bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A User's Guide to the Gottman-Williams Time-Series Analysis Computer Programs for Social Scientists
Authors: Williams Esther A. , Gottman John Mordechai
Published: July 2011

Esther Williams and John Gottman describe a complete set of programs they have written in Fortran IV to enable even beginners to use all the techniques presented in John Gottman's Time-Series Analysis: A Comprehensive Introduction for Social Scientists. There are three packages, available on IBM card source desks from the authors, for (1) time and frequency domain model fitting, including detecting cycles, (2) forecasting and interrupted time-series analysis, and (3) multivariate time-series analysis, in both time and frequency domains. The packages have been tested for portability. Modification specific computers are noted in the guide.
Differential Equations
Authors: Stephani Hans
Published: July 2011

This book provides an introduction to the theory and application of the solution of differential equations using symmetries, a technique of great value in mathematics and the physical sciences. In many branches of physics, mathematics, and engineering, solving a problem means a set of ordinary or partial differential equations. Nearly all methods of constructing closed form solutions rely on symmetries. The theory and application of such methods have therefore attracted increasing attention in the last two decades. In this text the emphasis is on how to find and use the symmetries in different cases. Many examples are discussed, and the book includes more than 100 exercises. This book will form an introduction accessible to beginning graduate students in physics, applied mathematics, and engineering. Advanced graduate students and researchers in these disciplines will find the book an invaluable reference.
The Shaping of Cambridge Botany
Authors: Walters S. M.
Published: July 2011

Originally published in 1981, this generously illustrated volume marked the 150th anniversary of the acquisition by the University of Cambridge of the site for its 'New Botanic Garden'. Written by a distinguished authority on British and European plants, the book honours the eminent scientists and key ideas that have been most influential not only in the history of the Botanic Gardens but also in guiding the development of botany itself from the foundations laid by John Ray in the mid-seventeenth century. It also includes rarely seen archival material . The core theme of the book is whole-plant botany, as distinct from cell biology or the study of the 'lower plants' (bacteria and fungi). Relatively little emphasis is given to genetics, plant physiology or ecology. The reader is nevertheless richly rewarded by this engaging and erudite account of Cambridge botany over more than three centuries.
The Duties of Women
Authors: Cobbe Frances Power
Published: July 2011

Frances Power Cobbe (1822–1904) was an Irish writer, social reformer and activist best known for her contributions to Victorian feminism. After the death of her father in 1857, Cobbe travelled extensively across Europe before becoming a leader-writer for the London newspaper The Echo in 1868. She continued to publish on the topics of feminism, social problems and theology for the rest of her life. This volume, first published in 1881, contains a series of essays discussing the ethical practice of feminism. Written during a transitional period for the movement, when calls for universal suffrage were becoming the defining feature of feminism, Cobbe advocates the need for women to practice a form of emancipation which does not conform to stereotypical views, in order to avoid a public backlash against universal suffrage. Emphasising the political importance of private behaviours, this volume demonstrates feminist responses to changes in nineteenth century feminism.
Military Threats
Authors: Slantchev Branislav L.
Published: July 2011

Is military power central in determining which states get their voice heard? Must states run a high risk of war to communicate credible intent? In this book, Slantchev shows that states can often obtain concessions without incurring higher risks when they use military threats. Unlike diplomatic forms of communication, physical military moves improve a state's expected performance in war. If the opponent believes the threat, it will be more likely to back down. Military moves are also inherently costly, so only resolved states are willing to pay these costs. Slantchev argues that powerful states can secure better peaceful outcomes and lower the risk of war, but the likelihood of war depends on the extent to which a state is prepared to use military threats to deter challenges to peace and compel concessions without fighting. The price of peace may therefore be large: states invest in military forces that are both costly and unused.
Deep Learning
Authors: Ohlsson Stellan
Published: July 2011

Although the ability to retain, process, and project prior experience onto future situations is indispensable, the human mind also possesses the ability to override experience and adapt to changing circumstances. Cognitive scientist Stellan Ohlsson analyzes three types of deep, non-monotonic cognitive change: creative insight, adaptation of cognitive skills by learning from errors, and conversion from one belief to another, incompatible belief. For each topic, Ohlsson summarizes past research, re-formulates the relevant research questions, and proposes information-processing mechanisms that answer those questions. The three theories are based on the principles of redistribution of activation, specialization of practical knowledge, and re-subsumption of declarative information. Ohlsson develops the implications of those mechanisms by scaling their effects with respect to time, complexity, and social interaction. The book ends with a unified theory of non-monotonic cognitive change that captures the abstract properties that the three types of change share.
Making Markets in the Welfare State
Authors: Gingrich Jane R.
Published: July 2011

