bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A DESCRIPTION OF THE CAREER PATH OF A "STREET KID" IN HONG KONG AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR LABOR LAWS, THE EDUCATION SYSTEM AND SOCIAL SERVICE PROVISION
Authors: Newbery Peter
Published: December 2009

A study of existing research focusing on marginal and delinquent youths in Hong Kong makes it possible to describe a typical career path for marginal youths. They typically pass through five stages beginning with casually running away at the age of ten until eventually serving a second prison term at the age of 18. The age of 14 is an important turning point at which young people make crucial decisions, which either take them out of this path or fix them more firmly in it. The fact that 14 is a critical age has implications for labor laws, for the educational system and for the provision of social services. It is suggested that (rather than search for causes) this data makes it possible to identify the target group and prescribe interventions.

现时对香港边缘少年及年青罪犯的研究，可以清楚描述一个典型的边缘少年误入歧途所经过的阶段，就如十岁便离家出走 ... ... 十八岁便已经在监狱第二次服刑。

「十四岁」为这些少年，是他们生命中的一个转捩点，他们一是决定回归正途，或是更加泥足深陷，难以自拔。故此劳工法例、教育制度，以及社会服务等，应作出适当的修订及改革。

文中的资料并非为研究青年人误入歧途的原因，而是为确认出这类型的青少年及如何为他们提供协助。
提高刑责年龄: 保护或伤害? (RAISING THE AGE OF CRIMINAL RESPONSIBILITY: PROTECTION OR HARM?)
Authors: 卢 铁荣
Published: December 2009

香港的刑事责任年龄是七岁，即七岁以下的儿童，是不会被推定为有罪。这刑责年龄是国际标准上最低之一。近日本地的法律改革委员会建议将它提高至十岁，香港儿童权利委员会更建议以十四岁为刑责年龄。提高刑责年龄的后果，是所有在法定刑责年龄以下的违法少年都不再需要负法律责任，他们不需要经警司警诫或司法审讯，极其量只能由少年法庭引用保护令来保护他们。本文讨论影响青少年犯罪的三种重要因素，现时处理违法少年的方法，和在研究提高刑责年龄的可行性时，在少年司法制度中需要考虑的因素，特别是在没有彻底改善现行的少年司法制度时，广泛地运用保护令所带出之问题，最后建议一些处理方法。

In Hong Kong, the age of criminal responsibility is seven, i.e. any person aged below seven shall not be convicted of a crime. This age is one of the lowest in the world. Recently, the Law Reform Commission has recommended to raise the age to ten; the Committee on Children's Rights even suggested raising it to 14. If the age of criminal responsibility is to be raised, juvenile offenders would no longer be cautioned by the police or prosecuted in the juvenile court, although care or protection order can be granted o them. This article outlines the major factors affecting juvenile crimes and the current methods in handling juvenile offenders. It also identifies several crucial factors for consideration, in particular the negative effect of using care or protection order when no substantial improvement in the juvenile justice system has been made, if the age of criminal responsibility is to be raised. Several recommendations to improve the juvenile justice system are highlighted too.
OLIGONUCLEOTIDE DNA AND RNA AS DIRECT CAPPING LIGAND FOR NANOCRYSTALS: AN EMERGING METHOD FOR BIOLOGICAL DIAGNOSTICS AND THERAPEUTICS
Authors: BAKER BENJAMIN A. , CHOI JONG HYUN
Published: December 2009

Various types of nanocrystals have extensively demonstrated significant advantages in magnetic, chemical, catalytic, and particularly optical properties. Still, some limitations prevent these properties from being utilized for improved biological imaging, therapeutics or micro/nano-optoelectronics. A recently emerging, facile approach employing oligonucleotide DNA or RNA for direct surface passivation of nanocrystals is showing promise to bridge the gap between functional potential and realization. Oligonucleotide capping can provide hydrophilic nature, target recognition capabilities, and enhanced cellular uptake for nanocrystals, with a simplified synthesis capable of both templating and functionalizing. We overview synthesis, properties, and applications of nucleic acid templated nanocrystals and contrast these with nanocrystals synthesized by more classical capping methods. Finally, we highlight areas of research in oligonucleotide templated nanocrystals that have been largely unexplored to date, where further investigations can provide many new insights.
CARBON NANOTUBE-GRAFT-POLY (CITRIC ACID) CONTAINING SILVER AND PALLADIUM NANOPARTICLES
Authors: BAHARI ALI , HEKMATARA H. , SEPAHVAND R. , ADELI MOHSEN
Published: December 2009

A simple method has been developed for decorating multi wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with palladium and silver nanoparticles. In this method, MWCNT was opened and functionalized using nitric and sulfuric acid mixture. Then citric acid was polymerized in the presence of functionalized MWCNT and MWCNT-graft-poly (citric acid) (MWCNT-g-PCA) was obtained. The mixing of MWCNT-g-PCA with metal salts, such as palladium chloride and silver nitrate, leads to encapsulation of metal nanoparticles in the polymeric shell ( MWCNT/Pd, AgNPs ). The structure of MWCNT/Pd and AgNPs were characterized by usual spectroscopy and microscopy methods. The influence of nanoparticles on the electrical conductivity of MWCNT was also investigated.
PROBLEMS, SOLUTIONS, AND SEMANTIC COMPUTING
Authors: SHEU PHILLIP C.-Y. , RAMAMOORTHY C. V.
Published: December 2009

