bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
NOAA to develop strategy to protect coral and sponge habitat
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2011

The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) will develop a strategy to address research, conservation, and management issues regarding deep‐ocean coral and sponge habitat, the agency indicated in an 11 July Federal Register notice. The Service, which is a unit of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, indicated that this strategy “eventually may result in rulemaking for some fisheries” but that “emergency rulemaking is not warranted.”

The NMFS announcement is in response to a 24 March 2004 petition to the Commerce Department filed by Oceana, a non‐governmental organization. That petition urged the department through NMFS to “initiate immediate rulemaking” to protect coral and sponge habitats in the U.S. exclusive economic zone through mapping, monitoring, research, and enforcement measures.
2006 Ocean Sciences Meeting Travel Grant opportunities
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Travel support for students participating in the 2006 Ocean Sciences Meeting (20–24 February, Honolulu, Hawaii) is being offered through two programs. The 2006 Ocean Sciences Meeting is jointly sponsored by AGU, the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO), and The Oceanography Society (TOS).

Student Travel Grant Program: Students presenting first‐author papers at the Ocean Sciences Meeting are eligible to apply for partial travel support through the Student Travel Grant program. Support for this program has been made available by a grant from the U.S. National Oceanographic Partnership Program (www.nopp.org), with additional contributions from AGU and ASLO.
Research Spotlight: A narrow midmantle plume below southern Africa
Authors: Tretkoff Ernie
Published: October 2011

Mantle plumes, columns of very hot material in Earth's mantle, drive volcanic activity and transfer heat from Earth's core to the upper mantle. A new midmantle plume has now been detected below southern Africa. Sun et al. analyzed data from multiple events recorded by a seismic array in the Kaapvaal region of southern Africa. They found a narrow (less than ∼150 kilometers in diameter) plume‐like feature starting in the lower mantle at the top of the African large low‐velocity structure, a region where mantle composition changes and seismic waves slow down.
Research Spotlight: Correcting model imperfections
Authors: Kumar Mohi , Tretkoff Ernie
Published: October 2011

By their nature, environmental models are unable to perfectly simulate natural phenomena. Misfits between model predictions and field measurements are often characterized by the term “structural noise.” The presence of this noise can adversely affect the estimation of model parameters through the calibration process.
Research Spotlight: New samples taken along Pacific Antarctic Ridge
Authors: Tretkoff Ernie
Published: October 2011

Understanding the geochemistry along ocean ridges around the world can help scientists understand the spatial dynamics and evolution of the mantle. Building on previous sampling of the Pacific Antarctic Ridge, Hamelin et al. collected data on major elements; trace elements; and strontium (Sr), neodymium (Nd), and hafnium (Hf) isotopes in basalts gathered along the ridge from 41° to 53°S. These were the first Sr‐Nd‐Hf isotope data collected in that area, a section of the Pacific Antarctic Ridge that does not have hot spots,which would affect the geochemistry.
Research Spotlight: Uranium mapped on Moon
Authors: Kumar Mohi , Tretkoff Ernie
Published: October 2011

Studies of abundances and distribution of radioactive elements can help answer questions about the formation and evolution of the Moon. Using data from instruments on board the Japanese Kaguya spacecraft (also known as Selenological and Engineering Explorer ( SELENE)), Yamashita et al. mapped the global distribution of uranium and the uranium‐thorium ratio on the surface of the Moon. Uranium and thorium are radioactive elements that emit unique gamma ray signatures, which can be identified by Kaguya's gamma ray spectrometer.
Research Spotlight: Changes to hydrological cycle continue after carbon dioxide is reduced
Authors: Ofori Leslie , Tretkoff Ernie
Published: October 2011

One of the most significant direct effects of global warming is an alteration of the hydrological cycle, which affects the world's water supplies, floods, and droughts. Most studies assume that if human‐induced temperature changes were reversed, the hydrological cycle would revert to its prewarming state.

A new study, however, reveals that climate change mitigation will not quickly return the hydrological cycle to its previous state. Wu et al. used climate model simulations to show how the hydrological cycle could react to changes in future amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. They simulated the effects of a steady rise in CO2 levels to more than 1000 parts per million (ppm), followed by a decrease to preindustrial levels of around 280 ppm.
Research Spotlight: Intertwined feedback loops between atmospheric chemistry and climate
Authors: Kumar Mohi , Ofori Leslie , Tretkoff Ernie
Published: October 2011

Accurately predicting climate change involves a thorough knowledge of how perturbations in the Earth's radiation balance feed back to influence temperature and other climate variables. These feedbacks alter the Earth's capability to absorb incoming solar radiation, and they involve water vapor, clouds, and ice and snow effects.
Research Spotlight: Dry lake bed salts promote cloud formation
Authors: Ofori Leslie , Tretkoff Ernie
Published: October 2011

One of the major uncertainties in climate modeling is the effect of aerosol particles on cloud formation. Sea salt in the air has been known to be important in cloud formation over oceans. Now a new study provides the first direct measurements of clouds showing that windblown dust from dry lake beds (playas) can also act as cloud condensation nuclei, encouraging the formation of clouds over continents and thereby affecting climate.
In Memoriam
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