Over the past three decades, market reforms have transformed public services such as education, health, and care of the elderly. Whereas previous studies present markets as having similar and largely non-political effects, this book shows that political parties structure markets in diverse ways to achieve distinct political aims. Left-wing attempts to sustain the legitimacy of the welfare state are compared with right-wing wishes to limit the state and empower the private sector. Examining a broad range of countries, time periods, and policy areas, Jane R. Gingrich helps readers make sense of the complexity of market reforms in the industrialized world. The use of innovative multi-case studies and in-depth interviews with senior European policymakers enriches the debate and brings clarity to this multifaceted topic. Scholars and students working on the policymaking process in this central area will be interested in this new conceptualization of market reform.
CMOS Analog Design Using All-Region MOSFET Modeling
Authors: Schneider Márcio Cherem , Galup-Montoro Carlos
Published: July 2011

Covering the essentials of analog circuit design, this book takes a unique design approach based on a MOSFET model valid for all operating regions, rather than the standard square-law model. Opening chapters focus on device modeling, integrated circuit technology, and layout, whilst later chapters go on to cover noise and mismatch, and analysis and design of the basic building blocks of analog circuits, such as current mirrors, voltage references, voltage amplifiers, and operational amplifiers. An introduction to continuous-time filters is also provided, as are the basic principles of sampled-data circuits, especially switched-capacitor circuits. The final chapter then reviews MOSFET models and describes techniques to extract design parameters. With numerous design examples and exercises also included, this is ideal for students taking analog CMOS design courses and also for circuit designers who need to shorten the design cycle.
Control Techniques for Complex Networks
Authors: Meyn Sean
Published: July 2011

Power grids, flexible manufacturing, cellular communications: interconnectedness has consequences. This remarkable book gives the tools and philosophy you need to build network models detailed enough to capture essential dynamics but simple enough to expose the structure of effective control solutions. Core chapters assume only exposure to stochastic processes and linear algebra at undergraduate level; later chapters are for advanced graduate students and researchers/practitioners. This gradual development bridges classical theory with the state-of-the-art. The workload model at the heart of traditional analysis of the single queue becomes a foundation for workload relaxations used in the treatment of complex networks. Lyapunov functions and dynamic programming equations lead to the celebrated MaxWeight policy along with many generalizations. Other topics include methods for synthesizing hedging and safety stocks, stability theory for networks, and techniques for accelerated simulation. Examples and figures throughout make ideas concrete. Solutions to end-of-chapter exercises are available on a companion website.
Cosmogenic Nuclides
Authors: Dunai Tibor J.
Published: July 2011

This is the first book to provide a comprehensive and state-of-the-art introduction to the novel and fast-evolving topic of in-situ produced cosmogenic nuclides. It presents an accessible introduction to the theoretical foundations, with explanations of relevant concepts starting at a basic level and building in sophistication. It incorporates, and draws on, methodological discussions and advances achieved within the international CRONUS (Cosmic-Ray Produced Nuclide Systematics) networks. Practical aspects such as sampling, analytical methods and data-interpretation are discussed in detail and an essential sampling checklist is provided. The full range of cosmogenic isotopes is covered and a wide spectrum of in-situ applications are described and illustrated with specific and generic examples of exposure dating, burial dating, erosion and uplift rates and process model verification. Graduate students and experienced practitioners will find this book a vital source of information on the background concepts and practical applications in geomorphology, geography, soil-science, and geology.
Epidemics and Rumours in Complex Networks
Authors: Draief Moez , Massoulié Laurent
Published: July 2011

Information propagation through peer-to-peer systems, online social systems, wireless mobile ad hoc networks and other modern structures can be modelled as an epidemic on a network of contacts. Understanding how epidemic processes interact with network topology allows us to predict ultimate course, understand phase transitions and develop strategies to control and optimise dissemination. This book is a concise introduction for applied mathematicians and computer scientists to basic models, analytical tools and mathematical and algorithmic results. Mathematical tools introduced include coupling methods, Poisson approximation (the Stein–Chen method), concentration inequalities (Chernoff bounds and Azuma–Hoeffding inequality) and branching processes. The authors examine the small-world phenomenon, preferential attachment, as well as classical epidemics. Each chapter ends with pointers to the wider literature. An ideal accompaniment for graduate courses, this book is also for researchers (statistical physicists, biologists, social scientists) who need an efficient guide to modern approaches to epidemic modelling on networks.
Floral Diagrams
Authors: Ronse De Craene Louis P.
Published: July 2011

Floral morphology remains the cornerstone for plant identification and studies of plant evolution. This guide gives a global overview of the floral diversity of the angiosperms through the use of detailed floral diagrams. These schematic diagrams replace long descriptions or complicated drawings as a tool for understanding floral structure and evolution. They show important features of flowers, such as the relative positions of the different organs, their fusion, symmetry, and structural details. The relevance of the diagrams is discussed, and pertinent evolutionary trends are illustrated. The range of plant species represented reflects the most recent classification of flowering plants based mainly on molecular data, which is expected to remain stable in the future. This book is invaluable for researchers and students working on plant structure, development and systematics, as well as being an important resource for plant ecologists, evolutionary botanists and horticulturists.
Religion and Anthropology
Authors: Morris Brian
Published: July 2011

