bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Antifungal Susceptibility Testing: A Primer for Clinicians
Authors: Kuper Kristi M. , Coyle Elizabeth A. , Wanger Audrey
Published: November 2012

Antifungal susceptibility testing is not as commonly performed as antibacterial susceptibility testing. The methodology for detecting antifungal resistance is newer and requires different testing supplies that may not be readily available in a clinical laboratory setting. Breakpoints for molds are lacking. Yeast breakpoints are available for most antifungals but are continually updated based on epidemiologic surveillance. Reliable and reproducible antifungal susceptibility testing methods, as well as more research on the role of susceptibility testing in patient care, are necessary in order to provide the clinician with information that can be translated into positive clinical outcomes at the bedside. There are nuances with current testing methods that, if unrecognized, could lead to misinterpretation of results and inappropriate antifungal selection. Clinicians who have an understanding of qualitative and quantitative methods, automated susceptibility testing systems, and other commercial tests can successfully engage this knowledge to improve antifungal use and patient outcomes. This primer describes the common antifungal susceptibility tests used in the clinical microbiology laboratory and reviews literature related to the impact of appropriate drug selection, timing, fungal resistance mechanisms, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics on clinical outcomes. Both conventional and modern testing methods are discussed.
A computational study on the reactivity enhancement in the free radical polymerization of alkyl α‐hydroxymethacrylate and acrylate derivatives
Authors: Karahan Özlem , Aviyente Viktorya , Avci Duygu , Zijlstra Hester , Matthias Bickelhaupt F.
Published: November 2012

The free radical polimerizability behavior of alkyl α‐hydroxymethacrylate (RHMA) derivatives (M1–M3) has been modeled by considering the propagation of the dimeric units of the compounds of interest. All the transition structures in this class of monomers are stabilized by long‐range CO…HC interactions. The RHMA monomer bearing the ester functionality (M2) polymerizes slightly faster than the one with the ether functionality (M1) because of stronger electrostatic interactions between the CO and HC groups. 2‐(Methoxycarbonyl)allyl benzoate (M3) shows higher reactivity as compared to M1 and M2 due to stronger electrostatic interactions. The same type of study has been carried out for hexyl (M4), benzyl (M5), and phenyl (M6) acrylate derivatives whose increasing reactivity has been attributed to the presence of CO…HC, CO…H‐ϕ as well as π–π stabilizing interactions, respectively. While B3LYP/6‐31+G(d) has been used to locate the stationary points along the free radical polymerization of nonaromatic species, long‐range stabilizing interactions have only been detected with M06‐2X/6‐31+G(d). The kinetics that we obtain with this latter methodology for the free radical polymerization reactions of M1–M6 agree well qualitatively with experiment. An implicit solvent model has reproduced the kinetics of M1–M3 in benzene the best. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013
Morphology and luminescent properties of BaMgAl10O17:Eu2+ phosphor synthesized by a hydrothermal homogeneous precipitation method
Authors: Zhang Zhan Hui , Chen Li , Gan Qian Hong , Tian Qiao , Chen Chang Lian , Huang Zhi Liang
Published: November 2012

In this paper, we report a morphology controllable and energetically efficient route to prepare blue‐emitting BaMgAl10O17:Eu2+ (BAM) phosphor, a hydrothermal homogeneous precipitation/calcinations method. Utilizing a urea homogeneous hydrolysis reaction within a sealed hydrothermal container with self‐generated pressure, well‐crystallized BAM with regular morphologies was obtained at a urea dosage of nurea:ncations = 7.5 and a calcining temperature of 1200 °C. The as‐prepared phosphor was granular in shape and had an average particle size of about 0.1 µm without using any additional agents. With the template‐directed function of polyethylene glycol or β‐cyclodextrin, the as‐prepared phosphors respectively, had rod‐like and flake‐like shapes. According to the photoluminescent results, rod‐like or flake‐like BAM showed similar luminescent characteristics with granular BAM except slightly stronger luminescent intensity. When the calcining temperature was raised to 1400 °C, the emission intensity of the sample prepared by hydrothermal homogeneous precipitation was stronger than that of commercial BAM.

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Emission spectra of the produced BAM powders fired at (a) 1200 °C and (b) 1400 °C. The measured emission spectrum of commercial BAM powder is also plotted as (c) (λex = 254 nm).
Role of hot carriers in the interfacial transport in amorphous silicon/crystalline silicon heterostructure solar cells
Authors: Ghosh Kunal , Bowden Stuart , Tracy Clarence
Published: November 2012

The transport of photogenerated minority carriers (photocarriers) across the heterointerface of amorphous silicon (a‐Si) and crystalline silicon (c‐Si) in a‐Si/c‐Si heterostructure solar cell is shown in this work to critically depend on the non‐Maxwellian energy distribution function (EDF) of those carriers impinging on the heterointerface. A theoretical model is presented that integrates the effect of the high electric field inversion region upon EDF of the impinging carriers with the transmission probability of those carriers across the heterointerface. The transport of the photocarriers across the high electric field inversion region is simulated by the full solution of the Boltzmann transport equation by Monte Carlo (MC) technique while the transmission probability of carriers across the heterointerface is calculated through the percolation path technique. The results are discussed under two different condition of band bending; strongly inverted and weakly inverted c‐Si surface. The results comparing different conditions of band bending show that the energy distribution of the carriers impinging on the heterointerface is non‐Maxwellian and the integrated photocarrier collection increases with the strength of the inversion field since the carrier population is weighted toward higher energy where the transmission probability through the barrier is higher. Thus, we demonstrate that hot carriers play an important role in heterostructure cell operation.
Pre‐patterned silicon substrates for the growth of III–V nanostructures
Authors: Benyoucef M. , Usman M. , Alzoubi T. , Reithmaier J. P.
Published: November 2012

