bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exercício físico e desempenho cognitivo em idosos: revisão sistemática
Authors: Guimarães Alexsander V. , Rocha Saulo V. , Barbosa Aline R.
Published: February 2015

Objetivo: A proposta do estudo foi realizar uma revisão sistemática de estudos que verificaram o efeito do exercício físico no desempenho cognitivo de indivíduos idosos, sem comprometimento cognitivo. Métodos: Foram pesquisados estudos publicados entre janeiro de 2008 e outubro de 2013, nas seguintes bases de dados: Pubmed/Medline, SportDiscus, Scopus, PsycInfo, Scielo, Lilacs, com os termos exercise, physical activity combinados com cognition, performance cognitive, cognitive function e elderly. A estratégia de pesquisa foi limitada a estudos clínicos controlados randomizados, que descreveram, especialmente, a intensidade, duração e frequência dos exercícios. Resultados: Foram encontrados 562 artigos nas bases de dados, 83 foram selecionados para leitura do resumo, 36 para leitura completa e nove estudos preencheram os critérios de inclusão adotados. Os resultados apontam que a realização de exercícios físicos, aeróbios (ao menos 30 minutos, três vezes por semana, mínimo 12 semanas) ou contra resistência (mínimo uma vez por semana, por 12 semanas), podem ter efeitos positivos no desempenho cognitivo de idosos. Conclusão: Exercícios aeróbios e contra resistência pode representar uma terapia não medicamentosa que pode melhorar o desempenho cognitivo de idosos.
On the Medial -i- in Qieyun Division IV Finals
Authors: Ting Pang-Hsin
Published: February 2015

Whether the Qieyun Division IV finals have a medial -i- or not is an issue that has been debated for almost a century since Karlgren published his monumental work entitled Etudes sur la phonologie chinoise. This paper examines the problem from the following four angles: 1. Evolution of the Division IV characters with a rounded medial; 2. Pronunciations of the Division IV chongniu 重紐 characters in Sino-Vietnamese; 3. Transliterations of Division IV characters in Buddhist canons translated from Sanskrit; 4. Tendency of the rhyming behaviors of Division IV characters in the Wei-Jin and Nan-Bei-Chao periods. Results indicate that the Qieyun Division IV finals do have a medial -i-.
Phonological Development from Old Chinese to Middle Chinese: An Outline
Authors: Ho Dah-an
Published: February 2015

The paper claims that simplification of initials, restructuring of rime categories, and increasing differentiation of tones are three main tendencies of phonological developments from Old Chinese to Middle Chinese. It also points out that the instability of medials, which triggered most of the changes of initial consonants and vowels, and the discontinuity of corresponding rime categories, which was caused by restructuring, are the most important features that characterize the phonological history of this period. Some detailed explanations are given as well.
The Pathway from Negatives to Question Particles
Authors: WEI Pei-chuan
Published: February 2015

There is a great number of question particles in Chinese dialects that can be traced back to the negatives bu 不 and wu 無, which appeared in the negative part of A-not-A questions before turning into question particles. It remains debatable when and how this change occurred. We pinpoint the time when these two negatives changed into question particles according to several criteria in this paper. The time when bu became used as a question particle can be roughly dated to the Later Han dynasty and that of wu to the Tang dynasty, and the characters for these two words were then replaced by others. The interaction between bu and wu in history draws a picture of dynamic interaction. Some dialects show an extension from bu to wu, and some the other way round; the former is predominant in Middle Chinese, and the latter after the Tang dynasty. The way that bu changed into a question particle appears different from wu, which can be depicted as follows: The negative bu might have been seen as equivalent to the question particles hu 乎 and ye 耶 by holding a position identical to these two particles, which lost their function of interrogation and, as a result, were supplanted by bu subsequently. As a negative, wu is not only parallel with bu in syntactic behaviors, but also overlaps with the latter in the history, which made wu turn into a question particle after bu had done so.
The Copula and Existential Verbs in Qiang
Authors: LaPolla Randy J. , Huang Chenglong
Published: February 2015

This paper discusses the copula and existential verb constructions in Qiang, a Tibeto-Burman language of northern Sichuan, China. There is only one copula verb in Qiang, which can be used in equational, identificational, attributive, naming, and cleft constructions, as well as one type of possessive construction. There are five existential verbs in Qiang, the use of which depends on the semantics of the referent being predicated as existing and its location. The existential verbs have a number of the characteristics of adjective-like stative verbs, and can be modified by adverbs of degree, but they cannot directly modify nouns. Also, the meaning of reduplication of existential verbs is different from that of adjective-like stative verbs: reduplication of existential verbs results in transitivization, while reduplication of adjective-like stative verbs results in emphasis of degree.
On the Interpretation of
Authors: Takashima Ken-ichi
Published: February 2015

From the vantage points of palaeography, linguistics, and archaeology, this paper suggests that the oracle-bone graph be read as céng/zēng 曾 or zèng 甑.
Prajñāpāramitā-sūtra, Vol. II
Authors: Chen Wuyun , Liang Xiaohong
Published: February 2015

