bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Disconnection detection using earth capacitance measurement in photovoltaic module string
Authors: Takashima Takumi , Yamaguchi Junji , Ishida Masayoshi
Published: September 2008

A disconnection detection method using an earth capacitance measurement in photovoltaic (PV) module string was experimentally studied. In the experiments with disconnections between PV modules in the string, the earth capacitance of the string was increased in proportion to the module number, and this feature resulted in that the disconnection position between the modules could be estimated by comparing the earth capacitance value of the failed string with that of the good string. Since the earth capacitance was not affected by the irradiance change, the detection method could be applied anytime to locate the disconnection position in the string without the effect of the irradiance change. Moreover, this method could be applied not only to the string consisting of the crystalline Si modules but also to the string consisting of the amorphous Si modules. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The antiinflammatory, gastroprotective and antioxidant activities of Hieracium gymnocephalum extract
Authors: Petrović Silvana , Dobrić Silva , Mimica‐Dukić Neda , Simin Nataša , Kukić Jelena , Niketić Marjan
Published: September 2008

The present study investigated the antiinflammatory, gastroprotective and antioxidant activities of a CH2Cl2 extract of western Balkan endemic Hieracium gymnocephalum Griseb. ex Pant. (Compositae). The carrageenan‐induced rat paw oedema test was used as an experimental model for screening the antiinflammatory activity. The extract was administrated p.o. in doses of 25, 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg to rats and its effects compared with indomethacin, used p.o. as a reference drug. The results showed that the investigated extract reduced the oedema in a concentration‐dependent manner. The obtained antiinflammatory effect was 5.9%, 11.7%, 31.2% and 44.1% at doses of 25, 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg, respectively, being statistically significant at a dose of 100 mg/kg. Indomethacin had a strong antiinflammatory effect of 73.4% at a dose of 8 mg/kg, but caused large gastric lesions. When the plant extract in the highest tested dose (200 mg/kg) was concomitantly given with indomethacin, the antiinflammatory effect was slightly enhanced, but the gastric lesions were significantly reduced. The antioxidant activity of the H. gymnocephalum extract, investigated using DPPH radical assay, OH‐radical assay and TBA‐test, was not substantial. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of Peganum harmala or its β‐carboline alkaloids on certain antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria and protozoa from poultry
Authors: Arshad Najma , Zitterl‐Eglseer Karin , Hasnain Shahida , Hess Michael
Published: September 2008

In the present study the antimicrobial potential of various extracts from 12 medicinal plants has been investigated in vitro on multiple antibiotic resistant pathogens and some selected protozoa isolated from poultry. The initial examination was performed on E. coli (n = 10) using disc and agar well diffusion assays. Only two plants, Peganum harmala (seeds) and Eucalyptus globulus (leaves) showed positive responses. The active extracts were also investigated against an additional 19 bacteria and the clonal cultures of three protozoa (Histomonas meleagridis, Tetratrichomonas gallinarum and Blastocystis sp.). Only Peganum harmala was found to inhibit the growth of all bacteria and protozoa at 0.38–1.55 mg/mL and 0.63–1.65 mg/mL, respectively. To investigate the potential role of alkaloids in crude extracts of Peganum harmala, four known β‐carbolin alkaloids were quantified and their antimicrobial activity was compared using a microdilution assay. Harmaline was found to be in the highest concentration followed by harmine and harmalol, whereas harmane could not be detected. The activity of the pure alkaloids was in the order harmane > harmaline > harmalol ≥ harmine for all bacteria, while for protozoa, it was different depending on the microorganism. It is concluded that Peganum harmala or its alkaloids could probably be used for the control of antibiotic resistant isolates of bacteria as well as protozoa. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The effect of Anethum graveolens L. (dill) on corticosteroid induced diabetes mellitus: involvement of thyroid hormones
Authors: Panda Sunanda
Published: September 2008

An investigation was made to evaluate the role of Anethum graveolens L. (dill) leaf extract in the regulation of corticosteroid‐induced type 2 diabetes mellitus in female rats. In dexamethasone‐treated animals (1 mg/kg for 22 days) an increase in serum concentration of insulin and glucose and in hepatic lipid peroxidation (LPO) was observed. However, there was a decrease in serum concentration of thyroid hormones and in the endogenous antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and reduced glutathione (GSH) in liver. In animals treated with an equivalent amount of dexamethasone for a similar period (22 days) when received the leaf extract (100 mg/kg b.wt/d.) for last 15 days a decrease in the concentration of both serum glucose and insulin was observed, indicating the potential of the plant extract in the regulation of corticosteroid‐induced diabetes. Dexamethasone‐induced alterations in the levels of thyroid hormones as well as in hepatic LPO, SOD, CAT and GSH were also reversed by the plant extract. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of traditional Chinese medicine Shu‐mai‐tang on angiogenesis, arteriogenesis and cardiac function in rats with myocardial ischemia
Authors: Yin Huiqiu , Zhang Jidong , Lin Haiqing , Qiao Yun , Wang Rong , Lu Huixia , Liang Su
Published: September 2008

