bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Romiplostim as Early Treatment of Immune Thrombocytopenia with Severe Immunodeficiency
Authors: Palandri Francesca , Polverelli Nicola , Lifrieri Francesca , Catani Lucia , Giannini Maria Benedetta , Baccarani Michele , Vianelli Nicola
Published: June 2012

Immunosuppressive agents are the standard therapeutic approach for immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). Their prolonged use may increase the risk of infectious complications, particularly when the patient is already at higher infectious risk. In this setting, the use of drugs with a mechanism of action alternative to immunosuppression, like thrombopoietin receptor agonists (TRAs), may find particular indication. We report the unique case of a patient with severe immunodeficiency and ITP, who experienced a serious infectious complication while on steroids treatment, and who was successfully treated with Romiplostim second- line. The present experience supports the effectiveness and safety of TRAs as early treatment of ITP patients with drug-induced immunodeficiency or with active infections.
Additive Schwarz Preconditioners with Minimal Overlap for Triangular Spectral Elements
Authors: Kwan Yuen-Yick
Published: June 2012

The additive Schwarz preconditioner with minimal overlap is extended to triangular spectral elements (TSEM). The method is a generalization of the corresponding method in tensorial quadrilateral spectral elements (QSEM). The proposed preconditioners are based on partitioning the domain into overlapping subdomains, solving local problems on these subdomains and solving an additional coarse problem associated with the subdomain mesh. The results of numerical experiments show that the proposed preconditioner are robust with respect to the number of elements and are more efficient than the preconditioners with generous overlaps.
Radiative forcing estimates of sulfate aerosol in coupled climate-chemistry models with emphasis on the role of the temporal variability
Authors: Déandreis C. , Balkanski Y. , Dufresne J. L. , Cozic A.
Published: June 2012

Abstract. This paper describes the impact on the sulfate aerosol radiative effects of coupling the radiative code of a global circulation model with a chemistry-aerosol module. With this coupling, temporal variations of sulfate aerosol concentrations influence the estimate of aerosol radiative impacts. Effects of this coupling have been assessed on net fluxes, radiative forcing and temperature for the direct and first indirect effects of sulfate. The direct effect respond almost linearly to rapid changes in concentrations whereas the first indirect effect shows a strong non-linearity. In particular, sulfate temporal variability causes a modification of the short wave net fluxes at the top of the atmosphere of +0.24 and +0.22 W m−2 for the present and preindustrial periods, respectively. This change is small compared to the value of the net flux at the top of the atmosphere (about 240 W m−2). The effect is more important in regions with low-level clouds and intermediate sulfate aerosol concentrations (from 0.1 to 0.8 μg (SO4) m−3 in our model). The computation of the aerosol direct radiative forcing is quite straightforward and the temporal variability has little effect on its mean value. In contrast, quantifying the first indirect radiative forcing requires tackling technical issues first. We show that the preindustrial sulfate concentrations have to be calculated with the same meteorological trajectory used for computing the present ones. If this condition is not satisfied, it introduces an error on the estimation of the first indirect radiative forcing. Solutions are proposed to assess radiative forcing properly. In the reference method, the coupling between chemistry and climate results in a global average increase of 8% in the first indirect radiative forcing. This change reaches 50% in the most sensitive regions. However, the reference method is not suited to run long climate simulations. We present other methods that are simpler to implement in a coupled chemistry/climate model and that offer the possibility to assess radiative forcing.
Evaluation of HOx sources and cycling using measurement-constrained model calculations in a 2-methyl-3-butene-2-ol (MBO) and monoterpene (MT) dominated ecosystem
Authors: Kim S. , Wolfe G. M. , Mauldin L. , Cantrell C. , Guenther A. , Karl T. , Turnipseed A. , Greenberg J. , Hall S. R. , Ullmann K. , Apel E. , Hornbrook R. , Kajii Y. , Nakashima Y. , Keutsch F. N. , DiGangi J. P. , Henry S. B. , Kaser L. , Schnitzhofer R. , Graus M. , Hansel A.
Published: June 2012

Abstract. We present a detailed analysis of OH and HO2 observations from the BEACHON (Bio-hydro-atmosphere interactions of Energy, Aerosols, Carbon, H2O, Organics and Nitrogen)-ROCS (Rocky Mountain Organic Carbon Study) 2010 field campaign at the Manitou Forest Observatory (MFO), which is a 2-methyl-3-butene-2-ol (MBO) and monoterpene (MT) dominated forest environment. A comprehensive suite of measurements was used to constrain primary production of OH via ozone photolysis, OH recycling from HO2, and OH chemical loss rates, in order to estimate the steady-state concentration of OH. In addition, the University of Washington Chemical Model (UWCM) was used to evaluate the performance of a near-explicit chemical mechanism. The diurnal cycle in OH from the steady-state calculations is in good agreement with measurement. A comparison between the photolytic production rates and the recycling rates from the HO2 + NO reaction shows that recycling rates are ~20 times faster than the photolytic OH production rates from ozone. Thus, we find that direct measurement of the recycling rates and the OH loss rates can provide accurate predictions of OH concentrations. More importantly, we also conclude that a conventional OH recycling pathway (HO2 + NO) can explain the observed OH levels in this non-isoprene environment. This is in contrast to observations in isoprene-dominated regions, where investigators have observed significant underestimation of OH and have speculated that unknown sources of OH are responsible. The highly-constrained UWCM calculation under-predicts observed HO2 by as much as a factor of 8. As HO2 maintains oxidation capacity by recycling to OH, UWCM underestimates observed OH by as much as a factor of 5. When the UWCM calculation is constrained by measured HO2, model calculated OH is in reasonable agreement with the observed OH levels. Conversely, constraining the model to observed OH only slightly reduces the model-measurement HO2 discrepancy, implying unknown HO2 sources. These findings demonstrate the importance of constraining both the inputs to, and recycling within, the ROx radical pool (OH + HO2 + RO2).
Long-term validation of tropospheric column-averaged CH4 mole fractions obtained by mid-infrared ground-based FTIR spectrometry
Authors: Sepúlveda E. , Schneider M. , Hase F. , García O. E. , Gomez-Pelaez A. , Dohe S. , Blumenstock T. , Guerra J. C.
Published: June 2012

