.39 × 10−6, 4.78 × 10−6, and 9.56 × 10−6, were calculated for generation lengths of 0.5, 1, and 2 years, respectively.

The magnitudes of positive and negative evolutionary rates and selection intensities do not differ statistically, individual characters display no consistent pattern of positive or negative values, and no character complexes were detectable. A mosaic pattern of change occurs across characters in evolutionary sequences.

Eighty percent of analyzed evolutionary series were multispecies lineages. Both individual and mean values provide direct estimates of the rates of evolution within those lineages at the moment of speciation.

Rates of anagenetic evolution inPeronoporawere low and similar to published rates for a variety of fossil protists, invertebrates, and vertebrates. However, earlier rate calculations did not isolate the effect of unidirectional anagenesis from that of stasis, random walks, trend reversals, or rate variations. Eight percent of characters inPeronoporaproduced anagenetic series that were statistically significant, a percentage similar to the 5% calculated in a study of 251 sequences of evolving traits in 53 fossil lineages (Hunt 2007). Stasis and mutation-drift are the most common patterns detectable in the fossil record, although anagenesis remains a potentially important force in shaping the course of both micro- and macroevolution.
Effect of column base strength on steel portal frames in fire
Authors: Rahman Mahbubur , Lim James B. P. , Xu Yixiang , Hamilton Robert , Comlekci Tugrul , Pritchard David
Published: June 2012

In the UK, the design of steel portal frame buildings in fire is based on the Steel Construction Institute (SCI) design method, in which fire protection needs only be provided to the columns, provided that the column bases are designed to resist an overturning moment, MOTM, calculated in accordance with the Steel Construction Institute design method. In this paper, a non-linear elastic–plastic implicit dynamic finite-element model of a steel portal frame building in fire is described and used to assess the adequacy of the Steel Construction Institute design method. Both two-dimensional and three-dimensional models are used to analyse a building similar to the exemplar frame described in the Steel Construction Institute design guide. Using the two-dimensional model, a parametric study comprising 27 frames is conducted. It is shown that the value of the overturning moment, calculated in accordance with the Steel Construction Institute design method, may not be sufficient to prevent collapse of the frame before 890°C.
Canopy and leaf composition drive patterns of nutrient release from pruning residues in a coffee agroforest
Authors: Tully Katherine L. , Lawrence Deborah
Published: June 2012

In a coffee agroforest, the crop is cultivated under the shade of fruit‐bearing and nitrogen (N)‐fixing trees. These trees are periodically pruned to promote flowering and fruiting as well as to make nutrients stored in tree biomass available to plants. We investigated the effect of canopy composition and substrate quality on decomposition rates and patterns of nutrient release from pruning residues in a coffee agroforest located in Costa Rica's Central Valley. Initial phosphorus (P) release was enhanced under a canopy composed solely of N‐fixing,Erythrina poeppigianacompared to a mixed canopy ofErythrinaandMusa acuminata(banana). Both initial and final N release were similar under the two canopy types. However, after five months of decomposition, a higher proportion of initial N had been released under the single canopy. Although patterns of decomposition and nutrient release were not predicted by initial substrate quality, mass loss in leaf mixtures rates were well predicted by mean mass loss of their component species. This study identifies specific pruning regimes that may regulate N and P release during crucial growth periods, and it suggests that strategic pruning can enhance nutrient availability. For example, during the onset of rapid fruit growth, a two‐species mixture may release more P than a three‐species mixture. However, by the time of the harvest, the two‐ and three‐species mixtures have released roughly the same amount of N and P. These nutrients do not always follow the same pattern, as N release can be maximized in single‐species substrates, while P release is often facilitated in species mixtures. Our study indicates the importance of management practices in mediating patterns of nutrient release. Future research should investigate how canopy composition and farm management can also mediate on‐farm nutrient losses.
Evaluating RO performance with biological pretreatment of graywater
Authors: Crawley Jason , Jackson W. Andrew , Anderson Todd , Song Lianfa , Morse Audra
Published: June 2012

Reverse osmosis (RO) is a treatment technology that may be used for the recovery of graywater terrestrially as well as the recovery of wastewater on board long duration, manned space flights. As with terrestrial RO applications, concentration polarization and membrane fouling lead to decreased productivity and increased energy demands with time. Physiochemical and biological pretreatment options can enhance the performance of the RO system; also, biological pretreatment has the advantages of low energy and consumable requirements as compared to other physiochemical pretreatment options. To determine the degree to which the incorporation of biological treatment enhances RO performance, a series of bench-scale experiments were performed. Observed resistances indicate that biological pretreatment alleviated the degree of non-reversible fouling while also improving the rate of permeate flux in a downstream RO process to further treat water. Results also indicated that enhanced urea hydrolysis, pH reduction, and carbon oxidation serve as the primary benefits of biological pretreatment of space-based graywater. The observations of this study may also benefit engineers considering the treatment of graywaters for terrestrial water-reuse applications.
The effect of various abiotic factors on the survival growth of Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in bathroom greywater
Authors: Khalaphallah R. , Andres Y.
Published: June 2012

