bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The application of entropy for detecting behavioral responses in Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) exposed to different toxicants
Authors: Fukuda Shinji , Kang Ik Joon , Moroishi Junya , Nakamura Ayumi
Published: May 2010

Growing concern over environmental pollution by chemicals that may directly or indirectly impact human and ecosystem health make it increasingly necessary to establish a biological early warning system to minimize these impacts. To achieve this, simple and reliable approaches and criteria for environmental risk assessment must be developed. We propose a new approach for detecting behavioral responses to toxicants in flowing water. We conducted a series of tests to determine toxic responses of Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) to lethal concentrations of potassium cyanide (KCN; 10 mg L−1) and phenol (25 mg L−1). Fish movements were tracked by three‐dimensional (3D) biomonitoring under flow‐through conditions. The 3D data were used to evaluate behavioral responses in terms of swimming speed, vertical position in the water, and entropies of these parameters. Fish exposed to KCN surfaced more frequently than unexposed fish, whereas fish exposed to phenol stayed near the bottom. Maximum swimming speed significantly increased after exposure to both test chemicals, whereas median swimming speed significantly decreased after exposure. Despite large variations in swimming behavior between individual fish, toxic behavioral responses could be identified by the significant decrease in the entropy of vertical position after 10–30 min of exposure to the test chemicals. We conclude that the use of entropy can contribute to the development of a biological early warning system for detecting toxicants at early stages of pollution. To use the present approach to detect lower concentrations of toxicants, further studies should be conducted using long‐term monitoring of fish exposed to sublethal concentrations. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol, 2010.
A probability perspective
Authors: Hehner Eric C. R.
Published: May 2010

This paper draws together four perspectives that contribute to a new understanding of probability and solving problems involving probability. The first is the Subjective Bayesian perspective that probability is affected by one’s knowledge, and that it is updated as one’s knowledge changes. The main criticism of the Bayesian perspective is the problem of assigning prior probabilities; this problem disappears with our Information Theory perspective, in which we take the bold new step of equating probability with information. The main point of the paper is that the formal perspective (formalize, calculate, unformalize) is beneficial to solving probability problems. And finally, the programmer’s perspective provides us with a suitable formalism. To illustrate the benefits of these perspectives, we completely solve the hitherto open problem of the two envelopes.
Pre‐counseling Education for Low Literacy Women at Risk of Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer (HBOC): Patient Experiences Using the Cancer Risk Education Intervention Tool (CREdIT)
Authors: Joseph Galen , Beattie Mary S. , Lee Robin , Braithwaite Dejana , Wilcox Carolina , Metrikin Maya , Lamvik Kate , Luce Judith
Published: May 2010

The Cancer Risk Education Intervention Tool (CREdIT) is a computer‐based (non‐interactive) slide presentation designed to educate low‐literacy, and ethnically and racially diverse public hospital patients at risk of Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer (HBOC) about genetics. To qualitatively evaluate participants’ experience with and perceptions of a genetic education program as an adjunct to genetic counseling, we conducted direct observations of the intervention, semi‐structured in person interviews with 11 women who viewed CREdIT, and post‐counseling questionnaires with the two participating genetic counselors. Five themes emerged from the analysis of interviews: (1) genetic counseling and testing for breast/ovarian cancer was a new concept; (2) CREdIT's story format was particularly appealing; (3) changes in participants’ perceived risk for breast cancer varied; (4) some misunderstandings about individual risk and heredity persisted after CREdIT and counseling; (5) the context for viewing CREdIT shaped responses to the presentation. Observations demonstrated ways to make the information provided in CREdIT and by genetic counselors more consistent. In a post‐session counselor questionnaire, counselors’ rating of the patient's preparedness before the session was significantly higher for patients who viewed CREdIT prior to their appointments than for other patients. This novel educational tool fills a gap in HBOC education by tailoring information to women of lower literacy and diverse ethnic/racial backgrounds. The tool was well received by interview participants and counselors alike. Further study is needed to examine the varied effects of CREdIT on risk perception. In addition, the implementation of CREdIT in diverse clinical settings and the cultural adaptation of CREdIT to specific populations reflect important areas for future work.
Complete Annular and Partial Oblique Pulley Release for Pediatric Locked Trigger Thumb
Authors: Kuo Meiying , Rayan Ghazi M.
Published: May 2010

Purpose

To report the surgical treatment outcome of pediatric locked trigger thumb by sequential release of the annular pulley and partial release of the oblique pulley.

Materials and Methods

A retrospective review was undertaken on 28 operative thumbs in 24 patients with an average follow-up of 79 months. Intraoperative observations focused on the pathology of the pulley system. Surgical technique involved complete release of the annular pulley, which alone was insufficient in relieving the deformity, along with release of the proximal 50% of the oblique pulley in all patients. Postoperative parameters of bowstringing, resolution of Notta's node, thumb interphalangeal motion, and patient/parent satisfaction were assessed.

Results

The oblique pulley appeared stenotic, whereas the annular pulley was observed to be membranous and nearly indistinguishable from the tendon sheath. No patients had recurrence of thumb locking or triggering. No bowstringing was detected, and Notta's node resolved fully in 19 of 20 thumbs. Five thumbs had an average of 12° less active IP joint motion without flexion contracture (i.e., less flexion). All patients or families expressed overall satisfaction with the procedure.

