bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
AN ARMY WITHOUT DISCIPLINE? SUFFRAGETTE MILITANCY AND THE BUDGET CRISIS OF 1909
Authors: BEARMAN C. J.
Published: November 2007

This article analyses more than thirty demonstrations by suffragettes of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) connected with the Budget crisis of 1909, and challenges many of the established orthodoxies about suffragette militancy. Demonstrations did not represent spontaneous activity by the rank and file, but were carried out or at least led by WSPU employees or ‘professional’ militants, with several visible changes in tactics which indicate an organized campaign directed by the leadership. Damage to property, and the political violence which culminated in the terrorist tactics of 1912–14, did not begin as a response to wrongs done to the suffragettes, but because the leaders decided it was necessary. But these tactics were a counter-productive mistake which caused an adverse public reaction and justified the government in the introduction of forcible feeding. The WSPU was obliged to retreat in a humiliating reversal.
PARTIES, VOLUNTARY ASSOCIATIONS, AND DEMOCRATIC POLITICS IN INTERWAR BRITAIN
Authors: McCARTHY HELEN
Published: November 2007

The achievement of universal suffrage after 1918 stimulated new forms of democratic participation in Britain. These decades witnessed not only renewed efforts by political parties to mobilize the mass electorate, but also the establishment of new kinds of civic association, often secular in character, strongly invested in a discourse of active citizenship, and committed to creating and defending a space within associational life which was free of partisan or sectarian conflict. This article presents a fresh perspective on the political culture of interwar Britain by comparing and contrasting the experiences of four voluntary associations active during this period: the National Federation of Women's Institutes, Rotary International, the British Legion, and the League of Nations Union. It analyses their relationship with conventional party politics, rejecting the argument that these associations served as vehicles for middle-class anti-socialism, and concludes, instead, that their pluralist values and political centrism formed part of a wider response by political, religious, and educational elites to the challenge of class conflict, economic instability, and political extremism in the post-war decades.
CONTINUING DEBATE AND NEW APPROACHES IN COLD WAR HISTORY
Authors: HOPKINS MICHAEL F.
Published: November 2007

The Cold War lasted for almost fifty years and ended nearly twenty years ago. A vast historiography continues to grow. In explaining the past and continuing debate, this article is necessarily selective. It has three aims. The first is to locate the main phases and trends in the debate about the Cold War. The second is to analyse the growing literature on the end of the Cold War. Thirdly, it attempts to identify a number of major themes by looking beyond geopolitical issues to various aspects of the cultural Cold War, to espionage and intelligence, and to the economic dimension. The review has three main conclusions. First, diplomacy and strategic issues have been extensively explored, though more is needed on the Soviet Union and especially on China. Secondly, analysis of the economic and intelligence dimension has improved, though, again, knowledge of the Soviet Union and China remains thin. Lastly, the growing coverage of cultural issues has deepened our understanding but needs to be integrated into political and strategic narratives.
THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA IN THE IMPERIAL AND POST-COLONIAL HISTORIOGRAPHY OF FRANCE
Authors: DUECK JENNIFER M.
Published: November 2007

The imperial and post-colonial history of France has inspired an ever-growing body of literature in the last decade. Moving well beyond traditional political and economic narratives, these histories present a rich portrait of the policies, peoples, and perceptions that shaped the colonial and post-colonial experience in France and overseas. This article looks at how Arab communities and nations figure within the historiography on the period since the First World War. The first of three sections examines works devoted to culture and imperialism that span the twentieth century, with special emphasis on the differences between the scholarship emerging from French and Anglo-Saxon milieus. The second section looks at how recent histories have used the interwar years as a unit of analysis for understanding French colonialism in the Middle East and North Africa. Algeria, as the cornerstone of the empire and the theatre of the bloodiest colonial war for independence, forms the basis of the third section, which considers new conceptions of nationalism and decolonization.
MEN’S SOCIAL NETWORKS AND CONTRACEPTION IN GHANA
Authors: AVOGO WINFRED , AGADJANIAN VICTOR
Published: November 2007