This paper reviews the recent progresses obtained by direct growth of III–V semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) on pre‐patterned and flat silicon substrates. This combination allows us to study in detail the growth mechanisms of III–V materials on silicon substrates. For the flat surfaces, we concentrate on basic growth studies addressing mainly morphological properties of QD‐like structures with a main emphasis on surface preparation and growth parameters. For the pre‐patterned substrates, we report the optimization of electron beam lithography and dry etching processes to fabricate sub‐100 nm holes in pre‐patterned Si (100) substrates with controlled size, shape, and periodicity. The pre‐patterned silicon substrates underwent thorough ex situ chemical and in situ cleaning processes before the molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) growth. Finally, the MBE growth sequence of QDs on patterned silicon surface has shown highly selective formation of localized dome like nanostructures in patterned holes with 1 µm period.

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A 3D AFM image of a single nanohole in silicon substrate with diameter and depth of about 70 nm.
Electrical resistivity of transparent metal nanomesh electrodes
Authors: Nakanishi Tsutomu , Fujimoto Akira , Kitagawa Ryota , Masunaga Kumi , Nakamura Kenji , Tsutsumi Eishi , Asakawa Koji
Published: November 2012

A metal nanomesh electrode has the potential to realize a low‐resistive, rare‐metal‐free transparent electrode. However, the electrical resistivity has not been measured as yet. We fabricated metal nanomesh electrodes and their electrical resistivity was obtained by measuring the current–voltage characteristics. Comparing with the calculated values of the microapertures, the electrical resistivity of the nanomesh electrode tended to deviate from the calculated values with reduction of the aperture interval and increase of the aperture density. This deviation was considered to be the effect of narrowing the conduction path of electrons and increasing the electron scattering probability by the nanoapertures. The order of the resistivity of the nanomesh electrodes was 10−6–10−5 Ω cm, one order of magnitude lower than that of conventional transparent oxides such as indium tin oxide.
Graphene islands mixed to carbon nanostructures grown on TiN film: A multi‐techniques characterization approach
Authors: Bhardwaj Sunil , Kumar Manvendra , Cudia Carla Castellarin , Pedio Maddalena , Cepek Cinzia
Published: November 2012

By using a variety of experimental techniques, we were able to reveal the presence of few percent of well‐ordered graphene islands mixed to disordered carbon, isolated carbon tubes, and flakes. The sample were synthesized on a metallic TiN film using catalytic chemical vapor deposition and characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and K‐resolved inverse photoemission spectroscopy. Because of the metallic TiN support and the presence of well‐ordered one or two layers graphene islands, the so grown carbon nanostructures (CNs) can be used in many applications. Our results indicate that a multi‐techniques approach is fundamental to fully characterize CNs.
Recipe for attaining optimal energy resolution in inorganic scintillators
Authors: Singh Jai , Koblov Alexander
Published: November 2012

Using an approximate form of the density of excitation created within the track initiated by an incident γ ‐ photon on a scintillator, the light yield is derived as a function of linear, bimolecular and Auger radiative and quenching recombination rates. The non‐proportionality in the yield is analysed as a function of the bimolecular and Auger quenching rates and also its dependence on the track radius is studied. An optimal combination of these quenching rates and track radius is presented to obtain a recipe for inventing a scintillator material with optimal energy resolution. The importance of the mobility of charge carriers in minimising the non‐proportionality in a scintillator is also discussed (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Optical and optoelectronic analysis of persistent luminescence in Eu2+‐Dy3+ codoped SrAl2O4 ceramic phosphor
Authors: Ueda Jumpei , Nakanishi Takayuki , Katayama Yumiko , Tanabe Setsuhisa
Published: November 2012

Optical and electronic properties of the SrAl2O4:Eu2+‐Dy3+ phosphor were investigated to analyze the mechanisms of its strong and long persistent luminescence. From the temperature dependence of photocurrent excitation spectra, the relative energy locations between the 5d levels of Eu2+ in two different sites and the conduction band were estimated. While most of the 5d levels of Eu2+ at the Sr site with weak crystal field are located within the conduction band, only the 5d levels of Eu2+ above 3.1 eV (400 nm) at the Sr site with strong crystal field are located within the conduction band. Based on the analysis of electron transfer from some electron traps, we assume that some electrons are transferred by a quantum tunnelling path. In addition, the persistent luminescence performance is good by the excitation of the usual blue LED (450 nm), composing white LEDs for the general illumination. (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
High performance imaging of relativistic soft X‐ray harmonics by sub‐micron resolution LiF film detectors
Authors: Pikuz Tatiana , Faenov Anatoly , Pirozhkov Alexander , Astapov Artem , Klushin Georgy , Pikuz Sergey , Nagorskiy Nikolai , Magnitskiy Sergei , Esirkepov Timur , Koga James , Nakamura Tatsufumi , Bulanov Sergei , Fukuda Yuji , Hayashi Yukio , Kotaki Hideyuki , Kato Yoshiaki , Kando Masaki
Published: November 2012