Abstract. At the Izaña Atmospheric Research Center, high-resolution mid-infrared solar absorption spectra have been recorded for more than 12 yr using Fourier Transform InfraRed (FTIR) spectrometers. We use the spectral fitting algorithm PROFFIT to retrieve long-term time series of methane (CH4) from the measured spectra. We investigate the total column-averaged dry air mole fractions of methane (totXCH4) obtained from a profile scaling and a profile retrieval, and apply two approaches for deriving the tropospheric column-averaged dry air mole fractions: firstly, we use the FTIR hydrogen fluoride (HF) total column amounts as an estimator for the stratospheric CH4 contribution and a posteriori correct the totXCH4 data of a profile scaling retrieval accordingly (troXCH4post); secondly, we directly determine the tropospheric column-averaged dry air mole fractions of methane (troXCH4retr) from retrieved CH4 profiles. Our theoretical estimation indicates that the scaling retrieval leads to totXCH4 amounts that are subject to a large smoothing error, which can be widely avoided by applying a profile retrieval (for the latter we estimate an overall precision of 0.41%). We compare the different FTIR CH4 data to Izaña's Global Atmospheric Watch (GAW) surface in-situ CH4 data (CH4GAW), which in the case of the Izaña Atmospheric Research Center high mountain observatory are very representative for the free tropospheric CH4 amounts. Concerning totXCH4, the agreement between the FTIR data product and the in-situ measurement is rather poor documenting that totXCH4 is not a valid free tropospheric CH4 proxy, as it is significantly affected by the varying stratospheric CH4 contribution and it rather follows the variation in the tropopause altitude. The a posteriori correction method as applied here only removes a part of this stratospheric CH4 contribution. In contrast the profile retrieval allows for a direct estimation of the tropospheric column-averaged CH4 amounts. Results of the profile retrieval analysis correlate well with the CH4GAW data (correlation coefficient of 0.60, FTIR-GAW scatter of 0.97%), and both data sets show very similar annual cycles and trend behaviour for the 2001–2010 time period. Furthermore, we find a very good absolute agreement between the troXCH4retr and CH4GAW (mid-infrared FTIR/GAW scaling factor of 0.9987) suggesting that mid-infrared FTIR data can be well combined with the surface in-situ GAW data. Our study strongly supports the value of mid-infrared ground-based FTIR CH4 profile retrievals as well as the robustness of the approach for achieving total and tropospheric column-averaged XCH4 data of high quality.
Development of a parallel sampling and analysis method for the elucidation of gas/particle partitioning of oxygenated semi-volatile organics: a limonene ozonolysis study
Authors: Rossignol S. , Chiappini L. , Perraudin E. , Rio C. , Fable S. , Valorso R. , Doussin J. F.
Published: June 2012

Abstract. The gas/particle partitioning behaviour of the semi-volatile fraction of secondary organic matter and the associated multiphase chemistry are key features to accurately evaluate climate and health impacts of secondary organic aerosol (SOA). However, today, the partitioning of oxygenated secondary species is rarely assessed in experimental SOA studies and SOA modelling is still largely based on estimated partitioning data. This paper describes a new analytical approach, solvent-free and easy to use, to explore the chemical composition of the secondary organic matter at a molecular scale in both gas and particulate phases. The method is based on thermal desorption (TD) of gas and particulate samples, coupled with gas chromatography (GC) and mass spectrometry (MS), with derivatisation on sampling supports. Gaseous compounds were trapped on Tenax TA adsorbent tubes pre-coated with pentafluorobenzylhydroxylamine (PFBHA) or N-Methyl-N-(t-butyldimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide (MTBSTFA). Particulate samples were collected onto quartz or Teflon-quartz filters and subsequently subjected to derivatisation with PFBHA or MTBSTFA before TD-GC/MS analysis. Method development and validation are presented for an atmospherically relevant range of organic acids and carbonyl and hydroxyl compounds. Application of the method to a limonene ozonolysis experiment conducted in the EUPHORE simulation chamber under simulated atmospheric conditions of low concentrations of limonene precursor and relative humidity, provides an overview of the method capabilities. Twenty-five compounds were positively or tentatively identified, nine being in both gaseous and particulate phases; and twelve, among them tricarboxylic acids, hydroxyl dicarboxylic acids and oxodicarboxylic acids, being detected for the first time.
1 km fog and low stratus detection using pan-sharpened MSG SEVIRI data
Authors: Schulz H. M. , Thies B. , Cermak J. , Bendix J.
Published: June 2012

