bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
74.1L: Late‐News Paper: Oxide TFTs and Color Filter Array Technology for Flexible Top‐emission White OLED Display
Authors: Noda Makoto , Teramoto Kazuma , Fukumoto Eri , Fukuda Toshihiro , Shimokawa Keisuke , Saito Takatoshi , Tanikawa Toru , Suzuki Masato , Izumi Gaku , Kumon Satoshi , Arai Toshiaki , Kamei Takahiro , Kodate Manabu , No Sonhi , Sasaoka Tatsuya , Nomoto Kazumasa
Published: October 2012

We have developed a direct fabrication method of oxide TFT on a flexible substrate and a flexible color filter array (CFA) technology for white OLED. The oxide TFT is successfully integrated on the flexible substrate and the fabricated display achieved wide color gamut of NTSC (in CIE u'v' space) more than 100%.
P‐55: High Performance Sealant in One Drop Filling Process of Mobile Thin Filter Transistor Liquid Crystal Display Product
Authors: Xiao Ang , Zhu Haibo , Song S.H. , Chen Xu , Min T.Y. , Ryu B.Y. , Lee S.K.
Published: October 2012

In this paper, we developed a new one drop filling (ODF) sealant for mobile thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT‐LCD) products. In the new sealant, traditional inorganic filler was decreased, organic filler was increased and nano‐silica‐balls were newly applied. Experimental results indicated the new sealant had the advantage in dispensing ability, adhesive strength, anti‐shock ability and pollution to inner liquid crystal (LC).
P‐146L: Late‐News Poster: Development of a Photochromic Circular Polarizer for OLEDs
Authors: Koma Norio , Hashizume Masaharu , Yamamoto Michiyuki , Sato Yoko
Published: October 2012

A photochromic circular polarizer was studied for use in organic light‐emitting‐diode displays (OLEDs). This polarizer transmits light emitted from an OLED efficiently under ambient light, extending the life and lowering the power consumption of the OLED. Under bright ambient light, the polarizer changes to a high degree of polarization and low transmittance, which maintains the contrast ratio and retains image visibility by reducing light reflection from the OLED electrodes. An outdoor experiment confirmed that the photochromic circular polarizer enhanced the contrast ratio of the OLED.
Osteology and postmetamorphic development of Telmatobius oxycephalus (Anura: Telmatobiidae) with an analysis of skeletal variation in the genus
Authors: Barrionuevo J. Sebastián
Published: October 2012

The osteological diversity among species of Telmatobius has been considered conservative. Nonetheless, the degree of ossification of several features varies both intraspecifically and interspecifically. Herein, intraspecific osteological variation and postmetamorphic ontogenetic changes in osteological features are described in Telmatobius oxycephalus. These data are compared with published descriptions of congeners. There is a considerable intraspecific osteological variation in T. oxycephalus, with cranial characters varying polymorphically, and the hyoid and postcranial characters being sexually dimorphic. This intraspecific variation is expressed by subtle differences in the degree of ossification or mineralization. Interspecific variation also can be described in terms of differential development of osteological features; these differences are more obvious than intraspecifically variable characters. The adult skeletons of several species of Telmatobius resemble the morphology observed in early stages of postmetamorphic development of T. oxycephalus. This is especially evident in the neopalatines, parasphenoid, sphenethmoid, exoccipitals, prootics, vomers, nasals, and plectra. These results suggest that within the conservative osteological architecture of Telmatobius, the variation observed is the result of heterochronic changes during the ossification process. J. Morphol. 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc
Brain‐derived neurotrophic factor stimulates proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells, possibly by triggering the Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway
Authors: Chen Bei‐Yu , Wang Xi , Wang Zhao‐Yan , Wang Ya‐Zhou , Chen Liang‐Wei , Luo Zhuo‐Jing
Published: October 2012

Brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has critical functions in promoting survival, expansion, and differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs), but its downstream regulation mechanism is still not fully understood. The role of BDNF in proliferation and differentiation of NSCs through Wnt/β‐catenin signaling was studied via cell culture of cortical NSCs, Western blotting, immunocytochemistry, and TOPgal (Wnt reporter) analysis in mice. First, BDNF stimulated NSC proliferation dose dependently in cultured neurospheres that exhibited BrdU incorporation and neuronal and glial differentiation abilities. Second, BDNF effectively enhanced cell commitment to neuronal and oligodendrocytic fates, as indicated by increased differentiation marker Tuj‐1 (neuronal marker), CNPase (oligodendrocyte marker), and neuronal process extension. Third, BDNF upregulated expression of Wnt/β‐catenin signaling (Wnt1 and free β‐catenin) molecules. Moreover, these promoting effects were significantly inhibited by application of IWR1, a Wnt signaling‐specific blocker in culture. The TOPgal mouse experiment further confirmed BDNF‐triggered Wnt signaling activation by β‐gal labeling. Finally, an MEK inhibition experiment showed a mediating role of the microtubule‐associated protein kinase pathway in BDNF‐triggered Wnt/β‐catenin signaling cascades. This study overall has revealed that BDNF might contribute to proliferation and neuronal and oligodendrocytic differentiation of NSCs in vitro, most possibly by triggering the Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway. Nevertheless, determining the exact cross‐talk points at which BDNF might stimulate Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway in NSC activity requires further investigation. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Spatial Variability of Soil Organic C, Inorganic N and Extractable P in a Mediterranean Grazed Area
Authors: Costa C. , Papatheodorou E. M. , Monokrousos N. , Stamou G. P.
Published: October 2012

