bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Share Liquidity and Market Microstructure Reform: The Case of Screen‐based Trading in Mumbai*
Authors: Green Christopher J. , Manos Ronny , Murinde Victor , Suppakitjarak Nathridee
Published: May 2010

We investigate the impact of the March 1995 move to screen‐based trading on the Mumbai Stock Exchange, using separate samples of more liquid (A) and less liquid (B) shares. Following the move, the average cumulative abnormal return for A shares was 4.5%, whereas that for B shares was over 12%; market liquidity and efficiency increased but the effect on volatility was more ambiguous. We identify a significant cross‐sectional relationship between the size of cumulative abnormal returns and firm‐specific improvements in liquidity, efficiency, and volatility, with differences in the effects of reform on A and B shares.
Information Effects of Trade Size and Trade Direction: Evidence from the KOSPI 200 Index Options Market*
Authors: Ahn Hee‐Joon , Kang Jangkoo , Ryu Doojin
Published: May 2010

In the present study, we examine two important issues related to the information content of a trade in option markets: (i) whether trade size is related to information content; and (ii) whether buy and sell transactions carry different information content. Our analysis is based on comprehensive market microstructure data on the KOSPI 200 options, the single most actively traded derivative securities in the world. We use two structural models modified from the Madhavan et al. [Review of Financial Studies 10 (1997) 1035–1064] model, the size‐dependent model (SDM), and the dummy variable model (DVM). The SDM incorporates trade size in the model to estimate the magnitude of the information content of a trade. The DVM separately estimates information contents for buyer‐ and seller‐initiated trades using a dummy variable. Our SDM analysis reveals that large trades are in general more informative than small trades. The results from the DVM analysis indicate that buyer‐initiated trades generally have greater information content than seller‐initiated trades. A further analysis using investor‐type information shows that the asymmetry in information content between buy and sell trades is mostly attributable to the orders submitted by foreign and domestic institutional investors.
Some Observations on the Function of a Scientific Exhibit
Authors: Shapiro Harry L.
Published: May 2010

The following observations on the function of a scientific exhibit and the nature of the public for which it is designed were delivered at the opening of the Hall of the Biology of Man in The American Museum of Natural History on March 20, 1961. I hope the reader will bear in mind that the theme of my comments might under different circumstances have been enlarged, although I think I have given the essence of what I had to say. And I hope that no reader will assume for a minute that, in touching on the ideas I have, I am suggesting they are the only ones to engage the careful consideration of an exhibit planner. As a final explanation, I have kept the text as it was spoken to an audience and have made no alterations to convert it into a “written” piece for publication.
A Naturalist's View of Museums of Art
Authors: Lucas Frederic Augustus
Published: May 2010

Readers of curator will remember the amusing but trenchant article by the late Frederic A. Lucas entitled “Modern Principles of Museum Administration,” presented in Volume IV, Number 1, of this journal. It is our privilege to reprint here another contribution to museum philosophy by Dr. Lucas, which was originally delivered as an address at the opening of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston on November 9, 1909. It was written in a serious vein but, like its predecessor in these pages, is a deeply perceptive, timeless statement. The thoughts of Dr. Lucas concerning museums of art are as pertinent today as they were more than half a century ago; they outline principles of museum practice and design as basically valid now as then. They point up the very human trait of adhering through time to patterns of behavior and endeavor not always in accordance with valid principles. (One wonders if the majority of art displays will ever be adequately labeled.) Above all, they express the views of a stimulating museum administrator who was a modern man in his day and who in retrospect is still a modern man.
“Another Man's Poison”
Authors: van Gelder Richard G. , Shapiro Harry L.
Published: May 2010

The following article is the first in a series that I hope will eventually appear in the pages of curator. The series represents a response to the many appeals for help that we receive from curators charged with the care of specimens outside their particular areas of experience or training. In many museums where the staff is too limited for specialization, or where even one officer has the supervision of a variety of subjects, many problems arise that are not readily solved by available advice. Moreover, by inadvertence, precious specimens may be endangered for lack of the experience that specialization gives. For these reasons we have planned a sequence of articles on the care and preservation of museum specimens, subject by subject. It is our hope that they will be found useful and valuable.
Recent Publications in Natural History
Authors: Delson Eric
Published: May 2010

Principal Review: Jia, Lanpo. Early man in China.

Principal Review: Chinese Academy of Sciences. Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology. Atlas of primitive man in China.
Review
Authors: Freed Stanley A.
Published: May 2010

MacDonald, George F. Ninstints: Haida World Heritage Site.
Book Review
Authors: Nicholson Thomas D.
Published: May 2010

America's Science Museums. Victor J. Danilov
Book Review
Authors: Alexander Edward P.
Published: May 2010

New Perspectives on Charles Willson Peale: A 250th Anniversary Celebration. Lillian B. Miller and David C. Ward, Editors
Are Museums Still Necessary?
Authors: Watkins Charles Alan
Published: May 2010

Museums today face a crisis of confidence arising from two issues: (1) the erosion of a historically unreliable funding base, and (2) a challenge for audience by entrepreneurial elements in the culture. Other issues center on a growing public idea that museum work can be shared by entities such as theme parks and exhibition halls and the perception that education should be shaped as recreation.

