bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The early Ludfordian leintwardinensis graptolite Event and the Gorstian–Ludfordian boundary in Bohemia (Silurian, Czech Republic)
Authors: Štorch Petr , Manda Štěpán , Loydell David K.
Published: February 2014

The late Gorstian to early Ludfordian hemipelagic succession of the south‐eastern part of the Prague Synform preserves a rich fossil record dominated by 28 species of planktic graptoloids associated with pelagic myodocopid ostracods, pelagic and nektobenthic orthocerid cephalopods, epibyssate bivalves, nektonic phyllocarids, rare dendroid graptolites, brachiopods, crinoids, trilobites, sponges and macroalgae. Faunal dynamics have been studied with particular reference to graptolites. The early Ludfordian leintwardinensis graptolite extinction Event manifests itself as a stepwise turnover of a moderate diversity graptolite fauna rather than an abrupt destruction of a flourishing biota. The simultaneous extinction of the spinose saetograptids Saetograptus clavulus, Saetograptus leintwardinensis and the rare S. sp. B. at the top of the S. leintwardinensis Zone was preceded by a short‐term acme of S. clavulus. Cucullograptus cf. aversus and C. rostratus vanished from the fossil record in the lower part of the Bohemograptus tenuis Biozone. No mass proliferation of Bohemograptus has been observed in the postextinction interval. Limited indigenous speciation gave rise to Pseudomonoclimacis kosoviensis and Pseudomonoclimacis cf. dalejensis. Egregiograptus (the only novel element of cryptic origin) made its earliest occurrence in association with the latest cucullograptids. A postextinction graptolite assemblage of moderate diversity, composed for the most part of long‐ranging taxa, persisted through the middle and upper tenuis Biozone until new rediversification in the Neocucullograptus inexpectatus Biozone. Unlike the graptoloids, the planktic, epiplanktic, nektonic and nektobenthic shelly fauna did not suffer significant extinction in the early Ludfordian. The Gorstian–Ludfordian boundary is placed at the lowest occurrence of S. leintwardinensis in spite of the very modest graptolite record available from the Ludfordian GSSP where no graptolites occur below the basal bed of the Lower Leintwardine Formation. Elsewhere, the Gorstian–Ludfordian boundary has been placed at the base of the Saetograptus linearis Biozone which has been considered roughly correlative with the leintwardinensis Biozone. Indeed, our morphometric study places the worldwide biozonal index species S. linearis in synonymy with S. leintwardinensis and thus considerably enhances the biostratigraphical utility of the latter index species. Pseudomonoclimacis antiqua sp. nov. is described.
Structural Dynamic Deflection Measurement With Range Cameras
Authors: Qi Xiaojuan , Lichti Derek D. , El‐Badry Mamdouh , Chan Ting On , El‐Halawany Sherif Ibrahim , Lahamy Hervé , Steward Jeremy
Published: February 2014

Time‐of‐flight range cameras offer numerous advantages for the measurement of dynamic phenomena, thanks to their ability to directly measure three‐dimensional coordinates of objects at video rates using only one sensor. This paper reports the results of an investigation into the development of a range camera based system for measuring the deflection of reinforced concrete beams subjected to cyclic fatigue loading. New data segmentation methods and reconstruction algorithms have been developed to reconstruct the time‐dependent displacement of the beam with sub‐millimetre amplitude and millihertz‐level frequency precision and accuracy in all three dimensions along the entire beam length. Moreover, sub‐millimetre changes in displacement measurements due to stiffness degradation caused by fatigue are also reported.
Desiccation provides photosynthetic protection for crust cyanobacteria Microcoleus vaginatus from high temperature
Authors: Lan Shubin , Wu Li , Zhang Delu , Hu Chunxiang
Published: February 2014

As the dominant cyanobacterial species in biological soil crusts (BSCs), Microcoleus vaginatus often suffer from many stress conditions, such as desiccation and high temperature. In this study, the activities of light‐harvesting complexes (LHCs) and reaction centers of photosystem II (PS II) in crust cyanobacteria M. vaginatus were monitored under high temperature and desiccation conditions using chlorophyll fluorescence technology. The results showed that all the fluorescence signals were significantly inhibited by high temperature or desiccation treatments. Under high temperature conditions, it was further demonstrated that PS II reaction centers were first destructed within the first hour, then the LHCs gradually dissociated and free phycocyanin formed within 1–5 h, and the activities of all the light harvesting and reaction center pigment proteins were fully suppressed after 24 h of high temperature treatment. Furthermore, the high temperature treated M. vaginatus lost its ability to recover photosynthetic activity. On the contrary, although desiccation also led to the loss of photosynthetic activity in M. vaginatus, after rehydration in the light the fluorescence parameters including Fo, Fv and Fv/Fm could be well recovered within 12 h. It was concluded that desiccation could provide crust cyanobacteria M. vaginatus some protection from other stresses, such as high temperature demonstrated in this experiment. The combine of temperature change and precipitation pattern in the field provide a guarantee for the alternate metabolism and inactivity in crust cyanobacteria. That may be a very important strategy for the survival of crust cyanobacteria in high temperature regions.
Temporal features of elevated hair cortisol among earthquake survivors
Authors: Gao Wei , Zhong Ping , Xie Qiaozhen , Wang Haiyang , Jin Jing , Deng Huihua , Lu Zuhong
Published: February 2014