Semantic Computing extends Semantic Web both in breadth and depth. It bridges, and integrates, several computing technologies into a complete and unified theme. This article discusses the essences of Semantic Computing with a description of SemanticServices.Net, a new paradigm that enables "Problem-driven" search that may offer a new story to the Internet.
Developments in urban site investigation
Authors: Green J. A. , Hellings J.
Published: December 2009

This paper gives a brief overview of 51 papers that were submitted to the 10th Congress of the International Association for Engineering Geology and the Environment (IAEG), under the ‘Urban Site Investigation’ theme. The contributions within this theme were truly international, reflecting the global contribution in this very important area. Papers within this theme were submitted from over 30 countries. The papers are diverse in nature, covering the many contributory facets that were encompassed within the theme. The papers discussed here have been grouped into four categories for convenience, reflecting commonalities in what has been a very broad and diverse coverage. The development of site investigation methods and techniques is not an end in itself but is used to try to increase understanding of engineering problems. Urban environments pose many challenges that stretch more traditional site investigation approaches, and papers presented under the theme have demonstrated how these challenges are being dealt with, and indicate some of the techniques and methods that can offer further improvements to current methods. Urban site investigations have to deal with a whole host of underground problems. The challenge is to adapt current thinking and practice to deal with these potential difficulties. Papers under this theme have provided useful insight into how this may be achieved.
The management of derelict, polluted and contaminated land
Authors: Scott D. I. , Hatheway A. W.
Published: December 2009

Twenty-six papers submitted to the theme of ‘Dereliction, Pollution and Contaminated Land’ at the 10th IAEG Congress were reviewed as the basis for this topical summary. Despite the theme subject of abandoned or derelict land, most of the papers addressed chemical damage associated with historically contaminated land. Important contributions to this multidisciplinary field are being made by engineering geologists mainly in three domains: (1) provision of a ‘geotechnical’ characterization of contaminated geological media; (2) characterization of the fate and transport of contaminants through complex geological pathways; (3) the development of
in situ
and
ex situ
treatment-based remediation options that provide sustainable alternatives to ‘dig-and-dump’. Several papers also indicated that engineering geology has an important role to play in the prevention of future pollution at the source, as opposed to traditional ‘end-of-pipe’ methods of pollution control.
Substructures, underground space and sustainable urban environments
Authors: Rogers C. D. F.
Published: December 2009

This paper examines the International Association for Engineering Geology and the Environment's 10th Congress theme of ‘Engineering Geology for Tomorrow's Cities’, with specific reference to substructures and underground space, by exploring the possibilities of, and barriers to, increased underground space usage. It is vital that some degree of envisioning of the future should be attempted and this means looking backwards to help in extrapolating forwards. Such an exercise must be undertaken in the context of sustainability and, thus, an approach encompassing economic, social and environmental issues is warranted. Using a ‘three-pillar’ approach as the basis on which various alternative futures might be envisioned is helpful and very rapidly shows that current thinking in relation to designs is typically very narrow indeed. Three scenarios are examined to explore how we treat the interaction between substructures and the ground and, thus, what we might need to allow for in designs at different depths. Although acknowledging that different countries have different geological conditions to help or hinder them, examples are drawn from Norway to demonstrate how sustainable underground concepts have been put into place to very great effect over the past 80 years or so. Each example introduces different benefits and shows how designs have progressively improved. In exploring how underground space might be better used, the ground needs to be viewed as a resource for which sustainable practices, such as industrial symbiosis, apply. The many advances in monitoring technology also need to be taken advantage of, so that the uncertainty of performance of hidden elements does not present a barrier. In addition, the uncertainty in what is already present needs to be removed. Recent developments in 3D shallow subsurface soil and made-ground mapping, accompanied by the development of techniques to map the buried infrastructure, are shown to provide an important way forward in the UK.
Geodata for the urban environment
Authors: Reeves H. J. , West T. R.
Published: December 2009

Since the development of the first 2D urban geological map of Bath by William Smith in 1799, the production and representation of geological information has changed little until relatively recently. In the last 20 years, information technology and increased computing capacities have transformed the way in which geoscientists work. In particular, the development and use of geographic information systems (GISs) and modelling packages have meant that there is now a far greater opportunity to develop engineering geological products that show more effectively the third dimension in the urban environment. Because the information is captured and manipulated digitally, the outputs can be tailored to various end-user needs and more readily updated as new data become available. To illustrate these developments a brief overview of the 30 papers that were submitted to the Theme ‘Geodata for the Urban Environment’ of the 10th International Congress of the International Association for Engineering Geology and the Environment (IAEG) are presented and discussed.
Resources for the city: sustainable use of bedrock resources for concrete production with examples from Sweden
Authors: Schouenborg B. , Tang L. , Åkesson U.
Published: December 2009