The handwritten manuscript entitled “Sound Glosses on Dabanruojing 大般若經音義 (Prajñāpāramitā-sūtra, Vol. II),” one of the collections of Ishiyama Temple 石山寺 in Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture, is generally regarded as having been made sometime from the last phase of the Nara 奈良 period (710-784) to the beginning of the Heian 平安 period (794-1185). On account of its copying and dissemination contemporary to that period, the manuscript has value equal to the Dunhuang 敦煌 manuscripts. The present paper cross-references the Ishiyama Temple manuscript to the one with the same title housed in Raigōin 來迎院 in Kyoto. After having selected the 35 characters in popular use that are mutually related, it presents a comparative study of them as found in the relevant portions of the Sound Glosses of Xuanying (玄應音義) and the Sound Gloss of Huilin (慧琳音義) in an attempt to clarify the origins of these popular Chinese characters. Such work no doubt has equal significance in the following scholarly area: the ex-ploration of how the characters were used in the period in question, particularly making inference on the actual use of the characters in these old handwritten manuscripts of the Prajñāpāramitā-sūtra, the study of the language of the Buddhist scriptures, and the development of a research field of the popular Chinese characters.
The Baima Tibetans and the Di People of Chinese Historical Records: Challenging the Link
Authors: Chirkova Katia
Published: February 2015

This paper addresses a long-standing controversy surrounding the ethnicity of the Baima Tibetans, a Tibeto-Burman people in Western Sichuan Province whose ethnic and linguistic origins are yet to be satisfactorily ascertained. It focuses on one popular view, which attempts to link the present-day Baima Tibetans with the Di, an ancient Tibeto-Burman group documented in the Chinese historical records who inhabited roughly the same area until their gradual assimilation into the Han and the Tibetans during the Tang Dynasty. The paper examines and refutes all three types of evidence proffered in the literature in support of making such a link: geographical distribution, cultures and customs, and language. Focusing on the linguistic evidence, including autonyms and certain names of the Di contained in the historical texts, and two alleged Di loan words recorded in the ancient Chinese character dictionary 《說文解字》 , the paper makes use of first-hand fieldwork material to bear on the issue. It concludes that it is immature to say anything definite about the identity of the mysterious Di language or languages, let alone to directly link them with the speech of the modern Baima people, which is predominantly a Bodic language.
The Nominal Phrase in Northern Zhuang: A Descriptive Study
Authors: Sio Joanna Ut-seong , Sybesma Rint
Published: February 2015

This paper provides a descriptive overview of the nominal phrase in Northern Zhuang, including discussions on the following areas: (i) the properties of different nominal elements, such as classifiers, numerals, demonstratives and modifiers, (ii) the referential properties of the noun phrase with varying formal characteristics, and (iii) the ordering of nominal elements, from a comparative point of view.
Cantonese Sound Variations at the Sino-Vietnamese Border in the Late 19th Century
Authors: Chiang Chia-lu
Published: February 2015

This paper studies phonological variations within a Cantonese dialect preserved in Éléments de Langue Chinoise Dialecte Cantonais (1900), a textbook of Cantonese written by the French navy officer Commandant Lagarrue. The Cantonese pronunciations recorded in this book were transcribed using Romanized Vietnamese (Quôc Ngu), rather than Chinese characters. When transliterated back into the Chinese script, the same characters are found to correspond frequently to a variety of slightly different spellings exhibiting certain regular phonological correspondences. These variant recordings turn out to reflect either free vocalic alternation, variation induced by contact between Vietnamese and the Yue dialects spoken in Guangdong and Guangxi provinces, or differentiation of tones determined by lexical meaning differences. The observed phenomena, in sum, present us with a precious record of the Cantonese dialect spoken at the Sino-Vietnamese border in the late 19th century.
A note on the “peculiar” name Jingzhuguo 淨住國 for India in the lost Hou Hanshu of Xie Cheng
Authors: Guarde–Paz Cesar
Published: February 2015

Han E, in his treatise Suihua jili, quotes a passage from the lost Houhanshu of Xie Cheng which contains the “peculiar” name of Jingzhuguo (country of pure dwelling) for the land of the Buddha, India. The present paper discusses the conditions under which this name could have arisen.
Exploring three kinds of the DARE word in Southern Min: Sidelights on the Hierarchical Structure of Functional Categories
Authors: Lien Chinfa
Published: February 2015

The paper explores three kinds of the DARE word: kann2 A, kam2 B, and kan2 C. Unlike kan2 C kann2 A1/kam2 B1 can function as modals. But unlike kann2 A2, kam2 B, and kan2 C can be used in positive/negative questions. kann2 A2, as opposed to kam2 B, and kan2 C, can denote supposition on the part of speaker. All the three types of the DARE word can take on rhetorical function which is context-dependent and induced by pragmatic inference. A DARE word alone is underspecified in meaning and its interpretation hinges on the syntactic position it occupies. Hence there is a hierarchical relation between the DARE word and other functional categories in conjunction with mood.
Literary and Colloquial Readings in Shanghai Dialect
Authors: Xue Caide
Published: February 2015

This article is based on contemporary Shanghai dialect. In order to discuss the literary and colloquial readings of initials and rhymes in Shanghai dialect, we examine a large body of evidence, including A Grammar of Colloquial Chinese, as Exhibited in the Shanghai Dialect by Joseph Edkins, research on Chinese phonology by Bernhard Karlgren and so on. The article is mainly concerned with the following contrasts: -o / -ᴀ, -ᴀ / -ᴇ, -o / -uᴀ, -ã / -ǝŋ, - / -ã, ȵ- / z- or l- or ɦ-, m- / v- or Ø-, ŋ- or ȵ- / ɦ- or Ø-, k- / ʨi- etc. Through competition among the literary and colloquial readings, we look for clues to historical developments.
Phonological Traits of Hangzhou Dialect from the Perspective of Comparative Phonology
Authors: Zheng Wei
Published: February 2015

