bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
T‐Cell epitope discovery for variola and vaccinia viruses
Authors: Kennedy Richard , Poland Gregory A.
Published: December 2006

Variola major, the causative agent of smallpox, afflicted mankind throughout history until the worldwide World Health Organisation WHO vaccination campaign successfully eradicated the disease. Unfortunately, recent concerns about bioterrorism have renewed scientific interest in this virus. One essential component of our biodefense and preparedness efforts is an understanding of poxvirus immunity. To this end a number of laboratories have sought to discover T‐ and B‐Cell epitopes from select agents such as variola virus. This review focuses on the efforts to identify CD8+ T‐Cell epitopes from poxviruses as a means to develop new vaccines and therapeutics. A wide variety of techniques have been employed by several research groups to provide complementary information regarding cellular immune responses to poxviruses. In the last several years well over 100 T‐Cell epitopes have been identified and the work rapidly continues. The information gleaned from these studies will not only give us a greater understanding of immunity to variola virus and other viruses, but also provide a foundation for next generation vaccines and additional tools with which to study host‐pathogen interactions. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Software reliability evaluation in service operation
Authors: Miyakawa Osamu , Tohma Yoshihiro
Published: December 2006

There have been studies of the software reliability growth model based on the hypergeometric distribution model, most of which have been concerned with the testing and debugging process. In this paper, the assumption of a hypergeometric distribution model for software reliability evaluation in service operation is reviewed, and the estimation power of the model is investigated by using actual fault data. It is found that the estimated mean time between failures agrees with the observed value. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 38(1): 97–104, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.10279
A factorial representation of permutations and its application to flow‐shop scheduling
Authors: Watase Kazunori
Published: December 2006

The first objective of the current research was to incorporate the NEH search method, which is the classical heuristic algorithm for the flow‐shop scheduling problem, into a genetic algorithm to improve search performance. To achieve this objective, the author used factorial numbers to represent permutations. Since chromosome representations according to factorial numbers have a one‐to‐one correspondence with permutations, there is no redundancy. Since no lethal gene is produced by crossover, uniform crossover can also be applied, not just one‐point or two‐point crossover. In addition, it was apparent that the NEH concept could be naturally introduced into the genetic algorithm search process by arranging n jobs in ascending order of total work times as the basic permutation that is used when associating permutations and factorial numbers. Factorial numbers can also be used to represent certain types of constraints. The second objective of the current research was to verify the effectiveness of the factorial number representation in order‐constrained permutation searches. To accomplish this, the author performed numerical experiments and obtained superior results than were obtained by conventional methods. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 38(1): 73–86, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.10348
An F0contour control model using an F0contour codebook
Authors: Kagoshima Takehiko , Morita Masahiro , Seto Shigenobu , Akamine Masami , Shiga Yoshinori
Published: December 2006

In this paper the authors propose a fundamental frequency (F0) control model using a representative vector and then propose a method to train the control rules for the model parameters using a speech database. The representative vector is a vector which represents the typical F0contour for accent phrases, and a set of representative vectors is referred to as a representative vector codebook. The authors generated F0contour for sentences by performing linear expansion or contraction by mora in line with the length of the phoneme duration and the parallel shift (offset) on the logarithmic frequency axis and then concatenating them for representative vectors selected for each accent phrase. Training the control rules corresponds to extracting from the speech database the representative vector codebook, the representative vector selection rules, and the offset prediction rules. Based on the criterion that the error between the F0contour for the speech database and the contour generated by the model (the approximation error) be minimized, the control rules were trained. The results of training experiments for the control rules using a speech database consisting of four female speakers showed that an F0contour close to the original speaker can be generated even for sentences not included in the training data. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 38(1): 62–72, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.10386
Simultaneous training of fuzziness generator and inference rules in the freehand curve identifier FSCI
Authors: Oguma Motoaki , Takikawa Hiroyasu , Saga Sato
Published: December 2006

Freehand curve recognition method FSCI is already proposed and consists of the following procedure. The freehand drawing is represented as a fuzzy curve model by using a fuzziness generator, and fuzzy inference is used to find as simple a geometrical curve as possible, so that the drawing intention of the user is identified. It is recognized that the adequacy of the parameter setting in the fuzziness generator and the inference rules has a serious effect on the identification performance of FSCI. Thus, training optimization for the fuzziness generator using the genetic algorithm, and training optimization of inference rules using a neural network have been separately proposed. This paper proposes a new method which achieves simultaneous training optimization of the fuzziness generator and the inference rules using a neural network. The effectiveness of the method is demonstrated experimentally. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 38(1): 51– 61, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.10387.
Interaction of neuronal I/O functions with STDP
Authors: Urakubo Hidetoshi , Watanabe Masataka , Kondo Shunsuke
Published: December 2006

