bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Functional ecology of the biological soil crust in semiarid SE Spain: sun and shade populations of Diploschistes diacapsis (Ach.) Lumbsch.
Authors: PINTADO Ana , SANCHO Leopoldo G. , GREEN T. G. Allan , BLANQUER José Manuel , LÁZARO Roberto
Published: September 2005

The Tabernas badlands in semiarid south-east Spain is one of the driest regions in Europe with a mean annual precipitation of c. 240 mm. The landscape is deeply dissected, with canyons, ramblas and sparsely vegetated eroded badland slopes. The vegetation is predominantly a biological soil crust consisting of different types of lichen-rich communities, one of the more conspicuous being dominated by Diploschistes diacapsis (Ach.) Lumbsch. This lichen is mainly restricted to the north- facing slopes, where it forms extensive whitish carpets and probably plays an important role in preventing erosion of the slopes and allowing plant colonization. South-facing slopes are much more eroded and generally lack vegetation. %The photosynthetic performance of north (shade) and south-facing (sun) populations of D. diacapsis was studied to determine if these different populations showed any adaptations to the microclimatic conditions of their individual habitats. The response of CO2 exchange to light intensity, temperature and water content was measured under controlled conditions in the laboratory. Dry weight-based net photosynthetic rates were higher in the southern-exposed population but quantum efficiency, and light compensation points were similar. Thallus weight per unit area (LMA) was considerably higher for shade specimens but maximum water content and optimal water content were very similar and chlorophyll content on a dry weight basis was also similar. Chlorophyll content on an area basis was higher in the northern-exposed population and always much larger than those reported in other studies on the same species (up to 8 times larger) with the result that NP values on a chlorophyll basis were relatively low. The larger LMA meant that shade thalli stored more water per unit area which should ensure longer active periods than sun thalli. The results support a strategy pair of high NP and short active time versus low NP and long active time, both having been reported for other soil crust species. However, the visibly larger biomass of the shade D. diacapsis suggests that the lichen is at the limit of its adaptability in these habitats.
14-3-3- and II/3-10-gene expression as molecular markers to address viability and growth activity of Echinococcus multilocularis metacestodes
Authors: MATSUMOTO J. , MÜLLER N. , HEMPHILL A. , OKU Y. , KAMIYA M. , GOTTSTEIN B.
Published: September 2005

The present study aimed to search for and characterize parasite molecules, whose expression levels correlate with the viability and growth activity of Echinococcus multilocularis metacestodes. We focused on the expression profiles of 2 parasite-derived genes, 14-3-3 and II/3-10, as putative molecular markers for viability and growth activity of the larval parasite. In experiments in vivo, gene expression levels of 14-3-3 and II/3-10 were relatively quantified by real-time reverse transcription-PCR using a housekeeping gene, beta-actin, as a reference reaction. All three reactions were compared with growth activity of the parasite developing in permissive nu/nu and in non-permissive wild type BALB/c mice. At 2 months p.i., the transcription level of 14-3-3 was significantly higher in parasites actively proliferating in nu/nu mice compared to parasites moderately growing in wild type mice. Immunoblotting experiments confirmed at the protein level that 14-3-3 was over-expressed in parasites derived from nu/nu mice at 2 months p.i. In vitro treatment of E. multilocularis with an anti-echinococcal drug nitazoxanide resulted in a significant decrease of both 14-3-3 and II/3-10 transcription levels found after 8 days of treatment, which correlated with the kinetics of a housekeeping gene, beta-actin. The conclusion is that 14-3-3, combined with II/3-10, exhibits good potential as a molecular marker to assess viability and growth activity of the parasite.
Farmers and English County Politics 1832–80
Authors: JAGGARD EDWIN
Published: September 2005

In November 1855 the Conservative Party's electoral agent Philip Rose wrote to the Chief Whip Sir William Jolliffe, about a Cornish farmer William Snell:

Snell is one of the adventurers who go about endeavouring to persuade people that he is employed from headquarters. He called upon me the other day and stated that he knew Mr Triscott and had been in communication with him. I heard all he had to say but said as little in return as possible.
Dreaming of Fecundity in Rural Society
Authors: DOJA ALBERT
Published: September 2005

In Albanian village society, the main characteristic of the social status of women, and their only function that meets social approval, is their aptitude for procreation and motherhood. And the Albanian child is first and foremost a son, who will succeed his father, inherit from him, guarantee the everlastingness of his lineage and honour his ancestors. If the daughter is a future wife and a potential mother, polyvalent images make the boy child the symbol of radical transformation, renewal and regeneration. The beliefs, rites, practices, the multiple symbolic forms and collective representations surrounding birth and socialisation, in addition to their magic, divinatory or propitiatory roles, are also used to confer a symbolic value of recognition on the processes of construction and socialisation of the individual who has just been born.
FUNCTIONAL PEARLS: Probabilistic functional programming in Haskell
Authors: ERWIG MARTIN , KOLLMANSBERGER STEVE
Published: September 2005

At the heart of functional programming rests the principle of referential transparency, which in particular means that a function f applied to a value x always yields one and the same value y=f(x). This principle seems to be violated when contemplating the use of functions to describe probabilistic events, such as rolling a die: It is not clear at all what exactly the outcome will be, and neither is it guaranteed that the same value will be produced repeatedly. However, these two seemingly incompatible notions can be reconciled if probabilistic values are encapsulated in a data type.
Normal and abnormal structure of the ventriculo-arterial junctions
Authors: Anderson Robert H. , Freedom Robert M.
Published: September 2005