Museum responses to these problems have exacerbated their vulnerability as unique institutions. Certain dichotomies in the museum world help to explain this situation: (1) professionalism versus the audience, (2) connoisseurship versus the public experience, (3) the centrality versus the peripherality of objects in museums, (4) museums as businesses versus museums as educators, and (5) visitor expectations versus available resources.

Resolution of the conflicts requires museums to remember that they are communication systems capable of teaching hard information, to stop emulating the forces that threaten to destroy them, and to pay attention to certain lessons understood in the business world. Museums also must find stable and reliable funding, reinvigorate the museum accreditation program, and pay attention to what museums really exist for. Museums are still necessary only when they function as true museums.
Beyond the Blockbuster: Good Exhibitions in Small Packages
Authors: Lee Ellen W.
Published: May 2010

Many American and European art museums are now featuring small, highly‐focused shows in their exhibition programs. In 1990, the Indianapolis Museum of Art organized an exhibition that reunited, for the first time in a century, the four landscape paintings created by neo‐impressionist Georges Seurat during the last summer of his life. Using Seurat at Gravelines: The Last Landscapes as an example, this article addresses the advantages — for museums and their visitors — of the small temporary exhibition.
The ASTC Legacy and the Institute of Museum Services
Authors: McGrath Lee Kimche
Published: May 2010

The Association of Science‐Technology Centers (ASTC) represents 283 science‐technology centers in the United States and 89 centers around the world. Among its most significant accomplishments is the leadership role that it played in the passage of the legislation that created the Institute of Museum Services (IMS), the federal agency that provides general operating support for the nation's museums. Prior to the funding of the IMS, government support for individual projects in art and history museums had come from the NEA and NEH, but the science museums fell through the cracks. Science museums, were already represented in Washington by ASTC, and ASTC became the natural lobbying group to establish a separate agency for museums. Although ASTC was one of the major driving forces behind the creation of IMS, its members represent only a fraction of the beneficiaries of IMS grants. Since 1984, ASTC institutions have received only 10 to 16 percent of the total dollars awarded by IMS.
Visitor Meaning‐Making in Museums for a New Age
Authors: Silverman Lois H.
Published: May 2010

The concept of meaning‐making is generating excitement within the museum community, with good reason. Providing an approach to understanding visitor experiences, the paradigm illuminates the visitor's active role in creating meaning of a museum experience through the context he/she brings, influenced by the factors of self‐identity, companions, and leisure motivations. As a result, visitors find personal significance within museums in a range of patterned ways that reflect basic human needs, such as the need for individualism and the need for community.

The dynamics of visitor meaning‐making indicate the importance of fashioning a better “fit” between people and museums in two critical areas: (1) between human meaning‐making and museum methods and (2) between human needs and the purpose of museums in society. Each of these areas illuminates a promising direction for a new age of museums in which we actively support, facilitate, and enhance the many kinds of meaning possible in museums and explicitly incorporate human needs into exhibit goals and institutional missions. Examples of successful strategies are discussed.
Building a Community‐Based Identity at Anacostia Museum
Authors: James Portia
Published: May 2010

A historian explores the construction of Anacostia Museum's identity from the 1960s to the present by examining the history of its exhibitions. Direct community accessibility was part of the museum's founding mission, but Smithsonian administration, museum staff, and community residents all seemed to have different ideas about the meaning of the “neighborhood museum” concept. Designated a “Smithsonian outpost,” and intended to draw African‐American visitors to the Smithsonian museums on the Mall, the new museum's mission was instead shaped by community advisory groups to focus broadly on African‐American history and culture. Staff efforts to “professionalize” and upgrade museum operations later threatened community access to the exhibition‐development process, and most community/museum interaction was relegated to the program and outreach activities of the education department. The 1994 Black Mosaic exhibition provided an opportunity to devise new ways of integrating the perspectives of a changed community into the exhibition‐development process.
The Inside Story of Science City—An Outdoor Public Science Exhibition
Authors: Cole Peggy Ruth , Cutting Jennifer McGregor
Published: May 2010

Science City is an outdoor exhibition, supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and created by the New York Hall of Science (NYHS). It was designed to increase public awareness of, and interest in, the science and technology of daily life by creating a series of exhibits that people would “find” in public places in New York City. Using the streets and structures of the city to present the science and technology of everyday life in order to reach the non‐museum‐going public, eye‐catching exhibits and signs were placed along fences, on streets and buildings and in subway stations and parks. The development and installation of museum exhibits for public urban spaces requires skills and experience that stretch beyond the expertise of a science‐technology museum exhibition staff. This article discusses and compares on‐ and off‐site exhibition development.
The Models of Architeuthis
Authors: Ellis Richard
Published: May 2010