In this paper, we studied the spatial variability of soil organic C (SOC), inorganic N (SIN) and extractable P (Pextr) in a grazed Mediterranean‐type vegetation formation. Sampling was conducted from a gently sloping area in northern Greece.. The grazing pressure was evenly distributed over the experimental area with the exception of an overgrazed passage zone 200–300 m from steeper foothills. Soil samples, from the upper 10 cm, were collected every 10 m along four replicate lines (400 m length with a distance of 10 m between lines). Sampling took place twice (October and February). Data were analysed by geostatistical tools, and spherical models were significantly fitted to the semivariograms. SOC in both samplings and SIN in the first one displayed moderate spatial dependence which indicates the non‐random distribution of their concentration. On the contrary, Pextr and SIN in winter exhibited weak spatial dependence, whereas Pextr in autumn showed spatial independence. For the parameters exhibiting spatial pattern, two scales of dependence were revealed: a fine scale within distances shorter than 10 m and a coarse scale varying between 80 and 130 m. The coarse distribution of SOC, SIN and Pextr invoked interplay among more predictable (composition of vegetation) and unpredictable (leaching, runoff) extrinsic factors, occurring at the landscape level. Specifically, SOC as a storage agent exhibited uniform spatial pattern in both samplings. By contrast, SIN by being susceptible to leaching exhibited time‐specific dependence, whereas Pextr which was affected by surface runoff displayed limited or even spatial independence. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Federated management of the Future Internet: status and challenges
Authors: Famaey Jeroen , De Turck Filip
Published: October 2012

The Internet's original static services have been superseded by rich multimedia services with stringent end‐to‐end quality‐of‐service requirements. Additionally, there has been a trend from simple applications offered by a single provider towards service compositions, managed across the bounds of multiple domains. It is widely accepted that the end‐to‐end requirements of multimedia and composed services cannot be satisfied by the current Internet, which does not support inter‐domain collaboration. The network federation paradigm was advanced to address these limitations. It envisions the automatic negotiation and management of dynamic agreements between network domains, allowing them to collaborate to achieve goals they cannot achieve alone. This article presents an overview of state‐of‐the‐art research in the area of federated network management. Specifically, existing definitions are compared and aligned. Moreover, the most important efforts towards an architecture for a federated Future Internet are discussed. Finally, we have identified several important research challenges that need to be tackled before the federated Future Internet vision can be fully achieved. For each of these challenges, existing research efforts are surveyed and remaining open issues identified. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Inflammasomes in wound healing and fibrosis
Authors: Artlett Carol M
Published: October 2012

Inflammasome signalling and downstream cytokine responses mediated by the inflammasome have been found to play an important role, not only in wound healing but also in fibrosis. The inflammasome regulates the secretion of IL‐1β and IL‐18 cytokines, and both are critical for the repair of damaged tissue and play a role in fibrosis. However, what dictates the fine balance between normal wound healing versus fibrosis is yet to be fully elucidated. Further investigations into the role of the inflammasomes in these pathologies will be important for the discovery of novel therapeutics that can abrogate fibrosis or promote wound healing in chronic disease.Copyright © 2012 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Quality really matters: the need to improve specimen quality in biomedical research
Authors: Simeon‐Dubach Daniel , Burt Alastair D , Hall Peter A
Published: October 2012

Contemporary pathological and molecular analysis depends on high quality human biospecimens. Poor biospecimen quality may compromise such analyses and the resultant inaccurate data published in scientific papers may be contribute to low reproducibility in the biomedical literature and adversely impact clinical translation. Editors of research journals play a key role in improving sample quality in biomedical by implementing established guidelines. The Editors of Histopathology and The Journal of Pathology will now require that researchers follow the BRISQ guidelines (Biospecimen Reporting for Improved Study Quality) in their papers and hope that this will be a model adopted by other journals in this domain. Copyright © 2012 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Characterization of composite tiles fabricated from poly(ethylene terephthalate) and micromarble particles reinforced by glass fiber mats
Authors: Icduygu M. Galip , Aktas Levent , Altan M. Cengiz
Published: October 2012