The normal heart possesses two ventriculo-arterial junctions – one for the aortic valve, and the other for the pulmonary valve. In the normal heart, these pulmonary and aortic roots are discrete and separate structures, the subpulmonary infundibulum being a free-standing muscular sleeve, separated by extracardiac space from the outflow tract of the left ventricle. When considering the congenital malformations that can distort these outflow tracts, it is conventional to categorise them as existing at subvalvar, valvar, and supravalvar levels. Such an approach, however, ignores the fact the valvar leaflets themselves extend through a significant length of the outflow tracts, with so-called supravalvar stenosis almost always involving the sinutubular junction, this being an integral part of the mechanism that normally ensures competent valvar closure. When considering the lesions that involve abnormally structured outflow tracts, these are best analysed by recognising the different features of the ventriculo-arterial junctions, namely the way the arterial trunks are joined to their underlying ventricles, the interrelationships of the trunks one to the other, and the arrangement of the supporting ventricular structures. In this review, we will show how knowledge of the arrangement of the normal junctions provides the necessary scaffold for logical analysis of all the lesions that can afflict the outflow tracts, be they otherwise normally or abnormally structured.
Evaluating the fetus with transposition
Authors: Huhta James C.
Published: September 2005

Transposition, defined as concordant atrioventricular and discordant ventriculo-arterial connections, is a common neonatal congenital cardiac malformation.1 Repair of this lesion by means of the arterial switch in the neonatal period has progressed such that preoperative factors are playing a larger role in the postoperative outcomes.
Surgical management of transposition in the setting of obstruction within the aortic arch
Authors: Tchervenkov Christo I.
Published: September 2005

The presence of an obstructed aortic arch in patients with transposition, or the Taussig-Bing variant of double outlet right ventricle, presents a formidable surgical challenge. Over the years, there have been several controversies with respect to primary versus staged repair, the best technique for reconstruction of the aortic arch, and whether to use circulatory arrest or antegrade regional cerebral perfusion. In this review, I will address all these issues and describe my favoured surgical approach at The Montreal Children's Hospital, namely the single-stage arterial switch operation with concomitant repair of the aortic arch with a patch fashioned from a pulmonary homograft, all conducted using antegrade regional cerebral perfusion.
Repairing the aortic valve is best for children
Authors: Backer Carl L.
Published: September 2005

In this review, I will address the problem as to whether children with disease of the aortic valve should undergo repair, or be put forward for the Ross procedure. So as to put this debate in the correct framework, we need to evaluate all the options for aortic valvar disease. These include not only the Ross procedure, involving the insertion of a pulmonary autograft, and valvar repair, but also the option of replacing the valve with a biological or mechanical prosthesis.
Quality of life following surgery for congenital cardiac malformations in neonates and infants
Authors: Mussatto Kathleen , Tweddell James
Published: September 2005

The past two decades have witnessed a major shift towards repair of most congenital cardiac malformations during the neonatal or infant periods of life.1 Early anatomic correction or palliation, dramatic improvements in survival, and reduced morbidity due to improvements in perioperative and long-term medical management, have resulted in new populations of children that have reaped the benefits of the best care currently available for treatment of congenital cardiac disease. The impact of the congenital cardiac malformations, however, extends far beyond the walls of the hospital or clinic where we diagnose, treat, and follow our patients. The breakthrough of achieving predictable results with repair or palliation of most lesions during the neonatal and infant periods mandates us to look beyond survival, and to examine the lives our patients lead when they are outside of our care. Our purpose in this review is to discuss the measures of psychosocial outcome that are appropriate for exploration in those neonates and infants who survive cardiac surgery, to explore what is known about the psychosocial outcomes and quality of life for these patients, and what needs exist for future research.
a change of name at twenty – biall's legal foundations course
Authors: fogg hannah
Published: September 2005

as ever, it started with an innocent looking email. “idea” stated the subject line, but who could be emailing ideas to me on a sunny wednesday lunchtime in june? jennifer barrow, as it turned out, had not been spending her lunch in the park drinking too much pimms, but had been browsing through mary blake's history of biall (as a good council member does) and discovered that the law for librarians course (as was) had been running for 20 years. the very first course had started in the autumn of 1984, meaning that our 2004/2005 year would be the 21st year of the course, surely reason for celebration! after much deliberating over what would be most suitable for such an esteemed and valuable part of biall's portfolio of courses, a special logo was created for the year's course materials, and a successful evening reunion was held in april. this took place at bpp's new law school at waterloo and was attended by over 30 past and current law librarians, including a brave few who attended that very first year.
eisil: a gateway to international legal information on the internet
Authors: osborne amy b.
Published: September 2005

paper given by amy b. osborne, foreign and comparative law specialist at university of kentucky college of law library at the biall pre-conference seminar on treaties and international law, harrogate, june 9, 2005. eisil, the electronic information system for international law was fully launched in september 2004. a project of the american society of international law, eisil is designed to assist researchers both experienced and novice, who are looking for information within the realm of international law.
accountability and dismissal in ireland's civil service
Authors: redmond mary
Published: September 2005

