bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sawn timber properties of Scots pine as affected by initial stand density, thinning and pruning: a simulation based approach
Authors: Ikonen Veli-Pekka , Kellomäki Seppo , Peltola Heli
Published: March 2014

The aim of this work was to analyze how different management schedules with varying initial stand density, thinning and artificial pruning of branches affect the quality, quantity and value of sawing yield in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.). For this purpose, an integrated model system was employed and further developed to simulate: i) the three dimensional structure of the crown and stem of an average tree grown in a stand related to the changes in the within-stand light conditions as caused by the stand management, and ii) the sawing of logs into pieces and their quality grading based on the size and number of living and dead knots on the surfaces of sawn pieces. To maximize the quality of sawn timber, relatively dense stand is desired in the early phase of the rotation to reduce, especially in the lower part of stem, the growth of branches, and to increase the rate of dying and pruning-off of branches. In the later phase, a relatively sparse stand is desired to increase the self-pruning of branches and the occlusion of knots. However, in any case, artificial pruning is needed to maximize the knot-free zone of the stem. Also the value optimization of individual sawn pieces affects the quality and value of sawn timber. Because, only average tree was simulated, the differences between scenarios for stem volume were small. In the future, further model development is needed to analyze the development of crown and stem properties of trees with different status in a stand.
Modeling the relationships among internal defect features and external Appalachian hardwood log defect indicators
Authors: Thomas R.
Published: March 2014

As a hardwood tree grows and develops, surface defects such as branch stubs and wounds are overgrown. Evidence of these defects remain on the log surface for decades and in many instances for the life of the tree. As the tree grows the defect is encapsulated or grown over by new wood. During this process the appearance of the defect in the treeâs bark changes. The defect becomes flatter and its dimension changes. This progressional change in appearance is predictable, permitting the size and location of the internal defect to be reliably estimated. This paper concerns the development and analysis of models for the prediction of internal features. With the advent of surface scanning and external detection systems, the prediction of internal features promises to significantly improve the quality, yield, and value of sawn wood products.
Three-dimensional spiral grain pattern in five large Norway spruce stems
Authors: Gjerdrum Peder , Bernabei Mauro
Published: March 2014

There is a great deal of interest involved in investigating and understanding grain angle in trees. The objective of the study presented in this paper has been to identify a joint, three-dimensional model for grain angle in stems of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) Five large spruce trees were sampled. Transverse disks were extracted at regular intervals along the stem, split through the pith with a blunt knife, and observed for grain angle and cambial age along the north radius, setting pith observation to zero angle. The overall finding confirmed grain pattern congruent to distance from pith along the stem, a pattern that varies from tree to tree. Models expressing distance from the pith in cambial age performed slightly better than models in spatial distance. Grain pattern changed slightly along the stem, and this change was found to be consistent for the five stems: the left-handed grain angle in the juvenile wood was more pronounced upwards in the stem, and the angle changed faster towards right-handed spiralling. The model did not account for grain variation related to knots, undulating pith or other irregularities. Model residuals were normally distributed and seemingly homogeneous for all trees and for all height levels. The model is an extension of existing two-dimensional models for stem cross-cuts. After verification in a wider sample, the results should be applicable in tree and wood modelling.
Predicting tree attributes and quality characteristics of Scots pine using airborne laser scanning data
Authors: Maltamo Matti , Peuhkurinen Jussi , Malinen Jukka , Vauhkonen Jari , Packalén Petteri , Tokola Timo
Published: March 2014

The development of airborne laser scanning (ALS) during last ten years has provided new possibilities for accurate description of the living tree stock. The forest inventory applications of ALS data include both tree and area-based plot level approaches. The main goal of such applications has usually been to estimate accurate information on timber quantities. Prediction of timber quality has not been focused to the same extent. Thus, in this study we consider here the prediction of both basic tree attributes (tree diameter, height and volume) and characteristics describing tree quality more closely (crown height, height of the lowest dead branch and sawlog proportion of tree volume) by means of high resolution ALS data. The tree species considered is Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), and the field data originate from 14 sample plots located in the Koli National Park in North Karelia, eastern Finland. The material comprises 133 trees, and size and quality variables of these trees were modeled using a large number of potential independent variables calculated from the ALS data. These variables included both individual tree recognition and area-based characteristics. Models for the dependent tree characteristics to be considered were then constructed using either the non-parametric k-MSN method or a parametric set of models constructed simultaneously by the Seemingly Unrelated Regression (SUR) approach. The results indicate that the k-MSN method can provide more accurate tree-level estimates than SUR models. The k-MSN estimates were in fact highly accurate in general, the RMSE being less than 10% except in the case of tree volume and height of the lowest dead branch.
Using the process-based stand model ANAFORE including Bayesian optimisation to predict wood quality and quantity and their uncertainty in Slovenian beech
Authors: Deckmyn Gaby , Mali Bostjan , Kraigher Hojka , Torelli Niko , Op de Beeck Maarten , Ceulemans Reinhart
Published: March 2014