John B. Diebold, 66, 1 July 2010, Marine Geology and Geophysics, 1975

Craig Ferris Sr., Geodesy, 1944
Research Spotlight: Columbia Glacier's changing calving behavior
Authors: Kumar Mohi , Ofori Leslie , Tretkoff Ernie
Published: October 2011

In 2007, the terminus of Columbia Glacier, a tidewater glacier in Alaska, became ungrounded and began floating. Columbia is now the only known floating Alaskan tidewater glacier. A new study analyzed the glacier's changing calving (iceberg release) behavior during the transition from grounded to floating.
Research Spotlight: A less invasive method to measure groundwater permeability
Authors: Kumar Mohi , Tretkoff Ernie
Published: October 2011

Hydraulic conductivity quantifies how easily water moves through aquifers, a factor important for management of water resources, the design of wells, and remediation of contaminated sites. It typically shows strong spatial fluctuations, so determining hydraulic conductivity usually involves extensive, invasive, and often expensive installation of wells or sampling sites within the aquifer.
In Memoriam
Authors: Anonymous
Published: October 2011

Owen M. Phillips, 79, 13 October 2010, Fellow, Ocean Sciences, 1961
Research Spotlight: Electrons in plasma sheet absorbed by lunar surface
Authors: Tretkoff Ernie
Published: October 2011

For a few days around the time of each full Moon, the Moon passes through Earth's plasma sheet, the plasma‐filled region separating the two lobes of Earth's magnetotail. In this region, plasma conditions are different from those the Moon encounters in the solar wind, outside of Earth's magnetosphere
Research Spotlight: Gravity measurements show sources of sea level change
Authors: Kumar Mohi , Tretkoff Ernie
Published: October 2011

Sea level rises as ice on continents melts and adds to the volume of the ocean. The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites measure changes in Earth's gravity field, which makes it possible to observe patterns of mass exchange between land and oceans and the resultant sea level change.
Research Spotlight: Meltwater within glaciers speeds ice sheet warming
Authors: Kumar Mohi , Tretkoff Ernie
Published: October 2011

Ice sheets and glaciers have been observed to respond rapidly to climate warming. Cryohydrologic warming, a new mechanism proposed by Phillips et al., could explain why. Meltwater can flow through networks of crevasses and fractures that develop or expand within glaciers as the climate warms. Some liquid water can remain in a glacier without refreezing after the summer melt season ends. Heat exchange between this englacial water and the ice can accelerate warming of ice sheets, the authors explain.
Research Spotlight: Improving analysis of Earth's surface displacement
Authors: Kumar Mohi , Tretkoff Ernie
Published: October 2011

Advanced processing of spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data allows improved measurements of Earth's surface deformation over time. The common base of these advanced methods is the differential interferometric SAR (DInSAR) technique, which exploits temporally separated SAR image pairs of an area to provide measurements of ground deformation with centimeter to millimeter accuracy and large spatial coverage. DInSAR has been in use since the 1990s to study single Earth‐deforming events such as earthquakes; in the past decade, advanced techniques have been developed to study Earth's surface displacements over time through the analysis of SAR image sequences.
Research Spotlight: Sulfate isotopes explain past Antarctic atmospheric conditions
Authors: Kumar Mohi , Tretkoff Ernie
Published: October 2011

The past 230 years have seen great changes in atmospheric conditions in the Northern Hemisphere, due to pollutants released from biomass and coal burning as societies became industrialized and the fossil fuel burning that began to dominate energy consumption at the turn of the twentieth century. The changes from low pollution levels to biomass burning to fossil fuel burning are recorded in Greenland ice cores—the burning of different fuels releases chemical species that influence the oxidation capacity (or reactivity) of the atmosphere. The oxidation capacity of the atmosphere influences atmospheric concentrations of pollutants and greenhouse gases. Sulfate isotopes record this oxidation chemistry in the atmosphere, and these isotopically distinct molecules then precipitate in the Arctic's yearly snow cycles.
Research Spotlight: Wave‐particle interactions important in radiation belt dynamics
Authors: Tretkoff Ernie
Published: October 2011

In the Earth's outer radiation belt the flux of energetic electrons and ions can vary significantly over short time periods in response to solar activity. These energetic particles can damage satellites, making it important to be able to understand and predict variability in the radiation belts. In recent years, scientists' understanding of how electrons are accelerated in the radiation belts has changed. Thorne reviews a variety of recent advances in understanding and modeling radiation belt dynamics, highlighting the importance of interactions of energetic particles with magnetosphere waves.
Communication: Folding of glycosylated proteins under confinement
Authors: Shental-Bechor Dalit , Levy Yaakov
Published: October 2011

Conjugating flexible polymers (such as oligosaccharides) to proteins or confining a protein in a restricted volume often increases protein thermal stability. In this communication, we investigate the interplay between conjugation and confinement which is not trivial as the magnitude and the mechanism of stabilization are different in each instance. Using coarse-grained computational approach the folding biophysics is studied when the protein is placed in a sphere of variable radius and is conjugated to 0–6 mono- or penta-saccharides. We observe a synergistic effect on thermal stability when short oligosaccharides are attached and the modified protein is confined in a small cage. However, when large oligosaccharides are added, a conflict between confinement and glycosylation arises as the stabilizing effect of the cage is dramatically reduced and it is almost impossible to further stabilize the protein beyond the mild stabilization induced by the sugars.
Two-dimensional plasma grating by non-collinear femtosecond filament interaction in air
Authors: Liu Jia , Li Wenxue , Pan Haifeng , Zeng Heping
Published: October 2011

