bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prebiotics, immune function, infection and inflammation: a review of the evidence
Authors: Lomax Amy R. , Calder Philip C.
Published: September 2008

β2-1 Fructans are carbohydrate molecules with prebiotic properties. Through resistance to digestion in the upper gastrointestinal tract, they reach the colon intact, where they selectively stimulate the growth and/or activity of beneficial members of the gut microbiota. Through this modification of the intestinal microbiota, and by additional mechanisms, β2-1 fructans may have beneficial effects upon immune function, ability to combat infection, and inflammatory processes and conditions. In this paper, we have collated, summarised and evaluated studies investigating these areas. Twenty-one studies in laboratory animals suggest that some aspects of innate and adaptive immunity of the gut and the systemic immune systems are modified by β2-1 fructans. In man, two studies in children and nine studies in adults indicate that the adaptive immune system may be modified by β2-1 fructans. Thirteen studies in animal models of intestinal infections conclude a beneficial effect of β2-1 fructans. Ten trials involving infants and children have mostly reported benefits on infectious outcomes; in fifteen adult trials, little effect was generally seen, although in specific situations, certain β2-1 fructans may be beneficial. Ten studies in animal models show benefit of β2-1 fructans with regard to intestinal inflammation. Human studies report some benefits regarding inflammatory bowel disease (four positive studies) and atopic dermatitis (one positive study), but findings in irritable bowel syndrome are inconsistent. Therefore, overall the results indicate that β2-1 fructans are able to modulate some aspects of immune function, to improve the host's ability to respond successfully to certain intestinal infections, and to modify some inflammatory conditions.
Basal-disc creeping combined with rotation, an undescribed behaviour with preferred directionality in bivalve-inhabiting hydrozoans (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa: Leptomedusae)
Authors: Kubota Shin
Published: September 2008

A creeping movement, which often results in clockwise or counterclockwise bodily rotation, is described for ordinary zooids of two species of bivalve-inhabiting hydrozoans, Eutima japonica Uchida and Eugymnanthea japonica Kubota, attached to artificial hard substrata (polystyrene and glass) in the laboratory. Time-lapse video recordings furthermore showed that the non-transparent half of the flat, ellipsoidal pedal disc always faces forward during this motion, with no lateral or backward creeping during either day or night. Because an ordinary zooid generally crept in a circle of small radius, the zooid's body rotated as the creeping proceeded. One full rotation of a zooid of either species took about 5–6 hours on average at 21–25°C. The direction of rotation of an individual zooid was nearly constant irrespective of developmental state, this being true for zooids with or without a medusa bud on the hydrocaulus or a daughter zooid on the pedal disc, those with a normal or a double hydranth, or those consisting of a bare hydrocaulus. Asexually produced tiny daughter zooids quickly became well separated from their mother zooids. The attachment site of the latter did not shift much as they rotated, but daughter zooids and other tiny free zooids creep along a nearly straight line, thereby markedly shifting their position. This may contribute to the prevention of crowding of zooids in the restricted space between soft body parts in the host bivalve's mantle cavity.
Nephtyidae (Polychaeta) from the Gulf of California (Mexican Pacific) with the description of two new species of Aglaophamus
Authors: Pérez-Torrijos J. , Hernández-Alcántara P. , Solís-Weiss V.
Published: September 2008

The aim of this study is to analyse the Nephtyidae from the Gulf of California. Previous studies about the family Nephtyidae from the continental shelf of the Gulf include 21 species of which seven have been synonymized by several authors, so that at present only 14 species are recognized. In this study, 1763 specimens of Nephtyidae from the continental shelf of the Gulf of California were examined. Eight species were identified, from which Aglaophamus longicirrata sp. nov. and Aglaophamus foliosa sp. nov. are newly described. Aglaophamus longicirrata sp. nov. is characterized by the presence of very long dorsal cirri in median parapodia and by having 16 rows of subterminal papillae with 3–7 papillae per row, and a pair of middorsal papillae on the proboscis. Aglaophamus foliosa sp. nov. is characterized by foliaceous long dorsal cirri; the proboscis bears 16 rows of subterminal papillae and an irregular number of papillae per row, from 5 to 15. A taxonomic key is presented for the species of Nephtyidae recorded from the continental shelf of the Gulf of California, including the two new species of Aglaophamus.
A City With a View: The Afforestation of the Delhi Ridge, 1883–1913
Authors: MANN MICHAEL , SEHRAWAT SAMIKSHA
Published: September 2008

Despite the contemporary importance of the Ridge forest to the city of Delhi as its most important ‘green lung’, the concept of urban forestry has been explored neither by urban historians studying Delhi nor by environmental historians. This article places the colonial efforts to plant a forest on the Delhi Ridge from 1883 to 1913 within the context of the gradual deforestation of the countryside around Delhi and the local colonial administration's preoccupation with encouraging arboriculture. This project of colonial forestry prioritized the needs of the white colonizers living in Delhi, while coming into conflict repeatedly with indigenous peasants. With the decision to transfer the capital to Delhi in 1911, the afforestation of the Delhi Ridge received a further stimulus. Town planners' visions of a building the capital city of New Delhi were meant to assert the grandeur of British rule through imposing buildings, with the permanence of the British in India being emphasised by the strategic location of the ruins of earlier empires within the city. The principles of English landscape gardening inspired the planning of New Delhi, with the afforestation of the Delhi Ridge being undertaken to provide a verdant backdrop for—the Government House and the Secretariat—the administrative centre of British government in India. Imperial notions of landscaping, which were central to the afforestation of the Delhi Ridge epitomised colonial rule and marginalized Indians.
INFINITE-SERVER QUEUES WITH SYSTEM'S ADDITIONAL TASKS AND IMPATIENT CUSTOMERS
Authors: Altman Eitan , Yechiali Uri
Published: September 2008