This important textbook provides a critical introduction to the social anthropology of religion, focusing on more recent classical ethnographies. Comprehensive, free of scholastic jargon, engaging, and comparative in approach, it covers all the major religious traditions that have been studied concretely by anthropologists - Shamanism, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Christianity and its relation to African and Melanesian religions and contemporary Neopaganism. Eschewing a thematic approach and treating religion as a social institution and not simply as an ideology or symbolic system, the book follows the dual heritage of social anthropology in combining an interpretative understanding and sociological analysis. The book will appeal to all students of anthropology, whether established scholars or initiates to the discipline, as well as to students of the social sciences and religious studies, and for all those interested in comparative religion.
Statistical Signal Processing of Complex-Valued Data
Authors: Schreier Peter J. , Scharf Louis L.
Published: July 2011

Complex-valued random signals are embedded in the very fabric of science and engineering, yet the usual assumptions made about their statistical behavior are often a poor representation of the underlying physics. This book deals with improper and noncircular complex signals, which do not conform to classical assumptions, and it demonstrates how correct treatment of these signals can have significant payoffs. The book begins with detailed coverage of the fundamental theory and presents a variety of tools and algorithms for dealing with improper and noncircular signals. It provides a comprehensive account of the main applications, covering detection, estimation, and signal analysis of stationary, nonstationary, and cyclostationary processes. Providing a systematic development from the origin of complex signals to their probabilistic description makes the theory accessible to newcomers. This book is ideal for graduate students and researchers working with complex data in a range of research areas from communications to oceanography.
Handbook of Functional MRI Data Analysis
Authors: Poldrack Russell A. , Mumford Jeanette A. , Nichols Thomas E.
Published: July 2011

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has become the most popular method for imaging brain function. Handbook of Functional MRI Data Analysis provides a comprehensive and practical introduction to the methods used for fMRI data analysis. Using minimal jargon, this book explains the concepts behind processing fMRI data, focusing on the techniques that are most commonly used in the field. This book provides background about the methods employed by common data analysis packages including FSL, SPM and AFNI. Some of the newest cutting-edge techniques, including pattern classification analysis, connectivity modeling and resting state network analysis, are also discussed. Readers of this book, whether newcomers to the field or experienced researchers, will obtain a deep and effective knowledge of how to employ fMRI analysis to ask scientific questions and become more sophisticated users of fMRI analysis software.
The Shaping of Life
Authors: Harrison Lionel G.
Published: July 2011

Biological development, how organisms acquire their form, is one of the great frontiers in science. While a vast knowledge of the molecules involved in development has been gained in recent decades, big questions remain on the molecular organization and physics that shape cells, tissues and organisms. Physical scientists and biologists traditionally have very different backgrounds and perspectives, yet some of the fundamental questions in developmental biology will only be answered by combining expertise from a range of disciplines. This book is a personal account by Professor Lionel Harrison of an interdisciplinary approach to studying biological pattern formation. It articulates the power of studying dynamics in development: that to understand how an organism is made we must not only know the structure of its molecules; we must also understand how they interact and how fast they do so.
Trading Fish, Saving Fish
Authors: Young Margaret A.
Published: July 2011

Numerous international legal regimes now seek to address the global depletion of fish stocks, and increasingly their activities overlap. The relevant laws were developed at different times by different groups of states. They are motivated by divergent economic approaches, influenced by disparate non-state actors, and implemented by separate institutions such as the World Trade Organization and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. Margaret Young shows how these and other factors affect the interaction between regimes. Her empirical and doctrinal analysis moves beyond the discussion of conflicting norms that has dominated the fragmentation debate. Case-studies include the negotiation of new rules on fisheries subsidies, the restriction of trade in endangered marine species and the adjudication of fisheries import bans. She explores how regimes should interact, in fisheries governance and beyond, to offer insights into the practice and legitimacy of regime interaction in international law.
Entertainment Industry Economics
Authors: Vogel Harold L.
Published: July 2011

The entertainment industry is one of the largest sectors of the U.S. economy and is in fact becoming one of the most prominent globally as well, in movies, music, television programming, advertising, broadcasting, cable, casino gambling and wagering, publishing performing arts, sports, theme parks, toys and games. The eighth edition of Entertainment Industry Economics differs from its predecessors by inclusion of a new section on the legal aspects and limitations common to all such 'experience' industries, reference to the emerging field of the psychology of entertainment, partial restructuring and expansion of the music chapter, enhancement of the section on advertising, and broadening of the coverage in the gaming and wagering chapter. The result is a comprehensive, up-to-date reference guide on the economics, financing, production and marketing of entertainment in the United States and overseas, that will interest investors, business executives, accountants, lawyers and arts administrators.
A Concise History of Bolivia
Authors: Klein Herbert S.
Published: July 2011

