bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Portfolio Selection from Multiple Benchmarks: A Goal Programming Approach to an Actual Case
Authors: Bravo Mila , Pla‐Santamaria David , Garcia‐Bernabeu Ana
Published: June 2011

This paper deals with benchmark‐based portfolio choice for buy‐and‐hold strategies of investing. Multiple benchmarks for returns are considered, which is more realistic than taking a unique benchmark – a unique aspiration difficult to select in practice among the various aspirations for returns that the investor has in mind. Portfolio selection with multiple benchmarks leads to a multi‐objective problem, which is addressed by mean value – stochastic goal programming. In particular, two benchmarks are considered, which involves two goals. Weights for goals depend on investor's preferences and Arrow's absolute risk aversion coefficients. An efficient frontier of portfolios is obtained. Advantages of this stochastic method in our context are as follows: (i) Mean value‐stochastic goal programming relies on classical utility theory under uncertainty and Arrow's absolute risk aversion, which ensures soundness and strictness, and (ii) the numerical model is easily solved by using available software such as mean–variance software. Numerical results are tabulated and discussed. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Botulinum toxin‐induced focal paresis in mice is unaffected by muscle activity
Authors: Kutschenko Anna , Reinert Marie‐Christine , Klinker Florian , Paulus Walter , Hesse Stefan , Liebetanz David
Published: June 2011

Introduction:

To test the hypothesis that the efficacy of botulinum toxin depends on the activity of the neuromuscular junction, we developed an in vivo paradigm to determine the degree and duration of low‐dose botulinum toxin‐induced focal paresis in mice.

Methods:

We combined an automated wheel‐running paradigm with low‐dose botulinum toxin injections into the calf muscles of wild‐type mice. Half of the mice were injected either before the nightly running or before the daily resting period.

Results:

After botulinum toxin injections, running distance and maximum velocity decreased dose‐dependently. The degree and duration of decrease between the respective groups with regard to the time‐points of injection were identical.

Conclusions:

This in vivo paradigm quantifies the degree of otherwise clinically inapparent botulinum toxin‐induced focal calf muscle paresis. Increased muscle activity after low‐dose injections does not influence the efficacy of botulinum toxin in normal muscles. Muscle Nerve 2011
Characterization of Injuries During Hardcourt Bike Polo Participation: A Descriptive Survey
Authors: Noh Maureen Y. , Laker Scott R. , Vincent Heather K.
Published: June 2011

Objective

To describe injury rates and patterns in the emerging sport of hardcourt bike polo (HBP).

Design

Descriptive survey.

Setting

HBP playing areas (urban flat concrete surfaces).

Participants

Twenty‐two adult (≥18 years) HBP players who presented to a routine thrice‐weekly playing site completed the survey.

Main Outcome Measurements

Participants completed a survey that was used to evaluate demographics; frequency of play; rate, localization, and severity of injuries sustained in the past 1 year; and use of medical care.

Results

The incidence of sustaining an injury in 1 year was 0.86. The main sites of injury involved the knee, elbow, wrist, and hand. Medical attention was sought by 15% of the injured players.

Conclusion

HBP is a rapidly evolving urban sport in which participants are at risk for trauma‐related injury, some of which may be preventable by the addition of appropriate safety equipment.
A general analysis for the electrohydrodynamic instability of stratified immiscible fluids
Authors: ZHANG J. , ZAHN J. D. , LIN H.
Published: June 2011

A general solution approach for the electrohydrodynamic instability of stratified immiscible fluids is presented. The problems of two and three fluid layers subject to normal electric fields are analysed. Analytical solutions are obtained by employing the transfer relations (Melcher 1981 Continuum Electromechanics. MIT Press) relating the disturbance stresses to the flow variables at the interface(s). This approach provides a convenient alternative to the direct solution of the linearized problem. The results assume a general format. Both new dispersion relations and those from various previous works are shown to be special cases when proper simplifications are considered. As a specific example, the instability behaviour of a three-layer channel flow is investigated in detail using this framework. This work provides a unifying method to treat a generic class of instability problems.
Viscous effects on Kelvin–Helmholtz instability in a channel
Authors: KIM H. , PADRINO J. C. , JOSEPH D. D.
Published: June 2011

The effects of viscosity on Kelvin–Helmholtz instability in a channel are studied using three different theories; a purely irrotational theory based on the dissipation method, an exact rotational theory and a hybrid irrotational–rotational theory. These new results are compared with previous results from a viscous irrotational theory. An analysis of the neutral state is conducted and its predictions are compared with experimental results related to the transition from a stratified-smooth to a stratified-wavy or slug flow. For values of the gas fraction greater than about 0.20, there is an interval of velocity differences for which the flow is unstable for an interval of wavenumbers between two cutoff wavenumbers, k− and k+. For unstable flows with a velocity difference above that interval or with gas fractions less than 0.20, k− = 0. The maximum critical relative velocity that determines the onset of instability can be found when the kinematic viscosity of the gas and liquid are the same. This critical value is surprisingly achieved when both fluids are inviscid. The neutral curves from the analyses of potential flow of viscous fluids and the hybrid method, the only theories that account for the viscosity of both fluids in this work, indicate that the critical velocity does not change with the viscosity ratio when the kinematic viscosity of the liquid is greater than a critical value. For smaller liquid viscosities, the critical relative velocity decreases.
Direct numerical simulation of spatially developing turbulent boundary layers with uniform blowing or suction
Authors: KAMETANI YUKINORI , FUKAGATA KOJI
Published: June 2011