Spike timing‐dependent synaptic plasticity (STDP) develops neural circuits through close interaction with the firing function of single neurons. Here, we investigate the neuronal firing function dependency of STDP about a single‐compartment Hodgkin–Huxley (HH) model neuron and a leaky integrate‐and‐fire (LIF) model neuron. Computer simulation shows that the development of synaptic strength by synaptic input pairs with constant intervals depends on the firing function of the models. The more organized packet inputs also develop synaptic strength in a firing function‐dependent manner, to realize specific information processing. These results suggest that in real biological systems too, STDP with the same time window will develop different neural circuits, depending on the neuronal firing functions. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 38(1): 41–50, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.20234
A QA cycle for teaching programming. A mechanism for automatically posing questions corresponding to learner's skill
Authors: Nakajima Hideki , Takahashi Naohisa , Hosokawa Yoshihide
Published: December 2006

This paper proposes a QA cycle execution system for programming education matched to the learner's skill. The proposed system has the following features. (1) The language describing the QA cycle (EDML: Exercise Design Markup Language) is created. EDML is a language with the following functions. Various questions with the same difficulty and different content can be automatically generated. The answer evaluation environment and the selection of questions matched to the skill are described in a unified text for iterative learning matched to the learner's skill. (2) A method is established in which a learning system can easily be constructed by using an existing mail system. With the proposed approach, a remote learning system can be created without implementing functions for network security, generation of temporary logs, or program buffering in case of overload, which are essential elements of a remote learning system. This paper also describes the construction of a prototype of the proposed system. The proposed system was applied to a Pascal programming course for college freshman, and the results are described herein. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 38(1): 28–40, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.20471
Research on an information processing system for shakuhachi tablatures
Authors: Noguchi Masato , Simura Satosi , Tsuboi Kuniharu , Matsushima Toshiaki
Published: December 2006

The development of an information processing system for traditional music is very much behind the times. In order to improve this situation, we have researched a system for shakuhachi scores. It is a multimedia system equipped with various functions needed for processing a shakuhachi score, such as handwritten editing, mutual conversion among various schools, and playback with a presentation of the performance method. Furthermore, a method for data expression of a shakuhachi score was newly devised. By using this system, it is possible to create a shakuhachi score effectively and it is also expected that it can be used as a beginner's shakuhachi self‐study tool. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 38(1): 18–27, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.20553
A hierarchical mobile agent framework and its application to multimedia contents
Authors: Ishikawa Fuyuki , Yoshioka Nobukaza , Tahara Yasuyuki , Honiden Shinichi
Published: December 2006

A hierarchical mobile agent is a model that extends the standard mobile agent. In this model it is possible for an agent to migrate inside another agent and parent–child relations can be constructed (the host agent being the parent). By means of such agent synthesis, it is possible to integrate different functionality and have agents interact with one another with no need for remote communications. Even when an agent migrates, it is possible to maintain the relations between parent and child stably over a long period of time. In this paper we focus on the task of controlling these parent–child relations and propose the MAFEH framework designed to simplify related tasks. This framework has two special characteristics. One consists of theparent–child agreementspecification that expresses the agreement regarding the behavior between parent and child. The other consists of theinteraction behavior descriptionspecification that facilitates the description of the processes by which individual interactive partners can be searched for, enter into combinations, and disassociate themselves from each other. In this paper we also present an application of the MAFEH framework demonstrating how an agent that encapsulates mobile contents can combine with other agents that provide different contents and services. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 38(1): 1–17, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.20624
Covariate heterogeneity in meta‐analysis: Criteria for deciding between meta‐regression and individual patient data
Authors: Simmonds M. C. , Higgins J. P. T.
Published: December 2006

Meta‐analyses of clinical trials are increasingly seeking to go beyond estimating the effect of a treatment and may also aim to investigate the effect of other covariates and how they alter treatment effectiveness. This requires the estimation of treatment‐covariate interactions. Meta‐regression can be used to estimate such interactions using published data, but it is known to lack statistical power, and is prone to bias.

The use of individual patient data can improve estimation of such interactions, among other benefits, but it can be difficult and time‐consuming to collect and analyse. This paper derives, under certain conditions, the power of meta‐regression and IPD methods to detect treatment–covariate interactions. These power formulae are shown to depend on heterogeneity in the covariate distributions across studies. This allows the derivation of simple tests, based on heterogeneity statistics, for comparing the statistical power of the analysis methods. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Modelling seasonal and weather dependency of cardiac arrests using the covariate order method
Authors: Kvaløy Jan Terje , Skogvoll Eirik
Published: December 2006

A data set concerning cardiac arrests treated by the Emergency Medical Service in Trondheim during a nine year period is analysed. The relationship between the occurrence of cardiac arrest and covariates related to weather and season is examined. The covariate order method is used in the analysis of the data. It is explained how this method can be extended to recurrent event data, and the practical usefulness and flexibility of the method is demonstrated in these analyses.