The purpose of this study was to expand an existing semi-mechanistic forest model, ANAFORE (ANAlysing Forest Ecosystems), to allow for the prediction of log quality and the accompanying uncertainty as influenced by climate and management. The forest stand is described as consisting of trees of different cohorts, either of the same or of different species (deciduous or coniferous). In addition to photosynthesis, transpiration, total growth and yield, the model simulates the daily evolution in vessel biomass and radius, parenchyma and branch development. From these data early and latewood biomass, wood tissue composition, knot formation and density are calculated. The new version presented here, includes the description of log quality, including red heart formation of beeches. A Bayesian optimisation routine for the species parameters was added to the stand model. From a given range of input parameters (prior), the model calculates an optimised range for the parameters (posterior) based on given output data, as well as an uncertainty on the predicted values. A case study was performed for Slovenian beech forests to illustrate the main model functioning and more in particular the simulation of the wood quality. The results indicate that the ANAFORE model is a useful tool for analyzing wood quality development and forest ecosystem functioning in response to management, climate and stand characteristics. However, the Bayesian optimization showed that the remaining uncertainty on the input parameters for the chosen stand was very large, due to the large number of input parameters in comparison to the limited stand data.
High genetic differentiation in marginal populations of European white elm (Ulmus laevis)
Authors: Vakkari Pekka , Rusanen Mari , Kärkkäinen Katri
Published: March 2014

Studies on the amount of genetic variation in marginal populations and differentiation between them are essential for assessment of best gene conservation strategies and sampling schemes. Thirteen marginal populations of Ulmus laevis in southern Finland and one in Estonia were investigated for genetic variation in 20 allozyme loci. Population differentiation among Finnish stands was high, F = 0.290, and mean genetic diversity low, H = 0.088. The differentiation follows the isolation-by-distance structure within the core of the distribution area (lake Vanajavesi). Fairly high frequency of recurrent genotypes was observed, but this did not have an influence on the genetic parameters. The observed genetic structure is consistent with the central-marginal hypothesis. In the light of the results, the Finnish gene conservation strategy for U. laevis seems to be on a sound basis.ste
Population-based methods in the optimization of stand management
Authors: Pukkala Timo
Published: March 2014

In Finland, the growth and yield models for tree stands are simulation programs that consist of several sub-models. These models are often non-smooth and non-differentiable. Direct search methods such as the Hooke-Jeeves algorithm (HJ) are suitable tools for optimizing stand management with this kind of complicated models. This study tested a new class of direct search methods, namely population-based methods, in the optimization of stand management. The tested methods were differential evolution, particle swarm optimization, evolution strategy, and the Nelder-Mead method. All these methods operate with a population of solution vectors, which are recombined and mutated to obtain new candidate solutions. The management schedule of 719 stands was optimized with all population-based methods and with the HJ method. The population-based methods were competitive with the HJ method, producing 0.57% to 1.74% higher mean objective function values than HJ. On the average, differential evolution was the best method, followed by particle swarm optimization, evolution strategy, and Nelder-Mead method. However, differences between the methods were small, and each method was the best in several stands. HJ was alone the best method in 7% of stands, and a population based method in 3% (Nelder-Mead) to 29% (differential evolution) of stands. All five methods found the same solution in 18% of stands.
Exploration of fracture dynamics properties and predicting fracture toughness of individual wood beams using neural networks
Authors: Samarasinghe Sandhya
Published: March 2014

In this study, the time to crack initiation (T), duration of crack propagation (T), crack initiation stress, peak stress as well as crack speed and fracture toughness were investigated for three Rates of Loading (ROL) and four sizes of notched wood beams using high-speed video imaging and neural networks. T was consistent for all volumes and the average T was nonlinearly related to volume and ROL. For the smallest ROL, there was a distinct volume effect on T and the effect was negligble at the largest ROL. However, the stress at crack initiation was not consistent. Contrasting these, T for all volumes appeared to be highly variable but the peak stress carried prior to catastrophic failure was consistent. The crack propagation was a wave phenomenon with positive and negative (crack closure) speeds that varied with the ROL. As accurate estimation of crack initiation load (or stress) and its relationship to peak load (or stress) is important for determining fracture toughness, Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) models were developed for predicting them from volume, Youngâs modulus, face and grain angles, density, moisture content and ROL. Models for crack initiation load and peak load showed much higher predictive power than those for the stresses with correlation coefficients of 0.85 and 0.97, respectively, between the actual and predicted loads. Neural networks were also developed for predicting fracture toughness of individual wood specimens and the best model produced a statistically significant correlation of 0.813 between the predicted and actual fracture toughness on a validation dataset. The inputs captured 62% of variability of fracture toughness. Volume and Youngâs modulus were the top two contributing variables with others providing lesser contributions.initfracinitinitinitfrac
Physiological effects of forest recreation in a young conifer forest in Hinokage Town, Japan
Authors: Park Bum-Jin , Tsunetsugu Yuko , Kasetani Tamami , Morikawa Takeshi , Kagawa Takahide , Miyazaki Yoshifumi
Published: March 2014