The spectrum variation and the coherent properties of the high‐order harmonics (HOH) generated by an oscillating electron spikes formed at the joint of the boundaries of a cavity and a bow wave, which are created by a relativistically self‐focusing laser in underdense gas jet plasma, are investigated. This new mechanism for HOH generation efficiently produces emission from ultraviolet up to the XUV “water window” spectral range. To characterize such source in the wide spectral range a diffraction imaging technique is applied. High spatial resolution EUV and soft X‐ray LiF film detector have been used for precise measurements of diffraction patterns. The measurements under observation angle of 8° to the axis of laser beam propagation have been performed. The diffraction patterns were observed on the detector clearly, when the square mesh was placed at the distance of 500 mm from the output of plasma and at the distance of 27.2 mm in front of the detector. It is shown that observed experimental patterns are well consistent with modeled ones for theoretical HOH spectrum, provided by particle‐in‐cell simulations of a relativistic‐irradiance laser pulse interaction with underdense plasma (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Non‐Drude terahertz conductivity in nanomaterials: overview and applications to nanosilicon and nanogold
Authors: Shimakawa K. , Itoh T. , Naito H. , Kasap S. O.
Published: November 2012

It is shown that a series sequence of transport involving grains and grain boundaries produces non‐Drude THz conductivity in nanomaterials. The present model represents a different point of view than the well accepted Drude‐Smith model. In this paper we review and describe how the complex conductivity is calculated and the real and imaginary parts of THz conductivity are obtained. We use two examples: nanoporous Si and nanogold (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Enable abrupt junction and advanced salicide formation with dynamic surface annealing
Authors: Sun Shiyu , Muthukrishnan Shankar , Ng Ben , Nagy Stephen , Zojaji Alan , Lapena Rubi , Kim Yihwan , Rao Vivek , Kouzminov Dimitry , Variam Naushad , Moffatt Stephen , Brand Adam
Published: November 2012

3D MOSFET technology, such as FinFETs, is the central semiconductor inflection that brings new challenges and opportunities to the semiconductor industry. Dynamic surface annealing (DSA) enables the IC manufactures to solve many of the challenges. In this paper, we demonstrate DSA can form abrupt source/drain extension, which is essential to minimize the device's parasitic resistance. DSA also improves salicide morphology, minimize salicide piping defects, and reduce junction leakage. (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Optical and optoelectronic properties of Ce3+ doped Mg3Y2(Ge,Si)3O12 inverse garnet
Authors: Shimizu Takayuki , Ueda Jumpei , Tanabe Setsuhisa
Published: November 2012

Optical and optoelectronic properties of Ce3+ doped Mg3Y2Ge3‐xSixO12 (Ce:MYGSG) (x=0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5) inverse garnet phosphors were investigated. Since inverse garnets have various Ce3+ sites with different crystal field strength, the Ce:MYGSG shows inhomogeneous broadening in PL spectra. Quantum efficiency is at most 20%, which is much lower than that of Ce3+ doped Y3Al5O12 (Ce:YAG). Temperature dependence of PL intensity revealed that thermal relaxation via the cross point of the 5d1 and 4f levels is one of the quenching process in the Ce:MYGSG. By the photoconductivity measurements, thermal ionization and photoionization occur more easily in the Ge4+ rich sample. (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
The Teaching Using Technology Studio: Innovative Professional Development to Meet the Needs of English Learners
Authors: O'Hara Susan , Pritchard Robert , Huang Cammy , Pella Shannon
Published: November 2012

This study investigated the impact of an innovative professional development initiative on teachers' ability to use technological resources to improve English learners' academic language. The Teaching Using Technology Studio, a collaborative effort between school district and university personnel, was designed as a responsive professional development program for 16 upper elementary teachers in California. Pre–post scores on a knowledge/use scale and a Teacher Technology Proficiency Assessment, as well as teacher reflections, interviews, classroom observations, and field notes, showed significant changes in the teachers' knowledge of and ability to use technology to develop activities and lessons designed to impact academic language development. Student scores on district benchmark assessments and on the annual state assessment suggest that teachers' participation in this professional development initiative led to positive academic language outcomes for the English learners in their classrooms.
The 5L Instructional Design For Exploring Legacies Through Biography
Authors: Boulware Beverly J. , Monroe Eula E. , Wilcox Bradley Ray
Published: November 2012