In its first Spanish edition, Herbert Klein's A Concise History of Bolivia won immediate acceptance within Bolivia as the new standard history of this important nation. Surveying Bolivia's economic, social, cultural and political evolution from the arrival of early man in the Andes to the present, this current version brings the history of this society up to the present day, covering the fundamental changes that have occurred since the National Revolution of 1952 and the return of democracy in 1982. These changes have included the introduction of universal education and the rise of the mestizos and Indian populations to political power for the first time in national history. This second edition brings this story through the first administration of the first self-proclaimed Indian president in national history and the major changes that the government of Evo Morales has introduced in Bolivian society, politics and economics.
Supernatural Environments in Shakespeare's England
Authors: Poole Kristen
Published: July 2011

Bringing together recent scholarship on religion and the spatial imagination, Kristen Poole examines how changing religious beliefs and transforming conceptions of space were mutually informative in the decades around 1600. Supernatural Environments in Shakespeare's England explores a series of cultural spaces that focused attention on interactions between the human and the demonic or divine: the deathbed, purgatory, demonic contracts and their spatial surround, Reformation cosmologies and a landscape newly subject to cartographic surveying. It examines the seemingly incongruous coexistence of traditional religious beliefs and new mathematical, geometrical ways of perceiving the environment. Arguing that the late sixteenth- and early seventeenth-century stage dramatized the phenomenological tension that resulted from this uneasy confluence, this groundbreaking study considers the complex nature of supernatural environments in Marlowe's Doctor Faustus and Shakespeare's Othello, Hamlet, Macbeth and The Tempest.
African Regional Trade Agreements as Legal Regimes
Authors: Gathii James Thuo
Published: July 2011

African regional trade integration has grown exponentially in the last decade. This book is the first comprehensive analysis of the legal framework within which it is being pursued. It will fill a huge knowledge gap and serve as an invaluable teaching and research tool for policy makers in the public and private sectors, teachers, researchers and students of African trade and beyond. The author argues that African Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) are best understood as flexible legal regimes particularly given their commitment to variable geometry and multiple memberships. He analyzes the progress made toward trade liberalization in each region, how the RTAs are financed, their trade remedy and judicial regimes, and how well they measure up to Article XXIV of GATT. The book also covers monetary unions as well as intra-African regional integration, and examines free trade agreements with non-African regions including the Economic Partnership Agreements with the European Union.
Geoeffectiveness (Dst and Kp) of interplanetary coronal mass ejections during 1995–2009 and implications for storm forecasting
Authors: Richardson I. G. , Cane H. V.
Published: July 2011

We summarize the geoeffectiveness (based on the Dst and Kp indices) of the more than 300 interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) that passed the Earth during 1996–2009, encompassing solar cycle 23. We subsequently estimate the probability that an ICME will generate geomagnetic activity that exceeds certain thresholds of Dst or Kp, including the NOAA “G” storm scale, based on maximum values of the southward magnetic field component (Bs), the solar wind speed (V), and the y component (Ey) of the solar wind convective electric field E = −V × B, in the ICME or sheath ahead of the ICME. Consistent with previous studies, the geoeffectiveness of an ICME is correlated with Bs or Ey ≈ VBs in the ICME or sheath, indicating that observations from a solar wind monitor upstream of the Earth are likely to provide the most reliable forecasts of the activity associated with an approaching ICME. There is also a general increase in geoeffectiveness with ICME speed, though the overall event‐to‐event correlation is weaker than for Bs and Ey. Nevertheless, using these results, we suggest that the speed of an ICME approaching the Earth inferred, for example, from routine remote sensing by coronagraphs on spacecraft well separated from the Earth or by all‐sky imagers, could be used to estimate the likely geoeffectiveness of the ICME (our “comprehensive” ICME database provides a proxy for ICMEs identified in this way) with a longer lead time than may be possible using an upstream monitor.
Representing spatial variability of snow water equivalent in hydrologic and land‐surface models: A review
Authors: Clark Martyn P. , Hendrikx Jordy , Slater Andrew G. , Kavetski Dmitri , Anderson Brian , Cullen Nicolas J. , Kerr Tim , Örn Hreinsson Einar , Woods Ross A.
Published: July 2011