In the analyses a significant relationship between outdoor air temperature, or factors closely related to outdoor air temperature, and the occurrence of cardiac arrest is found. The incidence of cardiac arrest decreases with increasing temperature. Further a significant effect of snowfall is also found, with increased intensity of cardiac arrest on days with snowfall. A more borderline significant effect of precipitation is also identified. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Self‐efficacy, reasoning ability, and achievement in college biology
Authors: Lawson Anton E. , Banks Debra L. , Logvin Marshall
Published: December 2006

This study compared the relationships of self‐efficacy and reasoning ability to achievement in introductory college biology. Based on the hypothesis that developing formal and postformal reasoning ability is a primary factor influencing self‐efficacy, a significant positive correlation was predicted between reasoning ability and degree of self‐efficacy to complete biological tasks. Further, reasoning ability was predicted to be more highly correlated with course achievement than self‐efficacy. The study involved pre‐ and posttesting 459 introductory biology students. Both self‐efficacy and reasoning ability increased during the semester. As predicted, self‐efficacy and reasoning ability were positively correlated. Depending on the nature of the achievement measure, reasoning ability accounted for some 15 to 30 times more variance in achievement than self‐efficacy. Also, as predicted, reasoning ability was a strong predictor of self‐efficacy, but self‐efficacy was not a strong predictor of reasoning ability. Self‐efficacy estimates and achievement were higher for the concrete tasks than for the formal tasks and higher for the formal tasks than for the postformal tasks. In general, students tended to overestimate their abilities to carry out the concrete, formal, and postformal tasks. Results support the study's working hypothesis that intellectual development continues for some students during the college years, that a postformal level of intellectual development exists, and that reasoning ability is a primary factor influencing both self‐efficacy and achievement. Student overestimation of their abilities may contribute to complacency, lack of effort, and to less than optimal achievement. Consequently, it may be advantageous early in the semester to provide students with particularly challenging tasks that “shock” them out of their complacency and perhaps increase their effort, their reasoning skills, and their achievement. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 44: 706–724, 2007
Exergetic view and thinking—for the development of environment‐conscious technologies
Authors: Shukuya Masanori
Published: December 2006

This article introduces the concept of ‘exergy’, which is a thermodynamic quantity, to show what resource is, and what consumption is. Exergy is the ability of energy and matter to disperse into their environmental space. The first part of this article briefly describes the essence of the exergy concept, and the second part describes a simple example of exergy calculation with respect to electric lighting and thereby reviews the importance of daylighting as one of the environment‐conscious technologies. Copyright © 2007 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Hierarchical decentralized autonomous control in super‐distributed energy systems
Authors: Yasuda Keiichiro , Ishii Tsunayoshi
Published: December 2006

This paper deals with a decentralized autonomous control strategy of a super‐distributed energy system with a hierarchical structure in order to reduce the complexity of control. In this paper, distribution systems are assumed to be composed of multiple small‐scale power systems in which many customers with dispersed generators exist. A small‐scale power system can be considered as a unit with a generator state and a load state, or as a customer with dispersed generators. Control components of small‐scale power systems are interconnected with each other and are used to operate distribution systems. An expanded decentralized autonomous control method for a super‐distributed energy system with a hierarchical structure is proposed on the basis of the Hopfield neural network. It is demonstrated that super‐distributed energy systems with a hierarchical structure can be controlled autonomously by applying the proposed method. Copyright © 2007 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Evaluation of energy saving and CO2emission reduction technologies in energy supply and end‐use sectors using a global energy model
Authors: Oda Junichiro , Akimoto Keigo , Sano Fuminori , Homma Takashi , Tomoda Toshimasa
Published: December 2006

Assessments of global warming mitigation technologies are important for achieving the Kyoto target and planning post‐Kyoto regimes. Regional differences in energy resources, growth in energy consumption, current technology diffusions, etc., should be considered in the assessments. A global energy systems model, DNE21+, with high regional resolution had treated the energy supply sectors in a bottom‐up fashion and the end‐use sectors in a top‐down fashion, which was expressed by using long‐term price elasticity. However, the assessments of technological options in the end‐use sectors are currently more important, particularly for the near and middle terms. In order to evaluate the technological options not only in the energy supply sectors but also in the end‐use sectors for energy savings and CO2emission reductions, DNE21+ has been modified for treating two energy‐intensive end‐use sectors, i.e. steel and cement sectors, in the bottom‐up fashion. The results reveal that the cost‐effective global CO2emission reductions in 2030 for stabilizing the atmospheric CO2concentration at 550 ppmv in comparison with that in the reference case would be approximately 68 MtC/yr and almost zero in the steel and cement sectors, respectively. The cost‐effective options include next‐generation coke ovens and coke dry quenching (CDQ) in the steel sector. Copyright © 2007 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
A nine‐switch inverter for driving two AC motors independently
Authors: Oka Kazuo , Matsuse Kouki
Published: December 2006

This paper presents a nine‐switch inverter that can drive two AC motors independently.