Polyester composite tiles (PCT) are synthesized from PET and fabricated by compression molding using micromarble clusters as filler. Three batches of marble clusters with different size distributions are used to assess the effect of particle size on mechanical properties. In addition, tiles are cured at 40, 60, 80, 100, and 120°C to characterize the dependence of mechanical properties on cure temperature. Tiles prepared using finer marble grades yield consistently higher flexural strength and stiffness values regardless of the cure temperature. The cure temperature does not seem to have an appreciable effect on mechanical properties except for 120°C cure. Samples cured at 120°C registered a sharp drop in mechanical properties. Dynamic mechanical analysis indicates improved material damping when coarse grade marble dust is used. Prospects of improving mechanical properties are explored by reinforcing PC tiles with randomly oriented, discontinuous glass fibers. This is achieved by placing a single layer of glass fiber mat on the top and bottom tile surface. Presence of fiber mats leads to the formation of a graded particle size distribution across the mat thickness when the coarse grade marble dust is used. This distribution resulted in significant improvements in flexural strength, stiffness, and overall toughness of the tiles by enhancing the interfacial region between the glass mats and the PC tile. The mechanism of improvement is elaborated by studying the crack propagation and fracture morphology. POLYM. COMPOS., 33:1921–1932, 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers
Psychosocial care in cancer: an overview of psychosocial programmes and national cancer plans of countries within the International Federation of Psycho‐Oncology Societies
Authors: Grassi Luigi , Watson Maggie ,   on behalf of the IPOS Federation of Psycho‐Oncology Societies' co‐authors
Published: October 2012

We report data from representatives of national professional psycho‐oncology societies on the integration of psychosocial care into national cancer programmes or cancer plans. To date information on how, or whether, psychosocial care has been recognized and integrated into comprehensive cancer care internationally has been extremely limited. The value of the current survey, whilst not comprehensive, lies with the fact that it is the first to report on the current status of psychosocial care for cancer patients and their families from a global perspective.

Representatives of 29 countries that are members of the Federation of National Psycho‐Oncology Societies, coordinated under the aegis of the International Psycho‐Oncology Society (IPOS), participated in a survey aimed at clarifying access to psychosocial care. Results indicate that while psychosocial oncology has grown over the last decade, it is either not established or not completely established, or not an integral part of care in some countries, especially developing countries, where basic care is sometimes not provided to cancer patients.

Future targets need to focus on the integration of psychosocial oncology programmes into comprehensive cancer care and their coordination within multidisciplinary teams. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Brain vulnerability to chemotherapy toxicities
Authors: Ahles Tim A.
Published: October 2012

Chemotherapy‐induced cognitive changes have been an increasing concern among cancer survivors. By using adjuvant treatment for breast cancer as the prototype, this manuscript reviews research from neuropsychological, imaging, genetic, and animal model studies that have examined the clinical presentation and potential mechanisms for cognitive changes associated with exposure to chemotherapy. An impressive body of research supports the hypothesis that a subgroup of patients is vulnerable to post‐treatment cognitive changes, although not exclusively related to chemotherapy. Further, imaging and animal model studies provide accumulating evidence of putative mechanisms for chemotherapy‐induced cognitive change. Models of aging are also reviewed in support of the proposal that cognitive changes associated with cancer and cancer treatments can be viewed in the context of factors that affect the trajectory of normal aging. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Non‐Oxidative Conversion of 1,2‐Dichloroethane in a Non‐Thermal Plasma and Characterisation of the Polymer Formed
Authors: Gaikwad Vaibhav , Kennedy Eric , Mackie John , Holdsworth Clovia , Molloy Scott , Kundu Sazal , Dlugogorski Bogdan
Published: October 2012

This paper focuses on the conversion of 1,2‐dichloroethane (EDC) using non‐thermal plasma under reaction conditions that can decompose EDC and yield a value‐added product. A cylindrical double dielectric barrier discharge system has been used to generate non‐thermal plasma and quartz has been used as a dielectric. Our findings show that under non‐oxidative reaction conditions employed in this study, vinyl chloride, a commercially important compound, is the major gas phase product produced. This paper also encompasses a preliminary characterisation of polymer during the reaction. Possible mechanisms for gaseous product formation and polymerisation are presented.

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SPP tomography: A simple wide‐field nanoscope
Authors: Grave de Peralta L. , Regan C. J. , Bernussi A. A.
Published: October 2012

We explore the wide‐field optical nanoimaging capabilities of the surface plasmon polariton (SPP) tomography technique. We show that nanofeatures with lateral dimensions smaller than λ/20 can be observed in the surface emission (SE) images of plasmonic crystals with a period of 300 nm. Moreover, as a proof‐of‐concept, we demonstrate that SPP tomography permits to resolve two single objects with a center‐to‐center separation of 200 nm and edge‐to‐edge separation as small as λ/7. We present a comprehensive discussion about the nanoimaging capabilities of the SPP tomography technique. In contrast to other optical subwavelength resolution techniques, in our approach for imaging nanosize features, enhanced evanescent waves are coupled to the far‐field via leakage radiation associated with SPPs excited by near‐field fluorescence; therefore wide‐field images, which are not out‐of‐plane diffraction‐limited, are formed directly in the microscope's camera. We also discuss additional imaging processing capabilities associated with the fact that SPP tomography SE images are formed by the microscope lenses through an analog tomography process. SCANNING 35: 246‐252, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Understanding the codevelopment of modeling practice and ecological knowledge
Authors: Manz Eve
Published: October 2012