Abstract. In this paper a new technique for the detection of fog and low stratus in 1 km resolution from MSG SEVIRI data is presented. The method relies on the pan-sharpening of 3 km narrow-band channels using the 1 km high-resolution visible (HRV) channel. As solar and thermal channels had to be sharpened for the technique, a new approach based on an existing pan-sharpening method was developed using local regressions. A fog and low stratus detection scheme originally developed for 3 km SEVIRI data was used as the basis to derive 1 km resolution fog and low stratus masks from the sharpened channels. The sharpened channels and the fog and low stratus masks based on them were evaluated visually and by various statistical measures. The sharpened channels deviate only slightly from reference images regarding their pixel values as well as spatial features. The 1 km fog and low stratus masks are therefore deemed of high quality. They contain many details, especially where fog is restricted by complex terrain in its extent, that cannot be detected in the 3 km resolution.
Ozone stress as a driving force of sesquiterpene emissions: a suggested parameterization
Authors: Bourtsoukidis E. , Bonn B. , Dittmann A. , Hakola H. , Hellén H. , Jacobi S.
Published: June 2012

Abstract. Sesquiterpenes (C15H24) are semi-volatile organic compounds emitted by vegetation and are of interest in atmospheric research because they influence the oxidative capacity of the atmosphere and contribute to the formation of secondary organic aerosols. However, little is known about their emission pattern and no established parameterization is available for global emission models. The aim of this study is to investigate a Central European spruce forest and its emission response to meteorological and environmental parameters, looking for a parameterization that incorporates heat and oxidative stress as the main driving forces of the induced emissions. Therefore, a healthy ca. 80 yr old Norway spruce (Picea abies) tree was selected and a dynamical vegetation enclosure technique was applied from April to November 2011. The emissions clearly responded to temperature changes with small variations in the β-factor along the year (βspring=0.09 ± 0.01, βsummer=0.12 ± 0.02, βautumn=0.11 ± 0.02). However, daily calculated values revealed a vast amount of variability in temperature dependencies ((0.02 ± 0.002)< β
Seasonal patterns in Arctic planktonic metabolism (Fram Strait – Svalbard region)
Authors: Vaquer-Sunyer R. , Duarte C. M. , Holding J. , Regaudie-de-Gioux A. , García-Corral L. S. , Reigstad M. , Wassmann P.
Published: June 2012

Abstract. The metabolism of the Arctic Ocean is marked by extreme pronounced seasonality and spatial heterogeneity associated with light conditions, ice cover, water masses and nutrient availability. Here we report the marine planktonic metabolic rates (Net Community Production, Gross Primary Production and Community Respiration) along three different seasons of the year for a total of eight cruises along the western sector of the European Arctic (Fram Strait – Svalbard region) in the Arctic Ocean margin: one at the end of 2006 (fall/winter), two in 2007 (early spring and summer), two in 2008 (early spring and summer), one in 2009 (late spring–early summer) and one in 2010 (spring). The results show that metabolisms of the western sector of the European Arctic varies throughout the year, depending mostly on the stage of bloom, which is mainly determined by availability of light and nutrients. Here we report metabolic rates for the different periods, including the spring bloom, summer and the dark period, increasing considerably the empirical basis on metabolic rates in the Artic Ocean, and especially in the European Arctic corridor. We also report a rough annual metabolic balance for this area of the Arctic Ocean, resulting in a Net Community Production of 108 g C m−2 yr−1.
Deep-sea scavenging amphipod assemblages from the submarine canyons of the Iberian Peninsula
Authors: Duffy G. A. , Horton T. , Billett D. S. M.
Published: June 2012

Abstract. Submarine canyons have often been identified as hotspots of secondary production with the potential to house distinct faunal assemblages and idiosyncratic ecosystems. Within these deep-sea habitats, assemblages of scavenging fauna play a vital role in reintroducing organic matter from large food falls into the wider deep-sea food chain. Free-fall baited traps were set at different depths within three submarine canyons on the Iberian Margin. Amphipods from the traps were identified to species level and counted. Scavenging amphipod assemblages were compared at different depths within each canyon, between individual canyon systems, and between the abyssal plain and submarine canyon sites. Samples from canyons were found to contain common abyssal plain species but in greater than expected abundances. Community composition differed significantly between the submarine canyons and abyssal plains. It is proposed that this is a result of the high organic carbon input into canyon systems owing to their interception of sediment from the continental shelf and input from associated estuarine systems.
Fluctuations of Glaciar Esperanza Norte in the north Patagonian Andes of Argentina during the past 400 yr
Authors: Ruiz L. , Masiokas M. H. , Villalba R.
Published: June 2012