A system is operating as an M/M/∞ queue. However, when it becomes empty, it is assigned to perform another task, the duration U of which is random. Customers arriving while the system is unavailable for service (i.e., occupied with a U-task) become impatient: Each individual activates an “impatience timer” having random duration T such that if the system does not become available by the time the timer expires, the customer leaves the system never to return. When the system completes a U-task and there are waiting customers, each one is taken immediately into service. We analyze both multiple and single U-task scenarios and consider both exponentially and generally distributed task and impatience times. We derive the (partial) probability generating functions of the number of customers present when the system is occupied with a U-task as well as when it acts as an M/M/∞ queue and we obtain explicit expressions for the corresponding mean queue sizes. We further calculate the mean length of a busy period, the mean cycle time, and the quality of service measure: proportion of customers being served.
RETRIAL NETWORKS WITH FINITE BUFFERS AND THEIR APPLICATION TO INTERNET DATA TRAFFIC
Authors: Avrachenkov Kostia , Yechiali Uri
Published: September 2008

Data on the Internet is sent by packets that go through a network of routers. A router drops packets either when its buffer is full or when it uses the Active Queue Management. Currently, the majority of the Internet routers use a simple Drop Tail strategy. The rate at which a user injects the data into the network is determined by transmission control protocol (TCP). However, most connections in the Internet consist only of few packets, and TCP does not really have an opportunity to adjust the sending rate. Thus, the data flow generated by short TCP connections appears to be some uncontrolled stochastic process. In the present work we try to describe the interaction of the data flow generated by short TCP connections with a network of finite buffers. The framework of retrial queues and networks seems to be an adequate approach for this problem. The effect of packet retransmission becomes essential when the network congestion level is high. We consider several benchmark retrial network models. In some particular cases, an explicit analytic solution is possible. If the analytic solution is not available or too entangled, we suggest using a fixed-point approximation scheme. In particular, we consider a network of one or two tandem M/M/1/K-type queues with blocking and with an M/M/1/∞-type retrial (orbit) queue. We explicitly solve the models with particular choices of K, derive stability conditions for K≥1, and present several graphs based on numerical results.
ON A QUEUING MODEL WITH SERVICE INTERRUPTIONS
Authors: Boxma Onno , Mandjes Michel , Kella Offer
Published: September 2008

Single-server queues in which the server takes vacations arise naturally as models for a wide range of computer, communication, and production systems. In almost all studies on vacation models, the vacation lengths are assumed to be independent of the arrival, service, workload, and queue length processes. In the present study, we allow the length of a vacation to depend on the length of the previous active period (viz. the period since the previous vacation). Under rather general assumptions regarding the offered work during active periods and vacations, we determine the steady-state workload distribution, both for single and multiple vacations. We conclude by discussing several special cases, including polling models, and relate our findings to results obtained earlier.
AN MDP DECOMPOSITION APPROACH FOR TRAFFIC CONTROL AT ISOLATED SIGNALIZED INTERSECTIONS
Authors: Haijema René , van der Wal Jan
Published: September 2008

This article presents a novel approach for the dynamic control of a signalized intersection. At the intersection, there is a number of arrival flows of cars, each having a single queue (lane). The set of all flows is partitioned into disjoint combinations of nonconflicting flows that will receive green together. The dynamic control of the traffic lights is based on the numbers of cars waiting in the queues. The problem concerning when to switch (and which combination to serve next) is modeled as a Markovian decision process in discrete time. For large intersections (i.e., intersections with a large number of flows), the number of states becomes tremendously large, prohibiting straightforward optimization using value iteration or policy iteration. Starting from an optimal (or nearly optimal) fixed-cycle strategy, a one-step policy improvement is proposed that is easy to compute and is shown to give a close to optimal strategy for the dynamic problem.
PROBABILISTIC DISTANCE CLUSTERING ADJUSTED FOR CLUSTER SIZE
Authors: Iyigun Cem , Ben-Israel Adi
Published: September 2008

The probabilistic distance clustering method of works well if the cluster sizes are approximately equal. We modify that method to deal with clusters of arbitrary size and for problems where the cluster sizes are themselves unknowns that need to be estimated. In the latter case, our method is a viable alternative to the expectation-maximization (EM) method.
POLLING SYSTEMS WITH TWO-PHASE GATED SERVICE
Authors: van der Mei R. D. , Resing J. A. C.
Published: September 2008