Conclusion

The annular pulley was attenuated in the majority of cases and the proximal half of the oblique pulley was stenotic in all patients. Releasing 50% of the oblique pulley after complete annular pulley release was necessary in all thumbs to achieve full FPL excursion. Mistaking the constricted proximal oblique pulley for an annular pulley may encourage releasing the entire oblique pulley, leading to an adverse result. Satisfactory outcome was achieved after surgical treatment of pediatric locked trigger thumbs. Type of Study/Level of Evidence Therapeutic IV.
Personalisierte Medizin durch individuelle Genome
Authors: Krawitz P.
Published: May 2010

Die dynamische Entwicklung in der Sequenziertechnologie hat die technischen Kosten sowie die Zeit, die benötigt wird, ein individuelles Genom zu entschlüsseln, so dramatisch reduziert, dass die komplette Sequenzierung persönlicher Genome für Privatpersonen und Gesundheitssysteme finanzierbar wird. Die breite Verfügbarkeit individueller Genome wird die Medizin weiter in Richtung einer informationsbasierten Wissenschaft treiben und die Bedeutung der informationswissenschaftlichen Techniken erhöhen.
Social and Spatial Influence of Customers on Other Customers in the Social-Servicescape
Authors: Tombs Alastair G. , McColl-Kennedy Janet R.
Published: May 2010

Drawing on Social Facilitation theory and Affiliative Conflict theory, this three study paper investigates the social and spatial influence customers have on other customers present in a social servicescape–cafes. Unobtrusive, naturalistic observation is used to identify, categorise and evaluate the behaviour of customers on other customers across two empirical studies. In total 242 episodes were observed and analysed from 40 separate observation sessions, ranging from 60 to 150 min across three settings. A third study, comprised of four focus groups explores the why of the observed behaviours of Studies 1 and 2, and supports their key findings.

Our findings show not only that the presence of customers influences the duration of the stay (social influence) of other customers, but also that customers influence other customers spatially (spatial influence). Specifically, individual customers and couples chose to be spatially close to other customers present for non-business meetings. Conversely, for business meetings customers tend to choose to be spatially apart from other customers.

Managers and service personnel need to understand that customers influence other customers present even when there is no direct contact. First, service providers should recognise the occasion (business/social) and nature of the party (single/couples/group). Second, customers like to be spatially near other customers when they are on their own or as a couple and when they are there for a social, rather than business, occasion. Third, the duration of stay can be influenced either positively or negatively by other customers.
Three-Year Outcomes of a Visible Haematuria Clinic—No Initial Role for Urine Cytology?
Authors: Munro Nicholas. P. , Stower Michael J. , Urwin Graeme H. , Chan Koon. H. , Wilson J. Russell
Published: May 2010

Objective:

To review patients presenting in a specialist macroscopic (visible) haematuria clinic during 2005, incorporating 3 years of follow-up, and to assess the role of urine cytology.

Patients and methods:

All patients attending the 2005 macroscopic haematuria clinic were identified. All subsequent admissions, pathology and imaging for each patient were captured from the hospital IT system during 3 years of follow-up and reviewed retrospectively.

Results:

Five hundred and three patients were assessed. No significant abnormalities were diagnosed in 52%, benign disease in 27% and malignant disease in 21% (including 14% urothelial cancer, 3% renal cancer and 4% prostate cancer). All bladder tumours were diagnosed with flexible cystoscopy and the 3 upper-tract urothelial tumours by ultrasound. Overall, cytology had a sensitivity of 66% and specificity 90% but did not diagnose tumours that were not identified with other investigations. Patients with abnormal cytology without apparent cause underwent various investigations including IVU, cystoscopy and biopsy and no tumours were identified. After 3 years no occult diseases became apparent.

Conclusions:

Half of all those attending with visible haematuria had significant urological diagnoses (21% urological cancer). Urine cytology did not appear to add significant information in the initial assessment of visible haematuria.
Epigallocatechin‐3‐gallate protects motor neurons and regulates glutamate level
Authors: Yu Jixu , Jia Yaqiong , Guo Yansu , Chang Geng , Duan Weisong , Sun Mengmeng , Li Bin , Li Chunyan
Published: May 2010

Epigallocatechin‐3‐gallate (EGCG) is a major component of green tea polyphenols which displays potential properties of anticancer and neuroprotection. Here we show that protection of motor neuron by EGCG is associated with regulating glutamate level in organotypic culture of rat spinal cord. In this model, EGCG blocked glutamate excitotoxicity caused by threohydroxyaspartate, an inhibitor of glutamate transporter. This property of EGCG may be not due to its intrinsic antioxidative activity, because another antioxidant could not regulate glutamate level under the same condition. These results show that EGCG may be a potential therapeutic candidate for neurodegenerative diseases involving glutamate excitotoxicity such as ALS.
Perinatal risk for common mental disorders and suicidal ideation among women in Paraguay
Authors: Ishida Kanako , Stupp Paul , Serbanescu Florina , Tullo Edgar
Published: May 2010

Objective

To examine the association between mental health problems among pregnant women and those in the postpartum period using a nationally representative sample of 6538 women aged 15–49 years from the National Survey of Demography and Sexual and Reproductive Health in Paraguay.