This study aimed to determine the effect on hair cortisol level of a chronic stress response from the Wenchuan earthquake, and to explore the temporal features of elevated hair cortisol. We recruited two cohorts of earthquake survivors: cohort A consisted of 12 male adults and 8 females and cohort B of 20 male adolescents, with 23 and 29 participants as controls, respectively. Their hair samples closest to the scalp were assayed with mass spectrometry to determine cortisol content. Results revealed that hair cortisol content in survivors of cohort A was significantly higher than in the control. For survivors of cohort B, hair cortisol levels increased 6 and 22 weeks after the earthquake and decreased 43 weeks after the outburst. In conclusion, the chronic stress response elicited by the earthquake resulted in elevated hair cortisol. Timing since the earthquake outburst played an important role in the long‐term response of the HPA axis to a major acute stressor.
Neuroticism relates to daytime wakefulness and sleep devaluation via high neurophysiological efficiency in the bilateral prefrontal cortex: A preliminary study
Authors: Yoshiike Takuya , Kuriyama Kenichi , Honma Motoyasu , Ikeda Hiroki , Kim Yoshiharu
Published: February 2014

Higher wake promotion against sleep drive boosts cognitive processing, but it also seems to increase the risk of insomnia by reinforcing an obsession with sleep in neurotic patients. To explore whether a personality trait of neuroticism simultaneously facilitates wake‐promoting ability and sleep devaluation via a common regional prefrontal function under a sleep‐restricted condition, working memory tasks were administered to 49 healthy humans after a 2‐h sleep restriction. Higher wake‐promoting ability demonstrated in a high‐load task was correlated with lower bilateral prefrontal activation, as measured by near‐infrared spectroscopy. Structural equation modeling revealed that neuroticism predicts sleep devaluation and wake‐promoting ability via left and right regional prefrontal efficiency, respectively. Our results indicate that neuroticism‐related neural efficiency increases resilience to sleepiness, but decreases sleep satisfaction.
Preparation for action: Psychophysiological activity preceding a motor skill as a function of expertise, performance outcome, and psychological pressure
Authors: Cooke Andrew , Kavussanu Maria , Gallicchio Germano , Willoughby Adrian , McIntyre David , Ring Christopher
Published: February 2014

Knowledge of the psychophysiological responses that characterize optimal motor performance is required to inform biofeedback interventions. This experiment compared cortical, cardiac, muscular, and kinematic activity in 10 experts and 10 novices as they performed golf putts in low‐ and high‐pressure conditions. Results revealed that in the final seconds preceding movement, experts displayed a greater reduction in heart rate and EEG theta, high‐alpha, and beta power, when compared to novices. EEG high‐alpha power also predicted success, with participants producing less high‐alpha power in the seconds preceding putts that were holed compared to those that were missed. Increased pressure had little impact on psychophysiological activity. It was concluded that greater reductions in EEG high‐alpha power during preparation for action reflect more resources being devoted to response programming, and could underlie successful accuracy‐based performance.
An ERP study on initial second language vocabulary learning
Authors: Yum Yen Na , Midgley Katherine J. , Holcomb Phillip J. , Grainger Jonathan
Published: February 2014

This study examined the very initial phases of orthographic and semantic acquisition in monolingual native English speakers learning Chinese words under controlled laboratory conditions. Participants engaged in 10 sessions of vocabulary learning, four of which were used to obtain ERPs. Performance in behavioral tests improved over sessions, and these data were used to define fast and slow learners. Most important is that ERPs in the two groups of learners revealed qualitatively distinct learning patterns. Only fast learners showed a left‐lateralized increase in N170 amplitude with training. Furthermore, only fast learners showed an increased N400 amplitude with training, with a distinct anterior distribution. Slow learners, on the other hand, showed a posterior positive effect, with increasingly positive‐going waveforms in occipital sites as training progressed. Possible mechanisms underlying these qualitative differences are discussed.
Not just noise: Individual differences in general startle reactivity predict startle response to uncertain and certain threat
Authors: Bradford Daniel E. , Kaye Jesse T. , Curtin John J.
Published: February 2014

General startle reactivity reflects defensive reactivity independent of affective foreground. We examined the relationship between general startle reactivity and startle response to threat in three tasks with distinct manipulations of threat uncertainty. General startle reactivity was a stronger predictor of startle response during threat (vs. no threat) and uncertain (vs. certain threat). These results confirm that including general startle reactivity in our analyses can increase the power and/or precision to test effects of other focal experimental manipulations or grouping variables. Moreover, this suggests that individual differences in defensive reactivity moderate responding to threats of various types in our environment. As such, individual differences in general startle reactivity may index important psychological attributes related to trait affectivity, premorbid vulnerability for psychopathology, and manifest psychopathology.
Prefrontal‐posterior coupling while observing the suffering of other people, and the development of intrusive memories
Authors: Reiser Eva M. , Weiss Elisabeth M. , Schulter Günter , Holmes Emily A. , Fink Andreas , Papousek Ilona
Published: February 2014

