bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Measurement Theory
Authors: Roberts Fred S.
Published: August 2010

This book provides an introduction to measurement theory for non-specialists and puts measurement in the social and behavioural sciences on a firm mathematical foundation. Results are applied to such topics as measurement of utility, psychophysical scaling and decision-making about pollution, energy, transportation and health. The results and questions presented should be of interest to both students and practising mathematicians since the author sets forth an area of mathematics unfamiliar to most mathematicians, but which has many potentially significant applications.
Science, Colonialism, and Indigenous Peoples
Authors: Whitt Laurelyn
Published: August 2010

At the intersection of indigenous studies, science studies, and legal studies lies a tense web of political issues of vital concern for the survival of indigenous nations. Numerous historians of science have documented the vital role of late-eighteenth- and nineteenth-century science as a part of statecraft, a means of extending empire. This book follows imperialism into the present, demonstrating how pursuit of knowledge of the natural world impacts, and is impacted by, indigenous peoples rather than nation-states. In extractive biocolonialism, the valued genetic resources, and associated agricultural and medicinal knowledge, of indigenous peoples are sought, legally converted into private intellectual property, transformed into commodities, and then placed for sale in genetic marketplaces. Science, Colonialism, and Indigenous Peoples critically examines these developments, demonstrating how contemporary relations between indigenous and Western knowledge systems continue to be shaped by the dynamics of power, the politics of property, and the apologetics of law.
Darwin's Plots
Authors: Beer Gillian
Published: August 2010

Gillian Beer's classic Darwin's Plots, one of the most influential works of literary criticism and cultural history of the last quarter century, is here reissued in an updated edition to coincide with the anniversary of Darwin's birth and of the publication of The Origin of Species. Its focus on how writers, including George Eliot, Charles Kingsley and Thomas Hardy, responded to Darwin's discoveries and to his innovations in scientific language continues to open up new approaches to Darwin's thought and to its effects in the culture of his contemporaries. This third edition includes an important new essay that investigates Darwin's concern with consciousness across all forms of organic life. It demonstrates how this fascination persisted throughout his career and affected his methods and discoveries. With an updated bibliography reflecting recent work in the field, this book will retain its place at the heart of Victorian studies.
German Idealism and the Concept of Punishment
Authors: Merle Jean-Christophe
Published: August 2010

Against the background of early modernism - a period that justified punishment by general deterrence - Kant is usually thought to represent a radical turn towards retributivism. For Kant, and later for Fichte and Hegel, a just punishment respects the humanity inherent in the criminal, and serves no external ends - it is instituted only because the criminal deserves it. In this original study, Jean-Christophe Merle uses close analysis of texts to show that these philosophers did not in fact hold a retributivist position, or even a mixed position; instead he traces in their work the gradual emergence of views in favour of deterrence and resocialisation. He also examines Nietzsche's view that morality rests on the rejection of retribution. His final chapter offers a challenge to the retributivist position, and a defence of resocialisation, in the context of current legal theory and practice concerning the punishment of crimes against humanity.
EC Regulation of Corporate Governance
Authors: Johnston Andrew
Published: August 2010

Andrew Johnston examines EC regulation of national corporate governance systems through the lenses of economic theory and reflexive governance. By contrasting the normative demands of the neoclassical 'agency' model with those of the productive coalition model, he shows how their incompatibility required political compromise. Reflexive governance theory is then used to explain how progress has been possible. Through detailed analysis of both case law and positive regulation, the author highlights the move from positive to negative integration; the benefits as well as the limits of regulatory competition; and the significant role of reflexive techniques in both preventing market failure and enabling positive integration to proceed. The workable compromise that has emerged between market integration and continued regulatory diversity at national level demonstrates that procedural regulation can steer autonomous social subsystems towards greater responsibility and a better articulation of the public good.
David Levy's Guide to Eclipses, Transits, and Occultations
Authors: Levy David H.
Published: August 2010

In this simple guide, David Levy inspires readers to experience the wonder of eclipses and other transient astronomical events for themselves. Covering both solar and lunar eclipses, he gives step-by-step instructions on how to observe and photograph eclipses. As well as explaining the science behind eclipses, the book also gives their historical background, discussing how they were observed in the past and what we have learned from them. This personal account contains examples from the 77 eclipses the author has witnessed himself. The guide also includes chapters on occultations of stars and planets by the Moon and of asteroids by stars, and the transits of Mercury and Venus. Tables of future eclipses make this invaluable for anyone, from beginners to practised observers, wanting to learn more about these fascinating events.
Trees
Authors: Thomas P. A.
Published: August 2010

Trees are familiar components of many landscapes, vital to the healthy functioning of the global ecosystem and unparalled in the range of materials which they provide for human use. Yet how much do we really understand about how they work? This 2000 book provides a comprehensive introduction to the natural history of trees, presenting information on all aspects of tree biology and ecology in an easy to read and concise text. Fascinating insights into the workings of these everyday plants are uncovered throughout the book, with questions such as how are trees designed, how do they grow and reproduce, and why do they eventually die tackled in an illuminating way. Written for a non-technical audience, the book is nonetheless rigorous in its treatment and will therefore provide a valuable source of reference for beginning students as well as those with a less formal interest in this fascinating group of plants.
Lie Groups, Physics, and Geometry
Authors: Gilmore Robert
Published: August 2010