Direct numerical simulation (DNS) of spatially developing turbulent boundary layer with uniform blowing (UB) or uniform suction (US) is performed aiming at skin friction drag reduction. The Reynolds number based on the free stream velocity and the 99% boundary layer thickness at the inlet is set to be 3000. A constant wall-normal velocity is applied on the wall in the range, −0.01U∞ ≤ Vctr ≤ 0.01U∞. The DNS results show that UB reduces the skin friction drag, while US increases it. The turbulent fluctuations exhibit the opposite trend: UB enhances the turbulence, while US suppresses it. Dynamical decomposition of the local skin friction coefficient cf using the identity equation (FIK identity) (Fukagata, Iwamoto & Kasagi, Phys. Fluids, vol. 14, 2002, pp. L73–L76) reveals that the mean convection term in UB case works as a strong drag reduction factor, while that in US case works as a strong drag augmentation factor: in both cases, the contribution of mean convection on the friction drag overwhelms the turbulent contribution. It is also found that the control efficiency of UB is much higher than that of the advanced active control methods proposed for channel flows.
Chronic caffeine intake decreases circulating catecholamines and prevents diet-induced insulin resistance and hypertension in rats
Authors: Conde Silvia V. , Nunes da Silva Tiago , Gonzalez Constancio , Mota Carmo Miguel , Monteiro Emilia C. , Guarino Maria P.
Published: June 2011

We tested the hypothesis that long-term caffeine intake prevents the development of insulin resistance and hypertension in two pathological animal models: the high-fat (HF) and the high-sucrose (HSu) diet rat. We used six groups of animals: control; caffeine-treated (Caff; 1 g/l in drinking water during 15 d); HF; caffeine-treated HF (HFCaff); HSu; caffeine-treated HSu (HSuCaff). Insulin sensitivity was assessed using the insulin tolerance test. Blood pressure, weight gain, visceral fat, hepatic glutathione, plasma caffeine, insulin and NO, and serum NEFA and catecholamines were measured. Caffeine reversed insulin resistance and hypertension induced by both the HF and HSu diets. In the HF-fed animals caffeine treatment restored fasting insulin levels to control values and reversed increased weight gain and visceral fat mass. In the HSu group, caffeine reversed fasting hyperglycaemia and restored NEFA to control values. There were no changes either in plasma NO or in hepatic glutathione levels. In contrast, caffeine totally prevented the increase in serum catecholamines induced by HF and HSu diets. To test the hypothesis that inhibition of the sympathetic nervous system prevents the development of diet-induced insulin resistance we administered carvedilol, an antagonist of β1, β2 and also α1 adrenoceptors, to HF and HSu rats. Carvedilol treatment fully prevented diet-induced insulin resistance and hypertension, mimicking the effect of caffeine. We concluded that long-term caffeine intake prevented the development of insulin resistance and hypertension in HF and HSu models and that this effect was related to a decrease in circulating catecholamines.
Blood profiling of proteins and steroids during weight maintenance with manipulation of dietary protein level and glycaemic index
Authors: Wang Ping , Holst Claus , Astrup Arne , Bouwman Freek G. , van Otterdijk Sanne , Wodzig Will K. W. H. , Andersen Malene R. , van Baak Marleen A. , Rasmussen Lone G. , Alfredo Martinez J. , Jebb Susan A. , Pfeiffer Andreas F. H. , Kafatos Anthony , Handjieva-Darlenska Teodora , Hlavaty Petr , Saris Wim H. M. , Mariman Edwin C. M.
Published: June 2011

Weight regain after weight loss is common. In the Diogenes dietary intervention study, a high-protein and low-glycaemic index (GI) diet improved weight maintenance. The objective of the present study was to identify (1) blood profiles associated with continued weight loss and weight regain (2) blood biomarkers of dietary protein and GI levels during the weight-maintenance phase. Blood samples were collected at baseline, after 8 weeks of low-energy diet-induced weight loss and after a 6-month dietary intervention period from female continued weight losers (n 48) and weight regainers (n 48), evenly selected from four dietary groups that varied in protein and GI levels. The blood concentrations of twenty-nine proteins and three steroid hormones were measured. The changes in analytes during weight maintenance largely correlated negatively with the changes during weight loss, with some differences between continued weight losers and weight regainers. Increases in leptin (LEP) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were significantly associated with weight regain (P < 0·001 and P = 0·005, respectively), and these relationships were influenced by the diet. Consuming a high-protein and high-GI diet dissociated the positive relationship between the change in LEP concentration and weight regain. CRP increased during the weight-maintenance period only in weight regainers with a high-protein diet (P < 0·001). In addition, testosterone, luteinising hormone, angiotensinogen, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, resistin, retinol-binding protein 4, insulin, glucagon, haptoglobin and growth hormone were also affected by the dietary intervention. The blood profile reflects not only the weight change during the maintenance period, but also the macronutrient composition of the dietary intervention, especially the protein level.
Mediterranean diet adherence during pregnancy and fetal growth: INMA (Spain) and RHEA (Greece) mother–child cohort studies
Authors: Chatzi Leda , Mendez Michelle , Garcia Raquel , Roumeliotaki Theano , Ibarluzea Jesús , Tardón Adonina , Amiano Pilar , Lertxundi Aitana , Iñiguez Carmen , Vioque Jesus , Kogevinas Manolis , Sunyer Jordi
Published: June 2011