It is widely believed that coming into contact with forest environments is somehow beneficial to human well-being and comfort. In Japan, âShinrin-yokuâ (taking in the atmosphere of a forest) has been proposed to be a relaxation activity associated with forest recreation. The purpose of this study was to examine the physiological effects of forest recreation on the autonomic nervous activity. The subjects were twelve male university students (21.8 Â± 0.8 years old). On the first day of the experiment, six subjects were sent to a forest area, and the other six to a city area. On the second day, each subject was sent to the area he did not visit on the first day as a cross check. The subjects walked (15 minutes) around their assigned areas before noon, and sat on chairs viewing (15 minutes) the landscapes of their assigned areas in the afternoon. Heart rate variability (HRV), blood pressure, and pulse rate were measured as physiological indices. Measurements were taken at the place of accommodation in the morning, before and after walking, and before and after viewing at their assigned field areas. Pulse rate, diastolic blood pressure and LF/(LF+HF) (LF â low frequency, HF â high frequency) components of HRV were significantly lower in the forest area than in the city area. HF components of HRV tended to be higher in the forest than in the city. In conclusion, the results of the physiological measurements show that forest recreation enabled effective relaxation in people, both of the mind and body.
The growth rhythm and height growth of seedlings of Siberian (Larix sibirica Ledeb.) and Dahurian (Larix gmelinii Rupr.) larch provenances in greenhouse conditions
Authors: Lukkarinen Antti , Ruotsalainen Seppo , Nikkanen Teijo , Peltola Heli
Published: March 2014

The aim of this study was to determine whether the growth rhythm and height growth differ between various larch provenances grown in greenhouse conditions. We also investigated whether the geographic and climatic conditions at the origin of the provenance could explain the possible differences between the provenances. The study material consisted of 16 Russian Siberian (Larix sibirica Ledeb.) and Dahurian larch (Larix gmelinii Rupr.) provenances and four seed sources from Finland as comparison lots. The growth rhythm differences were clearest between the southern and northern provenances; the southern provenances grew for a longer period and the proportion of late summer height growth was larger. Autumn colouration also developed later in these provenances. In the Russian larch material the provenances with a longer growing period had greater height growth. In the whole material the relationship was not so linear due to the deviating behaviour of the comparison material. Several of the Russian larch provenances were taller than the Finnish comparison seed lots, although the difference was not statistically significant. However, the growth of these provenances must be followed for a much longer period in field trials before any conclusions can be drawn about their usability in practical forestry.
Analyzing the effects of inventory errors on holding-level forest plans: the case of measurement error in the basal area of the dominated tree species
Authors: Islam Md. , Kurttila Mikko , Mehtätalo Lauri , Haara Arto
Published: March 2014

Accurate inventory data are required for ensuring optimal net return on investment from the forest. Erroneous data can lead to the formulation of a non-optimal plan that can cause inoptimality losses. Little is known of the effect of using erroneous stand inventory data in preparing holding-level forest plans. This study reports on an approach for analyzing such inoptimality losses. Furthermore, inoptimality losses caused by measurement errors in the basal area of the dominated tree species were investigated in a case study. Based on the inventory data including routine measurements by 67 measurers, four measurer groups were created with different measurement error profiles for the basal area of the dominated tree species. This was followed by measurement error simulations for each group and by adding these to the accurate control inventory data to create erroneous data of different error profiles. Three different forest plans were then constructed by using erroneous data of each group. The plans were then analyzed and compared with plans based on correct data. The effect of measurement errors on the net present value from the whole planning period, and on the amount of remaining growing stock at the end of planning period, were analyzed and utilized in calculating the inoptimality losses. It was concluded that even errors involving dominated tree species can cause significant changes in the holding-level forest plans.
Impacts of forest harvesting related soil disturbance on end-of-rotation wood quality and quantity in a New Zealand radiata pine forest
Authors: Murphy Glen , Brownlie Rod , Kimberley Mark , Beets Peter
Published: March 2014

The long-term effect of soil disturbance (litter removal, topsoil removal and compaction) from forest harvesting on wood quality and quantity of second-rotation Pinus radiata growing on a clay loam soil, was assessed at the end the rotation, 26 years after planting. Relative to Control plots, average tree and stand total volume at rotation end was not significantly affected by litter removal and nil or light compaction, but was significantly reduced by 28% by litter and topsoil removal and moderate subsoil compaction, and further reduced by 38% by heavy compaction. Wood density at breast height in the inner rings of trees in the most disturbed treatments was elevated by up to 30 kg m. This occurred because these treatments were more N deficient as reflected by foliar N levels during the first 11 years of growth relative to the Control. However, no treatment differences in wood density were evident in outer rings, and by rotation age overall mean density did not differ significantly between treatments. Neither acoustic velocity of standing trees, nor acoustic velocity of logs, was significantly affected by soil disturbance, indicating that stiffness of lumber cut from trees in the trial was likely to be similar for all treatments. Economic impacts of soil disturbance and compaction on this soil type will therefore result largely from the considerable negative impacts on final tree size, with little or no compensation from improved wood properties.â3
Preface
Authors: Leban Jean-Michel , Peltola Heli , Leinonen Sanna , Todoroki Christine , D'Amours Sophie , Gardiner Barry , Goudie Jim , Lowell Eini , Seifert Thomas , Verkasalo Erkki , Wilhelmsson Lars , Nuutinen Tuula
Published: March 2014