This study was conducted to examine the effect of various abiotic (non-living chemical and physical) factors, which enhance or limit the growth of Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in bathroom greywater (GW). These factors included: temperature (6 ± 2, 23 ± 2 and 42 ± 2 °C); aeration (aerobic and anaerobic); salinity (1.75 and 3.5%); GW with deionised water (DW) (50% GW:50% DW); and nutrient-rich and -poor medium. The survival period and decay constant (K) were less at 42 ± 2 °C than at 23 ± 2 °C and 6 ± 2 °C. The optimum survival of E. coli and P. aeruginosa was measured under aerobic and anaerobic condition, respectively. P. aeruginosa showed better survival in low salinity concentrations than E. coli. Cell size and zeta potential were also measured for both species under the test conditions.
Sludge Age, Stability, and Safety Factor for the Biofilm‐Activated Sludge Process Reactor
Authors: Fouad Moharram , Bhargava Renu
Published: June 2012

The average sludge age (θc) of the activated sludge process (ASP)‐biofilm were developed and verified experimentally. In addition, the stability and safety factor were investigated against θc through a series of curves. These curves are important to explain, in concept, the function of the hybrid system under different values of θc. The proposed curves of this study are simple and can be modified for any specified wastewater. The definition of θc of ASP was found to be applicable to the hybrid system after including the biofilm. A ratio ranging from 70 to 80% of the total mass of biofilm may be used in the definition of θc to give close results with the experimental values. Furthermore, the minimum sludge age (θMc ) does not exist in the hybrid reactor because of the presence of biofilm; however, θc should come down to a critical value under some specific conditions of the reactor.
Prevalence and types of tooth resorption in dogs with oral tumors
Authors: Nemec Ana , Arzi Boaz , Murphy Brian , Kass Philip H. , Verstraete Frank J. M.
Published: June 2012

Objective—To determine the prevalence and types of tooth resorption in dogs with oral tumors and to compare findings with those for control dogs.

Animals—101 dogs with oral tumors and 128 control dogs that did not have oral tumors and for which dental radiographs were available.

Procedures—Exclusion criteria for dogs included systemic disease, long-term administration of anti-inflammatory drugs, traumatic occlusion, severe semigeneralized or generalized periodontitis, and endodontic disease. For each dog with an oral tumor, histologic sections of biopsy specimens of tumors were examined. Dental radiographic images of dogs were examined, and the presence and type of tooth resorption were determined for each tooth. Statistical analyses were performed to compare data regarding prevalence of tooth resorption.

Results—Teeth at tumor sites in dogs with nonodontogenic tumors were significantly more frequently affected with external inflammatory resorption, compared with teeth at tumor sites in dogs with odontogenic tumors. Teeth at sites distant from tumors in dogs with oral tumors were 3.2 times as likely to have external surface resorption (OR, 3.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.3 to 7.9) and 83.4 times as likely to have external inflammatory resorption (OR, 83.4; 95% confidence interval, 9.7 to 719.6) as teeth in control dogs.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Resorption of teeth at tumor sites and at sites distant from tumors was common in dogs with oral tumors. Results of the present study will contribute to an understanding of the complex effects of oral tumors on local and distant hard tissues.
Evaluation of long-term glucose homeostasis in lean and obese cats by use of continuous glucose monitoring
Authors: Hoenig Margarethe , Pach Nicole , Thomaseth Karl , DeVries Frerich , Ferguson Duncan C.
Published: June 2012

Objective—To evaluate intraday and interday variations in glucose concentrations in cats and to test the utility of a continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS).

Animals—6 lean and 8 long-term (> 5 years) obese cats.

Procedures—Blood glucose concentrations were measured during the course of 156 hours by use of a laboratory hexokinase-based reference method and a handheld glucometer. Interstitial glucose concentrations were evaluated with a CGMS.

Results—Paired measures of glucose concentrations obtained with the CGMS typically were marginally higher than concentrations for the reference method and less biased than concentrations obtained with the glucometer. This was partially confirmed by the concordance correlation coefficients of the concentration for the CGMS or glucometer versus the concentration for the reference method, although the correlation coefficients were not significantly different. Mean ± SD area under the curve for the glucose concentration (AUCG) did not differ significantly between lean (14.0 ± 0.5 g/dL•h) and obese (15.2 + 0.5 g/dL•h) cats during the 156-hour period, but one of the obese cats had a much higher AUCG. Within-day glucose variability was small in both lean and obese cats.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Glucose homeostasis was maintained, even in long-term obese cats, and intraday glucose fluctuations were small. One obese cat might have been classified as prediabetic on the basis of the AUCG, which was approximately 25% higher than that of the other obese and lean cats. The CGMS can be useful in the evaluation of long-term effects of drugs or diet on glucose homeostasis in cats.
Effects of a single dose of enrofloxacin on body temperature and tracheobronchial neutrophil count in healthy Thoroughbreds premedicated with interferon-α and undergoing long-distance transportation
Authors: Tsuchiya Takeru , Hobo Seiji , Endo Yoshiro , Narita Shoichi , Sakamoto Koji
Published: June 2012

Objective—To evaluate effects of a single dose of enrofloxacin (5 mg/kg, IV) on body temperature and tracheobronchial neutrophil count in healthy Thoroughbreds premedicated with interferon-α and undergoing long-distance transportation.