Dietary intake of specific nutrients or food groups during pregnancy could influence fetal growth, but scant evidence is available on effects of dietary patterns. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of Mediterranean diet (MD) adherence during pregnancy on fetal growth in two population-based mother–child cohorts in Spain and Greece. We studied 2461 mother–newborn pairs from the Spanish multi-centre ‘INMA’ study (Atlantic area: INMA-Atlantic; Mediterranean area: INMA-Mediterranean), and 889 pairs from the ‘RHEA’ study in Crete, Greece. Maternal diet during pregnancy was assessed by FFQ and MD adherence was evaluated through an a priori score. Fetal growth restriction was based on a customised model, and multivariate log-binomial and linear regression models were used to adjust for several confounders. MD scores differ significantly between the cohorts with women in INMA-Atlantic reporting higher intakes of fish and dairy products, while women in the Mediterranean area reported higher intakes of cereals, vegetables and fruits. Women with high MD adherence had a significantly lower risk of delivering a fetal growth–restricted infant for weight (risk ratios: 0·5; 95 % CI 0·3, 0·9) in the INMA-Mediterranean cohort. Stratified analysis by smoking revealed that higher MD adherence increased birth weight and birth length in smoking mothers, whereas this effect was not apparent in non-smoking mothers. The results of the present study show that several types of MD exist across European Mediterranean regions. High MD adherence may modify the detrimental effect of smoking on birth size, but overall effects of diet were not universal for the studies in this analysis.
Explaining Dissent on the Supreme Court of Canada
Authors: Songer Donald R , Szmer John , Johnson Susan W
Published: June 2011

Abstract.While there is an extensive literature on the causes of dissensus on appellate courts in the US, few empirical studies exist of the causes of dissent in Canadian Supreme Court. The current study seeks to close that gap in the literature, proposing and then testing what we call a Canadian model of dissent. We find that the likelihood of dissent is strongly related to four broad factors that appear to exert independent influence on whether the Court is consensual or divided: political conflict, institutional structure, legal ambiguity in the law and variations in the leadership style of the chief justice.

Résumé.Les causes de dissension dans les cours d'appel aux États-Unis font l'objet de nombreux articles et publications, mais il existe très peu d'études empiriques sur les causes de dissidence à la Cour suprême du Canada. La présente étude vise à combler cette lacune en proposant, un modèle canadien de dissension, puis en le mettant à l'épreuve. Nous avons constaté que le risque de dissension est fortement lié à quatre facteurs genéraux qui semblent exercer une influence indépendante, que la Cour soit en accord ou divisée. Ces facteurs sont le conflit politique, la structure institutionnelle, la présence d'une ambiguité juridique dans la loi et le style de direction du juge en chef.
Reproducing Colonialism: Subject Formation and Talk Radio in English Canada
Authors: Krebs Andreas
Published: June 2011

Abstract.This paper examines how two talk radio programs—CBC'sSounds Like Canadaand Corus Radio Network'sAdler Online—work to reproduce colonialism in Canada through formation of colonial subjectivity. It proceeds through analysis of listener experience informed by postcolonial theory, and the work of Deleuze and Guattari. The mobilization of affective states by these programs, specifically sympathy and outrage, has important implications for how colonialism continues to dictate many of the terms of Canadian political discourse. If colonialism continues to be reproduced in our daily interactions with the media, this poses serious threats to Canadian multiculturalism and to the potential for realizing Aboriginal political goals.

Résumé.Cet article explore la manière dont deux émissions-débats radiophoniques (Sounds Like Canadade CBC ainsi queAdler Onlinedu réseau Corus Radio) participent à la reproduction du colonialisme au Canada en renforçant la formation d'une subjectivité coloniale. Cette recherche propose une analyse de l'expérience d'un auditeur développée conjointement avec les théories postcoloniales et les oeuvres de Deleuze et Guattari. La mobilisation d'états affectifs, plus précisément la sympathie ou l'indignation, qu'engendre l'écoute de ces émissions-débats a de nombreuses implications sur la façon dont le colonialisme continue de dicter plusieurs éléments clés du discours politique canadien. La perpétuation du colonialisme au cours de nos interactions quotidiennes avec les médias pose un risque non négligeable pour le multiculturalisme canadien et pour l'atteinte éventuelle des objectifs politiques des communautés autochtones.
Legislative Voting in the Canadian Parliament
Authors: Godbout Jean-François , Høyland Bjørn
Published: June 2011