Methods

The predicted probabilities (PP) of common mental disorders (CMD) and suicidal ideation were assessed using the Self‐Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ‐20) and logistic regression models.

Results

No evidence was found of an increased risk for mental health problems associated with being pregnant or in the postpartum period alone. The risk for CMD during pregnancy and the postpartum period and for suicidal ideation during pregnancy was significantly greater when the pregnancy was unintended. In addition, unintentionally pregnant women who had neither been in a union nor had a child were at a significantly higher risk for CMD and suicidal ideation compared with non‐pregnant and non‐postpartum women (PP: 0.54 versus 0.21 for CMD risk and 0.15 versus 0.02 for suicidal ideation). However, there were no significant differences by marital status among postpartum women.

Conclusion

The significant effects of pregnancy intention and marital status highlight the importance of psychosocial, rather than physiological, contexts in which women experience pregnancy and childbirth.
“I Willingly Speak to You about Her Virtues”: Catherine de Saint-Augustin and the Public Role of Female Holiness in Early New France
Authors: Pearson Timothy G.
Published: May 2010

On July 11, 1666, the new cathedral in the French colonial capital at Quebec was finally consecrated by the vicar apostolic of New France, Msgr. François de Laval. Catherine de Saint-Augustin, a nursing sister who belonged to the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec, described the elaborate ceremony in her journal. The celebrants in their regalia made three trips around the church sprinkling holy water and chanting prayers before they came to the main door. After striking the door three times with a cross, “to signify the power of Jesus Christ, sovereign bishop of the Church,” they entered, and majestically processed toward the high altar. Upon the altar sat four candles, which signified “that Catholics (have) spread to the four corners of the world.” In the middle of these was a single cross, “that of Our Lord,” which symbolically linked the entire Church throughout the world to its (European) center—“au milieu du monde.” Following a number of minor rites including lessons and responses, the bishop circled the altar seven times sprinkling its base with holy water. The relics of saints were interred within it, and the church was dedicated to the holy trinity—the new seat of a new bishop in a “New” World.
No Ordinary Sin: Antislavery Protestants and the Discovery of the Social Nature of Morality
Authors: Oshatz Molly
Published: May 2010

InChristianity and the Social Crisis(1907), Walter Rauschenbusch compared the sin of speculating in land to the sin of slavery. The great theologian of the Social Gospel tried to open his audience's eyes to the sinfulness of land speculation by reminding them that not long ago, Christians had been unaware of the sinfulness of slavery. Before the abolition of slavery, he wrote, “there were millions of genuine Christians, honestly willing to see and do the right thing in other matters, to whom it seemed a preposterous proposition that slavery is incompatible with Christianity.” To these honest believers, slavery was a necessary social institution like the family or the school. Today, he continued, most Christians, despite their genuine faith, do not realize “that it is a crying wrong to hold land idle for speculation in cities where men's lungs are rotting away … few who realize that it is a flat denial of Christianity to take advantage of the needs of your fellow man to buy his labor cheaply or sell him your goods dearly.” Christians were blind to the evils of industrial society just as they had been blind to the evils of slavery. Both slavery and land speculation were social sins, morally deficient practices that were so deeply embedded in the economic and social structure that they seemed to be “a necessary and inevitable part of the structure of society.” Social sins were different than individual sins. “Genuine Christians” did not tolerate individual sins like drunkenness, adultery, or murder, but they had tolerated slavery.
The Two Bodies of Christ: Communion Frequency and Ecclesiastical Discourse in Pre–Vatican II Australian Catholicism
Authors: Brown Gavin
Published: May 2010

Today, most Catholics attending Mass come forward to receive communion as a matter of course. But this fact actually belies a very long history of low communion frequency and an institution's often losing struggle to have Catholics regularly receive the body of Christ. Already by the end of the fourth century, communion frequency in the Church, both East and West, had declined rapidly. Thereafter, outside small circles of especially devout communicants, communion at Mass remained for most Catholics an infrequent act. Yet during the mid-twentieth century, in the space of just a few decades, this situation showed signs of quite dramatic reversal. In the nineteenth century in Australia, average communion frequency among most practising Catholics was relatively nominal—perhaps three or four times a year was typical. On the eve of the Second Vatican Council, however, most Catholics in Australia were partaking of communion fortnightly and even weekly. Why this shift? What happened in the course of a generation which turned around a situation spanning many centuries in the Church's tradition of eucharistic worship?
Metapoetics
Authors: Bles Geoffrey
Published: May 2010

Metapoetics—the name given by Aristotle's editors to his works on Publishing (either because they came after, or because they went beyond, and transcended, his Poetics)—deals with literary activity not qua itself but qua its product (ἔργον), the Book (ὥσπερ γὰρ τῆς οἰκοδομικῆς τέχνης ἐστὶν ἔργον ὁ οἶκος, ὁμοίως τῆς ποιητικῆς τὸ βιβλίον), and considers how this product is brought to the notice of the reader–or, rather, readers (μία γὰρ χελιδὼν ἔαρ οὐ ποιεῖ).
The Egyptian Gods in Midrashic Texts
Authors: Ulmer Rivka
Published: May 2010