This paper evaluates the use of field data on the spatial variability of snow water equivalent (SWE) to guide the design of distributed snow models. An extensive reanalysis of results from previous field studies in different snow environments around the world is presented, followed by an analysis of field data on spatial variability of snow collected in the headwaters of the Jollie River basin, a rugged mountain catchment in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. In addition, area‐averaged simulations of SWE based on different types of spatial discretization are evaluated. Spatial variability of SWE is shaped by a range of different processes that occur across a hierarchy of spatial scales. Spatial variability at the watershed‐scale is shaped by variability in near‐surface meteorological fields (e.g., elevation gradients in temperature) and, provided suitable meteorological data is available, can be explicitly resolved by spatial interpolation/extrapolation. On the other hand, spatial variability of SWE at the hillslope‐scale is governed by processes such as drifting, sloughing of snow off steep slopes, trapping of snow by shrubs, and the nonuniform unloading of snow by the forest canopy, which are more difficult to resolve explicitly. Subgrid probability distributions are often capable of representing the aggregate‐impact of unresolved processes at the hillslope‐scale, though they may not adequately capture the effects of elevation gradients. While the best modeling strategy is case‐specific, the analysis in this paper provides guidance on both the suitability of several common snow modeling approaches and on the choice of parameter values in subgrid probability distributions.
Validation of Ultrasound Estimates of Visceral Fat in Black South African Adolescents
Authors: De Lucia‐Rolfe Emanuella , Norris Shane A. , Sleigh Alison , Brage Soren , Dunger David B. , Stolk Ronald P. , Ong Ken K.
Published: July 2011

Accurate quantification of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is needed to understand ethnic variations and their implications for metabolic disease risk. The use of reference methods such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is limited in large epidemiological studies. Surrogate measures such as anthropometry and dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) do not differentiate between VAT and subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue (SCAT). Ultrasound provides a validated estimate of VAT and SCAT in white populations. This study aimed to validate the use of ultrasound‐based assessment of VAT in black South African adolescents. One hundred healthy adolescents (boys = 48, girls = 52) aged 18–19 years participating in the birth to twenty cohort study had VAT and SCAT measured by single slice MRI at L4. These MRI “criterion measures” were related to ultrasound VAT and SCAT thickness, anthropometry (BMI, waist and hip circumferences), and DXA android region fat. Ultrasound VAT thickness showed the strongest correlations with MRI VAT (Spearman's correlation coefficients: r = 0.72 and r = 0.64; in boys and girls, respectively), and substantially improved the estimation of MRI VAT compared to anthropometry and DXA alone; in regression models the addition of ultrasound VAT thickness to models containing BMI, waist, and DXA android fat improved the explained variance in VAT from 39% to 60% in boys, and from 31% to 52% in girls. In conclusion, ultrasound substantially increased the precision of estimating VAT beyond anthropometry and DXA alone. Black South African adolescents have relatively little VAT compared to elderly whites, and we therefore provide new ultrasound‐based prediction equations for VAT specific to this group.
Thermo-electric detection of waveguided surface plasmon propagation
Authors: Weeber J.-C. , Hassan K. , Bouhelier A. , Colas-des-Francs G. , Arocas J. , Markey L. , Dereux A.
Published: July 2011

The thermo-electric detection of a waveguided surface plasmon traveling along one electrode of an in-plane integrated thermocouple is demonstrated. By using a particular design of the thermocouple, the thermo-electric signal due to the losses of the plasmon mode can be separated from the non-resonant heating of the waveguide. The thermo-electric signal associated with the plasmon propagation is proportional to the power coupled into the waveguided mode and exhibits a maximum at a distance from the excitation site depending on both the heat transfer coefficient of the system and the plasmon mode damping distance.
Trap characterization of in-situ metal-organic chemical vapor deposition grown AlN/AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor heterostructures by frequency dependent conductance technique
Authors: Freedsman Joseph J. , Kubo Toshiharu , Egawa Takashi
Published: July 2011

Frequency dependent conductance measurements were employed to study the trapping effects of in-situ metal-organic chemical vapor deposition grown AlN/AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor heterostructures (MISHs). Conventional fitting method could not be used to explain the experimental parallel conductance (Gp/ω ) results. Alternatively, experimental Gp/ω values were resolved into two fitting curves for gate voltages (−1.2 to −1.8 V) near the threshold voltage (Vth) by a fitting model. In the low frequency region (≤50 kHz), the Gp/ω values can be fitted into a single curve. On the other hand, in the high frequency region, two fitting curves were necessary. The results using this model explicitly yielded two types of traps existing in the AlN/AlGaN/GaN MISHs, one due to the insulating AlN layer and the other caused by the AlGaN barrier layer.
Thin-film zero-group-velocity Lamb wave resonator
Authors: Yantchev Ventsislav , Arapan Lilia , Katardjiev Ilia , Plessky Victor
Published: July 2011