Abstract.We analyze legislative voting in the 35th (1994–1997), 38th (2004–2005), and 39th (2006–2008) Canadian Parliaments. Using Poole's (2005) optimal classification algorithm, we locate MPs and their parties in a two-dimensional geometric model. The first dimension represents the division between governing and opposition parties that has been found in similar parliamentary systems. The second dimension captures the opposition between the Bloc Québécois and the rest of the legislature. We find a clear separation between the Reform party (and later the Conservative party) and the Bloc Québécois in the 35th and 38th Parliaments, with the Liberal and the New Democratic parties occupying the centre. However, in the 39th Parliament, the ordering changes with the Conservatives and the New Democrats near the centre, and Liberal and Bloc MPs occupying the extremes. We explain this change by the capacity of the governing party to control the legislative agenda and the recent minority governments in the House of Commons.

Résumé.Nous analysons le vote législatif au trente-cinquième (1994–1997), au trente-huitième (2004–2005) et au trente-neuvième (2006–2008) Parlement canadien. En utilisant la méthode de classification optimale développée par Poole (2005), nous situons les députés de la Chambre des communes et leurs partis dans un modèle géométrique comprenant deux dimensions. La première dimension représente le conflit entre le gouvernement et les partis d'opposition que l'on retrouve également dans d'autres systèmes parlementaires, alors que la seconde dimension correspond à l'opposition régionale qui existe entre le Bloc Québécois et les partis fédéraux. Nous constatons une nette polarité entre le Parti réformiste (et plus tard le Parti conservateur) et le Bloc Québécois au trente-cinquième et au trente-huitième Parlement, alors que le Parti libéral et le Nouveau Parti démocratique se trouvent au centre. Cependant, au trente-neuvième Parlement, nous observons un changement dans la polarité régionale, puisque ce sont maintenant les Libéraux et les Bloquistes qui occupent les deux extrémités, alors que les Conservateurs et les Néodémocrates se situent au centre. Nous expliquons ces mouvements par la capacité du gouvernement de contrôler l'agenda législatif et par les récents gouvernements minoritaires à la Chambre des communes.
Impulsivity and cognitive distortions in pathological gamblers attending the UK National Problem Gambling Clinic: a preliminary report
Authors: Michalczuk R. , Bowden-Jones H. , Verdejo-Garcia A. , Clark L.
Published: June 2011

Background

Pathological gambling (PG) is a form of behavioural addiction that has been associated with elevated impulsivity and also cognitive distortions in the processing of chance, probability and skill. We sought to assess the relationship between the level of cognitive distortions and state and trait measures of impulsivity in treatment-seeking pathological gamblers.

Method

Thirty pathological gamblers attending the National Problem Gambling Clinic, the first National Health Service clinic for gambling problems in the UK, were compared with 30 healthy controls in a case-control design. Cognitive distortions were assessed using the Gambling-Related Cognitions Scale (GRCS). Trait impulsivity was assessed using the UPPS-P, which includes scales of urgency, the tendency to be impulsive in positive or negative mood states. Delay discounting rates were taken as a state measure of impulsive choice.

Results

Pathological gamblers had elevated impulsivity on several UPPS-P subscales but effect sizes were largest (Cohen's d>1.4) for positive and negative urgency. The pathological gamblers also displayed higher levels of gambling distortions, and elevated preference for immediate rewards, compared to controls. Within the pathological gamblers, there was a strong relationship between the preference for immediate rewards and the level of cognitive distortions (R2=0.41).

Conclusions

Impulsive choice in the gamblers was correlated with the level of gambling distortions, and we hypothesize that an impulsive decision-making style may increase the acceptance of erroneous beliefs during gambling play.
Approaching the Holy with Thomas B. Dozeman and Rudolf Otto
Authors: Shah Bruno M.
Published: June 2011

This article considers Thomas B. Dozeman's ecumenically orientated and biblically situated theology of ministry (Holiness and Ministry, 2008) by assessing his utilisation of Rudolf Otto's ‘idea of the holy’. Despite significant promise, basic obstacles to appreciating Dozeman's theology of ministry appear to a Catholic perspective. In order to understand the reason for this tension, Dozeman's methodology is analysed. Because of the particular way in which he incorporates the work of Rudolf Otto on the nature of holiness, Dozeman is unable to present a model of ministry wherein ‘word’ and ‘sacrament’ exist in harmony, or a model of ministry which looks to Jesus Christ for its formal type – two issues which any Christian theology of ministry must find problematic. In general, ecumenical and ministerial theologies are ill served by methodologies which are based in a transcendental anthropology of holy experience.
Albert Camus: The challenge of the unbeliever
Authors: Blackburn Vivienne
Published: June 2011

