bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Saint-Joseph University of Beirut: An Enclave of the French-Speaking Communities in the Levant, 1875–1914
Authors: Herzstein Rafael
Published: March 2010

The origin of the Saint-Joseph University of Beirut, or USJ, dates back to the Seminar of Ghazir founded by the Jesuit Fathers in 1843. The College of Ghazir, established with the intention of training the local Maronite clergy, was transferred to Beirut in 1875. This centre for higher studies was named Saint-Joseph University. In his audience of 25 February 1881, Pope Leo XIII conferred the title of Pontifical University on the USJ.

This article deals with the history of the USJ, the first great French-speaking Jesuit institution in the area which, at the time, bore the name of “Syria”. (The term Syria is used henceforth to represent the geographical entity of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which includes Syria and Lebanon of the present.) The underlying reasons for the creation of Saint-Joseph University of Beirut have to do with its being located in a province of the Ottoman Empire coveted by the future mandatory power, France. By the 1870s, the Ottoman Empire was being preserved chiefly by the competition between the European powers, all of whom wanted chunks of it. The Ottoman territory, like the territory of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, encompassed a great many ethnic groups whose own nationalism was also stirring. Under Ottoman rule, the region of the Levant developed economic and religious ties with Europe. Open to the West, it became a hotbed of political strife between various foreign nations including France, Russia and Britain. These powerful countries assumed the protection of certain ethnic and religious groups, with France supporting the Christian Maronites and Britain supporting the Druzes.
Eyes on a Prize: Colonial Fantasies, the German Self and Newspaper Accounts of the 1896 Philippine Revolution
Authors: Reyes Portia L.
Published: March 2010

Hundreds of German traders and residents were living in the Philippines when the 1896 Revolution against the Spanish broke out. Representing different religious, regional and economic backgrounds, they routinely met and mingled in such social organisations as reading clubs or, later, the Casino Union. Save for the Spanish, Germans formed the most numerous European community. As latecomers vis-àvis other Europeans, they painstakingly maintained working relations with the Spanish colonial administrators and local Filipino elites to bolster their businesses. The outbreak of the revolution, however, threatened the deepening economic inroads this community had striven so hard to make; and as the fighting grew they feared that their lives were also threatened. As a consequence, they turned to their government in Berlin for protection. A warship was duly deployed to the islands in case evacuation was deemed necessary. Significantly, this request provided the German navy a prime opportunity to assess developments in the Spanish colony, which, in turn, might facilitate direct state intervention in the rebellion.
West Africa in the Southeast Asian Mirror: The Historical Origins of the Post-1960 Divergence
Authors: Booth Anne
Published: March 2010

If there is one thing that everyone interested in international development issues knows, or thinks they know, it is that the countries of Asia, and especially East and Southeast Asia, have performed much better in the international development stakes since 1960 than the countries of sub-Saharan Africa. The principal metric used to measure achievement is growth in per capita GDP, although other indicators have also become widely used, including those such as the Human Development Index, which combines per capita GDP with other measures of social achievement such as literacy rates, school enrolments and infant mortality rates. But whatever measure we use to construct league tables of development progress, at the end of the twentieth century almost all the countries of sub-Saharan Africa were clustered at the bottom while those of Asia were more spread out across the spectrum. Some nations, such as Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Brunei had, by 2000, achieved the status of “high human development”. Most other countries in Asia were in the “medium human development” category, while most countries in sub-Saharan Africa were either in the bottom twenty of the “medium” category or in the “low human development” group. Of the 35 countries in the low development group in 2001, almost all were in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).
Use of serology and urine antigen detection to estimate the proportion of adult community-acquired pneumonia attributable toStreptococcus pneumoniae
Authors: WATT J. P. , MOÏSI J. C. , DONALDSON R. L. A. , REID R. , FERRO S. , WHITNEY C. G. , SANTOSHAM M. , O'BRIEN K. L.
Published: March 2010

Streptococcus pneumoniaeis a common cause of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) but existing diagnostic tools have limited sensitivity and specificity. We enrolled adults undergoing chest radiography at three Indian Health Service clinics in the Southwestern United States and collected acute and convalescent serum for measurement of PsaA and PspA titres and urine for pneumococcal antigen detection. Blood and sputum cultures were obtained at the discretion of treating physicians. We compared findings in clinical and radiographic CAP patients to those in controls without CAP. Urine antigen testing showed the largest differential between CAP patients and controls (clinical CAP 13%, radiographic CAP 17%, control groups 2%). Serological results were mixed, with significant differences between CAP patients and controls for some, but not all changes in titre. Based on urine antigen and blood culture results, we estimated that 11% of clinical and 15% of radiographic CAP cases were due to pneumococcus in this population.
Domain representations of spaces of compact subsets
Authors: BERGER ULRICH , BLANCK JENS , KØBER PETTER KRISTIAN
Published: March 2010

We present a method for constructing from a given domain representation of a spaceXwith underlying domainD, a domain representation of a subspace of compact subsets ofXwhere the underlying domain is the Plotkin powerdomain ofD. We show that this operation is functorial over a category of domain representations with a natural choice of morphisms. We study the topological properties of the space of representable compact sets and isolate conditions under which all compact subsets ofXare representable. Special attention is paid to admissible representations and representations of metric spaces.
Some reasons for generalising domain theory
Authors: HYLAND MARTIN
Published: March 2010