Animals—32 healthy Thoroughbreds.

Procedures—All horses received interferon-α (0.5 U/kg, sublingually, q 24 h) as an immunologic stimulant for 2 days before transportation and on the day of transportation. Horses were randomly assigned to receive enrofloxacin (5 mg/kg, IV, once; enrofloxacin group) or saline (0.9% NaCl) solution (50 mL, IV, once; control group) ≤ 1 hour before being transported 1,210 km via commercial vans (duration, approx 26 hours). Before and after transportation, clinical examination, measurement of temperature per rectum, and hematologic analysis were performed for all horses; a tracheobronchial aspirate was collected for neutrophil quantification in 12 horses (6/group). Horses received antimicrobial treatment after transportation if deemed necessary by the attending clinician.

Results—No adverse effects were associated with treatment. After transportation, WBC count and serum amyloid A concentration in peripheral blood samples and neutrophil counts in tracheobronchial aspirates were significantly lower in horses of the enrofloxacin group than in untreated control horses. Fever (rectal temperature, ≥ 38.5°C) after transportation was detected in 3 of 16 enrofloxacin group horses and 9 of 16 control horses; additional antimicrobial treatment was required in 2 horses in the enrofloxacin group and 7 horses in the control group.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—In horses premedicated with interferon-α, enrofloxacin appeared to provide better protection against fever and lower respiratory tract inflammation than did saline solution.
Using parallelization to improve the efficiency of an automated taxi route generation algorithm
Authors: Hall Abe , Gabilondo Michael , Dechev Damian
Published: June 2012

As part of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) concept, surface support tools that generate taxi routes and monitor pilot conformance against those routes have been designed and implemented by Mosaic ATM and tested in simulations conducted by The Mitre Corporation’s Center for Advanced Aviation System Development(CAASD). The purpose of these tools is to increase the overall safety of the airport’s surface by detecting aircraft movement that is not in conformance with the taxi route assigned to that aircraft. Additionally, the tools aim to increase the overall efficiency of airport operations by ensuring that aircraft taxi in compliance with their assigned routes. One of the keys to providing a reliable conformance monitoring system is to produce reliable taxi routes against which to monitor compliance. The tools provided by Mosaic ATM generate these taxi routes via a set of predefined routes commonly used at an airport. In the simulations conducted by CAASD, it was found that the routes provided were found to be reliable and trustworthy. In addition to the predefined routes, Mosaic ATM provided an ad hoc route capability. This capability uses an algorithm that finds a route based on the taxiways assigned by a user through the ad hoc route tool. However, in the simulations conducted by CAASD, this tool was not used extensively by the users. In this paper, we describe our efforts to verify the correctness of the ad hoc taxi route generation algorithm as well as our efforts to increase the speed of the algorithm by implementing a lock-free parallelized version.
First among Equals: Robert Recorde and Innovative Publishing in the Sixteenth Century
Authors: Lipscombe Trevor
Published: June 2012

Publishing is going through a period of tremendous change. The same was true in the sixteenth century. This article explores how the publication of Robert Recorde's The Whetstone of Witte in 1557, in which the equals sign was used for the first time, serves, along with his other mathematical books, as a model for innovation.
Estimation of Power Packet Transfer Properties on Indoor Power Line Channel
Authors: Takahashi Ryo , Takuno Tsuguhiro , Hikihara Takashi
Published: June 2012

The dispatching properties of power packets in indoor power line channel were investigated. A power packet is physically composed of a power payload and information signals. For evaluation, the arrival power ratio and the bit error rate were calculated by numerical simulation. The results are important for the development and design of power packet transfer, based on the transmission frequency and bit energy parameters.
Artificial Intelligence Techniques to Optimize the EDC/NHS-Mediated Immobilization of Cellulase on Eudragit L-100
Authors: Zhang Yu , Xu Jing-Liang , Yuan Zhen-Hong , Qi Wei , Liu Yun-Yun , He Min-Chao
Published: June 2012

Two artificial intelligence techniques, namely artificial neural network (ANN) and genetic algorithm (GA) were combined to be used as a tool for optimizing the covalent immobilization of cellulase on a smart polymer, Eudragit L-100. 1-Ethyl-3-(3-dimethyllaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) concentration, N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) concentration and coupling time were taken as independent variables, and immobilization efficiency was taken as the response. The data of the central composite design were used to train ANN by back-propagation algorithm, and the result showed that the trained ANN fitted the data accurately (correlation coefficient R2 = 0.99). Then a maximum immobilization efficiency of 88.76% was searched by genetic algorithm at a EDC concentration of 0.44%, NHS concentration of 0.37% and a coupling time of 2.22 h, where the experimental value was 87.97 ± 6.45%. The application of ANN based optimization by GA is quite successful.
Monitoring Seasonal Hydrological Dynamics of Minerotrophic Peatlands Using Multi-Date GeoEye-1 Very High Resolution Imagery and Object-Based Classification
Authors: Dribault Yann , Chokmani Karem , Bernier Monique
Published: June 2012