Albert Camus (1913–60), novelist, essayist, journalist and member of the French Resistance, reflected in his work the turbulent period through which he lived. His powerful portrayal of a world dominated by violence and suffering resonates with us today. An atheist, Camus had been, as a young man, drawn to the Christian faith: his postgraduate thesis was on the development of early Christianity. The thesis reveals the nature of the attraction which the faith held for Camus, and the unresolved problems which prevented him from embracing it. In maturity, Camus sought rather to convince fellow human beings of the need to work together to reduce suffering, without relying on belief in a transcendent being. He respected Christians, however, and welcomed dialogue with them. This article examines the possible basis for such dialogue revealed by the thesis. It goes on to consider the possibilities opened up by contemporary theology for dialogue between Christians and those unbelievers who share the perspective, the doubts and concerns of Albert Camus.
Explaining the Accountability of Independent Agencies: The Importance of Political Salience
Authors: Koop Christel
Published: June 2011

Independent agencies are exempted from the accountability mechanisms inherent in the ministerial hierarchy. To compensate for this, politicians incorporate all kinds of information and reporting requirements into the statutes of the organizations. However, the degree to which this occurs varies considerably, which raises the question: Why are some agencies are made more accountable than others? This study examines the impact of political salience on degrees of accountability, controlling for other potential explanations. Using original data on 103 independent agencies in the Netherlands, the analysis demonstrates that salience has a twofold effect. First, agencies dealing with more salient issues are made more politically accountable. Second, agencies whose statutes are written when the issue of accountability is more salient are also subject to higher degrees of accountability. Other explanatory factors are the number of veto players and the legal basis of the organization.
Nonprobabilistic anytime algorithm for high-quality trajectories in high-dimensional spaces
Authors: Vázquez Andrés S. , Adán Antonio
Published: June 2011

This paper proposes a feasible variation of approximate grid-based path-planning methods, which have been replaced with probabilistic methods nowadays, due mainly to their impracticality in high-dimensional spaces. Our aim is to demonstrate that, with an incremental exploration of the CSpace by means of Interpolated walk primitives and ANY-Time algorithms, we can generate – online – high-quality solutions that can be compared with probabilistic methods and can even improve some aspects, such as the completeness. Computational time, path smoothness, path clearance, and path distance are the qualifiers used to evaluate the path planner. These quality factors are critical in robotics. In fact, in both mobile and industrial robots, the computational time is a primary requirement to work online, the clearance gives security to the movements of the robot, and the smoothness can prolong the life of the mechanical components. Our method has been compared to probabilistic path planners, with the feasibility and benefits of our algorithm being proved in terms of the quality factors aforementioned.
The Job Market and Placement in Political Science in
2009–10
Authors: Diascro Jennifer Segal
Published: June 2011

There may be no greater concern in political science than the state
of the job market. Particularly for newly minted Ph.D.s, the number
and type of jobs available and their possibility of success on the
market are sources of great anxiety. Similarly, department chairs,
graduate directors, and dissertation chairs struggle as they make
choices about recruiting faculty and students and determine how to
advise their students as they progress toward their degrees. These
concerns are common in most years, but they have been especially
salient in the last several years, when the economic downturn has
affected nearly every aspect of higher education. The purpose of
this report is to present data that will assist faculty and students
in navigating the political science employment landscape.
La Follette's Autobiography: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly, and the Glorious
Authors: Unger Nancy C.
Published: June 2011

La Follette's Autobiography: A Personal Narrative of Political Experiences is a remarkable primary document of the Progressive Era. Originally published in 1913, it remains in print today and has the dubious honor of being one of Richard Nixon's three favorite books. It illuminates the crucial role that La Follette's home state of Wisconsin played in molding La Follette as a man and as a politician, thereby influencing his national progressive agenda; but it also reveals much more.
Adjusting Astronomical Practices: The “Carte du Ciel”, the democratic rules and the circulation of opinions at the end 19th century
Authors: Lamy Jérôme
Published: June 2011

Launched in 1887, the “Carte du Ciel” was an international project aiming at photographing the entirety of the celestial vault. Tasks required for this huge undertaking were divided among 18 observatories around the globe. Instruments were standardized and a series of international conferences established operating modes and prescribed norms to be followed everywhere. In each observatory, however, the drive toward uniformity ran into a variety of minor technical and practical problems. In this paper, we examine the strategies mobilized by observers to tinker with stated rules and adapt them to their own experience as astronomers. To underscore the tension between normative prescriptions and individual practices, we consider theBulletin of the Permanent International Committee for the execution of the Carte du Cielas an informal forum where various queries raised and arrangements adopted were shared among the scientific community.
The creation of the International Astronomical Union as a result of scientific diplomacy
Authors: Saint-Martin Arnaud
Published: June 2011

After World War I, the foundation of the International Astronomical Union delimited a space for a new form of internationality, which led to a rapid change in the way astronomical research had previously been pursued. This structure was to be a sort of parliament of astronomical nations which planned to supervise scientific programs and to rationalise inter-observatory cooperation. In this article, I will discuss the sociological aspects of this institutional process and introduce the idea of ‘scientific diplomacy’.
From Giza to the Pantheon: astronomy as a key to the architectural projects of the ancient past
Authors: Magli Giulio
Published: June 2011