Recently, as an inverter that can drive them independently, a five‐leg inverter has been proposed. Ten switching devices are used for the five‐leg inverter, whereas only nine are used for the nine‐switch inverter. So, the nine‐switch inverter has the merit that one switching device can be reduced compared to the five‐leg inverter. Moreover, the maximum output voltage of the nine‐switch inverter equals that of the five‐leg inverter.

In this work, we propose the structure of the nine‐switch inverter and a modulation method for the same, and validate the nine‐switch inverter by showing simulation results. Copyright © 2007 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Visualization of electromagnetic waves emitted from partial discharge using the constrained interpolation profile (CIP) method
Authors: Kawada Masatake , Isaka Katsuo
Published: December 2006

The constrained interpolation profile method (CIP) is used in order to visualize the electromagnetic (EM) waves emitted from partial discharge (PD) for understanding the physical mechanisms. In this paper, the PD current is numerically obtained by the total amount of charge and the rise time. Numerical results show that the CIP is useful for visualizing the generation and the propagation of the EM waves emitted form the PD current. Copyright © 2007 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Ten years of x‐ray holography
Authors: Faigel G. , Bortel G. , Fadley C. S. , Simionovici A. S. , Tegze M.
Published: December 2006

With the appearance of nano‐science the role of local methods has become more and more important. Hard x‐ray holography based on the inside reference point concept is a local probe of the atomic order in solids. It gives the 3D real space image of atoms without the phase ambiguity inherent to diffraction methods. In this paper a brief description of the basics of hard x‐ray holography is given. The last ten years' experimental and evaluation‐related developments are reviewed. We also introduce different variants of the method, such as bremsstrahlung and gamma ray holography (GRH). The power of the method is illustrated by examples. We outline new directions and future possibilities. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Relaxation theorems in nonlinear elasticity
Authors: Anza Hafsa Omar , Mandallena Jean-Philippe
Published: December 2006

Relaxation theorems which apply to one, two and three-dimensional nonlinear elasticity are proved. We take into account the fact an infinite amount of energy is required to compress a finite line, surface or volume into zero line, surface or volume. However, we do not prevent orientation reversal.
Relative efficacy of psychotherapy and combined therapy in the treatment of depression: A meta-analysis
Authors: de Maat Saskia M. , Dekker Jack , Schoevers Robert A. , de Jonghe Frans
Published: December 2006

Background

Reviews of the relative efficacy of psychotherapy and combined therapy (psychotherapy with pharmacotherapy) for depression have yielded contradicting conclusions. This may be explained by the clinical heterogeneity of the studies reviewed.

Aims

To conduct a meta-analysis with an acceptable level of homogeneity in order to investigate the relative efficacy of psychotherapy and combined therapy in the acute treatment of depression.

Method

A systematic search was performed for RCTs published between 1980 and 2005 comparing psychotherapy and combined therapy in adult psychiatric outpatients with non-psychotic unipolar major depressive disorder. The studies were classified according to the chronicity and severity of the depression. Data were pooled by means of meta-analysis and statistical tests were conducted to measure heterogeneity.

Results

The meta-analysis included seven studies looking at a total of 903 patients. None of the heterogeneity tests established significance. This indicates a lack of evidence for the heterogeneity of the results. The dropout rates did not differ significantly between the two treatment modalities (25% in combined therapy and 24% in psychotherapy,p= 0.77). At treatment termination, the intention-to-treat remission rate for combined therapy (46%) was better than for psychotherapy (34%) (p= 0.0007); Relative Risk 1.32 (95% CI: 1.12–1.56), Odds Ratio 1.59 (95% CI: 1.22–2.09). In moderate depression, the difference between the remission rate for combined therapy and psychotherapy was statistically significant (47% compared to 34% respectively,p= 0.001). This was not the case in mild major depression (42% compared to 37% respectively,p= 0.29). The difference was also statistically significant in chronic major depression (48% compared to 32%,p< 0.001), but not in non-chronic major depression (43% compared to 37%,p= 0.22). On a more specific level, no differences were found in the remission rates for the treatment modalities in mild or moderate non-chronic depression. Combined therapy led to significantly better results than psychotherapy in moderate chronic depression only (48% compared to 32%,p< 0.001).

Conclusions

In the acute treatment of adult psychiatric outpatients with major depressive disorder, patient compliance with combined therapy matches compliance with psychotherapy alone. Combined therapy is more efficacious than psychotherapy alone. However, these results depend on severity and chronicity. Combined therapy outperformed psychotherapy in moderate chronic depression only. No differences were found in mild and moderate non-chronic depression. No data were found for mild chronic depression and for severe depression.
Problem solving therapies for depression: A meta-analysis
Authors: Cuijpers Pim , van Straten Annemieke , Warmerdam Lisanne
Published: December 2006

Purpose

In the past decades, the effects of problem-solving therapy (PST) for depression have been examined in several randomized controlled studies. However, until now no meta-analysis has tried to integrate the results of these studies.