Describing many of the most important aspects of Lie group theory, this book presents the subject in a 'hands on' way. Rather than concentrating on theorems and proofs, the book shows the applications of the material to physical sciences and applied mathematics. Many examples of Lie groups and Lie algebras are given throughout the text. The relation between Lie group theory and algorithms for solving ordinary differential equations is presented and shown to be analogous to the relation between Galois groups and algorithms for solving polynomial equations. Other chapters are devoted to differential geometry, relativity, electrodynamics, and the hydrogen atom. Problems are given at the end of each chapter so readers can monitor their understanding of the materials. This is a fascinating introduction to Lie groups for graduate and undergraduate students in physics, mathematics and electrical engineering, as well as researchers in these fields.
A polyphenol extract modifies quantity but not quality of liver fatty acid content in high-fat–high-sucrose diet-fed rats: possible implication of the sirtuin pathway
Authors: Aoun Manar , Michel Francoise , Fouret Gilles , Casas Francois , Jullien Melanie , Wrutniak-Cabello Chantal , Ramos Jeanne , Cristol Jean-Paul , Coudray Charles , Carbonneau Marie-Annette , Feillet-Coudray Christine
Published: August 2010

High-fat or high-fat–high-sucrose diets are known to induce non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and this is emerging as one of the most common liver diseases worldwide. Some polyphenols have been reported to decrease rat hepatic lipid accumulation, in particular those extracted from red grapes such as resveratrol. The present study was designed to determine whether a polyphenol extract (PPE), from red grapes, modulates liver fatty acid composition and desaturase activity indexes in rats fed a high-fat–high-sucrose (HFHS) diet, and to explore whether sirtuin-1 deacetylase activation was implicated in the effect of the PPE against liver steatosis. The effect of this PPE on mitochondriogenesis and mitochondrial activity was also explored. The PPE decreased liver TAG content in HFHS+PPE diet-fed rats in comparison with HFHS diet-fed rats. The PPE had no effect on liver fatty acid composition, desaturase activity indexes and stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1) gene expression. Sirtuin-1 deacetylase protein expression was significantly increased with the PPE; AMP kinase protein expression was higher with the PPE in comparison with the HFHS rats, but no modification of phosphorylated AMP kinase was observed. Protein expression of phospho-acetyl-CoA carboxylase was decreased in HFHS rats and returned to basal values with the PPE. Finally, the PPE modulated PPARγ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) but did not modify mitochondriogenesis and mitochondrial activity. In conclusion, the PPE partially prevented the accumulation of TAG in the liver by regulating acetyl-CoA carboxylase phosphorylation, a key enzyme in lipid metabolism, probably via sirtuin-1 deacetylase activation. However, the PPE had no effect on the qualitative composition of liver fatty acids.
Comparison of different maximum safe levels in fortified foods and supplements using a probabilistic risk assessment approach
Authors: Dufour Ariane , Wetzler Sandrine , Touvier Mathilde , Lioret Sandrine , Gioda Jennifer , Lafay Lionel , Dubuisson Carine , Calamassi-Tran Gloria , Kalonji Esther , Margaritis Irène , Volatier Jean-Luc
Published: August 2010

Different European institutions have developed mathematical models to propose maximum safe levels either for fortified foods or for dietary supplements. The objective of the present study was to compare and check the safety of these different maximum safe levels (MSL) by using a probabilistic risk assessment approach. The potential maximum nutritional intakes were estimated by taking into account all sources of intakes (base diet, fortified foods and dietary supplements) and compared with the tolerable upper intake levels for vitamins and minerals. This approach simulated the consequences of both food fortification and supplementation in terms of food safety. Different scenarios were tested. They are the result of the combination of several MSL obtained using the previous models. The study was based on the second French Individual and National Study on Food Consumption performed in 2006–7, matched with the French food nutritional composition database. The analyses were based on a sample of 1918 adults aged 18–79 years. Some MSL in fortified foods and dietary supplements obtained independently were protective enough, although some others could lead to nutritional intakes above the tolerable upper intake levels. The simulation showed that it is crucial to consider the inter-individual variability of fortified food intakes when setting MSL for foods and supplements. The risk assessment approach developed here by integrating the MSL for fortified foods and dietary supplements is useful for ensuring consumer protection. It may be subsequently used to test any other MSL for vitamins and minerals proposed in the future.
Can Mutual Fund Managers Pick Stocks? Evidence from Their Trades Prior to Earnings Announcements
Authors: Baker Malcolm , Litov Lubomir , Wachter Jessica A. , Wurgler Jeffrey
Published: August 2010