Despite a recent focus on engaging students in epistemic practices, there is relatively little research on how learning environments can support the simultaneous, coordinated development of both practice and the knowledge that emerges from and supports scientific activity. This study reports on the co‐construction of modeling practice and ecological knowledge by following the development of one seminal disciplinary concept, plant reproduction, through third graders' yearlong investigation of a wild backyard area. Representational activity facilitated the visibility and utility of meanings for reproduction; these meanings, in turn, shaped students' subsequent modeling practice. Over time, shifts were evident in both the community's meanings for reproduction and their framing of meanings in relation to modeling activity. The analysis affirms the utility of attending to student knowledge as it is used in practice to navigate complexity and uncertainty, rather than as assimilation of declarative statements. It also provides images of productive relations between modeling and knowledge, with implications for how the two might bootstrap each other in extended classroom investigation. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 96: 1071–1105, 2012
Electrical Detection of Spin Precession in Freely Suspended Graphene Spin Valves on Cross‐Linked Poly(methyl methacrylate)
Authors: Neumann Ingmar , Van de Vondel Joris , Bridoux German , Costache Marius V. , Alzina Francesc , Torres Clivia M. Sotomayor , Valenzuela Sergio O.
Published: October 2012

Spin injection and detection is achieved in freely suspended graphene using cobalt electrodes and a nonlocal spin‐valve geometry. The devices are fabricated with a single electron‐beam‐resist poly(methyl methacrylate) process that minimizes both the fabrication steps and the number of (aggressive) chemicals used, greatly reducing contamination and increasing the yield of high‐quality, mechanically stable devices. As‐grown devices can present mobilities exceeding 104 cm2 V−1 s−1 at room temperature and, because the contacts deposited on graphene are only exposed to acetone and isopropanol, the method is compatible with almost any contacting material. Spin accumulation and spin precession are studied in these nonlocal spin valves. Fitting of Hanle spin precession data in bilayer and multilayer graphene yields a spin relaxation time of ∼125‐250 ps and a spin diffusion length of 1.7‐1.9 μm at room temperature.
Simple two‐dimensional ultrasound technique to assess intrapartum cervical dilatation: a pilot study
Authors: Hassan W. A. , Eggebø T. M. , Ferguson M. , Lees C.
Published: October 2012

Objectives

To describe a two‐dimensional (2D) ultrasound technique to measure cervical dilatation in labor, and to compare ultrasound with digital measurements.

Methods

2D transperineal ultrasound was performed in 21 nulliparous women in labor with a singleton fetus in cephalic presentation and cervical dilatation measured before or after a digital vaginal examination. The absolute difference was calculated and Bland–Altman analysis was used to assess the mean difference between digital vaginal examination and ultrasound examination of cervical dilatation. Pearson analysis was used to determine the correlation between digital and ultrasound measurements. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) with 95% CI were used to evaluate the reliability of the two methods.

Results

Satisfactory quality images of the cervix were obtained in 19 of 21 cases. There was positive correlation between 2D ultrasound measurement of cervical dilatation and digital vaginal examination (Pearson coefficient r = 0.821, n = 19, P < 0.001). Bland–Altman analysis showed a mean difference between digital and ultrasound measurements of 0.08 cm (95% limits of agreement: −1.83 to 2.00) and the mean absolute difference was 1.24 cm. The ICC between the two methods was 0.81 (95% CI, 0.58–0.92).

Conclusions

Assessment and measurement of cervical dilatation by 2D transperineal ultrasound is feasible, with close agreement shown between the technique and digital vaginal examination. The technique that we describe could represent an important component of a ‘sonopartogram’ for ultrasound assessment of labor progress. Copyright © 2012 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Regulation of nonsense‐mediated mRNA decay
Authors: Huang Lulu , Wilkinson Miles F.
Published: October 2012

Nonsense‐mediated mRNA decay (NMD) is a highly conserved pathway that was originally identified as a RNA surveillance mechanism that degrades aberrant mRNAs harboring premature termination (nonsense) codons. Recently, it was discovered that NMD also regulates normal gene expression. Genome‐wide studies showed that ablation of NMD alters the expression of ∼10% of transcripts in a wide variety of eukaryotes. In general, NMD specifically targets normal transcripts that harbor a stop codon in a premature context. The finding that NMD regulates normal gene expression raises the possibility that NMD itself is subject to regulation. Indeed, recent studies have shown that NMD efficiency varies in different cell types and tissues. NMD is also subject to developmental control in both higher and lower eukaryotic species. Molecular mechanisms have been defined—including those involving microRNAs and other RNA decay pathways—that regulate the magnitude of NMD in some developmental settings. This developmental regulation of NMD appears to have physiological roles, at least in some model systems. In addition to mechanisms that modulate the efficiency of NMD, mechanisms have recently been identified that serve the opposite purpose: to maintain the efficiency of NMD in the face of insults. This ‘buffering’ is achieved by feedback networks that serve to regulate the stability of NMD factors. The discovery of NMD homeostasis and NMD regulatory mechanisms has important implications for how NMD acts in biological processes and how its magnitude could potentially be manipulated for clinical benefit. WIREs RNA 2012. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1137