Witnessing the suffering of others, for instance, in hospital emergency rooms but also through televised images in news or reality programs, may be associated with the occurrence of later intrusive memories. The factors contributing to why some people develop intrusive memories and others do not are still poorly understood. N = 121 healthy women were exposed to film scenes showing the suffering of dying, severely injured, and mourning people while their EEG was recorded. Individuals showing greater decreases of functional coupling between prefrontal and posterior cortices (greater decreases of EEG beta coherences) reported more intrusive memories of the witnessed events. This was shown for intrusions in the short term (immediately after viewing the film) as well as in the medium term (intrusive memories over 1 week). The findings illuminate brain mechanisms involved in the encoding of information in ways that make intrusive memories more likely.
Team control mode, workers' creativity, and new product innovativeness
Authors: Chiang Yun‐Hwa , Hung Kuang‐Peng
Published: February 2014

Scholars of creativity and innovation argue that successful innovations originate from the creative ideas of workers. However, few studies have empirically examined how management mechanisms, such as the control mode adopted by the new product development team, may work together with workers' creativity to deliver a successful new product. Drawing on the theory of opposing action strategies of team innovation, we propose that different team control modes may work together with team members' creativity to jointly influence the innovativeness of teamwork outcomes. With survey data collected from different sources in new product development teams, we find that restrictive control can effectively help teams composed of very creative members to successfully develop innovative new products. Conversely, promotive control can effectively help teams composed of less creative members to deliver innovative new products.
Computed tomography assessment of airway dimensions with combined tiotropium and indacaterol therapy in COPD patients
Authors: Hoshino Makoto , Ohtawa Junichi
Published: February 2014

Background and objective

Combining a long‐acting muscarinic antagonist with a long‐acting β2‐agonist has been shown to be pharmacologically useful in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the dual bronchodilator therapy on airway dimensions in COPD.

Methods

Patients (n = 54) were randomly assigned to receive tiotropium (18 μg once daily), indacaterol (150 μg once daily) or tiotropium plus indacaterol for 16 weeks. Quantitative computed tomography (CT), pulmonary function and health status (St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire) were measured.

Results

Compared with tiotropium or indacaterol alone, combination therapy resulted in a significant decrease in percentage wall area (WA%) and wall thickness, corrected for body surface area, and an increase in luminal area (Ai/BSA). Concurrent treatment was superior to monotherapy in physiological indices, including forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and inspiratory capacity. The changes in WA% and Ai/BSA were significantly correlated with changes in FEV1 (r = −0.44, P < 0.01 and r = 0.37, P < 0.01). There were more significant improvements in SGRQ scores after treatment with combined therapy than with either treatment alone.

Conclusions

Concurrent therapy with tiotropium and indacaterol is effective for COPD patients to promote reduction in airway wall thickness, bronchodilation, and improvements in lung function compared with a single inhaler.
Spillovers from Foreign Direct Investment in Spanish Manufacturing Firms
Authors: Sánchez‐Sellero Pedro , Rosell‐Martínez Jorge , García‐Vázquez José Manuel
Published: February 2014

This paper examines the effect of participation by foreign capital and the spillovers from a foreign presence on the technical progress of Spanish manufacturing firms. The results show that foreign direct investment (FDI) creates positive spillover effects for local firms, and when the presence of foreign capital and the absorptive capacity of spillovers from FDI are large, more technical progress ensues. Also, local companies in capital‐ and research and development (R&D)‐intensive industries experience larger positive FDI spillovers. For these reasons, government policies should aim to attract FDI, especially in the aforementioned industries.
Pensions for Singles and Couples
Authors: Bradbury Bruce
Published: February 2014

Retirement policies often seek to set pensions at levels that enable single and married pensioners to have the same standard of living. The existing literature on consumer equivalence scales provides little assistance in reaching this policy objective, as the estimated scales are both imprecise and reliant upon strong and opaque assumptions. This paper proposes an alternative modeling strategy which has low data requirements and involves the use of detailed, but transparent, assumptions about the extent of joint consumption of particular commodities. These assumptions are embedded in an economic model of household consumption and combined with household expenditure data to calculate consumer equivalence scales. It is estimated that, in 2003–04, Australian couples of Age Pension age who owned their own home needed expenditures between 1.32 and 1.60 times that of a single person. These scales were lower than those used in the pension system.
Evaluation of elastic bands for lower extremity resistance training in adults with and without musculo‐skeletal pain
Authors: Sundstrup E. , Jakobsen M. D. , Andersen C. H. , Bandholm T. , Thorborg K. , Zebis M. K. , Andersen L. L.
Published: February 2014

