bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
River bank stabilization using rock riprap falling aprons
Authors: Froehlich David C.
Published: November 2008

A rational mathematical model is presented that provides a sensible and realistic description of the physical processes that take place as a horizontal rock riprap apron (generally known as a ‘falling apron’) launches in stages and then gradually covers and protects an eroding river bank. The model is a simplified kinematic description of complex riprap cover development that does not reference directly the forces that lead to stream bank erosion or apron deployment. The formulation accounts for the regularly repeated processes of slope erosion followed by rock settlement that take place along a receding stream bank. Ideas used to develop the model are based on published results of small‐scale experiments of falling apron behaviour, and on experience that has influenced current design practices. The model is uncomplicated and can be applied without difficulty to evaluate the adequacy of apron thickness, the amount of stone lost during deployment, the effect of rock riprap properties, and the lateral extent of bank erosion before complete slope coverage is established. However, application is limited to river reaches that are not highly curved. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Competitive blind spots in an institutional field
Authors: Ng Desmond , Westgren Randall , Sonka Steven
Published: November 2008

Unlike institutional or macro‐cultural explanations of competition, competition need not be viewed as a shared social reality. Instead, competition can be interpreted differently by multiple stakeholders of a value chain. However, due to managerial blind spots, such various interpretations of competition are less than apparent to management. Yet explanations of such blind spots are not well documented. Hence, to explain such blind spots, a conceptual model based on overconfidence biases is developed in which managers develop a ‘self‐centered’ view of competition that blinds them from the competitive beliefs of their value chain customers. Differences in competitive beliefs, thus, arise and are argued to contribute to such managerial blind spots. Furthermore, to empirically examine such managerial blind spots, the competitive perceptions held by various members of a swine genetics value chain were surveyed. Through cluster and MANOVA analyses, this study shows that, unlike institutional/macro‐cultural explanations of competition, these members do not share a common consensus of the key attributes and groupings of competition. The implications and contributions of this study are also discussed. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Rational calibration of four IEC 61400‐1 extreme external conditions
Authors: Larsen Gunner Chr. , Hansen Kurt S.
Published: November 2008

Based on a set of asymptotic statistical models on closed form this paper presents a rational and consistent calibration of four extreme external conditions defined in the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61400‐1 standard: extreme operating gust, extreme wind shear, extreme coherent gust with direction change and extreme wind direction change. These four extreme external conditions are used in the definition of six of the IEC 61400‐1 ultimate load cases. The statistical models are based on simple and easily accessible mean wind speed and turbulence characteristics of the atmospheric boundary layer. Using the wind climate characteristics prescribed in the IEC 61400‐1 standard as input to the set of statistical models ensures consistency between the specified wind climate and the proposed extreme gust magnitudes. Differences and equalities between the present IEC specifications and proposed specifications of the magnitudes of the extreme external wind conditions are highlighted and discussed using an illustrative example based on two selected terrain types. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Database for validation of design load extrapolation techniques
Authors: Moriarty Patrick
Published: November 2008

Extrapolation techniques used for predicting long‐term wind turbine loads have produced highly variable loading estimates dependent on the individual designer implementation. To reduce such variability, more precise definition and validation of these techniques are necessary. As part of a wider effort to test loads extrapolation techniques used in wind turbine design, two data sets were created. The first data set was created as an example typical of what designers use to extrapolate loads according to wind turbine design standards. The second data set was a series of year‐long simulations that could be used to quantify the accuracy of extrapolation methods. Due to the large number of simulations, care was taken not to reproduce random samplings in individual time series. Additionally, a grid computing architecture was used to run the simulations in a reasonable time frame. The wind speeds where loads were highest were identified, which varied with loading type. The identification of dominant wind speeds is important to ensure an adequate number of simulations at such speeds, which often influence extrapolated loads. In‐plane loads and deflections tended to be dominated by high wind speeds near cut‐out wind speed. Out‐of‐plane loads and deflections were most influenced by winds that were near the rated wind speed. Some loads were influenced by a range of wind speeds. The loads dominated by high wind speeds had greater variability in the extreme values, which could be a reflection of the greatly varying wind and also greater sensitivity to higher energy content of the wind at such speeds. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Ensemble‐based probabilistic forecasting at Horns Rev
Authors: Pinson Pierre , Madsen Henrik
Published: November 2008

For management and trading purposes, information on short‐term wind generation (from a few hours to a few days ahead) is crucial at large offshore wind farms, since they concentrate a large capacity at a single location. The most complete information that can be provided today consists of probabilistic forecasts, the resolution of which may be maximized by using meteorological ensemble predictions as input. The paper concentrates on the test case of the Horns Rev wind farm over a period of approximately 1 year, in order to describe, apply and discuss a complete ensemble‐based probabilistic forecasting methodology. In a first stage, ensemble forecasts of meteorological variables are converted to power through a suitable power curve model. This model employs local polynomial regression, and is adaptively estimated with an orthogonal fitting method. The obtained ensemble forecasts of wind power are then converted into predictive distributions with an original adaptive kernel dressing method. The shape of the kernels is driven by a mean‐variance model, the parameters of which are recursively estimated in order to maximize the overall skill of obtained predictive distributions. Such a methodology has the benefit of yielding predictive distributions that are of increased reliability (in a probabilistic sense) in comparison with the raw ensemble forecasts, at the same time taking advantage of their high resolution. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hydrogel mediated delivery of trophic factors for neural repair
Authors: Katz Joshua S. , Burdick Jason A.
Published: November 2008