We experimentally demonstrated that two-dimensional (2D) plasma gratings could be generated in air by nonlinear interaction of three femtosecond filaments. The intensity interference of non-collinearly overlapped filaments was self-projected along a relatively long distance and accompanied with a wavelength-scale periodic change of the refractive index in the encircling air due to periodic plasma density modulation. The 2D plasma gratings supported 2D diffraction of the generated third-harmonic pulses. By using in-line time-resolved holographic imaging and time-delayed diffraction, the 2D plasma gratings were evidenced to last a few tens picoseconds after the excitation pulses.
Strongly enhanced magnetic moments in ferromagnetic FeMnP0.5Si0.5
Authors: Hudl Matthias , Häggström Lennart , Delczeg-Czirjak Erna-Krisztina , Höglin Viktor , Sahlberg Martin , Vitos Levente , Eriksson Olle , Nordblad Per , Andersson Yvonne
Published: October 2011

The compound FeMnP0.5Si0.5 has been studied by magnetic measurements, Mössbauer spectroscopy, and electronic structure and total energy calculations. An unexpectedly high magnetic hyperfine field for Fe atoms located at the tetrahedral Me(1) site in the Fe2P structure is found. The saturation moment derived from magnetic measurements corresponds to 4.4 μB/f.u. at low temperatures, a value substantially higher than previously reported, but in accordance with the results from our electron structure calculations. This high saturation moment and the tunable first order ferromagnetic transition make the Fe2−xMnxP1−ySiy system promising for magnetocaloric applications.
Electrical-field induced giant magnetoresistivity in (non-magnetic) phase change films
Authors: Tominaga Junji , Simpson Robert E. , Fons Paul , Kolobov Alexander V.
Published: October 2011

Phase-change GeTe/Sb2Te3 multilayered structures, in which the atomic motion at the layer interfaces is limited to one dimension, have been shown to require substantially lower switching energies when compared to monolithic alloys of the same average composition. Here, we report that in the GeTe/Sb2Te3 superlattice, an extraordinarily large magnetoresistance of ΔR/R > 2000% can be induced by application of an electrical field at temperatures exceeding 400 K. This finding paves the way for development of conceptually new memory devices that combine the merits of both phase-change and magnetic data storage.
Useful Knowledge as an Evolving System: The View from Economic History
Authors: Mokyr Joel
Published: October 2011

This chapter develops an evolutionary approach to the process of technological innovation. It shows how a theory of knowledge evolution can be executed in a manner analogous to the Darwinian models of evolution in living systems. The chapter warns that while much can be learned from this analogy, there are important differences.
How Many Times Does Three Go Into One?
Authors: Yandell Keith
Published: October 2011

This chapter argues that when armed with the right understanding of the concepts of simplicity and complexity, one can conclude that the Triune God is a complex being who can be called simple when not composed of parts, but not simple when there is a lack of complexity. It holds that God is a Trinity of persons who are conscious rational agents, and it is logically impossible that any Trinitarian person exist in the absence of any other Trinitarian person. Thus there is one God who is complex (though not composite), and three divine persons who are numerically distinct from one another though logically inseparable.
Land Market Liberalization and the Agrarian Question in Latin America
Authors: Carter Michael R. , Salgado RamóN
Published: October 2011

The priority which is now given to economic development policies that attempt to address inequality and poverty is furthered by the search for what Joseph Stiglitz referred to as the ‘post-Washington Consensus’. Aside from how there are ongoing developments in both macro- and microeconomic theories that concern economic costs of inequality which allocate more focus on inequality and poverty, it is important to note that the renewed attention received by these issues reflects the post-liberalization growth exhibited by Latin America which, unfortunately, has had minimal effects in relinquishing economic inequalities, specifically in the rural sector. Today, land policy in Latin American countries consist mainly of the use of instruments such as land titling and market-assisted or negotiated land reform. This chapter aims to assess the performance of liberalized land markets through first considering the theory of smallholder land market competitiveness and through looking into experiences in three Latin American economies.
The United Nations System: Prospects for Renewal
Authors: Falk Richard
Published: October 2011

This chapter considers the record of the United Nations (UN) system since its inception, with an eye focused on prospects for renewal and reform at the present time. The main criteria relied upon for assessment are considerations of effectiveness and legitimacy in relation to the operations of the UN. The discussion begins by exploring why the present global setting is resistant to renewal and reform, but with the qualification that such a climate of resistance could change rapidly. The UN system as a whole has over the years emerged as a site of struggle in relation to both the East-West conflict, largely superseded since 1989, and the still persisting North-South encounter. The chapter also considers the creative role played by the UN with respect to arranging conferences on global challenges on a range of issues including the environment, women, population, and human rights.
Official Criminology and the New Crime Sciences
Authors: Hope Tim
Published: October 2011