The La Grande River watershed, located in the James Bay region (54°N, Quebec, Canada), is a major contributor to the production of hydroelectricity in the province. Peatlands cover up to 20% of the terrestrial environment in this region. Their hydrological behavior is not well understood. The present study is part of a multidisciplinary project which is aimed at analyzing the hydrological processes in these minerotrophic peatlands (fens) in order to provide effective monitoring tools to water managers. The objective of this study was to use VHR remote sensing data to understand the seasonal dynamics of the hydrology in fens. A series of 10 multispectral pan-sharpened GeoEye-1 images (with a spatial resolution of 40 cm) were acquired during the snow-free season (May to October) in 2009 and 2010, centered on two study sites in the Laforge sector (54°06'N; 72°30'W). These are two fens instrumented for continuous hydrometeorological monitoring (water level, discharge, precipitation, air temperature). An object-based classification procedure was set up and applied. It consisted of segmenting the imagery into objects using the multiresolution segmentation algorithm (MRIS) to delineate internal structures in the peatlands (aquatic, semi-aquatic, and terrestrial). Then, the objects were labeled using a fuzzy logic based algorithm. The overall classification accuracy of the 10 images was assessed to be 82%. The time series of the peatland mapping demonstrated the existence of important intra-seasonal spatial dynamics in the aquatic and semi-aquatic compartments. It was revealed that the dynamics amplitude depended on the morphological features of the fens. The observed spatial dynamics was also closely related to the evolution of the measured water levels.
Embedded Adaptive Optics for Ubiquitous Lab-on-a-Chip Readout on Intact Cell Phones
Authors: Preechaburana Pakorn , Suska Anke , Filippini Daniel
Published: June 2012

The evaluation of disposable lab-on-a-chip (LOC) devices on cell phones is an attractive alternative to migrate the analytical strength of LOC solutions to decentralized sensing applications. Imaging the micrometric detection areas of LOCs in contact with intact phone cameras is central to provide such capability. This work demonstrates a disposable and morphing liquid lens concept that can be integrated in LOC devices and refocuses micrometric features in the range necessary for LOC evaluation using diverse cell phone cameras. During natural evaporation, the lens focus varies adapting to different type of cameras. Standard software in the phone commands a time-lapse acquisition for best focal selection that is sufficient to capture and resolve, under ambient illumination, 50 μm features in regions larger than 500 × 500 μm2. In this way, the present concept introduces a generic solution compatible with the use of diverse and unmodified cell phone cameras to evaluate disposable LOC devices.
A Compact Annular Ring Microstrip Antenna for WSN Applications
Authors: Wang Daihua , Song Linli , Zhou Hanchang , Zhang Zhijie
Published: June 2012

A compact annular ring microstrip antenna was proposed for a wireless sensor network (WSN) application in the 2.4 GHz band. In this paper the major considerations of the conformal antenna design were the compact size and the impact on antenna’s performance of a steel installation base. By using a chip resistor of large resistance (120 Ω) the antenna size was reduced to 38% of that a conventional annular ring patch antenna. With the addition of the steel installation base the resonant frequency of the antenna increases about 4.2% and the bandwidth reduces from 17.5% to 11.7% by adjusting the load resistance simultaneously. Several key parameters were discussed and optimized, and the antenna was fabricated and its performance measured. The antenna is well matched at 2.4 GHz with 34.2 dB return loss and –2.5 dBi peak gain. Meanwhile, it exhibits excellent radiation patterns with very low cross-polarization levels.
The Importance of Multidisciplinary Team Management of Patients with Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Ellis P.M.
Published: June 2012

Historically, a simple approach to the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was applicable to nearly all patients. Recently, a more complex treatment algorithm has emerged, driven by both pathologic and molecular phenotype. This increasing complexity underscores the importance of a multidisciplinary team approach to the diagnosis, treatment, and supportive care of patients with NSCLC. A team approach to management is important at all points: from diagnosis, through treatment, to end-of-life care. It also needs to be patient-centred and must involve the patient in decision-making concerning treatment. Multidisciplinary case conferencing is becoming an integral part of care. Early integration of palliative care into the team approach appears to contribute significantly to quality of life and potentially extends overall survival for these patients. Supportive approaches, including psychosocial and nutrition support, should be routinely incorporated into the team approach. Challenges to the implementation of multidisciplinary care require institutional commitment and support.
IMPROVED ITERATIVE PREDICTION FOR MULTIPLE STOP ARRIVAL TIME USING A SUPPORT VECTOR MACHINE
Authors: Zheng Chang-Jiang , Zhang Yi-Hua , Feng Xue-Jun
Published: June 2012