Methods

We conducted a systematic literature search and identified 13 randomized studies examining the effects of PST, with a total of 1133 subjects. The quality of studies varied.

Results

The mean standardized effect size was 0.34 in the fixed effects model and 0.83 in the random effects model, with very high heterogeneity. Subgroup analyses indicated significantly lower effects for individual interventions in studies with subjects who met criteria for major depression, studies in which intention-to-treat analyses were conducted instead of completers-only analyses, and studies with pill placebo and care-as-usual control groups. Heterogeneity was high, and the subgroup analyses did not result in clear indications of what caused this high heterogeneity. This indicates that PST has varying effects on depression, and that it is not known to date what determines whether PST has larger of smaller effects.

Conclusion

Although there is no doubt that PST can be an effective treatment for depression, more research is needed to ascertain the conditions and subjects in which these positive effects are realized.
Insulin‐like growth factor‐1 receptor immunoreactive cells are selectively maintained in the paraventricular hypothalamus of calorically restricted mice
Authors: Saeed O. , Yaghmaie F. , Garan S.A. , Gouw A.M. , Voelker M.A. , Sternberg H. , Timiras P.S.
Published: December 2006

The mammalian lifespan is dramatically extended by both caloric restriction (CR) and insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1) suppression. Both interventions involve neuroendocrine alterations directed by the hypothalamus. Yet, it remains unclear whether CR exerts its affects by altering central IGF‐1 sensitivity. With this question in mind, we investigated the influence of CR and normal aging on hypothalamic IGF‐1 sensitivity, by measuring the changes in IGF‐1 receptor (IGF‐1R) populations. Taking IGF‐1 receptor (IGF‐1R) immunoreactivity as an index of sensitivity to IGF‐1, we counted IGF‐1R immunoreactive and non‐immunoreactive cells in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of Young‐ad libitum fed (Young‐Al, 6 weeks old), Old‐ad libitum fed (Old‐Al, 22 months old), and old calorically restricted (Old‐CR, 22 months old) female B6D2F1 mice. An automated imaging microscopy system (AIMS) was used to generate cell counts for each cross‐section of PVN hypothalamus. Ad libitum fed mice show a 37% reduction in IGF‐1R immunoreactive cells and a 12% reduction in the total cell population of the PVN with aging. In comparison, caloric‐restricted mice show a 33% reduction in IGF‐1R immunoreactive cells and a notable 24% decrease in the total cell population with aging. This selective maintenance of IGF‐1R expressing cells coupled with the simultaneous loss of non‐immunoreactive cells, results in a higher percentage of IGF‐1R immunoreactive cells in the PVNs of CR mice. Thus, the decline in the percentage of IGF‐1 sensitive cells in the PVN with age is attenuated by CR.
Regional carbon dynamics in the southeastern U.S. coastal plain: Balancing land cover type, timber harvesting, fire, and environmental variation
Authors: Binford M. W. , Gholz H. L. , Starr G. , Martin T. A.
Published: December 2006

Understanding regional carbon budgets is a leading issue in carbon cycling research, but issues of measurement difficulty, scale, boundaries, and logistics compromise estimates at areas larger than stands or research plots. We studied four 15 × 15 km sample areas to examine land management and wildfire effects on carbon storage dynamics in the forested southeastern U.S. coastal plain region from 1975 to 2001. Carbon exchange and storage rates were estimated using satellite remote‐sensing methods coupled with micrometeorological and biomass measurements. Carbon losses occurred by timber harvesting and fire, and carbon release continued for four years following clearing, suppressing landscape carbon gain proportional to the cleared area. Carbon accumulated at an average rate of 90,000 t C yr−1 in the landscape (total area 900 km2) from 1975–2000, or ∼1 t C ha−1 yr−1. Interannual variation was related mainly to the magnitude of annual plantation timber harvesting. Wildfires were rare and their effects on carbon balances consequently small, despite having large local impact. Previous studies in the area demonstrated that environmental fluctuations had little direct effect on the net landscape exchange of carbon, although indirect effects included higher probability of fire during droughts and shifts in harvesting to drier sites during wet periods. Although this study was a simple aggregation of carbon cycle components from fine spatial scale (Landsat images) to the landscape, the extrapolation incorporated important spatial and temporal environmental heterogeneities and led to the unexpected suggestion that the industrial forests of the southeast U.S. Coastal plain are a long‐term carbon sink. The analysis also revealed specific uncertainties in our scaling efforts that point to future research needs.
Probabilistic aspects of meteorological and ozone regional ensemble forecasts
Authors: Delle Monache Luca , Hacker Joshua P. , Zhou Yongmei , Deng Xingxiu , Stull Roland B.
Published: December 2006

