bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Glow curve analysis by Gauss-Lorentz function
Authors: Vejnovic Zdravko , Pavlovic Milos , Kutin Marina , Davidovic Milorad
Published: April 2013

A new method for fitting glow curves, described in a mixed order kinetics
model, with Gauss-Lorentz function is shown. Theoretical expressions of the
mixed order kinetics model are shown in a new way, so that the values of
kinetic parameters can be obtained through the geometric parameters. When the
model is described in this way it is possible to calculate precisely the
kinetic parameters such as activation energy, pre-exponential factor and the
factor a= n0/(h + n0). At the same time, obtained values of geometric
parameters of the experimental curve, which is described with the
Gauss-Lorentz function, can be used to estimate the kinetic model, in which
thermoluminescence relaxation occurs. This gives a possibility of a new
application of Gauss-Lorentz function to be used as a criterion for assessing
model of relaxation, when it is not known in advance. The accuracy of fitting
is studied, for the specific cases of computer simulated thermoluminescent
curves with one peak.
High annual radon concentration in dwellings and natural radioactivity content in nearby soil in some rural areas of Kosovo and Metohija
Authors: Gulan Ljiljana , Bochicchio Francesco , Carpentieri Carmela , Milic Gordana , Stajic Jelena , Krstic Dragana , Stojanovska Zdenka , Nikezic Dragoslav , Zunic Zora
Published: April 2013

Some previous studies on radon concentration in dwellings of some areas of
Kosovo and Metohija have revealed a high average radon concentration, even
though the detectors were exposed for three months only. In order to better
design a larger study in this region, the annual measurements in 25 houses
were carried out as a pilot study. For each house, CR-39-based passive
devices were exposed in two rooms for the two consecutive six-month periods
to account for seasonal variations of radon concentration. Furthermore, in
order to correlate the indoor radon with radium in nearby soil and to improve
the knowledge of the natural radioactivity in the region, soil samples near
each house were collected and 226Ra, 232Th, 40K activity concentration were
measured. The indoor radon concentration resulted quite high from the average
(163 Bq/m3) and generally it did not differ considerably between the two
rooms and the two six-month periods. The natural radionuclides in soil
resulted to be distributed quite uniformly. Moreover, the correlation between
the226Ra content in soil and radon concentration in dwellings resulted to be
low (R2=0.26). The annual effective dose from radon and its short-lived
progeny (5.5 mSv, in average) was calculated by using the last ICRP dose
conversion factors. In comparison, the contribution to the annual effective
dose of outdoor gamma exposure from natural radionuclides in soil is nearly
negligible (66 mSv). In conclusion, the observed high radon levels are only
partially correlated with radium in soil; moreover, a good estimate of the
annual average of radon concentration can be obtained from a six-month
measurement with a proper choice of exposure period, which could be useful
when designing large surveys.
The status of Erwinia amylovora in the former Yugoslav Republics over the past two decades
Authors: Balaz Jelica , Grahovac Mila , Radunovic Dragana , Ilicic Renata , Krstic Marija
Published: April 2013

Erwinia amylovora, the causal agent of fire blight (FB) on fruit trees and
ornamental plants, rapidly spread across eastern Mediterranean countries in
the early 1980s. This quarantine bacterium probably arrived in the southern
parts of the former Yugoslavia (now FYR Macedonia) from Greece. Based on
symptoms, and isolation and identification data, it was concluded that
Erwinia amylovora was the causal agent of pear drying in Macedonia (1989). It
was the first experimental confirmation of a presence of E. amylovora in the
territory of the former Yugoslavia. The presence of E. amylovora was also
proved in Serbia that same year. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, FB was detected
during 1990. Based on an official report filed with the Federal Ministry of
Agriculture in Belgrade, the presence of E. amylovora in Yugoslavia was
confirmed (EPPO - Reporting Service, 1991). Therefore, the presence of the
bacterium E. amylovora in the territory of Yugoslavia was officially
confirmed in 1990. In Croatia, FB was first observed in villages near the
border on Serbia in 1995. In Montenegro, FB was first detected in 1996. In
Slovenia, FB appeared as late as in 2001. E. amylovora is now present on 10
hosts (pear, wild pear, apple, quince, medlar, mountainash, hawthorn,
firethorn, cotoneaster and Japanese quince) in the territory of the former
Yugoslav republics. Based on literature data, losses caused by FB in the
former Yugoslav republics in the period 1989-1992 were estimated at about
12,000,000 DEM (mostly in Macedonia) and in the period 1992-1996 at 6,000,000
DEM. Total damage in a more recent epiphytotic year in Slovenia (2003) was
estimated at about 474,200 EUR. Conventional and up-to-date rapid methods
(PCR, ELISA and IF, BIOLOG and API System, FAME and SDS-PAGE) have been used
to identify E. amylovora. Mainly preventive measures have been used to
control E. amylovora in the former Yugoslav republics. Spraying with copper
products has been practiced during the dormant period and in early spring. In
rare cases, spraying has been done at the flowering stage (MARYBLYT), but the
problem is that no synthetic bactericides are available on the market. When
symptoms occur, only mechanical measures are being applied.
The effects of some botanical insecticides and pymetrozine on life table parameters of silver leaf whitefly Bemisia tabaci Gennadius (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)
Authors: Barati Reihaneh , Golmohammadi Gholamreza , Ghajarie Hamid , Zarabi Mehdi , Mansouri Raziyeh
Published: April 2013