A concept for the development of thin film micro-acoustic resonators is demonstrated. The basic principles for the design and fabrication of zero-group-velocity Lamb acoustic wave resonators on c-textured thin aluminum nitride films are presented. The experimental results demonstrate that the zero-group-velocity waves can be employed in high frequency resonators with small form factors.
Numb controls E-cadherin endocytosis through p120 catenin with aPKC
Authors: Sato Kazuhide , Watanabe Takashi , Wang Shujie , Kakeno Mai , Matsuzawa Kenji , Matsui Toshinori , Yokoi Keiko , Murase Kiyoko , Sugiyama Ikuko , Ozawa Masayuki , Kaibuchi Kozo
Published: July 2011

Cadherin trafficking controls tissue morphogenesis and cell polarity. The endocytic adaptor Numb participates in apicobasal polarity by acting on intercellular adhesions in epithelial cells. However, it remains largely unknown how Numb controls cadherin-based adhesion. Here, we found that Numb directly interacted with p120 catenin (p120), which is known to interact with E-cadherin and prevent its internalization. Numb accumulated at intercellular adhesion sites and the apical membrane in epithelial cells. Depletion of Numb impaired E-cadherin internalization, whereas depletion of p120 accelerated internalization. Expression of the Numb-binding fragment of p120 inhibited E-cadherin internalization in a dominant-negative fashion, indicating that Numb interacts with the E-cadherin/p120 complex and promotes E-cadherin endocytosis. Impairment of Numb induced mislocalization of E-cadherin from the lateral membrane to the apical membrane. Atypical protein kinase C (aPKC), a member of the PAR complex, phosphorylated Numb and inhibited its association with p120 and α-adaptin. Depletion or inhibition of aPKC accelerated E-cadherin internalization. Wild-type Numb restored E-cadherin internalization in the Numb-depleted cells, whereas a phosphomimetic mutant or a mutant with defective α-adaptin-binding ability did not restore the internalization. Thus, we propose that aPKC phosphorylates Numb to prevent its binding to p120 and α-adaptin, thereby attenuating E-cadherin endocytosis to maintain apicobasal polarity.
Heat and sweat transport through clothing assemblies with phase changes, condensation/evaporation and absorption
Authors: Zhang Qian , Li Buyang , Sun Weiwei
Published: July 2011

The paper is concerned with the heat and sweat transport in porous textile media with complex phase changes, which is described as a non-isothermal, multi-phase and multi-component fluid flow and governed by a nonlinear, degenerate and strongly coupled parabolic system. The phase change, condensation/evaporation and fibre absorption, play an important role in the design of functional clothing. In this paper, we present some more precise formulations on condensation/evaporation, fibre absorption and heat capacity to maintain the physical conservation of mass and energy. A typical clothing assembly with a hydrophobic batting material and two different types of cover is investigated numerically. Numerical results show that for the hydrophobic material, the evaporation and condensation zones arise simultaneously in the batting area and that the proposed formulations are more realistic to describe the phase change. Existence and uniqueness of a classical positive solution for the incompressible model are also proved.
A Novel Image-Analysis Toolbox Enabling Quantitative Analysis of Root System Architecture
Authors: Lobet Guillaume , Pagès Loïc , Draye Xavier
Published: July 2011

We present in this paper a novel, semiautomated image-analysis software to streamline the quantitative analysis of root growth and architecture of complex root systems. The software combines a vectorial representation of root objects with a powerful tracing algorithm that accommodates a wide range of image sources and quality. The root system is treated as a collection of roots (possibly connected) that are individually represented as parsimonious sets of connected segments. Pixel coordinates and gray level are therefore turned into intuitive biological attributes such as segment diameter and orientation as well as distance to any other segment or topological position. As a consequence, user interaction and data analysis directly operate on biological entities (roots) and are not hampered by the spatially discrete, pixel-based nature of the original image. The software supports a sampling-based analysis of root system images, in which detailed information is collected on a limited number of roots selected by the user according to specific research requirements. The use of the software is illustrated with a time-lapse analysis of cluster root formation in lupin (Lupinus albus) and an architectural analysis of the maize (Zea mays) root system. The software, SmartRoot, is an operating system-independent freeware based on ImageJ and relies on cross-platform standards for communication with data-analysis software.
The association between seeing retail displays of tobacco and tobacco smoking and purchase: findings from a diary‐style survey
Authors: Burton Suzan , Clark Lindie , Jackson Kristina
Published: July 2011

Aims  To assess the impact of retail displays of tobacco on tobacco smoking and purchase by smokers and attempting quitters.

Design  Population‐based diary style survey.

Setting  NSW, Australia.

Participants  A total of 998 smokers and 111 attempting quitters.

Measurements  Demographic measures and 4‐hourly records over 4 days: number of cigarettes smoked and bought; exposure to cigarette smoking by friends/family or other smokers; and exposure to retail displays of tobacco.

Findings  Subjects reported seeing cigarettes for sale in more than 40% of the time‐periods when they were outside their home. After allowing for factors which are known to increase smoking, people who saw cigarettes for sale were more likely to smoke, and smoked more cigarettes, even if they did not buy cigarettes in the same time‐period. There was marginally significant evidence that people exposed to retail displays of tobacco in one time‐period were more likely to buy in the following time‐period.