Rock aggregate products are essential for our infrastructure and society as a whole. Rock aggregates are mainly used for road and railroad construction and for the manufacture of asphalt and concrete. High-quality, low-cost, environmentally friendly rock aggregates and recycling of materials are important resources for the development of a sustainable society. The relative amount of crushed bedrock is steadily increasing, as a result of the joint effort by the authorities and industry to save natural gravel. It is important to support this trend by all possible means. One of the primary problems is the fact that the available resources of natural aggregates are diminishing in most of Europe. To protect the natural environment, the use of natural sand and gravel aggregates must be reduced and crushed aggregates, instead, will have to be used in concrete production in the future. The paper focuses on this problem and presents proposals for how to deal with it by co-operative research.
A perspective on the future of engineering geology in the world, Asia and Japan
Authors: Inoue D. , Oshima H. ,   JSEG Research Planning Committee,   JSEG International Committee
Published: December 2009

The 21st century provides a turning point from the days of exploitation of natural resources and of infrastructure construction to the proper management of national lands to establish human coexistence with the environment. This paper mainly discusses the issues for the improvement of engineering geological activities of research, education and the provision of information in the future at a World, Asian and Japanese level. The authors believe that some of the issues may be commonly observed world-wide and the solutions to the problems should be sought by the international cooperation of engineering geologists. Engineering geology needs to be an autonomous field of science and should provide educational systems to foster engineering geologists who can work together on an equal footing with professionals from other disciplines.
Regional modelling of geohazard change
Authors: Rees J. G. , Gibson A. D. , Harrison M. , Hughes A. , Walsby J. C.
Published: December 2009

Society faces a future of unprecedented, extensive and rapid environmental change. The impacts of climate change and greater societal vulnerability will require far-reaching adaptations of behaviour and activity. To plan these, decision-makers require tools that will help them understand the extent and impact of natural hazards. These should take into account deterministic and probabilistic analyses of occurrence, impact, spatial distribution, background conditions and triggers that affect different hazards. Geographic information system (GIS)-based, 2D, models are easily understood by different users and are well suited to situations where data is plentiful, the historical record is relatively complete or where problems are simple. However, they have limitations. Advances in computer processing capacity have brought marked changes in how data can be manipulated and presented; this has allowed and driven an increasing desire to provide more detailed information about the spatial extent, temporal occurrence, triggers and impacts of geohazards. Future geohazard models based on 3D distributions of causative factors, including primary (e.g. precipitation) and secondary (e.g. groundwater) 4D processes, that determine the timing, scale and geographical distribution of events will rapidly evolve. They will increasingly integrate data from other disciplines, such as societal vulnerability, to develop risk models. Currently, geohazard models are constrained by inadequate data, a poor understanding of the interaction of processes, and cultural barriers such as inertia or intellectual property rights. The development of improved models, whether for planning purposes or management of crises, provides challenges, both in system development and in the communication of complexity and uncertainty with decision-makers.
Planning and geohazards
Authors: Gibson A. D. , Chowdhury R.
Published: December 2009

This paper reviews the work of 56 papers, authored by scientists and engineers from 60 different countries. The methods and achievements shown by this collection of papers are compared to a similar review made in 1998. Some similarities were remarkable:

The most prominent hazards in both reviews were earthquakes, volcanoes, slope instability and subsidence;

Slow onset events were rarely discussed;

Both reviews report exacerbation of natural risks by rapid development, water abstraction or lack of maintenance;

New development continues to be located in marginal areas such as unstable slopes, flood-prone alluvium or coastal plains, with decisions on development driven by political or socio-economic factors that sometimes outweigh geoscientific advice.

However, there were a large number of notable advances that continue to drive engineering geology forward including:

The advent of GIS and 3D computer modelling;

The availability of data online;

An increasing adoption of risk methodologies to aid decision making where geological, geotechnical, sociological, economic and procedural data are built into event scenarios and assessed by professional judgement.

There was some indication from conference that, as hypothesized by
Knill (2003)
and
Culshaw (2005)
, the engineering geology profession continues in a process of ‘synthesis’ whereby the profession is gaining influence upon planning decisions and policy. Some sectors, notably radon, volcanic and seismic management, have shifted the
presentation
of their research to take better account of societal vulnerability and management. As a result, geoscience expertise in radon and seismic hazards is increasingly integrated with planning procedures. Although this ‘evolution’ is perhaps more difficult for more localized geohazards such as landslides or karst, there was good indication that such a shift is underway.
Urban site investigation
Authors: Clayton C. R. I.
Published: December 2009

This paper provides a written version of a Keynote Presentation made at the 10th International Congress of the Association for Engineering Geology and the Environment (IAEG), held in Nottingham in September 2006. It identifies the objectives of site investigation, as stated in the British Standard. It then reviews the difficulties that face the investigator, and identifies factors that have in the UK been found to have an influence on the success of site investigations. Developments in general UK ground investigation strategy are outlined. The challenges of urban site investigations are identified, as is the vulnerability of urban development. Recent advances in investigation techniques are described, and conclusions drawn.
U-Pb zircon geochronology of Palaeozoic units in Western and Central Guatemala: insights into the tectonic evolution of Middle America
Authors: Solari L. A. , Ortega-Gutiérrez F. , Elías-Herrera M. , Schaaf P. , Norman M. , de león R. Torres , Ortega-Obregón C. , Chiquín M. , ical S. Morán
Published: December 2009