Abstract. The number of studies of Little Ice Age (LIA) glacier fluctuations in southern South America has increased in recent years but is largely biased towards sites in the south Patagonian Andes. In this paper we present a detailed record of length and areal fluctuations of Glaciar Esperanza Norte (GEN) in the north Patagonian Andes of Argentina during the past four centuries. The GEN record was reconstructed through the dendro-geomorphological dating of moraines and the analysis of satellite imagery, aerial photographs and documentary material complemented with extensive field surveys. The maximum LIA extent at GEN was associated with an outer moraine dated to the mid 17th century. At least 19 subsequent readvances or standstills evidenced by morainic ridges were identified inside the most extensive LIA moraine. The dating and spacing of these moraines and the additional information available indicate that the ice front retreated much more rapidly during the 20th century than during earlier centuries. Comparison with the record of LIA fluctuations of Glaciar Frías, an ice mass of similar characteristics located 110 km to the north of GEN, shows a similar pattern of recession over the past 400 yr. Both glacier records have the peak LIA event occurring roughly during the same interval (early-mid 17th century) and show a minor readvance during the 1970s, but there are still a few discrepancies in the dating of some inner moraines. These differences may be due to local, specific factors or associated with the inherent uncertainties in the dating of the moraines. The chronologies of GEN and Frías are among the most detailed currently available in Patagonia, but a larger number of study sites is needed to develop robust, regionally representative glacier chronologies. Detailed glaciological, geomorphological and meteorological data are also needed to understand the glacier-climate relationships in this region and develop reliable paleoclimatic reconstructions.
Estimating the flood frequency distribution at seasonal and annual time scale
Authors: Baratti E. , Montanari A. , Castellarin A. , Salinas J. L. , Viglione A. , Bezzi A.
Published: June 2012

Abstract. We propose an original approach to infer the flood frequency distribution at seasonal and annual time scale. Our purpose is to estimate the peak flow that is expected for an assigned return period T, independently of the season in which it occurs (i.e. annual flood frequency regime), as well as in different selected sub-yearly periods (i.e. seasonal flood frequency regime). While a huge literature exists on annual flood frequency analysis, few studies have focused on the estimation of seasonal flood frequencies despite the relevance of the issue, for instance when scheduling along the months of the year the construction phases of river engineering works directly interacting with the active river bed, like for instance dams. An approximate method for joint frequency analysis is presented here that guarantees consistency between fitted annual and seasonal distributions, i.e. the annual cumulative distribution is the product of the seasonal cumulative distribution functions, under the assumption of independence among floods in different seasons. In our method the parameters of the seasonal frequency distributions are fitted by maximising an objective function that accounts for the likelihoods of both seasonal and annual peaks. Differently from previous studies, our procedure is conceived to allow the users to introduce subjective weights to the components of the objective function in order to emphasize the fitting of specific seasons or of the annual peak flow distribution. An application to the time series of the Blue Nile daily flows at Sudan-Ethiopia border is presented.
Wave climate of the Adriatic Sea: a future scenario simulation
Authors: Benetazzo A. , Fedele F. , Carniel S. , Ricchi A. , Bucchignani E. , Sclavo M.
Published: June 2012

Abstract. We present a study on expected wind wave severity changes in the Adriatic Sea for the period 2070–2099 and their impact on extremes. To do so, the phase-averaged spectral wave model SWAN is forced using wind fields computed by the high-resolution regional climate model COSMO-CLM, the climate version of the COSMO meteorological model downscaled from a global climate model running under the IPCC-A1B emission scenario. Namely, the adopted wind fields are given with a horizontal resolution of 14 km and 40 vertical levels, and they are prepared by the Italian Aerospace Research Centre (CIRA). Firstly, in order to infer the wave model accuracy in predicting seasonal variability and extreme events, SWAN results are validated against a control simulation, which covers the period 1965–1994. In particular, numerical predictions of the significant wave height Hs are compared against available in-situ data. Further, a statistical analysis is carried out to estimate changes on wave storms and extremes during the simulated periods (control and future scenario simulations). In particular, the generalized Pareto distribution is used to predict changes of storm peak Hs for frequent and rare storms in the Adriatic Sea. Finally, Borgman's theory is applied to estimate the spatial pattern of the expected maximum wave height Hmax during a storm, both for the present climate and that of the future scenario. Results show a future wave climate in the Adriatic Sea milder than the present climate, even though increases of wave severity can occur locally.
Sea-air CO2 flux estimated from SOCAT surface-ocean CO2 partial pressure data and atmospheric CO2 mixing ratio data
Authors: Rödenbeck C. , Keeling R. F. , Bakker D. C. E. , Metzl N. , Olsen A. , Sabine C. , Heimann M.
Published: June 2012

Abstract. Surface-ocean CO2 partial pressure data have been assimilated into a simple diagnostic model of surface-ocean biogeochemistry to estimate the spatio-temporal CO2 partial pressure field and ultimately the sea-air CO2 fluxes. Results compare well with the widely used monthly climatology by Takahashi et al. (2009) but also contain some short-term and interannual variations. Fitting the same model to atmospheric CO2 data yields less robust but consistent estimates, confirming that using the partial pressure based estimates as ocean prior in atmospheric CO2 inversions may improve land CO2 flux estimates. Estimated seasonality of ocean-internal carbon sources and sinks is discussed in the light of observed nutrient variations.
Brief communication "Can recent ice discharges following the Larsen-B ice-shelf collapse be used to infer the driving mechanisms of millennial-scale variations of the Laurentide ice sheet?"
Authors: Alvarez-Solas J. , Robinson A. , Ritz C.
Published: June 2012