In this paper, longitudinal data from northern Ghana is used to assess the effects of encouragement to use family planning that men receive from their personal network partners on the adoption of modern contraception by their wives. The study tests a conceptual model that, in addition to the effect of men’s network encouragement, incorporates the effect of encouragement to use family planning that women receive from their respective network partners and the effect of spousal communication on reproductive matters and approval of family planning. Results show that encouragement received by men from their social networks significantly increases the likelihood of subsequent contraceptive use by their wives but this effect operates primarily by galvanizing spousal communication on reproductive matters. The effect of encouragement received by women from their respective network partners is largely independent from the effect of male network encouragement but it influences contraceptive adoption both directly and through spousal communication.
ATTITUDE AND PREFERENCES OF NIGERIAN ANTENATAL WOMEN TO SOCIAL SUPPORT DURING LABOUR
Authors: MORHASON-BELLO I. O. , OLAYEMI O. , OJENGBEDE O. A. , ADEDOKUN B. O. , OKUYEMI O. O. , ORJI B.
Published: November 2007

This was a hospital-based cross-sectional study of 224 randomly selected antenatal women receiving care at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. The study aimed to seek the attitude and preferences of respondents about social support during childbirth and also identify variables that may influence their decisions. Seventy-five per cent of respondents desired companionship in labour. Approximately 86% preferred their husband as companion while 7% and 5% wanted their mother and siblings as support person respectively. Reasons for their desire for social support were emotional (80·2%), spiritual (17·9%), errands (8·6%) and physical activity (6·8%). Socio-demographic variables found to be statistically significant on logistic regression analysis for the desire of a companion in labour were nulliparity (OR 3·57, 95% CI 1·49–8·52), professionals (OR 3·11, 95% CI 1·22–7·94) and women of other ethnic groups besides Yoruba (OR 2·90, 95% CI 1·02–8·26), which is the predominant ethnic group in the study area. Only those with post-secondary education were found to want their husbands as doula (OR 2·96, 95% CI 1·08–8·11). More than half of the respondents wanted information about labour prior to their experience. It is important that Nigerian women are allowed the benefit of social support during childbirth, particularly as there is a lack of one-to-one nursing care and other critical services, including epidural analgesia in labour, at many of the health care facilities in Nigeria. Men could play a pivotal role in the process of introducing support in labour so as to improve the outcome for both the mother and her newborn.
Social judgement in clinically stable patients with schizophrenia and healthy relatives: behavioural evidence of social brain dysfunction
Authors: Baas D. , van't Wout M. , Aleman A. , Kahn R. S.
Published: November 2007

Background

Patients with schizophrenia have been found to display abnormalities in social cognition. The aim of the study was to test whether patients with schizophrenia and unaffected first-degree relatives of schizophrenic patients display behavioural signs of social brain dysfunction when making social judgements.

Method

Eighteen patients with schizophrenia, 24 first-degree unaffected relatives and 28 healthy comparison subjects completed a task which involves trustworthiness judgements of faces. A second task was completed to measure the general ability to recognize faces.

Results

Patients with schizophrenia rated faces as more trustworthy, especially those that were judged to be untrustworthy by healthy comparison subjects. Siblings of schizophrenia patients display the same bias, albeit to a lesser degree.

Conclusions

The pattern of more positive trustworthiness judgements parallels the results from studies of patients with abnormalities in brain areas involved in social cognition. Because patients and siblings did not differ significantly from controls in their general ability to recognize faces, these findings cannot be dismissed as abnormalities in face perception by itself.
Heritability of borderline personality disorder features is similar across three countries
Authors: Distel M. A. , Trull T. J. , Derom C. A. , Thiery E. W. , Grimmer M. A. , Martin N. G. , Willemsen G. , Boomsma D. I.
Published: November 2007

Background

Most of our knowledge about borderline personality disorder features has been obtained through the study of clinical samples. Although these studies are important in their own right, they are limited in their ability to address certain important epidemiological and aetiological questions such as the degree to which there is a genetic influence on the manifestation of borderline personality disorder features. Though family history studies of borderline personality disorder indicate genetic influences, there have been very few twin studies and the degree of genetic influence on borderline personality disorder remains unclear.