Precambrian and Palaeozoic basements are present in southern Mexico and Central America, where several crustal blocks are recognized by their different geological record, and juxtaposed along lateral faults. Pre-Mesozoic reconstructions must take into account the nature of such crustal blocks, their geological history, age and petrology. Some of those crustal blocks are currently located between southernmost north America (the Maya Block) and Central America (Chortís Block).To better understand the geology of these crustal blocks, and to establish comparisons between their geological history, we performed U–Pb dating of both igneous and metasedimentary key units cropping out in central and western Guatemala. In the Altos Cuchumatanes (Maya Block) granites yield both Permian (269±29 Ma) and Early Devonian (391±7.4 Ma) U–Pb ages. LA-ICPMS detrital zircon ages from rocks of the San Gabriel sequence, interpreted as the oldest metasedimentary unit of the Maya Block, and overlain by the Late Palaeozoic Upper Santa Rosa Group, yield Precambrian detrital zircons bracketed between
c
. 920 and
c
. 1000 Ma. The presence of these metasedimentary units, as well as Early Devonian to Silurian granites in the Mayan continental margin, from west (Altos Cuchumatanes), to east (Maya Mountains of Belize) indicates a more or less continuous belt of Lower Palaeozoic igneous activity, also suggesting that the continental margin of the Maya Block can be extended south of the Polochic fault, up to the Baja Verapaz shear zone. A metasedimentary sample belonging to the Chuacús Complex yielded detrital zircons with ages between
c
. 440 and
c
. 1325 Ma. The younger ages are similar to the igneous ages reported from the entire southern Maya continental margin, and show proximity of the Complex in the Middle-Late Palaeozoic. The S. Diego Phyllite, which overlies high-grade basement units of the Chortís Block, contains zircons that are Lower Cambrian (
c
. 538 Ma), Mesoproterozoic (
c
. 980 to
c
. 1150 Ma) and even Palaeoproterozoic (
c
. 1820 Ma). Absence of younger igneous zircons in the San Diego Phyllite indicates that either its sedimentation took place in a close range of time, during the Late Cambrian, or absence of connection between Chortís and Maya Blocks during the Early–Mid-Palaeozoic. The Precambrian zircons could have come from southern Mexico (Oaxaca and Guichicovi Complexes), or from Mesoproterozoic Massifs exposed in Laurentia and Gondwana. Palaeogeographic models for Middle America are limited to post-Jurassic time. The data presented here shed light on Palaeozoic and, possibly, Precambrian relationships. They indicate that Maya and the Chortís did not interact directly until the Mesozoic or Cenozoic, as they approached their current position.
Geochemistry and tectonomagmatic significance of Lower Cretaceous island arc lavas from the Devils Racecourse Formation, eastern Jamaica
Authors: Hastie Alan R. , Kerr Andrew C. , Mitchell Simon F. , Millar Ian L.
Published: December 2009

The Benbow Inlier in Jamaica contains the Devils Racecourse Formation, which is composed of a Hauterivian to Aptian island arc succession. The lavas can be split into a lower succession of basaltic andesites and dacites/rhyolites, which have an island arc tholeiite (IAT) composition and an upper basaltic and basaltic andesite sequence with a calc-alkaline (CA) chemistry. Trace element and Nd–Hf isotopic evidence reveals that the IAT and CA lavas are derived from two chemically similar mantle wedge source regions predominantly composed of normal mid-ocean ridge-type spinel lherzolite. In addition, Th-light rare earth element/high field strength element–heavy rare earth element ratios, Nd–Hf isotope systematics, (Ce/Ce*)

n-mn

and Th/La ratios indicate that the IAT and CA mantle wedge source regions were enriched by chemically distinct slab fluxes, which were derived from both the altered basaltic portion of the slab and its accompanying pelagic and terrigenous sedimentary veneer respectively. The presence of IAT and CA island arc lavas before and after the Aptian–Albian demonstrates that the compositional change in the Great Arc of the Caribbean was the result of the subduction of chemically differing sedimentary material. There is therefore no evidence from the geochemistry of this lava succession to support arc-wide subduction polarity reversal in the Aptian–Albian.
Late Cretaceous to Miocene seamount accretion and mélange formation in the Osa and Burica Peninsulas (Southern Costa Rica): episodic growth of a convergent margin
Authors: Buchs David Marc , Baumgartner Peter Oliver , Baumgartner-Mora Claudia , Bandini Alexandre Nicolas , Jackett Sarah-Jane , Diserens Marc-Olivier , Stucki Jérôme
Published: December 2009