From the perspective of Chinese historical phonology, we observe that Hangzhou dialect in Zhejiang Province exemplifies the dualism of innovation and conservatism in terms of phonological evolution. Using the comparative method, three strata are recognized: 1. the conservative layer from Qieyun which also appears in modern Wu dialects; 2. the layer of Mandarin from the period of the late Tang Dynasty to Northern Song, which composes the main body of Hangzhou phonology; and 3. the innovative layer of post-Qieyun times both in Hangzhou and other Wu dialects.
The Origin of the Wu Dialect as Seen in Historical Records
Authors: Zhengzhang Shangfang
Published: February 2015

The areas in which Wu dialects are currently spoken, i.e. Shanghai, Zhejiang Province, Southern Jiangsu Province, Northeastern Jiangxi Province and neighboring areas, were all territories of the Wu and Yue States in the Pre-Qin Period. However, the present Wu dialects are not directly inherited and derived from the native languages spoken in the ancient Wu and Yue areas, as there has been a significant process of language transfer in this area historically. The source of influence mainly comes from Chu language, which led to the development of Eastern Yangtze River dialect first, and later the establishment of Wu dialects in the Tang Dynasty.
Phonological Features of the Evolution of Middle Chinese Zhi Series Initials into Modern Chinese Dialects
Authors: Wang Hongzhi
Published: February 2015

In modern Chinese dialects, the evolution of Middle Chinese Zhi 知 series initials is very complicated. This article collects linguistic records and analyses that are related to this topic from a variety of published academic materials. The catalyst behind these diverse sound changes is shown to be the phonological feature [+flat]. In addition, this article also investigates the neutralization in the evolution of Zhi series initials in some Shanxi and Hebei dialects.
The Six Vowel Hypothesis of Old Chinese in Comparative Context
Authors: Hill Nathan W.
Published: February 2015

Gong Hwang-Cherng in two papers (1980, 1995) collected a number of cognate sets among Chinese, Tibetan, and Burmese. This paper reexamines these cognate sets (base on Gong 1995) using a six vowel version of Old Chinese, specifically the Baxter-Sagart system. In light of six vowel theory it is possible both to be more confident about some cognate sets and possible to reject or revise others.
Rime Doublets in Huilin's Yiqie Jing Yinyi and Related Issues
Authors: Zhao Cuiyang
Published: February 2015

This paper applies probability and statistical analysis to the rime system in Huilin's Yiqie Jing Yingyi. It is found that the two chongniu (rime doublet) categories A and B are clearly differentiated, and for the most part are kept distinct. However, some distinct characteristics emerge when the rime system of Yiqie Jing Yingyi is compared with that of Qieyun. Chongniu category A is closely related to the fourth-grade rimes, while category B is closely related to the ordinary third grade rimes. These two categories can be differentiated through their upper and lower fanqie characters. An overall correspondence between them and the sibilant and dental initials is maintained: The initials yun, lai and those in the zhuang and zhi groups tend to pair with category B rimes, while the initials yi, ri and those in the zhang and jing groups tend to pair with category A rimes, but initials in the zhang and ri groups show traces of switching from category A to category B. The chongniu distinction lies within the medial elements of the rimes.
Natural Sound Change and Its Patterns: The Case of the Lateral Approximant l
Authors: Zheng Wei
Published: February 2015

In light of Chinese historical phonology, modern dialects, languages of Chinese minorities and field phonetics, this paper discusses (1) the development of the Yi-initial words from Old Chinese to Middle Chinese, (2) the development of the Lai-initial words from Middle Chinese to modern dialects, (3) the phonological behavior of segment l in different syllabic positions from the perspective of evolutionary phonology. Such evolutionary developments as palatalization, velarization, nasalization, labiodentalization, fricativization, strengthening and so on can be identified for approximant l. This provides an important panchronic and typological perspective for the interpretation of both diachronic changes and synchronic variation.
On the Use of the Serial Modal Particle Ye Yi Yi in the Analects
Authors: Cho Eun-Jeong
Published: February 2015

This paper presents an integrated perspective on the use of serial modal particle ye yi yi (也已矣) in the in the Analects based on received documents and recently unearthed manuscripts. It is suggested that the serial modal particle ye yi yi was seldom used during the pre-Qin period. The use of ye yi yi might have become gradually more frequent from the Han Dynasty, given that eight instances were found in the Ruanyuan version and thirteen instances were found in the Huangkan version. The individual and serial use of the three modal particles ye (也), yi (已) and are then investigated in detail. The evolution of their grammatical function as well as the factors motivating change are also discussed.
A Reading of the Dialect Chapter of Zhāng Wèi’s Wènqíjí
Authors: Coblin W. South
Published: February 2015