Neurotrophins have been implicated in a variety of diseases and their delivery to sites of disease and injury has therapeutic potential in applications including spinal cord injury, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease. Biodegradable polymers, and specifically, biodegradable water‐swollen hydrogels, may be advantageous as delivery vehicles for neurotrophins because of tissue‐like properties, tailorability with respect to degradation and release behavior, and a history of biocompatibility. These materials may be designed to degrade via hydrolytic or enzymatic mechanisms and can be used for the sustained delivery of trophic factors in vivo. Hydrogels investigated to date include purely synthetic to purely natural, depending on the application and intended release profiles. Also, flexibility in material processing has allowed for the investigation of injectable materials, the development of scaffolding and porous conduits, and the use of composites for tailored molecule delivery profiles. It is the objective of this review to describe what has been accomplished in this area thus far and to remark on potential future directions in this field. Ultimately, the goal is to engineer optimal biomaterials to deliver molecules in a controlled and dictated manner that can promote regeneration and healing for numerous neural applications. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

This article is categorized under:

Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Neurological Disease
Mesoporous silica‐based nanomaterials for drug delivery: evaluation of structural properties associated with release rate
Authors: Strømme Maria , Brohede Ulrika , Atluri Rambabu , Garcia‐Bennett Alfonso E.
Published: November 2008

We present here a study of the controlled release of amino acid‐derived amphiphilic molecules from the internal pore structure of mesoporous nanoparticle drug delivery systems with different structural properties, namely cubic and hexagonal structures of various degrees of complexity. The internal pore surface of the nanomaterials presented has been functionalised with amine moieties through a one‐pot method. Release profiles obtained by conductivity measurements are interpreted in terms of specific structural and textural parameters of the porous nanoparticles, such as pore geometry and connectivity. Results indicate that diffusion coefficients are lower by as much 4 orders of magnitude in two‐dimensional structures in comparison to three‐dimensional mesoporous solids. A fast release in turn is observed from mesocaged materials AMS‐9 and AMS‐8, where the presence of structural defects is thought to lead to a slightly lower diffusion coefficient in the latter. We conclude that the use of single or mixed phases of these porous systems can be utilized to provide sustained release over long time periods and expect their use in a variety of formulations. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

This article is categorized under:

Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Respiratory Disease
Optical nanoparticle sensors for quantitative intracellular imaging
Authors: Lee Yong‐Eun Koo , Kopelman Raoul
Published: November 2008

Real‐time measurements of biological/chemical/physical processes, with no interferences, are an ultimate goal for in vivo intracellular studies. To construct intracellular biosensors that meet such a goal, nanoparticle (NP) platforms seem to be most promising, because of their small size and excellent engineerability. This review describes the development of NP‐based opical sensors and their intracellular applications. The sensor designs are classified into two types, based on the sensor structures regarding analyte receptor and signal transducer. Type 1 sensors, with a single component for both receptor and transducer, work by mechanisms similar to those of ‘molecular probes’. Type 2 sensors, with a separate component for receptor and transducer, work by different mechanisms that require the presence of specific NPs. A synergistic increase in optical signal or selectivity has been reported for these second type of NP sensors. With ongoing rapid advances in nanotechnology and instrumentation, these NP systems will soon be capable of sensing at the single‐molecule level, at the point of interest within the living cell, and capable of simultaneously detecting multiple analytes and physical parameters. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

This article is categorized under:

Diagnostic Tools > Diagnostic Nanodevices
Nanoparticle‐based biologic mimetics
Authors: Cliffel David E. , Turner Brian N. , Huffman Brian J.
Published: November 2008

Centered on solid chemistry foundations, biology and materials science have reached a crossroad where bottom‐up designs of new biologically important nanomaterials are a reality. The topics discussed here present the interdisciplinary field of creating biological mimics. Specifically, this discussion focuses on mimics that are developed using various types of metal nanoparticles (particularly gold) through facile synthetic methods. These methods conjugate biologically relevant molecules, e.g., small molecules, peptides, proteins, and carbohydrates, in conformationally favorable orientations on the particle surface. These new products provide stable, safe, and effective substitutes for working with potentially hazardous biologicals for applications such as drug targeting, immunological studies, biosensor development, and biocatalysis. Many standard bioanalytical techniques can be used to characterize and validate the efficacy of these new materials, including quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), surface plasmon resonance (SPR), and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Metal nanoparticle–based biomimetics continue to be developed as potential replacements for the native biomolecule in applications of immunoassays and catalysis. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

This article is categorized under:

Nanotechnology Approaches to Biology > Nanoscale Systems in Biology
Prospects and developments in cell and embryo laser nanosurgery
Authors: Kohli Vikram , Elezzabi Abdulhakem Y.
Published: November 2008

