bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
REFUGEES AND INTERNAL ARMED CONFLICTS
Authors: Olbourne Ben
Published: July 2008

Most people forced to flee across national borders do so to escape the consequences of internal armed conflicts. But the extension of protection to such people by the countries from which they seek asylum has proved to be uncertain. Most of these countries have undertaken protection obligations towards persons claiming refugee status in accordance with the 1951 Convention for the Protection of Refugees (“the Convention”). For the purposes of the Convention, a “refugee” is defined as any person who “owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country” (Article 1A(2)). Although that definition is contained in an international instrument, national immigration laws incorporate or refer to it and its construction and application generally fall to national administrators and judges. It is, therefore, not altogether surprising that decision-makers in different countries reach different conclusions as to its scope and meaning. Such is the case with Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs v. Haji Ibrahim (2000) 175 A.L.R. 585, in which the High Court of Australia rejected the approach of the House of Lords in Adan v. Secretary of State for the Home Department [1999] 1 A.C. 293. At issue in both cases were claims for refugee status made by persons having fled Somalia, a country riddled by internecine clan conflict and lacking any recognisable governmental authority. Although the ultimate decision in each case turned on the appreciation of the specific findings of fact made by the initial adjudicators, a significant difference of approach in the application of the Convention definition may be identified.
ARTICLE 6(1) OF THE EUROPEAN CONVENTION AND THE CURATIVE POWERS OF JUDICIAL REVIEW
Authors: Forsyth Christopher
Published: July 2008

The European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms makes no mention of any right to procedural justice in the making of administrative decisions. Any protection for such rights must be found in Article 6(1) which provides that in the determination of their “civil rights and obligations … everyone is entitled to a fair and public hearing within a reasonable time by an independent and impartial tribunal established by law”. But Article 6(1) was originally intended to apply to the determination of private law rights only and not to public law matters (see Le Compte, Van Leuven and De Meyere v. Belgium (1981) 4 E.H.R.R. 1, 36 (Sir Vincent Evans, dissenting); Konig v. Germany (1978) 2 E.H.R.R. 170 (Matscher J., dissenting)). The article plainly envisages judicial proceedings, and there are obvious difficulties in applying it straightforwardly to administrative proceedings.
SHAMS, PRETENCES, SUBTERFUGES AND DEVICES
Authors: Thornton Rosy
Published: July 2008

The statutory security of tenure conferred upon the tenants of private residential property has long been (to mix two metaphors) a fertile battle ground, with landlords and their legal advisers showing great ingenuity in devising agreements designed to circumvent the provisions of the legislation. Most famously, of course, there was the loophole of disguising the lease as a mere licence to occupy, which was effectively closed off by the House of Lords in Street v. Mountford [1985] A.C. 809. It is perhaps surprising that although security of tenure was first introduced as long ago as 1920, landlords are still able to come up with new devices in the attempt to ensure that they can regain possession of their property whenever they wish. One such device was the recent subject of consideration by the Court of Appeal in Bankway Properties Ltd. v. Pensfold-Dunsford [2001] 1 W.L.R. 1369.
STAYS AND THE EUROPEAN CONVENTIONS-END-GAME?
Authors: Fentiman Richard
Published: July 2008

MAY an English court, having jurisdiction under the Brussels or Lugano Convention, decline to entertain proceedings on the basis that a court in a non-Contracting State is the forum conveniens? Many would doubt it-can national law oust jurisdiction conferred by the Conventions? But the Court of Appeal famously decided otherwise in Re Harrods (Buenos Aires) Ltd. [1992] Ch. 72. The Conventions, it concluded, are designed to harmonise the jurisdictional rules of Contracting States only to the extent necessary to facilitate the enforcement of judgments between such States, their primary concern. That objective is unaffected if a case is eventually tried in a non-Contracting State, so stays in such cases are permitted. The House of Lords in Harrods referred the point to the European Court of Justice, but the case was settled, creating uncertainty about the correct solution, yet leaving all courts but the House of Lords bound by the Court of Appeal’s decision.
DEHYDRATION AND HUMAN RIGHTS
Authors: Keown John
Published: July 2008

IN NHS Trust v. Bland [1993] A.C. 789 the House of Lords held it lawful for a doctor to withdraw tube-delivered food and fluids from his patient in persistent vegetative state (pvs) even though this would cause death by dehydration. The most controversial aspect of the case was the further ruling by three of their Lordships that it was lawful even though the doctor’s purpose was not merely to withdraw what he regarded as a futile “medical treatment” but was precisely to kill the patient. As one of their Lordships, Lord Mustill, rightly recognised (even though he thought withdrawal ethically justifiable), this ruling left the law “morally and intellectually misshapen”, prohibiting intentional killing by an act but permitting intentional killing by omission.
ENGLISH PUBLIC POLICY INTERNATIONALISED—AND CONVERSION CLARIFIED TOO
Authors: O’Keefe Roger
Published: July 2008