Models of the giant squid (Architeuthis spp.) are probably unique in natural history exhibition: they are representations of a giant living animal that has never been seen in a healthy state by a human being. Since its discovery in the mid‐nineteenth century, the giant squid has remained one of the world's great zoological mysteries. In the attempt to introduce this fabulous creature, museums around the world have resorted to life‐sized models. Yale teuthologist A.E. Verrill was responsible for the first such models in 1882; then Ward's Natural Science Establishment in Rochester, New York, manufactured and sold them. In this century, various museums (and one zoo) have made their own models of these ten‐armed monsters of the deep. Their disparate attempts to re‐create Architeuthis for the museum public represent one of the most intriguing case histories in the annals of museum exhibition.
Enhancing Family Learning Through Exhibits
Authors: Borun Minda , Chambers Margaret B. , Dritsas Jennifer , Johnson Julie I.
Published: May 2010

Can enhanced exhibits produce measurable increases in active family learning? Four Philadelphia area science institutions—The Franklin Institute Science Museum, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the New Jersey State Aquarium at Camden, and the Philadelphia Zoo—have investigated the answer to this question as part of the PISEC (Philadelphia‐Camden Informal Science Education Collaborative) Family Learning Project. PISEC is conducting research and exhibit development aimed at increasing the understanding of family learning in science museums and identifying the characteristics of successful family learning exhibits.

The PISEC project is organized into three phases: (1) a research study to establish behavioral indicators for family science learning (Borun et al., 1996); (2) the development and evaluation of four exhibit enhancements aimed at achieving family science learning goals (Borun and Dritsas, 1997); (3) a research study comparing the frequency of learning behaviors for treatment families that have used enhanced test exhibits to control‐group families that have used only the test exhibits. The results of the first two phases of this project have been discussed previously. This article describes the research study conducted during Phase 3 of the project.

Results of the study show that all four modified exhibits produced significant increases in performance indicators. Using seven characteristics of successful family exhibits—multi‐sided, multi‐user, accessible, multi‐outcome, multi‐modal, readable, and relevant—as a guide to exhibit development proved to be an effective strategy for increasing active family learning.
Representing the Past in Vietnamese Museums
Authors: TAI HUE‐TAM HO
Published: May 2010

Focusing on problems of representation encountered by museums in Vietnam, the article questions the idea of a single historical narrative that can do justice to local experience while also illustrating a unified national past.
Exhibiting Japanese History and Culture
Authors: HASHIMOTO HIROYUKI
Published: May 2010

Japan's first history museum—the National Museum of Japanese History (NMJH)—had its tenth anniversary only a few years ago. It is thus a comparatively new national museum, and only a segment of the public is aware of its existence. With many unique characteristics, it offers the potential of new directions for the national museum system. The article reviews the NMJH's past and present and examines the ideologies and practices relating to exhibiting Japanese history and culture.
Communication and Persuasion in a Didactic Exhibition: The Power of Maps Study
Authors: DOERING ZAHAVA D. , BICKFORD ADAM , KARNS DAVID A. , KINDLON AUDREY E.
Published: May 2010

This article describes a study of The Power of Maps, an exhibition presented in 1992 at the Cooper‐Hewitt, National Design Museum, in New York City. The study compared the result of surveys administered to visitors at the Cooper‐Hewitt as they entered and exited the exhibition with a control group of surveys administered to visitors at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC, who had not seen The Power of Maps exhibition. It was found that visitors who were surveyed as they entered the exhibition were closer in agreement with the message of the exhibition than the control group. It was also found that visitors surveyed upon exiting The Power of Maps exhibition were in closer agreement with the message of the exhibition than with visitors who were surveyed as they entered the exhibition. The study demonstrates that it is possible to document a change in visitors' conceptions about a topic as a result of hearing about or visiting an exhibition and reliably determine the degree to which exhibitions can influence visitors.
Why Do They Come? Listening to Visitors at a Decorative Arts Museum
Authors: COMBS AMBER AULD
Published: May 2010

This article presents the background, methodology, and results of a yearlong study of visitor motivation conducted by the Visitor Research Team (VRT) of Winterthur, a Delaware decorative arts museum. The article details the VRT's use of focus groups to determine what really motivates visitors to attend museums. Study results are consistent with recent work in the field showing that learning and recreation are the primary motivations behind museum visitation. Visitors valued museums as places for active, personal learning through the observation of objects and as outlets for physical and mental relaxation and escapism. Results also show that Winterthur visitors ascribe meanings to the words learning and recreation that are different from education and entertainment. The author calls on museums to discover the needs of their audiences and to design marketing and programming using visitors' vocabularies to promote and provide meaningful museum experiences.
Museum Visits, Education, and Topic Interest
Authors: BICKFORD ADAM
Published: May 2010