Recently, there has been increasing interest in the application of femtosecond (fs) laser pulses to the study of cells, tissues and embryos. This review explores the developments that have occurred within the last several years in the fields of cell and embryo nanosurgery. Each of the individual studies presented in this review clearly demonstrates the nondestructiveness of fs laser pulses, which are used to alter both cellular and subcellular sites within simple cells and more complicated multicompartmental embryos. The ability to manipulate these model systems noninvasively makes applied fs laser pulses an invaluable tool for developmental biologists, geneticists, cryobiologists, and zoologists. We are beginning to see the integration of this tool into life sciences, establishing its status among molecular and genetic cell manipulation methods. More importantly, several studies demonstrating the versatility of applied fs laser pulses have established new collaborations among physicists, engineers, and biologists with the common intent of solving biological problems. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

This article is categorized under:

Implantable Materials and Surgical Technologies > Nanoscale Tools and Techniques in Surgery
Are There Racial Disparities in Trauma Care?
Authors: Millham Frederick , Jain Nitin B.
Published: November 2008

Background

A number of recent studies have demonstrated disparity between racial groups in both outcome and processes of trauma care. These were not controlled for the presence of shock.

Methods

We used data from the National Trauma Databank (NTDB) (version 6.0) to evaluate mortality, length of hospital stay, and discharge disposition for patients who suffered gunshot wounds (GSW) or who were drivers in motor vehicle crashes (MVC). Using regression analysis to control for age, gender, first measured systolic blood pressure, geographic region, trauma center verification status, and hospital teaching status, we looked for differences in trauma care outcomes by race as represented in the NTDB.

Results

We included 235,557 MVC victims and 13,378 GSW victims in our analysis. When potential confounding variables were accounted for, there were no differences in mortality based on race in either group, with the exception that Hispanic motor vehicle drivers suffered higher mortality, OR: 1.72 (95% CI: 1.36, 2.19; p <. 001). Both Blacks and Hispanics had shorter lengths of stay in linear regression models (p <. 001 in both cases) than whites. Blacks and Hispanics were less likely to be discharged home when compared to white patients (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.80–0.86 for Blacks, and OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.50–0.56 for Hispanics). Shock, as reflected by first systolic blood pressure reported, and to a lesser degree, anatomic injury, as measured by Injury Severity Score (ICISS), were much more powerful predictors of outcome than race in all analyses.

Conclusions

We found no mortality differences based on race for GSW. Hispanics have a higher mortality rate for MVC. For both injury types, Blacks and Hispanics had shorter hospital stays and a greater likelihood of transfer to post‐acute care when compared to white patients. Hypotension on admission has a much more significant impact on outcome than race and ethnicity.
Surgical Outcome of Abdominoperineal Resection for Low Rectal Cancer in a Nigerian Tertiary Institution
Authors: Alatise Olusegun I. , Lawal Oladejo O. , Adesunkanmi Abdulrasheed K. , Osasan Stephen A.
Published: November 2008

Background

Rectal cancer is a lifestyle‐related illness with an increasing incidence in all developing countries in the last decade. Abdominoperineal resection (APR) offers a good oncologic clearance for low rectal cancer. The remaining controversies surrounding APR, as it is performed in a tertiary center in Nigeria, involve defining the role the operation plays in the management of existing rectal problems and determining what outcomes can be expected. The present study was aimed at examining the surgical outcomes of APR for low rectal cancers in a Nigerian tertiary institution.

Materials and methods

This single‐institution, retrospective, descriptive study analyzed APR rate, patient sex and age, subsite involvement, the diagnostic process, follow‐up, and survival patterns after treatment of low rectal cancers. The study was conducted at Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex Ile‐Ife, Nigeria, between January 1989 and December 2007.

Results

During the 18‐year period, 36 patients underwent APR. This accounts for 24.0% of all patients that had low rectal cancer. The age of the patients ranged from 29 years to 74 years (median: 58.9 years). Most of the patients were 60 years of age or older, and the majority were women (55.9%). The median duration of symptoms was 12 months, and all patients sought medical care for bleeding per rectum. Close to 80% of patients had advanced disease at presentation. Postoperatively, 17 patients (50%) had at least one complication and one patient (2.9%) died. Four (11.8%) patients had recurrence of the tumor, and in every case, recurrence occurred within the first year after operation. Operative blood loss (p = 0.006), degree of differentiation of the tumor (p = 0.011), distance from the anal verge (p = 0.033), and operative stage (p = 0.005) were found to significantly affect the outcome of treatment for the patients who underwent APR. The operative stage similarly affected the survival of patients (Mantel Cox = 0.026).