The objective of this research was to assess the effects of extracts of two
medicinal plant species: Allium sativum (Linn) and Calotropis procera
(Aiton), and a formulation containing azadirachtin on life table parameters
of silver leaf whitefly (SLW), Bemisia tabaci biotype B (Gennadius)
(Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), grown on greenhouse tomato plants. The effects
were compared to that of pymetrozine, a synthetic insecticide. Bioassays
were carried out in a greenhouse under controlled conditions of 27 ? 2?C,
R.H. of 55 ? 5% and 16:8 h (L:D) photo period. All treatments significantly
affected the survivorship and fertility of SLW female adults, reducing the
net reproduction rate, mean generation time and intrinsic rate of increase
of this insect. The net reproductive rate [R0] values for the populations
treated with garlic extract, milkweed extract, pymetrozine, azadirachtin,
control for extracts (ethanol + distilled water) and control for pesticides
(distilled water) were 23.58, 19.32, 10.78, 8.23, 49.66, 57.55; the
intrinsic rate of increases [rm] were 0.134, 0.139, 0.110, 0.090, 0.177,
0.178; the mean generation times [T] were 23.49, 21.23, 21.66, 23.50, 22.06,
22.69; the doubling times [DT] were 5.14, 4.95, 6.27, 7.56, 3.91, 3.87, and
the finite rates of increase [?] were 1.144, 1.149, 1.116, 1.094, 1.193,
1.195, respectively. Azadirachtin had the highest effect on the life table
parameters of SLW. Our findings indicated that, although herbal extracts
were not effective as much as the chemical insecticides, they can be
effective in pest control. Therefore, they are suitable choices for
replacing chemical insecticides and for alternative use with azadirachtin in
SLW IPM program.
The effect of field dodder (Cuscuta campestris Yunck.) on morphological and fluorescence parameters of giant ragweed (Ambrosia trifida L.)
Authors: Vrbnicanin Sava , Saric-Krsmanovic Marija , Bozic Dragana
Published: April 2013

The effect of the parasitic flowering plant known as field dodder (Cuscuta
campestris Yunck.) on morphological and fluorescence parameters of infested
giant ragweed (Ambrosia trifida L.) plants was examined under controlled
conditions. The parameters of chlorophyll fluorescence (Fo, Fv/Fm, ?PSII, Fv,
Fm, ETR and IF) were measured on infested (I) and non-infested (N) A. trifida
plants over a period of seven days, beginning with the day of infestation.
Morphological parameters (plant height, dry and fresh weight) were measured
on the last day of fluorescence measurements. C. campestris was found to
affect the height, fresh and dry weight of the infested A. trifida plants,
causing significant reduction in plant height and dry weight. Field dodder
also affected several parameters of chlorophyll fluorescence (Fo, Fv/Fm,
?PSII and Fv) in infested A. trifida plants.
A Cross-Cultural Study of American, Chinese, Japanese and Swedish Early Childhood In-service and Pre-Service Teachers' Perspectives of Fathering
Authors: Ito Yoko , Izumi-Taylor Satomi
Published: April 2013

The purpose of this study was to examine similarities and differences in perspectives of fathering among American, Chinese, Japanese and Swedish in-service and pre-service early childhood teachers. The participants in the quantitative survey consisted of 67 American in-service and 277 pre-service teachers, 118 Chinese in-service and 163 pre-service teachers, 325 Japanese in-service and 350 pre-service teachers, and 105 Swedish in-service and 182 pre-service teachers. Randomly selected participants from these nations also participated in focus-group interviews. The results of this study revealed that fathers' involvement was related to hours of care for both Chinese and Japanese in-service teachers as well as for all four countries' pre-service teachers. Chinese, Japanese and Swedish teachers' perceptions of fathers' involvement were associated with gender equality. The more American, Chinese and Japanese pre-service teachers valued sensitivity of care, the more they considered fathers' involvement to be important. Qualitative data analysis found that the majority of participants valued fathers' involvement and that their cultures clearly influenced their concepts of fathering.
Qualifying parabolic mirrors with deflectometry
Authors: Burke J. , Li W. , Heimsath A. , von Kopylow C. , Bergmann R. B.
Published: April 2013

Phase-measuring deflectometry is a full-field gradient technique that lends itself very well to testing reflective optical surfaces. In the past, the industry’s interest has been focussed mainly on the detection of defects and ripples, since it is easy to achieve sensitivity in the nm range. On the other hand, attempts to reconstruct the absolute surface shape from the gradient map have been plagued by systematic errors that accumulate to unacceptable uncertainties during data integration. Recently, thanks to improved measurement and evaluation techniques, the state of the art in absolute surface measurement has reached a level of maturity that allows its practical usage in precision optical manufacturing and qualification systems. We demonstrate the techniques, and the progress, by way of results from mirrors for telescopes, solar concentrators, and precision laboratory assemblies.
Optical security device for document protection using plasmon resonant transmission through a thin corrugated metallic film embedded in a plastic foil
Authors: Sauvage-Vincent J. , Tonchev S. , Veillas C. , Reynaud S. , Jourlin Y.
Published: April 2013