Therapists commonly use elastic bands in resistance exercises during rehabilitation of smaller muscles, such as in the shoulder. However, the effectiveness has not yet been investigated for larger muscle groups. This study investigates muscle activity during lower extremity exercises. Electromyographic (EMG) activity of 10 muscles was measured in 24 women and 18 men during lunges with elastic resistance, lunges with dumbbells, and unilateral leg press in machine using 10 repetition maximum loadings, and normalized to maximal voluntary isometric contraction EMG. Lunges with dumbbells and leg press showed higher activity than lunges with elastic resistance for the vasti and rectus femoris (P < 0.01), whereas lunges with elastic resistance showed higher activity of gluteus maximus, hamstrings, and erector spinae (P < 0.01). Gender, age, and pain in the knees and hip did not influence these findings. However, pain in the lower back decreased muscular activity of the gluteus maximus and vastus medialis (P < 0.01). Lunges with elastic resistance induce high levels of muscle activity in all the large muscle groups at the hip, knee, and back. Importantly, the efficiency of these exercises was equally high regardless of gender, age, and pain in the knees and hip, whereas pain in the lower back led to altered activation strategies.
Detection of a novel killer‐cell immunoglobulin‐like receptor allele – KIR3DL1*0150207 – in Asian individuals
Authors: Wang L. , Yan H. , Dong T. , Rowland‐Jones S. L. , Yindom L.‐M.
Published: February 2014

KIR3DL1*0150207 differs from KIR3DL1*0150201 at five nucleotide positions in introns 2, 3, 4 and 5, respectively.
A new HLA‐A*02 allele, A*02:465
Authors: Park B. G. , Oh H.‐B. , Jun J.‐H. , Kwon O.‐J.
Published: February 2014

The new allele A*02:465 showed one nucleotide difference with A*02:06:01 (172G>A).
Identification of a new HLA allele, HLA‐B*13:70, in a Chinese individual
Authors: Gao C. , Li M. , Zhao X. , Li F. , Luo L.
Published: February 2014

HLA‐B*13:70 differs from HLA‐B*13:02:01 by one nucleotide (A to G) at nucleotide position 329 in exon 2.
Description of the novel HLA‐DPB1*166:01 allele identified by sequence‐based typing
Authors: Deng Z.‐H. , Zhen J.‐X. , Xu Y.‐P. , Zhao J.
Published: February 2014

The novel HLA‐DPB1*166:01 allele differs from the closest allele DPB1*152:01 by a single missense mutation at CDS nt 315G>A in exon 2.
The household‐level economic burden of heart disease in India
Authors: Karan Anup , Engelgau Michael , Mahal Ajay
Published: February 2014

Objectives

To estimate healthcare use and financial burden associated with heart disease among Indian households.

Methods

Data from the 2004 round household survey of the National Sample Survey in India were used to assess the implications of heart disease for out‐of‐pocket health spending, spending on items other than health care, employment and healthcare financing patterns, by matching households with a member self‐reporting heart disease (cardiovascular disease (CVD)‐affected households) to (control) households with similar socio‐economic and demographic characteristics. Propensity score matching methods were used.

Results

Compared with control households, CVD‐affected households had more outpatient visits and inpatient stays, spent an extra INT$ (International Dollars) 232 (P < 0.01) per member on inpatient care annually, had lower non‐medical spending (by INT$5 (P < 0.01) per member for a 15‐day reference period), had a share of out‐of‐pocket health spending in total household expenditure that was 16.5% higher (P < 0.01) and relied more on borrowing and asset sales to finance inpatient care (32.7% vs. 12.8%, P < 0.01). Members of CVD‐affected households had lower employment rates than members of control households (43.6% vs. 46.4%, P < 0.01), and elderly members experienced larger declines in employment than younger adults. CVD‐affected households with lower socio‐economic status were at heightened financial risk.

Conclusion

Non‐communicable conditions such as CVD can impose a serious economic burden on Indian households.
A pilot study to evaluate aflatoxin exposure in a rural Ugandan population
Authors: Asiki Gershim , Seeley Janet , Srey Chou , Baisley Kathy , Lightfoot Tracy , Archileo Kaaya , Agol Dorice , Abaasa Andrew , Wakeham Katie , Routledge Michael N. , Wild Christopher P. , Newton Robert , Gong Yun Yun
Published: February 2014

Objectives

The fungal metabolite aflatoxin is a common contaminant of foodstuffs, especially when stored in damp conditions. In humans, high levels can result in acute hepatic necrosis and death, while chronic exposure is carcinogenic. We conducted a pilot study nested within an existing population cohort (the General Population Cohort), to assess exposure to aflatoxin, among people living in rural south‐western Uganda.

Methods

Sera from 100 adults and 96 children under 3 years of age (85 male, 111 female) were tested for aflatoxin–albumin adduct (AF‐alb), using an ELISA assay. Socio‐demographic and dietary data were obtained for all participants; HIV serostatus was available for 90 adults and liver function tests (LFTs) for 99.

Results

Every adult and all but four children had detectable AF‐alb adduct, including five babies reported to be exclusively breastfed. Levels ranged from 0 to 237.7 pg/mg albumin and did not differ significantly between men and women, by age or by HIV serostatus; 25% had levels above 15.1 pg/mg albumin. There was evidence of heterogeneity between villages (P = 0.003); those closest to trading centres had higher levels. Adults who consumed more Matooke (bananas) had lower levels of AF‐alb adduct (P = 0.02) than adults who did not, possibly because their diet contained fewer aflatoxin‐contaminated foods such as posho (made from maize). Children who consumed soya, which is not grown locally, had levels of AF‐alb adduct that were almost twice as high as those who did not eat soya (P = 0.04).