The notion that criminological ideas provide the discursive conditions for the governance of crime has featured prominently in criminological scholarship. In the matter of government, thinking about crime coalesces into official criminologies that function to justify and validate state policies and practices of crime control. In representative democracies, these official criminological discourses are ‘public’ and, in principle, take their place alongside others, including those of lay people, the media and politics generally; as well as the criminology produced by academics. As a form of knowledge, official criminologies are definable by the purpose to which they are put. This chapter discusses the problem of causation for official criminology, the problem of prediction, and the problem of selection. It further asks whether official criminology is a science and whether official criminology is political.
Protective effect of Clostridium tyrobutyricum in acute dextran sodium sulphate-induced colitis: differential regulation of tumour necrosis factor-α and interleukin-18 in BALB/c and severe combined immunodeficiency mice
Authors: Hudcovic T , Kolinska J , Klepetar J , Stepankova R , Rezanka T , Srutkova D , Schwarzer M , Erban V , Du Z , Wells J M , Hrncir T , Tlaskalova-Hogenova H , Kozakova H
Published: October 2011

One of the promising approaches in the therapy of ulcerative colitis is administration of butyrate, an energy source for colonocytes, into the lumen of the colon. This study investigates the effect of butyrate producing bacterium Clostridium tyrobutyricum on dextran sodium sulphate (DSS)-induced colitis in mice. Immunocompetent BALB/c and immunodeficient severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice reared in specific-pathogen-free (SPF) conditions were treated intrarectally with C. tyrobutyricum 1 week prior to the induction of DSS colitis and during oral DSS treatment. Administration of DSS without C. tyrobutyricum treatment led to an appearance of clinical symptoms – bleeding, rectal prolapses and colitis-induced increase in the antigen CD11b, a marker of infiltrating inflammatory cells in the lamina propria. The severity of colitis was similar in BALB/c and SCID mice as judged by the histological damage score and colon shortening after 7 days of DSS treatment. Both strains of mice also showed a similar reduction in tight junction (TJ) protein zonula occludens (ZO)-1 expression and of MUC-2 mucin depression. Highly elevated levels of cytokine tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α in the colon of SCID mice and of interleukin (IL)-18 in BALB/c mice were observed. Intrarectal administration of C. tyrobutyricum prevented appearance of clinical symptoms of DSS-colitis, restored normal MUC-2 production, unaltered expression of TJ protein ZO-1 and decreased levels of TNF-α and IL-18 in the descending colon of SCID and BALB/c mice, respectively. Some of these features can be ascribed to the increased production of butyrate in the lumen of the colon and its role in protection of barrier functions and regulation of IL-18 expression.
Floppy eyelid syndrome is associated with obstructive sleep apnoea: a prospective study on 127 patients
Authors: CHAMBE JULIETTE , LAIB SOUMIA , HUBBARD JEFFREY , ERHARDT CHRISTINE , RUPPERT ELISABETH , SCHRODER CARMEN , MALAN ANDRE , BOURCIER TRISTAN , BOURGIN PATRICE
Published: October 2011

A few investigations have raised the question of a possible relationship between obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) and floppy eyelid syndrome (FES). FES is an easily inverted floppy eyelid with papillary conjunctivis, and is a subset of the general pathology, lax eyelid syndrome. The aim of the current study is to determine whether OSAS severity is associated with FES. One hundred and 27 consecutive subjects (aged 25–75 years) referred to the Strasbourg University Sleep Clinic with suspicion of OSAS were included. All patients underwent overnight ambulatory respiratory polygraphy, comprehensive ophthalmological examination and completed standard sleep questionnaires. OSAS severity was defined based on the patient’s obstructive apnoea–hypopnoea index (AHI). As expected, age, body mass index (BMI) and the proportion of males increased with OSAS severity. FES was observed in 15.8% of the subjects without OSAS, 25.8% of the total OSAS population and the frequency was significantly increased (40%) in patients with severe OSAS (AHI > 30 h−1). A significant correlation between OSAS severity and FES was found after adjustment for age, sex and BMI, using a principal component analysis (PCA). The multivariate analysis included clinical, polygraphic and comorbidity data and was followed by logistic regressions for the main components extracted from the PCA. In summary, our findings show an association between OSAS severity and FES and suggest that severe OSAS might be an independent risk factor for FES. These two disorders may share common biological determinants, such as tissue elasticity. Finally, clinicians should be aware of this association so that underlying OSAS or FES can be detected.
Genetic variation and hitchhiking between structurally polymorphic Alu insertions and HLA‐A, ‐B, and ‐C alleles and other retroelements within the MHC class I region
Authors: Kulski J. K. , Shigenari A. , Inoko H.
Published: October 2011

We investigated structurally polymorphic Alu insertions (POALINs) at five loci in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I genomic region to determine their allele and haplotype frequencies and associations with the human leukocyte antigen (HLA)‐A, ‐B, and ‐C genes in three populations, the Australian Caucasians, Japanese, and African Americans. The POALINs varied in allelic frequency between 0% and 42.3% with significant differences between populations at three of the five loci. The linkage disequilibrium (LD) between Alu insertions and the HLA‐A, ‐B, or ‐C alleles and previously published polymorphic retroelements (four SVA and human endogenous retrovirus type 9 (HERVK9) loci) within the class I region of the MHC were calculated in pairwise analyses of haplotypes to show strong allelic associations and possible crossing‐over events between some loci. Each POALIN was in significant LD with a variety of HLA‐A, ‐B, or ‐C two‐digit alleles probably as a result of hitchhiking. The POALINs helped to further stratify the HLA‐A:B:C haplotypes into different POALIN:HLA‐A:B:C haplotype frequencies. Of the multilocus haplotype analyses, the seven‐ and eight‐locus haplotypes showed the largest number of differences between the populations, and fewer matched haplotypes between populations that ranged, for example, from 49% for HLA‐B:HLA‐A haplotypes to 7% for AluMICB:HLA‐B:HLA‐C:AluTF:AluHJ:HLA‐A:AluHG:AluTF haplotypes in the Japanese. This comparative study of multilocus POALINs in the HLA class I region of three ethnic populations shows that POALINs alone or together with the HLA class I alleles and other retroelements are informative ancestral markers for assessing the interrelationship of HLA class I haplotype lineages, LD, and genetic diversity within the same and/or different populations.
Overlapped grouping periodogram test for detecting multiple hidden periodicities in mixed spectra
Authors: Wen Qiuzi H. , Wong Augustine , Wang Xiaolan L.
Published: October 2011