This article is categorized under:

RNA Turnover and Surveillance > Turnover/Surveillance Mechanisms

RNA Turnover and Surveillance > Regulation of RNA Stability

RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Development
Risk Factors for Infection after 46,113 Intramedullary Nail Operations in Low‐ and Middle‐income Countries
Authors: Young Sven , Lie Stein Atle , Hallan Geir , Zirkle Lewis G. , Engesæter Lars B. , Havelin Leif I.
Published: October 2012

Background

The fields of surgery and trauma care have largely been neglected in the global health discussion. As a result the idea that surgery is not safe or cost effective in resource‐limited settings has gone unchallenged. The SIGN Online Surgical Database (SOSD) is now one of the largest databases on trauma surgery in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMIC). We wished to examine infection rates and risk factors for infection after IM nail operations in LMIC using this data.

Methods

The SOSD contained 46,722 IM nail surgeries in 58 different LMIC; 46,113 IM nail operations were included for analysis.

Results

The overall follow‐up rate was 23.1 %. The overall infection rate was 1.0 %, 0.7 % for humerus, 0.8 % for femur, and 1.5 % for tibia fractures. If only nails with registered follow‐up (n = 10,684) were included in analyses, infection rates were 2.9 % for humerus, 3.2 % for femur, and 6.9 % for tibia fractures. Prophylactic antibiotics reduced the risk of infection by 29 %. Operations for non‐union had a doubled risk of infection. Risk of infection was reduced with increasing income level of the country.

Conclusions

The overall infection rates were low, and well within acceptable levels, suggesting that it is safe to do IM nailing in low‐income countries. The fact that operations for non‐union have twice the risk of infection compared to primary fracture surgery further supports the use of IM nailing as the primary treatment for femur fractures in LMIC.
European experience of laparoscopic major hepatectomy
Authors: Tzanis Dimitrios , Shivathirthan Nairuthya , Laurent Alexis , Abu Hilal Mohammad , Soubrane Olivier , Kazaryan Airazat M. , Ettore Giuseppe Maria , Van Dam Ronald M. , Lainas Panagiotis , Tranchart Hadrien , Edwin Bjorn , Belli Giulio , Campos Ricardo Robles , Pearce Neil , Gayet Brice , Dagher Ibrahim
Published: October 2012

Background/purpose

Laparoscopic hepatectomies have seen a worldwide proliferation. Major anatomic resections, which were initially considered unsuitable for laparoscopy, are currently confined to a few centers of expertise. The aim of this study was to discuss the current trends and techniques in laparoscopic major hepatectomy in Europe.

Methods

The prospective databases of ten European centers were combined to provide answers to a questionnaire that had been addressed to all European teams known to perform laparoscopic liver surgery.

Results

Between 1996 and 2011 a total of 2245 laparoscopic liver resections have been carried out, of which 495 (22 %) were major resections. The proportion of laparoscopic right and left hepatectomies varied between 4 and 40 % of all major hepatectomies of the same type. Benign, primary malignant and metastatic lesions were, respectively, 22.4, 19.6 and 58 % of all indications. The different techniques and approaches, as regards hand assistance, hepatic inflow and outflow control, liver mobilization and concomitant colectomies, are discussed.

Conclusions

To date, an important level of experience of laparoscopic liver resection has been accumulated in Europe, and experience of major hepatectomies is constantly increasing. However, they remain technically very demanding procedures which should be confined to expert surgeons who have already acquired considerable experience with simpler laparoscopic liver resections.
Uncovering the Best Skill Multimap by Constraining the Error Probabilities of the Gain-Loss Model
Authors: Anselmi Pasquale , Robusto Egidio , Stefanutti Luca
Published: October 2012

The Gain-Loss model is a probabilistic skill multimap model for assessing learning processes. In practical applications, more than one skill multimap could be plausible, while none corresponds to the true one. The article investigates whether constraining the error probabilities is a way of uncovering the best skill assignment among a number of alternatives. A simulation study shows that this approach allows the detection of the models that are closest to the correct one. An empirical application shows that it allows the detection of models that are entirely derived from plausible assumptions about the skills required for solving the problems.
Aggregation Behavior of Surface Active Dialkylimidazolium Ionic Liquids [C12Cnim]Br (n = 1–4) in Aqueous Solutions
Authors: Liu Xuefeng , Hu Jie , Huang Yijun , Fang Yun
Published: October 2012

Four diakylimidazolium ionic liquids, namely 1‐alkyl‐3‐dodecylimidazolium bromides ([C12Cnim]Br) with the same dodecyl long‐chain tail (C12) and the short alkyl side chain (Cn, n = 1–4), were synthesized, and their molecule structures were confirmed by ESI–MS, 1H‐NMR and elemental analysis. The physicochemical properties of [C12Cnim]Br (n = 1–4) were determined by means of surface tension and fluorescence probe methods, respectively. It was found that elongation of the side chain length will bring about an enhancement of surface activity. Along with the side chain length increasing, the critical micelle concentration (CMC), surface tension at CMC (γCMC), the maximum surface excess (Γm), micellar aggregation number (Nm) and micellar microenvironment polarity of [C12Cnim]Br decrease, while adsorption efficiency (pC20), surface pressure at CMC (ΠCMC), the minimum molecular cross‐sectional area (Amin) at air‐solution interfaces and CMC/C20 ratio increase.
Occam’s razor-based spam filter
Authors: Almeida Tiago A. , Yamakami Akebo
Published: October 2012