Abstract. The effects of an ice-shelf collapse on inland glacier dynamics have recently been widely studied, especially since the breakup of the Antarctic Peninsula's Larsen-B ice shelf in 2002. Several studies have documented acceleration of the ice streams that were flowing into the former ice shelf. The mechanism responsible for such a speed-up lies with the removal of the ice-shelf backforce. Independently, it is also well documented that during the last glacial period, the Northern Hemisphere ice sheets experienced large discharges into the ocean, likely reflecting ice flow acceleration episodes on the millennial time scale. The classic interpretation of the latter is based on the existence of an internal thermo-mechanical feedback with the potential to generate oscillatory behavior in the ice sheets. Here we would like to widen the debate by considering that Larsen-B-like glacial analog episodes could have contributed significantly to the registered millennial-scale variablity.
A Kano Model Based Linguistic Application for Customer Needs Analysis
Authors: Rashid Md Mamunur , Tamaki Jun'ichi , Ullah A.M.M. Sharif , Kubo Akihiko
Published: June 2012

Linguistic is the systematic study of language. Now quality doesn't always mean the “tangible attribute” of a product or service. It may also be linguistic. Thus, linguistic has applied for product design through capturing the voice of Customers. Capturing of the voice of customers has been done in different way, like Quality Function Deployment (QFD), Kansei Engineering and Kano Model regarding product design. Kano Model has two dimensional linguistic approaches, which is more voice capturing capacity than other methods. Reverse attribute study is important for more reliable product design for next actions than other attributes of Kano model i.e. attractive, must-be, one-dimensional and indifferent. Thus, this paper is exclusively study for reverse attribute. For this purpose, a reverse attribute based linguistic approach, which is run in the computer system for product design regarding Kano model aspect using threshold numbers of real consumers opinions converted into probability through fuzzy concept as an input of Monte Carlo Simulation system determining virtual customers is described in this paper.
An Exploratory Analysis of Educational Management for the Universities
Authors: Habib Mamun
Published: June 2012

This exploratory research addresses educational management model for the universities. Its applicability was successfully verified and validated through survey data from leading tertiary educational institutions around the world. The proposed model was developed based on the analysis of literature, past theoretical frameworks, interviews with stakeholders. Model constructs were identified and confirmed by 493 respondents, representing university administrators, faculty and staffs, employers, and graduates. The resulting model was subsequently evaluated for accuracy and validity by multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis and the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique. The study revealed education development, education assessment, research development, and research assessment as four main activities in educational management. Four aspects of each activity, namely programs establishment, university culture, faculty capabilities, and facilities were investigated at strategic, planning, and operating levels. The conceptual model for the universities provides a novel approach for prospective investors or current university administrators to review and appraise their performance toward fulfillment of ultimate goals, i.e. producing high-caliber graduates and high-impact research outcomes for the betterment of the society. The research model represents two contributions to the society including human resource contribution and research contribution.
Performance and Analysis of Blood Flow through Carotid Artery
Authors: Gupta Anil Kumar
Published: June 2012

The present paper a finite element implementation of a model of the arterial blood flow through the carotid artery with the effects of magnetic to considering fluid–wall interactions are investigated. The Navier–Stokes equations are used as the governing equations for the blood flow while an elastic compliant model is used for the arterial wall. The reduced one dimensional model solves the momentum and continuity equations in compliant tubes so as to reproduce the propagation of the pressure pulse in the arterial model. The obtained results adequately reproduce the general flow patterns reported in the literature. The results obtained in the investigation are in reasonably good agreement with experimental findings existing in the literature. The effects of a magnetic field have been used to control the flow, which may be useful in certain hypertension cases, etc.
Magnetic Properties of Fe and Ni Doped SnO2 Nanoparticles
Authors: Sharma Aditya , Varshney Mayora , Kumar Shalendra , Verma K.D. , Kumar Ravi
Published: June 2012

In this work, we report the room temperature ferromagnetism in Sn1-xFexO2 and Sn1-xNixO2 (x = 0.00, 0.03 and 0.05) nano-crystalline powders. All the samples were prepared using co-precipitation method. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDAX), UV-visible absorption spectroscopy and room temperature magnetization measurements were performed to study the crystal structure, morphology, elemental analysis, optical band gap and magnetic properties of Fe and Ni doped SnO2. TEM results depict the formation of spherically shaped and small sized nanoparticles of the diameter of ∼ 3 nm. The band gap energy of the Fe and Ni doped samples found to decrease with increasing their concentrations. The higher saturation magnetization was observed in low concentration Fe and Ni doped tin oxide.
Photoresponsive Cellulose Nanocrystals
Authors: Filpponen Ilari , Sadeghifar Hasan , Argyropoulos Dimitris S
Published: June 2012