Multidisciplinary study of the Osa and Burica peninsulas, Costa Rica, recognizes the Osa Igneous Complex and the Osa Mélange – records of a complex Late Cretaceous–Miocene tectonic–sedimentary history. The Igneous Complex, an accretionary prism (sensu stricto) comprises mainly basaltic lava flows, with minor sills, gabbroic intrusives, pelagic limestones and radiolarites. Sediments or igneous rocks derived from the upper plate are absent. Four units delimited on the base of stratigraphy and geochemistry lie in contact along reactivated palaeo-décollement zones. They comprise fragments of a Coniacian–Santonian oceanic plateau (Inner Osa Igneous Complex) and Coniacian–Santonian to Middle Eocene seamounts (Outer Osa Igneous Complex). The units are unrelated to other igneous complexes of Costa Rica and Panama and are exotic with respect to the partly overthickened Caribbean Plate; they formed by multiple accretions between the Late Cretaceous and Middle Eocene, prior to the genesis of the mélange. Events of high-rate accretion alternated with periods of low-rate accretion and tectonic erosion. The NW Osa Mélange in contact with the Osa Igneous Complex has a block-in-matrix texture at various scales, produced by sedimentary processes and later tectonically enhanced. Lithologies are mainly debris flows and hemipelagic deposits. Clastic components (grains to large boulders) indicate Late Eocene mass wasting of the Igneous Complex, forearc deposits and a volcanic arc. Gravitational accumulation of a thick pile of trench sediments culminated with shallow-level accretion. Mass-wasting along the margin was probably triggered by seamount subduction and/or plate reorganization at larger scale. The study provides new geological constraints for seamount subduction and associated accretionary processes, as well as on the erosive/accretionary nature of convergent margins devoid of accreted sediments.
Accreted oceanic terranes in Ecuador: southern edge of the Caribbean Plate?
Authors: Jaillard Etienne , Lapierre Henriette , Ordoñez Martha , Álava Jorge Toro , Amórtegui Andrea , Vanmelle Jérémie
Published: December 2009

The western part of Ecuador is made from several oceanic terranes, which comprise two oceanic plateaus, of Early (
c
. 120 Ma) and Late Cretaceous age (
c
. 90 Ma), respectively. The older oceanic plateau was accreted to the Andean margin in the Late Campanian (
c
. 75 Ma). Fragments of the Turonian–Coniacian plateau were accreted to the Ecuadorian margin in the Late Maastrichtian (
c
. 68 Ma, Guaranda terrane) and Late Paleocene (
c
. 58 Ma, Piñón–Naranjal terrane). The Guaranda terrane received either fine-grained oceanic sediments of Coniacian–Maastrichtian age, or island arc/back-arc volcanic suites of Middle Campanian–Middle Maastrichtian age. The Piñón–Naranjal terrane recorded a comparable history, completed in the Maastrichtian–Paleocene, either by pelagic cherts, or by island arc products (Macuchi arc). The Late Cretaceous plateau of Ecuador is interpreted as part of the Caribbean oceanic plateau (COP), because their evolutions are comparable. If so, the COP was not formed by the Galápagos hotspot, but on the Farallón oceanic plate, south of Ecuador and close to the South American margin. The COP belonged to the Farallón plate, until a subduction zone separated both plates in the Middle Campanian, giving way to a well-developed Mid Campanian–Mid Maastrichtian island arc. Accretion in the Late Maastrichtian triggered a change in the subduction system, and the development of a new arc system of Late Maastrichtian–Late Paleocene age, which crosscut the South America–COP plate boundary. The last accretion occurred in the Late Paleocene.
Some remarks on the Caribbean Plate kinematics: facts and remaining problems
Authors: Giunta G. , Oliveri E.
Published: December 2009

Caribbean Plate margins are assemblages of terranes located, since the Mid-Cretaceous, along transform boundaries between the Caribbean, North and South America and the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Litho-stratigraphic, petrological and metamorphic features of the main units and their regional correlations allow definition of the main geotectonic elements (continental margins, oceanic basins, subduction zones, magmatic arcs) involved in the evolution of Caribbean Plate margins. They provide valuable constraints on plate evolution since the Jurassic. This involved proto-Caribbean ocean opening, thickening into an oceanic plateau, beginning of convergence in the Early Cretaceous, atypical evolution of a supra-subduction system during the Mid-Cretaceous, subduction of rifted continental margins, Late Cretaceous convergence related to eastward migration of two opposite triple-junctions and strike–slip tectonics. Using these data, we compare different models and suggest improvements.
Caribbean-South America oblique collision model revised
Authors: Higgs Roger
Published: December 2009

The ‘Caribbean oblique collision model’ invokes a three-stage evolution for Ecuador–Colombia–Venezuela–Trinidad: (1) Jurassic rifting; (2) Oxfordian–Neogene passive margin subsidence beside the spreading (until Campanian) Proto-Caribbean Ocean; (3) Campanian to Miocene oblique collision of the Caribbean Arc from the west, producing a craton-verging thrust belt and foreland basin. The timing of these stages is incorrect. Rifting ended 70 Ma later (Coniacian), with Cuba breaking away from Venezuela–Trinidad. Brief Proto-Caribbean spreading (Santonian–Campanian) was followed by slow (amagmatic) subduction below Venezuela and Trinidad, driven by inter-Americas convergence, so the passive margin lasted just 10–15 Ma in eastern Venezuela, not 140 Ma (sic). Convergence changed from WSW to SSE in Paleocene time, causing Proto-Caribbean subduction under Colombia too. Subduction in Venezuela–Trinidad drove upper crustal nappes cratonward, metamorphosing overridden rift deposits of the Inner Nappe (Cordillera de la Costa) and feeding Campanian–Miocene olistostromes to aProto-Caribbean‘pre-arc’ foreland basin. The Caribbean Arc collided with Ecuador to Guajira from Campanian time and passed ‘Guajira corner’ in Early Oligocene time, not Paleocene, then migrated SE forming the Gulf of Venezuela–Falcón, diachronous (Oligo–Miocene), transform-related extensional basin, followed by oblique collision (obduction) in central Venezuela to Trinidad driving a Mio–PlioceneCaribbeanforeland basin. Caribbean relative motion switched to eastward near 2.5 Ma, not 12 Ma as is widely believed. The new plate boundary follows the Eastern Cordillera–Mérida Andes–San Sebastián–El Pilar–Trinidad Central Range fault system. Pull-apart basins date from 2.5 Ma at the Cariaco and intra-Gulf of Paria stepovers. Elsewhere the boundary is characterized by transpressional uplift, overwhelmed in some areas (e.g. Gulf of Barcelona; greater Gulf of Paria) by subsidence due to dissolution of inferred, buried, Neocomian rift halite since the Middle Miocene (climate change). The revised timings of events, and the revival of the geosyncline-era concept of Late Cretaceous–Palaeogene orogeny in northern South America, will affect petroleum exploration.
A structuring event of Campanian age in western Venezuela, interpreted from seismic and palaeontological data
Authors: Cooney P. M. , Lorente M. A.
Published: December 2009