as part of a drive to deliver better government, ireland's unfair dismissals acts 1977–2001 are about to be extended to civil servants. the civil service (regulation) bill 2004 when enacted will apply the statutory code of unfair dismissal to thousands of officers whose remedies previously lay exclusively in public law. while preserving the principle that civil servants hold office at the will and pleasure of the government, the bill provides for the delegation of power in this respect from the government to ministers and to secretaries general. mary redmond, consultant solicitor at arthur cox considers the practical and, above all the legal implications of this stepchange.
checklist for law firm mergers
Authors: jones margaret , groom claire
Published: September 2005

my hypothesis on the thinking behind this list is that libraries are organisations which are dynamic self evolving complex systems and so i have applied the simple systems theory template to how to merge two libraries. i think the key thing to remember is that systems cannot change radically or quickly and that they depend on feed-back to adjust their equilibrium. that said it follows that any merger, with its implications of big rapid change, will be difficult for any library system. it will be essential to keep open channels of communication and feed-back both within the immediate environment (the law firms themselves) and the external environment (publishers, service providers, journal subscriptions)
A climatic thermostat making Earth habitable
Authors: Ditlevsen Peter D.
Published: September 2005

The mean surface temperature on Earth and other planets with atmospheres is determined by the radiative balance between the non-reflected incoming solar radiation and the outgoing long-wave black-body radiation from the atmosphere. The surface temperature is higher than the black-body temperature due to the greenhouse warming. Balancing the ice-albedo cooling and the greenhouse warming gives rise to two stable climate states. A cold climate state with a completely ice-covered planet, called Snowball Earth, and a warm state similar to our present climate where greenhouse warming prevents the total glaciation. The warm state has dominated Earth in most of its geological history despite a 30% fainter young Sun. The warming could have been controlled by a greenhouse thermostat operating by the temperature control of the weathering process depleting CO2 from the atmosphere. This temperature control has permitted life to evolve as early as the end of the heavy bombardment 4 billion years ago.
Tidal chain reaction and the origin of replicating biopolymers
Authors: Lathe Richard
Published: September 2005

Template-directed polymer assembly is a likely feature of prebiotic chemistry, but the product blocks further synthesis, preventing amplification and Darwinian selection. Nucleic acids are unusual because charge repulsion between opposing phosphates permits salt-dependent association and dissociation. It was postulated (Lathe, R. (2004). Fast tidal cycling and the origin of life. Icarus168, 18–22) that tides at ocean shores provide the driving force for amplification: evaporative concentration promoted association/assembly on drying, while charge repulsion on tidal dilution drove dissociation. This permits exponential amplification by a process termed here the tidal chain reaction (TCR). The process is not strictly contingent upon tidal ebb and flow: circadian dews and rainfalls can produce identical cycling. Ionic strength-dependent association and dissociation of nucleic acids and possible prebiotic precursors are reviewed. Polymer scavenging, chain assembly by the recruitment of pre-formed fragments, is proposed as the primary mechanism of reiterative chain assembly. Parameters determining prebiotic polymer structure and amplification by TCR are discussed, with the suggestion that Darwinian selection may have operated on families of related polymers rather than on individual molecules.
Chiral polymerization and the RNA world
Authors: Wattis Jonathan A.D. , Coveney Peter V.
Published: September 2005

The purpose of this paper is to review two mathematical models: one for the formation of homochiral polymers from an originally chirally symmetric system; and the other, to show how, in an RNA-world scenario, RNA can simultaneously act both as information storage and a catalyst for its own production. We note the similarities and differences in chemical mechanisms present in the systems. We review these two systems, analysing steady states, interesting kinetics and the stability of symmetric solutions. In both systems we show that there are ranges of parameter values where some chains increase their own concentrations faster than others.
Modelling the dynamics of a minimal protocell container
Authors: Jacobi Martin Nilsson , Rasmussen Steen , Tunstrøm Kolbjørn
Published: September 2005

This paper is a discussion on how reaction kinetics and three-dimensional (3D) lattice simulations can be used to elucidate the dynamical properties of micelles as a possible minimal protocell container. We start with a general discussion on the role of molecular self-assembly in prebiotic and contemporary biological systems. A simple reaction kinetic model of a micellation process of amphiphilic molecules in water is then presented and solved analytically. Amphiphilic molecules are polymers with hydrophobic (water-fearing), e.g. hydrocarbon tail groups, and hydrophilic (water-loving) head groups, e.g. fatty acids. By making a few simplifying assumptions an analytical expression for the size distribution of the resulting micelles can be derived. The main part of the paper presents and discusses a lattice gas technique for a more detailed 3D simulation of molecular self-assembly of amphiphilic polymers in aqueous environments. Water molecules, hydrocarbon tail groups and hydrophilic head groups are explicitly represented on a three-dimensional discrete lattice. Molecules move on the lattice proportional to their continuous momentum. Collision rules preserve momentum and kinetic energy. Potential energy from molecular interactions are also included explicitly. The non-trivial thermodynamics of large-scale and long-time dynamics are studied. In this paper we specifically demonstrate how, from a random initial distribution, micelles are formed and grow until they destabilize and can divide. Eventually a steady state of growing and dividing micelles is formed. Towards the end of the paper we discuss the relevance of the presented results to the design of a minimal artificial protocell.
Carbonaceous chondrites: tracers of the prebiotic chemical evolution of the Solar System
Authors: Andersen Anja C. , Haack Henning
Published: September 2005