In this communication a method for the creation of fluorescent cellulose nanoparticles using click chemistry and subsequent photodimerization of the installed side-chains is demonstrated. In the first step, the primary hydroxyl groups on the surface of the CNCs were converted to carboxylic acids by using TEMPO-mediated hypohalite oxidation. The alkyne groups, essential for the click reaction, were introduced into the surface of TEMPO-oxidized CNCs via carbodiimide-mediated formation of an amide linkage between monomers carrying an amine functionality and carboxylic acid groups on the surface of the TEMPO-oxidized CNCs. Finally, the reaction of surface-modified TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanocrystals and azido-bearing coumarin and anthracene monomers were carried out by means of a click chemistry, i.e., Copper(I)-catalyzed Azide-Alkyne Cycloaddition (CuAAC) to produce highly photo-responsive and fluorescent cellulose nanoparticles. Most significantly, the installed coumarin and/or anthracene side-chains were shown to undergo UV-induced [2+2] and [4+4] cycloaddition reactions, bringing and locking the cellulose nanocrystals together. This effort paves the way towards creating, cellulosic photo responsive nano-arrays with the potential of photo reversibility since these reactions are known to be reversible at varying wavelengths.
Synthesis, Characterization and Ethanol Sensing Properties of Tin Oxide Nanostructures
Authors: Johari Anima , Rana Vikas , Bhatnagar Mukesh Chander
Published: June 2012

One-dimensional nanostructures of Tin oxide (SnO2) have been synthesized by thermal evaporation method with and with out a catalyst on silicon substrate. The nanostructure growth was carried out by using a mixture of SnO2 and graphite powders at a temperature of 1050°C in nitrogen (N2) ambience. The synthesized SnO2 nanostructures show polycrystalline nature with tetragonal rutile structure. SEM investigation reveals wire-like and rod-shaped nanostructures on silicon substrate, with and without the gold catalyst layer respectively. EDX and TEM observation concludes that the uniform SnO2 nanowires (diameter ∼ 25 nm and length ∼ 50 μm) grow with vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) mechanism whereas, the SnO2 nanorods with varying diameter grow with vapor-solid (VS) mechanism. UV-Vis spectra estimates that the optical band gaps of the SnO2 nanowires and nanorods were 3.92 eV and 3.67 eV respectively. As synthesized single SnO2 nanowire based gas sensor exhibit relatively good performance to ethanol gas. This sensing behaviour offers a suitable application of the SnO2 nanowire sensor for detection of ethanol gas.
The Untold Story Of Water Tanks
Authors: Henderson Erika
Published: June 2012

This article reviews the history of water tanks, often a source of hometown pride in the United States, and speculates on their future.
Secondary and Cumulative Impacts Analysis and the Clean Water Act
Authors: Diffenderfer Michelle , Diffenderfer Robert
Published: June 2012

At the U.S. national level, responsibility for protecting natural resources is spread among multiple environmental statutes and regulations administered by several agencies. Land development or any activity involving a wetland inevitably triggers those regulations. This article discusses the secondary and cumulative impacts doctrines under the Clean Water Act.
Activity and enrichment use in disabled Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) rescued from bile farms
Authors: Dallaire JA , Field N , Mason GJ
Published: June 2012

Physical disability has the potential to impede the use of environmental enrichments in rehabilitation programmes. We therefore compared the behaviour of 63 disabled and non-disabled socially housed adult Asiatic black bears rescued from bile farms for 103 observation hours. Amputees were less active than non-amputees, spent less time standing, travelled less between different areas of their outdoor enclosure, and showed less frequent stereotypic behaviour. Blind bears also showed low levels of activity and stereotypic behaviour. Blind bears and male amputees spent less time than non-disabled bears eating food dispersed throughout the enclosure as a foraging enrichment. It is unclear whether their infrequent eating is due to impaired foraging, or to lower energy demands arising from lower activity levels. Blind bears tended to manipulate feeders and other enrichment objects less than sighted bears. Disabled bears did not show any signs of impaired social interactions, and were not competitively displaced from resources by other bears more often than non-disabled bears. Thus, disabled bears rescued from bile farms show deficits in overall activity, with amputees also travelling less around their enclosures and blind bears potentially compromised in some forms of enrichment use. However, it is apparent that they adapt well to the presence of social companions. Several disabled bears also showed a degree of novel behaviour, seemingly compensating for disabilities, suggesting possible avenues for enrichments targeted specifically at these bears. The data also suggest specific hypotheses to test in longitudinal studies of rehabilitation.
Cognitive bias in a non-human primate: husbandry procedures influence cognitive indicators of psychological well-being in captive rhesus macaques
Authors: Bethell EJ , Holmes A , MacLarnon A , Semple S
Published: June 2012