A period of structuring, uplift, non-deposition and/or erosion in the Campanian in Western Venezuela, different from the generally known Late Cretaceous event is proposed to explain: (1) a varying time gap (10 to 1 million years) from east to west across the Maracaibo basin between La Luna and Colón formations; (2) a correlating time gap of 11 million years between the Santonian and Upper Campanian sediments in the Barinas basin; (3) structuring at the Top La Luna seismic horizon in the southwestern, west and central parts of the Maracaibo basin which is not reflected in the overlying section; (4) different thickness patterns in the isopach maps for the units underlying the Top La Luna seismic level and the immediately overlying section at least in area of the Colón Unit; (5) an abrupt change in vitrinite reflectance values in the SW of the basin from 0.47–0.60% above to 1.09–1.80% below the top of La Luna Formation; and (6) fission track ages in the range 70–80 Ma in the Circum-Caribbean. The predominant north–south trend of this structuring suggests that it is related to changes on the dynamics of the South American plate boundary during Campanian that may have involved a major igneous and volcanic event registered 70–80 Ma.
The occurrence and timing of high-pressure metamorphism on Margarita Island, Venezuela: a constraint on Caribbean-South America interaction
Authors: Maresch Walter V. , Kluge Rolf , Baumann Albrecht , Pindell James L. , Krückhans-Lueder Gabriela , Stanek Klaus
Published: December 2009

The metamorphic rock sequences exposed on the Island of Margarita, Venezuela, located in the southeastern corner of the Caribbean Plate margin, are composed of a high-pressure/low-temperature (HP/LT) nucleus subducted to at least 50 km depth, now structurally overlain by lower-grade greenschist-facies units lacking any sign of high-pressure subduction-zone metamorphism. The HP/LT nucleus involves protoliths of both oceanic (metabasalts and intimately associated carbonaceous schists of the La Rinconada unit; peridotite massifs) and continental affinity (metapelites, marbles and gneisses of the Juan Griego unit). All HP/LT units were joined together prior to the peak of high-pressure metamorphism, as shown by their matching metamorphic pressure–temperature evolution. The metamorphic grade attained produced barroisite as the regional amphibole. Glaucophane is not known from Margarita. Contrary to a widely propagated assumption, there are no
major
nappe structures
post-dating
HP/LT metamorphism anywhere
within
the high-pressure nucleus of Margarita Island. U–Pb zircon dating of key tonalitic to granitic intrusive rocks provides the following constraints: (1) the Juan Griego unit is heterogeneous and contains Palaeozoic as well as probable Mesozoic protolith; (2) the peak of HP/LT metamorphism, that is maximum subduction, is younger than 116–106 Ma and older than 85 Ma, most probably
c.
100–90 Ma, a time span during which the southeastern Caribbean/South American border was clearly a passive margin. The assembly of Margaritan protoliths and their HP/LT overprint occurred far to the west in northwestern South America, a scenario completely in accord with the details of the Pacific-origin model outlined by Pindell & Kennan. Juxtaposition of the greenschist-facies units occurred after exhumation into mid-crustal levels after
c.
80 Ma.
Evolution of Middle America and the
in situ
Caribbean Plate model
Authors: James Keith H.
Published: December 2009

Regional geological data and global analogues suggest Caribbean Plate geology continues that seen along the margin of eastern North America in a more extensional setting, between the diverging Americas. From west to east there are continental masses with Triassic rifts, proximal continental blocks with kilometres-thick Mesozoic carbonates, more distal areas of Palaeozoic horsts flanked by Triassic–Jurassic dipping wedges of sediments, including salt and overlain by Cretaceous basalts, and most distal areas of serpentinized upper mantle. Plate history began along with the Late Triassic formation of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province and involved Triassic–Jurassic rifting, Jurassic–Early Cenozoic extension and Oligocene–Recent strike–slip. Great extension promoted volcanism, foundering, eastward growth of the plate by backarc spreading and distribution of continental fragments on the plate interior and along its margins. Hydrocarbons probably are present. Caribbean geology has important implications for understanding of oceanic plateaus, intra-oceanic volcanic arcs, the ‘andesite problem’ and genesis of ‘subduction’ HP/LT metamorphic rocks. The model can be tested by re-examination of existing samples and seismic data and by deep sea drilling.
Increased subsarcolemmal lipids in type 2 diabetes: effect of training on localization of lipids, mitochondria, and glycogen in sedentary human skeletal muscle
Authors: Nielsen Joachim , Mogensen Martin , Vind Birgitte F. , Sahlin Kent , Højlund Kurt , Schrøder Henrik D. , Ørtenblad Niels
Published: December 2009