Conclusions

Exposure to aflatoxin is ubiquitous among the rural Ugandans studied, with a significant number of people having relatively high levels. Sources of exposure need to be better understood to instigate practical and sustainable interventions.
Rice LTG1 is involved in adaptive growth and fitness under low ambient temperature
Authors: Lu Guangwen , Wu Fu‐Qing , Wu Weixun , Wang Hong‐Jun , Zheng Xiao‐Ming , Zhang Yunhui , Chen Xiuling , Zhou Kunneng , Jin Mingna , Cheng Zhijun , Li Xueyong , Jiang Ling , Wang Haiyang , Wan Jianmin
Published: February 2014

Low temperature (LT) is one of the most prevalent factors limiting the productivity and geographical distribution of rice (Oryza sativa L.). Although significant progress has been made in elucidating the effect of LT on seed germination and reproductive development in rice, the genetic component affecting vegetative growth under LT remains poorly understood. Here, we report that rice cultivars harboring the dominant LTG1 (Low Temperature Growth 1) allele are more tolerant to LT (15–25°C, a temperature range prevalent in high‐altitude, temperate zones and high‐latitude areas), than those with the ltg1 allele. Using a map‐based cloning strategy, we show that LTG1 encodes a casein kinase I. A functional nucleotide polymorphism was identified in the coding region of LTG1, causing a single amino acid substitution (I357K) that is associated with the growth rate, heading date and yield of rice plants grown at LT. We present evidence that LTG1 affects rice growth at LT via an auxin‐dependent process(es). Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis of this locus suggests that the ltg1 haplotype arose before the domestication of rice in tropical climates. Together, our data demonstrate that LTG1 plays an important role in the adaptive growth and fitness of rice cultivars under conditions of low ambient temperature.
Trade Effects of the European Union's Service Directive: Contrastingex anteEstimates with Empirical Evidence
Authors: Dettmer Bianka
Published: February 2014

One of the top priorities to improve the European Union's growth performance is the creation of a single market for services. The directive on services adopted by the Parliament and the Council by the end of 2006 aims at removing barriers to the free movement of service providers on the internal market. Previous studies quantifiedex antesizable effects of implementing the directive in its original form. This paper is a first attempt to evaluateex postthe trade effects induced by a directive – which excludes the country‐of‐origin principle – by performing a difference‐in‐difference‐(in‐differences) estimator on a sample ofEU‐ and non‐EUcountries in the period 2004 to 10. We account for non‐tariff trade barriers and the endogeneity of regional trade agreements and find that the service directive adds to a reallocation of business services trade within theEU. Accounting for the trade effect of past deregulations, theEUdirective fosters a deeper integration of the new member states into the European service value‐added‐chain and promotes business service exports from third countries towards theEUsignificantly more than trade of country pairs in the control group. The reorientation of theEU‐15 towards the new members is in turn associated with less intense intra‐EU‐10 businesses, while business trade betweenEU‐15 members is not significantly affected.
Criteria for designation of clinical substage in canine lymphoma: a survey of veterinary oncologists
Authors: Barber L. G. , Weishaar K. M.
Published: February 2014

Clinical substage is frequently reported to be prognostic in dogs with lymphoma, yet formal criteria for defining this parameter are lacking. The World Health OrganizationTNMClassification of Tumors of Domestic Animals simply defines substage as the absence or presence of systemic signs (substages a and b, respectively). We designed a survey to query veterinary oncologists on the criteria they use to determine clinical substage in practice. Gastrointestinal, constitutional and respiratory signs were the most commonly identified clinical factors, with greater than 90% respondents indicating that inappetence, vomiting, diarrhoea, changes in attitude, weakness and dyspnea were integral in assigning clinical substage. Nevertheless, more than three‐quarters of respondents also considered metabolic, neurologic and nutritional parameters when making this determination. For most factors, respondents reported mild‐to‐moderate severity of clinical signs was sufficient for substage b designation.
Contamination by organochlorine pesticides in the aquifer of the Ring of Cenotes in Yucatán, México
Authors: Polanco Rodríguez A. G. , Alberto J. A. Navarro , Sánchez J. Solorio , Rejón G. J. Mena , Gómez J. Marrufo , Del Valls Casillas T. A.
Published: February 2014

Banned or restricted organochlorine pesticides in many countries worldwide are still in use in developing countries for agricultural and livestock activities, as well as for vector control in public health campaigns. The present study was conducted to map estimated concentrations of organochlorine pesticides in a karstic region in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, known as ‘Ring of Cenotes’. Water samples from 20 sinkholes (‘cenotes’) were collected during the dry and rainy seasons in 2010–11, analysed by gas chromatography and maps of pesticide concentrations were produced using geographical information system. Results show the presence of banned pesticides, all of them exceeding the limits stated by the Mexican Official Norm. The number and concentration of pesticides during the dry season were qualitatively and quantitatively higher than in the rainy season. The spatial distribution of pesticide concentrations shows that causes of pesticide pollution in the aquifer of the Ring of Cenotes are multifactorial.
Corneal blindness and xenotransplantation
Authors: Lamm Vladimir , Hara Hidetaka , Mammen Alex , Dhaliwal Deepinder , Cooper David K. C.
Published: February 2014