The engagement with Egypt and the Egyptian gods that transpired in the Hebrew Bible continued into the texts produced by rabbinic Judaism. Rabbinic texts of late antiquity and the early medieval period frequently presented images of Egypt and its religion. One of the critical objectives of these portrayals of Egypt was to set boundaries of Jewish identity by presenting rabbinic Judaism in opposition to Egyptian culture. The Egyptian cultural icons in rabbinic texts also demonstrate that the rabbis were aware of cultures other than their own.1 The presence of Egyptian elements in midrash had previously been noted to a very limited extent by scholars of the Wissenschaft des Judentums (the science of Judaism), and it has not escaped the attention of more recent scholarship.
Peasants in Revolt — Egypt 1919
Authors: Goldberg Ellis
Published: May 2010

From March until late April 1919 Egypt suffered one of the great peasant revolts of her history and of the 20th century.1Contemporaries viewed it as having international importance because it was the result of thirty years of European domination, and its resolution would be likely to affect all Western colonial empires.2For us, it marks the emergence of Egyptian liberalism and the construction of the modern state.3.

The insurrection began when four leaders of the Egyptian national movement were arrested on 9 March 1919. They were then exiled to Malta for insisting that the Egyptian delegation (wafd) to the Versailles Conference be recognized, so that it could demand that Egypt be accepted as an independent national state.
DNA curvature and flexibilityin vitroandin vivo
Authors: Peters Justin P. , Maher L. James
Published: May 2010

It has been more than 50 years since the elucidation of the structure of double-helical DNA. Despite active research and progress in DNA biology and biochemistry, much remains to be learned in the field of DNA biophysics. Predicting the sequence-dependent curvature and flexibility of DNA is difficult. Applicability of the conventional worm-like chain polymer model of DNA has been challenged. The fundamental forces responsible for the remarkable resistance of DNA to bending and twisting remain controversial. The apparent ‘softening’ of DNA measuredin vivoin the presence of kinking proteins and superhelical strain is incompletely understood. New methods and insights are being applied to these problems. This review places current work on DNA biophysics in historical context and illustrates the ongoing interplay between theory and experiment in this exciting field.
Marginal Competence, Risk Assessment, and Care Decisions: A Comparison of Values of Health Care Professionals and Older Adults
Authors: MacCourt Penny , Tuokko Holly
Published: May 2010

Par l’utilisation d’un scénario impliquant une femme âgée vivant seule compétent marginalement à risque, nous avons évalué les decisions liées aux soins réalisés par les adultes plus âgés (n = 82) et les professionnels de la santé (professionnels de la santé, n = 87), et les différences identifiées dans les valeurs qui sous-tendent les décisions relatives aux soins. Dans l’ensemble, les participants n’ont pas placé une grande valeur à l’independance quand on a évalué les risques pour le client comme plus élevé et la sécurité comme aussi bas. Dans ces conditions, les répondants âgés tendaient à être plus paternaliste dans leurs décisions concernant les soins, tandis que les professionnels de la sante ont tendance à être plus salutaire. Si les valeurs des professionnels de la santé diffèrent de ceux des personnes âgées, quelle est la probabilité que les soins dispensés aux personnes âgées peu compétentes seront conformes à leurs désirs? Les soins donnés par les professionnels de la santé pourrait être ameliorés en y incorporant la connaissance des valeurs et des perspectives des autres adultes âgés.
Rift Valley fever in Kenya: history of epizootics and identification of vulnerable districts
Authors: MURITHI R. M. , MUNYUA P. , ITHONDEKA P. M. , MACHARIA J. M. , HIGHTOWER A. , LUMAN E. T. , BREIMAN R. F. , NJENGA M. KARIUKI
Published: May 2010

Since Kenya first reported Rift Valley fever (RVF)-like disease in livestock in 1912, the country has reported the most frequent epizootics of RVF disease. To determine the pattern of disease spread across the country after its introduction in 1912, and to identify regions vulnerable to the periodic epizootics, annual livestock disease records at the Department of Veterinary Services from 1910 to 2007 were analysed in order to document the number and location of RVF-infected livestock herds. A total of 38/69 (55%) administrative districts in the country had reported RVF epizootics by the end of 2007. During the 1912–1950 period, the disease was confined to a district in Rift Valley province that is prone to flooding and where livestock were raised in proximity with wildlife. Between 1951 and 2007, 11 national RVF epizootics were recorded with an average inter-epizootic period of 3·6 years (range 1–7 years); in addition, all epizootics occurred in years when the average annual rainfall increased by more than 50% in the affected districts. Whereas the first two national epizootics in 1951 and 1955 were confined to eight districts in the Rift Valley province, there was a sustained epizootic between 1961 and 1964 that spread the virus to over 30% of the districts across six out of eight provinces. The Western and Nyanza provinces, located on the southwestern region of the country, had never reported RVF infections by 2007. The probability of a district being involved in a national epizootic was fivefold higher (62%) in districts that had previously reported disease compared to districts that had no prior disease activity (11%). These findings suggests that once introduced into certain permissive ecologies, the RVF virus becomes enzootic, making the region vulnerable to periodic epizootics that were probably precipitated by amplification of resident virus associated with heavy rainfall and flooding.
THE LARGE-TIME SOLUTION OF A NONLINEAR FOURTH-ORDER EQUATION INITIAL-VALUE PROBLEM I. INITIAL DATA WITH A DISCONTINUOUS EXPANSIVE STEP
Authors: LEACH J. A. , BASSOM ANDREW P.
Published: May 2010