Nowadays e-mail spam is not a novelty, but it is still an important rising problem with a big economic impact in society. Spammers manage to circumvent current spam filters and harm the communication system by consuming several resources, damaging the reliability of e-mail as a communication instrument and tricking recipients to react to spam messages. Consequently, spam filtering poses a special problem in text categorization, of which the defining characteristic is that filters face an active adversary, which constantly attempts to evade filtering. In this paper, we present a novel approach to spam filtering based on the minimum description length principle. Furthermore, we have conducted an empirical experiment on six public and real non-encoded datasets. The results indicate that the proposed filter is fast to construct, incrementally updateable and clearly outperforms the state-of-the-art spam filters.
Thiamin status of premature infants assessed by measurement of thiamin diphosphate in whole blood
Authors: Körner Robert W. , Müller Carsten , Roth Bernhard , Vierzig Anne
Published: October 2012

Premature infants constitute a risk group for thiamin deficiency but only little is known about their thiamin status. The aim of the present study was to investigate the thiamin status of premature infants by determination of thiamin diphosphate (TDP) and to identify risk factors for low TDP concentrations. In a prospective, longitudinal study TDP was determined by HPLC in whole blood in the first days of life and approximately every 2 weeks. Demographical data, weight gain, type of nutrition and thiamin intake were recorded. A total of 111 premature infants were included at the Children's Hospital of the University of Cologne, Germany from May 2009 until December 2010 and 222 blood samples were analysed. TDP concentrations showed an age-dependent decline (age 0–10 d, mean TDP = 110·6 ng/ml; age 11–20 d, mean TDP = 95·4 ng/ml; age 21–103 d, mean TDP = 33·6 ng/ml). There was no significant difference between males and females. Young gestational age and low birth weight were associated with low TDP concentrations. No infant was diagnosed with thiamin deficiency. The current nutritional regimen in our hospital did not lead to thiamin deficiency in the study cohort. Further research is required to evaluate how TDP concentrations are regulated in premature infants.
The importance of controlling for the acute-phase response in the population-based assessment of vitamin A status: a study in children of pre-school age in Uganda
Authors: Baingana Rhona , Matovu-Kasozi Dennis , Garrett Dean
Published: October 2012

Objective

To improve estimates of vitamin A deficiency in children of pre-school age in the 2006 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS 2006).

Design

A cross-sectional study in which dried blood spot samples were analysed for C-reactive protein (CRP). Retinol-binding protein (RBP) had previously been analysed using a commercial enzyme immunoassay.

Setting

A population-based study in Uganda.

Subjects

A systematically selected subset of the dried blood spot samples collected from children aged 6–59 months for UDHS 2006. Children were categorized into ‘normal CRP’ (Group A) and ‘raised CRP’ (Group B) using a CRP cut-off of 5 mg/l. A correction factor was calculated to adjust the Group B RBP values for the influence of the acute-phase response.

Results

Geometric mean CRP was 6·2 (95 % CI 5·5, 7·0) mg/l, 1·6 (95 % CI 1·5, 1·8) mg/l and 17·9 (95 % CI 16·4, 19·6) mg/l in all children, in Group A and in Group B, respectively. Geometric mean RBP in all children, in Group A and in Group B was 1·18 (95 % CI 1·14, 1·22) μmol/l, 1·26 (95 % CI 1·20, 1·33) μmol/l and 1·12 (95 % CI 1·07, 1·17) μmol/l, respectively, before correction. Correction increased mean RBP in Group B to 1·26 (95 % CI 1·21, 1·31) μmol/l. The prevalence of vitamin A deficiency (RBP < 0·825 μmol/l) reduced from 18·4 % (95 % CI 17·2, 23·0 %) to 13·9 % (95 % CI 11·3, 16·5 %).

Conclusions

Correcting for the acute-phase response significantly reduced the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency; thus, the acute-phase response should be considered when vitamin A status is assessed using RBP in order to improve population-level estimates of vitamin A deficiency.
Wer riskiert eine Mahnung?
Authors: Kröner Stephan , Fritzsche Eva S.
Published: October 2012