This paper compares two perspectives on why individuals visit museums using data from a telephone survey conducted in Minnesota in 1996. One perspective holds that individuals visit museums because of interest in the materials exhibited. Another holds that visits to museums are markers of social status, influenced more by social class variables, such as educational attainment. Information from the survey allows for construction of a set of interest indices, which reflect the respondents' levels of interest in various museum topics. The survey data also allow the estimation of regression models that test the relative roles of interest versus respondents' educational attainment as indicators of their likelihood of visiting any one of five different types of museums. Results show that topic interest is a stronger predictor than educational attainment. The implications for attracting museum visitors are discussed.
Signs Fail to Increase Zoo Visitors' Ability to See Tigers
Authors: BASHAW MEREDITH J. , MAPLE TERRY L.
Published: May 2010

ZOO exhibits have fairly high attractive power, but often do not engage visitors or hold their attention for long. A drawback of naturalistic zoo exhibits is the frequent inability of zoo visitors to find the animals, as increased animal visibility increases visitor stay time and engagement. Even visible animals can be difficult for visitors to find unaided. In this study, signs pointing out the animals' locations were added to a tiger exhibit at Zoo Atlanta, but they did not increase the number of visitors who found the tigers in the exhibit While the signs were accurate in pointing out the tigers' locations (due to the high predictability of the tigers' resting habits), very few visitors reported even using the signs. Interviews with visitors indicated that visitors did not read the signs, and that animal activity and children's ability to see animals may affect visitors' self‐reports of ability to find tigers.
Developing a Student Research Grant Program at a Location Remote from the Museum
Authors: SHERBROOKE WADE C.
Published: May 2010

Museums often have smaller facilities at locations remote from the main administrative unit. Activities at these units may be somewhat distinct from those at the organization's center, although fitting within the goals of the institution. Local contacts with the server and surrounding communities present unique opportunities for development of funding at these locations, opportunities not easily available at the organization's main development office. This account documents an example of a modest effort by the Southwestern Research Station (SWRS) in Portal, Arizona (a facility of the American Museum of Natural History in New York) to develop local funding for the SWRS Student Support Fund. Through local efforts developing this fund, 66 graduate students have received funding assistance for their research at the Station between 1989–2001. Institutions with more than one site should closely examine opportunities for decentralizing development efforts, relying instead on locally focused sources of funding for special projects. Such efforts reach new communities and garner local loyalties for institutional support.
Urinary tract pathogens and resistance pattern
Authors: Chakupurakal R , Ahmed M , Sobithadevi D N , Chinnappan S , Reynolds T
Published: May 2010

Background

Epidemiology and resistance patterns of bacterial pathogens in paediatric urinary tract infections (UTIs) show large inter-regional variability, and rates of bacterial resistance are changing due to different antibiotic treatment. Empiric therapy to treat UTI should be tailored to the surveillance data on the epidemiology and resistance patterns of common uropathogens to reduce treatment failures and emergence of bacterial resistance within the community.

Objective

A retrospective data review was carried out to evaluate the resistance patterns to commonly used antibiotics in children with culture proven UTIs.

Methods

All infants and children with culture proven UTI from 2002 to 2008 were included. Urine culture was deemed positive with a pure growth >105(single organism).

Results

A total of 547 UTIs were confirmed on urine cultures in 337 patients. An average of 78 cases were diagnosed each year.E coliwas the most commonly grown pathogen (92%). From 2002 to 2008, rising resistance patterns were noted for trimethoprim (p≤0.05) and Augmentin (p≤0.001). In contrast, resistance to cefalexin and nitrofurantoin remained relatively low (11% and 7%, respectively, in 2008).

Conclusion

Our data suggest that there has been an increasing resistance trend to the first-line antibiotics like trimethoprim and Augmentin againstE coli. In accordance with NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) guidance, each region should monitor resistance patterns to urinary pathogens on a regular basis and use antibiotics with a low resistance pattern. Further studies are required from other centres in the UK to look at similar data.
Venous invasion demonstrated by orcein staining of colorectal carcinoma specimens is associated with the development of distant metastasis
Authors: Sejben István , Bori Rita , Cserni Gábor
Published: May 2010

Aims

To assess venous invasion (VI) and its relation to distant metastases in colorectal cancer (CRC).

Methods

Primary untreated CRC cases were assessed for VI. All tumour blocks were stained with H&E and orcein. The presence of VI and nodal status were then correlated with the presence of synchronous or metachronous distant metastases.

Results

VI was detected more frequently with the orcein stain (18% versus 71%). Eleven tumours (nine node-positive tumours, all VI positive) were associated with synchronous distant metastasis. During a median follow-up of 17 months nine further cases were diagnosed with distant metastasis (six node-positive tumours, all VI positive). The specificity and sensitivity of the presence of nodal metastasis for predicting distant metastasis were 0.56 and 0.75, respectively. The same values for orcein-detected VI were 0.39 and 1, respectively.