Recent research finds that the stocks that mutual fund managers buy outperform the stocks that they sell (e.g., Chen, Jegadeesh, and Wermers (2000)). We study the nature of this stock-picking ability. We construct measures of trading skill based on how the stocks held and traded by fund managers perform at subsequent corporate earnings announcements. This approach increases the power to detect skilled trading and sheds light on its source. We find that the average fund’s recent buys significantly outperform its recent sells around the next earnings announcement, and that this accounts for a disproportionate fraction of the total abnormal returns to fund trades estimated in prior work. We find that mutual fund trades also forecast earnings surprises. We conclude that mutual fund managers are able to trade profitably in part because they are able to forecast earnings-related fundamentals.
Beach-face evolution in the swash zone
Authors: KELLY DAVID MATTHEW , DODD NICK
Published: August 2010

We investigate swash on an erodible beach using the one-dimensional shallow-water equations fully coupled to a bed-evolution (Exner) equation. In particular, the dam-break/bore-collapse initial condition of Shen & Meyer (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 16, 1963, pp. 113–125) and Peregrine & Williams (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 440, 2001, pp. 391–399) is investigated using a numerical model based on the method of characteristics. A sediment-transport formula (cubic in velocityu:Au3) is used here; this belongs to a family of sediment-transport formulae for which Pritchard & Hogg (Coastal Engng, vol. 52, 2005, pp. 1–23) showed that net sediment transport under the Shen & Meyer (1963) bore collapse is offshore throughout the swash zone when a non-erodible bed is considered. It is found that full coupling with the beach, although still resulting in the net offshore transport of sediment throughout the swash zone, leads to a large reduction in the net offshore transport of sediment from the beach face. This is particularly true for the upper third of the swash zone. Moreover, in contradistinction to swash flows over non-erodible beds, flows over erodible beaches are unique to the bed mobility and porosity under consideration; this has very important implications for run-up predictions. The conclusion is that it is essential to consider full coupling of water and bed motions (i.e. full morphodynamics) in order to understand and predict sediment transport in the swash, regardless of other physical effects (e.g. turbulence, infiltration, pre-suspended sediment, etc.).
Should we pass the buck?
Authors: Dancy Jonathan
Published: August 2010

My topic is the relation between the right and the good. I introduce it by relating some aspects of the debate between various British intuitionists in the first half of the present century.

In Principia Ethica (1903) G. E. Moore claimed that to be right is to be productive of the greatest good. He wrote ‘This use of “right”, as denoting what is good as a means, whether or not it be also good as an end, is indeed the use to which I shall confine the word’ (p. 18). By the time he wrote his Ethics (1912, e.g. p. 6) he seems to have weakened his position, and offers conduciveness to the good not as a definition of ‘right’ but as an account of the one and only property that makes acts right. Even if it be the only right-making property, conduciveness to the good will not be identical with the right-ness that it makes.
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment scenario drivers (1970–2050): Climate and hydrological alterations
Authors: Fekete Balázs M. , Wisser Dominik , Kroeze Carolien , Mayorga Emilio , Bouwman Lex , Wollheim Wilfred M. , Vörösmarty Charles
Published: August 2010

This study was carried out to support and enhance a series of global studies assessing contemporary and future changes in nutrient export from watersheds (Global Nutrient Export from Watersheds (NEWS)). Because hydrography is one of the most important drivers in nutrient transport, it was essential to establish how climatic changes and direct human activities (primarily irrigation and reservoir operations) affect the hydrological cycle. Contemporary and future hydrography was established by applying a modified version of a global water balance and transport model (WBMplus) driven by present and future climate forcing, as described in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment scenarios (1970–2050). WBMplus represents a major upgrade to previous WBM implementations by incorporating irrigational water uptake and reservoir operations in a single modeling framework. Contemporary simulations were carried out by using both observed climate forcings from the Climate Research Unit of East Anglia (CRU) data sets and from Global Circulation Model (GCM) simulations that are comparable to the future simulations from the same GCM forcings. Future trends in three key human activities (land use, irrigation, and reservoirs operation for hydropower) were taken from the Integrated Model to Assess the Global Environment (IMAGE). The reservoir operation required establishing a realistic distribution of future reservoirs since the IMAGE model provided only the hydropower potentials for the different future scenarios.
Validation of an intermediate‐complexity model for simulating marine biogeochemistry under anoxic conditions in the modern Black Sea
Authors: Romaniello Stephen J. , Derry Louis A.
Published: August 2010