The paper presents an improved iterative prediction method for bus arrival time at multiple downstream stops. A multiple-stop prediction model includes two stages. At the first stage, an iterative prediction model is developed, which includes a single stop prediction model for arrival time at the immediate downstream stop and an average bus speed prediction model on further segments. The two prediction models are constructed with a support vector machine (SVM). At the second stage, a dynamic algorithm based on the Kalman filter is developed to enhance prediction accuracy. The proposed model is assessed with reference to data collected on transit route No 23 in Dalian city, China. The obtained results show that the improved iterative prediction model seems to be a powerful tool for predicting multiple stop arrival time.
APPLYING THE METHOD OF MEASURING AIRPORT PRODUCTIVITY IN THE BALTIC REGION
Authors: Jaržemskienė Ilona
Published: June 2012

The author of the article describes the theoretical assumptions of the DEA method used for measuring the productivity of airports described in the article ‘Research into the methods of analysing the productivity indicators of transport terminals’ (Jaržemskienė 2009). The essential insights presented in the above mentioned paper reveal that Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is a relatively new ‘data oriented’ approach to evaluating the performance of the so-called Decision Making Units (DMU) that convert multiple inputs into multiple outputs. The article focuses on the findings of the study carried out by the author in accordance with those assumptions. Research represents the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method testing 15 selected airports situated in the Baltic Region, including Vilnius, Kaunas, Palanga, Riga, Tallinn, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, Turku, Stockholm, Malme, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Gdansk, Warsaw and Minsk. Airport productivity indicators are ranked considering importance and using the method of Delphi expert survey made of two rounds. The author presented the following indicators (expressed as ‘ratio’) as the major ones estimated by PAX/LAND, AIR/LAND, PAX/AIR, PAX/RW, PAX/RWA, GA and INTER experts. The succeeding indicators were introduced by PAX/TERMAREA, PAX/GATES, AIR/RW, AIR/RWA, AIR/TERMAREA, AIR/GATES, FR/LAND and FR/RW. 10 indicators were accepted as the most important and selected from the current set in the following sequence: AIR/LAND, AIR/RW, PAX/RW, PAX/LAND, AIR/RWA, PAX/AIR, PAX/RWA, AIR/TERMAREA, PAX/GATES and PAX/TERMAREA. AIR/LAND and AIR/RW were submitted as two main indicators. The acronyms are explained as follows: LAND – airport area, RWA – runway length, PAX – the number of passengers, AIR – the number of aircraft take-offs and landings, RW – the number of runways, GATES – the number of gates, FR – the amount of freight served, TERMAREA – the area of passenger terminal, GA – a general aviation market share of airport served aircraft by percentage, INTER – the percentage of international passengers considering all passengers served by airports. After two key productivity indicators were chosen conducting the expert survey, airport productivity was compared applying the DEA method.
ON WHEEL–RAIL CONTACT SURFACE PHENOMENA WITH STRUCTURAL CHANGES AND ‘WHITE ETCHING LAYERS’ GENERATION
Authors: Beneš Libor
Published: June 2012

The main aim of this work was a study of the microstructure transformations with the residual stress formation that is induced by rolling contact friction and adhesive wore in the wheel–rail system. Several small railsurface samples, we term them as the ‘chips’, and a piece of wheel sample were chosen for the analyses of the surface changes on the wheel–rail surface. A multitude of different experiments were carried out in order to analyse the microstructure changes at the surface and the near-surface region of the material samples and, thus, to contribute to the understanding of the complex wheel–rail rolling contact phenomena – and its degradation mechanisms. The formation of nano-structured martensite and carbides on the rail and wheel surface causes the extremely high microhardness valuees and the strong corrosion resistance of the so called White Etching Layers (WEL).
Ideological Tensions in the Ranks of Syrian Officers:the Trigger of Military Circles Transformation in the Country?
Authors: Kostrounova Jana
Published: June 2012

Despite the research by some authors on the Syrian Arab Republic and its stand in the Middle East Region, little is known about the perspective of the Syrian military, unofficially called the "elder statesman", who rules this country. The overall image that emerges not only from the Arab media during the revolutionary year 2011 is ambivalent: lazy, corrupt, unpatriotic, apathetic soldiers with poor fighting spirits versus the Free Syrian Army newly formed in July 2011. This paper recovers some perspectives of the Syrian revolt and tries to answer, whether or whether not is the newly based military opposition in the country a real threat to the Assad regime. An analysis of historical background, Syrian veterans, relation between the official political doctrine and Islam brings new perspectives and own explanations that could even challenge some of the widely held assumptions about the Syrian military: 1) There is and won't be any "civil war" in the Syrian Arab Republic at all; this conflict should be viewed as Islamic fitna and its roots come from the 1970's. It is a regime strongly connected to rife corruption at the top ranks, hurting the morale of the lower, but stronger Islamic ranks; 2) Doctrinal relations between the Syrian army and official religious authorities in the Muslim world have been always tense; and 3) The Syrian army would have found the necessity of its own, inner transformation despite of the so-called "Arab Spring 2011". This paper suggests that the character of the Syrian national revolt may be intended to reflect a deeper ideological antagonism between the Sunni and Shia Islam.
Teaching Medical Terminology Using Word-Matching Games
Authors: Nuetzman Amy L. , Abdullaev Yalchin
Published: June 2012