Conclusions

Elastic stains such as the orcein stain enable the detection of clinically relevant VI with greater frequency than conventionally stained histological slides. If nodal involvement is an indication for systemic chemotherapy, the data presented here suggest that VI detected by the orcein stain should also be an indication for systemic chemotherapy.
Latitudinal variation in the growth and maturation of masu salmon (Oncorhynchus masou) parr
Authors: Morita Kentaro , Nagasawa Toru
Published: May 2010

We examined latitudinal variation in riverine growth and parr maturation of an endemic Asian salmonid, masu salmon ( Oncorhynchus masou ), in 12 rivers located between 36.6°N and 45.4°N. Masu salmon parr showed considerable variation in growth and maturation patterns among populations. Body sizes were generally larger, and parr maturation was common at southern latitudes. Male parr matured at smaller sizes at more southern latitudes. Latitudinal variation in riverine growth and maturation of masu salmon parr was largely attributed to latitudinal changes in temperature and population density. Parr size at age increased with increasing temperature and decreased with population density. Riverine growth conditions were an important environmental factor determining parr maturation for both males and females; however, the occurrence of mature female parr required extremely favorable growth conditions. Water temperature in May, approximately four months before maturation, was the most important environmental factor affecting the maturation of male parr. Our study supports the hypothesis that freshwater residency was promoted by favorable growth conditions at southern latitudes.
The determination of rock mass modulus variation with depth for weathered or jointed rock
Authors: Rowe R. K.
Published: May 2010

Weathering or the variation in frequency and tightness of joints may result in an increase in mass modulus with depth for some rocks. This increase in modulus will continue until a depth is reached at which the rock behaves as a sound intact unit and the modulus will be relatively constant with depth below this point. In this paper, elastic solutions are presented for the deformation of such a rock mass due to a uniform or approximately rigid circular loading.Two procedures are described for determining the rock mass modulus profile from plate load test results. The first procedure uses the results from three plate tests to infer the variation in modulus with depth. The second procedure uses the measured variation in displacement with depth below a single plate to infer the mass modulus variation. The application of the two procedures is illustrated by a worked example and by consideration of a field case where the inferred modulus is shown to be in good agreement with alternative modulus variation data.
Effect of consolidation history and stress path on hyperbolic stress–strain relations
Authors: Vaid Y. P.
Published: May 2010

The hyperbolic approximation of the stress–strain behaviour of soil based on the results of conventional triaxial tests, which is used in incremental elastic analysis of soil deformation problems, is shown to be inapplicable for representing soil behaviour under anisotropic consolidation and different stress paths. Test results on a normally consolidated clay are presented to show that a separate hyperbolic representation of stress–strain behaviour is possible for each consolidation history and stress path if increment in deviator stress after consolidation, rather than deviator stress, is used as the stress variable. Hyperbolic parameters are thus shown to depend on test type.
A landslide in till near Warman, Saskatchewan, Canada
Authors: Sauer E. Karl , Christiansen E. A.
Published: May 2010

Little information is available about typical shear strength parameters of tills in southern Saskatchewan even though till is the most common earth material used for construction in this region. The Warman landslide in the South Saskatchewan River Valley provides some insight into the shear strength characteristics of a till, and the results are compared with laboratory tests. The till is from the Upper till of the Sutherland Group, which has a high clay content relative to the underlying and overlying tills. A back analysis of the landslide produced [Formula: see text]′ = 27° assuming c′ = 0. Comparison with laboratory test data and results from a similar landslide near Lebret, Saskatchewan, suggests that [Formula: see text]′ = 22.5° with c′ = 7 kPa may be appropriate "residual" shear strength parameters. A rising water table appears to have been the main contributing factor to instability between 1969 and 1984. There is a possibility, however, that at the 1:50 return interval for flood levels on the river, erosion at the toe of the landslide debris may be a significant factor. Numerous slump scars in the form of small amphitheatres, presently inactive, can be observed in the aerial photographs of the adjacent area. These failures likely occurred intermittently, depending on fluctuating water table and river flood levels. Key words: landslide, till, correlation, stratigraphy, back analysis, shear strength, residual, aerial photographs.
Internal stability of granular filters
Authors: Kenney T. C. , Lau D.
Published: May 2010

Internal stability of a granular material results from its ability to prevent loss of its own small particles due to disturbing forces such as seepage and vibration. Internal instability results from the inability of a soil to act as a filter to prevent loss of its own small particles.Within pores in the load-bearing fabric of a cohesionless, granular material there can exist loose particles, and whether or not these particles can be removed by seepage depends on (i) particle size distribution curve of the whole material, (ii) density of the compacted material, and (iii) severity of the disturbing forces.Results of seepage tests are presented for a variety of compacted, cohesionless materials, some of which experienced loss of small particles (unstable gradings) and others of which experienced no such loss (stable gradings). From a synthesis of these results a method is proposed for evaluating the potential for grading instability based on the shape of a material's grain size curve. However, the surest method of making such an evaluation is to perform seepage tests following the procedure described in the paper. Key words: internal stability, grading stability, suffosion, tests, filters.
An example of a peat flow near Prince Rupert, British Columbia
Authors: Hungr O. , Evans S. G.
Published: May 2010