The 6th IUFRO Workshop on Connection between Forest Resources and Wood Quality: Modelling Approaches and Simulation Software.
Regional energy wood logistics – optimizing local fuel supply
Authors: Kanzian Christian , Holzleitner Franz , Stampfer Karl , Ashton Sarah
Published: March 2014

The promotion of electric energy production from solid biomass by the Austrian government has lead to a boom in the construction of new combined heat and power plants. The current total demand for wood chips in the research area for energy purposes is 70 400 m of loose volume chips per year. The expected increase in demand due to these new plants is more than 4 times greater than current demand: up to 302 700 m of loose volume per year. Even if the energy wood feedstock potential is satisfactory, the design of the supply chain is still unresolved. The aim of this study is to give decision-makers a base for further development. To accomplish this, we designed and tested four different supply scenarios: one for 9 plants and one for 16 plants. The scenarios were developed using a combination of geographic information systems (GIS) and linear programming methods. The results indicate that direct transport of solid fuel wood as round wood and chipping at the plant is the cheapest supply system with a resulting cost of 5.6â6.6 EUR/m loose. Using harvesting residues can only be recommended for large plants because of poor fuel quality. In this case, residues would be chipped at or near the landing, piled and transported via self-loading trucks at a cost between 8.4 and 9.1 EUR/m loose. In order to meet increasing demand and to ensure a continuous supply, especially during the winter and spring seasons it is necessary to optimize the supply chain by including storage terminals. However, using terminals and increased demand both lead to higher logistical costs. For example, if the total volume is handled via terminals, the average supply costs including storage will increase by 26%. Higher demand increases the costs by 24%.3333
Influence of cellulose supramolecular structure on strength properties of chemical pulp
Authors: Larsson Per Tomas , Salmén Lennart
Published: March 2014

The industrially produced chemical pulps have lower strength properties than those obtained under laboratory conditions, and this difference is referred to as the strength delivery (SD) problem. In this study, the hypothesis was put forward that the SD could, at least in part, be accounted for by the supramolecular structure of the cellulose microfibrils of the fiber wall. To test the hypothesis, two bleached softwood kraft pulps (BSKP) were manufactured from the same starting material with different degrees of cellulose aggregation, but the pulps were otherwise as similar as possible in other controllable respects. The chemical and physical properties, including the pulp strength, were tested. A selective increase of the degree of cellulose microfibril aggregation resulted in a pulp with a decreased tear index (TI) at a specified tensile index, and this decrease was similar in magnitude to what is typically encountered in SD. Accordingly, the current experimental study succeeded in mimicking the SD problem. The lateral fibril aggregate dimensions (LFAD) seem to play a pivotal role and it can be safely concluded in general that the supramolecular structure of cellulose in the fibers may be an important factor contributing to the SD problem.
Atypical Rho GTPases RhoD and Rif integrate cytoskeletal dynamics and membrane trafficking
Authors: Aspenström Pontus
Published: March 2014

The Rho GTPases are essential regulators of basic cellular processes, including cell migration, cell contraction and cell division. Most studies still involve just the three canonical members, RhoA, Rac1 and Cdc42, although the Rho GTPases comprise at least 20 members. The aim of this review is to highlight some of the recent advances in our knowledge regarding the less-studied Rho members, with the focus on RhoD and Rif. The phenotypic alterations to cell behaviour that are triggered by RhoD and Rif suggest that they have unique impacts on cytoskeletal dynamics that distinguish them from the well-studied members of the Rho GTPases. In addition, RhoD has a role in the regulation of intracellular transport of vesicles. Taken together, the available data indicate that RhoD and Rif have functions as master regulators in the integration of cytoskeletal reorganisation and membrane trafficking.
An Evaluation of Mental Health Simulation with Standardized Patients
Authors: Doolen Jessica , Giddings Michelle , Johnson Michael , Guizado de Nathan Gigi , O Badia Lysander
Published: March 2014