The well known resonant or extraordinary transmission through an undulated metallic thin film embedded in a dielectric layer using the Plasmon modes excitation under normal incidence is industrially exploited for document protection applications. While the effect is very spectrally sensitive to the incidence angle in collinear incidence since it leads to a transmission peak separation in two peaks, it is very tolerant in conical incidence (incidence angle in the plan normal to the grating direction). This property is used to create color transmission effects by playing with the sample rotation in the two directions to enhance the contrast of such effect. Theoretical approach, modeling and experimental demonstration in the visible range on a flexible plastic foil are presented for a see-through window implemented in document security.
Rotating vortex imaging implemented by a quantized spiral phase modulation
Authors: Baránek M. , Bouchal Z.
Published: April 2013

We demonstrate both theoretically and experimentally that a spiral mask with a finite number of discrete phase levels allows a defocusing induced rotation of the point spread function in the vortex imaging. Two experimental configurations based on a spiral phase modulation of light and a spiral filtering of the spatial spectrum are studied in a unified theoretical treatment. The rotating point spread functions are analyzed in detail for imaging realized by the vortex lens and the 4-f system used in the spiral phase contrast microscopy. The theoretical results are verified by experiments using a spatial light modulator. The method is applicable to a precise focusing and optical imaging allowing depth estimation from diffracted rotation. Apart from implementation simplicity, the main advantages of the method are high energy efficiency, a possibility to operate with either complex amplitude or spatial spectrum of light and variability allowing a simple control of number of lobes of the point spread function.
Books of Interest
Authors: Steinhauser Michael , Dewart Joanne McWilliam , Dyke Doris , Slater Peter
Published: April 2013

Recent books of interest in biblical, pastoral, historical, and theological scholarship.
Editorial
Authors: Airhart Phyllis
Published: April 2013

Sarajevo. Ten years ago the word brought to mind the hope of international harmony as athletes and onlookers gathered to compete and celebrate at the Olympic Winter Games. Television highlighted Yugoslavia's scenic beauty and sense of tradition as cameras swooped down ski runs· through majestic mountains and into valleys where shots of impressive old churches added local colour. Sarajevo. Today as I write, the world associates that word with war, particularly a recent massacre of innocent civilians, in a region of the world divided by hatred fuelled in part by religious differences. The mountains near Sarajevo again make the news in discussions of the difficulties of bombing Serbian gun positions; the quaint old churches now lie in ruins, a symbol of a past that threatens to destroy the region's future. The Olympic soccer stadium now serves as a make-shift cemetery.
Books of Interest
Authors: Taylor Marion Ann , Jervis L. Ann , Starkloff Carl , Moeller Pamela Ann
Published: April 2013

Recent books of interest in theological scholarship.
Books of Interest
Authors: Harland Gordon , Williams Tyler
Published: April 2013

Recent books of interest in biblical, pastoral, historical, and theological scholarship.
Editorial
Authors: Jervis Ann
Published: April 2013

The meaning and role of experience plays a large part in much feminist scholarship. In "The Deceptive Monolith of Women's Experience: Struggling for Common Feminist Visions amidst Diversity" Loraine Shepherd investigates the role of experience in feminist theologies, through focusing on the work of Elisabeth Schiissler Fiorenza. Shepherd suggests a broad definition for experience in feminist theology: "a particular perception, mediated by historical, personal and social contexts and potentially determinative."
Editorial
Authors: Kloppenborg John
Published: April 2013

"Comparison," wrote Jonathan Z. Smith, "is a disciplined exaggeration in the service of knowledge .... [It] provides the means by which we're-vision' phenomena as our data in order to solve our theoretical problems" (Drudgery Divine [Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1990], p. 52, emphasis in original).

Smith's words should perhaps be taken as an invitation to biblical scholars to take possession of their own discourse in a way that they have not done hitherto.
Books of Interest
Authors: Lincolin Andrew , Muir Steven , Mackenzie Shepherd Loraine , Chambers Steven
Published: April 2013

Recent books of interest in biblical, pastoral, historical, and theological scholarship.
Participation as a Trinitarian Virtue: Challenging the Current “Relational” Consensus
Authors: Cunningham David
Published: April 2013

Whenever a theological doctrine is given renewed attention after having been ignored or marginalized for a long period of time, a number of disagreements are bound to arise. The recent renaissance of Trinitarian theology is no exception to this rule. Theologians have quarrelled over a number of issues, including the revisability of the divine names, the appropriateness of the language of person and the practical consequences of the doctrine of the Trinity. But on one matter, at least, we can point to a fairly wide consensus: most recent writers seem convinced that the language of relationality has something important to contribute to Trinitarian doctrine. This term is central for a number of authors, including Leonardo Boff, Colin Gunton, Robert Jenson, Elizabeth Johnson, Walter Kasper, Catherine Mowry LaCugna, Jiirgen Moltmann and Alan Torrance. While these writers are certainly not unified in their understanding and their assessment of this term, they all endorse its importance in the construction of Trinitarian theology.
Editorial
Authors: Jervis Ann
Published: April 2013