Inwieweit kann Gewissenhaftigkeit nach dem NEO-PI-R auf Faktor- und Facettenebene zur Diagnostik der dispositionellen Selbstregulation herangezogen werden? Wir haben dies exemplarisch anhand einer Handlung mit hohen Selbstregulationserfordernissen untersucht: dem Ausleihen, fristgerechten Durcharbeiten und pünktlichen Zurückgeben von Bibliotheksbüchern. Defizite in der Handlungsregulation wurden dabei als Verhaltensspur über Einträge in der Bibliotheksdatenbank erhoben. Über die NEO-PI-R-Skala Gewissenhaftigkeit und ihre Facetten hinaus wurden damit verwandte Skalen für Selbstkontrollkapazität und Prokrastination als Prädiktoren verwendet. Ergebnisse einer Untersuchung mit N = 99 Bibliotheksnutzern zeigen, dass die Gewissenhaftigkeitsfacette Selbstdisziplin einen substantiellen Erklärungswert für das Vorliegen von Mahnungen aufweist. Skalenwerte für die übrigen Gewissenhaftigkeitsfacetten, für Prokrastination und für Selbstkontrollkapazität wiesen demgegenüber keinen eigenständigen Erklärungswert auf. Konsequenzen für die diagnostische Anwendung der verwendeten Skalen werden diskutiert.
Fifteen years of science and space weather studies
Authors: von Rosenvinge Tycho T. , Christian Eric R.
Published: October 2012

Fifteen years ago, on 25 August 1997, NASA launched the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) spacecraft. In operation for more than a solar cycle, ACE has provided numerous important scientific results while at the same time becoming a key component of the space weather–monitoring system and a cornerstone of the fleet of distributed spacecraft that make up the Heliophysics Great Observatory. ACE is located on the sunward side of Earth about 1.5 million kilometers away, or 4 times as far from Earth as is the Moon. This puts ACE well outside the Earth's magnetosphere and in an ideal position to monitor the solar wind environment “upwind” of Earth. ACE has six high‐resolution spectrometers that measure the elemental, isotopic, and ionic charge‐state composition of ions from hydrogen to iron; it also includes three particle and field monitors. One of the nine instruments has now failed (Solar Energetic Particle Ionic Charge Analyzer (SEPICA)), and two others are partially degraded (Solar Wind Ion Composition Spectrometer (SWICS) and Solar Wind Electron, Proton, and Alpha Monitor (SWEPAM)); however, the other six are working well. Instrument descriptions are available on the ACE Web site at http://www.srl.caltech.edu/ACE/.
Citizen scientists analyzing tropical cyclone intensities
Authors: Hennon Christopher C.
Published: October 2012

A new crowd sourcing project called CycloneCenter enables the public to analyze historical global tropical cyclone (TC) intensities. The primary goal of CycloneCenter, which launched in mid‐September, is to resolve discrepancies in the recent global TC record arising principally from inconsistent development of tropical cyclone intensity data. The historical TC record is composed of data sets called “best tracks,” which contain a forecast agency's best assessment of TC tracks and intensities. Best track data have improved in quality since the beginning of the geostationary satellite era in the 1960s (because TCs could no longer disappear from sight). However, a global compilation of best track data (International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS)) has brought to light large interagency differences between some TC best track intensities, even in the recent past [Knapp et al., 2010Knapp et al., 2010]. For example, maximum wind speed estimates for Tropical Cyclone Gay (1989) differed by as much as 70 knots as it was tracked by three different agencies.
Senate working on reauthorization of water resources development bill
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2012

Although the details are not even written for forthcoming legislation to reauthorize the U.S. federal Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), three broad themes emerged during a 20 September hearing by the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW). First, passage of the WRDA bill, which would authorize water projects around the country, already appears to have bipartisan support, as well as support from conservation, industry, and labor groups. WRDA was last reauthorized in 2007 when the Senate voted 79–14 in broad bipartisan support to override President George W. Bush's veto of the $23 billion bill. Second, although the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers—which manages, operates, and maintains a vast water resources infrastructure including more than 600 dams, 926 harbors, and 12,000 miles of commercial inland navigation channels—received some praise for its projects, it was also criticized as being a bureaucracy in need of repair. Third, WRDA legislation is operating under different ground rules than in the past. EPW committee chair Barbara Boxer (D‐Calif.) said that she has been working with Republicans on WRDA legislation and that she hopes to move forward with a bill later this year—possibly bringing it up for a markup during Congress's lame duck session following the national election in November. She said that would be a way to set a marker for leadership on both sides of the congressional aisle to move forward with the bill. Boxer said she would “get my dream bill in place” and then provide it to committee ranking member James Inhofe (R‐Okla.) and other Republicans for their comments.
Arctic sea ice minimum extent
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2012

The extent of Arctic sea ice dropped to 3.41 million square kilometers on 16 September, 760,000 square kilometers below the minimum ice extent in 2007, which had been the low mark since the satellite record began in 1979, the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) announced. Overall ice extent is 50% below where it was in the 1970s, NSIDC research scientist Walt Meier said during a 19 September briefing. He added that there is also a decrease in ice thickness. Meier said that sea ice varies from year to year with lots of ups and downs. “We wouldn't expect it to keep going down, straight off the map so to speak,” he said. “Typically after a record low, we've seen it rebound.” Meier added that the general long‐term trend is for the Arctic to continue to become generally ice free. He said it is difficult to know how long it will take for that condition to be reached; because of strong variations, Arctic sea ice extent could plateau for some time.
A new capability in isotope geochemistry
Authors: Sturchio Neil C. , Lu Zheng‐Tian , Schlosser Peter
Published: October 2012