Ischemic heart disease is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Shu‐mai‐tang (SMT) is a traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of ischemic heart disease. To better understand the underlying cardioprotection mechanisms of SMT on myocardial ischemia (MI), the effect of SMT on angiogenesis, arteriogenesis and cardiac function was investigated in a rat model of MI, as well as the potential mechanism. Rats with a ligated left anterior descending coronary artery (MI model) were randomized (24 rats/group) to receive SMT/LY294002 [phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3K) inhibitor], SMT or no treatment. A sham‐operation group was included. It was demonstrated that 2 and 4 weeks after treatment the oral administration of SMT significantly increased capillaries and arterioles, suppressed myocardial fibrosis, as well as significantly increased cardiac phosphorylation of Akt, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet‐derived growth factor (PDGF‐BB) levels and functional improvement. PI3K inhibitor down‐regulated SMT‐induced angiogenesis and arteriogenesis. These novel therapeutic properties of SMT to induce the reconstitution of stable blood supply networks, reverse LV remodeling may offer an alternative therapy for the treatment of ischemic heart disease. The potential mechanism may be that SMT promotes VEGF and PDGF‐BB‐mediated angiogenesis and arteriogenesis through the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Convergence and quantum number assignment studies of rovibrational eigenstates in a model of predissociating NeICl van der Waals complex
Authors: Elander Nils , Levin Sergey B. , Yarevsky Evgeny
Published: September 2008

This report details extensions and further analysis of the results presented in an earlier study (Elander et al., Phys Rev A 2001, 64, 012505). Rovibrational resonances in a model of the triatomic van der Waals complex NeICl were studied with a full quantum mechanical, smooth exterior dilation technique realized in a three‐dimensional finite element code. Both exact and approximate results, where Coriolis effects are neglected, are presented, and their structures are discussed. Although the helicity is a good quantum number in a one‐equation approximation, it is here demonstrated that this is not in the case when including Coriolis coupling, that is, couplings to other helicity components. The behavior of the resonance widths and the positions together with the structure of the resonance wave functions and their dependence on the total angular momentum and its projection have been studied. The dependence of the width of a given resonance on the total angular momentum was found to be weak while the dependence on the helicity is stronger. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2009
Anharmonic effects on theoretical IR line shapes of medium strong H(D) bonds
Authors: Issaoui Noureddine , Rekik Najeh , Oujia Brahim , Wójcik Marek J.
Published: September 2008

We extend a quantum nonadiabatic treatment of damped H‐bonds involving combined effects of anharmonicities of both the fast and the slow modes, Fermi resonances and relaxation [Rekik et al., J Mol Liq (in press)] in order to account for stronger H‐bonds. For this purpose, we introduce, in the model, the quadratic modulation of both the angular frequency and the equilibrium position of theX−$\mathop H\limits^{\rightarrow}$…Ystretching mode on the intermonomer$\mathop X\limits^{\leftarrow}- H \ldots \mathop Y\limits^{\rightarrow}$motions to refine the structure of the spectrum, whereas we have considered in our previous work only the linear modulation of the angular frequency of the fast mode. In this approach, the strong anharmonic coupling theory is used through second‐order expansion in the slow‐mode coordinateQof the angular frequency and the equilibrium position of the fast mode. The relaxations of the fast mode (direct damping) and of the H‐bond bridge (indirect damping) are incorporated by aid of previous results [Rekik et al., J Mol Struct 2004, 687, 125]. The spectral density is obtained by Fourier transform of the autocorrelation function of the dipole moment of the fast stretching mode. The numerical calculation shows that the modulation of the angular frequency of the fast mode and its equilibrium position by the slow mode coordinate generate an improvement of the fine structure of the spectrum and also provide a direct evidence of the increase of the level density and the spectral broadening. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2009
Enabling the provision of secure web based m‐health services utilizing XML based security models
Authors: Vouyioukas Demosthenes , Kambourakis George , Maglogiannis Ilias , Rouskas Angelos , Kolias Constantinos , Gritzalis Stefanos
Published: September 2008

It has been generally agreed that the security of electronic patient records and generally e‐health applications must meet or exceed the standard security that should be applied to paper medical records, yet the absence of clarity on the proper goals of protection has led to confusion. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate appropriate security mechanisms, which will help clinical professionals and patients discharge their ethical and legal responsibilities by selecting suitable systems and operating them safely and in short order. Thus, in this paper we propose a security model based on XML with the intention of developing a fast security policy mostly intended for mobile healthcare information systems. The proposed schema consists of a set of principles based on XML security models through the use of partial encryption, signature and integrity services and it was implemented by means of a web‐based m‐health application in a centralized three‐tier architecture utilizing wireless networks environment. Several experiments took place with the aim of measuring the client response time implementing a number of m‐health scenarios. The results showed that the response times required for the fulfilment of a client request with the XML security model are smaller compared to those corresponding to the conventional security mechanisms such as the application of SSL. By selectively applying confidentiality and integrity services either to the medical information as a whole or to some sensitive parts of it, the obtained results clearly demonstrate that XML security mechanisms overwhelm those of SSL and they are suitable for deployment in m‐health applications. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Focused ion beam implantation of Ga in Si and Ge: fluence‐dependent retention and surface morphology
Authors: Gnaser Hubert , Brodyanski Alexander , Reuscher Bernhard
Published: September 2008