Peat flows, bog flows, or bog bursts consist of a rapid downhill movement of masses of saturated peat. Although this process has been documented from peatlands in other parts of the world, the slope movement described here is the first to be reported from Canadian peatlands. The peat flow took place on the east coast of Kaien Island, near Prince Rupert, British Columbia, and was initiated by a slump in a peat spoil pile. It involved the sudden mobilization of a strip of in situ peat 210 m long and approximately 20 m wide. The peat was fibrous, rich in roots, and had a moisture content of approximately 240%. The flow demonstrates the high potential mobility of natural peat covers and the role of undrained loading in effecting movement of slopes as low as 5°. Key words: peat, flow slide, peat flow, northeast British Columbia.
Segregation potential – pressure – salinity relationships near thermal steady state for a clayey silt
Authors: Konrad J.-M.
Published: May 2010

Laboratory freezing tests were performed on a saturated clayey silt at various pore-water salinities and applied pressures to establish the relationships between pore-water salinity, overburden, and the amount of moisture transfer during freezing near thermal steady state conditions. The experimental data confirmed that the concept of segregation potential established for salt-free soils can be extended to saline soils. The segregation potential at the onset of the final ice lens in step-freezing tests (or near thermal steady state) should be related to the average salinity of the frozen fringe associated with the final ice lens. This pore-water salinity is different from the initial pore-water salinity as a result of solute exclusion at the ice lenses causing an enrichment as freezing proceeds. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to determine the average salinity in the frozen fringe owing to its small size. Instead, it is proposed to use the initial water salinity to develop the constitutive equations in freezing saline soils. A procedure for frost heave predictions in the field is outlined. Key words: freezing tests, clayey silt, saline water, frost heave.
Sand–bentonite liners: field control methods
Authors: Chapuis Robert P.
Published: May 2010

Soil–bentonite mixes are frequently used as impervious liners for waste disposal projects. These mixes can be controlled in the field by local permeability tests or by their global performance. The accuracy of in situ local tests is found to be limited after the thermal dilation of infiltrometers is considered. A method is developed to analyze the total leakage rate and to detect hydraulically induced damage and deterioration of hydraulic defects. Finally, the use of coupled hydrometer tests or X-ray diffraction tests is recommended to determine local values of bentonite content and to verify whether the in situ variability in bentonite content is similar to that provided for in the design. Key words: impervious liner, soil, bentonite, permeability, field control.
Stresses and deformations in a reinforced soil slope
Authors: Chalaturnyk R. J. , Scott J. D. , Chan D. H. K. , Richards E. A.
Published: May 2010

Nonlinear finite element analyses were performed on a nonreinforced embankment and a polymeric reinforced embankment, with 1:1 side slopes, constructed on competent foundations. The nonreinforced and reinforced embankment analyses are compared to examine the influence of polymeric reinforcement within a soil slope. It is shown that significant reductions in the shearing, horizontal, and vertical strains within the slope occur because of the presence of the reinforcement.The finite element analysis of the reinforced embankment construction gives the magnitude and distribution of load within the reinforcement. For all embankment heights, the maximum reinforcement load did not occur in the lowest reinforcing layer but in the reinforcing layer placed 0.4H above the foundation, where H is the height of the slope. The displacement patterns and surface deformations of the nonreinforced and reinforced slopes are compared to show the marked reduction in slope movements resulting from the presence of the reinforcement.The location and shape of potential shear surfaces within the homogeneous reinforced slope are examined. The position of the maximum load in each reinforcing layer within the reinforced slope indicates that, for the example studied, a circular-shaped slip surface represents a probable failure mechanism within the slope. Key words: soil reinforcement, geotextiles, finite element, slope stability, geogrids, limit equilibrium, reinforced slope.
MODELING THE EFFECT OF PRIVATIZATION ON BEHAVIOR OF HURST EXPONENT USING STOCHASTIC CATASTROPHE THEORY
Authors: BOLGORIAN MEYSAM , RAEI REZA
Published: May 2010

In this paper using the global Hurst exponent, the impact of privatization of public companies in Iran on the degree of efficiency in Tehran Stock Exchange is assessed. The results show that selling public companies' share in Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE) leads to a structural break in degree of market development. To model this phenomenon a catastrophe approach is used and it is demonstrated that this structural break can be better explained by a cusp catastrophe model.
NANOSTRUCTURIZATION IN THE SKS ACTIVE CARBON, CHARACTERIZED BY SEM, TEM, EDX AND QUANTUM-CHEMICAL SIMULATIONS
Authors: KHAVRYUCHENKO VOLODYMYR D. , TARASENKO YURIJ A. , KHAVRYUCHENKO OLEKSIY V. , SHKILNYY ANDRIY I. , LISNYAK VLADYSLAV V. , STRATIICHUK DENYS A.
Published: May 2010