Conclusions  In an environment which permits point‐of‐sale displays, smokers were found to see tobacco displays in more than 40% of the 4‐hour periods that they were outside the home. Exposure to such tobacco displays was associated with a higher probability of smoking, and with higher levels of smoking, even when subjects did not purchase cigarettes.
Patient issues in health research and quality of care: an inventory and data synthesis
Authors: Teunissen Truus , Visse Merel , de Boer Pim , Abma Tineke A.
Published: July 2011

Aim  The purpose of this review is to generate an inventory of issues that matter from a patient perspective in health research and quality of care. From these issues, criteria will be elicited to support patient(s) (groups) in their role as advisor or advocate when appraising health research, health policy and quality of health care.

Background  Literature shows that patients are beginning to develop their own voice and agenda’s with issues in order to be prepared for the collaboration with professionals. Yet, patient issues have not been investigated systematically. This review addresses what patients find important and help to derive patient criteria for appraising research and quality of care.

Methods/search strategy  Information was gathered from Western countries with similar economic, societal and health‐care situations. We searched (from January 2000 to March 2010) for primary sources, secondary sources and tertiary sources; non‐scientific publications were also included.

Results  The international inventory of issues that were defined by patients is covering a large array of domains. In total, 35 issue clusters further referred to as criteria were found ranging from dignity to cost effectiveness and family involvement. Issues from a patient perspective reveal patient values and appear to be adding to professional issues.

Conclusions  Patient issues cover a broad domain, including fundamental values, quality of life, quality of care and personal development. Quite a few issues do not find its reflection in the scientific literature in spite of their clear and obvious appearance from tertiary sources. This may indicate a gap between the scientific research community and patient networks.
Effect of l‐carnitine on oxidative stress and platelet activation after major surgery
Authors: PIGNATELLI P. , TELLAN G. , MARANDOLA M. , CARNEVALE R. , LOFFREDO L. , SCHILLIZZI M. , PROIETTI M. , VIOLI F. , CHIRLETTI P. , DELOGU G.
Published: July 2011

Background: The surgical/anesthesia trauma is associated with an increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). This enhanced oxidative stress leads to cell damage resulting in various complications such as sepsis, myocardial injury and increased mortality. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of antioxidant treatment with l‐carnitine in oxidative stress and platelet activation in patients undergoing major abdominal surgery.

Methods: Forty patients scheduled for abdominal surgery were randomly allocated to l‐carnitine, administered with a rapid infusion (0.05 g/kg) diluted in 250 ml of saline solution, vs. placebo treatment just before the surgical intervention. At baseline and after treatment, oxidative stress was evaluated by detection of circulating levels of soluble NOX2‐derived peptide (sNOX2‐dp), a marker of NADPH oxidase activation, and by analyzing platelet ROS formation. Platelet activation was studied by dosing sCD40L.

Results: We observed an increase of soluble sNOX2‐dp, sCD40L and ROS production in the placebo group compared with the baseline after the surgical intervention. Conversely, in the l‐carnitine‐treated group, sNOX2‐dp, sCD40L and ROS production did not significantly differ from the baseline. A linear correlation analysis showed that Δ of ROS correlated with Δ of sNOX2 (Rs=0.817; P<0.001) and Δ of sCD40L (Rs=0.780; P<0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the only independent predictive variable associated with Δ of ROS was Δ of serum NOX2 levels (SE=0.05; standardized coefficient β=1.075; P<0.001).

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that l‐carnitine could be helpful in modulating oxidative stress and platelet activation during major abdominal surgery‐dependent oxidative damage.
Insect vectors of the pinewood nematode: a review of the biology and ecology of Monochamus species
Authors: Akbulut S. , Stamps W. T.
Published: July 2011

Pine wilt disease (PWD), caused by the pinewood nematode (PWN), Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (Steiner and Buhrer) Nickle 1970, is a serious threat to susceptible pine forests of the world. The PWN is primarily vectored by Monochamus species (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). The first occurrence of PWD was reported from Japan in the early 1900s. Following this report, Japanese scientists documented the community of bark‐ and phloem‐inhabiting insects associated with the nematodes in dying trees to determine possible vectors of the nematode. Monochamus alternatus was reported to be the most effective vector in Japan. The primary vector in North America is Monochamus carolinensis, and in Europe, it is Monochamus galloprovincialis. Further studies have been expanded through the nematode‐invaded countries of Korea, Taiwan, China and Portugal. There is an interspecific association between the PWN and its insect vectors, and it is an obligatory component of the disease cycle. It is crucial to understand this relationship as well as the population ecology of the beetle to aid in monitoring and control of this worldwide threat to pine forests. Studies to date indicate a remarkable similarity among beetle species around the globe for a variety of life‐history traits, including lifespan, adult emergence numbers, flight capability, nematode transmission rates and attraction to pine volatiles. Wherever pines are found, there is a beetle species capable of transmitting the nematode. Although flight performance and range is generally poor for this group of beetle vectors, the cryptic nature of the species and the lack of interest in the beetles by countries in the absence of the nematode have led to the disease establishing a foothold in a variety of countries such as Portugal. In this paper, studies conducted in different countries on Monochamus vector species of the PWN are compared and discussed.
Frequency and risk factors of renal impairment during long‐term adefovir dipivoxil treatment in chronic hepatitis B patients
Authors: Kim Yu Jin , Cho Hyun Chin , Sinn Dong Hyun , Gwak Geum‐Youn , Choi Moon Seok , Koh Kwang Cheol , Paik Seung Woon , Yoo Byung Chul , Lee Joon Hyeok
Published: July 2011