One natural way to generalise domain theory is to replace partially ordered sets by categories. This kind of generalisation has recently found application in the study of concurrency. An outline is given of the elegant mathematical foundations that have been developed. This is specialised to give a construction of cartesian closed categories of domains, which throws light on standard presentations of domain theory.
The limit–colimit coincidence theorem for -categories
Authors: KOSTANEK MATEUSZ , WASZKIEWICZ PAWEŁ
Published: March 2010

We prove that the category of-cocomplete separated-categories has bilimits of expanding sequences. This result generalises on various levels the well-known theorem of domain theory that guarantees the existence of bilimits in the category of directed-complete posets and Scott-continuous maps.
The influence of sperm concentration, length of the gamete co-culture and the evolution of different sperm parameters on the in vitro fertilization of prepubertal goat oocytes
Authors: Palomo M.J. , Mogas T. , Izquierdo D. , Paramio M.T.
Published: March 2010

The aims of the present study were: (1) to evaluate the influence of sperm concentration (ranging from 0.5 × 106 to 4 × 106 spermatozoa/ml) and length of the gamete co-incubation time (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 20, 24 or 28 h) on in vitro fertilization (IVF), assessing the sperm penetration rate; (2) to investigate the kinetics of different semen parameters as motility, viability and acrosome status during the co-culture period; and (3) to analyse the effect of the presence of cumulus–oocytes complexes (COCs) on these parameters. To achieve these objectives, several experiments were carried out using in vitro matured oocytes from prepubertal goats. The main findings of this work are that: (1) in our conditions, the optimum sperm concentration is 4 × 106 sperm/ml, as this sperm:oocyte ratio (approximately 28,000) allowed us to obtain the highest penetration rate, without increasing polyspermy incidence; (2) the highest percentage of viable acrosome-reacted spermatozoa is observed between 8–12 h of gamete co-culture, while the penetration rate is maximum at 12 h of co-incubation; and (3) the presence of COCs seems to favour the acrosome reaction of free spermatozoa on IVF medium, but not significantly. In conclusion, we suggest that a gamete co-incubation for 12–14 h, with a concentration of 4 × 106 sperm/ml, would be sufficient to obtain the highest rate of penetration, reducing the exposure of oocytes to high levels of reactive oxygen species produced by spermatozoa, especially when a high sperm concentration is used to increase the caprine IVF outcome.
Molecular genesis of non-muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma (NMIUC)
Authors: Pollard Courtney , Smith Steven C. , Theodorescu Dan
Published: March 2010

Urothelial carcinoma (UC) is the most common type of bladder cancer in Western nations. Most patients present with the non-muscle-invasive (NMIUC) form of the disease, while up to a third harbour the invasive form (MIUC). Specifically, the aetiology of NMIUC appears to be multifactorial and very different from that of MIUC. Loss of specific tumour suppressor genes as well as gain-of-function mutations in proteins within defined cellular signalling pathways have been implicated in NMIUC aetiology. The regions of chromosome 9 that harbourCDKN2A,CDKN2B,TSC1,PTCH1andDBC1are frequently mutated in NMIUC, resulting in functional loss; in addition,HRASandFGFR3, which are both proto-oncogenes encoding components of the Ras–MAPK signalling pathway, have been found to harbour activating mutations in a large number of NMIUCs. Interestingly, some of these molecular events are mutually exclusive, suggesting functional equivalence. Since several of these driving changes are amenable to therapeutic targeting, understanding the signalling events in NMIUC may offer novel approaches to manage the recurrence and progression of this disease.
Policy approaches to energy and resource use in US agriculture
Authors: Sorensen Ann , Daukas Jimmy
Published: March 2010

Improving energy and resource use in US agriculture begins with the soil. Healthy soils improve air and water quality, increase land productivity, help resist the effects of drought and floods, improve energy efficiency and enhance the ability to mitigate climate change. In 1993, the US Board on Agriculture concluded that national policy should seek to: conserve and enhance soil quality as a fundamental first step to improve the environment; increase the efficiency of nutrient, pesticide and irrigation use in farming systems; increase the resistance of farming systems to erosion and runoff; and make greater use of field and landscape buffer zones, all delivered through farm system management plans. Despite their detailed analysis and thoughtful approach, only a few of their recommendations were implemented. But now, calls from the scientific community to improve resource and energy use in agriculture are becoming more urgent in tone and could help drive policy reform. We review the reasons behind this rising sense of urgency, highlight some of the potential policy drivers along with policy ‘game changers’ and offer policy options. We argue to expand our view of agriculture as a source not only of food, fiber, biofuels and renewable energy but also of other critical ecosystem services, like cleaner water, carbon sequestration and wildlife habitat, and to adjust policies to realize this potential on all agricultural lands. We recommend undertaking a second National Agricultural Land Study as a basis to develop a clear national strategy to help US agriculture meet the challenges it will face in the coming decades. For the short term, we offer incremental policies to improve energy and resource use and, for the long term, we offer a vision of what that national strategy might include once the necessary analyses are completed and consensus is reached.
Deterministic or Stochastic Trend
Authors: Stadnytska Tetiana
Published: March 2010