War may be hell but it’s a godsend for litigators. Having previously ruled on the threshold questions of effective service of the writ and State immunity, and then in respect of an allegation of perjured evidence, the House of Lords was called on in Kuwait Airways Corporation v. Iraqi Airways Company (Nos. 4 & 5) [2002] UKHL 19, [2002] 2 W.L.R. 1353 to consider the merits of this complicated case arising out of Iraq’s invasion and annexation of Kuwait in August 1990.
Subduing “The Rural House-building Craze”: Attitudes Towards Housing Construction and Land Use Controls in Four Zhejiang Villages
Authors: Sargeson Sally
Published: July 2008

Why do villagers in China's most densely populated and productive agricultural regions use scarce farmland to construct housing? And why has the Chinese government, which has legislated to conserve arable land so as to ensure national food security, been unable to control housing construction in the countryside? Previous studies of the factors motivating the rural housing boom tend to explain this either as a reaction against insecure property rights in land and a speculative response to emergent market opportunities, or as a social mobility tactic. This paper presents interview and survey data from four villages in Zhejiang province that show that property rights in land do not affect villagers' housing construction and market incentives play only a minor role in propelling house-building. The social and demographic aspirations of families and the reconfiguration of rural households' economic activities are major stimuli of “the rural house-building craze.”
China's Hookworms
Authors: Hotez Peter J.
Published: July 2008

Huang zhong bing, the “yellow puffy disease” caused by parasitic hookworms living in the human small intestine, was common throughout pre-liberation China. Hookworms contributed significantly to the nation's reputation as the sick man of Asia. However, even today China has the world's greatest number of cases of human hookworm infection. From estimates based on diagnostic surveys obtained during the early 1990s on over one million patients, there are approximately 194 million Chinese infected with hookworm. Most of these infections occur among the rural poor in the south and south-west. Even more recent data obtained in 1997 and 1998 indicate that hookworm remains a major public health problem in Hainan, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces. Populations of the elderly and middle-aged women are emerging as the groups now at greatest risk for acquiring hookworm. New evidence indicates that in addition to threatening health, hookworms also contribute significantly to economic under-development. Hookworms are a living reminder of China's often-forgotten rural southern poverty and a rapidly growing urban–rural inequality; they are an impediment to China's future economic growth.
Weak State, Strong Networks: The Institutional Dynamics of Foreign Direct Investment in China. By Hongying Wang. [Hong Kong: Oxford University Press, 2001. xiii+211 pp. HK$150.00. ISBN 019-590631-4.]
Authors: Luo Qi
Published: July 2008

This is a competent work that challenges the claim of new institutional economics and international regime theory that effective state institutions in the host country are vital to the inflow, and indeed growth, of foreign direct investment (FDI). It argues that the large amount of FDI China has attracted so far has been facilitated more by the informal societal institutions represented by strong personal networks operating in the country than by the formal state institutions manifested by the weak legal system. The author validates her arguments with a large number of anecdotes based on over 100 interviews she conducted in China.
Éducation et Politique en Chine: Le Rôle des Élites du Jiangsu, 1905–1914. By Xiaohong Xiao-Planes. [Paris: Éditions de l'École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, 2001. 438 pp. €46.00. ISBN 2-7132-1380-0.]
Authors: Hayhoe Ruth
Published: July 2008

This volume makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the crucial period of transition in Chinese education and politics, from 1905 to 1914, and adds greatly to the work of scholars such as Marianne Bastid, Paul Bailey, Mary Backus Rankin and others whose research has illumined this period. The focus on the province of Jiangsu, traditionally a leading centre of literati influence and a focal point for reformist initiatives in education, makes possible a detailed analysis of many facets of the transition, rooted in remarkably comprehensive documentary materials.
China's Old Dwellings. By Ronald G. Knapp. [Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press, 2000. i-xi+363 pp. Hard cover $70.00, ISBN 0-8248-2075-4; paperback $44.95, ISBN 0-8248-2214-5.]
Authors: Cartier Carolyn
Published: July 2008

In many areas of China, the transformation of the built environment under reform is claiming traditional buildings to create new space for industrial development. The rapidity of growth, urged by the state, characteristically imposes new order on the landscape and reorders the places built by people motivated by different chronological logics, of seasonality, ritual, and the human lifepath. As if just in time to testify on behalf of endangered traditional landscapes, Ronald Knapp has produced China's Old Dwellings, which provides unprecedented coverage of the design and distinctive structural characteristics of regional housing forms.
Lost Voices of Modernity: A Chinese Popular Fiction Magazine in Context. By Denise Gimpel. [Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press, 2001. xi+322 pp. $27.95. ISBN 0-8248-2279-X.]
Authors: Chung Hilary
Published: July 2008

There is a growing recognition of the way in which the agenda of Western scholarship on China, particularly on 20th-century China, has been shaped or influenced by what we might identify as a Chinese agenda of political correctness. The neglect of the first 11 years of publication of the Short Story Magazine (Xiaoshuo yuebao) (1910–1921), and its dismissal as simply purveying superficial popular entertainment, is a case in point.
UNBOUNDED B-FREDHOLM OPERATORS ON HILBERT SPACES
Authors: Berkani M. , Castro-González N.
Published: July 2008