Hidden periodicity is a featured phenomenon in many area of the real world, for example, in astronomy and climatology. Under white noise assumption, the problem of searching for hidden periodicity has been studied extensively in the literature. However, under mixed spectra, especially when compound periodicities are involved, most of the existing methods lose their efficiencies. An overlapped grouping periodogram (OGP) test is proposed in this paper to detect multiple hidden periodicities in mixed spectra. Its test statistic is proven to converge to Fisher's g‐statistic almost surely. Difficulties arising from the implementation of the OGP test are tackled and an empirical data‐adaptive confidence interval for grouping parameter selection is constructed when red noise is assumed. The large sample properties of the proposed OGP test are studied via Monte Carlo simulations, and the power of the test is further illustrated by applying it to the reanalysis of the monthly international sunspot series. By employing the new method, a 10‐year cycle and a 11‐year cycle are detected respectively in the monthly international sunspot series. These two cycles combined to form a super cycle with a period of about 110 years for the updated estimate to the solar cycle. The goodness of the OGP fit to the sunspot series is examined.
Preventing Violent Extremism: Perceptions of Policy from Grassroots and Communities
Authors: Lakhani Suraj
Published: October 2011

This article examines the implementation of the UK's ‘Prevent Strategy’ for countering terrorist risks and threats. Informed by qualitative data, it critically assesses the perception and reception ‘on the ground’ of Prevent Strategy policies amongst those individuals who are, in many ways, the focus of such interventions. It is found that there are a number of grievances held, though three are of particular concern and revolve around funding issues, confusion of the overarching aims of the strategy, and suspicions of intelligence gathering and spying within Muslim communities.
The Reverse Environmental Gender Gap in China: Evidence from “The China Survey”*
Authors: Shields Todd , Zeng Ka
Published: October 2011

Objectives

This article explores gender differences in attitudes about the seriousness of the environment as a problem in China using the “2008 China Survey.”

Methods

We use generalized ordered logit models to analyze survey respondents’ environmental attitudes.

Results

Our results indicate that there is indeed a “gender gap” in environmental attitudes in China, but the pattern is reversed from what has been generally found in previous work conducted in the United States and Europe. Chinese men, not women, show a greater concern about environmental problems and the seriousness of the environmental degradation in China. Further, we find that this gender gap is based largely in the substantial economic and educational differences between men and women in contemporary China.

Conclusions

This study emphasizes the mediating influence of socioeconomic variables in explaining gender attitudes toward the environment in China. Our findings suggest that in different contexts, women may be faced with difficult decisions between immediate economic necessities and long‐term environmental concerns. The observed environmental gender gap in China will likely persist unless further economic development results in improved access to education and economic conditions for Chinese women.
Left Atrial Dimension and Risk of Stroke in Women without Atrial Fibrillation: The Chin–Shan Community Cardiovascular Cohort Study
Authors: Lai Chao‐Lun , Chien Kuo‐Liong , Hsu Hsiu‐Ching , Su Ta‐Chen , Chen Ming‐Fong , Lee Yuan‐Teh
Published: October 2011

Background: Evidence on the relationship between left atrial dimension and cardiovascular events is inconclusive. We explored the association between left atrial dimension and stroke and all‐cause death in an ethnic Chinese population. Methods: We recruited 1,937 subjects undertaking echocardiographic examination without prior atrial fibrillation/stroke in the Chin–Shan Community Cardiovascular Cohort study. Left atrial dimension indexed by body mass index was used as left atrial dimension index (LADI) for analysis. The end points were stroke and all‐cause death. A multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to estimate the relative risks between participants stratified by tertile of LADI within each gender. Results: During a median follow‐up of 11.9 years, 21,733 person‐years were accrued and 114 subjects with stroke and 364 all‐cause deaths were identified. The adjusted relative risk of stroke was 2.44 (95% CI, 1.11 to 5.36, P for trend = 0.029) among women in the upper tertile of LADI compared with women in the lower tertile of LADI. Further adjusting for left ventricular mass index attenuated the relationship of LADI to stroke (adjusted relative risk 2.11, 95% CI, 0.88 to 5.02, P for trend = 0.09). In men, tertile of LADI was not associated with stroke. LADI was not associated with risk of all‐cause death in both genders. Conclusions: We found an association between increased LADI and incident stroke in women but not in men in this ethnic Chinese population. LADI was not associated with all‐cause death in both genders. (Echocardiography 2011;28:1054‐1060)
Fabrication of Three‐Dimensionally Structured Titanium Oxide Thin Films by Transfer Printing
Authors: Lee Jian‐Hong , Tsai Shu‐Yi , Lee Wen‐Jen , Hon Min‐Hsiung , Leu Ing‐Chi
Published: October 2011