In the religious world view of Jews and Christians, ethics is connected not so much to what is but to what might be. That is, unlike Aristotelian ethics which is shaped by the nature of human beings and the demands of political life, ethics for Jews and Christians is largely shaped by an understanding of the goal for human life and creation. Within both Judaism and Christianity there are different understandings of the relationship between eschatology and ethics. And, in fact, Judaism has often distinguished itself from Christianity on precisely this point.
Crossroads in Christology: A Festschrift for Ellen M. Leonard, C.S.].
Authors: Anderson Anne , O'Mara Mechtilde
Published: April 2013

This festschrift honours Ellen Margaret Leonard for her years of service to the Toronto School of Theology and to the University of St. Michael's College, as she begins this new stage in her career. We are most thankful that she does not intend to abandon these academic institutions, or those of us to whom she has been colleague, mentor, sister or friend, or the larger academic world oftheology and the Christian community. Loyalty and a continued interest in those whose lives she has touched is a highly predictable quality in Ellen.
Editorial
Authors: Mercier, S.J. Ronald
Published: April 2013

There is an advantage to having the opportunity and the time to sit with what appears first to be a disparate collection of scholarly articles. Behind the particular concerns there emerges a synergy, whether accidental or providential, in the way they address either a common concern or a general interest. In this issue of TJT, we see a wide range of scholars address challenges arising from the modem theological context, addressing issues relating to violence or its results.
Books of Interest
Authors: Walters Stanley , Hays Alan , Reed James
Published: April 2013

Recent books of interest in biblical, pastoral, historical, and theological scholarship.
Editorial
Authors: Neelands David
Published: April 2013

If students of theology are divided between those who seek to find precise differences between particular moments and figures and those who seek to find common elements among these same moments and figures, it is to the latter group that the authors included in this issue in some respect or other belong. Each of the authors included here shows the fruit of the search for unity or common ground that bridges gaps that could be assumed to be permanent and inevitable.
A Select Bibliography
Authors: VanLeeuwen Hans
Published: April 2013

A Select Bibliography of the works by Carl Starkloff, S.J.
Variations on a Theme by Anselm: Contemporary Reflections on a Classic Definition
Authors: Bevans Stephen
Published: April 2013

About two decades ago I truly discovered classical music. I had always "liked" classical music, and had been familiar with some of the works in the standard repertoire (e.g. Vivaldi's "Four Seasons"), but one day in 1985 I suddenly was able to appreciate the music of Brahms, Beethoven, Vaughn Williams and Copeland at an entirely different level, and I was hooked. As I have listened to these and other great artists over the last twenty years, one thing I have learned is how original each artist is, while at the same time maintaining a real continuity with the past. Beethoven wanted to study with Mozart and ended up studying with Haydn, and subsequently took the symphony to new heights and depths; Brahms was deeply indebted to Beethoven, and in some ways was even intimidated by him, but his own works have a colour and richness that is characteristic of Brahms alone; Copeland's music is definitely music of the twentieth century United States, but he studied in Paris and is also steeped in the melodies of traditional American folk music.
Editorial
Authors: Khan Abrahim
Published: April 2013

The four essays in this issue show that theological engagement is more than a nuanced description or sympathetic appreciation of a religious phenomenon. Each is critically reflective in its own way, neither mincing words nor pulling punches in articulating what matters contextually.
Editorial
Authors: Donaldson Terence
Published: April 2013

The articles in this issue ofthe Toronto Journal of Theology represent considerable diversity-certainly in subject matter but also in method and theological opinion. This is as it should be since, in keeping with its character as a journal sponsored by an ecumenical consortium, TJT is mandated to reflect the whole range of the theological enterprise.
Editorial
Authors: Shantz Colleen
Published: April 2013

Christianity is living in interesting times. Given the combined effects of the "new atheism" on the one hand and the role of religious fervour in international politics on the other, the place for Christian thought and influence is under re-evalution. Together, the essays gathered in this volume of T JT provide an instructive set of perspectives. In the process of addressing issues ranging from explicitly interreligious conversations (Kim) to the construction of civic life in a pluralistic society (Addis) each author engages the question of where a Christian voice might belong in a larger mix of interests.
Forward
Authors: Zub David John , Fennell Robert
Published: April 2013

Harold Wells has, in so many wonderful ways, embodied the grace ofthe gospel: the love and freedom flowing from the heart ofour God who seeks to liberate and to renew the whole ofcreation. His career as a teacher, a minister and a teacher ofministers has made a significant and lasting impact on The United Church of Canada and on the wider ecumenical and theological world.As a theologian, and as a servant ofChrist in and for the Church, Professor Wells has been gracefully gifted with the charism of peace-making and peace-giving. As a scholar, his knowledge of historical and contextual theology is of considerable depth and breadth.Yet his work as an author and preacher is intimate and accessible for anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear.
Books of Interest
Authors: Prendergast Terrence , Pater Calvin Augustine , Chiason Cyril , Mohammed Ovey
Published: April 2013

Recent books of interest in biblical, pastoral, historical, and theological scholarship.
Editorial
Authors: Laporte Jean-Marc
Published: April 2013