Conclusions

Despite the advanced disease of our patients, the outcome of management appears to be comparable with results reported from other centers.
Nonviral Delivery for Genomic Therapy of Cancer
Authors: Templeton Nancy Smyth
Published: November 2008

We have developed improved liposomal nanoparticles that efficiently condense nucleic acids, proteins, viruses, drugs, and mixtures of these agents on the interior of bilamellar invaginated structures (BIVs) produced by a novel extrusion procedure. The liposomal complexes have extended half‐life in the circulation, serum stability, and broad biodistribution; are targetable to specific organs and cell types; can penetrate through tight barriers in several organs; are fusogenic with cell membranes and avoid endosomes; are optimized for nucleic acid:lipid ratio and colloidal suspension in vivo; can be size fractionated to produce totally homogeneous populations of complexes prior to injection; are nontoxic, nonimmunogenic, and can be repeatedly administered; and they are stable in liquid suspensions and freeze‐dried formulations. We can add specific ligands either by ionic interactions or by covalent attachments to the surface of these nucleic acid–liposome complexes to accomplish targeted delivery to specific cell surface receptors. Furthermore, the charge on the surface of these complexes can be modified to avoid uptake by nontarget cells using our novel technology called “reversible masking.” We have also achieved high‐dose systemic delivery of these complexes without toxicity in vivo by further purification of plasmid DNA. At present, these complexes are injected intravenously into patients in clinical trials to treat lung cancer and will be used in upcoming trials to treat breast, pancreatic, and head and neck cancers. Notably, BIV complexes are being injected intravenously into patients with non‐small‐cell lung carcinoma who have failed to respond to chemotherapy. These patients are living longer and have demonstrated objective responses, including tumor regression.
Risk Factors of Surgical Site Infection After Hepatectomy for Liver Cancers
Authors: Kobayashi Shin , Gotohda Naoto , Nakagohri Toshio , Takahashi Shinichiro , Konishi Masaru , Kinoshita Taira
Published: November 2008

Background

Risk factors of surgical site infection (SSI) after hepatectomy under the guideline of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are not well examined.

Methods

Hospital records of consecutive patients who underwent hepatectomy without biliary reconstruction for liver cancers were reviewed retrospectively. Prophylactic antibiotics were given to patients just before skin incision and every 3 hours during the operations. Clinicopathological factors were compared between patients who developed SSI and those without it.

Results

There were 405 patients identified, and the incidence of SSI was 23 cases (5.8%). In multivariate analysis, intraoperative bowel injury, blood loss >2000 ml, and age older than 65 years were significant risk factors of SSI after hepatectomy.

Conclusions

Prophylactic antibiotics were necessary only during the operation for most patients who underwent hepatectomy without biliary reconstruction. However, patients with intraoperative bowel injury, blood loss >2000 ml, and age older than 65 years are at risk to develop SSI and might need additional administration of prophylactic antibiotics after surgery.
Alcohol enhances Aβ42‐induced neuronal cell death through mitochondrial dysfunction
Authors: Lee Do Yeon , Lee Kyu-Sun , Lee Hyun Jung , Jung Hee-Yeon , Lee Jun Young , Lee Sang Hyung , Youn Young Chul , Seo Kyung Mook , Lee Jang Han , Lee Won Bok , Kim Sung Su
Published: November 2008

Mitochondrial dysfunction is a hallmark of beta‐amyloid (Aβ)‐induced neuronal toxicity in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Epidemiological studies have indicated that alcohol consumption plays a role in the development of AD. Here we show that alcohol exposure has a synergistic effect on Aβ‐induced neuronal cell death. Aβ‐treated cultured neurons displayed spontaneous generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), disruption of their mitochondrial membrane potential, induction of caspase‐3 and p53 activities, and loss of cell viability. Alcohol exposure facilitated Aβ‐induced neuronal cell death. Our study shows that alcohol consumption enhances Aβ‐induced neuronal cell death by increasing ROS and mitochondrial dysfunction.
Postnatal development in vasopressin deficient Brattleboro rats with special attention to the hypothalamo‐pituitary–adrenal axis function: the role of maternal genotype
Authors: Zelena Dóra , Mergl Zsuzsa , Makara Gábor B.
Published: November 2008

Anomalies in hormonal and neurotransmitter status during perinatal period can lead to lifespan alterations in the central nervous system. Vasopressin is present early in the brain and has various mitogenic, metabolic and physiological actions, e.g. in water homeostasis or in the regulation of the hypothalamo‐pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. Therefore we examine the possible role of vasopressin in perinatal development with special attention to the influence of maternal genotype and to the HPA axis regulation. We compared homozygous vasopressin deficient (di/di) Brattleboro rats to their heterozygous (di/+) littermates both from di/+ and di/di mother. Higher locomotion due to reduced adaptation was present at preweaning. During the first 10 days of life the di/di pups from di/di mother were the smallest, while in the later perinatal period the genotype of the pups became the more important determinant of the somatic development, namely the di/di pups from both mothers had reduced weight gain. Generally the lack of vasopressin in the pups fastened the somatic development (pinna detachment, eye and ear opening, incisor eruption) however the neurobehavioral development (palmar grasp reflex, righting reflex, negative geotaxis, etc.) was not influenced profoundly by either the mother's or the pup's genotype. The lack of vasopressin in pups abolished the 24 h maternal separation induced adrenocorticotrop hormone (ACTH) elevation while the accompanying corticosterone rises were even higher. The vasopressin deficiency of the mother reduced the resting ACTH and all corticosterone levels in all pups. So we can conclude that the lack of vasopressin speeds up the development, probably there is a greater drive for self‐sufficiency in these animals. The mother's vasopressin deficiency reduced the HPA axis reactivity of the pups. The role of vasopressin in the HPA axis regulation is important during the perinatal period independently from the mother's genotype. The large discrepancy between ACTH and corticosterone regulation requires further studies.
Hysteroscopic findings in women with primary and secondary infertility due to genital tuberculosis
Authors: Sharma Jai Bhagwan , Roy Kallol K. , Pushparaj Mohanraj , Kumar Sunesh
Published: November 2008

Objective

To evaluate hysteroscopic findings of infertile women with genital tuberculosis.