The measurement of ‘cognitive bias’ has recently emerged as a powerful tool for assessing animal welfare. Cognitive bias was initially, and widely, studied in humans, and describes the way in which particular emotions are associated with biases in information processing. People suffering from clinical levels of anxiety or depression, for example, interpret ambiguous events more negatively than do non-anxious or non-depressed people. Development of methods for use with non-human animals has revealed similar biases in several species of mammals and birds, and one invertebrate. However, cognitive bias has not been previously explored in any species of non-human primate, despite specific concerns raised about the welfare of these animals in captivity. Here, we describe a touchscreen-based cognitive-bias task developed for use with captive rhesus macaques(Macaca mulatta). Monkeys were initially trained on a ‘Go/No-Go’ operant task, in which they learned to touch one of two lines that differed in size in order to receive a reward (food), and to desist from touching the other line to avoid a mildly aversive stimulus (delay to the next trial and white noise). In testing sessions, the monkeys were presented with lines of intermediate size. We measured whether touchscreen responses to these ambiguous stimuli were affected by husbandry procedures (environmental enrichment, and a statutory health check involving restraint and ketamine hydrochloride injection) presumed to induce positive and negative shifts in affective state, respectively. Monkeys made fewer responses to ambiguous stimuli post health check compared to during the phase of enrichment suggesting greater expectation of negative outcomes following the health check compared to during enrichment. Shifts in affective state following standard husbandry procedures may therefore be associated with changes in information processing similar to those demonstrated in anxious and depressed humans, and in a number of other taxa.
The welfare of growing pigs in five different production systems in France and Spain: assessment of health
Authors: Temple D , Courboulay V , Velarde A , Dalmau A , Manteca X
Published: June 2012

This study was carried out to compare the health of growing pigs in five different production systems in France and Spain using measures provided by the Welfare Quality®protocol. A total of 11,647 pigs housed on 91 commercial farms were evaluated over a two-year period (2007-2009). Farms considered as conventional were close to the European dominant production system, rearing ‘white’ pigs (eg Large White; Landrace * Pietrain) housed on concrete floors. Systems considered as differentiated had specifications to distinguish them from the conventional one. Farms that housed ‘white’ breeds of pigs on straw were then considered as a different production system. Mallorcan Black pigs managed extensively on family farms in the Balearic islands represented a third production system. The remaining two systems assessed were represented by the methods used for Iberian pig rearing extensively or intensively. Multiple Generalised Linear Mixed Models were performed for each animal-based measure of health. The straw-bedded and the conventional systems did not differ in the prevalence of any animal-based measures. Mallorcan Black pigs and Iberian pigs kept extensively had a lower prevalence of severe wounds than pigs in the conventional system and the lowest prevalence of tail biting. Focusing on pigs housed in the conventional system, several possible causal factors (such as the feeding system and the type of floor) were identified relating to severe wounds, tail biting and lameness. Therefore, the recording of simple environmental-based factors can be useful in detecting farms that are more likely to show these problems.
Attitudes of Canadian beef producers toward animal welfare
Authors: Spooner JM , Schuppli CA , Fraser D
Published: June 2012

Commercial beef production in western Canada involves raising cows and calves on large tracts of grassland, plus grain-based ‘finishing’ of animals in outdoor feedlots. This study used open-ended, semi-structured interviews to explore views on animal welfare of 23 commercial beef producers in this system. Although wary of the term ‘animal welfare’, participants understood the concept to encompass three well-known elements: (i) basic animal health and body condition; (ii) affective states (comfort, contentment, freedom from hunger or thirst); and (iii) the ability to live a ‘natural’ life. Participants attached importance to protecting animals from natural hardships (extreme weather, predators), yet many regarded some degree of natural challenge as acceptable or even positive. Quiet rumination was uniformly regarded as indicating contentment. Avoiding ‘stress’ was seen as a central goal, to be achieved especially by skilful handling and good facilities. Invasive procedures (branding, castration, de-horning) were recognised as painful but were accepted because they were seen as: (i) necessary for regulatory or management reasons; (ii) satisfactory trade-offs to prevent worse welfare problems such as aggression; or (iii) sufficiently short-term to be relatively unimportant. Other issues — including poor facilities, rough or excessive handling, poor nutrition, and failure to protect health — were regarded as more serious welfare concerns. While feeling constrained by low profits, participants saw good welfare as crucial to profitability. Participants uniformly expressed an ethic of care, enjoyment of working with animals, and varying degrees of willingness to sacrifice personal comfort for animal well-being. We argue that animal welfare policy and advocacy are likely to be more successful in engaging producers if they acknowledge and address producers’ views on animal welfare.
Biomineralisation als Inspirationsquelle für die Materialchemie
Authors: Nudelman Fabio , Sommerdijk Nico A. J. M.
Published: June 2012

Lebende Organismen bilden spezielle organisch‐anorganische Hybridmaterialien wie Knochen, Zähne und Schalen, die an ihre jeweilige Funktion hervorragend angepasst sind. Das hat Physiker, Chemiker und Materialwissenschaftler dazu angeregt, solche Strukturen mit besonderen Eigenschaften nachzuahmen. In diesem Aufsatz beschreiben wir, welche aus der Natur entlehnten Strategien man verwendet, um Biominerale aufzubauen und ihre Eigenschaften für biomedizinische, industrielle und technische Anwendungen abzustimmen. Biologisch inspirierte Ansätze wie molekulares Templatieren, supramolekulares Templatieren, organisierte Oberflächen und Phagen‐Display werden ebenso diskutiert wie Methoden, mit denen Struktur und Funktion von Biomineralen nachgeahmt werden können. Wir zeigen, welche Rolle die In‐situ‐Untersuchung und In‐situ‐Visualisierung für das Verständnis der biologisch inspirierten Materialien und die Kontrolle und Optimierung ihrer Herstellung spielen. Biominerale bilden sich in wässrigen Medien unter Normalbedingungen, sodass aus ihnen abgeleitete Herstellungsverfahren ökologisch vorteilhafter sind als die herkömmlichen Methoden.
A protocol to remove colored metabolites and other inhibitors from plant tissues to facilitate RNA isolation suitable for downstream applications
Authors: Singh Ravi S. , Kumar Sanjay
Published: June 2012