The Wènqíjí of the late sixteenth century Míng scholar Zhāng Wèi 張位 contains a short chapter entitled “Local Pronunciations of Various Areas”. The work comprises a number of direct sound glosses on Chinese characters, with the glossing words used to indicate dialectal pronunciations of the glossed words. In the present article, we assume that Zhāng's glossing characters were to be read in the standard pronunciation of that period, i.e., in the so-called Nányīn pronunciation of the Guānhuà koine. Using the nearly contemporary romanized sound glosses of Nicholas Trigault, which are also thought to represent this type of Guānhuà pronunciation, we then attempt to determine how Zhāng Wèi believed the dialect readings of the glossed characters were pronounced.
Tone 9 of the Jianyang Dialect
Authors: Yue Anne O.
Published: February 2015

Tone 9 of the Jianyang dialect, for long a controversial topic, is studied across various subdialects of Jianyang in comparison with the Gospel of Matthew, Kien-yang Colloquial of 1900, the earliest extant material for this dialect. its distribution and relationship with initial consonants are carefully examined and its nature and functions described and clarified, leading to the conclusion that it is a morphologically conditioned bianyin that pertains to colloquial words and serves to convey the core meaning of "familiarity" and its derived meaning, reaffirming our assumption made in 1976.

From a broad perspective, bianyin is in essence a kind of erhua 兒化 or more precisely, the last stage witnessed in the metamorphosis of a morphological device that occurs in colloquial speech with varied fonctions. It occurs infrequently with the Min dialects, but it seems to be an areal feature with dialects spoken to the west of Jianyang along the western border of Fujian and eastern Jiangxi, including some She $ dialects in this region.
East Asian Ethnolinguistic Phylogeography
Authors: van Driem George
Published: February 2015

A polyphyletic understanding of Asian linguistic diversity was first propagated in 1823. Since 1901, various scholars have proposed larger linguistic phyla uniting two or more recognised Asian language families. The most recent proposal in this tradition, Starosta’s 2001 East Asian phylum, comprising the Trans-Himalayan, Hmong-Mien, Austroasiatic, Austronesian and Kradai language families, is reassessed in light of linguistic and non-linguistic evidence. Ethnolinguistically informed inferences based on Asian Y chromosomal phylogeography lead to a reconstruction of various episodes of ethnolinguistic prehistory which lie beyond the linguistic event horizon, i.e. at a time depth empirically inaccessible to historical linguistics. The Father Tongue correlation in population genetics, the evidence for refugia during the Last Glacial Maximum and the hypothesis of language families having arisen as the result of demographic bottlenecks in prehistory are shown to be crucial to an understanding of the ethnogenesis of East Asian linguistic phyla. The prehistory of several neighbouring Asian language families is discussed, and the Centripetal Migration model is opposed to the Farming Language Dispersal theory.
Fuzzy Word Identification: A Case Study from the Oracle Bone Inscriptions
Authors: Handel Zev
Published: February 2015

In this paper, a new method of “fuzzy identification” is proposed for circumstances in which an exact match of an epigraphic written word with later attested forms is not possible (for example, because the word has been lost from the language). Based on our increasingly sophisticated understanding of early Chinese morphological patterns and word families, it is sometimes possible to achieve an approximate understanding of pronunciation and meaning in the absence of a precise identification.

As an illustration of this approach, I consider the oracle-bone graph as it appears in a famous eclipse inscription. This graph has been identified as 斲 zhuó and 剅 dōu (among others). I argue that any such identification is overly precise. A fuzzy identification, as a member of the word family based on root *tok with meaning ‘cut, chop’, is a more accurate reflection of the state of our knowledge and provides greater insight into the possible pronunciations and range of meaning and function of the word.
What about 咁? ―Revisiting to the Demonstrative in Early Cantonese
Authors: Cheung Hung-nin Samuel
Published: February 2015

The demonstrative 咁 carries two different fonctions in Cantonese. It marks the manner of an action as in example (1), and serves as an indicator of degree as in example (2). The two uses correspond to those of 這樣 and 這麼 in Mandarin.

(1) 佢好勤力咁學習。 He studies diligently.

(2) 佢咁勤力學習。 He studies with such diligence.

The two functions may be graphically differentiated, with the former written as 噉 and the latter as 咁. In pronunciation, the two markers share the same segmental make-up, but differ in tone. 噉 is [kɐm35:] and 咁 is [kɐm33:].

In early Cantonese, use of both forms abounds, but the graphic distinction is not always maintained. In Cantonese Made Easy (1883), for example, the manner demonstrative is written as either 咁 or 噉.

(3) 你係咁講咩？ (p.18)

(4) 人哋係噉講。 (p.37)

Phonologically, the forms share essentially the same final “om” in these early Romanized texts. While both tones are found, the differences in usage have yet to be defined. The following two examples, both from Chrestomathy (1841), have the same 咁 expression, but it is marked with different tones.