This paper is concerned with the study of a class of closed linear operators densely defined on a Hilbert space $H$ and called B-Fredholm operators. We characterize a B-Fredholm operator as the direct sum of a Fredholm closed operator and a bounded nilpotent operator. The notion of an index of a B-Fredholm operator is introduced and a characterization of B-Fredholm operators with index $0$ is given in terms of the sum of a Drazin closed operator and a finite-rank operator. We analyse the properties of the powers $T^m$ of a closed B-Fredholm operator and we establish a spectral mapping theorem.
BIMINIMAL IMMERSIONS
Authors: Loubeau E. , Montaldo S.
Published: July 2008

We study biminimal immersions: that is, immersions which are critical points of the bienergy for normal variations with fixed energy. We give a geometrical description of the Euler–Lagrange equation associated with biminimal immersions for both biminimal curves in a Riemannian manifold, with particular attention given to the case of curves in a space form, and isometric immersions of codimension 1 in a Riemannian manifold, in particular for surfaces of a three-dimensional manifold. We describe two methods of constructing families of biminimal surfaces using both Riemannian and horizontally homothetic submersions.
ON THE HOLLAND–WALSH CHARACTERIZATION OF BLOCH FUNCTIONS
Authors: Pavlović Miroslav
Published: July 2008

It is proved that the Bloch norm of an arbitrary $C^1$-function defined on the unit ball $\mathbb{B}_n\subset\mathbb{R}^n$ is equal to

$$ \sup_{x,y\in\mathbb{B}_n,\,x\neq y}{(1-|x|^2)^{1/2}(1-|y|^2)^{1/2}}\frac{|f(x)-f(y)|}{|x-y|}. $$
A CHARACTERIZATION OF COMPOSITION OPERATORS ON ALGEBRAS OF ANALYTIC FUNCTIONS
Authors: Carando Daniel
Published: July 2008

We give a characterization of composition operators between algebras of analytic functions on a Banach space. We show (under fairly general conditions) that they are precisely the multiplicative operators that are transposes of operators of between the preduals of the algebras. The special cases of $H^\infty(U)$ and $H_{\mathrm{b}}(U)$ are considered. In these cases, the composition operators are those which are pointwise-to-pointwise continuous and/or $\tau_0$-to-$\tau_0$ continuous (where $\tau_0$ is the compact-open topology). We obtain Banach–Stone-type theorems for these algebras.
APPLICATIONS OF VARIATIONAL METHODS TO BOUNDARY-VALUE PROBLEM FOR IMPULSIVE DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
Authors: Tian Yu , Ge Weigao
Published: July 2008

In this paper, we investigate the existence of positive solutions to a second-order Sturm–Liouville boundary-value problem with impulsive effects. The ideas involve differential inequalities and variational methods.
Nanofiltration for the recovery of caustic cleaning-in-place solutions: robustness towards large variations of composition
Authors: GÉSAN-GUIZIOU GENEVIÈVE , BOYAVAL EVELYNE , DAUFIN GEORGES
Published: July 2008

In the dairy industry re-use and multi-use cleaning-in-place (CIP) systems are operated by circulating chemicals and water without taking the equipment apart. The solutions, which become polluted due to the removal of fouling compounds, are drained periodically when they are considered to be too polluted. This work shows the large variations in composition (pollution, surface tension, etc) of the industrial caustic solutions coming from milk standardization and pasteurization plant CIP throughout their life time (7 days) and from 1 week to another. The work is also intended to show how nanofiltration (1 kg mol−1 molecular weight cut-off) was robust and performed well, with good recovery of caustic solutions, even when faced with large variations of solutions composition: high caustic yield, permeation flux (J) in the range 42–110 l h−1 m−2, average chemical oxygen demand (COD) reduction equal to 0.58 and low surface tension change. Equations have been established for the prediction of J as a function of initial membrane hydraulic resistance (Rm) caustic concentration, volume reduction ratio (VRR) and initial soluble COD. When VRR increased, both J and pollution retention decreased despite the increase in irreversible fouling induced by the increase of soluble pollution concentration in retentate . The higher the initial soluble COD, the sharper the decrease in J vs. VRR. Since irreversible fouling was usually small (0.1–3.4×1013 m−1, that is to say of the same order of magnitude as Rm), the membrane cleaning could be efficiently performed by using single phase sodium hypochlorite alternately with a more expensive acid–base cleaning sequence. The obtained permeate was a clear regenerated cleaning solution with low soluble COD (0.2–3.5 g/l) and surface tension (56–30 mJ m−2) which could be successfully exploited owing to its cleaning potential.
Addition of protected and unprotected fish oil to diets for dairy cows. I. Effects on the yield, composition and taste of milk
Authors: LACASSE PIERRE , KENNELLY JOHN J. , DELBECCHI LOUIS , AHNADI CHARAF E.
Published: July 2008