In many of the “wonders” of our past, information about their meaning and scope has been encoded in the form of astronomical alignments to celestial bodies. Therefore, in many cases, understanding the ideas of the ancient architects turns out to be connected with the study of the relationship of their cultures with the sky. This is the aim of archaeoastronomy, a discipline which is a quite efficacious tool in unraveling the original projects of many monuments. This issue is briefly discussed here by means of three examples taken from three completely different cultures and historical periods: the so-called “air shafts” of the Great Pyramid, the urban layout of the capital of the Incas, and the design of the Pantheon.
Michelangelo, Copernicus and the Sistine chapel
Authors: Shrimplin Valerie
Published: June 2011

It is argued that Copernican astronomy is a key theme in Michelangelo's fresco of the Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel, and was incorporated with the knowledge, consent and approval of the Popes concerned. In Christian art, the iconography of the Last Judgment (depicting the three parts of the universe: heaven, Earth and hell) was traditionally based on a layered structure relating to perceptions of the flat Earth covered by the dome of heaven according to biblical cosmology. In Michelangelo's revolutionary work, Christ is significantly depicted as a beardless Apollonian Sun-god, positioned in the centre of a dramatic circular design rather than at the top of a layered format. This appears to relate to the traditional Christian analogy between the deity and the astronomical feature of the sun, the neoplatonic cult of Sun-symbolism and sources in Dante. More importantly, the influence of the Copernican theory of heliocentricity is argued, since interest in such ideas in papal circles is demonstrated at exactly the time of the commission of the painting (1533). This provides important evidence of papal support for Copernican heliocentricity as early as the 1530s.
The Harmony of the Spheres from Pythagoras to Voyager
Authors: Proust Dominique
Published: June 2011

We present the strong links between music and astronomy over 25 centuries.
Astronomy, technology development and industry
Authors: Vigroux Laurent
Published: June 2011

Astronomy is perhaps the best example of fundamental research aiming to increase our knowledge well beyond our human neighborhood. But astronomy is also a Big Science, which is partly technology-driven. Progress in observational capabilities is due to progress in detectors, telescopes, satellites, etc. I use three examples –radio astronomy, adaptive optics and detectors– to describe the complex interactions between astronomy, technology development and industry. I conclude by a short description of the global economic impact of astronomy.
Improving the scientific literacy of Aboriginal students through astronomy
Authors: Bhathal Ragbir
Published: June 2011

Seventy per cent of Aboriginal students drop out of school before the end of their secondary school years and very few go on to do science at the Higher School Certificate level. As a result of this statistics reveal that only 0.003% of the 9000 university science graduates in 2005 in Australia were of Aboriginal origin. This paper discusses an astronomy project which seeks to improve the scientific literacy of Aboriginal students so as to motivate them to take up careers in science and engineering.
Astronomical education in Tajikistan. Project TAJASTRO
Authors: Ibadinov Khursandkul I. , Rahmonov A. A.
Published: June 2011

The centre of astronomy in Tajikistan is the Institute of Astrophysics of the Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan. This institute carries out scientific research and contributes to the preparation of the astronomical staff and to astronomical education. The reform of education in Tajikistan continues and now astronomy is studied in schools (together with physics) and at universities. The Tajik State Pedagogical University resumed in 2007 the training of teachers in physics and astronomy. Since 1999 the Tajik National University (TNU) offers a a specialty in astronomy. In 2006 is restored the Small Academy of Sciences (SAS) of Tajikistan. There is a planetarium in Khujand and in 2006 the Institute of Astrophysics, TNU and the Astronomical Society of Tajikistan, along with the support IBSP/UNESCO, organised the Training Methodical Center (TMC) “TAJASTRO” at the Hisar astronomical observatory for students, graduate students, young scientists, and teachers at secondary schools.
Popularising astronomy in Iran
Authors: Tafreshi Babak A.
Published: June 2011

The interest to astronomy has incredibly risen in the younger generation of Iranians during the last two decades. By the end of the devastating war with Iraq, science popularisation activities started again in Iran and with only a handful of astronomers and few dozens of serious amateur astronomers in the whole country in late 1980s now there are thousands of amateur astronomers (60% female on average) and over 100 professional astronomers propelling the fun and science of astronomy in the society.
Astrokeltoi: an archaeoastronomical project in the Celtiberian area
Authors: Mejuto Javier , Cerdeño Maria Luisa , Caderot Gracia Rodríguez , Rodríguez César
Published: June 2011

We present an archaeoastronomical project as a part of a cultural heritage project on Celtiberian cultures. Following a study on the Iron Age's sky and its relationship with Celtiberian cultures, we present the Celtiberian Archaeological Route. This information is presented to visitors in relation to the landscape and the archaeological site. The ASTROKELTOI project attempts to link the archaeoastronomical popularisation to its cultural and historical frameworks.
Introducing astronomy: a way to renovate school curricula
Authors: Godunova Vira
Published: June 2011