Interviewing standardized patients (SPs) trained to model psychiatric disorders can promote student nurses’ interview skills and therapeutic communication, while at the same time increasing their confidence and decreasing anxiety. From a constructivist view of education and Kolb’s (1984; Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Edgewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall) theory of experiential learning, this article describes the development and use of SPs as a learning strategy. The use of SPs helps faculty in overcoming some of the challenges of competing for clinical sites and meeting objectives in limited clinical time. In this simulation, baccalaureate nursing students had the opportunity to interact with SPs, who had been trained to demonstrate symptoms of bipolar disorder, anxiety, and schizophrenia. During debriefing, students critiqued their performances, identifying strengths and weaknesses. The advantage to nursing students was the ability to improve their interviewing skills in a safe educational environment before encountering these patients in a clinical experience. Both faculty and student evaluations of this experience support its integration into psychiatric undergraduate courses.
Kolaviron, a biflavonoid fraction from Garcinia kola, protects against isoproterenol-induced injury by mitigating cardiac dysfunction and oxidative stress in rats
Authors: Adaramoye Oluwatosin Adekunle , Lawal Semiu Olasoju
Published: March 2014

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the cardioprotective effects of kolaviron (KV), a biflavonoid from Garcinia kola seeds, in rats intoxicated with isoproterenol chloride (ISO) while quercetin (QUE) served as standard.

Methods: Forty-two male Wistar rats (180–200 g) were randomly divided into seven groups of six rats each. Group 1 served as control; group 2 received ISO (85 mg/kg subcutaneously); groups 3, 4 and 5 received ISO and KV1 [100 mg/kg orally (p.o.)], KV2 (200 mg/kg, p.o.) and QUE (25 mg/kg, p.o.), respectively; and groups 6 and 7 received QUE and KV2, respectively.

Results: Administration of ISO caused significant (p<0.05) elevation of serum creatine phosphokinase, lactate dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase by 2.2-, 1.9-, 2.1-, 1.9- and 1.7-fold, respectively, relative to controls, with a concomitant decrease in cardiac activities of these enzymes. Administration of ISO led to significant decrease (p<0.05) in the levels of cardiac superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione S-transferase, reduced glutathione and increase in malondialdehyde (MDA). Also, ISO-treated rats had significantly higher values of serum total cholesterol, triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol relative to controls. Supplementation with KV2 and QUE caused significant elevation of cardiac antioxidant enzymes, normalized the marker enzymes and reduced MDA levels.

Conclusions: KV protects against ISO-induced cardiotoxicity in vivo, suggesting its usefulness as a possible chemoprophylactic agent against cardiotoxic drugs.
On the exact decryption range for Gentry–Halevi's implementation of fully homomorphic encryption
Authors: Yasuda Masaya , Yokoyama Kazuhiro , Shimoyama Takeshi , Kogure Jun , Koshiba Takeshi
Published: March 2014

In this paper,
we revisit the fully homomorphic encryption (FHE) scheme implemented by Gentry and Halevi, which is just an instantiation of Gentry's original scheme based on ideal lattices.
Their FHE scheme starts from a somewhat homomorphic encryption (SHE) scheme, and its decryption range is deeply related with the FHE construction.
Gentry and Halevi gave an experimental evaluation of the decryption range, but theoretical evaluations have not been given so far. Moreover, we give a theoretical upper bound, and reconsider suitable parameters for theoretically obtaining an FHE scheme. In particular, while Gentry and Halevi use the Euclidean norm evaluation in the noise management of ciphertexts, our theoretical bound enables us to use the ∞-norm evaluation, and hence it helps to lower the difficulty of controlling the noise density of ciphertexts.
Organic semiconductors for device applications: current trends and future prospects
Authors: Ahmad Shamim
Published: March 2014

With the rich experience of developing silicon devices over a period of the last six decades, it is easy to assess the suitability of a new material for device applications by examining charge carrier injection, transport, and extraction across a practically realizable architecture; surface passivation; and packaging and reliability issues besides the feasibility of preparing mechanically robust wafer/substrate of single-crystal or polycrystalline/amorphous thin films. For material preparation, parameters such as purification of constituent materials, crystal growth, and thin-film deposition with minimum defects/disorders are equally important. Further, it is relevant to know whether conventional semiconductor processes, already known, would be useable directly or would require completely new technologies. Having found a likely candidate after such a screening, it would be necessary to identify a specific area of application against an existing list of materials available with special reference to cost reduction considerations in large-scale production. Various families of organic semiconductors are reviewed here, especially with the objective of using them in niche areas of large-area electronic displays, flexible organic electronics, and organic photovoltaic solar cells. While doing so, it appears feasible to improve mobility and stability by adjusting π-conjugation and modifying the energy band-gap. Higher conductivity nanocomposites, formed by blending with chemically conjugated C-allotropes and metal nanoparticles, open exciting methods of designing flexible contact/interconnects for organic and flexible electronics as can be seen from the discussion included here.
Chronological development of element concentrations in grapes during growth and ripeness and during fermentation of must determined by
instrumental neutron-activation analyses
Authors: Feige Markus , Hampel Gabriele , Kratz Jens Volker , Wiehl Norbert , König Helmut , Wagner Andreas
Published: March 2014