Focused ion beam implantation of 30‐keV Ga+ ions in single‐crystalline Si and Ge was investigated by SIMS, using Cs+ primary ions for sputtering. Nine different implantation fluences ranging from 1 × 1013 to 1 × 1017 Ga+‐ions/cm2 were used, with implanted areas of 40 × 40 µm2. The Ga concentration distributions of these implants were determined by SIMS depth profiling. Such 30‐keV Ga implantations were also simulated by a dynamic Monte‐Carlo code that takes into account the gradual change of the near‐surface composition due to the Ga incorporation. In both approaches, an essentially linear increase of the Ga peak concentrations with fluence is found up to ∼1 × 1016cm−2; for higher fluences, the Ga content approaches a saturation level which is reached at about (1–2) × 1017cm−2. The measured and simulated peak concentrations of the Ga distributions are in good agreement. The most probable ranges obtained from the experiments correspond closely with the respective values from the simulations. The surface morphology caused by Ga+ implantation was investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The AFM data indicate that for low fluences (<3 × 1015cm−2) the surface within the implanted areas is growing outward (i.e. is swelling). For increasingly higher fluences, sputter‐induced erosion of the surface becomes dominant and distinct craters are formed for fluences above ∼1 × 1016cm−2. At the boundary of the implanted region a wall‐like structure is found to form upon Ga implantation; its height is growing with increasing fluence, reaching a value of ∼15 nm at 1 × 1017 Ga+‐ions/cm2. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Arthroscopic Hemitrapeziectomy for First Carpometacarpal Arthritis: Results at 7-Year Follow-up
Authors: Hofmeister Eric P. , Leak Robert S. , Culp Randall W. , Osterman A. Lee
Published: September 2008

The purpose of this study was to determine the outcome of arthroscopic hemitrapeziectomy combined with thermal capsular plication and temporary K-wire fixation in patients with painful thumb basal joint due to either osteoarthritis or posttraumatic arthritis. There were 18 thumbs that were evaluated in this retrospective study of arthroscopic hemitrapeziectomy of the distal trapezium in addition to a pancapsular thermal shrinkage at an average of 7.6-year follow-up. No patient has required further surgery. A subjective improvement in pain, pinch activities, strength, and range of motion (ROM) was noted in all patients, and no patient had further surgery on their thumb. On exam, no patient had a first carpal–metacarpal grind or laxity. Total ROM of the thumb axis decreased by 20%, but all patients could oppose to the fifth finger. Grip strength remained unchanged, key pinch improved from 8 to 11 lbs, and tip pinch improved from 4 to 5 lbs. Radiographs showed a metacarpal subsidence of 1.8 mm (0–4 mm). Four complications were noted: two cases of dorsal radial nerve neuritis, one rupture of the flexor pollicis longus, and one prolonged hematoma. Results demonstrate that arthroscopic hemitrapeziectomy and capsular shrinkage for first carpometacarpal arthritis is an effective technique that provides high patient satisfaction, a functional pain-free thumb, and a reliable rate of return to activity.
Local Cooling Provides Muscle Flaps Protection from Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in the Event of Venous Occlusion during the Early Reperfusion Period
Authors: Diederich Ryan S. , Mowlavi Arian , Meldrum Garth , Medling Brad , Bueno Reuben A. , Neumeister Michael W.
Published: September 2008

Clinicians often place patients in heated rooms following muscle flap transfers. We hypothesize that exposure of flaps to heated room temperatures could result in an unnecessary hyperthermic ischemic insult if the flaps were to be compromised by venous outflow obstruction, while exposure of elective flaps to local cooling during early perfusion may provide protection in the event of venous occlusion. The rat rectus femoris muscle flap was elevated and clamped for 1 h. The muscle was then exposed to various temperatures for 1 h of perfusion followed by complete venous occlusion for 3 h. Occlusion clamps were removed and flaps were allowed to reperfuse for 24 h. Flaps were assessed for muscle necrosis and edema. Venous occluded muscles demonstrated decreased muscle necrosis and edema in the locally cooled group (8.5±6.7%, 3.06±0.14; P<0.001) compared to the room temperature group (76.2±23.0%, 3.73±0.13), and the local warming group (97.3±1.4%, 3.84±0.29) respectively. No difference was noted in muscle necrosis nor edema amongst non-ischemic muscles irrespective of temperature exposure. These results suggest a beneficial role for exposure of elective flaps to local cooling during the early perfusion period in order to provide protection from ischemia reperfusion injury in the event of a venous occlusion insult. The prophylactic exposure of flaps to local cooling is further supported by the lack of a harmful effect when flaps were not compromised by venous occlusion.
Screen of Genes Linked to High-Sugar Content in Stems by Comparative Genomics
Authors: Calviño Martín , Bruggmann Rémy , Messing Joachim
Published: September 2008

One of the great advantages of the fully sequenced rice genome is to serve as a reference for other cereal genomes in particular for identifying genes linked to unique traits. A trait of great interest is reduced lignocellulose in the stem of related species in favor of fermentable sugars as a source of biofuels. While sugarcane is one of the most efficient biofuel crops, little is known about the underlying gene repertoire involved in it. Here, we take advantage of the natural variation of sweet and grain sorghum to uncover genes that are conserved in rice, sorghum, and sugarcane but differently expressed in sweet versus grain sorghum by using a microarray platform and the syntenous alignment of rice and sorghum genomic regions containing these genes. Indeed, enzymes involved in carbohydrate accumulation and those that reduce lignocellulose can be identified.
Characterization of the paracrine effects of human skeletal myoblasts transplanted in infarcted myocardium
Authors: Perez‐Ilzarbe Maitane , Agbulut Onnik , Pelacho Beatriz , Ciorba Cristina , Jose‐Eneriz Edurne San , Desnos Michel , Hagège Albert A. , Aranda Pablo , Andreu Enrique J. , Menasché Philippe , Prósper Felipe
Published: September 2008

Background:

The discrepancy between the functional improvements yielded experimentally by skeletal myoblasts (SM) transplanted in infarcted myocardium and the paucity of their long‐term engraftment has raised the hypothesis of cell‐mediated paracrine mechanisms.