We test the ability of a new 1‐D intermediate‐complexity box model (ICBM) that includes process‐based C, N, P, O, and S biogeochemistry to simulate profiles and fluxes of biogeochemically reactive species across a wide range of ocean redox states. The ICBM was developed to simulate whole ocean processes for paleoceanographic applications and has been tested with data from the modern global ocean. Here we adapt the circulation submodel of the ICBM to simulate water mass exchange and eddy diffusion processes in the Black Sea but make only very minor changes to the biogeochemical submodel. We force the model with estimated natural and anthropogenic inputs of tracers and nutrients to the Black Sea and compare the results of the simulations to modern observations. Ventilation of the Black Sea is modeled by depth‐dependent entrainment of Cold Intermediate Layer water into Bosphorus plume water and subsequent intrusion into deep layers. The simulated profiles of circulation tracers θ, salinity, CFC‐12, and radiocarbon agree well with available data, suggesting that the model does a reasonable job of representing physical exchange. Vertical profiles of biogeochemically active components are in good overall agreement with observations. The lack of trace metal (Mn and Fe) cycling in the model results in some discrepancies between the simulated profiles and observation across the suboxic zone; however, the overall redox balance is not sensitive to this difference. We compare modeled basin‐wide biogeochemical fluxes to available estimates, but in a number of cases uncertainties in modern budgets limit our ability to test the model rigorously. In agreement with earlier work we find that fixed N losses via thiodenitrification are likely a major pathway in the Black Sea N cycle. Overall, the same biogeochemical submodel used to simulate the modern global ocean appears to perform well in simulating Black Sea processes without requiring significant modification. The ability of a single model to perform across a wide range of redox states is an important prerequisite for applying the ICBM to deep time paleoceanographic problems. The model source code is available as MATLAB™ 7 m‐files provided as auxiliary material.
Observation of sprite streamer head's spectra at 10,000 fps
Authors: Kanmae Takeshi , Stenbaek‐Nielsen Hans C. , McHarg Matthew G. , Haaland Ryan K.
Published: August 2010

Spatially and temporally resolved sprite streamer head spectra were observed for the first time using a slitless spectrograph at 10,000 fps. The spectra consist of the N2 first positive (1PG) emission. Blue emissions, including the N2 second positive (2PG) and the N2+ first negative (1NG) emissions, were not observed presumably due to atmospheric attenuation along a long line of sight. The rotational temperature derived from the spectra indicates a kinetic temperature of 200–300 K with an upper limit of 400 K. Using a simple kinetic model, we estimate the peak electric field in the streamer head to be larger than 1–2Ek.
SHdiff‐SVdiff splitting in an isotropic Earth
Authors: Komatitsch Dimitri , Vinnik Lev P. , Chevrot Sébastien
Published: August 2010

The vertically‐polarized SVdiff seismic phase sometimes arrives later than the horizontally‐polarized SHdiff. Both phases propagate in the D″ layer at the base of the mantle and the difference in their arrival times is usually interpreted in terms of seismic anisotropy in D″. Using numerical simulations we demonstrate that a significant (∼1 s) delay of SVdiff relative to SHdiff is present even in the IASP91 isotropic reference Earth model and in a model with a high S velocity in D″ relative to IASP91. The delay is accompanied by strong amplitude decay of SVdiff with distance. This relationship resembles the effect of anelasticity. In a model with a low S velocity in D″, the waveform of SVdiff can be very different from SHdiff, and this difference can be mistaken for a delay of SHdiff relative to SVdiff. In a laterally‐heterogeneous isotropic D″ SVdiff can also be delayed because, unlike SHdiff, SVdiff has strong amplitude decay along fast paths. Its traveltime is thus dominated by slow propagation paths and tends to be positively biased. For D″ models with an S velocity difference of 3% between two hemispheres, there are regions where SHdiff arrives up to ∼15 s earlier than the first clearly visible SVdiff. This is observed in a corridor several hundred kilometers wide. If these effects are misinterpreted in terms of D″ anisotropy in actual seismic data, estimates of anisotropy are biased and may contribute to the idea of seismic anisotropy being different in high‐ and low‐S‐velocity regions of D″.
The velocity and mixing time scale of the Arctic Ocean Boundary Current estimated with transient tracers
Authors: Mauldin A. , Schlosser P. , Newton R. , Smethie W. M. , Bayer R. , Rhein M. , Jones E. Peter
Published: August 2010

The Arctic Ocean Boundary Current (AOBC) is a persistent, large‐scale feature of Arctic circulation that transports water of Atlantic origin around the Eurasian and Canadian Basins. Despite its importance as a link between North Atlantic sea surface temperature and the heat budget of the Arctic Ocean, elements of the pathways of the AOBC are still not well understood. Here we use transient tracer data collected during the 1990s at 22 locations to calculate the velocity and mixing time scale of the AOBC. The apparent spreading velocity derived from correlating 3H‐3He ages in the Barents Sea branch water (BSBW) with the distance from its entry point at the Santa Anna Trough is 0.9 cm s−1. To correct this apparent velocity for the effects of mixing along the pathway, the AOBC is modeled as a leaky pipe, and 3H‐3He and chlorofluorocarbon data are used to calculate the parameters of its transit time distribution function. The modeled velocity of the AOBC is 2.5 ± 0.5 cm s−1, and the time scale for mixing of waters between the core of the boundary current and the adjacent water masses is 5–10 years. These results imply that the advective time for transport around the perimeter of the Arctic Ocean from the Santa Anna Trough to the southern Canada Basin (approximately 6000 km) is 7.5 years, and the amplitude of a temperature anomaly or salinity anomaly in BSBW should decrease by 50%–75% along this path.
On the importance of the local interstellar spectrum for the solar modulation parameter
Authors: Herbst K. , Kopp A. , Heber B. , Steinhilber F. , Fichtner H. , Scherer K. , Matthiä D.
Published: August 2010