People who have impacted generations have left legacies we can explore today through biographies. The 5L instructional design introduced in this article includes five components: Listen, Learn, Locate, Link, and Legacy. In the “Listen” section, teachers use storytelling and read‐alouds to introduce individuals who shaped history. During the “Learn” component, each student selects a historical figure and, using print and online sources, examines his or her life. In the “Locate” portion of the design, students use graphic organizers to locate and record important events in the person's life alongside related world events or cultural opportunities of the period. In the “Link” component, students connect with someone else to share their work and receive feedback and questions. The final section, “Legacy,” encourages students to consider the financial, intellectual, social, or other kind of legacy left by the historical figure as well as the legacies they themselves want to leave the world.
Re: First‐trimester combined screening for trisomy 21 with different combinations of placental growth factor, free β‐human chorionic gonadotropin and pregnancy‐associated plasma protein‐A. K. O. Kagan, M. Hoopmann, H. Abele, R. Alkier and K. Lüthgens. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2012; 40: 530–535
Authors: Galindo A. , Herraiz I.
Published: November 2012

Linked Comment: Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2012:40:530–535
Re: Accuracy of transvaginal sonography and contrast‐enhanced magnetic resonance‐colonography for the presurgical staging of deep infiltrating endometriosis. A. Vimercati, M.T. Achilarre, A. Scardapane, F. Lorusso, O. Ceci, G. Mangiatordi, G. Angelelli, B. Van Herendael, L. Selvaggi and S. Bettocchi. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2012; 40: 592–603
Authors: Saba L.
Published: November 2012

Linked Comment: Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2012:40:592–603
RNAP‐II transcribes two small RNAs at the promoter and terminator regions of the RNAP‐I gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Mayán Maria D.
Published: November 2012

Three RNA polymerases coexist in the ribosomal DNA of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. RNAP‐I transcribes the 35S rRNA, RNAP‐III transcribes the 5S rRNA and RNAP‐II is found in both intergenic non‐coding regions. Previously, we demonstrated that RNAP‐II molecules bound to the intergenic non‐coding regions (IGS) of the ribosomal locus are mainly found in a stalled conformation, and the stalled polymerase mediates chromatin interactions, which isolate RNAP‐I from the RNAP‐III transcriptional domain. Besides, RNAP‐II transcribes both IGS regions at low levels, using different cryptic promoters. This report demonstrates that RNAP‐II also transcribes two sequences located in the 5′‐ and 3′‐ends of the 35S rRNA gene that overlap with the sequences of the 35S rRNA precursor transcribed by RNAP‐I. The sequence located at the promoter region of RNAP‐I, called the p‐RNA transcript, binds to the transcription termination‐related protein, Reb1p, while the T‐RNA sequence, located in the termination sites of RNAP‐I gene, contains the stem–loop recognized by Rtn1p, which is necessary for proper termination of RNAP‐I. Because of their location, these small RNAs may play a key role in the initiation and termination of RNAP‐I transcription. To correctly synthesize proteins, eukaryotic cells may retain a mechanism that connects the three main polymerases. This report suggests that cryptic transcription by RNAP‐II may be required for normal transcription by RNAP‐I in the ribosomal locus of S. cerevisiae. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Mental health services for black and minority ethnic elders in the United Kingdom: a systematic review of innovative practice with service provision and policy implications
Authors: Bhattacharyya Sarmishtha , Benbow Susan Mary
Published: November 2012

Background: The proportion of older people from black and minority ethnic (BME) groups in the United Kingdom (UK) is increasing steadily as the population ages. The numbers with dementia, depression, and other mental health problems are predicted to increase. Government policy documents have highlighted gaps in services for BME elders and/or the need to develop culturally appropriate services, in order to prevent people from BME communities from becoming socially excluded and finding services hard to access. This paper reviews published examples of innovative services and key learning points from them.

Method: A search was carried out on Pubmed, Medline, and Google Scholar for service developments aimed at BME elders in the UK. Sixteen relevant papers and reports were identified and were analysed to identify learning points and implications for clinical practice and policy.

Results: Commissioning issues included were forward planning for continuing funding and mainstreaming versus specialist services. Provider management issues included were employing staff from the communities of interest, partnership, and removing language barriers. Provider service issues included were education for service provider staff on the needs of BME elders, making available information in relevant languages, building on carers’ and users’ experiences, and addressing the needs of both groups.

Conclusion: A model for structuring understanding of the underutilisation of services by BME elders is suggested. The main emphasis in future should be to ensure that learning is shared, disseminated, and applied to the benefit of all communities across the whole of the UK and elsewhere. Person-centred care is beneficial to all service users.
Emotional Expression and Socially Modulated Emotive Communication in Children with Traumatic Brain Injury
Authors: Dennis Maureen , Agostino Alba , Taylor H.Gerry , Bigler Erin D. , Rubin Kenneth , Vannatta Kathryn , Gerhardt Cynthia A. , Stancin Terry , Yeates Keith Owen
Published: November 2012

Facial emotion expresses feelings, but is also a vehicle for social communication. Using five basic emotions (happiness, sadness, fear, disgust, and anger) in a comprehension paradigm, we studied how facial expression reflects inner feelings (emotional expression) but may be socially modulated to communicate a different emotion from the inner feeling (emotive communication, a form of affective theory of mind). Participants were 8- to 12-year-old children with TBI (n = 78) and peers with orthopedic injuries (n = 56). Children with mild–moderate or severe TBI performed more poorly than the OI group, and chose less cognitively sophisticated strategies for emotive communication. Compared to the OI and mild–moderate TBI groups, children with severe TBI had more deficits in anger, fear, and sadness; neutralized emotions less often; produced socially inappropriate responses; and failed to differentiate the core emotional dimension of arousal. Children with TBI have difficulty understanding the dual role of facial emotions in expressing feelings and communicating socially relevant but deceptive emotions, and these difficulties likely contribute to their social problems. (JINS, 2013, 18, 1–10)
Second international comparative study of mortality tables for pension fund retirees ‐ Abstract of the London discussion
Authors: Verrall Richard
Published: November 2012