The astrobiological relevance of carbonaceous chondrites is reviewed. It is argued that the primitive meteorites called carbonaceous chondrites provide a unique source of information about the materials and conditions in the Solar System during the earliest phases of its history, and its subsequent evolution. Presolar dust grains extracted from the carbonaceous chondrites provide direct information on the previous generations of stars that provided the materials present for planet formation. The organic material found in carbonaceous chondrites consist of amino acids, carboxylic acids and sugar derivatives. Part of the amino acids found show L-enantiomeric excesses, which indicates that homochirality on Earth could be a direct result of input from meteoritic material to the early Earth.
Motivation, Flow-Erleben und Lernleistung in universitären Lernsettings 1Dieser Beitrag wurde unter der geschäftsführenden Herausgeberschaft von Joachim C. Brunstein akzeptiert.
Authors: Engeser Stefan , Rheinberg Falko , Vollmeyer Regina , Bischoff Jutta
Published: September 2005

Zusammenfassung: Im kognitiv-motivationalen Prozessmodell des Lernens wird angenommen, dass der Lernerfolg von der Qualität und der Dauer ausgeführter Lernaktivitäten, aber auch vom Funktionszustand des Lerners während der Lernphase abhängt. Es wird vermutet, dass eine von mehreren Variablen des Funktionszustandes der Flow-Zustand während des Lernens ist. In einer Untersuchung in universitären Fremdsprachenkursen zeigte sich in der Tat, dass Flow-Erleben während des Unterrichts die späteren Lernleistungen auch dann vorhersagt, wenn der Leistungseffekt relevanter Kompetenzvariablen vorweg berücksichtigt wird. Gemäß dem kognitiv-motivationalen Prozessmodell wird Flow-Erleben seinerseits über die aktuelle Motivation vor der Lernphase vorhergesagt, wobei die wiederum von einer allgemeineren Motivationsvariablen zu Semesterbeginn abhängt. Diese Struktur wurde in einer zweiten Untersuchung repliziert und zwar an Studenten im Verlauf ihrer Statistikausbildung im Fach Psychologie. Beide Ergebnisse sprechen dafür, dass Flow-Erleben während des Lernens eine leistungsrelevante Variable des Funktionszustandes beim Lernen ist, die sich in ihrer Beziehungsstruktur erwartungsgemäß in das kognitiv-motivationale Prozessmodell einpassen lässt.
Distribution of hydrogen peroxide in the northwest Pacific Ocean
Authors: Yuan Jinchun , Shiller Alan M.
Published: September 2005

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a reactive oxygen intermediate involved in the cycling of metals and dissolved organic matter. Because little is known of its distribution in the North Pacific Ocean, we determined H2O2 in surface waters continuously and obtained vertical profiles at nine stations during a cruise from Japan to Hawaii. Surface water H2O2 varied from less than 10 to more than 250 nmol dm−3. A diel cycle in surface water H2O2 (∼25 nmol dm−3) was observed only on one day during the monthlong cruise. This is contrary to expectations based on the usual assumption of photo‐production as the dominant input of H2O2. Experiments were also conducted during the cruise to examine both photo‐production and dark decay. The net rate of photo‐production at a station near Hawaii was determined to be 8 nmol dm−3 h−1, similar to rates reported for the central Atlantic Ocean and Antarctic. However, this maximum estimate of photo‐production is also similar to probable rates of H2O2 input by other mechanisms (biological production and rain). The pseudo‐first‐order rate constant for dark decay varied from 0.1 to 0.2 d−1, which is toward the low end of previous reports of H2O2 decay rates, and was observed to increase proportionately to the dissolved organic carbon concentration. Taken together, these results suggest that photo‐production of H2O2 in open ocean waters may be less important than previously thought and therefore H2O2 is likely less of an indicator of the photo‐chemical reactivity of surface waters than hoped for. Furthermore, we observed that the H2O2 inventory for the upper 200 m of the water column has a maximum at midlatitudes. We suggest that this results from diminished inputs at high latitude as well as increased decay rates at low latitudes.
X‐ray magnitude of the 4 November 2003 solar flare inferred from the ionospheric attenuation of the galactic radio background
Authors: Brodrick David , Tingay Steven , Wieringa Mark
Published: September 2005

We use observations from a pair of 20.1 MHz riometers to constrain the magnitude and timing of the largest solar X‐ray flare on record, a flare that saturated the detectors on the GOES‐12 satellite. Using recordings of the sudden ionospheric disturbance associated with the flare, we show that by correcting the riometer absorption measurements for the solar zenith angle, applying a model for the effects of solar X‐rays on the ionosphere, and, finally, calibrating the resulting data against the solar 0.1–0.8 nm flux from the GOES‐12 satellite, we are able to closely reproduce the temporal X‐ray profiles of large solar flares. We demonstrate this using two reference flares to show that we can reproduce the flare peak magnitude to approximately ±10% and the time of the peak to better than 3 min, even when we simulate saturations of the GOES data at 50–60% of the peak flare magnitude. Analysis of the 4 November 2003 flare is complicated by the presence of radio interference near the flare peak; however, a polynomial interpolation can be used to infer the flare characteristics at the peak. By applying this analysis and considering the likely error bounds, we constrain the peak flare magnitude to lie in the range 3.4–4.8 mW/m2 (X34–X48) peaking at 1944–1948 UT. The best fit gives a peak flux of 4.0 mW/m2 (X40), peaking at 1946 UT. Taking the three independent published estimates for the peak X‐ray magnitude that have associated error bounds, the weighted mean X‐ray peak is found to be approximately 4.0 mW/m2 (X40), peaking close to 1946 UT.
A model for the shape of lava flow fronts
Authors: Dragoni M. , Borsari I. , Tallarico A.
Published: September 2005