SKS active carbon, prepared by dehydrogenation of the polystyrene–divinylbenzene copolymer, as a model sample of highly amorphous carbons, has been examined by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray methods, indicating a nanostructural nonperiodic character of the resulting product. No crystalline-like particles are experimentally found in the bulk. The PSDVB copolymer dehydrogenation has been quantum chemically (QC) simulated to describe the interconnecting amorphous phase. A set of clusters with a different degree of carbonization has been QC evaluated. The first level model of the amorphous active carbon has been proposed.
COMPLEX PATTERN IN A RING OF VAN DER POL OSCILLATORS COUPLED BY TIME-VARYING RESISTORS
Authors: UWATE YOKO , NISHIO YOSHIFUMI , STOOP RUEDI
Published: May 2010

Synchronization phenomena in coupled oscillatory systems are very important models to describe various higher-dimensional nonlinear phenomena in the field of natural science. In this paper, phase synchronization in a ring of van der Pol oscillators coupled by time-varying resistors is studied. The coexistence of in-phase and anti/N-phase states and various interesting phase synchronization patterns are observed when the parameters are changed. Further, the influence of duty cycle of time-varying resistors for the observed phase synchronization patterns is investigated.
MOLECULAR DYNAMIC SIMULATIONS OF SOLID NITROMETHANE UNDER HIGH PRESSURES
Authors: GUO FENG , ZHANG HONG , CHENG XINLU
Published: May 2010

We report ReaxFF molecular dynamic simulations of structure change of crystalline nitromethane and the formation of hydrogen bond under high pressure. Under high pressure, the angles between C–N bonds and X, Y and Z axes have changed. Through the calculation of g(r) of O and H atoms, we found a new peak near 1.6 Å, which indicates the formation of the hydrogen bond between O and H atoms. We calculated the distribution of the angles of the C–N bonds orientations, the distribution of the dihedral angle of CNOO , and the charge distribution of nitromethane molecules under various pressures, and made a comparison between low and high pressures. The effects of hydrogen bonding in high explosive materials are discussed.
A NEW BOUND FOR THE SMALLEST x WITH π(x) > li(x)
Authors: CHAO KUOK FAI , PLYMEN ROGER
Published: May 2010

We reduce the leading term in Lehman's theorem. This improved estimate allows us to refine the main theorem of Bays and Hudson [2]. Entering 2,000,000 Riemann zeros, we prove that there exists x in the interval [exp (727.951858), exp (727.952178)] for which π(x) - li (x) > 3.2 × 10151. There are at least 10154 successive integers x in this interval for which π(x) > li (x). This interval is strictly a sub-interval of the interval in Bays and Hudson, and is narrower by a factor of about 12.
ON A CONJECTURE BY BOYD
Authors: LALÍN MATILDE N.
Published: May 2010

The aim of this note is to prove the Mahler measure identity m(x + x-1 + y + y-1 + 5) = 6m(x + x-1 + y + y-1 + 1) which was conjectured by Boyd. The proof is achieved by proving relationships between regulators of both curves.
CONSTRAINTS TO FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT IN INDIAN HOSPITALS
Authors: CHANDA RUPA
Published: May 2010

This paper examines the impact of a liberalised foreign direct investment (FDI) regime in Indian hospitals on FDI inflows. The paper shows that there is hardly any FDI in Indian hospitals due to domestic constraints such as high initial establishment costs, low health insurance penetration, manpower shortages, high cost of medical equipment, and regulatory deficiencies. These constraints also impede domestic investment in hospitals. The paper concludes that a liberal foreign investment regime may not result in increased FDI inflows if regulatory and structural impediments continue to constrain investment in the host economy. Investment liberalisation must thus be supplemented by domestic regulatory reforms to create an environment that is conducive to all investors.
Regulation of glucose- and mitochondrial fuel-induced insulin secretion by a cytosolic protein histidine phosphatase in pancreatic β-cells
Authors: Kamath Vasudeva , Kyathanahalli Chandrashekara N. , Jayaram Bhavaani , Syed Ismail , Olson Lawrence Karl , Ludwig Katrin , Klumpp Susanne , Krieglstein Josef , Kowluru Anjaneyulu
Published: May 2010

We report localization of a cytosolic protein histidine phosphatase (PHP; ∼16 kDa) in INS 832/13 cells, normal rat islets, and human islets. siRNA-mediated knockdown of PHP markedly reduced glucose- or mitochondrial fuel-induced but not KCl-induced insulin secretion. siRNA-mediated knockdown of PHP also attenuated mastoparan-induced insulin secretion, suggesting its participation in G protein-sensitive signaling steps, leading to insulin secretion. Functional assays revealed that the β-cell PHP catalyzes the dephosphorylation of ATP-citrate lyase (ACL). Silencing of PHP expression markedly reduced ACL activity, suggesting functional regulation of ACL by PHP in β-cells. Coimmunoprecipitation studies revealed modest effects of glucose on the interaction between PHP and ACL. Confocal microscopic evidence indicated that glucose promotes association between ACL and nm23-H1, a known kinase histidine kinase, but not between PHP and ACL. Furthermore, metabolic viability of INS 832/13 cells was resistant to siRNA-PHP, suggesting no regulatory roles of PHP in cell viability. Finally, long-term exposure (24 h) of INS 832/13 cells or rat islets to high glucose (30 mM) increased the expression of PHP. Such increases in PHP expression were also seen in islets derived from the Zucker diabetic fatty rat compared with islets from the lean control animals. Together, these data implicate regulatory roles for PHP in a G protein-sensitive step involved in nutrient-induced insulin secretion. In light of the current debate on putative regulatory roles of ACL in insulin secretion, additional studies are needed to precisely identify the phosphoprotein substrate(s) for PHP in the cascade of events leading to nutrient-induced insulin secretion.
Increased oxygen tension attenuates acute ultraviolet-B-induced skin angiogenesis and wrinkle formation
Authors: Kawada Shigeo , Ohtani Masaru , Ishii Naokata
Published: May 2010