(5) 夠爭一碼咁上下。 (p. 247) (yinqu 陰去 tone)

(6) 都係八份一咁上下。 (p. 345) (yinshang 陰上 tone)

This paper conducts a detailed analysis of the use of 咁 by examining a variety of colloquial Cantonese texts of the 19th and 20th centuries. It reconstructs the course of change that the demonstrative underwent in pronunciation, grammatical use, and character representation. The paper also offers some preliminary thoughts on the derivational relationship among the demonstrative 咁, the classifier 個 and the deictic 嗰.
New synonyms and lectotypifications in Brazilian Erythroxylum (Erythroxylaceae)
Authors: Costa-Lima James Lucas , LOIOLA MARIA IRACEMA BEZERRA , ALVES MARCCUS
Published: February 2015

Erythroxylum Browne (1756: 278) includes about 230–240 species and is the only genus of Erythroxylaceae Kunth (1821: 175) occurring in the Neotropical region (Plowman & Berry 1999, Plowman & Hensold 2004). The eastern and northeastern Brazil and Venezuela are considered centers of its diversity and endemism (Daly 2004). For Brazil, 123 species are recognized, with the greatest species richness in the Atlantic Forest Domain, especially in its northeastern region, where 46 species have been reported, with 17 of them endemic (Loiola & Costa-Lima 2014).
A Divergence-Form Wave-Induced Pressure Inherent in the Extension of the Eliassen–Palm Theory to a Three-Dimensional Framework for All Waves at All Latitudes
Authors: Aiki Hidenori , Takaya Koutarou , Greatbatch Richard J.
Published: February 2015

Classical theory concerning the Eliassen–Palm relation is extended in this study to allow for a unified treatment of midlatitude inertia–gravity waves (MIGWs), midlatitude Rossby waves (MRWs), and equatorial waves (EQWs). A conservation equation for what the authors call the impulse-bolus (IB) pseudomomentum is useful, because it is applicable to ageostrophic waves, and the associated three-dimensional flux is parallel to the direction of the group velocity of MRWs. The equation has previously been derived in an isentropic coordinate system or a shallow-water model. The authors make an explicit comparison of prognostic equations for the IB pseudomomentum vector and the classical energy-based (CE) pseudomomentum vector, assuming inviscid linear waves in a sufficiently weak mean flow, to provide a basis for the former quantity to be used in an Eulerian time-mean (EM) framework. The authors investigate what makes the three-dimensional fluxes in the IB and CE pseudomomentum equations look in different directions. It is found that the two fluxes are linked by a gauge transformation, previously unmentioned, associated with a divergence-form wave-induced pressure [Formula: see text]. The quantity [Formula: see text] vanishes for MIGWs and becomes nonzero for MRWs and EQWs, and it may be estimated using the virial theorem. Concerning the effect of waves on the mean flow, [Formula: see text] represents an additional effect in the pressure gradient term of both (the three-dimensional versions of) the transformed EM momentum equations and the merged form of the EM momentum equations, the latter of which is associated with the nonacceleration theorem.
Quantifying Energy and Mass Fluxes Controlling Godthåbsfjord Freshwater Input in a 5-km Simulation (1991–2012)*,+
Authors: Langen P. L. , Mottram R. H. , Christensen J. H. , Boberg F. , Rodehacke C. B. , Stendel M. , van As D. , Ahlstrøm A. P. , Mortensen J. , Rysgaard S. , Petersen D. , Svendsen K. H. , Aðalgeirsdóttir G. , Cappelen J.
Published: February 2015

Freshwater runoff to fjords with marine-terminating glaciers along the Greenland Ice Sheet margin has an impact on fjord circulation and potentially ice sheet mass balance through increasing heat transport to the glacier front. Here, the authors use the high-resolution (5.5 km) HIRHAM5 regional climate model, allowing high detail in topography and surface types, to estimate freshwater input to Godthåbsfjord in southwest Greenland. Model output is compared to hydrometeorological observations and, while simulated daily variability in temperature and downwelling radiation shows high correlation with observations (typically >0.9), there are biases that impact the results. In particular, overestimated albedo leads to underestimation of melt and runoff at low elevations.

In the model simulation (1991–2012), the ice sheet experiences increasing energy input from the surface turbulent heat flux (up to elevations of 2000 m) and shortwave radiation (at all elevations). Southerly wind anomalies and declining cloudiness due to an increase in atmospheric pressure over north Greenland contribute to increased summer melt. This results in declining surface mass balance (SMB), increasing surface runoff, and upward shift of the equilibrium line altitude.

SMB is reconstructed back to 1890 though regression between simulated SMB and observed temperature and precipitation, with added uncertainty in the period 1890–1952 because of possible inhomogeneity in the precipitation record. SMB as low as in recent years appears to have occurred before, most notably around 1930, 1950, and 1960. While previous low SMBs were mainly caused by low accumulation, those around 1930 and in the 2000s are mainly due to warming.
Year-to-Year Reoutcropping of Eighteen Degree Water in an Eddy-Resolving Ocean Simulation
Authors: Kwon Young-Oh , Park Jong-Jin , Gary Stefan F. , Lozier M. Susan
Published: February 2015