International Workshop on Tracer Applications of Noble Gas Radionuclides; Argonne, Illinois, 21–22 June 2012 The noble gas radionuclides krypton‐81 (81Kr; 229,000‐year half‐life), krypton‐85 (85Kr; 10.8‐year half‐life), and argon‐39 (39Ar; 269‐year half‐life) have ideal properties for tracing fluid transport in Earth systems. Their principal applications include determination of groundwater residence times (81Kr, 85Kr, and 39Ar) and seawater ventilation ages (39Ar). In practice, however, few studies have employed noble gas radionuclides because of the large sample sizes required and the complex analytical systems required for measuring their extremely low isotopic abundances (10–16 to 10–11). Most published studies have used low‐level radioactive decay counting for 39Ar and 85Kr, but the low activity of 81Kr has necessitated the development of various atom‐counting methods over the past 4 decades.
Sea salt particles react with organic acids in atmosphere
Authors: Balcerak Ernie
Published: October 2012

Sea salt, or sodium chloride (NaCl), particles lofted into the atmosphere by the motion of ocean waves affect atmospheric chemistry; these particles can undergo reactions with trace atmospheric gases and internal mixing with anthropogenic pollutants depositing on particle surface. Several studies have found that NaCl particles in the atmosphere are depleted in chloride and have attributed this to reactions with inorganic acids. However, reactions with inorganic acids do not fully account for the observed chloride depletion in some locations; it has been suggested that organic acids, likely of anthropogenic origin, may also play a role in chloride depletion, but results have been uncertain.
Real‐time deployment of artificial neural network forecasting models: Understanding the range of applicability
Authors: Bowden Gavin J. , Maier Holger R. , Dandy Graeme C.
Published: October 2012

When an operational artificial neural network (ANN) model is deployed, new input patterns are collected in order to make real‐time forecasts. However, ANNs (like other empirical and statistical methods) are unable to reliably extrapolate beyond the calibration range. Consequently, when deployed in real‐time operation there is a need to determine if new input patterns are representative of the data used in calibrating the model. To address this problem, a novel detection system for identifying uncharacteristic data patterns is presented. This approach combines a self‐organizing map (SOM), to partition the data set, with nonparametric kernel density estimators to calculate local density estimates (LDE). The SOM‐LDE method determines the degree to which a new input pattern can be considered to be contained within the domain of the calibration set. If a new pattern is found to be uncharacteristic, a warning can be issued with the forecast, and the ANN model retrained to include the new pattern. This approach of selectively retraining the model is compared to no retraining and the more computationally onerous case of retraining the model after each new sample. These three approaches are applied to forecast flow in the Kentucky River, USA, using multilayer perceptron (MLP) models. The results demonstrate that there is a significant advantage in retraining an ANN that has been deployed as a real‐time, operational model, and that the SOM‐LDE classifier is an effective approach for identifying the model's range of applicability and assessing the usefulness of the forecast.
Error Variability in Apraxia of Speech: A Matter of Controversy
Authors: Staiger Anja , Finger-Berg Wolf , Aichert Ingrid , Ziegler Wolfram
Published: October 2012

Purpose

Error variability has traditionally been considered a hallmark of apraxia of speech (AOS). However, in some of the current AOS literature, relatively invariable error patterns are claimed as a mandatory criterion for a diagnosis of AOS. This paradigm shift has far-reaching consequences for our understanding of the disorder and for its (differential) diagnosis. Against the background of this controversy, the present article aims to further examine error variability in AOS.

Method

Four patients with relatively pure, mild-to-moderate AOS participated in the study. They repeated 8 target words in 2 different phrase contexts, 10 times each. Error analyses were based on phonetic transcription. Error variability was determined using several measures of (a) consistency of error occurrence and (b) consistency of error type.

Results

All patients produced highly inconsistent reactions across multiple trials in some of the target words. However, other words were more consistently accurate or inaccurate. Several factors influencing error variability were identified.

Conclusions

Because this study has disclosed clear indications of variable behavior in AOS, diagnostic guidelines claiming error consistency as a mandatory criterion cannot be maintained. Because error variability is difficult to operationalize, we recommend to no longer use (in)consistency as a strict diagnostic marker of AOS.
New International Formulation for the Thermal Conductivity of H2O
Authors: Huber M. L. , Perkins R. A. , Friend D. G. , Sengers J. V. , Assael M. J. , Metaxa I. N. , Miyagawa K. , Hellmann R. , Vogel E.
Published: October 2012

The International Association for the Properties of Water and Steam (IAPWS) encouraged an extensive research effort to update the IAPS Formulation 1985 for the Thermal Conductivity of Ordinary Water Substance, leading to the adoption of a Release on the IAPWS Formulation 2011 for the Thermal Conductivity of Ordinary Water Substance. This paper describes the development and evaluation of the 2011 formulation, which provides a correlating equation for the thermal conductivity of water for fluid states from the melting temperature up to 1173 K and 1000 MPa with uncertainties from less than 1% to 6%, depending on the state point.