Theology must not secure itself against the ebb and flow of human living. Its roots may be in the cloister and it may flourish in the halls of academe, but unless it encompasses the joys and struggles of everyday life, unless it allows itself to be invaded by the complexities and ambiguities of our world, it remains inert. Indeed it cannot be theo-Iogy, speaking its word about the mystery of God, without addressing the mystery of our own lives, because God, as Augustine tells us, is not only beyond our furthest reach for the heights but more intimate to us than we are to ourselves. The unknown God is unknown in the very midst of familiarity.
Editorial
Authors: Waters Stanley
Published: April 2013

The president of baseball's National League, Bartlett Giamatti, has recently spoken of an 'entitlement mentality' which he observes at large in his country. People feel, as he puts it, 'I have made my demand, I have made it courteously, I have made it stridently, but I have made my demand and I am entitled to the solution I have demanded'.
Books of Interest
Authors: Taylor Marion , Fedwick Paul , Redcliffe Gary , Webster John
Published: April 2013

Recent books of interest in biblical, pastoral, historical, and theological scholarship.
Editorial
Authors: Fahey Michael
Published: April 2013

As final copy for this initial issue of Volume 5 of the Toronto Journal of Theology goes to press, it is mid-April. From our editorial office facing Queen's Park behind the Ontario Provinciallegislati ve building, signs of spring are (by North American standards) still scarce. A few crocuses and some tulip shoots are in evidence; tree branches show promising buds waiting for warmer temperatures; each day the turf becomes more assertively green. The sun sets later in the evening and our brief Canadian spring will soon be transformed, all too quickly, into summer. Ironically, just at that point when vegetation is showing signs of renewed life, the university population begins to thin out for the summer.
Books of Interest
Authors: Quast Kevin , Airhart Phyllis , Starkloff Carl , McWilliam Joanne
Published: April 2013

Recent books of interest in biblical, pastoral, historical, and theological scholarship.
Editorial
Authors: McW
Published: April 2013

With this issue the Toronto Journal of Theology completes .six years of publication. Although presently suffering the pressures of a recessive economy, its editors are convinced that the journal fills too important a gap to be allowed to die. Begun intentionally as a scholarly but nonspecialized theological journal, the TJT continues to reflect the range and diversity of theological interests found in the Toronto School of Theology and beyond that, in the Canadian English-speaking theological community. The articles in this issue exemplify both the scholarship and the broad scope of the Journal.
Books of Interest
Authors: Kolarcik Michael , Airhart Phyllis , Dunn Stephen , Stackhouse Reginald
Published: April 2013

Recent books of interest in biblical, pastoral, historical, and theological scholarship.
Editorial
Authors: Fahey Michael
Published: April 2013

In summers past one of my ministries consisted of serving as coordinator of an international, ecumenical team of guides for the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. In ten different languages, these university students and I gave hour-long tours of the cathedral, initiating visitors to its architecture, statues, stained glass windows, and their significance. As in other medieval cathedrals, its stone and glass work is a mini-Bible for those unable to read, as well as a summa theologiae for those not sitting at the feet of Peter Lombard, Bonaventure or Aquinas. Much to my astonishment I discovered that the tourists I personally guided — Christians and Jews — were more than just rusty about Bible history; they were ignorant. Jews from New York were often as vague about Jesse's root, David and Goliath, Ruth and her husband, and Jonah, as Christians, even evangelicals, were astonishingly unfamiliar with the wedding feast at Cana, the risen Christ's appearance as gardener to Mary Magdalene, and other biblical scenes.
Editorial
Authors: Slater C. Peter
Published: April 2013

The word "religion" is so ambiguous that other terms are often suggested to evoke an accurate sense of the subject. Wilfred Cantwell Smith has taught a generation of historians of religion to refer instead to cumulative tradition and personal faith. One reference is to what we inherit and study, the other to how we live. My own shorthand gloss on Smith is to refer to religion as the present interplay between traditional faith and transforming hope or between cumulative tradition and eschatological vision. One interesting application of such polarities for Christian theology is to read the Hebrew Bible or Septuagint as the cumulative tradition and the New Testament as the "vision statement" of the early church.
In Memoriam: Michael McMahon Sheehan, CSB (1925-1992)
Authors: Hogan Brian
Published: April 2013

Historian Michael M. Sheehan died following a bicycle accident in Toronto on August 23, 1992. He had been quietly battling cancer for some time and during his last year had carefully journaled successive incidents of small seizures.
Editorial
Authors: Fahey Michael
Published: April 2013

One of the yearly rituals of Canadian academia consists in the gathering of the Learned Societies convoked during late May and early June at a Canadian university campus. Venue is chosen on a rotating basis to encourage professional exchange among scholars. In what is now the world's largest country, that vast expanse a mare usque ad mare stretching from one coast to another, contact among scholars is both difficult and expensive.
Books of Interest
Authors: MacDonald Margaret , McGowan Mark , Mathewson Robert
Published: April 2013

Recent books of interest in theological scholarship.
Bering Glacier and Bagley Ice Valley surge 2011: crevasse classification as an approach to map deformation stages and surge progression
Authors: Herzfeld Ute C. , McDonald Brian , Weltman Alexander
Published: April 2013