Method

A retrospective study of the records of 94 women who underwent diagnostic hysteroscopy for infertility at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India. Genital tuberculosis was diagnosed by laboratory studies of an endometrial biopsy and/or laparoscopic findings.

Results

For women with primary or secondary infertility, respectively, the hysteroscopic findings were normal in 15 (20.5%) vs 4 (9%) cases; and adhesions were grade 2 in 11 (15.1%) vs 3 (14) cases, grade 2a in 0 vs 1 (1.4%) cases, grade 3 in 11 (15.1%) vs 9 (42.9%) cases, grade 3b in 6 (8.2%) vs 0 cases, and grade 4 in 28 (38.4%) vs 2 (9.5%) cases.

Conclusion

Genital tuberculosis causes significant pelvic morbidity due to uterine adhesions and infertility.
Parietal peritoneal closure and persistent postcesarean pain
Authors: Shahin Ahmed Y. , Osman Ayman M.
Published: November 2008

Objective

To assess the incidence of persistent pain after cesarean delivery.

Methods

A total of 340 pregnant women with no history of abdominal surgery were randomized to undergo or not undergo parietal peritoneal closure following elective cesarean delivery. Pain scores were recorded on the 1st and 15th postoperative day and the women were followed up every 2 weeks up to 8 months after surgery.

Results

Overall and epigastric abdominal pain were more frequent in the closure than in the nonclosure group. Pain scores on the 1st and 15th days and after 8 months were higher in the closure group, in which the incidence of persistent postcesarean pain was 17.8% after 8 months.

Conclusion

Parietal peritoneal closure after cesarean delivery is associated with a higher incidence of early and persistent postoperative pain. A high pain score on the 1st day is a predictor of persistent pain.
A Japanese diet and 19-year mortality: National Integrated Project for Prospective Observation of Non-Communicable Diseases and its Trends in the Aged, 1980
Authors: Nakamura Yasuyuki , Ueshima Hirotsugu , Okamura Tomonori , Kadowaki Takashi , Hayakawa Takehito , Kita Yoshikuni , Abbott Robert D. , Okayama Akira ,   for National Integrated Project for Prospective Observation of Non-Communicable Diseases and its Trends in the Aged, 1980 Research Group
Published: November 2008

Few studies have examined the association between Japanese diet and mortality outcomes. We analysed the relationship between a healthy Japanese diet and all-cause and cause-specific mortality using the database from the National Integrated Project for Prospective Observation of Non-Communicable Diseases and its Trends in the Aged, 1980. At baseline in 1980, data were collected on study participants aged ≧30 years from randomly selected areas in Japan. We defined a measure of a healthy reduced-salt Japanese diet based on seven components from FFQ. The total score ranged from 0 to 7, with 0 being least healthy and 7 being most healthy. Participants were divided into approximate tertiles of dietary scores (0–2, 3 and 4–7 scores). After excluding participants with co-morbidities, we followed 9086 participants (44 % men) for 19 years. There were 1823 all-cause and 654 cardiovascular deaths during the follow-up. With the dietary score group 0–2 serving as a reference, the Cox multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios for groups with scores 3 and 4–7 were 0·92 (95 % CI 0·83, 1·04) and 0·78 (95 % CI 0·70, 0·88) for all-cause mortality (trend P < 0·0001), and 0·91 (95 % CI 0·75, 1·10) and 0·80 (95 % CI 0·66, 0·97) for cardiovascular mortality (trend P = 0·022). Adherence to a healthy reduced-salt Japanese diet was associated with an approximate 20 % lower rate of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality.
Bioavailability and nutritional effects of carotenoids from organically and conventionally produced carrots in healthy men
Authors: Stracke Berenike A. , Rüfer Corinna E. , Bub Achim , Briviba Karlis , Seifert Stephanie , Kunz Clemens , Watzl Bernhard
Published: November 2008