The chronological development of element concentrations during growth and ripeness of grapes described in the literature has
only been concerned with the macro elements Mg, K, and Ca. Concentrations of trace elements in must are only described as
a snapshot at the end of the ripeness. Therefore, the motivation for the present work was to accompany the growth and the
ripening process of grapes successively by systematically determining element concentrations in grapes of Riesling and Cabernet
Sauvignon by neutron-activation analyses. While for a number of elements, the concentrations in the grapes increased as
a function of grape development (e.g., Na, K, Rb, Al), other concentrations decreased (e.g., Mg, Ca,
Mn). These decreases are not only to be attributed to a dilution by an increasing uptake of water during growth, but also by an
active transport of the cations out of the berries. Furthermore, the interest focused on the influence of mineral substances on
the process of fermentation and on the uptake of trace elements by the yeasts.
Research reactor fuel element corrosion under repository relevant conditions: separation, identification, and quantification of secondary alteration phases of UAl
x
-Al in MgCl2-rich brine
Authors: Klinkenberg M. , Neumann A. , Curtius H. , Kaiser G. , Bosbach D.
Published: March 2014

The corrosion of the UAl
x
-Al research reactor fuel type in synthetic MgCl2-rich brine (static batch-type experiments)
was investigated with respect to the long-term safety of directly disposed research reactor fuel elements in salt
formations. During corrosion, crystalline secondary phases were formed, which may serve as a barrier against radionuclide
migration. For an optimized identification and quantification of the secondary phases using X-ray diffraction, a sample
treatment to separate and enrich the secondary phases is necessary. A grain size fractionation was carried out in
iso-propanol. A chemical composition and phase characterization of the secondary phases was accomplished. The results of the
chemical investigations reveal that only traces of Al and U were dissolved. The separation and enrichment of secondary phases
were carried out reproducible and successfully. Due to the phase characterization by scanning electron microscopy/energy
dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction the following secondary phases were unambiguously identified: Mg-Al-Cl
layered double hydroxide, lesukite, Fe layered double hydroxide (green rust), lawrencite, Fe (elemental), and traces of
uncorroded fuel (UAl4). The quantitative analysis showed that LDH compounds and lesukite are the major crystalline
phases. All other observed compounds were only present in trace amounts, i.e. constituting accessories. The Rietveld
analysis also revealed the high content of amorphous phases of approximately 30%, which are expected to include the
uranium as U(OH)4.
Radiochemical Study of Re/W Adsorption Behavior on a Strongly Basic Anion Exchange Resin
Authors: Gott Matthew D. , Ballard Beau D. , Redman Lindsay N. , Maassen Joel R. , Taylor Wayne A. , Engle Jonathan W. , Nortier F. Meiring , Birnbaum Eva R. , John Kevin D. , Wilbur D. Scott , Cutler Cathy S. , Ketring Alan R. , Jurisson Silvia S. , Fassbender Michael E.
Published: March 2014

Rhenium-186g is a radionuclide with a high potential for therapeutic applications. It emits therapeutic β
− particles
accompanied by low energy γ-rays, which allows for in-vivo tracking of the radiolabeled compound and dosimetry
estimates. The current reactor production pathway 185Re(n, γ)186gRe produces low specific activity
186gRe, thereby limiting its therapeutic application. Work is underway to develop an accelerator-based, charged
particle induced production method for high specific activity 186gRe from targets of enriched 186W. To
optimize the chemical 186gRe recovery method, batch studies have been performed to characterize the adsorption
behavior of Re and W on a strongly basic anion exchange resin. An in-depth physicochemical profile was developed for the interaction of
Re with resin material, which showed the reaction to be endothermic and spontaneous. Basic (NaOH) and acidic (HNO3) matrices were
used to determine the equilibrium distribution coefficients for Re and W. The resin exhibits the best affinity for Re at slightly basic
conditions and little affinity above moderately acidic concentrations. Tungsten has low affinity for the resin above moderately basic
concentrations. A study was performed to examine the effect of W concentration on Re adsorption, which showed that even a high ionic
WO4
2–
strength of up to 1.9 mol kg
–1 does not significantly compromise ReO4

–
retention on the
resin.
Actinides sorption onto hematite:
experimental data, surface complexation modeling and linear free energy
relationship
Authors: Romanchuk Anna Y. , Kalmykov Stepan N.
Published: March 2014

The sorption of actinides in different valence states – Am(III), Th(IV), Np(V) and U(VI) onto hematite have been revisited with the
special emphasis on the equilibrium constants of formation of surface species. The experimental sorption data have been treated using
surface complexation modeling from which the set of new values of equilibrium constants were obtained. Formation of inner sphere
monodentate surface species adequately describes the pH-sorption edges for actinide ions indicative the ionic electrostatic nature of
bonding with small or no covalency contribution. The linear free energy relationship representing the correlation between the
hydrolysis constants and surface complexation constants has been developed for various cations including K(I), Li(I), Na(I), Ag(I),
Tl(I), Sr(II), Cu(II), Co(II), La(III), Eu(III), Ga(III), Am(III), Th(IV), Np(V), U(VI).
Extraction and stripping behaviour of tri-iso-amyl phosphate and tri-n-butyl
phosphate in n-dodecane with U(VI) in nitric acid media
Authors: Benadict Rakesh K. , Suresh A. , Vasudeva Rao P. R.
Published: March 2014