This study investigates whether probabilistic ozone forecasts from an ensemble can be made with skill: i.e., high verification resolution and reliability. Twenty‐eight ozone forecasts were generated over the Lower Fraser Valley, British Columbia, Canada, for the 5‐day period 11–15 August 2004 and compared with 1‐hour averaged measurements of ozone concentrations at five stations. The forecasts were obtained by driving the Community Multiscale Air Quality Model (CMAQ) model with four meteorological forecasts and seven emission scenarios: a control run, ±50% NOx, ±50% volatile organic compounds (VOC), and ±50% NOx combined with VOC. Probabilistic forecast quality is verified using relative operating characteristic curves, Talagrand diagrams, and a new reliability index. Results show that both meteorology and emission perturbations are needed to have a skillful probabilistic forecast system: the meteorology perturbation is important to capture the ozone temporal and spatial distribution and the emission perturbation is needed to span the range of ozone concentration magnitudes. Emission perturbations are more important than meteorology perturbations for capturing the likelihood of high ozone concentrations. Perturbations involving NOx resulted in a more skillful probabilistic forecast for the episode analyzed, and therefore the 50% perturbation values appear to span much of the emission uncertainty for this case. All of the ensembles analyzed show a high ozone concentration bias in the Talagrand diagrams, even when the biases from the unperturbed emissions forecasts are removed from all ensemble members. This result indicates nonlinearity in the ensemble, which arises from both ozone chemistry and its interaction with input from particular meteorological models.
Energetics of Madden‐Julian oscillations in the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Atmosphere Model version 3 (NCAR CAM3)
Authors: Mu Mingquan , Zhang Guang J.
Published: December 2006

This study analyzes the tropical intraseasonal variability and associated Madden‐Julian oscillations (MJO) simulated in the National Center for Atmospheric Research Climate Model CAM3 using two versions of the Zhang‐McFarlane convection scheme. The results are compared with those from the Xie‐Arkin observations and European Center for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) reanalysis. It is shown that modifications to the convection scheme in the model lead to substantial enhancement of the intraseasonal variability and MJO. The spatial scale of the precipitation anomalies associated with intraseasonal variability and MJO is also in better agreement with the Xie‐Arkin observations and ECMWF reanalysis. By contrast the intraseasonal variability and MJO in the CAM3 are weak. The analysis of the energetics of intraseasonal variability shows that perturbation kinetic energy (PKE) and its sources and sinks through conversion from potential energy and mean flow and generation from wave energy flux are too strong in the modified CAM3 and too weak in the CAM3 when compared with the reanalysis. It also shows that different mechanisms are responsible for the PKE production in different locations. In convectively active regions, conversion from potential energy and vertical transport are important to the maintenance of the upper troposphere PKE; in convectively suppressed regions, horizontal wave energy flux convergence and barotropic conversion are important. The interaction between convection and large‐scale circulation plays an important role in the maintenance of intraseasonal variability and MJO through PKE conversion from potential energy generated by convective heating.
East Asian monsoon variability over the last seven glacial cycles recorded by a loess sequence from the northwestern Chinese Loess Plateau
Authors: Sun Youbin , Chen Jun , Clemens Steven C. , Liu Qingsong , Ji Junfeng , Tada Ruiji
Published: December 2006

A 180‐m‐thick loess‐paleosol sequence from the northwestern Chinese Loess Plateau was investigated to construct a high‐resolution record of the East Asian monsoon variability over the last seven glacial‐interglacial cycles. The low‐field magnetic susceptibility (χ, mass‐specific) and the mean grain size are used as proxies for changes in the intensity of the East Asian summer and winter monsoon, respectively. Because of the weaker pedogenesis at the northwestern Chinese Loess Plateau compared to the central Chinese Loess Plateau, our χ and mean grain size records show a muted glacial‐interglacial contrast for the Asian summer monsoon but an enhanced contrast for the Asian winter monsoon. Although better resolved, most orbital‐scale East Asian monsoon variations captured by our χ and grain size records are similar to those reported from the central Chinese Loess Plateau. Nevertheless, variations in χ exhibit clear precessional cycles in three paleosol layers (i.e., S1, S2, and S3), corresponding with solar insolation maxima. Furthermore, unlike χ records at the central Chinese Loess Plateau where χ is dramatically enhanced at paleosol S5SS1 (corresponding to marine isotope stage 13), our new χ record shows a major enhancement at paleosol S4 (corresponding to marine isotope stage 11), which indicates geographic differences in the timing of local monsoon precipitation in the two regions.
Bedrock platforms within the Ross Embayment, West Antarctica: Hypotheses for ice sheet history, wave erosion, Cenozoic extension, and thermal subsidence
Authors: Wilson Douglas S. , Luyendyk Bruce P.
Published: December 2006