One of the most urgent tasks facing society today is to make science more attractive to the younger generation and to foster the continuous improvement of the knowledge and skills. These objectives assume ever greater importance because, firstly, young people are opting less and less for scientific studies, secondly, we need to establish new starting points for them in order that they could better understand and improve our changing world. To achieve these aims, it is necessary to expand innovation in secondary education. In this paper, a few suggestions, which can help assess and prioritize the usefulness of astronomy-related material for improving the educational process, are presented.
The Effect of Owning Animals on Perceived Vulnerability to, and Avoidance of, Parasitic Diseases in Humans
Authors: Prokop Pavol , Fančovičová Jana
Published: June 2011

The evolutionary history of humans has always been influenced by pathogens because of their ability to cause both morbidity and mortality. Natural selection should favor behavioral strategies that minimize disease transmission and consequently increase human survival. Collectively such strategies are referred to as the behavioral immune system, which is thought to be more often activated in individuals with an impaired immune system who are most vulnerable to pathogens and infectious diseases. We investigated the associations between an individual’s perceived vulnerability to disease, whether they own any animals, and whether they carry out behavioral tactics to avoid parasite transmission. A sample of 285 Slovakian students participated in a questionnaire study. As predicted, antipathogen behavior was activated in individuals with a high perceived vulnerability to disease. Females showed higher antiparasitic scores than males especially when behaviors were most likely to transmit disease. Individuals who owned animals perceived themselves as less vulnerable to disease as well as less vulnerable to the perceptions of those who did not own any animals. Moreover, among animal owners scores for parasite-avoiding behaviors relevant to being in close contact with an animal (such as removing animal feces and worming animals) were higher than for parasite-transmitting behaviors relevant to being in close contact with an animal (such as allowing animals to lick). We discuss the results, further taking into account both the model of natural selection and the coevolutionary arms race model.
Intelligence Differentiation in Early Childhood
Authors: Hülür Gizem , Wilhelm Oliver , Robitzsch Alexander
Published: June 2011

According to the age differentiation hypothesis, cognitive abilities become more differentiated with increasing age during childhood. Using data from the German standardization of the SON-R 2½–7 intelligence test, we examined age-related differentiation of cognitive abilities from age 2½ to age 7. The SON-R 2½–7 is a nonverbal intelligence test for children and consists of six subtests. SON-R 2½–7 supposedly has a two-factorial structure, with a reasoning and a performance factor. We used age-weighted measurement models to describe the age gradients of model parameter estimates. In line with the differentiation hypothesis, we observed a decrease in the correlation between both factors with increasing age. We tested the significance of this observed decrease using a permutation test. Participants were allocated age randomly in 1,000 datasets. Age-weighted measurement models were estimated to observe the age gradients of the correlation between the two factors in these datasets. The results of the permutation test show that the decrease in the correlation observed in the real dataset is significant but of small magnitude. The findings provide some support for intelligence differentiation with increasing childhood age.
Centennial‐ to millennial‐scale ice‐ocean interactions in the subpolar northeast Atlantic 18–41 kyr ago
Authors: Hall I. R. , Colmenero‐Hidalgo E. , Zahn R. , Peck V. L. , Hemming S. R.
Published: June 2011

In order to monitor the evolution of the British‐Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS) and its influence in surface ocean structure during marine isotopic stages (MIS) 2 and 3, we have analyzed the sediments recovered in core MD04‐2829CQ (Rosemary Bank, north Rockall Trough, northeast Atlantic) dated between ∼41 and ∼18 ka B.P. Ice‐rafted debris flux and composition,40Ar/39Ar ages of individual hornblende grains, multispecies planktonic stable isotope records, planktonic foraminifera assemblage data and faunal‐based sea surface temperatures (SSTs) demonstrate a close interaction between BIIS dynamics and surface ocean structure and water properties in this region. The core location lies beneath the North Atlantic Current (NAC) and is ideal for monitoring the shifts in the position of its associated oceanic fronts, as recorded by faunal changes. These data reveal a succession of BIIS‐sourced iceberg calving events related to low SST, usually synchronous with dramatic changes in the composition of the planktonic foraminifera assemblage and with variations in the stable isotope records of the taxaNeogloboquadrina pachyderma(sinistral coiling) andGlobigerina bulloides. The pacing of the calving events, from typically Dansgaard‐Oeschger millennial timescales during late MIS 3 to multicentennial cyclicity from ∼28 ka B.P., represents the build‐up of the BIIS and its growing instability toward Heinrich Event (HE) 2 and the Last Glacial Maximum. Our data confirm the strong coupling between BIIS instabilities and the temperature and salinity of surface waters in the adjacent northeast Atlantic and demonstrate the BIIS's ability to modify the NAC on its flow toward the Nordic Seas. In contrast, subsurface water masses were less affected except during the Greenland stadials that contain HEs, when most intense water column reorganizations occurred simultaneously with the deposition of cream‐colored carbonate sourced from the Laurentide Ice Sheet.
Optimal dynamic water allocation: Irrigation extractions and environmental tradeoffs in the Murray River, Australia
Authors: Grafton R. Quentin , Chu Hoang Long , Stewardson Michael , Kompas Tom
Published: June 2011