In this paper we consider an initial-value problem for the nonlinear fourth-order partial differential equation ut+uux+γuxxxx=0, −∞<x<∞, t>0, where x and t represent dimensionless distance and time respectively and γ is a negative constant. In particular, we consider the case when the initial data has a discontinuous expansive step so that u(x,0)=u0(>0) for x≥0 and u(x,0)=0 for x<0. The method of matched asymptotic expansions is used to obtain the large-time asymptotic structure of the solution to this problem which exhibits the formation of an expansion wave. Whilst most physical applications of this type of equation have γ>0, our calculations show how it is possible to infer the large-time structure of a whole family of solutions for a range of related equations.
THE SUBEXPONENTIAL PRODUCT CONVOLUTION OF TWO WEIBULL-TYPE DISTRIBUTIONS
Authors: LIU YAN , TANG QIHE
Published: May 2010

Let X1 and X2 be two independent and nonnegative random variables with distributions F1 and F2, respectively. This paper proves that if both F1 and F2 are of Weibull type and fulfill certain easily verifiable conditions, then the distribution of the product X1X2, called the product convolution of F1 and F2, belongs to the class 𝒮* and, hence, is subexponential.
Variation at theTERTlocus and predisposition for cancer
Authors: Baird Duncan M.
Published: May 2010

Telomerase and the control of telomere length are intimately linked to the process of tumourigenesis in humans. Here I review the evidence that variation at the 5p15.33 locus, which contains theTERTgene (encoding the catalytic subunit of telomerase), might play a role in the determination of cancer risk. Mutations in the coding regions ofTERTcan affect telomerase activity and telomere length, and create severe clinical phenotypes, including bone marrow failure syndromes and a substantive increase in cancer frequency. Variants within theTERTgene have been associated with increased risk of haematological malignancies, including myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukaemia as well as chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Furthermore, there is good evidence from a number of independent genome-wide association studies to implicate variants at the 5p15.33 locus in cancer risk at several different sites: lung cancer, basal cell carcinoma and pancreatic cancer show strong associations, while bladder, prostate and cervical cancer and glioma also show risk alleles in this region. Thus, multiple independent lines of evidence have implicated variation in theTERTgene as a risk factor for cancer. The mechanistic basis of these risk variants is yet to be established; however, the basic biology suggests that telomere length control is a tantalising candidate mechanism underlying cancer risk.
Hospital prices and market structure in the hospital and insurance industries
Authors: Moriya Asako S. , Vogt William B. , Gaynor Martin
Published: May 2010

There has been substantial consolidation among health insurers and hospitals, recently, raising questions about the effects of this consolidation on the exercise of market power. We analyze the relationship between insurer and hospital market concentration and the prices of hospital services. We use a national US dataset containing transaction prices for health care services for over 11 million privately insured Americans. Using three years of panel data, we estimate how insurer and hospital market concentration are related to hospital prices, while controlling for unobserved market effects. We find that increases in insurance market concentration are significantly associated with decreases in hospital prices, whereas increases in hospital concentration are non-significantly associated with increases in prices. A hypothetical merger between two of five equally sized insurers is estimated to decrease hospital prices by 6.7%.
FULL MEREOGEOMETRIES
Authors: BORGO STEFANO , MASOLO CLAUDIO
Published: May 2010

We analyze and compare geometrical theories based on mereology (mereogeometries). Most theories in this area lack in formalization, and this prevents any systematic logical analysis. To overcome this problem, we concentrate on specific interpretations for the primitives and use them to isolate comparable models for each theory. Relying on the chosen interpretations, we introduce the notion of environment structure, that is, a minimal structure that contains a (sub)structure for each theory. In particular, in the case of mereogeometries, the domain of an environment structure is composed of particular subsets of Rn. The comparison of mereogeometrical theories within these environment structures shows dependencies among primitives and provides (relative) definitional equivalences. With one exception, we show that all the theories considered are equivalent in these environment structures.
Structural complexity resulting from pervasive ductile deformation in the Karakoram Shear Zone, Ladakh, NW India
Authors: McCarthy M. R. , Weinberg R. F.
Published: May 2010

The NW‐SE trending, ∼800 km long, dextral Karakoram Shear Zone bounds southwest Tibet. We investigate an area immediately NW of the Pangong Lake where midcrustal rocks sections of the shear zone are exposed. Here, the dominant shear zone is characterized by dextral mylonitic rocks sheared at amphibolite facies and partly retrogressed to greenschist facies. These rocks define a kilometric, SE plunging inclined‐to‐recumbent fold in the footwall of a north directed, oblique dextral thrust that exhumed anatectic rocks of the Pangong Range. Argon cooling ages reveal that the Pangong Range cooled from ∼700°C to 300°C between ∼18–15 and ∼10 Ma, contemporaneously with overthrusting. Toward the SE, closer to the Pangong Lake, this kilometric fold is rotated from its NW–SE trend to an E–W trend, and the sense of shear changes to sinistral, with a broadly north directed thrusting component. The documented structures contradict predictions of normal movement in this area derived from considerations of rigid block behavior of the crust and support the interpretation that the system records dextral transpression. Thrusting and exhumation of the deeper and hot rocks exposed in the Pangong Range, folding of the thrust footwall, and the development of a sinistral E–W trending shear zone are all compatible with transpression caused by a northward push by a rigid indenter such as the Ladakh Batholith.
Future trends in nutrient export to the coastal waters of South America: Implications for occurrence of eutrophication
Authors: van der Struijk Luiz Felipe , Kroeze Carolien
Published: May 2010