Thirty Holstein cows in mid-lactation (158±20 DIM) were given a total mixed ration based on grass silage, maize silage and rolled barley. After a preliminary period of 1 week, this diet was supplemented with nothing (control), unprotected fish oil (3.7% of dry matter, DM), or two levels of glutaraldehyde-protected microcapsules of fish oil (1.5% and 3.0% of DM, respectively). Unprotected and protected supplements contained, respectively, 74% and 58% of DM as lipids. Cows given the unprotected supplement reduced their feed intake by >25%. Consequently, these cows lost body weight and produced less milk. DM intake, body weight, and milk yield were unaffected by protected fish oil. Fish oil reduced both milk fat and protein percentages, and decreased the proportion of short-chain fatty acids, stearic, and oleic acids in milk fat. Milk trans C18[ratio ]1 fatty acids increased in cows given both unprotected and protected fish oil. Milk fat content of very-long-chain n3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, including C20[ratio ]5 and C22[ratio ]6, increased with fish oil in the diet. Accordingly, the peroxide index increased and a taste panel was able to detect unusual taste in milk from cows consuming the higher level of protected fish oil and disliked the milk from cows given unprotected fish oil. In conclusion, when lactating cows consumed fish oil, milk concentration of long-chain n3 fatty acids increased and mammary de novo synthesis of fatty acids decreased, but milk yield and milk protein content were reduced, and the milk was more susceptible to oxidation and its taste was adversely affected.
Structure development in a soft cheese curd model during manufacture in relation to its biochemical characteristics
Authors: BOUTROU RACHEL , FAMELART MARIE-HELENE , GAUCHERON FREDERIC , GRAET YVON LE , GASSI JEAN-YVES , PIOT MICHEL , LEONIL JOELLE
Published: July 2008

The structure development of a soft cheese curd model has been studied in relationship to its rheological properties and its biochemical characteristics (pH, amount and partition of minerals, casein proteolysis) at different technical steps including cutting, drawing, three turns and demoulding. Scanning electron microscopy was used to observe structural changes during the drainage of a fat-free soft cheese. The micrographs provided visual evidence of changes in the casein matrix from casein particles aggregated in clusters to uniform strands observed at the demoulding. The initial increase of loss tangent and of the exponent of the power law between G′ and G′′ and frequency (that were maximal at the second turn) was related to the solubilization of micellar calcium phosphate, while intact caseins and large casein fragments accumulated in the curd. After the second turn, the strength, Youngs' and loss moduli of the curd increased greatly. The hydrolysis of αs1-casein into αs1-I-CN f(24–199) may facilitate the rearrangement of casein particles within the curd. The pH-induced solubilization of calcium phosphate continued throughout the manufacture process but was unexpectedly incomplete at the end of the drainage. Combination of electron microscopic observations with dynamic rheological measurements and chemical and biochemical assessments provided increased knowledge about the structure of soft cheese during drainage, an important but poorly understood cheese making stage.
Introduction: Some ponderings on the use of the law in the writing of histories
Authors: HURVITZ NIMROD , FRAM EDWARD
Published: July 2008

Professional jurists are often inquisitive about the subject matter of their
calling and in the course of their careers may well develop fascinating
insights into the law and those who interpret it. Their employers, however,
be they governments, corporations, firms, or private clients, rarely show
similar enthusiasm for such insights unless the hours spent pondering the
social or historical significance of this or that legal view have a
contemporary value that justifies the lawyer's fee.

Thankfully, other members of society are rewarded for mining the legal
records of the past. For legal historians, the search often focuses on the
changing legal ideas and how legal doctrine develops over time to meet the
changing needs of societies. Yet because the law generally deals with
concrete matters – again, because jurists are paid by people who are
unlikely to remunerate those who simply while away their hours making
up legal cases – it offers a reservoir of information that can be used, albeit
with caution, in fields other than just the history of the law.

A partial reconstruction of the law of any given time and place is among
the more obvious historical uses of legal documents but statutes, practical
decisions, and even theoretical texts can be used to advance other forms
of the historical endeavour. Legal works often reflect the values both of
jurists and society-at-large, for while the law creates social values it is not
immune to changes in these very values.
Divorce and the elite household in late medieval Cairo
Authors: RAPOPORT YOSSEF
Published: July 2008

This article examines the rate and causes of divorce among the elite households of late fifteenth-century Cairo. By using a unique contemporary chronicle, it is possible to estimate that a third of all marriages ended in divorce. Wives initiated divorces at least as often as their husbands. They did so by reaching a divorce settlement with their husbands for a financial compensation, or, in the case of desertion, by using the courts to impose a judicial divorce. In the vast majority of the cases, the causes for the divorce were grounded in marital relations. In spite of the importance of marriage alliances for the elite household, these marriages did eventually hinge on the mutual consent of the two individuals concerned.
Hele-Shaw flows with time-dependent free boundaries involving a multiply-connected fluid region
Authors: RICHARDSON S.
Published: July 2008