We study an asymmetric cyclic polling system with Poisson arrivals, general service-time and switch-over time distributions, and so-called two-phase gated service at each queue, an interleaving scheme that aims to enforce some level of “fairness” among the different customer classes. For this model, we use the classical theory of multitype branching processes to derive closed-form expressions for the Laplace–Stieltjes transform of the waiting-time distributions when the load tends to 1, in a general parameter setting and under proper heavy-traffic scalings. This result is strikingly simple and provides new insights in the behavior of two-phase polling systems. In particular, the result provides insight in the waiting-time performance and the trade-off between efficiency and fairness of two-phase gated polling compared to the classical one-phase gated service policy.
Freiman–Ruzsa-type theory for small doubling constant
Authors: DIAO HANSHENG
Published: September 2008

In this paper, we study the linear structure of sets A ⊂ $\mathbb{F}_2^n$ with doubling constant σ(A) < 2, where σ(A):=|A+A|/|A|. In particular, we show that A is contained in a small affine subspace. We also show that A can be covered by at most four shifts of some subspace V with |V| ≤ |A|. Finally, we classify all binary sets with small doubling constant.
Making empirical progress in observational ecology
Authors: MACNEIL M. AARON
Published: September 2008

Epistemology, the theory of how knowledge arises, is an issue that ecologists and environmental scientists may not often consider in their work. However, beliefs about epistemology play a direct role in how they conduct research and, consciously or not, the conclusions made through analysis reflect some form of epistemology. I argue that the Popperian epistemology by which most environmental scientists are trained is generally incompatible with research on observational data and that observation-based studies can be improved by modifying Popper's notion of falsification.
Inappropriate prescribing in older people
Authors: Gallagher Paul , O'Mahony Denis
Published: September 2008

Optimal prescribing is critical to the goals of geriatric medicine of curing disease, eliminating or reducing symptoms, and improving functioning. However, prescribing decisions in older people are often complex. There is marked heterogeneity in health status and functional capacity amongst older people, who range from fit, active, independent individuals to those who are physically and mentally frail, with limited physiological reserve. Age-related changes in physiology affect drug pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, and together with various pathological processes, increase the risk of adverse drug events (ADEs). This risk is heightened by prescription of multiple medications to treat multiple co-morbidities. Consequently, balancing safety and quality of prescribing for older people with appropriate treatment of all co-morbidities can be challenging.
Modality in western chant: an overview
Authors: CLAIRE JEAN
Published: September 2008

Translator’s note Dom Jean Claire of the Abbey of Saint-Pierre de Solesmes was for many years engaged in a study of modality in Gregorian chant and in other surviving repertories of liturgical chant of the Latin West. He had perhaps an unparalleled knowledge of the chant, derived from both practice and study. Dom Claire sang the chant at Solesmes from the time he entered the monastery in 1944, and from 1971 to 1996 he was the choirmaster of the abbey and editor of Paléographie musicale, directing the abbey’s long tradition of scholarly and practical publications.
Discography of Dom Jean Claire directing the monks of Solesmes
Authors: WEBER JEROME F.
Published: September 2008

Dom Jean Claire succeeded Dom Joseph Gajard in 1971, the year before Dom Gajard’s death.
He continued the programme of recordings with Société française du son, the French branch of Decca, which used the London label in America. It became part of the International Pelgrims Group about 1977 and went out of business about 1979. Dom Gajard had begun to remake his monophonic recordings in stereo (Epiphany/Dedication, Easter, Christmas), a plan that Dom Claire continued with his first two LPs. The last years of Dom Claire’s IPG recordings were the quadraphonic era, and Dom Claire once recounted to me his delight when the Decca engineers played back the ‘Times of Distress’ recording, which simulated a procession around the church. This effect was doubtless created electronically, since the recordings were made in a small room.
Hydromechanical properties of Fontainebleau sandstone: Experimental determination and micromechanical modeling
Authors: Song Insun , Renner Jörg
Published: September 2008

We measured ultrasonic velocity, hydraulic permeability, and specific storage capacity of eight blocks of Fontainebleau sandstone, a well‐sorted, medium‐grained, almost pure quartz‐sandstone of Oligocene age, covering a range in connected porosity from 3% to 10% and varying significantly in pore geometry for a given porosity. Ultrasonic P‐wave velocity measured on water‐saturated samples covers the full range predicted by variational Hashin‐Shtrikman bounds. Permeability and specific storage were determined by the linear pressurization method at different effective pressures up to 180 MPa and room temperature. The permeability of tested samples varies from 10−13 m2 down to 10−20 m2, depending primarily on porosity and pore geometry, and subordinately on effective pressure. Specific storage capacity always exceeds the contribution of pore fluid compression. The excess corresponds to the contribution of pore deformability controlled by pore geometry and matrix material properties. Since the sandstone samples are composed of a single solid component, quartz, we were able to calculate various poroelastic parameters (Biot‐Willis and Skempton coefficients, drained and undrained bulk moduli) crucial for estimating hydromechanical coupling in fluid‐saturated aggregates. The micromechanical modeling of the effective pressure sensitivity of the hydraulic transport and poroelastic parameters by the contiguity model of Takei (1998) yields good agreement between static and dynamic elastic parameters for saturated samples, partial agreement between the pressure dependence of effective elastic parameters and Hertzian contact mechanics, and an explanation for pressure‐insensitive permeability of samples with the highest porosity.
Three‐dimensional seismic velocity structure and configuration of the Philippine Sea slab in southwestern Japan estimated by double‐difference tomography
Authors: Hirose Fuyuki , Nakajima Junichi , Hasegawa Akira
Published: September 2008