A key challenge in managing semiarid basins, such as in the Murray‐Darling in Australia, is to balance the trade‐offs between the net benefits of allocating water for irrigated agriculture, and other uses, versus the costs of reduced surface flows for the environment. Typically, water planners do not have the tools to optimally and dynamically allocate water among competing uses. We address this problem by developing a general stochastic, dynamic programming model with four state variables (the drought status, the current weather, weather correlation, and current storage) and two controls (environmental release and irrigation allocation) to optimally allocate water between extractions and in situ uses. The model is calibrated to Australia's Murray River that generates: (1) a robust qualitative result that “pulse” or artificial flood events are an optimal way to deliver environmental flows over and above conveyance of base flows; (2) from 2001 to 2009 a water reallocation that would have given less to irrigated agriculture and more to environmental flows would have generated between half a billion and over 3 billion U.S. dollars in overall economic benefits; and (3) water markets increase optimal environmental releases by reducing the losses associated with reduced water diversions.
Sonar images hydrothermal vents in seafloor observatory
Authors: Rona Peter , Light Russ
Published: June 2011

Hydrothermal plumes venting from black smokers and diffuse flow discharging from the surrounding area of the seafloor are important as agents of transfer of heat, chemicals, and biological material from the crust into the ocean in quantitatively significant amounts [Elderfield and Schultz, 1996]. An unprecedented time series of three‐dimensional (3‐D) volume images of plumes rising tens of meters from black smoker vents and of concurrent 2‐D maps of diffuse flow discharging from surrounding areas of the seafloor illuminates the turbulent behavior of hydrothermal fluid transfer into the ocean (seeFigure 1).
Improving use of satellite data in evaluating climate models
Authors: Gleckler Peter , Ferraro Robert , Waliser Duane
Published: June 2011

U.S. Department of Energy—NASA Workshop; Livermore, California, 12–13 October 2010; Observations are essential for the development and evaluation of climate models, and satellite measurements provide uniquely comprehensive data for both purposes. The objective of a recent U.S. Department of Energy—NASA workshop was to better enable a diverse research community to exploit the wealth of NASA products that are relevant for climate model evaluation. The meeting brought together data experts from 20 NASA instrument and data teams with the staff of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's Program for Climate Model Diagnosis and Intercomparison (PCMDI).
Positrons observed to originate from thunderstorms
Authors: Fishman Gerald J.
Published: June 2011

Thunderstorms are the result of warm, moist air moving rapidly upward, then cooling and condensing. Electrification occurs within thunderstorms (as noted by Benjamin Franklin), produced primarily by frictional processes among ice particles. This leads to lightning discharges; the types, intensities, and rates of these discharges vary greatly among thunderstorms. Even though scientists have been studying lightning since Franklin's time, new phenomena associated with thunderstorms are still being discovered. In particular, a recent finding by Briggs et al. [2011], based on observations by the Gamma‐Ray Burst Monitor (GBM) instrument on NASA's satellite‐based Fermi Gamma‐ray Space Telescope (Fermi), shows that positrons are also generated by thunderstorms. Positrons are the antimatter form of electrons—they have the same mass and charge as an electron but are of positive rather than negative charge; hence the name positron. Observations of positrons from thunderstorms may lead to a new tool for understanding the electrification and high‐energy processes occurring within thunderstorms. New theories, along with new observational techniques, are rapidly evolving in this field.
Honors
Authors: Anonymous
Published: June 2011

Among the new members elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in May are five AGU members: Richard Edwards, George and Orpha Gibson Chair of Earth Systems Sciences and Distinguished McKnight University Professor, Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; T. Mark Harrison, director, Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, and professor of geology, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles; David Sandwell, professor of geophysics, Institute for Geophysics and Planetary Physics, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla (president of the AGU Geodesy section); Benjamin Santer, physicist and atmospheric scientist, Program for Climate Model Diagnosis and Intercomparison, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, Calif.; and Steven Wofsy, Abbott Lawrence Rotch Professor of Atmospheric and Environmental Science, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. Four AGU members are among the 2011 prizewinners announced by the Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS) of the American Astronomical Society on 19 May. The prizes will be presented at the joint meeting of DPS and the European Planetary Science Congress in October. William Ward of the Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Tex., is the recipient of the Gerard P. Kuiper Prize for outstanding contributions to the field of planetary science. DPS indicated that Ward originally proposed and evaluated “many dynamical processes that are now cornerstones of current theories of how planets form and evolve” and that his “visionary ideas form the foundation for a significant portion of current work in planetary formation and dynamics.”
Research Spotlight: Lightning not detected on Titan
Authors: Tretkoff Ernie
Published: June 2011

Scientists have speculated that lightning on Saturn's moon Titan could produce changes in atmospheric chemistry and could even spark production of organic compounds that could be precursors to the evolution of life, but so far there has been no conclusive detection of lightning on Titan. Extending previous searches for lightning on Titan, Fischer and Gurnett analyzed radio data up to the 72nd close flyby of Titan by the Cassini spacecraft. They found no evidence of lightning and concluded that if lightning occurs at all on Titan, it is probably a very rare event. (Geophysical Research Letters, doi:10.1029/2011GL047316, 2011)