Time series with deterministic and stochastic trends possess different memory characteristics and exhibit dissimilar long-range development. Trending series are nonstationary and must be transformed to be stabilized. The choice of correct transformation depends on patterns of nonstationarity in the data. Inappropriate transformations are consequential for subsequent analysis and should be omitted. The objectives of this article are (1) to introduce unit root testing procedures, (2) to evaluate the strategies for distinguishing between stochastic and deterministic alternatives by means of Monte Carlo experiments, and (3) to demonstrate their implementation on empirical examples using SAS for Windows.
Variability of the water mass transports and fluxes in the eastern North Atlantic during 2001
Authors: Barbero L. , González‐Dávila M. , Santana‐Casiano J. M. , Álvarez M.
Published: March 2010

The water mass distribution in the eastern North Atlantic Ocean (39–45°N, 16–22°W) during 2001 was determined for the upper 2000 m within the frame of the French research program POMME, using an extended Optimum Multiparameter analysis which included both conservative and nonconservative tracers. The presence of eastern North Atlantic Central Water in its subtropical and subpolar branches, Mediterranean Water, and Labrador Sea Water was considered. The results were used in combination with mass fluxes in order to determine the transports taking place in the region and analyze the variability observed both in the direction and magnitude of the fluxes, as well as to determine the relative contribution of each water mass to the flows. The high variability of the area was evident in the changes in flux direction and magnitude; the total input into the POMME region varied from POMME 1 (3.8 Sv southward) to POMME 3 (8.8 Sv northward). Our findings, depending on the cruise considered, corroborate most of the previous and often conflicting studies in the area, both in the flow direction and magnitude, suggesting that in highly dynamic areas such as this one, estimating annual trends from individual cruises might not provide accurate descriptions of the overall transports.
Improved laser ablation U‐Pb zircon geochronology through robust downhole fractionation correction
Authors: Paton Chad , Woodhead Jon D. , Hellstrom John C. , Hergt Janet M. , Greig Alan , Maas Roland
Published: March 2010

Elemental fractionation effects during analysis are the most significant impediment to obtaining precise and accurate U‐Pb ages by laser ablation ICPMS. Several methods have been proposed to minimize the degree of downhole fractionation, typically by rastering or limiting acquisition to relatively short intervals of time, but these compromise minimum target size or the temporal resolution of data. Alternatively, other methods have been developed which attempt to correct for the effects of downhole elemental fractionation. A common feature of all these techniques, however, is that they impose an expected model of elemental fractionation behavior; thus, any variance in actual fractionation response between laboratories, mineral types, or matrix types cannot be easily accommodated. Here we investigate an alternate approach that aims to reverse the problem by first observing the elemental fractionation response and then applying an appropriate (and often unique) model to the data. This approach has the versatility to treat data from any laboratory, regardless of the expression of downhole fractionation under any given set of analytical conditions. We demonstrate that the use of more complex models of elemental fractionation such as exponential curves and smoothed cubic splines can efficiently correct complex fractionation trends, allowing detection of spatial heterogeneities, while simultaneously maintaining data quality. We present a data reduction module for use with the Iolite software package that implements this methodology and which may provide the means for simpler interlaboratory comparisons and, perhaps most importantly, enable the rapid reduction of large quantities of data with maximum feedback to the user at each stage.
Evidence for present day gully activity on the Russell crater dune field, Mars
Authors: Reiss D. , Erkeling G. , Bauch K. E. , Hiesinger H.
Published: March 2010

On the basis of High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) images of two successive years we observed changes of a gully on the Russell crater dune field. Within the first year the length of a ∼2 m wide incised gully channel grew about 50 m downslope, and ∼120 m within in the second year. Gully activity occurred in early spring between LS ∼198° and ∼218° in the first year and between LS ∼192° and ∼221° in the second year. Based on the channel morphology, spectral data and modeled surface temperatures, the changes can be best explained with transient melting of small amounts of H2O‐ice triggering slurry flows consisting of sand mixed with liquid water.
Observations of electron density and electron temperature during large scale magnetic fields in the dayside Venus ionosphere and lesson for Mars
Authors: Mahajan K. K. , Lodhi Neelesh K. , Singh Sachchidanand
Published: March 2010

We first present several dayside electron density (Ne) and electron temperature (Te) profiles observed by the Langmuir probe experiment aboard Pioneer Venus Orbiter when the Venus ionosphere was in a magnetised state and then examine the effect of large scale magnetic fields on the Venus ionosphere. We find that for the magnetised ionospheres, the “top” moves down to altitudes near 200 km and the ionopause layers with steep altitude gradients in Ne and Te start above this altitude. No significant change in electron density and electron temperature is seen within the ionosphere. Occasionally a second ionopause layer is also seen at higher altitudes and the ionospheric region between the two ionopause layers, which is seen to extend to altitudes up to 250 km, too does not indicate any significant change in Ne and Te for these cases. These results have direct relevance to Mars where large scale ionospheric fields have also been observed.
Are short‐term evacuations warranted? Case of the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake
Authors: van Stiphout Thomas , Wiemer Stefan , Marzocchi Warner
Published: March 2010