The dynamics of a surge is manifested in the crevasse patterns: literally, deformation state frozen in ice. This basic observation is utilized as the concept of an automated approach to map and analyze deformation stages and progression of surge kinematics. The classification method allows imagery to be used as geophysical data and is applied to aerial observations (photographic and video imagery, GPS data) collected in September 2011 during the surge of the Bering Glacier–Bagley Ice Valley system, Alaska, USA. As the third dimension that complements two-dimensional imagery, ice-surface elevation is observed using aerial laser altimetry. The classification method builds on concepts from signal processing, geostatistical data analysis and neural networks. Steps include calculation of generalized directional vario functions from image data and composition into feature vectors. The vario function operates as an information filter that retains spatial characteristics at an intermediate scale that captures crevasse spacing, anisotropy and other generalized roughness properties. Association of feature vectors to crevasse classes and hence deformation types employs a connectionist algorithm. In general, the connectionist–geostatistical classification allows the mapping of kinematic changes in crevassed glaciers.

Dedicated to the memory of Austin Post
46 years of environmental records from the Nevado Illimani glacier group, Bolivia, using digital photogrammetry
Authors: Ribeiro Rafael da Rocha , Ramirez Edson , Simões Jefferson Cardia , Machaca Abraham
Published: April 2013

This study determines variations in ice extent of Nevado Illimani, Bolivia (16°38' S, 67°44' W), from 1963 to 2009. The results are compared with net accumulation rate variations obtained from a local ice core. We then propose an interpretation of the recent environmental history (last 46 years) of the region based on a study of remotely sensed and ice-core data. From 1963 to 2009, Nevado Illimani lost a total ice area of 9.49 ±1.09 km2, a 35% reduction. Area variations generally followed variations in net accumulation rates during this period. Despite the current glacier area reduction trend, the Nevado Illimani glaciers will not completely disappear in the next few decades.
Kamb Ice Stream flow history and surge potential
Authors: Engelhardt Hermann , Kamb Barclay
Published: April 2013

A basal zone, tens of meters thick, of debris-laden ice was observed in Kamb Ice Stream, West Antarctica, using a video camera lowered into boreholes made by hot-water drilling. The debris content varies, sometimes abruptly, forming a sequence of layers that reflect the complex history of fast ice flow and bed interaction. In most parts, the concentration of debris is low, a few percent by weight, with particles, often mud clots, dispersed in a matrix of clear ice. The nature of the debris distribution can be interpreted in terms of specific time intervals in the history of fast motion of Kamb Ice Stream including processes leading up to the termination of its streaming behavior and possible reactivation.
Screening for Barley Waterlogging Tolerance in Nordic Barley Cultivars (Hordeum vulgare L.) Using Chlorophyll Fluorescence on Hydroponically-Grown Plants
Authors: Bertholdsson Nils-Ove
Published: April 2013

Waterlogging can reduce crop yield by 20%–50% or more, and lack of efficient selection methods is an obstacle in plant breeding. The methods currently used are mainly indices based on germination ability in Petri dishes and leaf chlorosis in plants grown in waterlogged soils. Cultivation in oxygen-depleted nutrient solution is the ultimate waterlogging system. Therefore methods based on root growth inhibition and on fluorescence in plant material hydroponically grown in oxygen-depleted solution were evaluated against data on biomass accumulation in waterlogged soils. Both traits were correlated with waterlogging tolerance in soil, but since it was easier to measure fluorescence, this method was further evaluated. A selection of F2 plants with high and low fluorescence revealed a small but significant screening effect in F3 plants. A test of 175 Nordic cultivars showed large variations in chlorophyll fluorescence in leaves from oxygen-stressed seedlings, indicating that adaptation to waterlogging has gradually improved over the past 40–50 years with the introduction of new cultivars onto the market. However, precipitation also increased during the period and new cultivars may have inadvertently been adapted to this while breeding barley for grain yield. The results suggest that the hydroponic method can be used for screening barley populations, breeding lines or phenotyping of populations in developing markers for quantitative trait loci.
Antibody-Directed Phototherapy (ADP)
Authors: Pye Hayley , Stamati Ioanna , Yahioglu Gokhan , Butt M. , Deonarain Mahendra
Published: April 2013

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a clinically-approved but rather under-exploited treatment modality for cancer and pre-cancerous superficial lesions. It utilises a cold laser or LED to activate a photochemical reaction between a light activated drug (photosensitiser-drug) and oxygen to generate cytotoxic oxygen species. These free radical species damage cellular components leading to cell death. Despite its benefits, the complexity, limited potency and side effects of PDT have led to poor general usage. However, the research area is very active with an increasing understanding of PDT-related cell biology, photophysics and significant progress in molecular targeting of disease. Monoclonal antibody therapy is maturing and the next wave of antibody therapies includes antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), which promise to be more potent and curable. These developments could lift antibody-directed phototherapy (ADP) to success. ADP promises to increase specificity and potency and improve drug pharmacokinetics, thus delivering better PDT drugs whilst retaining its other benefits. Whole antibody conjugates with first generation ADP-drugs displayed problems with aggregation, poor pharmacokinetics and loss of immuno-reactivity. However, these early ADP-drugs still showed improved selectivity and potency. Improved PS-drug chemistry and a variety of conjugation strategies have led to improved ADP-drugs with retained antibody and PS-drug function. More recently, recombinant antibody fragments have been used to deliver ADP-drugs with superior drug loading, more favourable pharmacokinetics, enhanced potency and target cell selectivity. These improvements offer a promise of better quality PDT drugs.
Discretization Based on Entropy and Multiple Scanning
Authors: Grzymala-Busse Jerzy
Published: April 2013