It has been hypothesised that organically grown vegetables are healthier than conventionally produced ones due to a higher content of phytochemicals. However, few data from controlled human studies exist. The aim of the present study was to compare the carotenoid content and antioxidant capacity of organically and conventionally produced carrots under defined conditions. Furthermore, a human intervention study was conducted to compare bioavailability, plasma antioxidant capacity, endogenous DNA strand breaks and immune parameters in healthy men ingesting carrots from different agricultural systems. Thirty-six volunteers consumed either organically or conventionally produced blanched carrots (200 g/d; 2 weeks) or no carrots in a double-blind, randomised intervention study. No statistically significant differences were observed in the total carotenoid contents (121 (sd7) μg/g organicv.116 (sd13) μg/g conventional) and the antioxidant capacities (0·43 (sd0·08) μmol Trolox equivalents/g organicv.0·32 (sd0·07) μmol Trolox equivalents/g conventional) of the carrots administered to the volunteers. Intake of organically or conventionally produced carrots significantly increased (P < 0·001) plasma α- and β-carotene concentrations in both intervention groups without differences in plasma carotenoid concentrations. Consumption of carrots did not lead to significant changes in the plasma antioxidant status, endogenous DNA strand breaks and parameters of the immune system in all groups. Therefore, these results indicate that the agricultural system has neither an effect on the carotenoid content, the antioxidant capacity of carrots, nor on the bioavailability of carotenoids and on antioxidant, antigenotoxic and immunological effects as assessed in a human intervention study.
DOMESTIC OFFERINGS AT EL PALMILLO
Authors: Feinman Gary M. , Nicholas Linda M. , Maher Edward F.
Published: November 2008

Although the topic has received recent attention, relatively little is known about how pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican communities were internally organized and interconnected. In this paper, we examine that question from the perspective of the Classic-period settlement of El Palmillo, in the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico. Previous studies of the valley have postulated that communities often were (and still are) subdivided into barrios, although the modes of integration for those segments are less fully defined. Along these lines, we have previously identified commoner and higher-status houses at El Palmillo (along with associated artifactual and architectural inventories). We also have noted that different commoner houses were involved in distinct suites of craft activity, thereby indicating a degree of economic interdependence among these units. Here we expand our analysis to domestic offerings, which we found to vary across the excavated houses. Adapting a perspective from Durkheim's distinction between mechanical and organic solidarity, we find an expected organic (hierarchical) relationship between the offering assemblages of the higher-status residences and the offerings in commoner house lots. At the same time, we see another axis of variation in domestic offerings that appears more organic (nonhierarchical) in nature. The latter axis of variation at El Palmillo has a clear spatial component, in support of previous hypotheses that barrios or spatially defined social segments were important in Valley of Oaxaca pre-Hispanic communities. At El Palmillo, the definitional features of these social segments appear to have been ideological as well as economic.
FULL PHONETIC COMPLEMENTATION, SEMANTIC CLASSIFIERS, AND SEMANTIC DETERMINATIVES IN ANCIENT MAYAN HIEROGLYPHIC WRITING
Authors: Mora-Marín David F.
Published: November 2008

This paper discusses a little understood spelling practice of Mayan hieroglyphic writing, the use of full phonetic complementation of logograms, and some implications derived from this practice, particularly when compared with similar practices in other logosyllabic scripts from around the world (e.g., Egyptian and Luvian), which suggest that such practice existed in association with semantic classifiers. Also, a preliminary distinction between two types of semantograms is made: semantic classifiers and semantic determinatives. Previous discussions of both types of signs are reviewed, and it is proposed that the two are more widespread and important in Mayan writing than previously thought. The implications of these results are clear: Mayanists, particularly epigraphers, need to pay more attention to this distinction in their decipherment efforts, as well as in any future philological and paleographic endeavors. The paper concludes with a proposal for the interrelationship between the stylistic evolution of graphemes and the development of semantic classifiers and determinatives.
A MODEL OF THE EMERGENCE OF THE TARASCAN STATE
Authors: Pollard Helen Perlstein
Published: November 2008

Bya.d.1350, central-western Mexico was incorporated into the Tarascan state. Thisirechequa tzintzuntzani(kingdom of Tzintzuntzan) has been known primarily from sixteenth-century documents. With three decades of archaeological, ecological, and ethnohistoric research, it is now possible to propose a model of the emergence of the first archaic state in Michoacan. Critical issues to be addressed include (1) why state formation occurred (and why this form); (2) why even secondary state formation was “delayed” for more than a millennium; (3) why it occurred in the Lake Patzcuaro Basin; and (4) the role of Purepecha ethnicity in the process.
ESTRATEGIAS PARA LA PRODUCCIÓN DE NAVAJAS DE OBSIDIANA EN LA REGIÓN DE ZACAPU Y LA VERTIENTE DEL LERMA (MICHOACAN, MÉXICO) ENTRE EL EPICLÁSICO Y EL POSCLÁSICO TARDÍO
Authors: Darras Véronique
Published: November 2008