Cosmogenic Isotopes are produced in the Earth's atmosphere due to the interaction of galactic cosmic rays with nuclei of atmospheric atoms. Among others, the 10Be concentration in ice cores depends on the galactic cosmic ray flux outside of the Earth's magnetosphere and provides therefore a unique tool to investigate the solar modulation over very long time periods. In this study we investigate the importance of different local interstellar proton spectra often used in literature obtained outside of the Earth's magnetosphere. In order to parameterize the heliospheric modulation we apply the force‐field solution using individual local interstellar proton spectrum (LIS) model dependent ϕ values. Thus among atmospheric and magnetospheric processes, the 10Be concentration depends on an interplay of the different LIS and their modulation parameters. Since 10Be measurements do not provide any spectral resolution, PAMELA data have been used for a comparison with the calculated spectra and to provide the model dependent modulation parameters during the solar minimum in July 2006. Within the limitation of the force‐field solution and the freedom in parameter space, all LIS lead to a reasonable agreement with the data. Taking the LIS dependency of the modulation parameter into account, we derive linear equations to convert the individual ϕ between the different LIS. The conversions used here are then applied to a long‐term reconstruction of ϕ derived from a record of the cosmogenic radionuclide 10Be. By using the derived LIS conversions, we show that the occasionally observed negative ϕ values in the reconstruction of Steinhilber et al. (2008) vanish if another LIS model is used. In order to estimate other processes which alter this conclusion, the influence of the palaeo‐magnetic field has been included. Thus, if all inner‐heliospheric effects on the 10Be flux would be known, this investigation would have the potential to rule out certain LIS.
Infrared retrievals of dust using AIRS: Comparisons of optical depths and heights derived for a North African dust storm to other collocated EOS A‐Train and surface observations
Authors: DeSouza‐Machado S. G. , Strow L. L. , Imbiriba B. , McCann K. , Hoff R. M. , Hannon S. E. , Martins J. V. , Tanré D. , Deuzé J. L. , Ducos F. , Torres O.
Published: August 2010

AIRS thermal infrared radiance data are used with a fast infrared scattering radiative transfer model to physically retrieve the dust column amount and dust height over both ocean and land. The retrieved optical depths are compared against those retrieved using visible and ultraviolet instruments on the A‐Train, while dust layer heights are evaluated against lidar data. The synergistic use of AIRS data is explored by using dust layer heights constrained by CALIPSO retrievals and coarse mode particle sizes over ocean from PARASOL. Optical depths from AIRS correlate well with those from other instruments over ocean (R ≥ 0.9) and are lower over land when compared to MODIS Deep Blue and OMI retrievals (R ≤ 0.8). AIRS‐derived dust top heights compare favorably with CALIPSO data and can be used to improve OMI optical depth retrievals over a much larger area than CALIPSO can provide. AIRS data can also provide estimates of dust longwave radiative forcing. For the examples examined here, the forcings are estimated to be about +1.5 and +4.5 W/m2 per unit visible optical depth over ocean and land, respectively, compared to a shortwave forcing estimate of −50 W/m2 over ocean. AIRS dust retrievals are possible day or night, can provide dust column amount information over land or ocean, and are unaffected by areas of the oceans covered by sun glint.
Characterization of ice cloud properties obtained by shipborne radar/lidar over the tropical western Pacific Ocean for evaluation of an atmospheric general circulation model
Authors: Sato Kaori , Okamoto Hajime , Takemura Toshihiko , Kumagai Hiroshi , Sugimoto Nobuo
Published: August 2010

This study analyzed 95‐GHz radar/lidar data collected from the R/V Mirai over the tropical western Pacific to characterize the vertical distribution of ice cloud effective radius reff, ice water content IWC, and in‐cloud vertical velocity of the region in conjunction with weather regimes classified by International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) cluster analysis. Ice clouds observed from the Mirai were roughly consistent with the ISCCP weather regimes; more convectively active regimes had larger amounts of high cloud consisting of deeper cloud with larger ice water path (IWP) and precipitating ice fraction. Ice cloud microphysics of the Center for Climate System Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Frontier Research Center for Global Change atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) was then evaluated using the radar–lidar simulator and ISCCP weather regimes for comparison of the statistics at different scales. The model tended to produce a high cloud fraction that was two times larger in the cirrus regimes but 50% lower in the deepest convective regime. The simulated IWP could only weakly reproduce the observed variety and generally underestimated the observed values despite the weather regimes. Cutoff in the simulated grid mean IWC around 0.1 g−3 was too small, especially above 11 km. The AGCM successfully predicted the observed frequency distribution for reff above 11 km, but produced large overestimation in the peak value below 11 km due to the excessively large fraction of reff ∼100 μm. Establishing a cutoff for cloud ice at reff > 120 μm was found to be quite reasonable, although it would miss some of the larger particles that were observed.
Dust aerosol vertical structure measurements using three MPL lidars during 2008 China‐U.S. joint dust field experiment
Authors: Huang Zhongwei , Huang Jianping , Bi Jianrong , Wang Guoyin , Wang Wencai , Fu Qiang , Li Zhanqing , Tsay Si‐Chee , Shi Jinsen
Published: August 2010