The disastrous earthquake in L'Aquila Italy (Mw 6.3, 6 April 2009) again highlights the issue of potentially reducing seismic risk by releasing warnings or initiating mitigation actions. Earthquakes cluster strongly in space and time, leading to periods of increased seismic hazard. During such seismic crises, seismologists typically convey their knowledge of earthquake clustering based on past experience, basic statistics and “gut feeling.” However, this information is often not quantitative nor reproducible and difficult for decision‐makers to digest. We define a novel interdisciplinary approach that combines probabilistic seismic hazard and risk assessment with cost‐benefit analysis to allow objective risk‐based decision‐making. Our analysis demonstrates that evacuation as mitigation action is rarely cost‐effective. Future mitigation strategies should target the weakest buildings and those on the poorest soil.
Understanding bursty behavior in midlatitude geomagnetic activity
Authors: Wanliss James , Uritsky Vadim
Published: March 2010

We provide a new example of a natural system exhibiting statistical signatures of complex scaling behavior predicted by the contemporary theory of nonequilibrium phase transitions. We examine statistical properties of bursty multiscale energy dissipation in the inner magnetosphere of Earth based on the dynamics of the SYM‐H index, a global marker of low‐latitude geomagnetic fluctuations. We show that on average, and for time scales shorter than 2 h, temporal development of SYM‐H bursts follows an algebraic form consistent with the predictions from the theory of nonequilibrium phase transitions. Probability distributions of sizes and lifetimes of the activity bursts reveal no characteristic scales other than the scales imposed by technical limitations of the analysis. This behavior is observed for a wide range of SYM‐H burst durations starting from about 5 min up to 10–15 days. The power law exponents describing the probability distributions suggest that the main energy dissipation in the inner magnetosphere takes place because of large activity bursts such as major space storms as opposed to smaller activations whose contribution is less significant despite their much higher relative occurrence. The results obtained provide statistical evidence that the energy dissipation mechanisms associated with magnetospheric activity in the inner magnetosphere are essentially “scale‐free,” displaying dynamical and statistical self‐similarity. Our results can also be used for validating existing and future ring current models in terms of their ability to correctly represent the cross‐scale coupling effects in this system. They show what could be the first quantitative evidence for the same universality class as directed percolation in a natural system.
Detecting and characterizing mesoscale and submesoscale structures of Mediterranean water from joint seismic and hydrographic measurements in the Gulf of Cadiz
Authors: Quentel E. , Carton X. , Gutscher M.‐A. , Hobbs R.
Published: March 2010

Marine seismic and hydrographic data from the GO cruise in the Gulf of Cadiz acquired in April 2007 are analyzed to determine the physical nature and geometric characteristics of acoustic reflectors in the water column. Seismic data show strong reflectors near the surface, above Mediterranean water (MW) undercurrents, above a meddy, and within a submesoscale MW structure. These reflectors are associated with thermohaline layering. Wavelet analysis of seismic and hydrographic data (both in terms of reflectivity) shows strong signals with 12–48 m vertical wavelength scales. Hydrological data with its high vertical resolution, capture weaker signals with shorter wavelengths. At the edge of a meddy, lateral intrusions of fresher water are revealed by reflectors with 25–75 m thickness. Analyses of marine seismic data allow detection of submesoscale eddies that hydrographic sections identify only occasionally.
Global structure of the lunar tide in ionospheric total electron content
Authors: Pedatella N. M. , Forbes J. M.
Published: March 2010

The global structure of the lunar tide in the ionosphere is studied based on observations of the global positioning system (GPS) total electron content (TEC). The unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution afforded by the GPS TEC observations enables illustration of the latitude, longitude, solar local time, and seasonal variability of the lunar tide in the ionosphere. Based on analysis of the multi‐year mean from 1999–2008, the dominant component is generally the semidiurnal lunar tide. However, a significant diurnal variation is also observed in some instances. The semidiurnal component achieves a maximum amplitude of ∼6% in the equatorial ionization anomaly crest regions and a slight hemispheric asymmetry is present with larger amplitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. Furthermore, the maximum amplitudes in the semidiurnal lunar tide are found to occur during Northern Hemisphere winter and during 9–15 solar local time. During certain years, a secondary maxima in solar local time is also observed demonstrating the influence of the lunar tide on the prereversal enhancement. Lastly, the observations reveal significant longitudinal variability in the semidiurnal lunar tide that is most prominent between November and February. The presence of a longitudinal variation reveals the existence of nonmigrating components in addition to the dominant migrating semidiurnal lunar tide.
Oxidative Stress in Normal‐Weight Obese Syndrome
Authors: Di Renzo Laura , Galvano Fabio , Orlandi Carmine , Bianchi Alessia , Di Giacomo Claudia , La Fauci Luca , Acquaviva Rosaria , De Lorenzo Antonino
Published: March 2010