In this paper we present entropy driven methodology for discretization. Recently, the original entropy based discretization was enhanced by including two options of selecting the best numerical attribute. In one option, Dominant Attribute, an attribute with the smallest conditional entropy of the concept given the attribute is selected for discretization and then the best cut point is determined. In the second option, Multiple Scanning, all attributes are scanned a number of times, and at the same time the best cut points are selected for all attributes. The results of experiments on 17 benchmark data sets, including large data sets, with 175 attributes or 25,931 cases, are presented. For comparison, the results of experiments on the same data sets using the global versions of well-known discretization methods of Equal Interval Width and Equal Frequency per Interval are also included. The entropy driven technique enhanced both of these methods by converting them into globalized methods. Results of our experiments show that the Multiple Scanning methodology is significantly better than both: Dominant Attribute and the better results of Globalized Equal Interval Width and Equal Frequency per Interval methods (using two-tailed test and 0.01 level of significance).
Characterization and Synthesis of Silver Nanostructures in Rare Earth Activated GeO2-PbO Glass Matrix Using Matrix Adjustment Thermal Reduction Method
Authors: Bahari Hamid-Reza , Zamiri Reza , Sidek Hj. , Zakaria Azmi , Adikan Faisal
Published: April 2013

This paper reports matrix adjustment thermal reduction method to synthesize silver nanostructures in Er3+/Yb3+ activated GeO2-PbO glass matrix. The GeO2-PbO glass, the medium of nanoparticle formation, doped with Er2O3, Yb2O3 and AgNO3 was prepared by a melt quenching method. Annealing of the glass for different times was utilized, not only due to thermally reduce Ag+ ions to Ag nanostructures, but also to influence the glassy network. This is because, the glass structural transformation temperature is near to 435 °C and heating at more than this temperature can cause some structural changes in the glass matrix. According to TEM images, samples that tolerate 450 °C annealing temperature for one hour show the formation of basil-like silver nanostructures with a mean length of 54 nm and mean diameter of 13 nm embedded in the glass matrix, whereas with annealing at 450 °C for 5 to 20 h, silver nanoparticles of about 3–4 nm mean diameter size are formed. Annealing for 30 h causes silver nanoparticles to aggregate to form larger particles due to an Oswald ripening process. Observation of the characteristic Ag-NP SPR band at 400–500 nm in the UV-visible absorption spectra confirms the existence of silver nanoparticles. The SPR band widens to longer wavelengths in one hour annealed samples, which relates to the existence of nanostructures with different size or fractal shapes. In addition, an increment in the peak of the SPR band by increasing the duration of annealing indicates the formation of more nanoparticles. Furthermore, the existence of a peak at 470 cm–1 in the FTIR spectra of annealed samples and its absence in the samples not exposed to an annealing process suggests that the glass matrix is polymerized by Pb-O chains during the 450 °C annealing process. This is the main source of different nanostructures because of the dissimilar stabilizing media. The tighter media cap the particles to form small and dense nanoparticles but a loose environment leads to the creation of basil-like particles in the glass matrix.
Constructing U.K. Core Inflation
Authors: Mills Terence
Published: April 2013

The recent volatile behaviour of U.K. inflation has been officially attributed to a sequence of “unusual” price changes, prompting renewed interest in the construction of measures of “core inflation”, from which such unusual price changes may be down-weighted or even excluded. This paper proposes a new approach to constructing core inflation based on detailed analysis of the temporal stochastic structure of the individual prices underlying a particular index. This approach is illustrated using the section structure of the U.K. retail price index (RPI), providing a number of measures of core inflation that can be automatically calculated and updated to provide both a current assessment and forecasts of the underlying inflation rate in the U.K.
A Methodology for Retrieving Information from Malware Encrypted Output Files: Brazilian Case Studies
Authors: Uto Nelson
Published: April 2013

This article presents and explains a methodology based on cryptanalytic and reverse engineering techniques that can be employed to quickly recover information from encrypted files generated by malware. The objective of the methodology is to minimize the effort with static and dynamic analysis, by using cryptanalysis and related knowledge as much as possible. In order to illustrate how it works, we present three case studies, taken from a big Brazilian company that was victimized by directed attacks focused on stealing information from a special purpose hardware they use in their environment.
Cell Signaling Experiments Driven by Optical Manipulation
Authors: Difato Francesco , Pinato Giulietta , Cojoc Dan
Published: April 2013