The use of word-matching games for classroom teaching of medical terminology to nursing and other health sciences students is described. Students work in small groups and match cards containing medical terms to cards containing their English translation. This approach encourages student-centered active learning and employs multiple modes of learning, including visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and text-based styles.
Migración internacional y derechos fundamentales
Authors: Di Castro Elisabetta
Published: June 2012

Para el abordaje del tema de la migración internacional se requiere partir del proceso de globalización y del orden mundial vigente. Después de delinear algunos de los principales aspectos de este proceso y orden en el que se manifiesta el incremento del fenómeno migratorio, y en el que se destaca especialmente la jerarquización de los Estados-nación y sus correspondientes ciudadanías, se plantea la necesidad de la defensa de los derechos fundamentales de los migrantes. Esta defensa debe ser a su vez desde una perspectiva global, más allá de los Estados y las ciudadanías jerarquizadas, con el fin de que se puedan llegar a establecer los instrumentos internacionales necesarios que garanticen institucionalmente el accionar de esos derechos. En este sentido, el artículo concluye con el planteamiento de la pertinencia y urgencia de una política migratoria global que permita la gobernanza de la migración internacional.
Ciudadanía y espacio público en la era de la globalización neoliberal
Authors: Sequera Jorge , Janoschka Michael
Published: June 2012

Las profundas reformas en las condiciones económicas, sociales y políticas actuales están afectando gravemente el alcance de los derechos civiles, sociales y políticos de la ciudadanía. Un concepto, el de ciudadanía, que es atravesado por las lógicas neoliberales de producción del espacio público así como por la lógica histórica Derecho- Deber-Estado. Pero este mismo concepto de diudadanía puede ser analizado desde tres novedosos aspectos teóricos que amplíen su dimensión y superen los anteriores: (a) la ciudadanía como una relación de poder que se expresa mediante políticas de escala; (b) la ciudadanía como mecanismo discursivo que articula identidad y lugar a través de las políticas de pertenencia; y, (c) la ciudadanía interpretada a través de actos que desafían las múltiples relaciones de dominación. Estas tres dimensiones nos ayudarán a comprender los actos de ciudadanía que demandan la reapropiación de la esfera y del espacio público con el fin de construir nuevos espacios de ciudadanía.
Semicrossed Products of the Disk Algebra and the Jacobson Radical
Authors: Khemphet Anchalee , Peters Justin R.
Published: June 2012

We consider semicrossed products of the disk algebra with respect to endomorphisms defined by finite Blaschke products. We characterize the Jacobson radical of these operator algebras. Furthermore, in the case that the finite Blaschke product is elliptic, we show that the semicrossed product contains no nonzero quasinilpotent elements. However, if the finite Blaschke product is hyperbolic or parabolic with positive hyperbolic step, the Jacobson radical is nonzero and a proper subset of the set of quasinilpotent elements.
A Lower Bound for the End-to-End Distance of the Self-Avoiding Walk
Authors: Madras Neal
Published: June 2012

For an N-step self-avoiding walk on the hypercubic lattice Zd, we prove that the meansquare
end-to-end distance is at least N4=(3d) times a constant. This implies that the associated critical exponent v is at least 2/(3d), assuming that v exists.
A Two-Parameter Continuation Method for Rotating Two-Component Bose-Einstein Condensates in Optical Lattices
Authors: Wang Y.-S. , Jeng B.-W. , Chien C.-S.
Published: June 2012

We study efficient spectral-collocation and continuation methods (SCCM) for rotating two-component Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) and rotating two-component BECs in optical lattices, where the second kind Chebyshev polynomials are used as the basis functions for the trial function space. A novel two-parameter continuation algorithm is proposed for computing the ground state and first excited state solutions of the governing Gross-Pitaevskii equations (GPEs), where the classical tangent vector is split into two constraint conditions for the bordered linear systems. Numerical results on rotating two-component BECs and rotating two-component BECs in optical lattices are reported. The results on the former are consistent with the published numerical results.
Conservative Residual Distribution Method for Viscous Double Cone Flows in Thermochemical Nonequilibrium
Authors: Lani Andrea , Panesi Marco , Deconinck Herman
Published: June 2012

A multi-dimensionally upwind conservative Residual Distribution algorithm for simulating viscous axisymmetric hypersonic flows in thermo-chemical nonequilibrium on unstructured grids is presented and validated in the case of the complex flow-field over a double cone configuration. The resulting numerical discretization combines a state-of-the-art nonlinear quasi-monotone second order blended scheme for distributing the convective residual and a standard Galerkin formulation for the diffusive residual. The physical source terms are upwinded together with the convective fluxes. Numerical results show an excellent agreement with experimental measurements and available literature.
Autonomia municipal e a gestão das políticas educacionais a partir da lógica dos sistemas de ensino: perspectivas de criação e implantação no estado do Pará
Authors: Santos Terezinha Fátima A. M. dos , Paz Vanilson Oliveira
Published: June 2012