Ice‐penetrating radar (mostly airborne) and marine seismic surveys have revealed plateaus and terraces about 100–350 m below sea level beneath parts of the Ross Embayment, including the West Antarctic ice sheet, the Ross Ice Shelf, and the eastern Ross Sea. These surfaces cover many thousands of square kilometers and are separated by bedrock troughs occupied by the West Antarctic ice streams. Prominent plateaus are under Edward VII Peninsula, Siple Dome, and Roosevelt Island. Marine seismic data and gravity data over the buried plateaus support an interpretation that they were caused by erosion into basement. The flat and level nature of the surfaces that were formed by erosion, are near the same depth over large distances, and fringe the buried rugged bedrock topography of Marie Byrd Land supports an interpretation of marine rather than glacial erosion. Marine seismic reflection profiles over one of the plateau remnants show it as an angular unconformity cut into gently dipping sediments of late Oligocene age, draped with thin, flat‐lying sediments, implying that the plateau is early Miocene or younger. The younger limit for plateau erosion follows from the interpretation of the mechanism: erosion must predate permanent ice along the coast associated with the growth of the West Antarctic ice sheet, probably prior to 10 Ma and possibly prior to 14 Ma. The plateaus along the Siple Coast, with depths around 350 meters, do not rebound to close to sea level and wave base for models of removing past and present ice load. This discrepancy can be explained if Ross Embayment lithosphere has been cooling and subsiding since significant extension in Eocene to Oligocene time. Our interpretation requires crustal subsidence in the Ross Sea, which in turn implies higher bedrock elevations in the past within this region. Higher‐standing topography presented an opportunity for the accumulation of local ice sheets and caused sea level fluctuation prior to late Cenozoic time.
Origin of MORB enrichment and relative trace element compatibilities along the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge between 10° and 24°N
Authors: Hémond Christophe , Hofmann Albrecht W. , Vlastélic Ivan , Nauret François
Published: December 2006

The origin of chemically and isotopically enriched basalts along mid‐ocean ridges (E‐MORB) has been the subject of recent interest, particularly in cases where they are not related to a specific mantle plume. We present new isotope dilution analyses for Th, U, La, Ce, and Pb in 26 mostly glassy tholeiite samples dredged from the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge (MAR) between 10° and 24°N. We interpret these data in combination with other previously published trace element data and isotope ratios for the same samples. We focus on the region at 14°–15°N, where incompatible trace element abundances are enriched by as much as factors of 40, relative to the depleted basalts found to the north and the south of this region. We invoke simple recycling of alkali basalts found on oceanic islands and seamounts as an alternative E‐MORB origin to a recently published metasomatic enrichment model. A small amount of recycled alkali basalt is added to the local depleted mantle peridotite. Melting of such mixed sources can produce the observed E‐MORB at 14°–15°N MAR and elsewhere. The bulk partition coefficients of Nb, Ta, K, and Pb (relative to other trace elements) are geochemically important because these elements are widely used as tracers of source chemistry. We evaluate their partitioning using simple log‐log plots, and we compare the 10°–24° MAR basalts with a similar suite from the CIR 18°–20°S. In both suites, Nb (bulk) partitioning is close to Th, and Pb is close to Pr. Tantalum partitioning is also very close to Nb in the MAR setting but between U and K in the CIR setting. Potassium is slightly more compatible than U in the MAR suite but less compatible in the CIR setting. Thus, although the bulk partition coefficients of these elements do vary slightly in different regions, their overall consistency is remarkable considering that the partitioning of the individual elements is governed by different mineral phases.
Oxygen isotope composition of a section of lower oceanic crust, ODP Hole 735B
Authors: Alt Jeffrey C. , Bach Wolfgang
Published: December 2006

The oxygen and hydrogen isotope compositions of vein minerals and δ18O values of 64 whole rocks from the deeper kilometer of the 1.5 km lower crustal section of ODP Hole 735B in the SW Indian Ocean were analyzed in order to investigate seawater penetration into and reaction with the lower oceanic crust. Vein amphiboles have δD values of −35 to −65‰, indicating formation from seawater fluids and hydrothermal fluids containing a component of low‐δD magmatic fluid. Crystal‐plastic shear zones reacted with 18O‐enriched fluids at high temperatures and have δ18O values of 6.0–7.0‰, indistinguishable from surrounding rocks. Reaction with seawater‐dominated fluids over a range of temperatures (∼350–700°C) led to local 18O‐depleted rocks, but much of the section exhibits 18O enrichment (δ18O up to 7.6‰) as the result of static alteration of plagioclase over a range of temperatures (<250 to ∼600°C) and fluid compositions. Chloritic veins and associated alteration by 18O‐enriched fluids occurred at temperatures of 150–250°C, and late carbonates and Fe‐oxyhydroxides formed from cold (∼10°) seawater associated with open fault‐related fractures. Bulk rock δ18O values of the lower 1 km range from 3.7 to 10.2‰ but are mostly 5.6–7.6‰, and the section has a mean bulk δ18O of 6.5 ± 1.0‰. In contrast, rocks from the shallower 500 m exhibit net 18O depletion (5.1 ± 1.0‰) reflecting high‐temperature deformation and seawater hydrothermal alteration (Stakes, 1991). The weighted average δ18O for the entire gabbro section of Hole 735B is 6.0‰, exhibiting little or no change compared to unaltered crust. Although tectonism at slow spreading rates may allow exposure of lower crust to greater amounts of low‐temperature alteration and 18O enrichment, there is no evidence for a consistent difference in the bulk δ18O of the plutonic sections of oceanic crust formed at fast versus slow spreading rates.
Soil abrasion and eolian dust production: Implications for iron partitioning and solubility
Authors: Mackie D. S. , Peat J. M. , McTainsh G. H. , Boyd P. W. , Hunter K. A.
Published: December 2006