Batch extraction of U(VI) by 1.1 M solution of tri-iso-amyl phosphate (TiAP)
in n-dodecane (n-DD) from uranyl nitrate solutions in nitric acid media has been investigated as
a function of metal loading and equilibrium aqueous phase acidity at 303 K. A method
adopted for free acidity determination by using a mixture of potassium oxalate and sodium fluoride
for complexing U(VI) has been validated by comparing the data generated in the present study with
literature data available for tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP) under identical conditions. Extraction
and stripping behaviour of 1.1 M TiAP/n-DD-U(VI)/HNO3 and 1.1 M
TBP/n-DD-U(VI)/HNO3 systems have been compared by carrying out extraction, scrubbing and
a series of stripping in cross-current mode. Stripping behaviour of both the solvents loaded with
U(VI) and HNO3 has also been investigated as a function of time to understand the effects of
nitric acid induced degradation on stripping.
Structure-property responses of bio-inspired synthetic foams at low and high strain rates
Authors: Rhee Hongjoo , Tucker Matthew T. , Whittington Wilburn R. , Horstemeyer Mark F. , Lim Hyeona
Published: March 2014

Various aluminum foams were fabricated with a structure comparable to the
The Distribution of E-democracy and E-participation Tools in Slovenian Municipalities
Authors: Kukovic Simona , Haček Miro
Published: March 2014

Paper analyses the usage of e-democracy in Slovenian municipalities from the viewpoint of e-participation tools. Theoretical origin of the paper is the theory of e-democracy in connection with the information and communication technology (ICT). ICT allows participation and inclusiveness to the citizens in the processes of decision making with the usage of various tools of e-participation (e-contact, e-forum, e-survey, e-petition, etc.). We analyzed official web pages of all 211 Slovenian municipalities and found out that all municipalities offer e-access and various forms of e-consultations to its citizens, but other e-tools can only be sparsely found. In addition, the comparative analysis of the survey results from 2006 and 2009 shows that the number of municipalities, which offer diverse tools of e-participation, is slowly decreasing.
Two Additional Old Babylonian Sumerian Literary Letters From Nippur
Authors: Kleinerman Alexandra
Published: March 2014

In this study we examine two previously unpublished Old Babylonian Sumerian literary letters from Nippur. We offer a general introduction to the corpus to which they belong, as well as a critical edition, translation, commentaryand photographs.
Attention Fine-Tunes Auditory–Motor Processing of Speech Sounds
Authors: Möttönen Riikka , van de Ven Gido M. , Watkins Kate E.
Published: March 2014

The earliest stages of cortical processing of speech sounds take place in the auditory cortex. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) studies have provided evidence that the human articulatory motor cortex contributes also to speech processing. For example, stimulation of the motor lip representation influences specifically discrimination of lip-articulated speech sounds. However, the timing of the neural mechanisms underlying these articulator-specific motor contributions to speech processing is unknown. Furthermore, it is unclear whether they depend on attention. Here, we used magnetoencephalography and TMS to investigate the effect of attention on specificity and timing of interactions between the auditory and motor cortex during processing of speech sounds. We found that TMS-induced disruption of the motor lip representation modulated specifically the early auditory-cortex responses to lip-articulated speech sounds when they were attended. These articulator-specific modulations were left-lateralized and remarkably early, occurring 60–100 ms after sound onset. When speech sounds were ignored, the effect of this motor disruption on auditory-cortex responses was nonspecific and bilateral, and it started later, 170 ms after sound onset. The findings indicate that articulatory motor cortex can contribute to auditory processing of speech sounds even in the absence of behavioral tasks and when the sounds are not in the focus of attention. Importantly, the findings also show that attention can selectively facilitate the interaction of the auditory cortex with specific articulator representations during speech processing.
Circuit-Wide Structural and Functional Measures Predict Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Fear Generalization: Implications for Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Authors: Cha Jiook , Greenberg Tsafrir , Carlson Joshua M. , DeDora Daniel J. , Hajcak Greg , Mujica-Parodi Lilianne R.
Published: March 2014

The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) plays a critical role in a number of evaluative processes, including risk assessment. Impaired discrimination between threat and safety is considered a hallmark of clinical anxiety. Here, we investigated the circuit-wide structural and functional mechanisms underlying vmPFC threat–safety assessment in humans. We tested patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD;n= 32, female) and healthy controls (n= 25, age-matched female) on a task that assessed the generalization of conditioned threat during fMRI scanning. The task consisted of seven rectangles of graded widths presented on a screen; only the midsize one was paired with mild electric shock [conditioned stimulus (CS)], while the others, safety cues, systematically varied in width by ±20, 40, and 60% [generalization stimuli (GS)] compared with the CS. We derived an index reflecting vmPFC functioning from the BOLD reactivity on a continuum of threat (CS) to safety (GS least similar to CS); patients with GAD showed less discrimination between threat and safety cues, compared with healthy controls (Greenberg et al., 2013b). Using structural, functional (i.e., resting-state), and diffusion MRI, we measured vmPFC thickness, vmPFC functional connectivity, and vmPFC structural connectivity within the corticolimbic systems. The results demonstrate that all three factors predict individual variability of vmPFC threat assessment in an independent fashion. Moreover, these neural features are also linked to GAD, most likely via an vmPFC fear generalization. Our results strongly suggest that vmPFC threat processing is closely associated with broader corticolimbic circuit anomalies, which may synergistically contribute to clinical anxiety.
Lack of Respiratory Coupling with Neocortical and Hippocampal Slow Oscillations
Authors: Viczko Jeremy , Sharma Arjun V. , Pagliardini Silvia , Wolansky Trish , Dickson Clayton T.
Published: March 2014