The shape of the front of a lava flow is controlled by the forces acting on the lava and, in turn, controls the flow dynamics. We present an analysis of the shape of the front of an advancing lava flow, considering both a Newtonian fluid and a Bingham fluid, which is the most commonly used non‐Newtonian rheological model for lava. We assume than the flow front is moving at constant velocity on a sloping plane. The flow is considered as having an infinite extent perpendicularly to the flow direction, so that the problem is two‐dimensional. The forces producing the flow advance are the gravity force and the pressure gradient due to the curvature of the flow surface. The differential equation for the shape of the front is solved analytically both in the case of a Newtonian fluid and in the case of the Bingham fluid. Since the fluid is considered as homogeneous and isothermal, the calculated shape applies to the fluid core of the flow front. The presence of a solid crust at the top of the flow, producing variable amounts of solid debris at the flow snout, alters the observable shape of the front and is taken into account in order to compare the model front shapes to those observed in the field.
Insights into the ecological effects of deep ocean CO2 enrichment: The impacts of natural CO2 venting at Loihi seamount on deep sea scavengers
Authors: Vetter Eric W. , Smith Craig R.
Published: September 2005

Hydrothermal vents on Loihi seamount near Hawaii emit 5000–100,000 t/yr of CO2 at water depths of 1200–1300 m, yielding CO2 concentrations as high as 418 mol/m3. Because CO2 is the dominant toxic component of these vent fluids, Loihi provides an extraordinary setting in which to explore the effects of sustained CO2 enrichment on deep sea organisms and ecological processes. We used the Pisces IV submersible to manipulate baited traps and bait parcels in Loihi's plume to explore the effects of elevated CO2 on the feeding and behavior of typical deep sea scavengers. Necrophagous lysianassid amphipods (Eurythenes cf. obesus) and synaphobranchid eels were unusually abundant in the vicinity of Loihi's vents, suggesting that the CO2‐rich plumes rising above Loihi may enhance the flux of carrion to the deep sea floor. Amphipods exposed to diluted vent waters with a mean pH of 6.3 (minimum 5.7) and temperature of 5.0°C became very active within seconds and then became narcotized over timescales of 2–15 min. Following 60 min of plume exposure, all amphipods revived within 30 min of removal from the plume and remained active until warmed to 10°C during submersible ascent into ocean surface waters. Open bait parcels placed in similar CO2 plumes were avoided by amphipods and fish, suggesting that they could detect either the elevated CO2 concentrations or other environmental parameters (e.g., temperature). Our results suggest that at least some scavenging deep sea amphipods may be able to escape relatively concentrated CO2 plumes (i.e., they do not become narcotized for several minutes) and that they may revive following 1 hour exposure to an oscillating CO2 plume (e.g., one meandering in a tidal current). In addition, our results suggest that scavenging amphipods and synaphobranchid eels may be able to detect and avoid intoxicating levels of CO2 resulting from deep ocean injection of CO2 and that specialized components of the deep sea fauna (e.g., some hydrothermal vent species) may be well adapted to exploit carrion accumulating on the periphery of injection sites.
Aerosol and cloud optical depth from GLAS: Results and verification for an October 2003 California fire smoke case
Authors: Hlavka Dennis L. , Palm Steven P. , Hart William D. , Spinhirne James D. , McGill Matthew J. , Welton Ellsworth J.
Published: September 2005

Data from the satellite lidar Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) has provided a new means to retrieve height and optical depth of transmissive cloud and aerosol layers globally. We compare data sets from GLAS and an airborne under‐flight of the Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL) during a unique smoke opportunity as part of a validation experiment in October 2003. The CPL has known layer identification and optical retrieval performance. GLAS data products, including calibrated attenuated backscatter profiles, layer identification, and optical depth, are compared to simultaneous aircraft lidar retrievals with similar model assumptions with a goal toward discovering algorithm biases in GLAS. The case described here involves heavy smoke layers from large‐scale fires in southern California and thin cirrus clouds. The GLAS optical retrievals agree with the CPL data when the GLAS aerosol lidar ratio, S, is reset from default maritime to smoke and in inland urban pollution localities.
Seismic anisotropy in western Tibet
Authors: Herquel Georges , Tapponnier Paul
Published: September 2005