The fabrication of a three‐dimensionally structured metal oxide on various substrates mediated with self‐assemble monolayer (SAM) Au‐precoated substrates, such as Si wafer, non‐planar glass, and flexible plastic, is important for a number of practical applications in electronics, photonics, and biotechnology. In this report, we describe the use of transfer printing for forming three‐dimensionally structured TiO2 thin films with feature sizes of 10 μm in the diameter and 3 μm in height over areas of several square millimeters by direct patterning onto Si surfaces. This process is mediated by the presence of a 3‐mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane monolayer that guides the transfer of three‐dimensionally structured TiO2 thin films from the low‐energy surfaces of the mold to a Si substrate via surface forces.
Porous Ceramics, Ceramic/Polymer, and Metal‐Doped Ceramic/Polymer Nanocomposites via Freeze Casting of Photo‐Curable Colloidal Fluids
Authors: de Hazan Yoram
Published: October 2011

A novel and general process for the fabrication of porous ceramics and metal/ceramic/polymer nanocomposites by freeze‐photocuring‐casting (FPC) is presented. The homogenous fluid containing water, curable monomers, and colloidal particles is frozen, and the phase separated microstructure is fixed by photo‐initiated polymerization. At the relatively high resin/particle ratio explored here, the structure is sufficiently strong to withstand the capillary forces during ambient drying; however, it is capable of transforming to macroscopic ceramics such as Al2O3 and SiO2 by conventional debinding and sintering. The use of FPC fluids enables producing porous macroscopic shapes such as microspheres, films, and multilayer coatings having an ordered, interconnected pore network and pore sizes down to the low sub‐micrometer range. The pore structure is found to be dependent on the radius of curvature of the macroscopic structure. Ag–TiO2/polyacrylate porous nanocomposites are produced by co‐shaping of FPC containing sterically stable colloids, soluble metal salts, and monomers. Ag nanoparticles form in situ by reduction of Ag+ ions on the TiO2 surface. This triggers the photo‐polymerization of the resin without the need of a photoinitiator. It is found that if the cured layers in a multilayer stack are frozen before the newly deposited layer, the ice crystal structure formed is linked via epitaxial growth.
Geographic variation in oviposition preference for male and female host plants in a geometrid moth: implications for evolution of host choice
Authors: Tsuji Kaoru , Sota Teiji
Published: October 2011

Several dioecious plant species exhibit sexual dimorphisms in defensive traits. However, the effects of sexual dimorphism on defense against herbivores remain poorly understood. Eurya japonica (Thunb.) (Theaceae) is a dioecious shrub that shows sexual dimorphism in the chemical defense of flower buds. Female calyces contain higher concentrations of total phenolics and condensed tannins than do male calyces. Male flower buds are edible for a florivore moth, Chloroclystis excisa (Butler) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), whereas the female flower buds are lethal to the moth larvae. The moths prefer to oviposit on male over female E. japonica flower buds. As the moths also occur in areas lacking E. japonica, we tested whether the oviposition preference for E. japonica flower sex differed between moths sympatric and allopatric with E. japonica. The moths sympatric with E. japonica showed a stronger preference for male E. japonica than the moths allopatric with E. japonica. Our phylogeographic study using mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene sequences revealed little genetic differentiation between moth populations sympatric and allopatric with E. japonica. These results suggest that the adaptive oviposition preference for flower sex of E. japonica has evolved rapidly in C. excisa.
Alcohol consumption
Authors: DREYER L. , WINTHER J. F. , ANDERSEN A. , PUKKALA E.
Published: October 2011

Alcohol intake is causally associated with cancers of the larynx, oral cavity, pharynx, oesophagus and liver. In all five Nordic countries, alcohol consumption increased substantially between 1965 (6.5 litres per adult per year) and 1975 (10 litres), but remained at about 10 litres between 1975 and 1985. The daily consumption of men during the period was substantially higher than that of women, and that of both men and women was higher in Denmark than in the other Nordic countries. In about 2000, an annual total of almost 1,300 cancer cases (1,000 in men and 300 in women) would be avoided if alcohol drinking were eliminated. This corresponds to about 29% of all alcohol‐related cancers, i.e. in the oesophagus (37%), oral cavity and pharynx (33%), larynx (29%) and liver (15%). About 2% of all cancers in men and 1% in women in the Nordic countries around the year 2000 will be caused by the drinking habits of the respective populations.
Tensegrity and plasma for skin regeneration
Authors: Pacini Stefania , Morucci Gabriele , Ruggiero Marco , Gulisano Massimo , Punzi Tiziana
Published: October 2011

Background

Mechanical stresses induce variations in tissue tensegrity leading to cell proliferation and differentiation thus contributing to tissue remodelling. Besides mechanical forces, skin remodelling may be induced by the application of plasma, a new type of energy delivery resulting in controlled heat damage. Here we demonstrate that mechanical stress induced by the application of vacuum increases the efficacy of plasma in skin regeneration treatment.