This abstract relates to the following paper:

SitholeT.Z., HabermanS. and VerrallR.J.Second International comparative study of mortality tables for pension fund retirees. British Actuarial Journal, doi:10.1017/S1357321712000207
Living with L: H-Speakers’ Perceptions of the L-Variety in Northern Germany
Authors: Wiggers Heiko
Published: November 2012

Based on two sociolinguistic field studies from 2003 and 2009, this paper discusses the language attitudes of High German speakers (H-speakers) toward Low German (the L-variety) in the county of Bentheim, a diglossic speech community in northwestern Germany. While language attitudinal studies are largely absent from the sociolin-guistic corpus in Germany and from Low German research altogether, diglossic studies largely focus on the L-variety and its speakers and evolution. This paper is one of the first attempts to analyze the H-speakers’ perceptions and evaluations of the L-variety over a longer period of time within the fields of diglossia and Low German.
Polar advisory committee focuses on NSF realignment
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: November 2012

With the U.S. National Science Foundation's (NSF) realignment that moves the agency's Office of Polar Programs (OPP) back to the Directorate for Geosciences (GEO), “the emphasis on the importance of the polar program at NSF doesn't change,” NSF director Subra Suresh reassured members of the federal Advisory Committee on Polar Programs during a committee meeting on 5 November. “The polar program in its entirety stays as the same entity. Nothing changes,” he told committee members, regarding the realignment that began on 1 October (see Eos, 93(43), 427, doi:10.1029/2012EO430003). “Nothing changes in terms of our commitment to the polar program. Nothing changes in terms of infrastructure support. Nothing changes in terms of people in the polar program speaking for the polar program to the external world and internally. And nothing changes in terms of how individual scientists interact with the polar program.”
Wakimoto to head NSF geosciences directorate
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: November 2012

Roger Wakimoto has been selected as the new assistant director for the U.S. National Science Foundation's (NSF) Directorate for Geosciences (GEO), the agency announced on 7 November. Wakimoto, who has been director of the NSF‐sponsored National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo., since 2010, begins his NSF appointment in February 2013. His selection culminates a national search begun last year to find a successor to former GEO assistant director Tim Killeen, whose term ended in June 2012. Margaret Cavanaugh has served as acting assistant director since Killeen's departure. An AGU member, Wakimoto is a geophysicist with expertise in tornadoes, thunderstorms, and other severe weather. He previously served as associate director for NCAR's Earth Observing Laboratory and as a professor and chair of the Department of Atmospheric Science at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Earth and space science community responds to U.S. presidential election
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: November 2012

Following the 6 November reelection of U.S. president Barack Obama, Eos contacted a number of scientists and analysts involved with the Earth and space sciences. Each was asked (1) for their thoughts about what impact the presidential election will have on the Earth and space sciences and (2) what they see as the key challenges and what the Obama administration should have at the top of its agenda related to the geosciences. Here are 13 responses.
Hagai Ron (1944–2012)
Authors: Tauxe Lisa
Published: November 2012

Hagai Ron was born on a small kibbutz in Palestine, north of the Dead Sea. He passed away in the presence of his family on 10 September 2012. He is survived by three daughters and four grandchildren. After completing his Ph.D. at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1984, he was a postdoctoral scholar at Stanford University, specializing in paleomagnetism and structural geology. He returned to Israel in 1987, building the first paleomagnetic laboratory in Israel at the Geophysical Institute of Israel. In 2001, he moved with his lab to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he stayed until his retirement earlier this year.
Reconstructing the biogeochemical consequences of disturbances
Authors: Williams Joseph , Morris Jesse , Perakis Steven
Published: November 2012

Paleo Reconstructions of Biogeochemical Environments (PROBE) Workshop;Manhattan, Kansas; 19–21 April 2012 Disturbances—discrete events that reduce plant biomass—commonly regulate material and energy flow in terrestrial ecosystems. Recent studies document an increase in the size and/or severity of disturbances such as native bark beetle outbreaks and large fires compared to the recent past. However, scientists cannot evaluate the potential consequences of these events for ecosystem dynamics without decadal to multimillennial records of disturbances and ecosystem response. The Paleo Reconstructions of Biogeochemical Environments (PROBE) workshop brought together ecosystem ecologists and paleoecologists for a 3‐day workshop at the Konza Prairie Biological Station in Manhattan, Kansas. The focus of the meeting was the reconstruction of the biogeochemical consequences of disturbances (e.g., beetle outbreaks, wildfires, windstorms, and droughts) on different timescales, the assessment of the state of current knowledge, and identification of challenges and opportunities for future research.
Fall Meeting: Showcasing our members' achievements and building community
Authors: McPhaden Michael J.
Published: November 2012