Methods and results:

We analyzed gene expression and growth factors released by undifferentiated human SM (CD56+), myotubes (SM cultured until confluence) and fibroblasts‐like cells (CD56−). Gene expression revealed up‐regulation of pro‐angiogenic (PGF), antiapoptotics (BAG‐1, BCL‐2), heart development (TNNT2, TNNC1) and extracellular matrix remodelling (MMP‐2, MMP‐7) genes in SM. In line with the gene expression profile, the analysis of culture supernatants of SM by ELISA identified the release of growth factors involved in angiogenesis (VEGF, PIGF, angiogenin, angiopoietin, HGF and PDGF‐BB) as well as proteases involved in matrix remodelling (MMP2, MMP9 and MMP10) and their inhibitors (TIMPs). Culture of smooth muscle cells (SMC), cardiomyocytes (HL‐1) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) with SM‐released conditioned media demonstrated an increased proliferation of HUVEC, SMC and cardiomyocytes (p<0.05) and a decrease in apoptosis of cardiomyocytes (p<0.05). Analysis of nude rats transplanted with human SM demonstrated expression of human‐specific MMP‐2, TNNI3, CNN3, PGF, TNNT2, PAX7, TGF‐β, and IGF‐1 1 month after transplant.

Conclusions:

Our data support the paracrine hypothesis whereby myoblast‐secreted factors may contribute to the beneficial effects of myogenic cell transplantation in infarcted myocardium.
Importance of C‐terminal flexible region of 4E‐binding protein in binding with eukaryotic initiation factor 4E
Authors: Mizuno Atsuo , In Yasuko , Fujita Yuki , Abiko Fumi , Miyagawa Hiroo , Kitamura Kunihiro , Tomoo Koji , Ishida Toshimasa
Published: September 2008

Although the α‐helical Y(X)4Lϕ containing region of eIF4E‐binding protein (4EBP) is the major binding region with eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E), the roles of its N‐ and C‐terminal regions in the binding are hardly known. To clarify the roles of these flexible regions in the interaction, the binding features of the sequentially N‐, C‐, or both‐terminal‐residue‐deleted 4EBP2 mutants were investigated by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis. It was shown that the C‐terminal His74‐Glu89 sequence has an auxiliary, but indispensable, function in stabilizing the binding to eIF4E. The possible interaction with eIF4E was estimated by molecular dynamics simulation. This is the first report on the importance of the C‐terminal flexible region in the eIF4E‐binding regulation of 4EBP.
Hierarchy in the zone-block lithospheric structure of Central and Eastern Asia
Authors: Seminskii K.Zh.
Published: September 2008

The lithospheric structure in Asia has been analyzed in terms of sizes of blocks and mobile zones between them on local (northeastern Olkhon area in western Baikal region), regional (Baikal region), and global (Central and Eastern Asia) scales. A single approach to reference mapping was used to update Sadovskii’s hierarchy of blocks and to rank the mobile zones. According to the updated model, the 1ithospheric structure of Central and Eastern Asia includes eleven hierarchic levels.
Structure of terranes in a Jurassic accretionary prism in the Sikhote-Alin-Amur area: implications for the Jurassic geodynamic history of the Asian eastern margin
Authors: Kemkin I.V.
Published: September 2008

A Jurassic accretionary prism in the Sikhote-Alin-Amur area is an assembly of terranes, which are tectonic-sedimentary complexes consisting of multiple strongly deformed fragments of an oceanic plate. The stack of tectonic-stratigraphic units (complexes) in the prism section records its geodynamic history, each unit being signature of a geologic event on the Paleoasian eastern margin. The succession of accretion events brought together fragments of a Paleozoic oceanic plateau in the Early Jurassic and abyssal plain fragments of different ages in Middle and Late Jurassic time.
The age and origin of volcanics in the Riphean section of the Siberian craton (western Baikal area)
Authors: Gladkochub D.P. , Mazukabzov A.M. , Donskaya T.V. , De Waele B. , Stanevich A.M. , Pisarevsky S.A.
Published: September 2008