Background and Aim:  There are insufficient data on renal safety during long‐term adefovir dipivoxil (ADV) treatment. We aimed to elucidate the incidence and risk factors of renal impairment in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients treated with ADV.

Methods:  We retrospectively enrolled 687 CHB patients (51.4% with compensated cirrhosis) treated with ADV alone (18.2%) or in combination with lamivudine (81.8%) for more than 12 months. Renal function was measured using the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and renal dysfunction was defined as mild (20–30% decrease), moderate (30–50%), or severe (more than 50%).

Results:  During the median treatment duration of 27 months, 72 patients (10.5%) developed renal impairment, which was mild in 77.8% of cases, moderate in 20.8% of cases, and severe in one patient. The cumulative incidence of renal impairment at 1, 3, and 5 years was 2.6%, 14.8%, and 34.7%, respectively. Modification of the dosing interval or discontinuation of ADV was required in seven and three patients, respectively, and none of them showed a further decline in the eGFR. Although a univariate analysis revealed age, the number of exposure to radio‐contrast dye, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma as risk factors of renal impairment, age was the only significant risk factor identified in the multivariate analysis (odds ratio = 1.048, 95% confidence interval = 1.019–1.076, P = 0.001).

Conclusions:  Renal impairment in long‐term ADV users was relatively frequent, but serious renal toxicity was rare, and all cases were safely managed. Careful monitoring of renal function is required, especially in older patients.
Refuting the six‐genus classification of Penaeus s.l. (Dendrobranchiata, Penaeidae): a combined analysis of mitochondrial and nuclear genes
Authors: Ma Ka Yan , Chan Tin‐Yam , Chu Ka Hou
Published: July 2011

Ma, K. Y., Chan, T. ‐Y & Chu, K. H. (2011). Refuting the six‐genus classification of Penaeus s.l. (Dendrobranchiata, Penaeidae): a combined analysis of mitochondrial and nuclear genes. —Zoologica Scripta, 40, 498–508.

The taxonomic revision in 1997 of the shrimps formerly classified in Penaeus s.l. has been one of the most controversial issues on systematics of the decapods in recent years. Since Pérez Farfante & Kensley (Penaeoid and Sergestoid Shrimps and Prawns of the World, 1997) split this long‐accepted taxon into six genera, much debate has been devoted to their proposed new classification scheme; this has taken place because there are serious doubts whether the said scheme could reflect the evolutionary relationships among the 29 Penaeus s.l. species. Although these shrimps can be easily separated into several groups morphologically, whether these subdivisions are truly monophyletic and warrant a generic rank continues to be hotly debated among taxonomists. This study examined a total of 2425 bp sequences from three nuclear protein genes (enolase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and sodium–potassium ATPase α‐subunit), and the mitochondrial 16S and 12S rRNA gene of 18 Penaeus s.l. shrimps and 13 other species in the family Penaeidae. Our phylogenetic analyses strongly support the monophyly of Penaeus s.l. and, concurring with previous studies that used the mitochondrial genes alone, the paraphyly of both Penaeus s.s. (sensu Pérez Farfante & Kensley, Penaeoid and Sergestoid Shrimps and Prawns of the World, 1997) and Melicertus, rendering them non‐natural groupings. Our study reveals two lineages: Penaeus s.s. + Fenneropenaeus + Litopenaeus + Farfantepenaeus and Melicertus + Marsupenaeus, which exhibit genetic divergences comparable with those among other penaeid genera. However, all the morphological characters, which are emphasized by Pérez Farfante and Kensley and used to separate Penaeus s.l., do not correlate with the grouping revealed by the present, perhaps decisive, phylogenetic result. Such disparity may arise from selection on the morphology of genitalia and convergent evolution. Our molecular data clearly refute the six‐genus classification, and we advocate the restoration of the old Penaeus genus (=Penaeus s.l.) definition which is the only classification scheme with both the morphological and the molecular data being in agreement.