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of aerobic training and type 2 diabetes on intramyocellular localization of lipids, mitochondria, and glycogen. Obese type 2 diabetic patients ( n = 12) and matched obese controls ( n = 12) participated in aerobic cycling training for 10 wk. Endurance-trained athletes ( n = 15) were included for comparison. Insulin action was determined by euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp. Intramyocellular contents of lipids, mitochondria, and glycogen at different subcellular compartments were assessed by transmission electron microscopy in biopsies obtained from vastus lateralis muscle. Type 2 diabetic patients were more insulin resistant than obese controls and had threefold higher volume of subsarcolemmal (SS) lipids compared with obese controls and endurance-trained subjects. No difference was found in intermyofibrillar lipids. Importantly, following aerobic training, this excess SS lipid volume was lowered by ∼50%, approaching the levels observed in the nondiabetic subjects. A strong inverse association between insulin sensitivity and SS lipid volume was found ( r2=0.62, P = 0.002). The volume density and localization of mitochondria and glycogen were the same in type 2 diabetic patients and control subjects, and showed in parallel with improved insulin sensitivity a similar increase in response to training, however, with a more pronounced increase in SS mitochondria and SS glycogen than in other localizations. In conclusion, this study, estimating intramyocellular localization of lipids, mitochondria, and glycogen, indicates that type 2 diabetic patients may be exposed to increased levels of SS lipids. Thus consideration of cell compartmentation may advance the understanding of the role of lipids in muscle function and type 2 diabetes.
Generation of Spatiotemporally Correlated Spike Trains and Local Field Potentials Using a Multivariate Autoregressive Process
Authors: Gutnisky Diego A. , Josić Krešimir
Published: December 2009

Experimental advances allowing for the simultaneous recording of activity at multiple sites have significantly increased our understanding of the spatiotemporal patterns in neural activity. The impact of such patterns on neural coding is a fundamental question in neuroscience. The simulation of spike trains with predetermined activity patterns is therefore an important ingredient in the study of potential neural codes. Such artificially generated spike trains could also be used to manipulate cortical neurons in vitro and in vivo. Here, we propose a method to generate spike trains with given mean firing rates and cross-correlations. To capture this statistical structure we generate a point process by thresholding a stochastic process that is continuous in space and discrete in time. This stochastic process is obtained by filtering Gaussian noise through a multivariate autoregressive (AR) model. The parameters of the AR model are obtained by a nonlinear transformation of the point-process correlations to the continuous-process correlations. The proposed method is very efficient and allows for the simulation of large neural populations. It can be optimized to the structure of spatiotemporal correlations and generalized to nonstationary processes and spatiotemporal patterns of local field potentials and spike trains.
Afferent Contribution to Locomotor Muscle Activity During Unconstrained Overground Human Walking: An Analysis of Triceps Surae Muscle Fascicles
Authors: af Klint R. , Cronin N. J. , Ishikawa M. , Sinkjaer T. , Grey M. J.
Published: December 2009

Plantar flexor series elasticity can be used to dissociate muscle–fascicle and muscle–tendon behavior and thus afferent feedback during human walking. We used electromyography (EMG) and high-speed ultrasonography concomitantly to monitor muscle activity and muscle fascicle behavior in 19 healthy volunteers as they walked across a platform. On random trials, the platform was dropped (8 cm, 0.9 g acceleration) or held at a small inclination (up to ±3° in the parasagittal plane) with respect to level ground. Dropping the platform in the mid and late phases of stance produced a depression in the soleus muscle activity with an onset latency of about 50 ms. The reduction in ground reaction force also unloaded the plantar flexor muscles. The soleus muscle fascicles shortened with a minimum delay of 14 ms. Small variations in platform inclination produced significant changes in triceps surae muscle activity; EMG increased when stepping on an inclined surface and decreased when stepping on a declined surface. This sensory modulation of the locomotor output was concomitant with changes in triceps surae muscle fascicle and gastrocnemius tendon length. Assuming that afferent activity correlates to these mechanical changes, our results indicate that within-step sensory feedback from the plantar flexor muscles automatically adjusts muscle activity to compensate for small ground irregularities. The delayed onset of muscle fascicle movement after dropping the platform indicates that at least the initial part of the soleus depression is more likely mediated by a decrease in force feedback than length-sensitive feedback, indicating that force feedback contributes to the locomotor activity in human walking.
Regulatory T cell-mediated resolution of lung injury: identification of potential target genes via expression profiling
Authors: Aggarwal Neil R. , D'Alessio Franco R. , Tsushima Kenji , Sidhaye Venkataramana K. , Cheadle Christopher , Grigoryev Dmitry N. , Barnes Kathleen C. , King Landon S.
Published: December 2009