Este estudo traça um panorama sobre o processo de criação e  implantação dos sistemas municipais de ensino no Brasil e,  particularmente, no Estado do Pará, onde são identificados desafios  importantes à consolidação da gestão das políticas educacionais na perspectiva da descentralização possibilitada pela Constituição Federal de 1988 ao definir os municípios como entes federados autônomos. Para tanto, empreendeu-se uma pesquisa documental que deu a possibilidade de inferir que o processo de criação dos sistemas municipais de ensino vem se dando de forma ainda incipiente, em razão dos municípios ainda não disporem de conhecimento técnico e vontade política por parte dos gestores municipais para que seja assumida tal opção, como  possibilidade de contribuir para a democratização da gestão educacional em âmbito local. Pelo menos, no plano teórico, a lógica que perpassa a criação dos sistemas de ensino é o estabelecimento de bases democráticas, nas quais a descentralização e a autonomia são elementos para se chegar ao que é possível e necessário para o avanço da educação local na sua missão de oferecer uma educação com qualidade a todos.
The influence of snow grain size and impurities on the vertical profiles of actinic flux and associated NOx emissions on the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets
Authors: Zatko M. C. , Grenfell T. C. , Alexander B. , Doherty S. J. , Thomas J. L. , Yang X.
Published: June 2012

Abstract. We use observations of the absorption properties of black carbon and non-black-carbon impurities in near-surface snow collected near the research stations at South Pole and Dome C, Antarctica and Summit, Greenland combined with a snowpack actinic flux parameterization to estimate the vertical profile and e-folding depth of ultraviolet/near-visible (UV/near-vis) actinic flux in the snowpack at each location. We have developed a simple and broadly applicable parameterization to calculate depth and wavelength dependent snowpack actinic flux that can be easily integrated into large scale (e.g. 3-D) models of the atmosphere. The calculated e-folding depths of actinic flux at 305 nm, the peak wavelength of nitrate photolysis in the snowpack, are 8–12 cm near the stations and 15–31 cm away (>11 km) from the stations. We find that the e-folding depth is strongly dependent on impurity content and wavelength in the UV/near-vis region, which explains the relatively shallow e-folding depths near stations where local activities lead to higher impurity levels. We calculate the lifetime of NOx in the snowpack interstitial air produced by photolysis of snowpack nitrate against escape (τescape) from the snowpack via diffusion and windpumping and compare this to the calculated lifetime of NOx against chemical conversion to HNO3 (τchemical) to determine whether the NOx produced at a given depth can escape from the snowpack to the overlying atmosphere. Comparison of τescape and τchemical suggests efficient escape of photoproduced NOx in the snowpack to the overlying atmosphere. Calculated vertical actinic flux profiles and observed snowpack nitrate concentrations are used to determine the flux of NOx from the snowpack. Calculated NOx fluxes of 4.4 × 108–2.8 × 109 molecules cm−2 s7−1 in remote polar locations and 3.2–8.2 × 108 molecules cm−2 s−1 near polar stations for January at Dome C and South Pole and June at Summit suggest that NOx flux measurements near stations are likely underestimating the amount of NOx emitted from the clean, polar snowpack by a factor of 1.4–2.4.
Design of a mobile aerosol research laboratory and data processing tools for effective stationary and mobile field measurements
Authors: Drewnick F. , Böttger T. , von der Weiden-Reinmüller S.-L. , Zorn S. R. , Klimach T. , Schneider J. , Borrmann S.
Published: June 2012

Abstract. A compact mobile aerosol research laboratory (MoLa) for stationary and mobile measurements of aerosol and trace gas characteristics was developed at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry (MPIC) in Mainz, Germany. Major efforts were made to design an aerosol inlet system which is optimized and characterised for both, stationary and mobile measurements using a particle loss modelling approach. The instrumentation on board allows the determination of a multitude of physical and chemical aerosol parameters, for example particle number and mass concentration (PM1/2.5/10), particle size distributions in the diameter range 6 nm up to 32 μm, and chemical composition of the sub-micron aerosol. Furthermore, trace gas concentrations of O3, SO2, CO, CO2, NO, NO2 and water vapour as well as meteorological parameters like temperature, relative humidity, pressure, wind, solar radiation and precipitation are measured together with various housekeeping parameters. All instruments collect data with high time resolution in the second to minute-range. The measurement platform, as well as data acquisition and handling tools, are optimized for efficient application to various measurement settings. The mobile laboratory is designed to be used for mobile investigation of anthropogenically influenced environments. Possible applications include pollutant mapping, chasing of mobile sources or Lagrangian-type measurements in emission plumes, but also stationary measurements with possible frequent position changes and a well-characterised instrument setup. In addition to the design and features of the mobile laboratory, its inlet system and instrumentation as well as examples of applications of this platform are presented. Challenges associated with such measurements and approaches to extract the desired information from the mobile datasets are discussed.
Land surface Verification Toolkit (LVT) – a generalized framework for land surface model evaluation
Authors: Kumar S. V. , Peters-Lidard C. D. , Santanello J. , Harrison K. , Liu Y. , Shaw M.
Published: June 2012