Methods

Vacuum alone and vacuum plus plasma at different energies were applied to rat skin and biopsies collected at different time intervals after treatments. Skin integrity, collagen arrangement, inflammation and myofibroblast differentiation were assessed by Masson's trichrome staining. Procollagen synthesis was evaluated by immunohistochemistry.

Results

Vacuum alone induced significant and temporary alterations in the distribution of collagen bundles, with concomitant procollagen synthesis in the dermis; no myofibroblasts and no signs of inflammation were observed. Vacuum plus plasma determined an important spatial modification of collagen bundles, more intense than vacuum or plasma alone. Significant increase of procollagen synthesis, numerous myofibroblasts but slight sign of inflammation appeared after the treatment.

Conclusion

Vacuum mechanically stimulated fibroblasts, producing changes in collagen arrangement and procollagen synthesis. Plasma led to the same effects through thermal damage. Application of a combined treatment consisting in vacuum plus plasma induced more remarkable effects on skin regeneration with relatively low plasma energies and no relevant side effects.
Near‐death experiences: the experience of the self as real and not as an illusion
Authors: van Lommel Pim
Published: October 2011

Because the publication of several prospective studies on near‐death experience (NDE) in survivors of cardiac arrest have shown strikingly similar results and conclusions, the phenomenon of the NDE can no longer be scientifically ignored. The NDE is an authentic experience that cannot be simply reduced to imagination, fear of death, hallucination, psychosis, the use of drugs, or oxygen deficiency. Patients appear to be permanently changed by an NDE during a cardiac arrest of only some minutes’ duration. It is a scientific challenge to discuss new hypotheses that could explain the possibility of a clear and enhanced consciousness—with memories, self‐identity, cognition, and emotions—during a period of apparent coma. The current materialistic view of the relationship between consciousness and the brain, as held by most physicians, philosophers, and psychologists, seems to be too restricted for a proper understanding of this phenomenon. There are good reasons to assume that our consciousness, with the continuous experience of self, does not always coincide with the functioning of our brain: enhanced or nonlocal consciousness, with unaltered self‐identity, apparently can be experienced independently from the lifeless body. People are convinced that the self they experienced during their NDE is a reality and not an illusion.
Decreased blood catalase activity is not related to specific beta‐thalassemia mutations in Hungary
Authors: KÓSA Z. , NAGY T. , NAGY E. , FAZAKAS F. , GÓTH L.
Published: October 2011

Introduction:  Thalassemia erythrocytes are exposed to oxidative stress especially to hydrogen peroxide, which is regulated with the enzyme catalase. The aim of this study was to examine blood catalase activity and the relationship of blood catalase and beta‐thalassemia gene mutations.

Methods:  Blood catalase activity, hemoglobin, HbA2, HbF, and beta‐globin gene mutations were determined in 43 Hungarian patients with beta‐thalassemia trait.

Results:  Compared to controls, the beta‐thalassemia trait patients showed a low mean (P < 0.001) of blood catalase (men: 84 ± 29 MU/L vs. sex‐matched controls: 118 ± 18 MU/L and women: 74 ± 18 MU/L vs. 108 ± 114 MU/L) and a low mean of blood catalase‐to‐blood hemoglobin ratio (men: 0.72 ± 0.22 MU/g vs. 0.85 ± 0.12 MU/g, women: 0.77 ± 0.26 MU/g vs. 0.84 ± 0.11 MU/g). The HbA2 determination showed high sensitivity and specificity for the detection of beta‐thalassemia trait patients. Mutation analyses revealed 13 beta‐thalassemia trait mutations, of which six have not been reported before in Hungarian beta‐thalassemia trait patients. Each group of mutations revealed decreased (P < 0.01) mean of blood catalase and catalase‐to‐hemoglobin ratio. Acatalasemia mutations were not found in beta‐thalassemia trait patients.

Conclusion:  The decrease in blood catalase activity might be due to the damaging effects of free radicals on the catalase protein. Consequently, these beta‐thalassemia trait patients may be relatively susceptible to damage caused by oxidative stress.
Embodied Spatial Cognition
Authors: Gregory Trafton J. , Harrison Anthony M.
Published: October 2011

We present a spatial system called Specialized Egocentrically Coordinated Spaces embedded in an embodied cognitive architecture (ACT‐R Embodied). We show how the spatial system works by modeling two different developmental findings: gaze‐following and Level 1 perspective taking. The gaze‐following model is based on an experiment byCorkum and Moore (1998), whereas the Level 1 visual perspective‐taking model is based on an experiment byMoll and Tomasello (2006). The models run on an embodied robotic system.
Synergistic Effect by Co‐Administration of Tamsulosin and Solifenacin on Bladder Activity in Rats
Authors: NISHIJIMA Saori , SUGAYA Kimio , KADEKAWA Katsumi , ASHITOMI Katsuhiro , OHTAKE Akiyoshi , SASAMATA Masao , YAMAMOTO Hideyuki
Published: October 2011

Objectives: We examined the effects of alpha1‐adrenoceptor antagonist (tamsulosin hydrochloride) and antimuscarinic agent (solifenacin succinate) alone or in combination on the urinary adenosine triphosphate (ATP) level and cystometric parameters before and after bladder stimulation.