Approximately 39 million people are blind worldwide, with an estimated 285 million visually impaired. The developing world shoulders 90% of the world's blindness, with 80% of causative diseases being preventable or treatable. Blindness has a major detrimental impact on the patient, community, and healthcare spending. Corneal diseases are significant causes of blindness, affecting at least 4 million people worldwide. The prevalence of corneal disease varies between parts of the world. Trachoma, for instance, is the second leading cause of blindness in Africa, after cataracts, but is rarely found today in developed nations. When preventive strategies have failed, corneal transplantation is the most effective treatment for advanced corneal disease. The major surgical techniques for corneal transplantation include penetrating keratoplasty (PK), anterior lamellar keratoplasty, and endothelial keratoplasty (EK). Indications for corneal transplantation vary between countries, withFuchs' dystrophy being the leading indication in theUSAand keratoconus inAustralia. With the exception of theUSA, whereEKwill soon overtakePKas the most common surgical procedure,PKis the overwhelming procedure of choice. Success using corneal grafts in developing nations, such asNepal, demonstrates the feasibility of corneal transplantation on a global scale. The number of suitable corneas from deceased human donors that becomes available will never be sufficient, and so research into various alternatives, for example stem cells, amniotic membrane transplantation, synthetic and biosynthetic corneas, and xenotransplantation, is progressing. While each of these has potential, we suggest that xenotransplantation holds the greatest potential for a corneal replacement. With the increasing availability of genetically engineered pigs, pig corneas may alleviate the global shortage of corneas in the near future.
NATURALIZED SACREDNESS? A REALIST, PANENTHEIST, AND PERENNIALIST ALTERNATIVE TO KAUFFMAN'S CONSTRUCTIVISM
Authors: Shani Itay
Published: February 2014

In his recent bookReinventing the Sacred, renowned biologist and systems theorist Stuart Kauffman offers an avenue for the revival of the sacred and for reconciling sacredness with a robust scientific outlook. According to Kauffman, God is a human cultural invention, and he urges us to reinvent the sacred as the ceaseless creativity in nature. I argue that Kauffman's proposal suffers from a major shortcoming, namely, being at odds with the nature, and content, of authentic experiences of the sacred, experiences which point invariably in the direction of a reality which transcends human imagination and capacity for cultural innovation. Correspondingly, I point in the direction of an alternative approach to the revival of the sacred rooted in what I call the path of direct spiritual awareness. I argue that, while being in better accord with the phenomenology of religious experience, this realist alternative to Kauffman's constructivism also avoids the unpleasant symptoms which often accompany traditional theism, namely, dogmatism, irrationalism, and incompatibility with a scientifically minded metaphysics.
IMAGO DEI AND HUMAN RATIONALITY
Authors: Vainio Olli‐Pekka
Published: February 2014

There is a pervasive trend in Western theology to identify imago Dei with human intellectual and cognitive capacities. However, several contemporary theologians have criticized this view because, according to the critics, it leads to a truncated view of humanity. In this article, I shall concentrate on the question of rationality, first, through theologies of Thomas Aquinas and contemporary Lutheran Robert Jenson, and second, in some branches of recent cognitive psychology. I will argue that there is a significant overlap between contemporary scientific interpretations of rationality and both a traditional Thomistic view and a contemporary ecumenical interpretation of imago Dei. Consequently, it is possible to give an account of imago Dei which takes structural features as central and which is in accord with contemporary science, without falling prey to the dangers that the critics of structuralism point out.
BUDDHISM, COMPARATIVE NEUROPHILOSOPHY, AND HUMAN FLOURISHING
Authors: Coseru Christian
Published: February 2014

Owen Flanagan's The Bodhisattva's Brain represents an ambitious foray into cross‐cultural neurophilosophy, making a compelling, though not entirely unproblematic, case for naturalizing Buddhist philosophy. While the naturalist account of mental causation challenges certain Buddhist views about the mind, the Buddhist analysis of mind and mental phenomena is far more complex than the book suggests. Flanagan is right to criticize the Buddhist claim that there could be mental states that are not reducible to their neural correlates; however, when the mental states in question reflect the embodied patterns of moral conduct that characterize the Buddhist way of being‐in‐the‐world, an account of their intentional and normative status becomes indispensable. It is precisely this synthesis of normativity and causal explanation that makes Buddhism special, and opens new avenues for enhancing, refining, and expanding the range of arguments and possibilities that comparative neurophilosophy can entertain.
CO‐CREATING CO‐CREATORS? THE “HUMAN FACTOR” IN EDUCATION
Authors: Uytterhoeven Tom
Published: February 2014

This article presents an example of the contributions the field of science and religion could offer to educational theory. Building on a narrative analysis of Philip Hefner's proposal to use “created co‐creator” as central metaphor for theological anthropology, the importance of culture is brought to the fore. Education should support a needed revitalization of our cultural heritage, and thus enable humanity to (re‐)connect with the global ecological network and with the divine as grounding source of this network. In the concluding reflections of this article, the possibility of a secular interpretation of “created co‐creator,” in which “God” is reduced to “evolution,” is assessed.
GEOENGINEERING, THEOLOGY, AND THE MEANING OF BEING HUMAN
Authors: Clingerman Forrest
Published: February 2014