The 2008 China‐U.S. joint dust field experiment, which aims to estimate the effect of dust on radiative forcing and its associated climatic impacts, was conducted during the dust‐intensive period from March to June of 2008 over the Loess Plateau of northwest China. Dust aerosol vertical profiles and long‐range transport of dust storm were measured with the three MPL‐net Micro‐Pulse Lidar (MPL) systems as well as other ground‐based instruments and spaceborne remote sensing techniques. In this study, to ensure the effectiveness of the retrieval results, an effective algorithm was introduced for retrieving aerosol optical properties and vertical profiles from Mie lidar measurements. The advantage of this algorithm is that Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) retrieval from lidar measurements can be accomplished without the use of the so‐called lidar ratio for the corresponding quantities obtained from the AERONET Sun photometer. Dust aerosol vertical profiles are derived successfully from three MPL lidar systems using this algorithm. A dust storm that affected a large part of northwest China on 2 May 2008 was studied using measurements obtained from the three ground‐based lidar systems, satellite‐borne instruments and NCEP reanalysis data. The results show that different aerosol vertical structures were present at each site, and the colder Siberia air mass and stronger and longer cyclones around Mongolia are key features leading to the dust storm.
Surface temperature lapse rates over complex terrain: Lessons from the Cascade Mountains
Authors: Minder Justin R. , Mote Philip W. , Lundquist Jessica D.
Published: August 2010

The typically sparse distribution of weather stations in mountainous terrain inadequately resolves temperature variability. Accordingly, high‐resolution gridding of climate data (for applications such as hydrological modeling) often relies on assumptions such as a constant surface temperature lapse rate (i.e., decrease of surface temperature with altitude) of 6.5°C km−1. Using an example of the Cascade Mountains, we describe the temporal and spatial variability of the surface temperature lapse rate, combining data from: (1) COOP stations, (2) nearby radiosonde launches, (3) a temporary dense network of sensors, (4) forecasts from the MM5 regional model, and (5) PRISM geo‐statistical analyses. On the windward side of the range, the various data sources reveal annual mean lapse rates of 3.9–5.2°C km−1, substantially smaller than the often‐assumed 6.5°C km−1. The data sets show similar seasonal and diurnal variability, with lapse rates smallest (2.5–3.5°C km−1) in late‐summer minimum temperatures, and largest (6.5–7.5°C km−1) in spring maximum temperatures. Geographic (windward versus lee side) differences in lapse rates are found to be substantial. Using a simple runoff model, we show the appreciable implications of these results for hydrological modeling.
Observation of playa salts as nuclei in orographic wave clouds
Authors: Pratt Kerri A. , Twohy Cynthia H. , Murphy Shane M. , Moffet Ryan C. , Heymsfield Andrew J. , Gaston Cassandra J. , DeMott Paul J. , Field Paul R. , Henn Tobias R. , Rogers David C. , Gilles Mary K. , Seinfeld John H. , Prather Kimberly A.
Published: August 2010

During the Ice in Clouds Experiment‐Layer Clouds (ICE‐L), dry lakebed, or playa, salts from the Great Basin region of the United States were observed as cloud nuclei in orographic wave clouds over Wyoming. Using a counterflow virtual impactor in series with a single‐particle mass spectrometer, sodium‐potassium‐magnesium‐calcium‐chloride salts were identified as residues of cloud droplets. Importantly, these salts produced similar mass spectral signatures to playa salts with elevated cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) efficiencies close to sea salt. Using a suite of chemical characterization instrumentation, the playa salts were observed to be internally mixed with oxidized organics, presumably produced by cloud processing, as well as carbonate. These salt particles were enriched as residues of large droplets (>19 μm) compared to smaller droplets (>7 μm). In addition, a small fraction of silicate‐containing playa salts were hypothesized to be important in the observed heterogeneous ice nucleation processes. While the high CCN activity of sea salt has been demonstrated to play an important role in cloud formation in marine environments, this study provides direct evidence of the importance of playa salts in cloud formation in continental North America has not been shown previously. Studies are needed to model and quantify the impact of playas on climate globally, particularly because of the abundance of playas and expected increases in the frequency and intensity of dust storms in the future due to climate and land use changes.
Estimating the timing and location of shallow rainfall‐induced landslides using a model for transient, unsaturated infiltration
Authors: Baum Rex L. , Godt Jonathan W. , Savage William Z.
Published: August 2010