Consider a Hele-Shaw cell that is initially empty, and inject fluid at a number of injection
points into the gap. To begin with, the plan view of the region occupied by the fluid will
consist of growing circular discs, but these will then coalesce and, in general, lead to a
multiply-connected geometry. Assuming a constant pressure condition to be relevant at the
free boundaries, we show that the entire motion can be explicitly described analytically. When
the connectivity is greater than two, the geometry is characterized by a conformal map given
by a function that is automorphic with respect to a Schottky group, and we show how to
construct this as a ratio of Poincaré theta series. The efficacy of our solution procedure is
demonstrated by a number of examples chosen to illustrate points of both physical and
mathematical interest.
The effect of hydrodynamic dispersion on reactive flows in porous media
Authors: CHADAM J. , ORTOLEVA P. , QIN Y. , STAMICAR R.
Published: July 2008

The shape stability of the reaction interface for reactive flow in a porous medium is investigated.
Previous work showed that the Reaction-Infiltration Instability could cause the reaction
zone to lose stability when the Peclet number exceeded a critical value. The new feature of this
study is to include a velocity-dependent hydrodynamic dispersion. A mathematical model for
this phenomenon is given in the form of a moving free-boundary problem. The spectrum of
the linearized problem is obtained, and the related analysis and numerical calculations show
that the onset of the instability is not eliminated by the new dispersive terms. The details of
analysis show that the instability is reduced especially by the transverse dispersion.
THE GENERIC POSITION OF ANNESORHIZA FILICAULIS ECKL. & ZEYH. (APIACEAE)
Authors: VAN WYK B.-E. , TILNEY P. M.
Published: July 2008

A study of the fruit structure of Annesorhiza filicaulis Eckl. & Zeyh. has shown that only the four commissural ribs are expanded, resulting in a fruit wing configuration characteristic of the genus Peucedanum. Hysteranthous or seasonal leaves, as present in A. filicaulis, are not unique to Annesorhiza but are also encountered in Chamarea Eckl. & Zeyh. and in Peucedanum sulcatum Sond. and related species. The correct generic delimitation of Peucedanum (one or several genera) is one of the last challenges in the alpha taxonomy of southern African Apiaceae, and A. filicaulis complicates the matter even further. Nevertheless, A. filicaulis is clearly a misfit in Annesorhiza and should be included in future studies of Peucedanum sensu lato, even though the latter may prove not to be monophyletic. Annesorhiza filicaulis is formally transferred to Peucedanum, and the correct nomenclature, typification and known geographical distribution of this poorly known species is presented.
A NEW SPECIES OF SWERTIA (GENTIANACEAE) FROM THAILAND
Authors: SUKSATHAN P.
Published: July 2008

A new species of Swertia (Gentianaceae) from Thailand is described and illustrated.
From Camp Follower to Lady in Uniform: Women, Social Class and Military Institutions before 1920
Authors: Vining Margaret , Hacker Barton C.
Published: July 2008

In the crisis of the First World War, the vast expansion of military control over civil society included women's work. Women contributed not only directly to war production but also to maintaining the entire socioeconomic structure in jobs such as trolley conductor or farm worker. Hundreds and thousands of women volunteered for war work in social and relief organisations. If their work under wartime conditions did not differ radically from the centuries-old tradition of nursing and other forms of care-giving, the considerable human force they now brought to military support work raised to a new level the debate over the proper role of women in modern democratic society. And whether members of the armed forces, employees or civilian volunteers, they all wore uniforms.
On the decaying moral space. Is there a way out?
Authors: SZTOMPKA PIOTR
Published: July 2008

The concept of moral space is presented here, in the arguments of classical authors who treated the decay of moral space as an inevitable cost of modernity. Three areas are identified where the decay of moral space is manifested in our period of ‘late modernity’. They are: violent crime, distrust and cynicism, and the vanishing of social capital. Paradoxically, however, opportunities to overcome the current moral void are discovered in the very traits of modernity: reflexiveness and globalization. They allow the process of moral healing through the reconstitution of primordial communities, ethnic, national, religious, in an open, tolerant and ecumenical manner, as well as the constitution of new communities of universalist and global reach.
Family health care decision making and self-efficacy with patients with ALS at the end of life
Authors: Nolan Marie T. , Kub Joan , Hughes Mark T. , Terry Peter B. , Astrow Alan B. , Carbo Cynthia A. , Thompson Richard E. , Clawson Lora , Texeira Kenneth , Sulmasy Daniel P.
Published: July 2008

Objective:

Persons with ALS differ from those with other terminal illnesses in that they commonly retain capacity for decision making close to death. The role patients would opt to have their families play in decision making at the end of life may therefore be unique. This study compared the preferences of patients with ALS for involving family in health care decisions at the end of life with the actual involvement reported by the family after death.

Methods:

A descriptive correlational design with 16 patient–family member dyads was used. Quantitative findings were enriched with in-depth interviews of a subset of five family members following the patient's death.

Results:

Eighty-seven percent of patients had issued an advance directive. Patients who would opt to make health care decisions independently (i.e., according to the patient's preferences alone) were most likely to have their families report that decisions were made in the style that the patient preferred. Those who preferred shared decision making with family or decision making that relied upon the family were more likely to have their families report that decisions were made in a style that was more independent than preferred. When interviewed in depth, some family members described shared decision making although they had reported on the survey that the patient made independent decisions.