Cell signaling involves complex transduction mechanisms in which information released by nearby cells or extracellular cues are transmitted to the cell, regulating fundamental cellular activities. Understanding such mechanisms requires cell stimulation with precise control of low numbers of active molecules at high spatial and temporal resolution under physiological conditions. Optical manipulation techniques, such as optical tweezing, mechanical stress probing or nano-ablation, allow handling of probes and sub-cellular elements with nanometric and millisecond resolution. PicoNewton forces, such as those involved in cell motility or intracellular activity, can be measured with femtoNewton sensitivity while controlling the biochemical environment. Recent technical achievements in optical manipulation have new potentials, such as exploring the actions of individual molecules within living cells. Here, we review the progress in optical manipulation techniques for single-cell experiments, with a focus on force probing, cell mechanical stimulation and the local delivery of active molecules using optically manipulated micro-vectors and laser dissection.
Characteristic of the Pepper CaRGA2 Gene in Defense Responses against Phytophthora capsici Leonian
Authors: Zhang Ying-Li , Jia Qing-Li , Li Da-Wei , Wang Jun-E , Yin Yan-Xu , Gong Zhen-Hui
Published: April 2013

The most significant threat to pepper production worldwide is the Phytophthora blight, which is caused by the oomycete pathogen, Phytophthora capsici Leonian. In an effort to help control this disease, we isolated and characterized a P. capsici resistance gene, CaRGA2, from a high resistant pepper (C. annuum CM334) and analyzed its function by the method of real-time PCR and virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS). The CaRGA2 has a full-length cDNA of 3,018 bp with 2,874 bp open reading frame (ORF) and encodes a 957-aa protein. The protein has a predicted molecular weight of 108.6 kDa, and the isoelectric point is 8.106. Quantitative real-time PCR indicated that CaRGA2 expression was rapidly induced by P. capsici. The gene expression pattern was different between the resistant and susceptible cultivars. CaRGA2 was quickly expressed in the resistant cultivar, CM334, and reached to a peak at 24 h after inoculation with P. capsici, five-fold higher than that of susceptible cultivar. Our results suggest that CaRGA2 has a distinct pattern of expression and plays a critical role in P. capsici stress tolerance. When the CaRGA2 gene was silenced via VIGS, the resistance level was clearly suppressed, an observation that was supported by semi-quantitative RT-PCR and detached leave inoculation. VIGS analysis revealed their importance in the surveillance to P. capsici in pepper. Our results support the idea that the CaRGA2 gene may show their response in resistance against P. capsici. These analyses will aid in an effort towards breeding for broad and durable resistance in economically important pepper cultivars.
The Influence of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on the Phospholipase D Isoforms Trafficking and Activity in Mast Cells
Authors: Basiouni Shereen , Fuhrmann Herbert , Schumann Julia
Published: April 2013

The impact of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) supplementation on phospholipase D (PLD) trafficking and activity in mast cells was investigated. The enrichment of mast cells with different PUFA including α-linolenic acid (LNA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), linoleic acid (LA) or arachidonic acid (AA) revealed a PUFA-mediated modulation of the mastoparan-stimulated PLD trafficking and activity. All PUFA examined, except AA, prevented the migration of the PLD1 to the plasma membrane. For PLD2 no PUFA effects on trafficking could be observed. Moreover, PUFA supplementation resulted in an increase of mastoparan-stimulated total PLD activity, which correlated with the number of double bonds of the supplemented fatty acids. To investigate, which PLD isoform was affected by PUFA, stimulated mast cells were supplemented with DHA or AA in the presence of specific PLD-isoform inhibitors. It was found that both DHA and AA diminished the inhibition of PLD activity in the presence of a PLD1 inhibitor. By contrast, only AA diminished the inhibition of PLD activity in the presence of a PLD2 inhibitor. Thus, PUFA modulate the trafficking and activity of PLD isoforms in mast cells differently. This may, in part, account for the immunomodulatory effect of unsaturated fatty acids and contributes to our understanding of the modulation of mast cell activity by PUFA.
Phylogeography and Genetic Differentiation among Populations of the Moon Turban Snail Lunella granulata Gmelin, 1791 (Gastropoda: Turbinidae)
Authors: Chiu Yuh-Wen , Bor Hor , Tan Mian-Shin , Lin Hung-Du , Jean Chuen-Tan
Published: April 2013

We examined the genetic variation and phylogeographic relationships among 10 populations of Lunella granulata from mainland China, Penghu Archipelago, Taiwan Island, and Japan using mitochondrial COI and 16S markers. A total of 45 haplotypes were obtained in 112 specimens, and relatively high levels of haplotype diversity (h = 0.903) and low levels of nucleotide diversity (π = 0.0046) were detected. Four major phylogenetic lineage clusters were revealed and were concordant with their geographic distribution, agreeing with the haplotype network. These results suggested that geographic barrier isolating effects were occurring among the populations. This hypothesis was also supported by a significant genetic differentiation index (FST = 0.709) and by a spatial analysis of molecular variance (SAMOVA) analysis. A mismatch distribution analysis, neutrality tests and Bayesian skyline plots found a single significant population expansion. This expansion occurred on the coast of mainland China before 20–17 ka. Consequently, although the dispersal ability of the planktonic stage and the circulation of ocean currents generally promote genetic exchanges among populations, L. granulata has tended to maintain distinct genetic groups that reflect the respective geographic origins of the constituent lineages. Although the circulation of ocean currents, in principle, may still play a role in determining the genetic composition of populations, long-distance migration between regions is difficult even at the planktonic stage.