Because of the lack of a meaningful international response to global warming, geoengineering has emerged as a potential technological response to climate change. But, thus far, little attention has been given to how religion impacts our understanding of geoengineering. I defend the need to incorporate theological reflection in the conversation of geoengineering by investigating how geoengineering proposals contain an implicit anthropology. A significant framework for our assessment of geoengineering is the balance of human capability and fallibility—a balance that is at the center of theological and religious interpretations of the meaning of the human condition. Similarly, geoengineering challenges our past understandings of theological anthropology.
MORALITY AND NATURE: EVOLUTIONARY CHALLENGES TO CHRISTIAN ETHICS
Authors: De Tavernier Johan
Published: February 2014

Christian ethics accentuates in manifold ways the unique character of human nature. Personalists believe that the mind is never reducible to material and physical substance. The human person is presented as the supreme principle, based on arguments referring to free‐willed actions, the immateriality of both the divine spirit and the reflexive capacity, intersubjectivity and self‐consciousness. But since Darwin, evolutionary biology slowly instructs us that morality roots in dispositions that are programmed by evolution into our nature. Historically, Thomas Huxley, “Darwin's bulldog,” agreed with Darwin on almost everything, except for his gradualist position on moral behavior. Huxley's “saltationism” has recently been characterized by Frans de Waal as “a veneer theory of morality.” Does this mark the end of a period of presenting morality as only the fruit of socialization processes (nurture) and as having nothing in common with nature? Does it necessarily imply a corrosion of personalist views on the human being or do Christian ethics have to become familiar again with their ancient roots?
WHO'S AFRAID OF THEOSCIENTOGRAPHY? AN INTERPRETATIVE HYPOTHESIS ON HARUN YAHYA
Authors: Bigliardi Stefano
Published: February 2014

I scrutinize the ideas and works of the Turkish religious leader and author Adnan Oktar/Harun Yahya. I argue for a new definition of Yahya as the representative of what I call theoscientography, proposing to study his work according to such a model rather than in the light of his “Islamic creationism”
BUDDHISM AND THE SCIENTIFIC IMAGE: REPLY TO CRITICS
Authors: Flanagan Owen
Published: February 2014

I provide a précis ofThe Bodhisattva's Brain: Buddhism Naturalized(), and then respond to three critics, Christian Coseru, Charles Goodman, and Bronwyn Finnigan.
Compound Velocity Synchronizing Control Strategy for Electro-Hydraulic Load Simulator and Its Engineering Application
Authors: Han Songshan , Jiao Zongxia , Yao Jianyong , Shang Yaoxing
Published: February 2014

An electro-hydraulic load simulator (EHLS) is a typical case of torque systems with strong external disturbances from hydraulic motion systems. A new velocity synchronizing compensation strategy is proposed in this paper to eliminate motion disturbances, based on theoretical and experimental analysis of a structure invariance method and traditional velocity synchronizing compensation controller (TVSM). This strategy only uses the servo-valve's control signal of motion system and torque feedback of torque system, which could avoid the requirement on the velocity and acceleration signal in the structure invariance method, and effectively achieve a more accurate velocity synchronizing compensation in large loading conditions than a TVSM. In order to facilitate the implementation of this strategy in engineering cases, the selection rules for compensation parameters are proposed. It does not rely on any accurate information of structure parameters. This paper presents the comparison data of an EHLS with various typical operating conditions using three controllers, i.e., closed loop proportional integral derivative (PID) controller, TVSM, and the proposed improved velocity synchronizing controller. Experiments are conducted to confirm that the new strategy performs well against motion disturbances. It is more effective to improve the tracking accuracy and is a more appropriate choice for engineering applications.
Adhesion and Puncture Strength of Polyurethane Coating Used to Mitigate Tin Whisker Growth
Authors: Mahan Kenny , Sun Yong , Han Bongtae , Han Sungwon , Osterman Mike
Published: February 2014

Reliability of conformal coatings used to mitigate tin whisker growth depends on their ability to contain tin whiskers. Two key material properties required to assess the reliability of a polyurethane coating are documented experimentally: adhesion strength and puncture strength. A modified blister test using a predefined blister area is employed to assess the adhesion strength and a puncture test is employed to evaluate the puncture strength of the coating. After measuring the properties at time zero, the coatings are subjected to accelerated testing conditions (high temperature/humidity storage and temperature cycling) and the degradations of the coating properties are documented.
Instability of Viscoelastic Annular Liquid Jets in a Radial Electric Field
Authors: Liu Lu-jia , Lu Li-peng
Published: February 2014