This work developed a protocol to remove colored metabolites and other interfering substances to facilitate RNA isolation. These metabolites otherwise hinder RNA isolation and downstream applications. The developed protocol used sodium dodecyl sulphate, ethylenediamine tetra‐acetic acid, and ethanol in a definite ratio that removed the said metabolites from the tissue and aided isolation of RNA using the existing methods. The protocol was developed for red colored roots of Arnebia euchroma and was extended to other colored tissues [rhizome of Rheum australe (Himalayan Rhubarb) and taproot of Daucus carota (purple carrot)] with success. Without inclusion of our protocol, the existing methods could not isolate good quality RNA from these tissues. RNA isolated by the developed protocol had A260/280 ratio of 1.88–1.93, A260/230 ratio of 1.94–2.0, and RNA integrity number of 6.3–8.0. RNA was amenable to downstream applications such as reverse‐transcription polymerase chain reaction and primer extension assay. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2012
Genetically engineered Escherichia coli FBR5: Part II. Ethanol production from xylose and simultaneous product recovery
Authors: Qureshi N. , Dien B. S. , Liu S. , Saha B. C. , Cotta M. A. , Hughes S. , Hector R.
Published: June 2012

In these studies, concentrated xylose solution was fermented to ethanol using Escherichia coli FBR5 which can ferment both lignocellulosic sugars (hexoses and pentoses). E. coli FBR5 can produce 40–50 g L−1 ethanol from 100 g L−1 xylose in batch reactors. Increasing sugar concentration beyond this level results in the loss of sugar with the reactor effluent thus affecting the process yield adversely. In a nonintegrated system without simultaneous product removal more than 120 g L−1 xylose was left unused of the 220 g L−1 that was fed into the reactor. In contrast to this, application of simultaneous product removal by gas stripping was able to relieve product inhibition and the culture was able to use 216.6 g L−1 xylose thus producing 140 g L−1 (based on reactor volume) ethanol resulting in a product yield of 0.48. The product stream achieved an ethanol concentration up to 148.41 g L−1. This process has potential for greatly improving the performance of E. coli FBR5 where the strain can ferment all the lignocellulosic sugars to ethanol and gas stripping can be applied to recover product. Published 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2012
Genetically engineered Escherichia coli FBR5: Part I. Comparison of high cell density bioreactors for enhanced ethanol production from xylose
Authors: Qureshi N. , Dien B. S. , Liu S. , Saha B. C. , Hector R. , Cotta M. A. , Hughes S.
Published: June 2012

Five reactor systems (free cell batch, free cell continuous, entrapped cell immobilized, adsorbed cell packed bed, and cell recycle membrane reactors) were compared for ethanol production from xylose using Escherichia coli FBR5. In the free cell batch and free cell continuous reactors (continuous stirred tank reactor‐CSTR) productivities of 0.84 gL−1 h−1 and 1.77 gL−1 h−1 were achieved, respectively. A cell recycle membrane reactor resulted in the highest productivity of 55.56 gL−1 h−1, which is an increase of 66‐fold (e.g., 6614%) over the batch reactor. Calcium alginate gel CSTR resulted in a productivity of 2.04 gL−1 h−1 whereas adsorbed cell packed bed reactor resulted in a productivity of 4.39 gL−1 h−1. In the five reactor systems, ethanol concentrations ranged from 18.9 to 40.30 gL−1 with metabolic yields from 0.44 to 0.51. Published 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2012
The impact of fabrication parameters and substrate stiffness in direct writing of living constructs
Authors: Tirella Annalisa , Ahluwalia Arti
Published: June 2012

Biomolecules and living cells can be printed in high‐resolution patterns to fabricate living constructs for tissue engineering. To evaluate the impact of processing cells with rapid prototyping (RP) methods, we modeled the printing phase of two RP systems that use biomaterial inks containing living cells: a high‐resolution inkjet system (BioJet) and a lower‐resolution nozzle‐based contact printing system (PAM2). In the first fabrication method, we reasoned that cell damage occurs principally during drop collision on the printing surface, in the second we hypothesize that shear stresses act on cells during extrusion (within the printing nozzle). The two cases were modeled changing the printing conditions: biomaterial substrate stiffness and volumetric flow rate, respectively, in BioJet and PAM2. Results show that during inkjet printing impact energies of about 10−8 J are transmitted to cells, whereas extrusion energies of the order of 10−11 J are exerted in direct printing. Viability tests of printed cells can be related to those numerical simulations, suggesting a threshold energy of 10−9 J to avoid permanent cell damage. To obtain well‐defined living constructs, a combination of these methods is proposed for the fabrication of scaffolds with controlled 3D architecture and spatial distribution of biomolecules and cells. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2012