Winter outcropping of the Eighteen Degree Water (EDW) and its subsequent dispersion are studied using a ° eddy-resolving simulation of the Family of Linked Atlantic Modeling Experiments (FLAME). Outcropped EDW columns in the model simulations are detected in each winter from 1990 to 1999, and particles are deployed in the center of each outcropped EDW column. Subsequently, the trajectories of these particles are calculated for the following 5 yr. The particles slowly spread away from the outcropping region into the nonoutcropping/subducted EDW region south of ~30°N and eventually to the non-EDW region in the greater subtropical gyre. Approximately 30% of the particles are found in non-EDW waters 1 yr after deployment; after 5 yr, only 25% of the particles are found within EDW. The reoutcropping time is defined as the number of years between when a particle is originally deployed in an outcropping EDW column and when that particle is next found in an outcropping EDW column. Of the particles, 66% are found to reoutcrop as EDW in 1 yr, and less than 5% of the particles outcrop in each of the subsequent 4 yr. While the individual trajectories exhibit significant eddy-like motions, the time scale of reoutcropping is primarily set by the mean circulation. The dominance of reoutcropping in 1 yr suggests that EDW outcropping contributes considerably to the persistence of surface temperature anomalies from one winter to the next, that is, the reemergence of winter sea surface temperature anomalies.
A Balanced Tropical Cyclone Test Case for AGCMs with Background Vertical Wind Shear
Authors: He Fei , Posselt Derek J. , Zarzycki Colin M. , Jablonowski Christiane
Published: February 2015

This paper presents a balanced tropical cyclone (TC) test case designed to improve current understanding of how atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) configurations affect simulated TC development and behavior. It consists of an analytic initial condition comprising two independently balanced components. The first provides a vortical TC seed, while the second adds a planetary-scale zonal flow with height-dependent velocity and imposes background vertical wind shear (VWS) on the TC seed. The environmental flow satisfies the steady-state hydrostatic primitive equations in spherical coordinates and is in balance with other background field variables (e.g., temperature, surface geopotential). The evolution of idealized TCs in the test case framework is illustrated in 10-day simulations performed with the Community Atmosphere Model, version 5.1.1 (CAM 5.1.1). Environmental wind profiles with different magnitudes, directions, and vertical inflection points are applied to ensure that the technique is robust to changes in the VWS characteristics. The well-known shear-induced intensity change and structural asymmetry in tropical cyclones are well captured. Sensitivity of TC evolution to small perturbations in the initial vortex is also quantitatively addressed to validate the numerical robustness of the technique. It is concluded that the enhanced TC test case can be used to evaluate the impact of model choice (e.g., resolution, physical parameterizations) on the simulation and representation of TC-like vortices in AGCMs.
Coupled fluctuations in element release during dolomite dissolution
Authors: Putnis Christine V. , Ruiz-Agudo Encarnación , Hövelmann Jörn
Published: February 2015

Atomic force microscopy has been used to determine more precisely the mechanism of the initial stages of dolomite dissolution. Analysis of outflow solutions initially shows fluctuations of both Ca and Mg release with concentrations of Ca >> Mg. The dolomite surface dissolves congruently in the presence of slightly acidified water as confirmed by the regular spreading of characteristic rhombohedral etch pits. Direct in situ observations show that a new phase precipitates on the dissolving surface simultaneously. As the Ca and Mg release decreases with time, the precipitated phase can be seen to spread across the dolomite surface. These observations indicate that the apparent incongruent dissolution of dolomite is a two-step process involving stoichiometric dissolution with the release of Ca, Mg and CO3 ions to solution at the mineral–fluid interface coupled with precipitation of a new Mg-carbonate phase. The coupled element release confirms the interface-coupled dissolutionprecipitation mechanism.
On the colorimetric measurement of aqueous Si in the presence of organic ligands and common pH buffering agents
Authors: Thomas Rinder  , Oelkers Eric H.
Published: February 2015

The effects of the presence of ten organic ligands and common pH buffering agents – acetate, oxalate, tartrate, citrate, phthalate, EDTA, carbonate, TRIS, phosphate and borate – on aqueous Si concentration measurements made using the common molybdate blue method were quantified. The concentrations of these additives ranged from 0.01 to 0.1 mol/kg in the measured aqueous solutions. Whereas measured Si concentrations were not affected by the presence of up to 0.1 mol/kg acetate, hydrogen phthalate or TRIS, the presence of 0.1 mol/kg of all other selected additives altered substantially the measured Si concentrations using the molybdate blue method. For example the presence of 0.1 mol/kg of citrate, EDTA, and hydrogen phosphate decreased the ratio of measured to true Si concentrations to ~0.05. These variations are interpreted to stem from the formation of competing aqueous complexes in the aqueous phase limiting the formation of the characteristically blue SiMo12O404– complex.
CO2 mineralization by olivine at hydrothermal conditions
Authors: Jan Přikryl  , Stefánsson Andri
Published: February 2015

The interaction of CO2-rich water with olivine was studied using geochemical reaction modelling in order to gain insight into the effects of temperature, acid supply (CO2) and extent of reaction on the secondary mineralogy, water chemistry and mass transfer. Olivine (Fo93) was dissolved at 150 and 250ºC and pCO2 of 2 and 20 bar in a closed system and an open system with secondary minerals allowed to precipitate. The progressive water–rock interaction resulted in increased solution pH, with gradual carbonate formation starting at pH 5 and various Mg-OH and Mg-Si minerals becoming dominant at pH>8. The major factor determining olivine alteration is the pH of the water. In turn, the pH value is determined by acid supply, reaction progress and temperature.
Element scavenging by recently formed travertine deposits in the alkaline springs from the Oman Semail Ophiolite
Authors: Olsson J. , Stipp S. L. S. , Gislason S. R.
Published: February 2015

Ultramafic rocks, such as the Semail Ophiolite in the Sultanate of Oman, are considered to be a potential storage site for CO2. This type of rock is rich in divalent cations that can react with dissolved CO2 and form carbonate minerals, which remain stable over geological periods of time. Dissolution of the ophiolite mobilizes heavy metals, which can threaten the safety of surface and groundwater supplies but secondary phases, such as iron oxides, clays and carbonate minerals, can take up significant quantities of trace elements both in their structure and adsorbed on their surfaces.