Los análisis de los artefactos de obsidiana provenientes de la región de Zacapu y de la vertiente meridional del Río Lerma evidenciaron transformaciones significativas entre el final del Clásico (600–900 d.C.) y el Posclásico tardío (1200–1450 d.C.). En lo que concierne la producción de navajas, se observan cambios que afectan el sistema productivo, desde las estrategias de adquisición de la materia prima y la organización de la producción, hasta las opciones técnicas y las modalidades de distribución y de consumo. Durante el Epiclásico y el Posclásico temprano, se desarrolla una producción de macronavajas y navajas obtenidas con la técnica de percusión y destinadas al mercado regional. Al inicio del Posclásico medio (alrededor de 1200 d.C.), se desarrolla la tecnología de la navajilla prismática, la cual substituye al sistema de producción anterior. Este artículo presenta los mecanismos que regían la producción de navajas entre el final del Clásico (600–900 d.C.) y el Posclásico tardío (1200–1450 d.C.) y discute las razones que pueden explicar las transformaciones. Propone que tanto los cambios tecnológicos como los cambios en la organización de las producciones pueden vincularse con la estructura de los sistemas sociales y políticos en los cuales se desempeñaron.
THE ROLE OF LATE PRE-CONTACT COLONIAL ENCLAVES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE POSTCLASSIC UCAREO VALLEY, MICHOACAN, MEXICO
Authors: Hernández Christine L. , Healan Dan M.
Published: November 2008

According to ethnohistoric sources, northeastern Michoacan became incorporated into the eastern frontier of the Tarascan empire during the mid-1400s. At that time, the region was multiethnic in character, with enclaves of foreigners living within communities as well as making up whole communities. Recent investigation in the Ucareo-Zinapecuaro source area uncovered evidence of an earlier foreign enclave consisting of two settlements in the Ucareo Valley whose ceramics are distinct from those of neighboring sites while indistinguishable from those of Epiclassic Huamango in the Acambay region of the Toluca Basin. The implications of these data alongside Ucareo obsidian exploitation and its role in the construction of the Protohistoric Tarascan–Aztec frontier are considered along with the results of preliminary chronometric dating.
THE MANY FACES OF FIGURINES
Authors: Begun Erica
Published: November 2008

Figurines offer archaeologists intriguing insights into many aspects of prehistoric culture. Beyond their utility as chronological markers, figurines offer information regarding the social and cultural structures of a society. This paper will demonstrate how the figurines of Michoacan can be used as markers of ethnic identity and ethnic continuity in the Lake Patzcauro Basin. The high degree of continuity in decorative and production styles throughout much of the sequence serves as evidence for ethnic continuity and the identity of the people who made the artifacts. A preliminary typology for the Michoacan figurines is presented to support the idea that a distinctly Michoacan style of figurine exists. The application of this figurine typology reveals a high degree of continuity in the figurine record. This supports the hypothesis that the ethnic origins of the Michoacan people may reach back as far as the Late Preclassic/Early Classic period.
Private transfers to cope with a natural disaster: evidence from Bangladesh
Authors: MOZUMDER PALLAB , BOHARA ALOK K. , BERRENS ROBERT P. , HALIM NAFISA
Published: November 2008

Based on multiple rounds of household survey data collected in the year after the 1998 massive flooding in Bangladesh, we investigate the role of private transfers as a social coping response to natural disasters. We also explore the role of private transfers (gifts) as an informal insurance mechanism to smooth consumption in the face of an adverse covariate shock caused by the flooding. The level of transfers made is shown to be altruistically calibrated to the severity of flood exposure. As an indicator of the economic importance of such gifts, the amount of transfers received is shown to significantly contribute to reducing household consumption variability. We discuss the policy implications of our findings in a developing country context.
Farmer preferences formilpadiversity and genetically modified maize in Mexico: a latent class approach
Authors: BIROL EKIN , VILLALBA ERIC RAYN , SMALE MELINDA
Published: November 2008

Maize originated in Mexico, where it is typically grown in association with other crops in themilpasystem. This ancient mode of production is practiced today in ways that vary by cultural context and agro-environment. We use a choice experiment to estimate farmers' valuation of three components of agrobiodiversity (crop species richness, maize variety richness, and maize landraces) in themilpasystem, and examine their interest in cultivating genetically modified (GM) maize. We apply a latent class model to data collected from 382 farm households in the states of Jalisco, Oaxaca, and Michoacán to analyze the heterogeneity of farmer preferences. We identify the characteristics of farmers who are most likely to continue growing maize landraces, as well as those least likely to accept GM maize. Findings have implications for debates concerning the introduction of GM maize and the design ofin situconservation programs in these sites.
Technical efficiency and the role of skipper skill in artisanal Lake Victoria fisheries
Authors: LOKINA RAZACK B.
Published: November 2008

Lake Victoria fisheries are important to Tanzanian food security, employment, and foreign exchange, but they have experienced declining performance, largely due to overfishing. This paper studies technical efficiency and skipper skill using Tanzanian fishery data for the two major species, Nile perch and dagaa. The relative level of efficiency is high in both fisheries and several observable variables linked to skipper skill significantly explain the efficiency level.
Design and implementation of a tracer driver: Easy and efficient dynamic analyses of constraint logic programs
Authors: LANGEVINE LUDOVIC , DUCASSÉ MIREILLE
Published: November 2008