In the western Baikal area, the structural position, composition, and age of volcanic rocks in the section of the Riphean margin of the Siberian craton were studied. The age of these rocks, earlier assigned to the Khotskaya Formation, is estimated at 274±3 Ma (concordia constructed over 11 zircon grains, SHRIMP-II). The geochemical and isotope compositions of volcanics evidence that they resulted from the melting of mantle source of EM-I type contaminated by crustal material. The intrusion of volcanics into the upper crustal horizons might have been caused by the evolution of the Permian active margin of the Siberian continent, which took place on the background of the closure of the Mongolo-Okhotsk ocean. Based on the results of studies, a new subvolcanic complex of Early Permian age has been recognized in the region, which includes the above-mentioned volcanics and earlier described porphyrite dikes of close age in the Sharyzhalgai uplift. The data obtained disprove the concept that the studied volcanics are of Riphean age; therefore, the available stratigraphic charts of the Siberian Precambrian must be revised.
MULTIPLE SOLUTIONS OF PERIODIC BOUNDARY VALUE PROBLEMS FOR FIRST-ORDER DIFFERENCE EQUATIONS
Authors: WANG DA-BIN
Published: September 2008

In this paper, existence criteria for multiple solutions of periodic boundary value problems for the first-order difference equationare established by using the Leggett–Williams multiple fixed point theorem and fixed point theorem of cone expansion and compression. Two examples are also given to illustrate the main results.
A JOINT UNIVERSALITY THEOREM FOR PERIODIC HURWITZ ZETA-FUNCTIONS
Authors: JAVTOKAS A. , LAURINČIKAS A.
Published: September 2008

We prove a joint universality theorem in the Voronin sense for the periodic Hurwitz zeta-functions.
A MEAN ERGODIC THEOREM FOR ACTIONS OF AMENABLE QUANTUM GROUPS
Authors: DUVENHAGE ROCCO
Published: September 2008

We prove a weak form of the mean ergodic theorem for actions of amenable locally compact quantum groups in the von Neumann algebra setting.
A NOTE ON SPACES Cp(X)K-ANALYTIC-FRAMED IN ℝX
Authors: FERRANDO J. C. , KĄKOL J.
Published: September 2008

This paper characterizes the K-analyticity-framedness in ℝX for Cp(X) (the space of real-valued continuous functions on X with pointwise topology) in terms of Cp(X). This is used to extend Tkachuk’s result about the K-analyticity of spaces Cp(X) and to supplement the Arkhangel ′skiĭ–Calbrix characterization of σ-compact cosmic spaces. A partial answer to an Arkhangel ′skiĭ–Calbrix problem is also provided.
In Search of Kilometer Zero: Digital Archives, Technological Revisionism, and the Sino-Vietnamese Border
Authors: Maclean Ken
Published: September 2008

Bùi Minh Quốc left for the border in late 2001. His clandestine trip, which took nearly a month to complete on a 50cc Honda Cub motorcycle, retraced the perimeter of Việt Bắc, the name for the mountainous region that stretches across ten provinces in northeastern Vietnam. Quốc, a poet of considerable repute, documented the highpoints of the ride in verse. But the region’s rugged beauty, which holds a prominent place in official histories of the anti-colonial struggle against the French and those who collaborated with them, was not the real reason for his quest. Nor was the region’s more recent reincarnation as a socialist battleground during the Third Indochina War with the People’s Republic of China, a conflict that killed and wounded an estimated one hundred thousand people in the space of a month. Instead, Quốc’s self-appointed task was to find the current location of “Kilometer Zero” (Cấy số không) along the Sino-Vietnamese border—a difficult proposition since it appears nowhere on official maps of the country. Nonetheless, the toponym is commonly used to refer to the precise spot in Lạng Sơn Province where National Highway 1A, the only paved road to traverse the entire length of Vietnam, begins its long journey south.
A Taste for Law: Rule-Making in Kabylia (Algeria)
Authors: Scheele Judith
Published: September 2008

There has recently been an upsurge in anthropologists' interest in law, with North Africa and the Middle East taking a prominent position. One of the foci is the coexistence of multiple sets of legal practices, and the ways in which people negotiate between different legal “systems.” This emphasis closely mirrors the more general shift in anthropology from “discourse” to “practice,” and shares both its strengths and weaknesses. Among the latter is that the resulting emphasis on “legal pluralism” (Griffith 1986) runs the danger of eroding the concept of law as such, subsuming it within more general and all-encompassing notions of “conflict resolution.” Similarly, there is a risk that one of the most striking aspects of legal procedure, namely the value placed on the act of making rules, is being neglected, and the actual content of local law codes and their underlying principles are receiving less attention than they deserve. As a result, “customary law” is more often implicitly defined by what it is not. Here, my aim is not to shift the focus from “practice” to “discourse,” but rather to understand the internal logic of one such set of ‘customs,’ and to consider the act of making law in itself as a special kind of practice (see also Comaroff and Roberts 1981: 15–16).
Putting the History Back into Ethnicity: Enslavement, Religion, and Cultural Brokerage in the Construction of Mandinka/Jola and Ewe/Agotime Identities in West Africa, c. 1650–1930
Authors: Nugent Paul
Published: September 2008