Methods: Female rats were administered tamsulosin hydrochloride (0.5 or 3 µg/kg/h) and/or solifenacin succinate (20 or 100 µg/kg/h) via a subcutaneously implanted osmotic minipump. Rats receiving distilled water were used as control. After 2 weeks, continuous cystometry with physiological saline or 0.1% acetic acid solution was performed. Urinary ATP level was also measured before and after stimulation by 0.1% acetic acid solution.

Results: During cystometry with bladder stimulation, the interval between voiding became shorter and the maximum voiding pressure (MVP) became higher in the control group. In the high‐dose tamsulosin and solifenacin groups, the inhibition of urinary frequency was observed. The MVP also became higher in the high‐dose tamsulosin group, but such a change was not seen in the high‐dose solifenacin group. In case of low‐dose administration, either agent alone did not inhibit the increase of urinary frequency and MVP due to bladder stimulation. However, co‐administration of these ineffective low doses of tamsulosin and solifenacin resulted in the inhibition of urinary frequency. The high‐dose or low‐dose solifenacin group and the co‐administration group showed similar inhibition of the increase of urinary ATP after bladder stimulation.

Conclusion: Tamsulosin may have a different effect on the bladder and/or the neuronal pathways that is unrelated to ATP, so the combination of tamsulosin and solifenacin may synergistically inhibit urinary frequency after bladder stimulation.
Transport Processes in Magnetosolidmechanics-Adiabatic Conditions
Authors: Arnas O. A. , Craig G. T.
Published: October 2011

General phenomenological relations describing the interactions between an externally applied magnetic field and thermal and electrical gradients in a solid are formulated from basic concepts of irreversible thermodynamics. Galvanomagnetic and thermomagnetic effects are defined under adiabatic conditions and the results obtained are compared with previous analyses under isothermal conditions. The general relations are applied to a one-dimensional steady-state case.
Sidesway Buckling of Deep Circular Arches Under a Concentrated Load
Authors: DaDeppo D. A. , Schmidt R.
Published: October 2011

The values of the critical concentrated load, at which hinged-hinged circular arches begin to sway sideward from the symmetrical configuration at large deflections, are calculated by means of the exact theory of the inextensional elastica for initially circular rods of constant cross section. The calculations employ elliptic integrals of the first and second kind. The results are compared with available approximate and empirical values.
Application of an Equivalent Nonlinear System Approach to Dissipative Dynamical Systems
Authors: Iwan W. D.
Published: October 2011

This paper deals with a method for generating approximate periodic solutions for dissipative second-order nonlinear systems. The approach presented is based on the definition of an auxiliary nonlinear system which is equivalent to the original system in the sense of minimum mean-square difference. The method is applied to a system with a cubic nonlinearity and leads to a substantial improvement over more conventional first-order approximation techniques.
Continuation of Newton’s Method Through Bifurcation Points
Authors: Thurston G. A.
Published: October 2011

A modification of Newton’s method is suggested that provides a practical means of continuing solutions of nonlinear differential equations through limit points or bifurcation points. The method is applicable when the linear “variational” equations for the problem are self-adjoint. The procedure is illustrated by examples from the field of elastic stability.
Three-Dimensional and Shell-Theory Analysis of Elastic Waves in a Hollow Sphere: Part 2—Numerical Results
Authors: Shah A. H. , Ramkrishnan C. V. , Datta S. K.
Published: October 2011

In this Part 2 of the paper, numerical results obtained through an IBM 7044 digital computer are presented. Frequency values for the two classes of vibrations for different values of n are calculated from the exact frequency equations and also from the shell equations. Comparisons are made with the exact frequency spectra of those obtained from the present six-mode shell analysis and other available shell and membrane analyses. It is found that the lowest branches of the frequency spectra for the two classes of vibrations obtained by the six-mode analysis agree very well with the exact ones, even for very thick shells, whereas other shell analysis done in the past make erroneous predictions when the thickness-to-radius ratio of the shell is greater than 10 percent.
An Experimental Study of a Nonlinear Viscoelastic Solid in Uniaxial Tension
Authors: Gottenberg W. G. , Bird J. O. , Agrawal G. L.
Published: October 2011

The multiple integral form of the constitutive relation for nonlinear viscoelasticity is correlated with experimental results for the case of uniaxial tension of a polymeric material. Special forms of the kernel functions are assumed in which the arguments of these functions are taken in additive form. This permits the development of a simple procedure for determining the material functions from stress-relaxation tests. The resulting constitutive relation, for a particular material, is used to predict the load response to single and consecutive constant strain-rate programs and the results are compared with experimentally obtained data.
Instability of a Mechanical System Induced by an Impinging Fluid Jet
Authors: Feldt W. T. , Nemat-Nasser S. , Prasad S. N. , Herrmann G.
Published: October 2011

This study is concerned with the theoretical and quantitative experimental determination of critical loads which separate stable from unstable states of equilibrium of a mechanical system subjected to the action of an impinging fluid jet. It was found that the type of loss of stability is determined by the properties of the surface upon which the jet impinges. For a smooth surface, stability was lost by divergence (static buckling), whereas for a surface with a screen of certain mesh size, stability was lost by flutter (oscillations with increasing amplitudes). The experimental results have been compared with a theoretical stability analysis of this nonconservative system and a satisfactory correlation of numerical values is shown to exist, particularly if the peculiar effects of damping are accounted for.