Significance of results:

The structure of advance directives may suggest to families that independent decision making is the ideal, causing them to avoid or underreport shared decision making. Fear of family recriminations may also cause family members to avoid or underreport shared decision making. Findings from this study might be used to guide clinicians in their discussions of treatments and health care decision making with persons with ALS and their families.
Characteristics of atmosphere‐ocean interactions along North Atlantic extratropical storm tracks
Authors: Yao Yonghong , Perrie William , Zhang Weiqing , Jiang Jing
Published: July 2008

This study explores the characteristics of the air‐sea interactions and extratropical autumn storms in the northwest Atlantic. Simulations are performed with a relatively fine resolution coupled atmosphere‐ocean model system. The model system consists of the Canadian Mesoscale Compressible Community atmospheric model coupled to a recent version of the Princeton Ocean model. Atmospheric boundary conditions for storm simulations are given by the Canadian Climate Centre model, Second Generation Coupled Global Climate Model (CGCM2), following the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IS92a scenario conditions. The CGCM2 control conditions are obtained from simulated years 1975–1994. Our results show that interactions between extratropical storms and the upper ocean are affected by the upper ocean, latent and sensible heat fluxes across the air‐sea interface, and the atmospheric structure, which propagates relative to the ocean surface as storms move along their storm tracks. Three types of numerical storm experiments are conducted, for storms that (1) make landfall, (2) move along the coastline without landfall, and (3) remain over the open ocean. Our results suggest that the locations of the maximum storm‐induced sea surface temperature (SST) cooling are mainly dominated by the upper ocean thermostructure. The storm's intensity, as represented by its maximum wind speed, can cause further SST cooling. In turn, the upper ocean can reduce storm intensity by as much as 4–5 hPa in minimum sea level pressure, or 2–4 m s−1 in surface winds. Although the impacts of these effects are most notable in the lower atmospheric boundary layer, they extend to the top of the troposphere.
Metrics to describe the dynamical evolution of atmospheric moisture: Intercomparison of model (NARR) and observations (ISCCP)
Authors: Tao Kun , Barros Ana P.
Published: July 2008

The manuscript presents results from an exploratory study of metrics to describe the dynamical evolution of atmospheric moisture fields for interpretive studies. Specifically, we conduct diagnostic data analysis of the life cycle (initiation, growth, and decay) of instabilities of index fields of atmospheric moisture that can be related to cloudiness and rainfall from the NCEP North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) and International Satellite Cloud Climatology Product (ISCCP) data in the southeast United States in 2000–2001. The two principal metrics consist of spatial fields of finite size Lyapunov exponents (FSLE, a measure of the growth rate of instability) and localization length (the characteristic time scale of instability, or alternatively a proxy measure of the local memory of the process). The results reveal (1) consistency among the spatial fields of the seasonal rates of instability growth (FSLE); (2) differences in the dynamical range of perturbation growth in the ISCCP observations (broad) as compared to the NARR (narrow), especially in the smaller perturbation/fast dynamics regime, which suggests stronger coupling of the physical processes in the NARR; and (3) stronger interseasonal and intraseasonal variability in the manifestation of nonlinear dynamics (e.g., strong summer/fall contrasts) in the NARR as compared to the satellite data. Larger disparities (r2 ∼ 02–0.3) occur over the ocean on the west (summer) and eastern (fall) margins of the Gulf of Mexico and over land in the Trinity river basin (Texas) and at the foothills of the Ouachita mountains where agriculture and large freshwater reservoirs (large free water surfaces) exist and where the 2000 drought attained exceptional intensity. Whereas the differences over the ocean may be attributed to the subgrid‐scale representation of warm core rings and the loop current over the Gulf of Mexico, the differences are likely associated with the representation of land‐atmosphere interactions in the model over land.
Analysis of the weekly cycle of aerosol optical depth using AERONET and MODIS data
Authors: Xia Xiangao , Eck Tom F. , Holben Brent N. , Phillippe Goloub , Chen Hongbin
Published: July 2008

Multi‐year Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aerosol optical depth (AOD) data are used to study AOD weekly variations at the global scale. A clear weekly cycle of AOD is observed in the United States (U.S.) and Central Europe. AOD during the weekday is larger than that during the weekend in 36 out of 43 AERONET sites in the U.S. The average U.S. weekend effect (the percent difference in AOD during the weekday and the weekend) is 3.8%. A weekly periodicity with lower AODs on Sunday and Monday and higher AODs from Wednesday until Saturday is revealed over Central Europe and the average weekend effect there is 4.0%. The weekly cycle in urban sites is greater than that in rural sites. AOD during the weekday is also significantly larger than that during the weekend in urban AERONET sites in South America and South Korea. However, a reversed AOD weekly cycle is observed in the Middle East and India. AODs on Thursday and Friday, the “weekend” for Middle East cultures, are relatively lower than AODs on other days. There is no clear weekly variation of AOD over eastern China. The striking feature in this region is the occurrence of much higher AOD on Sunday and this phenomenon is independent of season. The analysis of MODIS aerosol data is in good agreement with that of AERONET data.
Global aerosol climatology from the MODIS satellite sensors
Authors: Remer Lorraine A. , Kleidman Richard G. , Levy Robert C. , Kaufman Yoram J. , Tanré Didier , Mattoo Shana , Martins J. Vanderlei , Ichoku Charles , Koren Ilan , Yu Hongbin , Holben Brent N.
Published: July 2008