We analyze future trends in nutrient export to the coastal waters of South America, with a special focus on the causes of nutrient export and their potential effects. Nutrient Export from Watersheds (NEWS) model results for South America are presented, including trends in human activities and the associated river export of nutrients for the period 1970–2050. For 25 areas in coastal waters of South America where eutrophication or hypoxia has been observed, we investigate how these relate to NEWS model output. For selected watersheds we discuss the causes of increased nutrient loadings of rivers and future trends as projected by the NEWS models.
Hybrid simulations of the plasma environment around Enceladus
Authors: Omidi N. , Russell C. T. , Tokar R. L. , Leisner J. S.
Published: May 2010

The plasma environment around Enceladus is governed by the interaction between the corotating plasma with the body of the moon and the neutral gas associated with Saturn's extended cloud and plumes ejected from its southern polar region. To understand the nature of this interaction, we use 3‐D electromagnetic hybrid simulations that treat ions kinetically through particle‐in‐cell methods and treat the electrons as a charge‐neutralizing fluid. In these simulations, plasma interaction with the neutrals takes place through charge exchange. The results show that plasma absorption by Enceladus forms a tail‐like density cavity behind the moon and a depletion wake which is confined in the direction perpendicular to the magnetic field but extends many Enceladus radii along the magnetic field. Except in the cavity tail, the flow is not slowed by the interaction but is diverted toward the cavity in a symmetric fashion. Interaction of the corotating plasma with the extended neutrals results in the generation of ion cyclotron waves and plasma deceleration to velocities below the corotation speed. The results also show that the extent to which the presence of a plume in the southern pole affects the nature of the interaction depends on its density. For plumes with base densities of ∼106/cm3 (6.5 × 1029 molecules in the plume) or lower we find no significant impacts, while plumes with base densities of ∼107/cm3 and larger are found to greatly impact the interaction region. Specifically, the interaction is no longer symmetric with a density cavity tail in the Northern Hemisphere and a density enhancement tail in the Southern Hemisphere. At base densities of ∼108/cm3, a strong Alfven wing is also generated in the interaction. Preliminary comparisons of the simulations with the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer data during the 12 March 2008 encounter with Enceladus suggest plume base densities of ∼5 × 108/cm3 corresponding to production of ∼4 kg/s of new ions.
Observations of thermal diffusivity and a relation to the porosity of tidal flat sediments
Authors: Thomson Jim
Published: May 2010

Time series observations of vertical profiles of sediment temperature are presented for several locations at two distinct tidal flats. Surface sediment temperatures are shown to be strongly dependent on solar insolation during low‐tide exposure, and that signal is communicated to the subsurface sediment temperatures. A vertical diffusion balance explains the observations well (up to 97% of the observed variance at some locations and 76% on average), and an estimate of thermal diffusivity is obtained for each location. A theoretical model relating sediment porosity to thermal diffusivity is presented and shown to agree with independent estimates of porosity. In addition, thermal diffusivity is shown to correlate with direct observations of sediment composition (percent sand) and surface strength. Results are suggested for application to remote classification of sediments using infrared time series images.
Addendum to “Wind speed trends over the contiguous United States”
Authors: Pryor S. C. , Ledolter J.
Published: May 2010

An earlier paper (Pryor et al., 2009) reports linear trends for annual percentiles of 10 m wind speeds from across the United States based on ordinary linear regression applied without consideration of temporal autocorrelation. Herein we show significant temporal autocorrelation in annual metrics from approximately half of all surface and upper air wind speed time series and present analyses that indicate at least some fraction of the temporal autocorrelation at the annual time scale may be due to the influence of persistent low‐frequency climate modes as manifest in teleconnection indices. Treatment of the temporal autocorrelation slightly reduces the number of stations for which linear trends in10 m wind speeds are deemed significant but does not alter the trend magnitudes relative to those presented by Pryor et al. (2009). Analyses conducted accounting for the autocorrelation indicate 55% of annual 50th percentile 10 m wind speed time series, and 45% of 90th percentile annual 10 m wind speed time series derived from the National Climate Data Center DS3505 data set exhibit significant downward trends over the period 1973–2005. These trends are consistent with previously reported declines in pan evaporation but are not present in 10 m wind speeds from reanalysis products or upper air wind speeds from the radiosonde network.
An almost‐free barotropic mode in the Australian‐Antarctic Basin
Authors: Weijer Wilbert
Published: May 2010