Teleseismic SKS data collected by a temporary broadband array across western Tibet are analysed to constrain shear‐wave splitting parameters. Small delay anisotropy is detected, with a rotation of the fast axis azimuth from 40°E in the Tarim basin west of Yecheng to more easterly values between Hotien and Shiquanhe. A large contribution of crustal anisotropy would be required to link fast axis directions orthogonal to the Kunlun and Karakorum ranges with crustal shear due to underthrusting. The fast axes north of Yecheng may instead reflect frozen Proterozoic strain in the Tarim lithosphere. The E‐W direction south of Hotien may be related to sinistral shear along the Altyn Tagh fault. It is possible that fast axes directions south of this fault reflect northeastwards motion of Tibet relative to Asia.
Quick magnetic reconnection triggering in an ion‐scale current sheet: Transition from Type‐I to Type‐II
Authors: Tanaka K. G. , Shinohara I. , Fujimoto M.
Published: September 2005

The details of Quick Magnetic Reconnection Triggering (QMRT) in ion‐scale current sheets have been investigated using three‐dimensional (3‐D) full particle simulations with the mass ratio of 400. QMRT is mediated by coupling to the Lower‐Hybrid Drift Instability (LHDI) and its time scale is as quick as the LHDI time scale. Up to the initial half‐thickness D of D/λi = 0.875 (λi: the ion inertial length), QMRT is attained via thin current layer formation at the center of the current sheet in reaction to the LHDI activity (Type‐I). At D/λi = 1, QMRT is still available but is attained by boosting up the tearing instability growth rate via the electron temperature anisotropy Te⊥/Te∥ ∼ 1.2 (Type‐II). In this case the LHDI activity induces the current density redistribution that does not result in enhanced current density at the center but produces electron perpendicular heating therein.
Shallow subduction tectonics and fault interaction: The Weber, New Zealand, earthquake sequence of 1990–1992
Authors: Robinson Russell
Published: September 2005

A series of four large earthquakes with epicenters very close to one another occurred in 1990–1992 in the Weber region of the southeast coast of the North Island, New Zealand. The region is one of oblique plate convergence and subduction, the plate interface being at about 20 km depth. The first event, February 19, 1990, ML 6.1, Mw 6.2, occurred within the upper part of the subducting Pacific plate on a steeply northwest dipping normal fault, as defined by relocated aftershocks. The mechanism of this event reflects downdip tension within the subducting plate due to “slab pull” forces, as is common in New Zealand. The second event, May 13, 1990, ML 6.2, Mw 6.4, occurred on an imbricate fault in the overlying Australian plate, dipping shallowly northwest, with components of both thrusting and dextral strike‐slip motion. The slip vector is similar to the direction of plate convergence, showing no arc‐normal rotation as observed for subduction thrust events in other areas of oblique convergence. It is unlikely that the spatial and temporal closeness of these events is coincidence (a similar pair occurred to the south in 1942), but the coupling mechanism is not clear, perhaps being related to aseismic slip downdip on the subduction interface. Two subsequent events, both of ML 5.5, occurred on August 15, 1990, and March 2, 1992, and extended the aftershock zone of the deeper first main shock to the northeast, matching the extent of the shallower second main shock. Mechanisms of aftershocks of the two larger events are quite variable but as a whole are similar to the relevant mainshock. The time history of the aftershocks of the first (deeper) event shows a period of quiescence beginning 35 days before the second (shallow) event; the mean magnitude of those events that did occur was high. This observation cannot be explained by station biases, weather, or changes in analysis methods and may be due to stress changes induced by precursory aseismic slip which would discourage aftershock occurrence.
A numerical study on finding an optimum model in velocity tomography by using the extended information criterion
Authors: Nishizawa O. , Lei Xing‐lin
Published: September 2005

We performed numerical experiments to show that Extended Information Criterion (EIC) can be utilized for determining an optimum model in velocity reconstruction problems, in which a wavefront tracing method was employed for finding the minimum travel time raypath. First, travel times were calculated from a specified velocity model, and simulated data were produced by adding random error to the travel times. Velocity models were then reconstructed from the simulated data by employing a Simultaneous Iterative Reconstruction Technique (SIRT) starting from different initial models. Finally, EIC values were calculated for each reconstructed velocity model at every iteration, and were used for selecting an optimum velocity model. Results indicated that EIC provides an objective method for selecting an optimum solution from a suite reconstructions obtained from different initial models.
Subgrid‐scale variability in the surface energy balance of arctic tundra
Authors: McFadden Joseph P. , Chapin F. Stuart , Hollinger David Y.
Published: September 2005

Surface fluxes of energy, water vapor, and CO2 over homogeneous areas of the major tundra vegetation types in arctic Alaska were measured using a mobile eddy covariance tower for 5‐day periods in the middle of the 1994 growing season. In order to account for differences in weather and time of season, data were analyzed in comparison to a nearby, fixed tower that operated throughout the summer. Among the different vegetation types, evaporation ranged from 1.3 to 2.7 mm d−1. Net carbon uptake ranged from 0.5 to 2.4 g C m−2 d−1. Ground heat flux consumed 10–33% of midday net radiation. Typically, 38% of the net radiation was partitioned into latent heat flux, while the fraction of net radiation removed from the surface in sensible heat flux varied from 16 to 50% among vegetation types. The largest differences among vegetation types in surface energy partitioning were related to variations in soil moisture, with midday Bowen ratios ranging from 0.37 over wet sedge tundra to 2.25 over dry heath. Direct effects of vegetation on the driving gradients for energy and water vapor exchange were important in shrub tundra: shading of the moss layer by the canopy reduced ground heat flux and increased sensible heat flux, while latent heat flux was similar to other mesic vegetation types because the moss layer accounted for a larger portion of total evaporation than did evapotranspiration by shrubs. Scaling up from the vegetation types to the Alaskan arctic using an area‐weighted average of the observed energy partitioning gave results similar to regional energy budgets measured over larger, more heterogeneous areas of tundra. An extrapolation based on the hypothesis that climate variability could cause a large fraction of the current tussock tundra vegetation to be converted to shrub tundra resulted in modest changes in the regional energy balance. However, nonlinear variations of surface evaporation with leaf area and uncertainties regarding changes in moss cover suggest that additional field experiments as well as modeling efforts will be required to predict the potential for changes in arctic tundra vegetation to feed back on regional climate.
Selectivity of d[Cha4]AVP and SSR149415 at human vasopressin and oxytocin receptors: evidence that SSR149415 is a mixed vasopressin V1b/oxytocin receptor antagonist
Authors: Griffante Cristiana , Green Andrew , Curcuruto Ornella , Haslam Carl P , Dickinson Bryony A , Arban Roberto
Published: September 2005