Tracers provide users with useful information about program executions. In this article, we propose a “tracer driver”. From a single tracer, it provides a powerful front-end enabling multiple dynamic analysis tools to be easily implemented, while limiting the overhead of the trace generation. The relevant execution events are specified by flexible event patterns and a large variety of trace data can be given either systematically or “on demand”. The proposed tracer driver has been designed in the context of constraint logic programming (CLP); experiments have been made within GNU-Prolog. Execution views provided by existing tools have been easily emulated with a negligible overhead. Experimental measures show that the flexibility and power of the described architecture lead to good performance. The tracer driver overhead is inversely proportional to the average time between two traced events. Whereas the principles of the tracer driver are independent of the traced programming language, it is best suited for high-level languages, such as CLP, where each traced execution event encompasses numerous low-level execution steps. Furthermore, CLP is especially hard to debug. The current environments do not provide all the useful dynamic analysis tools. They can significantly benefit from our tracer driver which enables dynamic analyses to be integrated at a very low cost.
Réalisation de Hodge du polylogarithme d'un schéma abélien
Authors: Blottière David
Published: November 2008

Dans cet article, on démontre que les courants polylogarithmiques introduits par Andrey Levin décrivent le polylogarithme d'un schéma abélien au niveau topologique. De ce résultat, qu'Andrey Levin avait lui-même conjecturé, on déduit une méthode pour déterminer explicitement les classes d'Eisenstein des schémas abéliens au niveau topologique. Ces classes ont un intérêt particulier, car, comme Guido Kings l'a établi, elles ont une origine motivique. Dans une suite à ce travail intitulée «Les classes d'Eisenstein des variétés de Hilbert–Blumenthal», on utilise les résultats obtenus dans le présent article pour démontrer que les classes d'Eisenstein des variétés de Hilbert–Blumenthal dégénèrent au bord de la compactification de Baily–Borel de la base en une valeur spéciale de fonctionLassociée au corps de nombres totalement réel sous-jacent, et on en déduit, dans ce contexte géométrique, un résultat de non annulation pour certaines classes d'Eisenstein.
Active megadetachment beneath the western United States
Authors: Wernicke Brian , Davis James L. , Niemi Nathan A. , Luffi Peter , Bisnath Sunil
Published: November 2008

Geodetic data, interpreted in light of seismic imaging, seismicity, xenolith studies, and the late Quaternary geologic history of the northern Great Basin, suggest that a subcontinental‐scale extensional detachment is localized near the Moho. To first order, seismic yielding in the upper crust at any given latitude in this region occurs via an M7 earthquake every 100 years. Here we develop the hypothesis that since 1996, the region has undergone a cycle of strain accumulation and release similar to “slow slip events” observed on subduction megathrusts, but yielding occurred on a subhorizontal surface 5–10 times larger in the slip direction, and at temperatures >800°C. Net slip was variable, ranging from 5 to 10 mm over most of the region. Strain energy with moment magnitude equivalent to an M7 earthquake was released along this “megadetachment,” primarily between 2000.0 and 2005.5. Slip initiated in late 1998 to mid‐1999 in northeastern Nevada and is best expressed in late 2003 during a magma injection event at Moho depth beneath the Sierra Nevada, accompanied by more rapid eastward relative displacement across the entire region. The event ended in the east at 2004.0 and in the remainder of the network at about 2005.5. Strain energy thus appears to have been transmitted from the Cordilleran interior toward the plate boundary, from high gravitational potential to low, via yielding on the megadetachment. The size and kinematic function of the proposed structure, in light of various proxies for lithospheric thickness, imply that the subcrustal lithosphere beneath Nevada is a strong, thin plate, even though it resides in a high heat flow tectonic regime. A strong lowermost crust and upper mantle is consistent with patterns of postseismic relaxation in the southern Great Basin, deformation microstructures and low water content in dunite xenoliths in young lavas in central Nevada, and high‐temperature microstructures in analog surface exposures of deformed lower crust. Large‐scale decoupling between crust and upper mantle is consistent with the broad distribution of strain in the upper crust versus the more localized distribution in the subcrustal lithosphere, as inferred by such proxies as low P wave velocity and mafic magmatism.
Structure of Titan's low altitude ionized layer from the Relaxation Probe onboard HUYGENS
Authors: López‐Moreno J. J. , Molina‐Cuberos G. J. , Hamelin M. , Grard R. , Simões F. , Godard R. , Schwingenschuh K. , Béghin C. , Berthelier J. J. , Brown V. J. G. , Falkner P. , Ferri F. , Fulchignoni M. , Jernej I. , Jerónimo J. M. , Rodrigo R. , Trautner R.
Published: November 2008

Some of the secrets of the atmosphere of Titan have been unveiled by the Huygens Probe. The Permitivity Wave and Altimetry system detected a hidden ionosphere much below the main ionosphere, that lies between 600 and 2000 km. Theoretical models predicted a low altitude ionosphere produced by cosmic rays that, contrary to magnetospheric particles and UV photons, are able to penetrate down in the atmosphere. Two sensors: Mutual Impedance (MI) and Relaxation Probe (RP) measured the conductivity of the ionosphere by two different methods and were able to discriminate the two branches of electrical conductivity due to the positive and negative charges. The measurements were made from 140 to 40 km and show a maximum of charge densities ≈2 × 109 m−3 positive ions and ≈450 × 106 m−3 electrons at around 65 km. Here we present the altitude distribution of the concentration of positive ions and electrons obtained from the RP and MI sensors.