It does not always happen that academic debates result in an agreed victory or a tidy consensus. As often as not, the protagonists lose interest, or the terrain itself shifts. For that reason, it is worth remarking on the fact that after around two decades of debating the roots of ethnicity in Africa, something like a consensus has in fact emerged. The colonial thesis that Africans were born into “tribes” that were rooted in a timeless past has been effectively critiqued by historians and social scientists alike. Arguably beginning with John Iliffe, revisionists advanced a challenging antithesis, namely that colonial administrative practices generated the very identities that officials and missionaries took for granted. In Iliffe's famous formulation: “The British wrongly believed that Tanganyikans belonged to tribes; Tanganyikans created tribes to function within the colonial framework.” Although Iliffe coined the term “the creation of tribes,” it was Terence Ranger's contribution toThe Invention of Traditionthat really sparked an interest in the historicity of ethnicity in Africa. In fact, this was only one facet of Ranger's overall argument, one that was a good deal more nuanced than he has sometimes been given credit for. Be that as it may, the time was evidently ripe for a historiographical break, and during the 1980s and 1990s historians set about demonstrating that particular ethnic groups were indeed the product of an interplay between European interventions—by administrators, missionaries, employers, and colonial ethnographers—and selective African appropriations—through the agency of Christian converts, educated elites, urban migrants, and rural patriarchs. The steady accretion of case-study material has subsequently culminated in reflections that have distilled the broad comparative lessons. These have been helpful in creating a sense of agreement that the debate was necessary, whilst underscoring that a law of diminishing returns has set in, something more generally true of debates about constructivist approaches to identity.
The Illusion of Isolation: The Gullah/Geechees and the Political Economy of African Culture in the Americas
Authors: Matory J. Lorand
Published: September 2008

The Gullah/Geechee people are the locus classicus for the study of “African survivals” in North American culture. As such, they have been saddled with the duty to generate universal principles for the explanation of Africans’ acculturation, adaptation, and cultural resistance in the Western hemisphere, and they provide the main North American test case for explanatory principles generated elsewhere in the Americas. Yet, the well-studied Gullah/Geechee case, like the Afro-Atlantic world generally, holds untapped lessons about the historical genesis of cultures and ethnic identities worldwide. Is isolation the normal precondition and conservator of cultural and ethnic distinctiveness? And do the enslaved and their descendants choose their ancestors’ ways and identities mainly when and where isolation from the oppressor has made the oppressor's cultural alternatives unavailable? The existing literature on the Gullah/Geechee people of the southeastern U.S. coast and islands says “yes” to these questions, which also stand at the heart of both black Atlantic and global cultural history.
The Break-Up of the Poor Laws— German Style: Progressivism and the Origins of the Welfare State, 1900–1918
Authors: Frohman Larry
Published: September 2008

While the 1834 New Poor Law and the controversies over its reform represent one of the central threads in every narrative of the history of modern Britain, the same can hardly be said of the German poor laws, whose history is far less known. This is due in large part to a historiographical tradition that sees the Bismarckian social insurance programs as the fons et origo of the German welfare state and thus marginalizes all forms of social assistance that can not be neatly fitted into the narrative pre-history or subsequent development of these programs. This contrasts with a British tradition where, as E. P. Hennock has recently argued, national insurance was primarily conceived as a means of poor law reform, and where the poor laws figure prominently in the historiography of the welfare state. On the other hand, this insurance-centered approach to the welfare state is not entirely to blame because, for their part, historians of poor relief have not been able to establish any positive connections between individualized, subsidiary, deterrent relief and social insurance or social security systems based on rights deriving from either contributions or citizenship.
Role of sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor expression in eosinophils of patients with allergic rhinitis, and effect of topical nasal steroid treatment on this receptor expression
Authors: Mackle T , Gendy S S , Walsh M , McConn-Walsh R , Costello R W , Walsh M-T
Published: September 2008

Objective:

Recent research has indicated that sphingosine 1-phosphate plays a role in allergy. This study examined the effect of allergen challenge on the expression of sphingosine 1-phosphate receptors on the eosinophils of allergic rhinitis patients, and the effect of steroid treatment on this expression.

Study design:

A prospective, non-randomised study.

Methods:

The study had three parts. Firstly, sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor expression on the eosinophils of allergic rhinitis patients and control patients was determined. Secondly, sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor expression was quantified pre- and post-allergen challenge, before and after a short course of fluticasone propionate; all patients underwent symptom scoring and peak nasal inspiratory flow measurement pre- and post-allergen challenge, both before and after steroid or saline treatment. Thirdly, the effect of sphingosine 1-phosphate on eosinophil migration was examined.

Results:

The eosinophils of both allergic rhinitis patients and controls expressed sphingosine 1-phosphate1, 3, 4, and 5. Eosinophils from all allergic rhinitis patients demonstrated up-regulation in sphingosine 1-phosphate expression after allergen challenge. These changes were statistically very significant for sphingosine 1-phosphate1, 4, and 5, and moderately significant for sphingosine 1-phosphate3. Sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor expression up-regulation was abolished in the steroid-treated group after allergen challenge; however, the saline-treated group showed no change in sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor expression after allergen challenge. Peak nasal inspiratory flow scores were significantly diminished after allergen challenge prior to treatment, but not after a course of topical nasal steroids. Sphingosine 1-phosphate induced eosinophil chemotaxis was increased following allergen challenge in allergic rhinitis subjects.