A possible role of arginine vasopressin (AVP) V1breceptor subtype in stress‐related disorders has been recently highlighted by the discovery of the agonist [1‐deamino‐4‐cyclohexylalanine] AVP (d[Cha4]AVP) and the antagonist SSR149415. Both compounds have been proposed to target specifically V1breceptors, since the reported affinities for the related V1a, V2and oxytocin receptors are in the micromolar or submicromolar range. In the present study, we further investigated the binding affinities of d[Cha4]AVP and SSR149415 at recombinant human vasopressin V1b(hV1b) and oxytocin (hOT) receptors expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and functional properties of both compounds at hV1b, hV1a, hV2and hOT receptors.

d[Cha4]AVP bound to hV1breceptors and hOT receptors with pKivalues of 9.68±0.06 and 7.68±0.09, respectively. SSR149415 showed pKivalues of 9.34±0.06 at hV1band 8.82±0.16 at hOT receptors.

d[Cha4]AVP stimulated [Ca2+]iincrease in hV1b‐CHO cells with a pEC50value of 10.05±0.15. It showed pEC50values of 6.53±0.17 and 5.92±0.02 at hV1aand hV2receptors, respectively, and behaved as a weak antagonist at hOT receptors (pKB=6.31±0.12). SSR149415 inhibited the agonist‐induced [Ca2+]iincrease with pKBvalues of 9.19±0.07 in hV1b‐CHO and 8.72±0.15 in hOT‐CHO cells. A functional pKivalue of 7.23±0.10 was found for SSR1494151 at hV1areceptors, whereas it did not inhibit 20 nMAVP response at hV2receptors up to 3 μM.

Data obtained confirmed the high potency and selectivity of d[Cha4]AVP at hV1breceptors, but revealed that SSR149415, in addition to the high potency at hV1breceptors, displays a significant antagonism at hOT receptors.

British Journal of Pharmacology(2005)146, 744–751. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706383
QT prolongation and proarrhythmia by moxifloxacin: concordance of preclinical models in relation to clinical outcome
Authors: Chen Xian , Cass Jessica D , Bradley Jenifer A , Dahm Corinn M , Sun Zhuoqian , Kadyszewski Edmund , Engwall Michael J , Zhou Jun
Published: September 2005

Moxifloxacin, a fluoroquinolone antibiotic associated with QT prolongation, has been recommended as a positive control by regulatory authorities to evaluate the sensitivity of both clinical and preclinical studies to detect small but significant increases in QT interval measurements.

In this study, we investigated effects of moxifloxacin on the hERG current in HEK‐293 cells, electrocardiograms in conscious telemetered dogs, and repolarization parameters and arrhythmogenic potentials in the arterially perfused rabbit ventricular wedge model.

Moxifloxacin inhibited the hERG current with an IC50 of 35.7 μM. In conscious telemetered dogs, moxifloxacin significantly prolonged QTc at 30 and 90 mg kg−1, with mean serum Cmax of 8.52 and 22.3 μg ml−1, respectively. In the wedge preparation, moxifloxacin produced a concentration‐dependent prolongation of the action potential duration, QT interval, and the time between peak and end of the T wave, an indicator for transmural dispersion of repolarization. Phase 2 early after‐depolarizations were observed in one of five experiments at 30 μM and five of five experiments at 100 μM. The arrhythmogenic potential was also concentration‐dependent, and 100 μM (∼18‐fold above the typical unbound Cmax exposure in clinical usage) appeared to have a high risk of inducing torsade de pointes (TdP).

Our data indicated a good correlation among the concentration–response relationships in the three preclinical models and with the available clinical data. The lack of TdP report by moxifloxacin in patients without other risk factors might be attributable to its well‐behaved pharmacokinetic profile and other dose‐limiting effects.