Abstract. Model evaluation and verification are key in improving the usage and applicability of simulation models for real-world applications. In this article, the development and capabilities of a formal system for land surface model evaluation called the Land surface Verification Toolkit (LVT) is described. LVT is designed to provide an integrated environment for systematic land model evaluation and facilitates a range of verification approaches and analysis capabilities. LVT operates across multiple temporal and spatial scales and employs a large suite of in-situ, remotely sensed and other model and reanalysis datasets in their native formats. In addition to the traditional accuracy-based measures, LVT also includes uncertainty and ensemble diagnostics, information theory measures, spatial similarity metrics and scale decomposition techniques that provide novel ways for performing diagnostic model evaluations. Though LVT was originally designed to support the land surface modeling and data assimilation framework known as the Land Information System (LIS), it supports hydrological data products from non-LIS environments as well. In addition, the analysis of diagnostics from various computational subsystems of LIS including data assimilation, optimization and uncertainty estimation are supported within LVT. Together, LIS and LVT provide a robust end-to-end environment for enabling the concepts of model data fusion for hydrological applications. The evolving capabilities of LVT framework are expected to facilitate rapid model evaluation efforts and aid the definition and refinement of formal evaluation procedures for the land surface modeling community.
Influence of the soil-atmosphere exchange on the hydric profile induced in soil-structure system
Authors: Al Qadad A. , Shahrour I. , Rouainia M.
Published: June 2012

Abstract. Soil-atmosphere exchange leads to a moisture change in the soil. This can cause major damage to engineering structures due to the soil expansion and shrinkage. The soil-atmosphere exchange is related to several parameters, in particular the soil characteristics and climate conditions. The presence of an engineering structure causes a variation of the hydraulic profile in the soil, which can lead to heterogeneous soil movement and consequently to structural damage. This paper presents a coupled numerical model based on the consideration of both water flow in unsaturated soils and soil-atmosphere exchange. After the validation of the model, the paper presents its use for the analysis of the influence of the presence of structures on moisture change induced under climatic conditions recorded in a semi-arid region. Analysis shows that the presence of the structure leads to important change in the moisture distribution, in particular in the vicinity of the structure.
Late Holocene landscape change history related to the Alpine Fault determined from drowned forests in Lake Poerua, Westland, New Zealand
Authors: Langridge R. M. , Basili R. , Basher L. , Wells A. P.
Published: June 2012

Abstract. Lake Poerua is a small, shallow lake that abuts the scarp of the Alpine Fault on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. Radiocarbon dates from drowned podocarp trees on the lake floor, a sediment core from a rangefront alluvial fan, and living tree ring ages have been used to deduce the late Holocene history of the lake. Remnant drowned stumps of kahikatea (Dacrycarpus dacrydioides) at 1.7–1.9 m water depth yield a preferred time-of-death age at 1766–1807 AD, while a dryland podocarp and kahikatea stumps at 2.4–2.6 m yield preferred time-of-death ages of ca. 1459–1626 AD. These age ranges are matched to, but offset from, the timings of Alpine Fault rupture events at ca. 1717 AD, and either ca. 1615 or 1430 AD. Alluvial fan detritus dated from a core into the toe of a rangefront alluvial fan, at an equivalent depth to the maximum depth of the modern lake (6.7 m), yields a calibrated age of AD 1223–1413. This age is similar to the timing of an earlier Alpine Fault rupture event at ca. 1230 AD ± 50 yr. Kahikatea trees growing on rangefront fans give ages of up to 270 yr, which is consistent with alluvial fan aggradation following the 1717 AD earthquake. The elevation levels of the lake and fan imply a causal and chronological link between lake-level rise and Alpine Fault rupture. The results of this study suggest that the growth of large, coalescing alluvial fans (Dry and Evans Creek fans) originating from landslides within the rangefront of the Alpine Fault and the rise in the level of Lake Poerua may occur within a decade or so of large Alpine Fault earthquakes that rupture adjacent to this area. These rises have in turn drowned lowland forests that fringed the lake. Radiocarbon chronologies built using OxCal show that a series of massive landscape changes beginning with fault rupture, followed by landsliding, fan sedimentation and lake expansion. However, drowned Kahikatea trees may be poor candidates for intimately dating these events, as they may be able to tolerate water for several decades after metre-scale lake level rises have occurred.
Impact of spatial resolution on the modelling of the Greenland ice sheet surface mass balance between 1990–2010, using the regional climate model MAR
Authors: Franco B. , Fettweis X. , Lang C. , Erpicum M.
Published: June 2012

Abstract. With the aim to force an ice dynamical model, the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) surface mass balance (SMB) was modelled at different spatial resolutions (15–50 km) for the period 1990–2010, using the regional climate model MAR (Modèle Atmosphérique Régional) forced by the ERA-INTERIM reanalysis. This comparison revealed that (i) the inter-annual variability of the SMB components is consistent within the different spatial resolutions investigated, (ii) the MAR model simulates heavier precipitation on average over the GrIS with decreasing spatial resolution, and (iii) the SMB components (except precipitation) can be derived from a simulation at lower resolution with an "intelligent" interpolation. This interpolation can also be used to approximate the SMB components over another topography/ice sheet mask of the GrIS. These results are important for the forcing of an ice dynamical model needed to enable future projections of the GrIS contribution to sea level rise over the coming centuries.