Previous work has demonstrated an influence of the respiratory cycle and, more specifically, rhythmic nasal inspiration for the entrainment of slow oscillations in olfactory cortex during ketamine-xylazine anesthesia. This respiratory entrainment has been suggested to occur more broadly during slow-wave states (including sleep) throughout the forebrain, in particular in the frontal and parahippocampal and hippocampal cortices. Using multisite local field potential recording methods and spectral coherence analysis in the rat, we show here that no such broad forebrain coupling takes place during slow-wave activity patterns under either ketamine-xylazine or urethane anesthesia and, furthermore, that it also does not arise during natural slow-wave sleep. Therefore, respiratory-related oscillatory neural activities are likely limited to primary olfactory structures during slow-wave forebrain states.
Indirect Effect of Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone Receptor 1 Gene Variation on Negative Emotionality and Alcohol Use via Right Ventrolateral Prefrontal Cortex
Authors: Glaser Yi G. , Zubieta Jon-Kar , Hsu David T. , Villafuerte Sandra , Mickey Brian J. , Trucco Elisa M. , Burmeister Margit , Zucker Robert A. , Heitzeg Mary M.
Published: March 2014

Variations in the corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 1 (CRHR1) gene have been found to interact with stress in modulating excessive alcohol consumption. However, the neural mechanisms through whichCRHR1influences this risk in humans is largely unknown. This study examined the influence of an intronicCRHR1gene variant, rs110402, on brain responses to negative emotional words, negative emotional traits, and alcohol use in adolescents and young adults at high risk for alcoholism. Childhood stress was investigated as a potential moderator. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we found that a region in the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (rVLPFC) was more engaged during negative emotional word processing in G homozygotes than in A allele carriers (p(FWE corrected)< 0.01,N= 77). Moreover, an indirect effect of genotype on negative emotionality via rVLPFC activation (p< 0.05,N= 69) was observed, which was further moderated by childhood stress (p< 0.05,N= 63). Specifically, with low childhood stress, G homozygotes exhibited lower levels of negative emotionality associated with greater rVLPFC activation, suggesting that the rVLPFC is involved in reappraisal that neutralizes negative emotional responses. In addition, we found that genotype indirectly modulated excessive alcohol consumption (p< 0.05,N= 69). Specifically, G homozygotes showed greater rVLPFC activation and had lower levels of negative emotionality, which were associated with fewer binge-drinking days and fewer alcohol related problems. This work provides support for a model in whichCRHR1gene variation modulates the risk of problem drinking via an internalizing/negative affect pathway involving rVLPFC and reappraisal of negative emotion.
Glutamate and Choline Levels Predict Individual Differences in Reading Ability in Emergent Readers
Authors: Pugh Kenneth R. , Frost Stephen J. , Rothman Douglas L. , Hoeft Fumiko , Del Tufo Stephanie N. , Mason Graeme F. , Molfese Peter J. , Mencl W. Einar , Grigorenko Elena L. , Landi Nicole , Preston Jonathan L. , Jacobsen Leslie , Seidenberg Mark S. , Fulbright Robert K.
Published: March 2014

Reading disability is a brain-based difficulty in acquiring fluent reading skills that affects significant numbers of children. Although neuroanatomical and neurofunctional networks involved in typical and atypical reading are increasingly well characterized, the underlying neurochemical bases of individual differences in reading development are virtually unknown. The current study is the first to examine neurochemistry in children during the critical period in which the neurocircuits that support skilled reading are still developing. In a longitudinal pediatric sample of emergent readers whose reading indicators range on a continuum from impaired to superior, we examined the relationship between individual differences in reading and reading-related skills and concentrations of neurometabolites measured using magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Both continuous and group analyses revealed that choline and glutamate concentrations were negatively correlated with reading and related linguistic measures in phonology and vocabulary (such that higher concentrations were associated with poorer performance). Correlations with behavioral scores obtained 24 months later reveal stability for the relationship between glutamate and reading performance. Implications for neurodevelopmental models of reading and reading disability are discussed, including possible links of choline and glutamate to white matter anomalies and hyperexcitability. These findings point to new directions for research on gene-brain-behavior pathways in human studies of reading disability.