Three‐dimensional seismic velocity structure in and around the Philippine Sea plate subducting beneath southwestern (SW) Japan is determined by applying double‐difference tomography method to arrival time data for earthquakes obtained by a dense nationwide seismic network in Japan. A region of low S wave velocity and high Vp/Vs of several kilometers in thickness is recognized immediately above the region of intraslab seismicity in a wide area from Tokai to Kyushu. This characteristic layer dips shallowly in the direction of slab subduction. Compared with the upper surface of the Philippine Sea slab based on seismic reflection and refraction surveys on seven survey lines, we interpret that the low‐Vs and high‐Vp/Vs layer corresponds to the oceanic crust of the Philippine Sea slab. On the basis of the position of the low‐Vs and high‐Vp/Vs layer and the precisely relocated hypocenter distribution of intraslab earthquakes, the upper surface of the Philippine Sea slab is reliably determined for the entire area of SW Japan. Nonvolcanic deep low‐frequency earthquakes that occurred associated with the subduction of the Philippine Sea slab are distributed along the isodepth contour of 30 km in SW Japan, except for the Tokai district where the depth of deep low‐frequency earthquakes becomes gradually deeper toward northeast.
Water contents in mantle xenoliths from the Colorado Plateau and vicinity: Implications for the mantle rheology and hydration‐induced thinning of continental lithosphere
Authors: Li Zheng‐Xue Anser , Lee Cin‐Ty A. , Peslier Anne H. , Lenardic Adrian , Mackwell Stephen J.
Published: September 2008

Nominally anhydrous minerals (e.g., olivine, clinopyroxene, and orthopyroxene) in peridotite xenoliths collected from the Colorado Plateau and southern Basin and Range in western North America were systematically analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy for water contents. Measured water contents range from 2 to 45 ppm for olivine, from 53 to 402 ppm for orthopyroxene, and from 171 to 957 ppm for clinopyroxene. The Colorado Plateau has the highest water contents (up to 45 ppm H2O in olivine, 402 ppm H2O in orthopyroxene, and 957 ppm H2O in clinopyroxene), while San Carlos in the southern Basin and Range has the lowest water contents (up to 4 ppm H2O in olivine, 82 ppm H2O in orthopyroxene, and 178 ppm H2O in clinopyroxene). With the exception of San Carlos, the olivine and pyroxenes from all other localities (Dish Hill, Grand Canyon, and Navajo) have water contents close to or higher than that inferred for the fertile asthenospheric mantle. We interpret the high water contents measured here to have been introduced into the base of the lithospheric mantle by rehydration associated with the subduction of the Farallon plate beneath North America during the early Cenozoic. Application of an updated flow law for dislocation creep of wet olivine to lithospheric mantle conditions beneath the Colorado Plateau predicts that for a given background shear stress, hydration alone can result in approximately 1 order of magnitude drop in the effective viscosity at the base of the lithosphere. If viscosity alone is used to distinguish the lithosphere from underlying asthenosphere, this suggests that hydration could have resulted in more than 10 km of lithospheric thinning. Viscosity reduction and lithospheric thinning of even larger extents (up to ∼100 km) are predicted when thicker lithosphere (such as Archean cratons) and larger water contents (up to water‐saturated conditions) are considered. If our interpretations are correct, the implications of our study go beyond western North America and hint at a possible way of recycling continental mantle, including cratonic mantle, back into the convecting mantle.
Emissions of CH4 and N2O over the United States and Canada based on a receptor‐oriented modeling framework and COBRA‐NA atmospheric observations
Authors: Kort Eric A. , Eluszkiewicz Janusz , Stephens Britton B. , Miller John B. , Gerbig Christoph , Nehrkorn Thomas , Daube Bruce C. , Kaplan Jed O. , Houweling Sander , Wofsy Steven C.
Published: September 2008

We present top‐down emission constraints for two non‐CO2 greenhouse gases in large areas of the U.S. and southern Canada during early summer. Collocated airborne measurements of methane and nitrous oxide acquired during the COBRA‐NA campaign in May–June 2003, analyzed using a receptor‐oriented Lagrangian particle dispersion model, provide robust validation of independent bottom‐up emission estimates from the EDGAR and GEIA inventories. We find that the EDGAR CH4 emission rates are slightly low by a factor of 1.08 ± 0.15 (2σ), while both EDGAR and GEIA N2O emissions are significantly too low, by factors of 2.62 ± 0.50 and 3.05 ± 0.61, respectively, for this region. Potential footprint bias may expand the statistically retrieved uncertainties. Seasonality of agricultural N2O emissions may help explain the discrepancy. Total anthropogenic U.S. and Canadian emissions would be 49 Tg CH4 and 4.3 Tg N2O annually, if these inventory scaling factors applied to all of North America.
Groundwater in the Tibet Plateau, western China
Authors: Ge S. , Wu Q. B. , Lu N. , Jiang G. L. , Ball L.
Published: September 2008