The normal‐weight obese (NWO) syndrome was identified in women whose body weight (BW) and BMI are normal but whose fat mass (FM) is >30%. In these subjects, an early inflammatory status has been demonstrated. The aim was to verify whether oxidative stress occurs in NWO. Sixty age‐matched white Italian women were studied and subdivided as follows: 20 normal‐weight individuals (NW) (BMI <25 kg/m2; FM% <30%); 20 NWO (BMI <25 kg/m2; FM% >30%); 20 preobese‐obese (OB) (BMI >25 kg/m2; FM% >30%). Anthropometric, body composition (by dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry) variables, plasma levels of some cytokines, reduced glutathione (GSH), lipid hydroperoxide (LOOH), nitric oxide (NO) metabolites (NO2−/NO3−), antioxidant nonproteic capacity (ANPC) were measured and compared between groups. Glucose and lipid metabolism parameters were assessed. GSH and NO2−/NO3− levels resulted lower in OB and NWO compared to NW (P < 0.01). LOOH levels resulted higher in OB and NWO (P < 0.01). ANPC in NWO was lower than NW but higher with respect to OB (P < 0.01). Correlation analysis revealed strong associations between GSH levels and BW, BMI, FM% (R = −0.45, at least P < 0.05); waist circumference (W) (R = −0.33, P < 0.05); FFM% (R = 0.45, P < 0.01); IL‐1α, IL‐6, IL‐10, IL‐15 (R = −0.39, −0.33, −0.36 −0.34, respectively, P < 0.05); triglycerides (R = −0.416, P < 0.05). LOOH levels were negatively related to FFM% (R = −0.413, P < 0.05) and positively to FM%, IL‐15, TNF‐α, insulin, total cholesterol, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides (R = 0.408, R = 0.502, R = 0.341, R = 0.412, R = 0.4036, R = 0.405, R = 0.405, respectively, P < 0.05). The study clearly indicates that NWO, besides being in early inflammatory status, are contextually exposed to an oxidative stress related to metabolic abnormalities occurring in obesity.
Mifepristone Reduces Weight Gain and Improves Metabolic Abnormalities Associated With Risperidone Treatment in Normal Men
Authors: Gross Coleman , Blasey Christine M. , Roe Robert L. , Belanoff Joseph K.
Published: March 2010

Antipsychotic medications are associated with significant weight gain, type 2 diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and increased cardiovascular risk. The objective of this study was to determine whether mifepristone, a glucocorticoid receptor antagonist, could prevent risperidone‐induced weight gain. Using a 2:2:1 randomization scheme, 76 lean, healthy men (BMI 18–23 kg/m2) age 18–40 years were randomized to risperidone (n = 30), risperidone plus mifepristone (n = 30) or mifepristone (n = 16) daily for 28 days in an institutional setting. Subjects were provided food ad libitum. Body weight was measured daily. Metabolic measures were taken at study onset, midpoint, and end. Analyses of covariance indicated that the group receiving risperidone plus placebo gained significantly more weight (P < 0.001) and exhibited a significantly greater increase in waist circumference (P < 0.05) than the group receiving risperidone plus mifepristone. Significant differences were also observed for metabolic measures including fasting insulin (P < 0.001) and triglyceride levels (P < 0.05). Mifepristone attenuated increases in weight and reduced the metabolic changes induced by risperidone use, replicating results from a prior study of olanzapine‐induced weight gain. These findings suggest mechanistic involvement of the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal axis in the weight and cardiometabolic side effects of antipsychotic medications. Future research should continue to test the potential of glucocorticoid antagonists to alleviate the deleterious side effects associated with use of antipsychotic medications.
Hyperandrogenemia in Obese Peripubertal Girls: Correlates and Potential Etiological Determinants
Authors: Knudsen Karen L. , Blank Susan K. , Burt‐Solorzano Christine , Patrie James T. , Chang R. Jeffrey , Caprio Sonia , Marshall John C. , McCartney Christopher R.
Published: March 2010

Obesity in peripubertal girls is associated with hyperandrogenemia (HA), which can represent a forerunner of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). However, not all obese girls demonstrate HA, and determinants of HA in obese girls remain unclear. We hypothesized that insulin and luteinizing hormone (LH) are independent predictors of free testosterone (T) concentration in obese girls. To assess this further, fasting morning blood samples were collected from 92 obese (BMI‐for‐age percentile ≥95) girls in various stages of puberty. A multivariate regression model was then constructed using free T (dependent variable), LH, insulin, pubertal group (early, mid‐, or late puberty), BMI z‐score, and age. Free testosterone (T) concentrations were highly variable among obese girls in each pubertal group. The regression model accounted for roughly half of the variability of free T in obese girls (adjusted R2 = 0.53, P < 0.001). LH was found to have the greatest independent ability to predict free T, followed by insulin, then age and BMI z‐score. Pubertal group was not an independent predictor of free T. We conclude that morning LH and fasting insulin are significant predictors of free T in obese girls, even after adjusting for potential confounders (age, pubertal group, adiposity). We suggest that abnormal LH secretion and hyperinsulinemia can promote HA in some peripubertal girls with obesity.
Abdominal Subcutaneous and Visceral Adipose Tissue and Insulin Resistance in the Framingham Heart Study
Authors: Preis Sarah R. , Massaro Joseph M. , Robins Sander J. , Hoffmann Udo , Vasan Ramachandran S. , Irlbeck Thomas , Meigs James B. , Sutherland Patrice , D'Agostino Sr Ralph B. , O'Donnell Christopher J. , Fox Caroline S.
Published: March 2010