The Australian‐Antarctic Basin (AAB) is known for its high levels of intraseasonal variability; sea‐surface height variability exceeds background values by factors of 2 over thousands of kilometers. This paper addresses the hypothesis that this variability is caused by trapping of barotropic energy by the basin geometry. Analysis of a multi‐year integration of a shallow‐water model shows that the variability is dominated by a single, large‐scale statistical mode that is highly coherent over the entire AAB. The flow associated with this mode is northwestward along the Southeast Indian Ridge, southward in the Kerguelen Abyssal Plain, and eastward in the southern AAB. The mode is interpreted as an almost‐free topographically trapped mode, as it is confined by contours of potential vorticity that almost entirely enclose the AAB. The apex of the Wilkes Abyssal Plain represents the strongest barrier to the modal circulation: here velocities are strongest, making it a key area for dissipation of kinetic energy through bottom friction and eddy viscosity.
Oscillatory sensitivity of Atlantic overturning to high‐latitude forcing
Authors: Czeschel Lars , Marshall David P. , Johnson Helen L.
Published: May 2010

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) carries warm upper waters into northern high‐latitudes and returns cold deep waters southward. Under anthropogenic greenhouse gas forcing the AMOC is expected to weaken due to high‐latitude warming and freshening. Here, we show that the sensitivity of the AMOC to an impulsive forcing at high latitudes is an oscillatory function of forcing lead time. This leads to the counter‐intuitive result that a stronger AMOC can emerge as a result of, although some years after, anomalous warming at high latitudes. In our model study, there is no simple one‐to‐one correspondence between buoyancy forcing anomalies and AMOC variations, which retain memory of surface buoyancy fluxes in the subpolar gyre for 15–20 years. These results make it challenging to detect secular change from short observational time series.
Inferring aquifer storage parameters using satellite and in situ measurements: Estimation under uncertainty
Authors: Sun Alexander Y. , Green Ronald , Rodell Matthew , Swenson Sean
Published: May 2010

We present a robust optimization method for estimating aquifer storage parameters (specific yield or storativity) using the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) data, in situ well level observations, and other ancillary information. Uncertainty inherent in the remotely sensed and in situ time series can adversely affect the parameter estimation process and, in the worse case, make the solution completely meaningless. Our estimation problem is formulated to directly minimize the negative impact of data uncertainty by incorporating bounds on data variations. We demonstrate our method for the interconnected Edwards‐Trinity Plateau and Pecos Valley aquifers in central Texas. The study area is divided into multiple zones based on the geology and monitor well coverage. Our estimated aquifer storage parameters are consistent with previous results obtained from pumping tests and model calibration, demonstrating the potential of using GRACE data for validating regional groundwater model parameters.
Inferring relevant control mechanisms for interleukin‐12 signaling in naïve CD4+T cells
Authors: Finley Stacey D , Gupta Deepti , Cheng Ning , Klinke David J
Published: May 2010

Interleukin‐12 (IL‐12) is a key cytokine involved in shaping the cell‐mediated immunity to intracellular pathogens. IL‐12 initiates a cellular response through the IL‐12 signaling pathway, a member of the Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) family of signaling networks. The JAK/STAT pathway includes several regulatory elements; however, the dynamics of these mechanisms are not fully understood. Therefore, the objective of this study was to infer the relative importance of regulatory mechanisms that modulate the activation of STAT4 in naïve CD4+T cells. Dynamic changes in protein expression and activity were measured using flow cytometry and these data were used to calibrate a mathematical model of IL‐12 signaling. An empirical Bayesian approach was used to infer the relative strengths of the different regulatory mechanisms in the system. The model predicted that IL‐12 receptor expression is regulated by a dynamic, autonomous program that was independent of STAT4 activation. In summary, a mathematical model of the canonical IL‐12 signaling pathway used in conjunction with a Bayesian framework provided high‐confidence predictions of the system‐specific control mechanisms from the available experimental observations.
Mutations in LAMA2 and CAPN3 genes associated with genetic and phenotypic heterogeneities within a single consanguineous family involving both congenital and progressive muscular dystrophies
Authors: Hadj Salem Ikhlass , Kamoun Fatma , Louhichi Nacim , Rouis Souad , Mziou Mariam , Fendri-Kriaa Nourhene , Makni-Ayadi Fatma , Triki Chahnez , Fakhfakh Faiza
Published: May 2010

LGMD (limb-girdle muscular dystrophy) and CMD (congenital muscular dystrophy) are two common forms of neuromuscular disorders which are distinguishable by their age of onset but with probably a similar underlying pathway. In the present study, we report immunohistochemical, Western-blot and genetic analyses in a large consanguineous Tunisian family with two branches, including seven patients sharing similar LGMD2 phenotype in one branch and one CMD patient in the other branch. Linkage analyses were compatible with the LGMD2A locus in one branch and the MDC1A (muscular dystrophy congenital type 1A) locus in the other branch. This result was supported by deficiency in merosin and calpain3 in the CMD patient and LGMD patients respectively. Mutation analysis revealed two distinct mutations: a c.8005delT frameshift deletion in exon 56 of the LAMA2 (laminin-α2) gene (MDC1A) was found in the CMD patient and a new homozygous mutation c.1536+1G>T in the donor splice site of intron 12 of the CAPN3 (calpain3) gene (LGMD2A) was found in the LGMD patients. RT–PCR (reverse transcription–PCR) performed on total RNA from a LGMD2A patient's muscle biopsy showed complete retention of intron 12 in CAPN3 cDNA, generating a PTC (premature termination codon) that potentially elicits degradation of the nonsense mRNA by NMD (nonsense-mediated mRNA decay). Our results indicate that mRNA analysis is necessary to clarify the primary effect of genomic mutations on splicing efficiency that alters mRNA processing and expression level.
Anisotropic material model and wave propagation simulations for shocked pentaerythritol tetranitrate single crystals
Authors: Winey J. M. , Gupta Y. M.
Published: May 2010