The Tibet Plateau in western China embraces a variety of hydrologic processes. Water cycling plays an unequivocal role in buffering or intensifying climate impact on water resources and ecosystems. Although much research has focused on climatic aspects, little is known about the subsurface component of the water cycle, particularly groundwater‐flow patterns and recharge and discharge characteristics. This study shows that groundwater flow in the Plateau is driven and sustained by the topographic gradient and recharge at high elevations. Groundwater is recharged at the rate of approximately 100–200 mm/year. Groundwater discharge on the order of 10−9–10−7 m/s occurs in valleys and fault zones, supplying baseflow to rivers and springs. Reliable recharge is critical for sustaining the water cycle and reduced recharge could diminish groundwater replenishment to rivers and springs, adversely impacting the ecosystems on the Plateau.
A pattern‐filtering method for the determination of ocean bottom pressure anomalies from GRACE solutions
Authors: Böning C. , Timmermann R. , Macrander A. , Schröter J.
Published: September 2008

Comparison of mass anomalies from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) to in‐situ ocean bottom pressure (OBP) data is complicated by the fact that GRACE estimates are representative for phenomena with scales of hundreds of km, while OBP measurements are pointwise by nature. Simulations with the Finite Element Sea‐ice Ocean Model (FESOM) indicate that on a monthly time scale OBP anomalies are coherent over large areas of complex geometry. A new filtering method for GRACE‐derived ocean mass anomalies is obtained by applying these coherence patterns on a regular grid. Time series from OBP recorders all over the world ocean are used for validation. Compared to Gaussian filtering, the pattern‐filtering method improves the correlation between GRACE retrievals and in‐situ OBP data (max. correlation now 0.87). Land leakage effects are eliminated almost completely. Finer scales can be resolved such that highly variable currents like the Gulf Stream can now be identified.
Boreal tree pollen sensed by polarization lidar: Depolarizing biogenic chaff
Authors: Sassen Kenneth
Published: September 2008

Polarization (0.694 μm) lidar measurements show that tree pollen can generate strong laser depolarization in the backscatter from the lower atmosphere. Examples are given illustrating that linear depolarization ratios up to 0.3 are measured in plumes of paper birch pollen at the onset of boreal forest green‐out. These pollen are ∼25 μm in diameter and near‐spherical in shape, but with lobes protruding from a surface membrane, which appears to produce the depolarization. Similar lidar findings are frequently observed during the summer at Fairbanks, Alaska, indicating that various types of seasonal pollen releases may be identified by polarization lidar. This scattering behavior is likely a general attribute of pollen and other suspended biogenic debris, which has implications for benefiting human health. This source of laser depolarization should not be confused with the presence of airborne dust or certain pollution particles, but is a natural background aerosol component caused by plant reproduction, as should be recognized in current global polarization lidar aerosol research using the CALIPSO satellite.
Determination of day‐time OH emission heights using simultaneous meteor radar, day‐glow photometer and TIMED/SABER observations over Thumba (8.5°N, 77°E)
Authors: Kumar Karanam Kishore , Vineeth C. , Antonita T. Maria , Pant Tarun Kumar , Sridharan R.
Published: September 2008

Simultaneous day‐glow photometer and meteor radar observations are used for determining the day‐time OH emission height for the first time over Thumba (8.5°N, 77°E). The meteor radar observations are extensively used to obtain the ambipolar diffusion coefficient (Da) profile in the 82–98 km height region and are compared with OH rotational temperature (TOH) measurements. The height profile of correlation coefficient between Da and TOH showed a maximum at 90 km. These ground based estimates are then compared with space based OH volume emission rate (VER) observations by TIMED/SABER satellite over this latitude, which showed an excellent agreement. Further, the temporal variation of OH emission heights showed tidal modulation of OH emission heights. The significance of the present results lies in determining the day‐time OH emission height for the first time using collocated radar and photometer observations, which will have implications in interpreting TOH in the MLT region.
New archeointensity data from Spain and the geomagnetic dipole moment in western Europe over the past 2000 years
Authors: Gómez‐Paccard M. , Chauvin A. , Lanos P. , Thiriot J.
Published: September 2008

Archeomagnetic studies on 14 kilns, a group of jar fragments, and a collection of baked bricks dated between 1000 and 1959 AD plus one Roman pottery kiln have been conducted in order to obtain high‐quality archeointensity data to enhance the western European database. The Thellier method with corrections for anisotropy of thermoremanent magnetization (TRM) and for cooling rate dependence upon TRM acquisition was used. The effect of TRM anisotropy is only important for the bricks where the corrected and uncorrected mean intensities differ by more than 5%. Cooling rate correction factors determined per sample are up to 15% and per site up to 7.7%. Our 17 new data together with 62 previously published results were used to obtain, by Bayesian modeling, the geomagnetic field intensity over the past two millennia for western Europe. Our results indicate that geomagnetic intensity remained more or less constant between the 1st and 4th centuries and between the 14th and 16th centuries (mean values, at Paris, around 65 and 57 μT, respectively), whereas an important decrease occurs between 1600 and 1800 AD. The detailed evolution of geomagnetic field intensity during the High Middle Ages is not yet well established. Despite their differences, geomagnetic global models predict our results reasonably well. This work indicates the need to obtain a number of archeointensity data for each time interval in order to reliably record variations of the geomagnetic field and to test whether any relationship exists between field intensity and climate.
Snow depth and streamflow relationships in large North American watersheds
Authors: Dyer Jamie
Published: September 2008