Conclusions:

Local intranasal steroid therapy acts directly to block allergen-induced up-regulation of sphingosine 1-phosphate receptors on the peripheral eosinophils of allergic rhinitis patients, and this is coincident with post-challenge peak nasal inspiratory flow measurement improvements. These observations support the idea that such an increase in sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor expression is clinically relevant in allergic rhinitis, with potential consequences for eosinophil migration and survival.
Potential impacts of climate change and greenhouse gas emissions on Mediterranean marine ecosystems and cetaceans
Authors: Gambaiani D.D. , Mayol P. , Isaac S.J. , Simmonds M.P.
Published: September 2008

The combustion of fossil fuels and the resultant impacts on climate may now represent one of the largest environmental threats. In the Mediterranean Sea, changes in bio-chemical and physical seawater properties resulting from global warming are likely to alter marine biodiversity and productivity, trigger trophic web mismatches and encourage diseases, toxic algal bloom and propagation of thermophilic species. This review highlights the current and potential threats of climate change to the Mediterranean marine ecosystems, including cetaceans, and stresses the emergent necessity for more integrated regulations and policies for the protection of marine biodiversity. For instance, in the Mediterranean Sea, the distribution and abundance of the small euphausid speciesMeganyctiphanes norvegicais correlated with specific hydrobiological parameters including seawater temperature, salinity and current patterns. Situated at the northern limit of its ecological tolerance, this species, which constitutes the only known food supply of the fin whales(Balaenoptera physalus)in this region, might be affected by climate change-induced alteration of ocean circulation.
Fluorescence distribution pattern allows to distinguish two species of Eugymnanthea (Leptomedusae: Eirenidae)
Authors: Kubota Shin , Pagliara Patrizia , Gravili Cinzia
Published: September 2008

The auto-fluorescence patterns of the medusae observed under a fluorescent microscope with blue light excitation allows to distinguish two species of Eugymnanthea, this even when they are still attached to the hydroid as small medusa buds despite the occurrence of a sex-dependant pattern in E. japonica. A total of four distribution patterns of green fluorescence, including non-fluorescence, could be found. Three of them are found in E. japonica, called ‘subumbrellar fluorescence type’ except for non-fluorescence, while another type is found in E. inquilina, called ‘umbrellar margin fluorescence type’. During the short life of the medusa the latter type remained invariable for up to six days in E. inquilina, while the pattern observed for up to seven days in E. japonica changed sometimes, but it always remained distinguishable from the pattern found in E. inquilina. Therefore, the fluorescence pattern is a reliable taxonomic character. Fluorescence was not found in unfertilized eggs, planulae 2–8 days old, parthenogenetically produced larvae, or in the hydroids of the two species. The auto-fluorescent and possible bioluminescent tissues of these Eugymnanthea medusae could have some unknown biological significance.
The structure and nature of phonological neighbourhoods in children's early lexicons
Authors: ZAMUNER TANIA S.
Published: September 2008

This research examines phonological neighbourhoods in the lexicons of children acquiring English. Analyses of neighbourhood densities were done on children's earliest words and on a corpus of spontaneous speech, used to measure neighbours in the target language. Neighbourhood densities were analyzed for words created by changing segments in word-onset position (rhyme neighbours as in pin/bin), vowel position (consonant neighbours as in pin/pan/) and word-offset position (lead neighbours as in pin/pit). Results indicated that neighbours in children's early lexicons are significantly more often distinguished in word-onset position (rhyme neighbours) and significantly less often distinguished in word-offset position (lead neighbours). Moreover, patterns in child language are more extreme than in the target language. Findings are discussed within the PRIMIR framework (Processing Rich Information from Multidimensional Interaction Representations; Werker & Curtin, 2005). It is argued that early perceptual sensitivity aids lexical acquisition, supporting continuity across speech perception and lexical acquisition.
Spatial and spatio-temporal analysis ofSalmonellainfection in dairy herds in England and Wales
Authors: FENTON S. E. , CLOUGH H. E. , DIGGLE P. J. , EVANS S. J. , DAVISON H. C. , VINK W. D. , FRENCH N. P.
Published: September 2008

Using data from a cohort study conducted by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA), evidence of spatial clustering at distances up to 30 km was found forS. Agama andS. Dublin (Pvalues of 0·001) and borderline evidence was found for spatial clustering ofS. Typhimurium (P=0·077). The evolution of infection status of study farms over time was modelled using a Markov Chain model with transition probabilities describing changes in status at each of four visits, allowing for the effect of sampling visit. The degree of geographical clustering of infection, having allowed for temporal effects, was assessed by comparing the residual deviance from a model including a measure of recent neighbourhood infection levels with one excluding this variable. The number of cases arising within a defined distance and time period of an index case was higher than expected. This provides evidence for spatial and spatio-temporal clustering, which suggests either a contagious process (e.g. through direct or indirect farm-to-farm transmission) or geographically localized environmental and/or farm factors which increase the risk of infection. The results emphasize the different epidemiology of the threeSalmonellaserovars investigated.
Infektanfälligkeit im Kindesalter – wie weiter?
Authors: Duppenthaler A.
Published: September 2008

Fieberhafte Zustände sind im Kindesalter sehr häufig, für die Eltern sind sie oft besorgniserregend. Bei wiederholten febrilen Zuständen stellt sich die Frage nach einem primären Immundefekt, dessen Prognose von einer frühzeitigen Diagnosestellung abhängt. Was noch als normal toleriert werden kann und wann an eine Immundefizienz gedacht werden muss, wird dargestellt. Die Entität PFAPA-Syndrom (periodisches Fieber, Adenopathie, Pharyngitis, Aphthosis) wird neben anderen autoentzündlichen Erkrankungen und der zyklischen Neutropenie diskutiert.
Die Rolle der Thorakoskopie beim kindlichen Spontanpneumothorax
Authors: Schulte D. , Cholewa D. , Casaulta C. , Zachariou Z.
Published: September 2008