Amazing! Inspiring! Incomparable! These are words that describe AGU's Fall Meeting—the largest gathering of Earth and space scientists in the world. Every December for 45 years, scientists from around the globe have converged on the Fall Meeting in San Francisco, Calif. Excitement and enthusiasm pervade this unique annual event, where our members present their latest research and communicate its relevance to the great challenges that face society. Fall Meeting attendees can also survey the evolving panorama of geophysical research and hear firsthand about the latest pioneering advances in our understanding of the Earth and planetary system. It's an extraordinary opportunity to share, to learn, to network, and to renew old friendships; and it's one of the most important ways that we as a scholarly society advance our mission of promoting “discovery in Earth and space science for the benefit of humanity.”
AGU Cinema: Festival of short science films at Fall Meeting
Authors: Harned Douglas A.
Published: November 2012

New technologies have revolutionized the use of video as a means of science communication and have made it easier to create, distribute, and view. With video having become omnipresent in our culture, it sometime supplements or even replaces writing in many science and education applications. An inaugural science film festival sponsored by AGU at the 2012 Fall Meeting in San Francisco, Calif., in December will showcase short videos—30 minutes or less in length—developed to disseminate scientific results to various audiences and to enhance learning in the classroom. AGU Cinema will feature professionally produced, big budget films alongside low‐budget videos aimed at niche audiences and made by amateurs. The latter category includes videos made by governmental agency scientists, educators, communications specialists within scientific organizations, and Fall Meeting oral and poster presenters.
New approach to understanding sediment transport
Authors: Balcerak Ernie
Published: November 2012

Sediment transport is an important factor in the evolution of river channels. Bed load sediment flux, defined as the volume of particles crossing a vertical surface per unit time per unit width, is a common way to describe sediment transport. However, quantifying bed load sediment flux in terms of conceptually simple quantities is challenging, as the motion of particles in turbulent water is very complex. In a set of four related papers, Furbish et al. developed a new probabilistic definition of bed load transport and verified their approach using laboratory experiments and model simulations. Their approach, which treats particle positions and motions as stochastic quantities, shows how the particle activity and velocity distributions are key elements in describing sediment flux. Their experiments, using high‐speed imaging of sand particle motions in a laboratory tank, allowed them to directly observe particle behavior and test their theory. Model simulations also verified their approach. (Journal of Geophysical Research‐Earth Surface, doi:10.1029/2012JF002352, 2012, doi:10.1029/2012JF002353, 2012, doi:10.1029/2012JF002355, 2012, and doi:10.1029/2012JF002356, 2012)
Harsh European winters linked to sunspot minima
Authors: Bhattacharya Atreyee
Published: November 2012

The Rhine, one of central Europe's largest rivers, freezes only during the coldest winters. Between 1780 and 1963, the Rhine froze over in several places 14 times; 10 of those occurred when the number of sunspots was at a minimum, a new study finds. Combining historical records, primarily annual dock accounts that documented instances when icy waters hampered shipping along the Rhine during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Sirocko et al. determined that freezing episodes—a proxy for the harshest central European winters over the past 263 years—are statistically tied to the minima of the 11‐year cycles in sunspot activity.
Linking typhoon tracks with rainfall patterns and flood timing
Authors: Balcerak Ernie
Published: November 2012

Being able to predict the timing and amount of flooding during and following a hurricane or typhoon would improve early warning and mitigation efforts. However, variable typhoon tracks and interaction between typhoons and varied landscapes make flood prediction challenging. Huang et al. investigated the detailed distribution of typhoon‐induced rainfall over a mesoscale mountainous watershed located in eastern Taiwan, a region that is regularly affected by severe typhoons—losses associated with typhoons in Taiwan can reach $500 million per year. The researchers analyzed high‐resolution radar observations of 38 rainfall events during 2000–2010 in eastern Taiwan to study the relationship between typhoon track, rainfall patterns, and the timing of peak flooding.
Need to represent upper ocean turbulence in climate models
Authors: Balcerak Ernie
Published: November 2012

The ocean surface boundary layer—approximately the uppermost 100 meters of the ocean—is important in controlling the exchange of heat and gases between the atmosphere and the ocean, but, as Belcher et al. show, current climate models' parameterizations of mixing in the upper ocean are inadequate. In particular, most global climate models do not include representation of surface wave–driven Langmuir turbulence, which is an important driver of mixing and a control on the depth of the ocean surface boundary layer. Failing to include turbulence driven by surface waves causes models to inaccurately calculate the depth of this boundary layer and leads to bias of several degrees in sea surface temperature estimates. Including this turbulence could help improve the models. (Geophysical Research Letters, doi:10.1029/2012GL052932, 2012)
Deposition fluxes and fate of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the Yangtze River estuarine‐inner shelf in the East China Sea
Authors: Lin Tian , Hu Limin , Guo Zhigang , Zhang Gan , Yang Zuosheng
Published: November 2012