Snowmelt runoff in the spring is an important component in regional hydrologic systems in the northern United States and Canada, having a vital influence on water resources. In northern latitude rivers, snowmelt runoff provides a considerable volume of freshwater to drive circulation in the Arctic Ocean. This project defines and analyzes patterns of snow volume and discharge in major North American watersheds and determines the strength and form of the associated relationships. The results are used to develop statistical models applicable to individual watersheds, including the Yukon and Mackenzie basins in northern Canada and Alaska, the Saskatchewan basin in southern Canada, and the Missouri and upper Mississippi watersheds in the northern United States. It is shown that snow volume can predict winter and early spring discharge in all watersheds in the study region, with the best model performance in the higher‐latitude Yukon and Mackenzie basins during late fall and winter accumulation. In the lower‐latitude Missouri and upper Mississippi basins, despite additional influences of rain on discharge patterns, the statistical models based on snow volume were still able to estimate streamflow with percent relative error around 50%. To improve modeled discharge estimates during peak spring runoff, additional snow cover variables, including the value and timing of peak snow volume and the duration of snowmelt, were compared with peak annual discharge during periods of intense snowmelt. Significant results were found to occur in the Yukon and Saskatchewan basins owing to the extreme sensitivity to snowmelt runoff and fast river response times.
Phonological Awareness in Preschoolers With Spoken Language Impairment: Toward a Better Understanding of Causal Relationships and Effective Intervention. A Constructive Comment on Rvachew and Grawburg’s (2006) Study
Authors: Hartmann Erich
Published: September 2008

Purpose

This comment refers to a recent study of S. Rvachew and M. Grawburg (2006) that compared the fit of 2 models of the relationships among speech perception, receptive vocabulary, articulation, phonological awareness, and emergent literacy knowledge in preschoolers with speech sound disorders.

Conclusion

It is argued that phonological working memory is an important additional variable to be included in the model preferred by Rvachew and Grawburg (2006). Furthermore, the model should take into account the reciprocal relationship between phonological awareness and emergent literacy skills that is already evident at the preschool level. This could lead to a more precise assessment of preschoolers with speech impairment and, above all, to more efficient preventive intervention.
A Longitudinal Study of Speech Timing in Young Children Later Found to Have Reading Disability
Authors: Smith Allan B. , Smith Susan Lambrecht , Locke John L. , Bennett Jane
Published: September 2008

Purpose

This study examined the development of timing characteristics in early spontaneous speech of children who were later identified as having reading disability (RD).

Method

Child–adult play sessions were recorded longitudinally at 2 and 3 years of age in 27 children, most of whom were at high familial risk for RD. For each speaking turn, the number of syllables was determined and an acoustic analysis measured the time allocated to articulation, pausing before speaking, and pausing during speaking.

Results

In grade school, a reading battery identified 9 children with RD and 18 children without RD (9 at high risk, 9 at low risk). Early speaking rate was significantly slower in the group with RD, with significantly different patterns of pausing compared with children without RD. Group differences became more distinct by age 3, as longer speaking turns were attempted.

Conclusions

The results are discussed in terms of speech and language formulation. Phonetic plans may be shorter and/or less specified in children with RD, surfacing as slow, short speaking turns with increased pausing relative to articulation. This explanation is consistent with several accounts of RD and provides a perspective on how speech and language deficits may manifest during spontaneous verbal interactions between young children and adults.
Evidence-Based Systematic Review: Effects of Intensity of Treatment and Constraint-Induced Language Therapy for Individuals With Stroke-Induced Aphasia
Authors: Cherney Leora R. , Patterson Janet P. , Raymer Anastasia , Frymark Tobi , Schooling Tracy
Published: September 2008

Purpose

This systematic review summarizes evidence for intensity of treatment and constraint-induced language therapy (CILT) on measures of language impairment and communication activity/participation in individuals with stroke-induced aphasia.

Method

A systematic search of the aphasia literature using 15 electronic databases (e.g., PubMed, CINAHL) identified 10 studies meeting inclusion/exclusion criteria. A review panel evaluated studies for methodological quality. Studies were characterized by research stage (i.e., discovery, efficacy, effectiveness, cost–benefit/public policy research), and effect sizes (ESs) were calculated wherever possible.

Results

In chronic aphasia, studies provided modest evidence for more intensive treatment and the positive effects of CILT. In acute aphasia, 1 study evaluated high-intensity treatment positively; no studies examined CILT. Four studies reported discovery research, with quality scores ranging from 3 to 6 of 8 possible markers. Five treatment efficacy studies had quality scores ranging from 5 to 7 of 9 possible markers. One study of treatment effectiveness received a score of 4 of 8 possible markers.

Conclusion

Although modest evidence exists for more intensive treatment and CILT for individuals with stroke-induced aphasia, the results of this review should be considered preliminary and, when making treatment decisions, should be used in conjunction with clinical expertise and the client’s individual values.