Insulin resistance is associated with central obesity and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Our objective is to examine the association between abdominal subcutaneous (SAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and insulin resistance, to determine which fat depot is a stronger correlate of insulin resistance, and to assess whether there was an interaction between SAT, VAT, and age, sex, or BMI. Participants without diabetes from the Framingham Heart Study (FHS), who underwent multidetector computed tomography to assess SAT and VAT (n = 3,093; 48% women; mean age 50.4 years; mean BMI 27.6 kg/m2), were evaluated. Insulin resistance was measured using the homeostasis model and defined as HOMAIR ≥75th percentile. Logistic regression models, adjusted for age, sex, smoking, alcohol, menopausal status, and hormone replacement therapy use, were used to assess the association between fat measures and insulin resistance. The odds ratio (OR) for insulin resistance per standard deviation increase in SAT was 2.5 (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.2–2.7; P < 0.0001), whereas the OR for insulin resistance per standard deviation increase in VAT was 3.5 (95% CI: 3.1–3.9; P < 0.0001). Overall, VAT was a stronger correlate of insulin resistance than SAT (P < 0.0001 for SAT vs. VAT comparison). After adjustment for BMI, the OR of insulin resistance for VAT was 2.2 (95% CI: 1.9–2.5; P < 0.0001). We observed an interaction between VAT and BMI for insulin (P interaction = 0.0004), proinsulin (P interaction = 0.003), and HOMAIR (P interaction = 0.003), where VAT had a stronger association in obese individuals. In conclusion, SAT and VAT are both correlates of insulin resistance; however, VAT is a stronger correlate of insulin resistance than SAT.
Size-independent shear band formation in amorphous nanowires made from simulated casting
Authors: Shi Yunfeng
Published: March 2010

Molecular dynamics simulations indicate that surfaces strongly influence the strain localization behavior of amorphous nanowires in tension. A sample preparation routine that simulates casting was employed to facilitate the relaxation of the sample surface. Samples as short as 15 nm (7.5 nm in diameter) form dominant shear bands during deformation. The elastic energy release during plastic deformation is sufficient to provide the excess potential energy required for the shear band nucleation at rather small sample sizes. The results show that shear band formation is almost size-independent and is bounded only by its own length scale.
Compressibility of aqueous solutions of nonelectrolytes: An equilibrium model
Authors: Gliński Jacek , Burakowski Andrzej
Published: March 2010

In this paper the parabolic-shaped dependences of compressibility κS of a nonelectrolyte in water solvent on concentration are explained and described semiquantitatively in terms of hydrate formation equilibrium reaction. It was demonstrated that only two fitted parameters, the hydration number nh and the formation constant of the hydrate K, are sufficient to reproduce satisfactorily the experimental data, in particular the characteristic minimums of κS versus composition observed at low contents of solutes.
Viscoelastic rheology of colloid-liquid crystal composites
Authors: Roth M. , D’Acunzi M. , Vollmer D. , Auernhammer G. K.
Published: March 2010

Gelation in colloidal suspensions is mostly induced by attractive interparticle potentials. Beside these interactions, the mechanical properties of the gel are influenced by morphological aspects like fractality. In suspensions of liquid crystal (LC) and polymeric colloids, solvent-particle interactions dominate and can be changed when the mesogen undergoes phase transition from isotropic to nematic. In case of poly(methyl methacrylate) colloids and 4-pentyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl (5CB), cooling through the isotropic-nematic phase transition results in a cellular network. Such network formation is accompanied by a strong evolution of the mechanical properties. Shear moduli reach values up to 106 Pa for temperatures of 15 K below the transition. Until now, the mechanical response of the gel was attributed to the elastic interactions of the LC with the colloids. However, the dynamic viscoelastic stiffening with decreasing temperature could not be explained satisfactorily. We used a homemade piezorheometer to measure the complex shear modulus of the sample in parallel plate geometry. Since the applied strains are very small, only the linear viscoelastic regime was tested. This limit guarantees a high degree of reproducibility. We gained insight into the underlying processes by measuring the frequency response for the whole cooling process. Temperature and frequency showed a strong correlation allowing for a superposition of the frequency spectra to form a single master curve similar to time-temperature-superposition. We propose that this superposition behavior is connected to the thermodynamics of the isotropic-nematic phase transition of 5CB located in the network walls. Additional experimental observations, such as hysteresis effects, support this assumption. Morphological aspects were found to be of minor relevance.
Onset of filtration convection in a vibrating medium: The Brinkman model
Authors: Saravanan S. , Sivakumar T.
Published: March 2010