Surface sediments were obtained from a matrix of 76 sample sites in the inner shelf mud belts of the East China Sea (ECS) for a comprehensive study of the distribution, composition, deposition flux, and fate of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The sampling sites covered an area of ~80,000 km2 extending ~1000 km from the mouth of the Yangtze River to the Min River in the inner shelf. The total deposition flux of the 16 USEPA priority PAHs (16 PAHs) of the Yangtze estuarine‐inner shelf was estimated to be 152 t/yr, accounting for ~38% of the total annual input of the 16 PAHs into the ECS. This indicates that the Yangtze estuarine‐inner shelf is one of the largest sinks of land‐based PAHs in the world. Principal component analysis indicated that the 16 PAHs in the northern Yangtze estuarine mud area were mostly phenanthrene while shifting to high‐molecular‐weight PAHs in the southern Min‐Zhe coastal mud area. The positive matrix factorization model revealed that the deposition flux of low‐molecular‐weight (LMW) PAHs decreased from north to south, most likely due to the mass transfer between the resuspended sediments triggered by the East Asian monsoon and the water columns, as the resuspended sediments are transported southward. This release of LMW PAHs from the sediments to the water columns could become an important secondary PAH source in ECS.
Dynamics of a laminar plume in a cavity: The influence of boundaries on the steady state stem structure
Authors: van Keken P. E. , Davaille A. , Vatteville J.
Published: November 2012

The steady state structure of thermal plumes rising from a small heater is studied in high Prandtl number fluids. We show good agreement between laboratory experiments and numerical simulations. We study the effect of the boundaries on the plume development by numerically simulating the plume rise in very large geometries. The thermal structure of the plume axis is similar for all box sizes considered, but the velocity structure changes strongly as box sizes are increased. We show that the effect of the side boundaries becomes unimportant for large aspect ratio, but that the free‐slip top boundary has a strong influence on the velocity structure under all conditions. We show that the use of an outflow boundary condition significantly reduces the influence of the top boundary. Under these conditions we recover to good precision the theoretical predictions for plumes rising in an semi‐infinite half‐space. The strong influence of the boundaries in high Prandtl number fluids is important in the interpretation of laboratory experiments and numerical simulation for the dynamics of the Earth's mantle.
Evidence for mechanical decoupling of the upper plate at the Nankai subduction zone: Constraints from core‐scale faults at NantroSEIZE Sites C0001 and C0002
Authors: Lewis Jonathan C. , Byrne Timothy B. , Kanagawa Kyuichi
Published: November 2012

Detailed analyses of cores from two drill sites landward of the Nankai trough provide constraints on the evolution of stress across the SW Japan subduction zone. Core‐scale faults at Sites C0001 and C0002 suggest changing stress geometries that shed light on mechanical coupling across this plate boundary. Normal faults dominate the record of brittle strain in both the sedimentary cover and the upper accretionary prism, and these cut older shear zones and vein structures. Based on cross‐cutting relations normal faults postdate thrust faults with the latter interpreted to be inactive. The normal faults, in contrast, are consistent with contemporary stress proxies such as borehole breakout and anelastic strain recovery data. Stress inversion for faults that are restored to original orientations using paleomagnetic data reveal that thrusting has accommodated trench subperpendicular shortening associated with interplate coupling. This phase of deformation is overprinted by normal faulting attributed to mechanical decoupling of the upper plate from the lower plate in response to the underplating of anomalously weak sediments between an out‐of‐sequence thrust and the décollement. These observations suggest that core‐scale faults record a stress history that is, to date, not apparent from in situ stress proxies such as borehole breakout data or anelastic strain recovery data. We conclude that the brittle faults provide a unique record of changing stress conditions that can be recognized only through coring.
Melange: A viscoelastic lattice‐particle model applicable to the lithosphere
Authors: Sachau Till , Koehn Daniel
Published: November 2012

This article introduces the software Melange, a 3D lattice‐particle hybrid model. The software was specifically designed in order to simulate ductile visco‐elasto‐plastic deformation and can be used to study tectonic processes in the lithosphere from the micro to the macro scale. Melange is under an open source license. The code takes both relevant yield mechanisms for the deformation of lithospheric material into account: dynamic brittle failure and ductile creep, where ductile creep is modeled as viscoelasticity. The software considers effects of the local geology, of the inherent disorder of geomaterials, of rheological layering of the lithosphere and applies repulsion when the material fractures. Driving forces are the externally applied strain and the gravitational load. Melange applies an elastically isotropic regular 3D lattice with HCP geometry and next‐nearest neighbor interactions. Young's modulus, viscosity, material density and system size can be freely chosen. Poisson's ratio is restricted to values <0.25. The most important innovation of the software is a physically consistent scheme to model viscoelasticity in a lattice‐particle model. The scheme couples the local lattice‐geometry to the time‐dependent volume‐conservative viscoelastic deformation of particles. The procedure achieves the typical viscoelastic stress‐strain relationship. The article incorporates a number of benchmark simulations, where the model output is being tested and evaluated. The results obtained with Melange show strong similarities with the benchmark values, e.g., stress fields in crack vicinity. Geologically relevant examples include structures associated with the brittle‐ductile transition, growth of wing cracks and brittle graben formation.
Deep low‐frequency earthquakes in tectonic tremor along the Alaska‐Aleutian subduction zone
Authors: Brown Justin R. , Prejean Stephanie G. , Beroza Gregory C. , Gomberg Joan S. , Haeussler Peter J.
Published: November 2012