The recently released Collection 5 Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aerosol products provide a consistent record of the Earth's aerosol system. Comparing with ground‐based AERONET observations of aerosol optical depth (AOD) we find that Collection 5 MODIS aerosol products estimate AOD to within expected accuracy more than 60% of the time over ocean and more than 72% of the time over land. This is similar to previous results for ocean and better than the previous results for land. However, the new collection introduces a 0.015 offset between the Terra and Aqua global mean AOD over ocean, where none existed previously. Aqua conforms to previous values and expectations while Terra is higher than what had been expected. The cause of the offset is unknown, but changes to calibration are a possible explanation. Even though Terra's higher ocean AOD is unexpected and unexplained, we present climatological analyses of data from both sensors. We find that the multiannual global mean AOD at 550 nm over oceans is 0.13 for Aqua and 0.14 for Terra, and over land it is 0.19 in both Aqua and Terra. AOD in situations with 80% cloud fraction are twice the global mean values, although such situations occur only 2% of the time over ocean and less than 1% of the time over land. Aerosol particle size associated with these very cloudy situations does not show a drastic change over ocean, but does over land. Regionally, aerosol amounts vary from polluted areas such as east Asia and India, to the cleanest regions such as Australia and the northern continents. As AOD increases over maritime background conditions, fine mode aerosol dominates over dust over all oceans, except over the tropical Atlantic downwind of the Sahara and during some months over the Arabian Sea.
Modeling the influence of aerosols on cloud microphysical properties in the east Asia region using a mesoscale model coupled with a bin‐based cloud microphysics scheme
Authors: Iguchi Takamichi , Nakajima Teruyuki , Khain Alexander P. , Saito Kazuo , Takemura Toshihiko , Suzuki Kentaroh
Published: July 2008

A bin‐based microphysics scheme for cloud is implemented into a three‐dimensional nonhydrostatic model and off‐line coupled with a global aerosol transport model to reproduce realistic and inhomogeneous condensation nuclei (CN) fields. This coupling makes it possible to calculate cloud microphysical properties over a larger area under more realistic environmental conditions. Using the model, nested grid simulations are performed for two precipitation events associated with transitional synoptic‐scale forcing during the spring over an area of the East China Sea. The nested grid simulations reproduce the general features of the horizontal distributions of variables such as effective droplet radius derived from satellite data retrieval. Comparison of the relationships among simulated cloud variables with those among satellite‐derived variables reveals that the implementation of an inhomogeneous CN field results in a more accurate simulation of the distribution of cloud microphysical properties. Sensitivity tests with respect to CN concentration show that the simulated area and amount of precipitation are slightly affected by the CN concentration. Comparative simulations using bin‐based and bulk microphysical schemes indicate that the difference in cloud microphysics has little effect on precipitation except over the areas of elevated pollution (i.e., elevated CN). Comparison with previous reports indicates that the precipitation response to aerosols is dependent on the environmental conditions and the type of the cloud system.
Technical concepts related to conservation of irrigation and rainwater in agricultural systems
Authors: Clemmens A. J. , Allen R. G. , Burt C. M.
Published: July 2008

Forty percent of freshwater withdrawals in the United States are for irrigated agriculture, which contribute more than $50 billion to the economy. Increasing diversions of water for urban, environmental, and other uses will likely decrease water available to agriculture. Water conservation in agriculture is touted as a good method for minimizing the impact of reduced agricultural diversions on production. Because “wasted” water is often reused until it reaches the ocean, there are limitations to the true water savings that result from programs that aim to increase irrigation efficiency. True water savings can come from four areas: reduction of unnecessary evaporation and transpiration, more effective use of rainfall, reduction of deep percolation water that becomes severely degraded in quality, and reduction of runoff from fields that is not reusable downstream. Any other reduction in net water consumption must come from reductions in evapotranspiration from the crops grown, which requires either reduction in acreage or reduction in crop yield brought on by intentional plant water stress. Other benefits of field or district‐level water conservation may include increased in‐stream flows (due to lower diversions) and energy conservation due to less pumping or more hydroelectric production, but not result in true water savings, since unconsumed water returns as a usable water resource. Understanding the hydrologic settings is critical to determining true water savings from conservation practices. On‐farm water conservation practices that provide true water savings at one location may be ineffective at another. In large irrigation projects, water delivery limitations often present obstacles to on‐farm water conservation efforts.
Two‐phase fluid flow through fractured porous media with deformable matrix
Authors: Khalili N.
Published: July 2008