The effect of vibrations on the onset of convection in a horizontal fluid saturated porous layer heated either from below or from above is investigated. Vertical vibrations are considered with arbitrary amplitude and frequency. The Brinkman model of flow through porous media is used to describe the non-Darcian effect and the Oberbeck–Boussinesq approximation is invoked. Both continued fraction and Hill’s infinite determinant methods are used to determine the convective threshold for the stress free and rigid boundaries with the aid of Floquet theory. The marginal curves exhibiting synchronous and subharmonic resonant regions of dynamic instability and their critical boundaries are determined. The results obtained for Da=10−1 corresponding to the Brinkman regime is compared with Da=10−4 corresponding to the Darcy regime. It is demonstrated that vibrations can produce a stabilizing or a destabilizing effect depending on their amplitude and frequency for a porous layer heated from below. However in the case of a porous layer heated from above vibrations of increasing amplitude always result in a destabilizing effect irrespective their frequency. It is also shown that an increase in Da/φ, the ratio of Darcy number to porosity restricts competition between the synchronous and subharmonic modes to a lower range of vibrational frequencies. The present study reproduces already established results in the literature as particular cases.
Thermal behavior of a 13-molecule hydrogen cluster under pressure
Authors: Santamaria Rubén , Soullard Jacques , Jellinek Julius
Published: March 2010

The thermal behavior of a 13-molecule hydrogen cluster is studied as a function of pressure and temperature using a combination of trajectory and density functional theory simulations. The analysis is performed in terms of characteristic descriptors such as caloric curve, root-mean-square bond length fluctuation, pair correlation function, velocity autocorrelation function, volume thermal expansion, and diffusion coefficients. The discussion addresses on the peculiarities of the transition from the ordered-to-disordered state as exhibited by the cluster under different pressures and temperatures.
Caenorhabditis elegans swimming in a saturated particulate system
Authors: Jung Sunghwan
Published: March 2010

Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) is a nematode that often swims in saturated soil in nature. We investigated the locomotive behavior of C. elegans swimming in a fluid with particles of various sizes and found that the nematode swims a greater distance per undulation than it does in a fluid without particles. The Strouhal number (a ratio of lateral to forward velocity) of C. elegans significantly decreases in a saturated particulate medium (0.50±0.13) in comparison to a fluid without particles (1.6±0.27). This result was unexpected due to the generally low performance of a body moving in a high drag medium. In our model, a saturated granular system is approximated as a porous medium where only the hydrodynamic forces on the body are considered. Combining these assumptions with resistive force theory, we find that a porous medium provides more asymmetric drag on a slender body, and consequently that C. elegans locomotes with a greater distance per undulation.
Effects of CdSe shell layer on the electrical properties of nonvolatile memory devices fabricated utilizing core-shell CdTe-CdSe nanoparticles embedded in a poly(9-vinylcarbazole) layer
Authors: Yun Dong Yeol , Jung Jae Hun , Lee Dea Uk , Kim Tae Whan , Ryu E. D. , Kim S. W.
Published: March 2010

Nonvolatile memory devices were fabricated with core-shell CdTe-CdSe nanoparticles embedded in a poly(9-vinylcarbazole) (PVK) layer to investigate the variations in the electrical properties due to a CdSe shell layer. Capacitance-voltage measurements on Al/CdTe nanoparticles embedded in PVK layer/p-Si devices and on Al/core-shell CdTe-CdSe nanoparticles embedded in PVK layer/p-Si devices at 300 K showed hysteresis behaviors with a flatband voltage shift due to the existence of the CdTe and the CdTe-CdSe nanoparticles. Capacitance-time measurements showed that the retention time for devices fabricated utilizing core-shell CdTe-CdSe nanoparticles was larger than that for devices fabricated utilizing CdTe nanoparticles.
Doping concentration and thickness effects in ferroelectric thin films
Authors: Zhang J. , Tang M. H. , He J.
Published: March 2010

A theoretical model is presented to numerically examine the effects of doping concentration and thickness on potential and electric field distributions in ferroelectric thin films. The numerical results indicate that the film depletion is affected significantly by the thickness and the space charge concentration. It is found that the increase in the space charge density would strengthen the electric field in the vicinity of the electrode interface. We also found that the dielectric constant is enhanced and the film polarization is weakened remarkably with increasing the space charge density for a given film thickness.
Passivation of deep electronic states of partial dislocations in GaAs: A theoretical study
Authors: Zhang Lixin , McMahon W. E. , Wei Su-Huai
Published: March 2010

The structure and electronic properties of reconstructed cores of 90° partial dislocations in GaAs are studied using first-principles methods. We find that a double-period reconstruction is most stable for an As-core whereas a single-period reconstruction is most stable for a Ga-core. We show that As and Ga dimers induce detrimental deep electronic states. These deep levels can be partially removed by introducing passivating dopants that break dimers in the dislocation core.
Comparison of drive currents in metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors made of Si, Ge, GaAs, InGaAs, and InAs channels
Authors: Lubow Abigail , Ismail-Beigi Sohrab , Ma T. P.
Published: March 2010