Supplemental Material

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.6170339
Government Support to Regional Food Producers: An Assessment of England's Regional Food Strategy
Authors: Gorton Matthew , Tregear Angela
Published: September 2008

The rationale for, and impact of, government support to regional food producers is investigated through a case study of England's Regional Food Strategy (RFS). The headline target for the RFS is to increase the turnover of the quality regional food sector by 25% over a five-year period. The RFS also seeks to propagate wider benefits such as local economic development and aiding farms to shift to more environmentally friendly methods. The analysis indicates that the headline target is likely to be met comfortably. Producers that have received support under the RFS have performed better than nonbeneficiaries and positive assessments of the business training and advice received are recorded. However, the purported linkages with wider benefits are difficult to establish. Trade-offs between the competitiveness agenda of stimulating growth and meeting some wider policy goals are apparent.
Fabrication of ZnPc/protein nanohorns for double photodynamic and hyperthermic cancer phototherapy
Authors: Zhang Minfang , Murakami Tatsuya , Ajima Kumiko , Tsuchida Kunihiro , Sandanayaka Atula S. D. , Ito Osamu , Iijima Sumio , Yudasaka Masako
Published: September 2008

Multifunctionalization of carbon nanotubules is easily achieved by attaching functional molecules that provide specific advantages for microscopic applications. We fabricated a double photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photohyperthermia (PHT) cancer phototherapy system that uses a single laser. Zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) was loaded onto single-wall carbon nanohorns with holes opened (SWNHox), and the protein bovine serum albumin (BSA) was attached to the carboxyl groups of SWNHox. In this system, ZnPc was the PDT agent, SWNHox was the PHT agent, and BSA enhanced biocompatibility. The double phototherapy effect was confirmed
in vitro
and
in vivo
. When ZnPc-SWNHox-BSA was injected into tumors that were subcutaneously transplanted into mice, the tumors almost disappeared upon 670-nm laser irradiation. In contrast, the tumors continued to grow when only ZnPc or SWNHox-BSA was injected. We conclude that carbon nanotubules may be a valuable new tool for use in cancer phototherapy.
Spontaneous neural activity during human slow wave sleep
Authors: Dang-Vu Thien Thanh , Schabus Manuel , Desseilles Martin , Albouy Geneviève , Boly Mélanie , Darsaud Annabelle , Gais Steffen , Rauchs Géraldine , Sterpenich Virginie , Vandewalle Gilles , Carrier Julie , Moonen Gustave , Balteau Evelyne , Degueldre Christian , Luxen André , Phillips Christophe , Maquet Pierre
Published: September 2008

Slow wave sleep (SWS) is associated with spontaneous brain oscillations that are thought to participate in sleep homeostasis and to support the processing of information related to the experiences of the previous awake period. At the cellular level, during SWS, a slow oscillation (<1 Hz) synchronizes firing patterns in large neuronal populations and is reflected on electroencephalography (EEG) recordings as large-amplitude, low-frequency waves. By using simultaneous EEG and event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we characterized the transient changes in brain activity consistently associated with slow waves (>140 μV) and delta waves (75–140 μV) during SWS in 14 non-sleep-deprived normal human volunteers. Significant increases in activity were associated with these waves in several cortical areas, including the inferior frontal, medial prefrontal, precuneus, and posterior cingulate areas. Compared with baseline activity, slow waves are associated with significant activity in the parahippocampal gyrus, cerebellum, and brainstem, whereas delta waves are related to frontal responses. No decrease in activity was observed. This study demonstrates that SWS is not a state of brain quiescence, but rather is an active state during which brain activity is consistently synchronized to the slow oscillation in specific cerebral regions. The partial overlap between the response pattern related to SWS waves and the waking default mode network is consistent with the fascinating hypothesis that brain responses synchronized by the slow oscillation restore microwake-like activity patterns that facilitate neuronal interactions.
Preneoplastic lesion growth driven by the death of adjacent normal stem cells
Authors: Chao Dennis L. , Eck J. Thomas , Brash Douglas E. , Maley Carlo C. , Luebeck E. Georg
Published: September 2008

Clonal expansion of premalignant lesions is an important step in the progression to cancer. This process is commonly considered to be a consequence of sustaining a proliferative mutation. Here, we investigate whether the growth trajectory of clones can be better described by a model in which clone growth does not depend on a proliferative advantage. We developed a simple computer model of clonal expansion in an epithelium in which mutant clones can only colonize space left unoccupied by the death of adjacent normal stem cells. In this model, competition for space occurs along the frontier between mutant and normal territories, and both the shapes and the growth rates of lesions are governed by the differences between mutant and normal cells' replication or apoptosis rates. The behavior of this model of clonal expansion along a mutant clone's frontier, when apoptosis of both normal and mutant cells is included, matches the growth of UVB-induced
p53
-mutant clones in mouse dorsal epidermis better than a standard exponential growth model that does not include tissue architecture. The model predicts precancer cell mutation and death rates that agree with biological observations. These results support the hypothesis that clonal expansion of premalignant lesions can be driven by agents, such as ionizing or nonionizing radiation, that cause cell killing but do not directly stimulate cell replication.
Estrogens directly potentiate neuronal L-type Ca
2+
channels
Authors: Sarkar Saumyendra N. , Huang Ren-Qi , Logan Shaun M. , Yi Kun Don , Dillon Glenn H. , Simpkins James W.
Published: September 2008