Eolian dust is a source of iron for phytoplankton in many ocean areas, and there are complex pathways of atmospheric processing from soil to ocean. Overlooked parts of the pathways are the impact of large (>10 μm) grains (including a role as proxies for the behavior of smaller grains) and the effect of multiple cycles of uplift and abrasion in the dust source region. Partitioning (readily released, acid‐leachable and refractory) and dissolution rates of iron were determined for an artificial dust (produced by abrading an Australian soil), untreated soil, abraded soil (after production of the artificial dust), and a natural Australian eolian dust sample taken during a dust storm. Readily released iron is not created during abrasion, and therefore the amount of readily released iron in a dust or dust‐derived soil depends on processing events since the dust or soil last experienced an abrasion event. Our study develops a method for the partitioning of iron within airborne dusts and appears to be the first to consider the effect of multiple uplift events on iron partitioning.
A new view of ridge segmentation and near‐axis volcanism at the East Pacific Rise, 8°–12°N, from EM300 multibeam bathymetry
Authors: White Scott M. , Haymon Rachel M. , Carbotte Suzanne
Published: December 2006

New, high‐resolution bathymetry for the East Pacific Rise between 8°N and 12°N was collected over a 6 km wide swath centered on the ridge axis using the 30 kHz Simrad EM300 multibeam system. The coverage area corresponds latitudinally to the designated Ridge2000 Integrated Studies Site (ISS) for fast spreading ridges. The EM300 data, gridded at 30 m latitude by 50 m longitude, represent a greater than 4X improvement in horizontal resolution over previously available multibeam data and a 2X improvement in depth resolution. The new bathymetry was used to update the locations and hierarchy of ridge offsets for this area. Among the many applications for this data, it enables us to tabulate volcanoes half the size that could be previously detected. The distribution of near‐axis volcanic cones >25 m high suggests that this population of small, near‐axis cones results from low effusion rate eruptions of the ridge axis.
Injection mechanism of clay‐rich sediments into dikes during earthquakes
Authors: Levi Tsafrir , Weinberger Ram , Aïfa Tahar , Eyal Yehuda , Marco Shmuel
Published: December 2006

Clastic dikes may form by simultaneous fracture propagation in rocks and injection of clastic material into the fractures resulting from strong seismic shaking. We studied the mechanisms of clastic‐dike formation within the seismically active Dead Sea basin, where hundreds of clastic dikes cross‐cut the soft rock of the late Pleistocene lacustrine Lisan Formation. We analyzed the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) of dikes with known formation mechanisms and defined the characteristic AMS signatures, mainly of dikes developed by injection process. Most of the dikes were emplaced due to fluidization of clay‐rich sediment and are characterized by triaxial AMS ellipsoids. The dominant triaxial AMS ellipsoids along the dike widths suggest that the fluidization mechanism of clay‐rich sediment is different from the known liquefaction process of sand. The AMS analysis supported by field evidence indicates that the injection of clay‐rich sediment is characterized by two main regimes: (1) Vertical flow characterized by subvertical V2 axes and subhorizontal V1 and V3 axes. The V2 axes may indicate the flow directions during fast flow. (2) Horizontal slow flow characterized by subvertical V3 axes and subhorizontal V1 and V2 axes. A streaked AMS pattern mainly composed of V2 and V3 axes represents a turbulent flow that generated local eddies simultaneously with the clastic transport. The AMS parameters along the dikes and possible grain imbrications along dike walls support organization of grains under high strain rates. This application of the AMS method provides a petrofabric tool for identifying seismites and inferring their flow kinematics in complex geologic areas.
Antarctic control on tropical Indian Ocean sea surface temperature and hydrography
Authors: Kiefer Thorsten , McCave I. Nick , Elderfield Henry
Published: December 2006

We reconstructed the surface hydrography of the South Equatorial Current in the western Indian Ocean for the last 65,000 years using a marine sediment core record. Results show that tropical Indian Ocean temperatures resemble temperatures from Antarctic ice cores with warm and cold fluctuations synchronous with the Antarctic Cold Reversal and the Antarctic warm events A1–A4. The most likely thermal link involves Subantarctic Mode Water (SAMW) which forms north of the subpolar frontal zone and spreads northward into the Indian Ocean. This subsurface water mass is the prime suspect because of a stronger temperature response in the thermocline (recorded by the foraminifer N. dutertrei) than in surface water (G. ruber).