We characterize and locate tremor not associated with volcanoes along the Alaska‐Aleutian subduction zone using continuous seismic data recorded by the Alaska Volcano Observatory and the Alaska Earthquake Information Center from 2005 to present. Visual inspection of waveform spectra and time series reveal dozens of 10 to 20 min bursts of tremor along the length of the Alaska‐Aleutian subduction zone. We use autocorrelation to demonstrate that these tremor signals are composed of hundreds of repeating low‐frequency earthquakes (LFEs). The tremor activity we characterize is localized in four segments, from east to west: Kodiak Island, Shumagin Gap, Unalaska, and Andreanof Islands. Although the geometry, age, thermal structure, frictional, and other relevant properties of the Alaska‐Aleutian subduction zone are poorly known, these characteristics are likely to differ systematically from east to west. Locations near Kodiak Island are the most reliable because station coverage is more complete. LFE hypocenters in this region are located on the plate interface near the down‐dip limit of the 1964 Mw 9.2 Alaska earthquake rupture area. LFE hypocenters in the remaining areas along the arc are also located down‐dip of the most recent Mw 8+ megathrust earthquakes. Although these locations are less well constrained, our results support the hypothesis that tremor activity marks the down‐dip rupture limit for great megathrust earthquakes in this subduction zone. Lastly, there is no correlation between the presence of tremor and particular aspects of over‐riding or subducting plate geology or coupling. It appears that LFEs are a fundamental characteristic of the Alaska‐Aleutian subduction zone.
Absolute optical frequency measurements of iodine-stabilized
He-Ne laser at 633 nm by using a femtosecond laser frequency comb
Authors: Samoudi B. , Pérez Ma Mar , Ferreira-Barragáns S. , Prieto E.
Published: November 2012

The optical frequency comb generator (OFCG) is an attractive optical reference source for
various applications such as optical frequency metrology, precision spectroscopy and
telecommunications [D.J. Jones, S.A. Diddams, J.K. Ranka, A. Stentz, R.S. Windeler, S.T.
Cundiff, Science 288, 635–639 (2000); T. Udem, R. Holzwarth, T.W. Hänsch,
Nature 416, 233–237 (2002); T.W. Hänsch, J. Alnis, P. Fendel, M. Fischer, C.
Gohle, M. Herrmann, R. Holzwarth, N. Kolachevsky, Th. Udem, M. Zimmermann, Philos. Trans.
R. Soc. A 363, 2155–2163 (2005)]. In particular, the OFCG can be used as
source for absolute frequency measurement, providing a precise ruler for length metrology.
In the present work we describe the results of absolute frequency measurements of primary
wavelength standards at 633 nm on the sixth components, d, e, f, g, h and i of the R(127)
11-5 hyperfine transition of the 127I2 molecule, at the Spanish
Centre of Metrology, CEM. The values obtained with a femtosecond frequency comb (FC1500,
Menlo Systems) at CEM are compared with the values recommended by the Consultative
Committee for Length (CCL) [T.J. Quinn, Metrologia 40, 103–133 (2003)]. This
determination was made by beat frequency method between a femtosecond laser comb and an
iodine-stabilized He-Ne laser. The difference between the mean frequency of the sixth
components of the standard laser and those of CCL recommended values for the same
components was found to be 6.557 kHz.
An adiabatic calorimeter for calibrating capsule type
thermometers (CSPRTs) in the range 54 K to 273 K
Authors: Ahmed M.G. , El Matarawy A.A.
Published: November 2012

A new comparison system has been constructed for the calibration of capsule-type standard
platinum resistance thermometers (CSPRTs) below 273.16 K at the National Institute of
Standards (NIS-Egypt). The system can compare two CSPRTs at once. A gold plated comparison
block, in which CSPRTs are mounted for calibration, is made from oxygen-free
high-conductivity copper. A description of the system and the comparison block along with
the comparison method is given. The standard uncertainty related to the temperature
control of the system is estimated to be 0.04 mK. The calibrated values for CSPRTs and
obtained using the comparison system are in good agreement with those obtained by the
direct realization of the low temperature fixed points of the ITS-90 within the combined
standard uncertainty.
Approaches to evaluating measurement uncertainty
Authors: Forbes A.B.
Published: November 2012

TheGuide to the expression of measurement uncertainty, (GUM, JCGM 100) and itsSupplement 1: propagation of distributions by a Monte Carlo method, (GUMS1, JCGM 101) are two of the most widely used documents concerning measurement uncertainty evaluation in metrology. Both documents describe three phases (a) the construction of a measurement model, (b) the assignment of probability distributions to quantities, and (c) a computational phase that specifies the distribution for the quantity of interest, the measurand. The two approaches described in these two documents agree in the first two phases but employ different computational approaches, with the GUM using linearisations to simplify the calculations. Recent years have seen an increasing interest in using Bayesian approaches to evaluating measurement uncertainty. The Bayesian approach in general differs in the assignment of the probability distributions and its computational phase usually requires Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approaches. In this paper, we summarise the three approaches to evaluating measurement uncertainty and show how we can regard the GUM and GUMS1 as providing approximate solutions to the Bayesian approach. These approximations can be used to design effective MCMC algorithms.