In this study, the effect of using high-electron-mobility channel materials, such as GaAs, InAs, and InGaAs, on drive current in n-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor (nMOS) and p-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor devices is studied. Relative to silicon, these materials have lower electron effective mass, which leads to lower inversion capacitance (Cinv) due to their lower density of states. Despite their lower Cinv, high-electron mobility channel materials are shown to be promising alternatives to silicon in delivering higher drive current in nMOS devices.
Communications: The Metropolis Monte Carlo finite element algorithm for electrostatic interactions
Authors: Mazars Martial
Published: March 2010

The Metropolis Monte Carlo algorithm with the finite element method applied to compute electrostatic interaction energy between charge densities is described in this work. By using the finite element method to integrate numerically Poisson’s equation, it is shown that the computing time to obtain the acceptance probability of an elementary trial move does not, in principle, depend on the number of charged particles present in the system.
Effects of rapid thermal annealing on Al2O3/SiN reaction barrier layer/thermal-nitrided SiO2 stacking gate dielectrics on n-type 4H-SiC
Authors: Moon Jeong Hyun , Yim Jeong Hyuk , Seo Han Seok , Lee Do Hyun , Kim Chang Hyun , Kim Hyeong Joon , Cheong Kuan Yew , Bahng Wook , Kim Nam-Kyun
Published: March 2010

In this letter, we have reported electrical and physical properties of rapid thermal annealed (RTA) Al2O3 stacking dielectric on n-type 4H-SiC. The effects of SiN-reaction barrier layer (RBL) between Al2O3 and thermal-nitrided SiO2 on SiC-based metal-oxide-semiconductor characteristics have been investigated and compared. A significant reduction in oxide-semiconductor interface-trap density (Dit), improvement in dielectric breakdown field and reliability has been observed after the SiN-RBL has been introduced between Al2O3 and SiO2. High-resolution transmission electron microscope and Auger electron spectroscopy analyses reveal that the SiN-RBL suppresses Al diffusion into the nitrided SiO2 during RTA process.
On quasiperiodic and subharmonic Floquet wake instabilities
Authors: Blackburn H. M. , Sheard G. J.
Published: March 2010

The physical characteristics of bifurcated states in systems with inherent symmetry are constrained in ways that those in systems with broken symmetry are not. Here we examine the issue of quasiperiodic versus subharmonic instability modes of time-periodic laminar wakes, and how the relationship between them is influenced by weak symmetry breaking. The examples used are the vortex street wake of a circular cylinder, where symmetry is broken by distorting the cylinder into a ring, and the wake of a square cylinder, where symmetry is broken by a small fixed rotation of the cylinder about its axis. In both cases the symmetric wakes exhibit a quasiperiodic instability mode, with a pair of complex-conjugate Floquet multipliers and which manifests as a traveling wave. As symmetry is broken these multipliers migrate continuously to the real axis, coalesce, and split into a pair of subharmonic multipliers that move apart along the negative real axis. This behavior resolves an apparent dichotomy between the previously established theoretical results and numerical predictions for the symmetric wake systems, and the predictions and experimental observations for systems with weakly broken symmetry.
Spectroscopic charge pumping in Si nanowire transistors with a high-κ/metal gate
Authors: Cassé M. , Tachi K. , Thiele S. , Ernst T.
Published: March 2010

The density of interface states has been investigated experimentally on silicon nanowire transistors (SNWTs), with a high-k/metal gate stack. Low temperature measurements down to 25 K have been performed to determine the interface trap energy distribution throughout the Si band gap on nanowire devices. We have shown that SNWTs exhibit a higher trap density together with a modified energy profile as compared to conventional planar devices. Finally these spectroscopic measurements have been compared to electron mobility to complete the analysis and to further understand the impact of the interface on carrier transport.
Three-dimensional phononic nanocrystal composed of ordered quantum dots
Authors: Wen Yu-Chieh , Sun Jia-Hong , Dais Christian , Grützmacher Detlev , Wu Tsung-Tsong , Shi Jin-Wei , Sun Chi-Kuang
Published: March 2010

We demonstrated a nanoscaled artificial phononic crystal composed of three-dimensionally ordered quantum dots (QDs) with functional acoustic properties. Femtosecond ultrasonic technique is used to investigate the lattice dynamics of this phononic nanocrystal. The measurement results indicate that three-dimensional ordering and uniformity of the QDs are important factors influencing the observed acoustic resonance at the forbidden bands. For well-arranged QDs, noticeable features of the phononic band gap and the associated phonon cavity mode can be found, while this nanocrystal also serves as an effective acoustic medium, or acoustic meta material, for low-frequency acoustic phonons.
Modulation of carrier density in ZnO nanowires without impurity doping
Authors: Kim D. S. , Richters J.-P. , Scholz R. , Voss T. , Zacharias M.
Published: March 2010

ZnO nanowire based field effect transistor devices show the distinct performance depending on whether comparably oxygen-rich or oxygen-poor conditions were used for nanowire growth. Higher on-state current flows through the ZnO nanowire channel grown under oxygen-poor condition. A possible origin of this characteristic is discussed based on a photoluminescence analysis of the nanowire samples. The observed effect should be taken into account for ZnO nanowire based devices and applications.