In animal models of acute lung injury (ALI), gene expression studies have focused on the acute phase of illness, with little emphasis on resolution. In this study, the acute phase of intratracheal lipopolysaccharide (IT LPS)-induced lung injury was similar in wild-type (WT) and recombinase-activating gene-1-deficient (Rag-1−/−) lymphocyte-deficient mice, but resolution was impaired and resolution-phase lung gene expression remained different from baseline only in Rag-1−/−mice. By focusing on groups of genes involved in similar biological processes (gene ontologies) pertinent to inflammation and the immune response, we identified 102 genes at days 4 and 10 after IT LPS with significantly different expression between WT and Rag-1−/−mice. After adoptive transfer of isolated CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) to Rag-1−/−mice at the time of IT LPS, resolution was similar to that in WT mice. Of the 102 genes distinctly changed in either WT or Rag-1−/−mice from our 7 gene ontologies, 19 genes reverted from the Rag-1−/−to the WT pattern of expression after adoptive transfer of Tregs, implicating those 19 genes in Treg-mediated resolution of ALI.
Existence of Solution for Nonlinear Elliptic Equations with Unbounded Coefficients andL1Data
Authors: Redwane Hicham
Published: December 2009

An existence result of a renormalized solution for a class of nonlinear elliptic equations is established. The diffusion functionsa(x,u, ∇u) may not be in for a finite value of the unknown and the data belong toL1(Ω).
A Putative Case of Methotrexate-Related Lymphoma: Clinical Course and PET/CT Findings
Authors: Jankowitz Rachel C. , Ganon James , Blodgett Todd , Garcia Christine , Jacobs Samuel
Published: December 2009

Patients with autoimmune conditions develop lymphoproliferative disorders (LPDs) at a higher frequency than normal both in association with and independent of Methotrexate (MTX). We describe a case of MTX-associated lymphoma in a patient with psoriasis on long-standing MTX. The case is notable for the initial tumor burden, the dramatic disappearance of the PET-CT findings on discontinuation of MTX, and the subsequent early regrowth of disease. Our case report is illustrative of an MTX-related NHL in an autoimmune patient.Conclusion. Withdrawal of MTX in a patient with lymphoma is reasonable before initiating chemotherapy, but observation for early regrowth of disease is necessary.
Central Neuraxial Blockade-Assisted External Cephalic Version in Reducing Caesarean Section Rate: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Bolaji Ibrahim , Alabi-Isama Lillian
Published: December 2009

We review the medical literature on the success, safety and economic value of central neuraxial blockade-assisted (CNB) external cephalic version from randomized controlled studies identified from 1951 to 2009. The result showed that more women had successful ECV with regional anaesthesia with corresponding reduction in caesarean section rate. They were 1.5 times more likely than women not receiving anaesthesia to have a successful ECV. The number to treat is six women needed to receive anaesthesia for 1 baby to be turned from breech to cephalic presentation. Feto-maternal morbidity was not increased in the CNB-aided group consisting of only transient bradycardia. Although the appropriate amount of force for safe version has not been quantified, there was no report of uterine rupture despite removal of these patients from “excessive force-pain biofeedback loop” induced through motor nerve blockade. We can attribute 30% of cost savings amounting to £42,150.00 directly to CNB using the most up to date Health Resource Group Code (HRG4). The initial results are encouraging but until the benefits and safety of CNB-aided ECV are substantiated by large randomized, blinded controlled trials, this practice cannot be universally recommended.
Strong Convergence Theorems of Common Fixed Points for a Family of Quasi-"Equation missing" -Nonexpansive Mappings
Authors: Qin Xiaolong , Cho YeolJe , Cho SunYoung , Kang ShinMin
Published: December 2009

We consider a modified Halpern type iterative algorithm for a family of quasi-"Equation missing"-nonexpansive mappings in the framework of Banach spaces. Strong convergence theorems of the purposed iterative algorithms are established.
Potentiation of Temozolomide Cytotoxicity by Inhibition of DNA Polymerase β Is Accentuated by BRCA2 Mutation
Authors: Stachelek Gregory C. , Dalal Shibani , Donigan Katherine A. , Campisi Hegan Denise , Sweasy Joann B. , Glazer Peter M.
Published: December 2009

Base excision repair (BER) plays a critical role in the repair of bases damaged by oxidative metabolism or alkylating agents, such as those commonly used in cancer therapy. Incomplete BER generates intermediates that require activation of homology-dependent DNA repair to resolve. We investigated the effects of lithocholic acid (LCA), an inhibitor of the key BER enzyme DNA polymerase β (pol β), in cells deficient in expression of the homology-dependent repair factor BRCA2. In vitro studies show that LCA suppresses the DNA polymerase and 5′-deoxyribose phosphate lyase activities of DNA pol β by preventing the formation of a stable pol β–DNA complex, reducing BER effectiveness. Cytotoxicity assays based on colony formation revealed that LCA exhibits synergism with the alkylating agent temozolomide, which engages BER through DNA methylation, and that the degree of synergism is increased in cells lacking functional BRCA2. BRCA2-deficient cells also showed heightened susceptibility to both LCA and temozolomide individually. The potentiation of temozolomide cytotoxicity by LCA owes to the conversion of single-stranded DNA breaks generated through incomplete BER of methylated nucleotides into double-stranded breaks during DNA replication, as indicated by γH2AX immunofluorescence. Death seems to be induced in cotreated cells through an accumulation of persistent double-stranded DNA breaks. Mutations of the BRCA2 gene have been extensively characterized and are present in various cancers, implying that inhibition of BER may offer a means to augment tumor selectivity in the use of conventional cancer therapies. Cancer Res; 70(1); 409–17