The governing equations for a fully coupled analysis of two‐phase fluid flow through fractured porous media with deformable matrix are presented. Two porosities, three constitutes (one solid and two fluids), and five phases are identified. The porosities are referred to as pores and fractures, and the two fluid constitutes are taken as water and air. The governing equations are derived using a systematic macroscopic approach based on the theory of poroelasticity, the effective stress principle, and the balance equations of mass and momentum. Matrix displacement vector, pore air pressure, pore water pressure, fracture air pressure and fracture water pressure are introduced as primary variables. Special attention is given to cross‐coupling effects between the phases within the system. A general formulation is derived that reduces to all previously presented models in the field. When the pore air volume is reduced to zero, the fully coupled equations of flow and deformation for saturated double‐porosity media are recovered. Similarly, when the matrix deformation is neglected and full saturation is assumed, Barenblatt et al.'s (1960) classical theory of double porosity is obtained.
Sudden termination of Martian dynamo?: Implications from subcritical dynamo simulations
Authors: Kuang W. , Jiang W. , Wang T.
Published: July 2008

The crustal magnetism measured by the Mars Global Surveyor requires that Mars possessed a strong internal field generated by a core dynamo in its early history. We use a numerical model to simulate the early Martian dynamo, focusing on the minimum energy for sustaining an established dynamo. Our results show that near its end, the Martian dynamo could reverse frequently, and could be subcritical: the energy to sustain the dynamo is significantly less than that to excite the dynamo. In addition to a longer lifetime, the subcritical dynamo implies that it could be terminated suddenly with a very small perturbation and, once turned off, it could not be reactivated without substantial increase of the buoyancy force in the Martian core.
Behavioural and biochemical responses to morphine associated with its motivational properties are altered in adenosine A2Areceptor knockout mice
Authors: Castañé A , Wells L , Soria G , Hourani S , Ledent C , Kitchen I , Opacka‐Juffry J , Maldonado R , Valverde O
Published: July 2008

Background and purpose:

The purinergic system through the A2Aadenosine receptor regulates addiction induced by different drugs of abuse. The aim of the present study was to investigate the specific role of A2Aadenosine receptors (A2ARs) in the behavioural and neurochemical responses to morphine associated with its motivational properties.

Experimental approach:

Mice lacking A2ARs (A2Aknockout (KO) mice) and wild‐type littermates were used to evaluate behavioural responses induced by morphine. Antinociception was assessed using the tail‐immersion and the hot‐plate tests. Place‐conditioning paradigms were used to evaluate the rewarding effects of morphine and the dysphoric responses of morphine withdrawal. Microdialysis studies were carried out to evaluate changes in the extracellular levels of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens of A2AKO mice after morphine administration.

Key results:

The acute administration of morphine induced a similar enhancement of locomotor activity and antinociceptive responses in both genotypes. However, the rewarding effects induced by morphine were completely blocked in A2AKO mice. Also, naloxone did not induce place aversion in animals lacking the A2ARs.

Conclusions and implications:

Our findings demonstrate that the rewarding and aversive effects associated with morphine abstinence were abolished in A2AKO mice, supporting a differential role of the A2Aadenosine receptor in the somatic and motivational effects of morphine addiction. This study provides evidence for the role of A2ARs as general modulators of the motivational properties of drugs of abuse. Pharmacological manipulation of these receptors may represent a new target in the management of drug addiction.

British Journal of Pharmacology(2008)155, 757–766; doi:10.1038/bjp.2008.299; published online 28 July 2008
Superoxide from NADPH oxidase upregulates type 5 phosphodiesterase in human vascular smooth muscle cells: inhibition with iloprost and NONOate
Authors: Muzaffar S , Shukla N , Bond M , Sala‐Newby G B , Newby A C , Angelini G D , Jeremy J Y
Published: July 2008

Background and purpose:

To determine whether there is an association between vascular NADPH oxidase (NOX), superoxide, the small GTPase Rac1 and PDE type 5 (PDE5) in human vascular smooth muscle cell (hVSMCs).

Experimental approach:

hVSMCs were incubated with xanthine–xanthine oxidase (X‐XO; a superoxide generating system) or the thromboxane A2 analogue, U46619 (±superoxide dismutase (SOD) or apocynin) for 16 h. The expression of PDE5 and NOX‐1 was assessed using Western blotting and superoxide measured. The role of Rac1 in superoxide generation was assessed by overexpressing either the dominant‐negative or constitutively active Rac isoforms. The effects of iloprost, DETA‐NONOate and the Rho‐kinase inhibitor, Y27632, on PDE5 and NOX‐1 expression were also studied.

Key results:

Following 16 h incubation, U46619 and X‐XO promoted the expression of PDE5 and NOX‐1, an effect blocked by SOD or apocynin when co‐incubated over the same time course. X‐XO and U46619 both promoted the formation of superoxide. Overexpression of dominant‐negative Rac1 or addition of iloprost, DETA‐NONOate or Y27632 completely blocked both superoxide release and PDE5 protein expression and activity.

Conclusions and implications:

These data demonstrate that superoxide derived from NOX upregulates the expression of PDE5 in human VSMCs. As PDE5 hydrolyses cyclic GMP, this effect may blunt the vasculoprotective actions of NO.

British Journal of Pharmacology (2008) 155, 847–856; doi:10.1038/bjp.2008.300; published online 28 July 2008