British Journal of Pharmacology (2005) 146, 792–799. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706389
Measurement of thermal properties of gases using an open photoacoustic cell as a sensor
Authors: Bonno B. , Laporte J. L. , D’Leon R. Tascon
Published: September 2005

An alternative photothermal technique for the measurement of thermal properties of gases is described. The proposed technique uses the open photoacoustic cell as a sensor. The gas sample is confined between two thin aluminum foils. One of these acts as the absorber of modulated light while the other, coupled with an electret microphone, is used for sensing the temperature fluctuations transmitted through the gas layer. The thermal diffusivity of CO2-air mixtures as a function of the relative concentration is measured. It is demonstrated that different concentrations of CO2 in air can be detected with precision using the described experimental device.
Stabilization and rovibronic spectra of the T-shaped and linear ground-state conformers of a weakly bound rare-gas–homonuclear dihalogen complex: He⋯Br2
Authors: Boucher David S. , Strasfeld David B. , Loomis Richard A. , Herbert John M. , Ray Sara E. , McCoy Anne B.
Published: September 2005

Laser-induced fluorescence spectra of Br2 entrained in a He supersonic expansion have been recorded in the Br2B-X, 8-0, 12-0, and 21-0 spectral regions at varying downstream distances, and thus different temperature regimes. Features associated with transitions of the T-shaped and linear He⋯Br2(X,ν″=0) complexes are identified. The changes in the relative intensities of the T-shaped and linear features with cooling in the expansion indicate that the linear conformer is energetically more stable than the T-shaped conformer. A He+Br2(X,ν″=0) ab initio potential-energy surface, computed at the coupled cluster level of theory with a large, flexible basis set, is used to calculate the binding energies of the two conformers, 15.8 and 16.5cm−1 for the T-shaped and linear complexes, respectively. This potential and an excited-state potential [M. P. de Lara-Castells, A. A. Buchachenko, G. Delgado-Barrio, and P. Villareal, J. Chem. Phys. 120, 2182 (2004)] are used to calculate the excitation spectra of He⋯Br279(X,ν″=0) in the Br2B-X, 12-0 region. The calculated spectra are used to make spectral assignments and to determine the energies of the excited-state intermolecular vibrational levels accessed in the observed transitions. Temperature-dependent laser-induced fluorescence spectra and a simple thermodynamic model [D. S. Boucher, J. P. Darr, M. D. Bradke, R. A. Loomis, and A. B. McCoy, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 6, 5275 (2004)] are used to estimate that the linear conformer is 0.4(2)cm−1 more strongly bound than the T-shaped conformer. Two-laser action spectroscopy experiments reveal that the binding energy of the linear He⋯Br279(X,ν″=0) conformer is 17.0(8)cm−1, and that of the T-shaped He⋯Br279(X,ν″=0) conformer is then 16.6(8)cm−1, in good agreement with the calculated values.
Flow boundary conditions for chain-end adsorbing polymer blends
Authors: Zhou Xin , Andrienko Denis , Delle Site Luigi , Kremer Kurt
Published: September 2005

Using the phenol-terminated polycarbonate blend as an example, we demonstrate that the hydrodynamic boundary conditions for a flow of an adsorbing polymer melt are extremely sensitive to the structure of the epitaxial layer. Under shear, the adsorbed parts (chain ends) of the polymer melt move along the equipotential lines of the surface potential whereas the adsorbed additives serve as the surface defects. In response to the increase of the number of the adsorbed additives the surface layer becomes thinner and solidifies. This results in a gradual transition from the slip to the no-slip boundary condition for the melt flow, with a nonmonotonic dependence of the slip length on the surface concentration of the adsorbed ends.
Coupled drift-wave-zonal flow model of turbulent transport in the tokamak edge
Authors: Singh R. , Tangri V. , Kaw P. , Guzdar P. N.
Published: September 2005

Analytical investigations of several linear and nonlinear features of drift resistive ballooning mode (DRBM) have been carried out. The physics of this mode has been elucidated, as well as the parameter space where it is important. Based on the linear theory, it is shown that the growth of the high-m DRBM is crucially dependent on the poloidal mode number and finite Larmor radius effects i.e., drift parameter). The modulational instability of the zonal flow in a background of DRBM turbulence (using the parametric instability methods) has also been presented. Furthermore, an estimate of the particle transport due to DRBM (with its amplitude level limited by zonal flows) has also been computed. Finally, comparison with the transport estimated from the mixing length arguments and earlier simulations by Rogers and Drake [B. N. Rogers and J. F. Drake, Phys. Rev. Lett. 81, 4396 (1998)] are also presented.
Homogeneous nucleation of water between 200 and 240 K: New wave tube data and estimation of the Tolman length
Authors: Holten V. , Labetski D. G. , van Dongen M. E. H.
Published: September 2005

We have measured homogeneous nucleation rates of water at 200–240 K in the carrier gas helium, in the range of 1013−1017m−3s−1 using an expansion wave tube. The rates agree well with the results of Wölk and Strey [J. Phys. Chem. B 105, 11683 (2001)] in the range of overlap (220–240 K), and are summarized by the empirical fit J=Sexp[4.6+0.244T−(906.8−2.914T)∕(lnS)2], with J the nucleation rate in m−3s−1, S the supersaturation, and T the temperature in K. We find that the supersaturation dependence of both our rates and those of Wölk and Strey is lower than classical theory predicts, and that the critical cluster is smaller than the classical critical size. These deviations are explained in the framework of the Tolman theory for surface tension, and the “Tolman length” is estimated from our experimental results. We find a positive Tolman length that increases with decreasing temperature, from about 0.1 Å at 260 K to (0.6±0.4)Å at 200 K. We present a nucleation rate expression that takes the Tolman length into account and show that both the supersaturation and temperature dependence are improved, compared to the classical theory.