Acute ultraviolet (UV)-B irradiation causes skin wrinkle formation associated with hyperplasia of cutaneous blood vessels. This study reports that increased dermal oxygen tension attenuates acute UVB-induced angiogenesis and wrinkle formation. Twenty-four hairless mice (HOS:HR-1) were assigned to 3 groups: 1) control group, 2) UVB-irradiated (UVB) group, and 3) UVB-irradiated and hyperoxia-exposed (UVB+HO) group. The backs of the mice were exposed to UVB irradiation 3 times per week for a 5-wk period. To increase dermal oxygen tension, the mice were exposed to hyperoxia (90% oxygen) for 2 h immediately after each UVB irradiation. Hyperoxic exposure increased dermal oxygen tension by about 10 times compared with the control level. Degree of wrinkle formation and epidermal thickness increased significantly after a 5-wk UVB-irradiation period, whereas hyperoxic exposure attenuated these increases. Tissue adenosine triphosphate concentration and angiogenesis increased significantly only in the UVB group compared with the control group. Although the expression of hypoxia inducible factor-1α mRNA, a key molecule for angiogenesis, increased significantly in the UVB and UVB+HO groups compared with the control group, the protein level increased significantly only in the UVB group. The activity of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9, critical molecules for angiogenesis, did not increase in the UVB and UVB+HO groups compared with the control group. Active type 1 collagenase activity and soluble collagen content in all of the groups were roughly similar. These results suggest that increased dermal oxygen tension attenuates angiogenesis and wrinkle formation following acute UVB irradiation.
Physiological and Morphological Characterization of Local Interneurons in the Drosophila Antennal Lobe
Authors: Seki Yoichi , Rybak Jürgen , Wicher Dieter , Sachse Silke , Hansson Bill S.
Published: May 2010

The Drosophila antennal lobe (AL) has become an excellent model for studying early olfactory processing mechanisms. Local interneurons (LNs) connect a large number of glomeruli and are ideally positioned to increase computational capabilities of odor information processing in the AL. Although the neural circuit of the Drosophila AL has been intensively studied at both the input and the output level, the internal circuit is not yet well understood. An unambiguous characterization of LNs is essential to remedy this lack of knowledge. We used whole cell patch-clamp recordings and characterized four classes of LNs in detail using electrophysiological and morphological properties at the single neuron level. Each class of LN displayed unique characteristics in intrinsic electrophysiological properties, showing differences in firing patterns, degree of spike adaptation, and amplitude of spike afterhyperpolarization. Notably, one class of LNs had characteristic burst firing properties, whereas the others were tonically active. Morphologically, neurons from three classes innervated almost all glomeruli, while LNs from one class innervated a specific subpopulation of glomeruli. Three-dimensional reconstruction analyses revealed general characteristics of LN morphology and further differences in dendritic density and distribution within specific glomeruli between the different classes of LNs. Additionally, we found that LNs labeled by a specific enhancer trap line (GAL4-Krasavietz), which had previously been reported as cholinergic LNs, were mostly GABAergic. The current study provides a systematic characterization of olfactory LNs in Drosophila and demonstrates that a variety of inhibitory LNs, characterized by class-specific electrophysiological and morphological properties, construct the neural circuit of the AL.
Time-Dependent Expression of Arc and Zif268 after Acquisition of Fear Conditioning
Authors: Lonergan Mary E. , Gafford Georgette M. , Jarome Timothy J. , Helmstetter Fred J.
Published: May 2010

Memory consolidation requires transcription and translation of new protein. Arc, an effector immediate early gene, and zif268, a regulatory transcription factor, have been implicated in synaptic plasticity underlying learning and memory. This study explored the temporal expression profiles of these proteins in the rat hippocampus following fear conditioning. We observed a time-dependent increase of Arc protein in the dorsal hippocampus 30-to-90-minute post training, returning to basal levels at 4 h. Zif268 protein levels, however, gradually increased at 30-minute post training before peaking in expression at 60 minute. The timing of hippocampal Arc and zif268 expression coincides with the critical period for protein synthesis-dependent memory consolidation following fear conditioning. However, the expression of Arc protein appears to be driven by context exploration, whereas, zif268 expression may be more specifically related to associative learning. These findings suggest that altered Arc and zif268 expression are related to neural plasticity during the formation of fear memory.