Research on the instability of viscoelastic annular liquid jets in a radial electric field has been carried out. The analytical dimensionless dispersion relation between unstable growth rate and wave number is derived by linear stability analysis. The Oldroyd B model was used to describe the viscoelastic characteristics of the viscoelastic fluids. Considering that the para-sinuous mode has been found to be always dominant in the jet instability, the effects of various parameters on the instability of viscoelastic annular liquid jets are examined only in the para-sinuous mode. Nondimensionalized plots of the solutions exhibit the stabilizing or destabilizing influences of electric field effects and the physical properties of the liquid jets. Both temporal instability analysis and spatiotemporal instability analysis were conducted. The results show that the radial electric field has a dual impact on viscoelastic annular liquid jets in the temporal mode. Physical mechanisms for the instability are discussed in various possible limits. The effects of Weber number, elasticity number, and electrical Euler number for spatiotemporal instability analysis were checked. As the Weber number increases, the liquid jet is first in absolute instability and then in convective instability. However, the absolute value of the absolute growth rate at first decreases, and then increases with the increase of We, which is in accordance with temporal instability analysis. Comparisons of viscoelastic annular jets with viscoelastic planar liquid jets and cylindrical liquid jets were also carried out.
Coal Based Cogeneration System for Synthetic/Substitute Natural Gas and Power With CO2 Capture After Methanation: Coupling Between Chemical and Power Production
Authors: Li Sheng , Jin Hongguang , Gao Lin
Published: February 2014

Cogeneration of synthetic natural gas (SNG) and power from coal efficiently and CO2 capture with low energy penalty during coal utilization are very important technical paths to implement clean coal technologies in China. This paper integrates a novel coal based cogeneration system with CO2 capture after chemical synthesis to produce SNG and power, and presents the energetic and exergy analysis based on the thermodynamic formulas and the use of ASPEN PLUS 11.0. In the novel system, instead of separation from the gas before chemical synthesis traditionally, CO2 will be removed from the unconverted gas after synthesis, whose concentration can reach as high as 55% before separation and is much higher than 30% in traditional SNG production system. And by moderate recycle instead of full recycle of chemical unconverted gas back into SNG synthesis, the sharp increase in energy consumption for SNG synthesis with conversion ratios will be avoided, and by using part of the chemical unconverted gas, power is cogenerated efficiently. Thermodynamic analysis shows that the benefit from both systematic integration and high CO2 concentration makes the system have good efficiency and low energy penalty for CO2 capture. The overall efficiency of the system ranges from 53%–62% at different recycle ratios. Compared to traditional single product systems (IGCC with CO2 capture for power, traditional SNG system for SNG production), the energy saving ratio (ESR) of the novel system is 16%–21%. And compared to IGCC and traditional SNG system, the energy saving benefit from cogeneration can even offset the energy consumption for CO2 separation, and thus zero energy/efficiency penalties for CO2 capture can be realized through system integration when the chemicals to power output ratio (CPOR) varies in the range of 1.0–4.6. Sensitivity analysis hints that an optimized recycle ratio of the unconverted gas and CPOR can maximize system performance (The optimized Ru for ESR maximum is around 9, 4.2, and 4.0, and the corresponding CPOR is around 4.25, 3.89, and 3.84, at τ = 4.94, 5.28 and 5.61), and minimize the efficiency penalty for CO2 capture (The optimized Ru for minimization of CO2 capture energy penalty is around 6.37 and the corresponding CPOR is around 3.97 at τ = 4.94, ε = 16.5). The polygeneration plant with CO2 capture after chemical synthesis has a good thermodynamic and environmental performance and may be an option for clean coal technologies and CO2 emission abatement.
On the Synthesis and Characterization of Silica-Doped/Sulfonated Poly-(2,6-Dimethyl-1,4-Phenylene Oxide) Composite Membranes for Fuel Cells
Authors: Ebrasu Daniela , Petreanu Irina , Varlam Mihai , Schitea Dorin , Stefanescu Ioan , Vaseashta Ashok
Published: February 2014

The objective of this investigation is to study silica-doped/sulfonated poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (PPO) composite membranes for operation in hydrogen/oxygen proton-exchange membrane fuel cells ranging from room temperature (RT) up to 120 °C. The sulfonated PPO composite membranes were prepared using a sol–gel process employing reaction with tetra-ethoxysilane (TEOS) followed by heat treatment at 60, 90, and 120 °C, respectively. The presence of silicon oxide in the composite membranes was evaluated using FTIR spectroscopy, while thermal properties were studied using thermal gravimetric analysis-differential scanning calorimetric (TGA-DSC) measurements. Additionally, ion exchange capacity, water uptake, and proton conductivity characterizations were also carried out. It was observed that water uptake for 75% PPO sulfonated composite membrane treated at 120 °C is higher than that of NafionTM membrane and the proton conductivity value measured at 120  °C is 0.35·10−1 S/cm. Therefore, the composite membranes are potentially suitable for high temperature fuel cell applications.
Dynamic Response Analysis of Wind Turbine Gearbox Using Simplified Local Tooth Stiffness of Internal Gear System
Authors: Cho J. R. , Jeong K. Y. , Park M. H. , Park N. G.
Published: February 2014

This paper presents a dynamic finite element analysis model for a wind turbine gearbox in which a number of internal gears mesh with each other in a complex pattern. Differing from the conventional dynamic models in which the detailed gear teeth are fully modeled or gears and shafts are replaced with lumped masses, the tooth contact between a pair of gears is modeled using a spring element. The equivalent spring constant is determined by computing the stiffness of a gear tooth using a finite element analysis. The numerical accuracy of the proposed dynamic model is verified through a benchmark experiment of a gearbox with simple gear transmission system. In addition, the natural frequencies and dynamic responses of a 5 MW wind turbine gearbox that are obtained by the proposed modeling technique are given to support its validity and effectiveness.