L-type voltage-gated Ca
2+
channels (VGCC) play an important role in dendritic development, neuronal survival, and synaptic plasticity. Recent studies have demonstrated that the gonadal steroid estrogen rapidly induces Ca
2+
influx in hippocampal neurons, which is required for neuroprotection and potentiation of LTP. The mechanism by which estrogen rapidly induces this Ca
2+
influx is not clearly understood. We show by electrophysiological studies that extremely low concentrations of estrogens acutely potentiate VGCC in hippocampal neurons, hippocampal slices, and HEK-293 cells transfected with neuronal L-type VGCC, in a manner that was estrogen receptor (ER)-independent. Equilibrium, competitive, and whole-cell binding assays indicate that estrogen directly interacts with the VGCC. Furthermore, a L-type VGCC antagonist to the dihydropyridine site displaced estrogen binding to neuronal membranes, and the effects of estrogen were markedly attenuated in a mutant, dihydropyridine-insensitive L-type VGCC, demonstrating a direct interaction of estrogens with L-type VGCC. Thus, estrogen-induced potentiation of calcium influx via L-type VGCC may link electrical events with rapid intracellular signaling seen with estrogen exposure leading to modulation of synaptic plasticity, neuroprotection, and memory formation.
Respiratory syncytial virus impairs T cell activation by preventing synapse assembly with dendritic cells
Authors: González Pablo A. , Prado Carolina E. , Leiva Eduardo D. , Carreño Leandro J. , Bueno Susan M. , Riedel Claudia A. , Kalergis Alexis M.
Published: September 2008

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is one of the leading causes of infant hospitalization and a major health and economic burden worldwide. Infection with this virus induces an exacerbated innate proinflammatory immune response characterized by abundant immune cell infiltration into the airways and lung tissue damage. RSV also impairs the induction of an adequate adaptive T cell immune response, which favors virus pathogenesis. Unfortunately, to date there are no efficient vaccines against this virus. Recentin vitroandin vivostudies suggest that RSV infection can prevent T cell activation, a phenomenon attributed in part to cytokines and chemokines secreted by RSV-infected cells. Efficient immunity against viruses is promoted by dendritic cells (DCs), professional antigen-presenting cells, that prime antigen-specific helper and cytotoxic T cells. Therefore, it would be to the advantage of RSV to impair DC function and prevent the induction of T cell immunity. Here, we show that, although RSV infection induces maturation of murine DCs, these cells are rendered unable to activate antigen-specific T cells. Inhibition of T cell activation by RSV was observed independently of the type of TCR ligand on the DC surface and applied to cognate-, allo-, and superantigen stimulation. As a result of exposure to RSV-infected DCs, T cells became unresponsive to subsequent TCR engagement. RSV-mediated impairment in T cell activation required DC-T cell contact and involved inhibition of immunological synapse assembly among these cells. Our data suggest that impairment of immunological synapse could contribute to RSV pathogenesis by evading adaptive immunity and reducing T cell-mediated virus clearance.
Opening the climate envelope reveals no macroscale associations with climate in European birds
Authors: Beale Colin M. , Lennon Jack J. , Gimona Alessandro
Published: September 2008

Predicting how species distributions might shift as global climate changes is fundamental to the successful adaptation of conservation policy. An increasing number of studies have responded to this challenge by using climate envelopes, modeling the association between climate variables and species distributions. However, it is difficult to quantify how well species actually match climate. Here, we use null models to show that species–climate associations found by climate envelope methods are no better than chance for 68 of 100 European bird species. In line with predictions, we demonstrate that the species with distribution limits determined by climate have more northerly ranges. We conclude that scientific studies and climate change adaptation policies based on the indiscriminate use of climate envelope methods irrespective of species sensitivity to climate may be misleading and in need of revision.
Chemical targeting of the innate antiviral response by histone deacetylase inhibitors renders refractory cancers sensitive to viral oncolysis
Authors: Nguyên Thi Lien-Anh , Abdelbary Hesham , Arguello Meztli , Breitbach Caroline , Leveille Simon , Diallo Jean-Simon , Yasmeen Amber , Bismar Tarek A. , Kirn David , Falls Theresa , Snoulten Valerie E. , Vanderhyden Barbara C. , Werier Joel , Atkins Harold , Vähä-Koskela Markus J. V. , Stojdl David F. , Bell John C. , Hiscott John
Published: September 2008

Intratumoral innate immunity can play a significant role in blocking the effective therapeutic spread of a number of oncolytic viruses (OVs). Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDIs) are known to influence epigenetic modifications of chromatin and can blunt the cellular antiviral response. We reasoned that pretreatment of tumors with HDIs could enhance the replication and spread of OVs within malignancies. Here, we show that HDIs markedly enhance the spread of
vesicular stomatitis virus
(
VSV
) in a variety of cancer cells
in vitro
, in primary tumor tissue explants and in multiple animal models. This increased oncolytic activity correlated with a dampening of cellular IFN responses and augmentation of virus-induced apoptosis. These results illustrate the general utility of HDIs as chemical switches to regulate cellular innate antiviral responses and to provide controlled growth of therapeutic viruses within malignancies. HDIs could have a profoundly positive impact on the clinical implementation of OV therapeutics.