Shallow rainfall‐induced landslides commonly occur under conditions of transient infiltration into initially unsaturated soils. In an effort to predict the timing and location of such landslides, we developed a model of the infiltration process using a two‐layer system that consists of an unsaturated zone above a saturated zone and implemented this model in a geographic information system (GIS) framework. The model links analytical solutions for transient, unsaturated, vertical infiltration above the water table to pressure‐diffusion solutions for pressure changes below the water table. The solutions are coupled through a transient water table that rises as water accumulates at the base of the unsaturated zone. This scheme, though limited to simplified soil‐water characteristics and moist initial conditions, greatly improves computational efficiency over numerical models in spatially distributed modeling applications. Pore pressures computed by these coupled models are subsequently used in one‐dimensional slope‐stability computations to estimate the timing and locations of slope failures. Applied over a digital landscape near Seattle, Washington, for an hourly rainfall history known to trigger shallow landslides, the model computes a factor of safety for each grid cell at any time during a rainstorm. The unsaturated layer attenuates and delays the rainfall‐induced pore‐pressure response of the model at depth, consistent with observations at an instrumented hillside near Edmonds, Washington. This attenuation results in realistic estimates of timing for the onset of slope instability (7 h earlier than observed landslides, on average). By considering the spatial distribution of physical properties, the model predicts the primary source areas of landslides.
Modeling biomass competition and invasion in a schematic wetland
Authors: Ursino N.
Published: August 2010

Plants growing along hydrologic gradients adjust their biomass allocation and distribution in response to interspecific competition. Furthermore, susceptibility of a community to invasion is to some extent mediated by differences in growth habit, including root architecture and canopy hight. With reference to the study of a schematic wetland, the aim of this paper is (1) to test, via numerical modeling, the capacity of native plants to counteract an alien dominant species and cause eco‐hydrological shifts of the ecosystem by changing their growth habit (e.g. allocating biomass below ground and by so doing changing the evapotranspiration locally) and (2) to test the impact on biodiversity of management practices that alter nutrient supply. The results demonstrated that unique combinations of vegetation types characterized by different growth habits may lead to different vegetation patterns under the same hydrologic forcing, and additionally, the vegetation patterns may change in response to major hydrological shifts, which could be related to diverse wetland management and restoration practices.
Estimating space‐time mean concentrations of nutrients in surface waters of variable depth
Authors: Knotters M. , Brus D. J.
Published: August 2010

A monitoring scheme has been designed to test whether the space‐time mean concentration total Nitrogen (N‐total) in the surface water in the Northern Frisian Woodlands (NFW, The Netherlands) complies with standards of the European Water Framework directive. Since in statistical testing for compliance monitoring valid estimators for the mean and its variance are important, a design‐based method is preferred above a model‐based method. In the NFW‐area the surface water depth varies in both space and time and can periodically equal zero, due to variation in precipitation and evapotranspiration. To account for this, space‐time mean concentrations are estimated by the ratio of the estimated total mass of nutrient and the estimated total volume of water. The method is applied in the period from 1 April to 30 September 2008 to four hydrologically different subareas. Besides, the aim was to use the information on the spatial and temporal variance of N‐total concentrations to optimize the numbers of sampling rounds and sampling locations per sampling round in future monitoring campaigns, given budgetary constraints. A bootstrap procedure was applied to account for uncertainty about the temporal and spatial variances in estimating the optimal number of sampling rounds and sampling locations. For two subareas the accuracy of the estimated space‐time means can be improved by sampling more frequently at less locations (compared to the design applied in 2008), whereas for one subarea sampling less frequently at more locations increases the precision. For one subarea the sample data were rather inconclusive about the optimal sample sizes.
A hydrologic‐economic modeling approach for analysis of urban water supply dynamics in Chennai, India
Authors: Srinivasan Veena , Gorelick Steven M. , Goulder Lawrence
Published: August 2010

In this paper, we discuss a challenging water resources problem in a developing world city, Chennai, India. The goal is to reconstruct past system behavior and diagnose the causes of a major water crisis. In order to do this, we develop a hydrologic‐engineering‐economic model to address the complexity of urban water supply arising from consumers' dependence on multiple interconnected sources of water. We integrate different components of the urban water system: water flowing into the reservoir system; diversion and distribution by the public water utility; groundwater flow in the aquifer beneath the city; supply, demand, and prices in the informal tanker‐truck‐based water market; and consumer behavior. Both the economic and physical impacts of consumers' dependence on multiple sources of water are quantified. The model is calibrated over the period 2002–2006 using a range of hydrologic and socio‐economic data. The model's results highlight the inadequacy of the reservoir system and the buffering role played by the urban aquifer and consumers' coping investments during multiyear droughts.
Response of coral reefs to climate change: Expansion and demise of the southernmost Pacific coral reef
Authors: Woodroffe Colin D. , Brooke Brendan P. , Linklater Michelle , Kennedy David M. , Jones Brian G. , Buchanan Cameron , Mleczko Richard , Hua Quan , Zhao Jian‐xin
Published: August 2010