Hyperalkaline spring waters issuing from the Semail Ophiolites can have pH as high as 12. This water absorbs CO2 from air, forming carbonate mineral precipitates either as thin crusts on the surface of placid water pools or bottom precipitates in turbulent waters. We investigated the composition of the spring water and the precipitates to determine the extent of trace element uptake. We collected water and travertine samples from two alkaline springs of the Semail Ophiolite. Twenty seven elements were detected in the spring waters. The bulk of the precipitate was CaCO3 in aragonite, as needles, and rhombohedral calcite crystals. Traces of dypingite (Mg5(CO3)4(OH)2·5H2O) and antigorite ((Mg,Fe)3Si2O5(OH)4) were also detected. The bulk precipitate contained rare earth elements and toxic metals, such as As, Ba, Cd, Sr and Pb, which indicated scavenging by the carbonate minerals. Boron and mercury were detected in the spring water but not in the carbonate phases. The results provide confidence that many of the toxic metals released by ophiolite dissolution in an engineered CO2 injection project would be taken up by secondary phases, minimizing risk to water quality.
A comparison of standard thermodynamic properties and solubility data for baryte, Ba2+(aq) and SO42–(aq)
Authors: Zhen-Wu B. Y. , Dideriksen K. , Belova D. A. , Raahauge P. J. , Stipp S. L. S.
Published: February 2015

The thermodynamic solubility product for baryte, determined at standard conditions, from data in commonly used compilations, was compared with published experimental solubility products for baryte and with the solubility products from databases used by the PHREEQC geochemical speciation code and MultiScale, which is often used by oil companies to predict or describe baryte scaling. The values in the various databases agree well with experimental data (10–10.05–10–9.96; Melcher, 1910; Neuman, 1933; Templeton, 1960; Davis and Collins, 1971; Blount, 1977; Felmy et al., 1990), which agree within uncertainty with the values presented in the compilations of Robie et al. (1979), Wagman et al. (1982), Lide (2005), Raju and Atkinson (1988), as well as Nordstrom and Munoz (1994), whose values have the least uncertainty. In solutions of 50% seawater mixed with 50% reservoir formation waters, the data predict baryte supersaturation, both at standard temperature and at the temperatures expected in the reservoir, completely consistent with field observations. This provides confidence that the Pitzer approach for activity correction and the database is valid for investigations of baryte precipitation rates in high ionic strength solutions.
Abiotic stress and genome dynamics: specific genes and transposable elements response to iron excess in rice
Authors: Finatto Taciane , de Oliveira Antonio Costa , Chaparro Cristian , da Maia Luciano C , Farias Daniel R , Woyann Leomar G , Mistura Claudete C , Soares-Bresolin Adriana P , Llauro Christel , Panaud Olivier , Picault Nathalie
Published: February 2015

Background

Iron toxicity is a root related abiotic stress, occurring frequently in flooded soils. It can affect the yield of rice in lowland production systems. This toxicity is associated with high concentrations of reduced iron (Fe2+) in the soil solution. Although the first interface of the element is in the roots, the consequences of an excessive uptake can be observed in several rice tissues. In an original attempt to find both genes and transposable elements involved in the response to an iron toxicity stress, we used a microarray approach to study the transcriptional responses of rice leaves of cv. Nipponbare (Oryza sativaL. ssp.japonica) to iron excess in nutrient solution.

Results

A large number of genes were significantly up- or down-regulated in leaves under the treatment. We analyzed the gene ontology and metabolic pathways of genes involved in the response to this stress and thecis-regulatory elements (CREs) present in the promoter region of up-regulated genes. The majority of genes act in the pathways of lipid metabolic process, carbohydrate metabolism, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites and plant hormones. We also found genes involved in iron acquisition and mobilization, transport of cations and regulatory mechanisms for iron responses, and in oxidative stress and reactive oxygen species detoxification. Promoter regions of 27% of genes up-regulated present at least one significant occurrence of an ABA-responsive CRE. Furthermore, and for the first time, we were able to show that iron stress triggers the up-regulation of many LTR-retrotransposons. We have established a complete inventory of transposable elements transcriptionally activated under iron excess and the CREs which are present in their LTRs.

Conclusion

The short-term response of Nipponbare seedlings to iron excess, includes activation of genes involved in iron homeostasis, in particular transporters, transcription factors and ROS detoxification in the leaves, but also many transposable elements. Our data led to the identification of CREs which are associated with both genes and LTR-retrotransposons up-regulated under iron excess. Our results strengthen the idea that LTR-retrotransposons participate in the transcriptional response to stress and could thus confer an adaptive advantage for the plant.
Long-lived plasma cells are early and constantly generated in New Zealand Black/New Zealand White F1 mice and their therapeutic depletion requires a combined targeting of autoreactive plasma cells and their precursors
Authors: Taddeo Adriano , Khodadadi Laleh , Voigt Caroline , Mumtaz Imtiaz M , Cheng Qingyu , Moser Katrin , Alexander Tobias , Manz Rudolf A , Radbruch Andreas , Hiepe Falk , Hoyer Bimba F
Published: February 2015

Introduction

Autoantibodies contribute significantly to the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Unfortunately, the long-lived plasma cells (LLPCs) secreting such autoantibodies are refractory to conventional immunosuppressive treatments. Although generated long before the disease becomes clinically apparent, it remains rather unclear whether LLPC generation continues in the established disease. Here, we analyzed the generation of LLPCs, including autoreactive LLPCs, in SLE-prone New Zealand Black/New Zealand White F1 (NZB/W F1) mice over their lifetime, and their regeneration after depletion.