An anisotropic continuum material model was developed to describe the thermomechanical response of unreacted pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) single crystals to shock wave loading. Using this model, which incorporates nonlinear elasticity and crystal plasticity in a thermodynamically consistent tensor formulation, wave propagation simulations were performed to compare to experimental wave profiles [J. J. Dick and J. P. Ritchie, J. Appl. Phys. 76, 2726 (1994)] for PETN crystals under plate impact loading to 1.2 GPa. Our simulations show that for shock propagation along the [100] orientation where deformation across shear planes is sterically unhindered, a dislocation-based model provides a good match to the wave profile data. For shock propagation along the [110] direction, where deformation across shear planes is sterically hindered, a dislocation-based model cannot account for the observed strain-softening behavior. Instead, a shear cracking model was developed, providing good agreement with the data for [110] and [001] shock orientations. These results show that inelastic deformation due to hindered and unhindered shear in PETN occurs through mechanisms that are physically different. In addition, results for shock propagation normal to the (101) crystal plane suggest that the primary slip system identified from quasistatic indentation tests is not activated under shock wave loading. Overall, results from our continuum simulations are consistent with a previously proposed molecular mechanism for shock-induced chemical reaction in PETN in which the formation of polar conformers, due to hindered shear, facilitates the development of ionic reaction pathways.
Strongly confined excitons in self-assembled InGaAs quantum dot clusters produced by a hybrid growth method
Authors: Creasey Megan , Li Xiaoqin , Lee J. H. , Wang Zh. M. , Salamo G. J.
Published: May 2010

We investigate the optical properties of newly developed InGaAs quantum dot clusters (QDCs). The QDCs are produced using a hybrid growth method that combines droplet homoepitaxy and Stranski–Krastanov growth modes. We focus on a particular geometry, where six individual quantum dots (QDs) spontaneously form a structure morphologically similar to a benzene ring. We observe narrow exciton resonances in microphotoluminescence measurements. Temperature and excitation density dependence of the exciton resonances are investigated. Our experiments suggest that excitons are strongly confined in individual QDs instead of residing in all QDs in the cluster.
Preparation at moderate pressures, crystal and magnetic structure and magnetotransport of the ferrimagnetic CeCu3Mn4O12 perovskite
Authors: Sánchez-Benítez J. , Martínez-Lope M. J. , Alonso J. A.
Published: May 2010

Moderate-pressure conditions of 2 GPa has been used to stabilize the complex perovskite CeCu3Mn4O12. It can be considered as a derivative of the parent CaCu3Mn4O12 compound, by full replacement of Ca by Ce cations. The electronic injection leads to a very substantial increment of the ferromagnetic TC, up to 395 K. This material has been studied by x-ray diffraction and neutron powder diffraction (NPD) and magnetotransport measurements. It presents a ABO3 perovskite superstructure, where the A positions are occupied by Ce and Cu, ordered in a 1:3 arrangement giving rise to the body-centering of the unit cell. The crystal structure is cubic, space group Im 3¯ (no. 204), with a=7.30331(9) Å at room temperature. At the B positions, Mn adopts a mixed oxidation state of 3.65+ as demonstrated by a bond-valence study; MnO6 octahedra are considerably tilted by 19°, due to the relatively small size of the A-type cations. The magnetic structure, studied by NPD at 2 K, reveals that Mn and Cu spins are ordered below TC in an antiparallel arrangement. The refined magnetic moments at the Mn and Cu sublattices, of 1.92 and −0.3 μB/at., respectively, account for the observed saturation magnetization at 2 K, of 7μB/f.u.. A semiconducting behaviour is displayed between 10 and 400 K; a negative magnetoresistance (MR) of 18% is achieved at 5 K for H=4 T, and a substantial MR of 5% is attained at 300 K for H=9 T.
Kelvin probe force microscope with near-field photoexcitation
Authors: Ozasa Kazunari , Nemoto Shigeyuki , Maeda Mizuo , Hara Masahiko
Published: May 2010

We developed a combined probe microscope—a scanning probe near-field optical microscope (SNOM) combined with Kelvin probe force microscope (KFM) that uses a slim and bent optical fiber probe (S/B fiber probe). The developed SNOM-KFM system enables near-field photoexcitation through an apex of the S/B fiber probe during KFM measurement, so that the photoexcitation effects on surface potential (SP) can be measured with submicron spatial resolution. By measuring the SP of tris(8-hydroxyquinolinato) aluminum(III) (Alq3) thin films, we found that the S/B fiber probes have large negative values in the KFM transfer function. Near-field photoexcitation was performed on Alq3 thin films through the S/B fiber probes, and the spatial pattern of photoinduced reduction in SP was visualized by KFM measurement with the same probe.