Coral reefs track sea level and are particularly sensitive to changes in climate. Reefs are threatened by global warming, with many experiencing increased coral bleaching. Warmer sea surface temperatures might enable reef expansion into mid latitudes. Here we report multibeam sonar and coring that reveal an extensive relict coral reef around Lord Howe Island, which is fringed by the southernmost reef in the Pacific Ocean. The relict reef, in water depths of 25–50 m, flourished in early Holocene and covered an area more than 20 times larger than the modern reef. Radiocarbon and uranium‐series dating indicates that corals grew between 9000 and 7000 years ago. The reef was subsequently drowned, and backstepped to its modern limited extent. This relict reef, with localised re‐establishment of corals in the past three millennia, could become a substrate for reef expansion in response to warmer temperatures, anticipated later this century and beyond, if corals are able to recolonise its surface.
Impact of changes in the Sun's conveyor‐belt on recent solar cycles
Authors: Dikpati Mausumi , Gilman Peter A. , de Toma Giuliana , Ulrich Roger K.
Published: August 2010

Plasma flowing poleward at the solar surface and returning equatorward near the base of the convection zone, called the meridional circulation, constitutes the Sun's conveyor‐belt. Just as the Earth's great oceanic conveyor‐belt carries thermal signatures that determine El Nino events, the Sun's conveyor‐belt determines timing, amplitude and shape of a solar cycle in flux‐transport type dynamos. In cycle 23, the Sun's surface poleward meridional flow extended all the way to the pole, while in cycle 22 it switched to equatorward near 60°. Simulations from a flux‐transport dynamo model including these observed differences in meridional circulation show that the transport of dynamo‐generated magnetic flux via the longer conveyor‐belt, with slower return‐flow in cycle 23 compared to that in cycle 22, may have caused the longer duration of cycle 23.
Acute exercise protects against calcium-induced cardiac mitochondrial permeability transition pore opening in doxorubicin-treated rats
Authors: Ascensão António , Lumini-Oliveira José , Machado Nuno G. , Ferreira Rita M. , Gonçalves Inês O. , Moreira Ana C. , Marques Franklin , Sardão Vilma A. , Oliveira Paulo J. , Magalhães José
Published: August 2010

The use of DOX (doxorubicin), an antibiotic used in oncological treatments, is limited by a dose-related cardiotoxicity against which acute exercise is protective. However, the mitochondrial-related mechanisms of this protection remain unknown. Therefore the present study aimed to determine the effects of an acute endurance exercise bout performed 24 h before DOX treatment on heart and liver mitochondrial function. A total of 20 adult male Wistar rats were divided into groups as follows: non-exercised with saline (NE+SAL), non-exercised DOX-treated (NE+DOX), exercised with saline (EX+SAL) and exercised DOX-treated (EX+DOX). The animals performed a 60 min exercise bout on a treadmill or remained sedentary 24 h before receiving either a DOX bolus (20 mg/kg of body weight) or saline. Heart and liver mitochondrial function [oxygen consumption, membrane potential (ΔΨ) and cyclosporin-A-sensitive calcium-induced MPTP (mitochondrial permeability transition pore) opening] were evaluated. The activities of the respiratory complex, Mn-SOD (superoxide dismutase), caspases 3 and 9, as well as the levels of ANT (adenine nucleotide translocase), VDAC (voltage-dependent anion channel), CypD (cyclophilin D), Bax and Bcl-2, were measured. Acute exercise prevented the decreased cardiac mitochondrial function (state 3, phosphorylative lag-phase; maximal ΔΨ generated both with complex I- and II-linked substrates and calcium-induced MPTP opening) induced by DOX treatment. Exercise also prevented the DOX-induced decreased activity of cardiac mitochondrial chain complexes I and V, and increased caspase 3 and 9 activities. DOX administration and exercise caused increased cardiac mitochondrial SOD activity. Exercise ameliorated liver mitochondrial complex activities. No alterations were observed in the measured MPTP and apoptosis-related proteins in heart and liver mitochondria. The results demonstrate that acute exercise protects against cardiac mitochondrial dysfunction, preserving mitochondrial phosphorylation capacity and attenuating DOX-induced decreased tolerance to MPTP opening.
Tongue Pressure and Submental Surface Electromyography Measures During Noneffortful and Effortful Saliva Swallows in Healthy Women
Authors: Yeates Erin M. , Steele Catriona M. , Pelletier Cathy A.
Published: August 2010

Purpose

The effortful swallow, a compensatory technique frequently employed by speech-language pathologists for their patients with dysphagia, is still not fully understood in terms of how it modifies the swallow. In particular, although age-related changes are known to reduce maximum isometric tongue pressure, it is not known whether age affects people’s ability to perform the effortful swallow. In this study, differences were explored between younger and older healthy women in execution of the effortful swallowing maneuver through a comparative analysis of effortful and noneffortful swallows.

Method

Eighty healthy women (40 age 18–35 years and 40 age 60 and older) participated. Peak amplitude measures and the timing of signal onset to peak were measured using concurrent tongue pressure and submental surface electromyography.

Result

Statistically significant main effects of age group were not observed in the amplitude data, but older participants showed slower rise times to peak anterior tongue-palate pressure.

Conclusions

Despite the general age-related deterioration of the swallowing musculature due to the phenomenon of sarcopenia, older women can still produce noneffortful and effortful swallows with lingual pressure and submental surface electromyography amplitudes similar to younger women.