Methods

Bromodeoxyuridine pulse-chase experiments in mice of different ages were performed in order to analyze the generation of LLPCs during the development of SLE. LLPCs were enumerated by flow cytometry and autoreactive anti-double-stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA) plasma cells by enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT). For analyzing the regeneration of LLPCs after depletion, mice were treated with bortezomib alone or in combination with cyclophosphamide and plasma cells were enumerated 12 hours, 3, 7, 11 and 15 days after the end of the bortezomib cycle.

Results

Autoreactive LLPCs are established in the spleen and bone marrow of SLE-prone mice very early in ontogeny, before week 4 and before the onset of symptoms. The generation of LLPCs then continues throughout life. LLPC counts in the spleen plateau by week 10, but continue to increase in the bone marrow and inflamed kidney. When LLPCs are depleted by the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib, their numbers regenerate within two weeks. Persistent depletion of LLPCs was achieved only by combining a cycle of bortezomib with maintenance therapy, for example cyclophosphamide, depleting the precursors of LLPCs or preventing their differentiation into LLPCs.

Conclusions

In SLE-prone NZB/W F1 mice, autoreactive LLPCs are generated throughout life. Their sustained therapeutic elimination requires both the depletion of LLPCs and the inhibition of their regeneration.
Brownish alterations on the marble statues in the church of Orsanmichele in Florence: what is their origin?
Authors: Pinna Daniela , Galeotti Monica , Rizzo Adriana
Published: February 2015

Introduction

The paper describes the complex investigations carried out to understand the sources of the brown chromatic changes that have occurred on ten marble statues dated back to the first half of the 15th century and now located in the Church of Orsanmichele in Florence, Italy. When the statues were removed from the outdoor niches for restoration in the 1980s, they appeared covered with a dark brown patina (called ‘bronzatura’) that dated to interventions occurred just after 1789. Archival documents confirmed that they had been carried out to make the marble statues look like bronzes. Because of the removal of the dark patina carried out by the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in the 1990s, the marble almost regained its distinguishing clear tonality even if darker areas remained. After the statues were placed indoors at the end of restoration, brownish discolorations started to appear on their surfaces.

Results

Research began by using various non-invasive analyses (photographs under ultraviolet illumination, fluorescence lifetime imaging, x-ray fluorescence). The results of UV fluorescence tests and FLIM showed that the fluorescence emission’s distribution map does not have distinctive and homogeneous characteristics in relation to the areas with the discoloration. Therefore, it is not a superficial film, but rather a phenomenon affecting the marble structure. Then we performed invasive analyses on samples from some statues. The results of optical microscopy, ATR-FTIR and Raman spectroscopy on cross sections, pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry on powdered samples from the surfaces and/or the bulk of the marble allowed the identification of the various substances involved in the chromatic alteration. Most important was the detection of weddellite and gypsum on the surface and within the marble. This finding, combined with the presence of lipids inside the stone, suggests that mineralization of treatments have occurred, causing discolorations.

Conclusions

Even though the study focuses on the statues from Orsanmichele, their issue nevertheless should not be considered specific to them. Marble discolorations are a widespread phenomenon whose complete understanding needs a complex series of analyses and only the combination of non-invasive and invasive analyses can fulfill this goal.
Fruit juice and puree characteristics influence enrichment requirements for real-time PCR detection of Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris
Authors: Shayanfar Shima , Harzman Christina , Pillai Suresh D
Published: February 2015

Background

Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris is a key spoilage causing bacterium commonly found in fruit juices and purees. Commercial real-time PCR based assays to detect this organism are available, but reportedly require 48 hours of enrichment for detection. The underlying hypothesis of this study was that fruit juice and puree characteristics influence the enrichment requirements of this organism, and that in some matrices, the organism can be detected within 24 hours even when present at low initial contamination. Thirteen different store-purchased fruit juice and purees were inoculated with 10 CFU/ml of Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris. The inoculated samples were enriched for 24 and 48 h. Aliquots from the un-enriched, 24 hour, and 48 hour enriched samples were taken, total community DNA extracted, and the real-time PCR assay performed using commercially available kits.

Results

A. acidoterrestris was detected by real-time PCR within 24 h of enrichment in most matrices (except ketchup and orange concentrate) even from a low starting concentration (10 CFU/ml). Juice and puree samples with high soluble solids contents (i.e. Brix values) required longer incubation periods for lower A. acidoterrestris Ct values.

Conclusions

The soluble solids (Brix) content of fruit juice and purees influence the enrichment requirements for real-time PCR detection of A. acidoterrestris. Samples with high Brix values should be diluted to reduce the inhibitors of A. acidoterrestris proliferation during enrichment.