Der Spontanpneumothorax beim Kind ist ein Notfall. Er erfordert rasches und strukturiertes Handeln. Dyspnoe, einseitig abgeschwächtes Atemgeräusch und hypersonorer Klopfschall sind hinweisende klinische Zeichen. Die Thoraxaufnahme bestätigt die Diagnose. Eine Computertomographie der Lunge gibt genauere Informationen über pathologische Veränderungen im Lungenparenchym und wichtige Hinweise für die Therapie. Die Thorakoskopie nimmt heute einen zentralen Stellenwert in der Behandlung des Spontanpneumothorax ein. Sie komplettiert die Diagnostik, indem durch die Bildgebung verpasste Veränderungen gefunden werden. Simultan erfolgt die minimalinvasive chirurgische Therapie.
Deep structure of the Colli Albani volcanic district (central Italy) from receiver functions analysis
Authors: Bianchi I. , Piana Agostinetti N. , De Gori P. , Chiarabba C.
Published: September 2008

The Colli Albani is a Quaternary quiescent volcano, located a few kilometers southeast of Rome (Italy). During the past decade, seismic swarms, ground deformation, and gas emissions occurred in the southwestern part of the volcano, where the last phreatomagmatic eruptions (27 ka) developed, building up several coalescent craters. In the frame of a Dipartimento Protezione Civile–Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologica project aimed at the definition and mitigation of volcanic hazard, a temporary array of seismic stations has been deployed on the volcano and surrounding areas. We present results obtained using receiver functions analysis for eight stations, located upon and around the volcanic edifice, and revealing how the built of the volcanic edifice influenced the prevolcanic structures. The stations show some common features: the Moho is almost flat and located at 23 km, in agreement with the thinning of the Thyrrenian crust. Also the presence of a shallow limestone layer is a stable feature under every station, with a variable thickness between 4 and 5 km. However, some features change from station to station, indicating a local complexity of the crustal structure: a shallow discontinuity dividing the Plio‐Pleistocene sediments by the Meso‐Cenozoic limestones, and a localized anisotropic layer, in the central part of the old structure, which points of the deformation of the limestones. Other two strongly anisotropic layers are detected under the stations in lower crust and upper mantle, with symmetry axis directions related to the evolution of the volcano complex.
Outstanding Student Paper Awards
Authors: Anonymous
Published: September 2008

The following AGU members received Outstanding Student Paper Awards at the 2008 Joint Assembly, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Rigid topographic control of currents in the Nordic Seas
Authors: Søiland H. , Prater M. D. , Rossby T.
Published: September 2008

Neutrally buoyant floats, deployed across the northern slope of the Iceland‐Faroe Ridge at 800m depth, reveal tight topographic control of their movement: a cluster of 22 floats drifts southeast to the Faroe‐Shetland Channel where it bifurcates such that floats deployed over the upper slope turn south and eventually exit the Norwegian Sea through the Faroe Bank Channel, and floats over the deeper slope turn north in the Norwegian Sea. A subset of the latter group moves quickly north along the western slope of the Vøring Plateau and divides with most of the floats turning east into the Lofoten Basin and the remainder circulating cyclonically around the Norwegian Basin. This study establishes that i) the Faroe Bank Channel overflow waters must come from along the slope north of the Faroes, not the interior of the Norwegian Sea, and ii) exchange of intermediate waters between basins takes place along topographically controlled routes.
Mitigating the impact of RADCAL beacon contamination on F15 SSM/I ocean retrievals
Authors: Hilburn K. A. , Wentz F. J.
Published: September 2008

Data from six Special Sensor Microwave/Imagers (SSM/I) have been used to provide a 22‐year climate data record of surface wind speed, columnar water vapor, columnar cloud water, and surface rain rate. On 14 August 2006, a radar calibration (RADCAL) beacon was activated on F15, one of the SSM/I. Interference from the beacon caused retrieval biases of roughly −30% for wind and rain and 40% for vapor and cloud. We have developed a simple correction for RADCAL interference, which brings the retrieval biases down to a few percent for cloud and rain, and less than 1% for wind and vapor. The corrected F15 data are of suitable quality for weather research purposes, but we discourage use of F15 retrievals after 14 August 2006 for climate research purposes at present because it appears that RADCAL beacon interference may not be stable in time, but may depend upon the thermal environment of F15.
Hadley cell bias in climate models linked to extratropical eddy stress
Authors: Caballero Rodrigo
Published: September 2008

Recent theoretical and observational work shows that the Reynolds stresses due to large‐scale extratropical eddies play a key role in determining Hadley cell strength. This implies that errors in the representation of extratropical eddies in climate models could force a bias in the tropical circulation. Here, this hypothesis is assessed using output from 17 coupled climate models, focusing on Northern Hemisphere winter. Inter‐model variability in Hadley cell strength, tropical temperature and tropical humidity is found to be significantly correlated with inter‐model differences in stationary eddy stress. Thus, a significant fraction of the tropical climate bias found in current climate models may be forced from the extratropics.