Method

Data were drawn from twin samples from The Netherlands (n=3918), Belgium (n=904) and Australia (n=674). In total, data were available on 5496 twins between the ages of 18 and 86 years from 3644 families who participated in the study by completion of a mailed self-report questionnaire on borderline personality disorder features.

Results

In all countries, females scored higher than males and there was a general tendency for younger adults to endorse more borderline personality disorder features than older adults. Model-fitting results showed that additive genetic influences explain 42% of the variation in borderline personality disorder features in both men and women and that this heritability estimate is similar across The Netherlands, Belgium and Australia. Unique environmental influences explain the remaining 58% of the variance.

Conclusion

Genetic factors play a role in individual differences in borderline personality disorder features in Western society.
Elaboration on immigration and risk for schizophrenia
Authors: Weiser M. , Werbeloff N. , Vishna T. , Yoffe R. , Lubin G. , Shmushkevitch M. , Davidson M.
Published: November 2007

Background

Being a small and culturally different minority, or having a different appearance, has been invoked to account for the increased prevalence of psychotic disorders among immigrants. The majority of the Jewish Israeli population are first- or second-generation immigrants from Europe, North Africa or Asia, and during the late 1980s and 1990s, 885 000 persons immigrated to Israel from the former Soviet Union and 43 000 immigrated from Ethiopia. These Ethiopian immigrants came from a very different culture compared to the rest of the population, and have a distinct appearance. To further understand the association between immigration and schizophrenia, we compared risk for later schizophrenia between adolescents who immigrated from Ethiopia with risk among the other immigrant groups, and with native-born Israelis.

Method

Of 661 792 adolescents consecutively screened by the Israeli Draft Board, 557 154 were native-born Israelis and 104 638 were immigrants. Hospitalization for schizophrenia was ascertained using a National Psychiatric Hospitalization Case Registry. All analyses controlled for socio-economic status (SES).

Results

Risk for schizophrenia was increased among both first- [hazard ratio (HR) 1.62, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.18–2.22] and second-generation immigrants [HR 1.41, 95% CI 1.01–1.95 (one immigrant parent) and HR 1.49, 95% CI 1.11–2.0 (two immigrant parents)]. When risk for schizophrenia was calculated for each immigrant group separately, immigrants from Ethiopia were at highest risk of later schizophrenia (HR 2.95, 95% CI 1.88–4.65).

Conclusion

This comparison between diverse groups of immigrants supports the notion that immigrants who differ in culture and appearance from the host population are at increased risk for schizophrenia.
Functioning status of adult children of depressed parents: a 23-year follow-up
Authors: Timko C. , Cronkite R. C. , Swindle R. , Robinson R. L. , Turrubiartes P. , Moos R. H.
Published: November 2007

Background

We compared adult offspring of depressed or control parents who were followed for 23 years. Comparisons were on depression symptoms, physical functioning and disability, social functioning, and utilization of help and coping. Also examined was whether the parent's course of depression (stably remitted, partially remitted, non-remitted) was associated with offspring functioning.

Method

Depressed parents successfully followed at 23 years (n=248, 82%) identified 215 adult offspring; 67% returned questionnaires. Matched control parents successfully followed (n=235, 79%) identified 261 adult offspring; 68% completed questionnaires.

Results

Adult offspring of depressed parents were more impaired than adult offspring of controls (with gender and education controlled) in the domains of depression and disability, and obtained more help for mental health problems. They also reported more severe recent stressors and relied more on active cognitive coping and seeking alternative rewards to cope. Adult offspring of depressed and control parents were comparable in a number of domains: psychiatric and behavioral problems other than depression, physical functioning and pain, social functioning, and hospitalizations and medication use for depression. Adult offspring of parents with a non-remitted course of depression were the most likely to show impaired functioning compared with controls.

Conclusions

Having a parent with depression is associated with more depression and disability in adulthood, but does not have debilitating effects in other life domains. Nonetheless, it may be important for offspring of depressed parents, particularly offspring of parents with a non-remitting depression course, to recognize their elevated risk of depression and potential need for help.
Testing the association between the incidence of schizophrenia and social capital in an urban area
Authors: Kirkbride J. B. , Boydell J. , Ploubidis G. B. , Morgan C. , Dazzan P. , McKenzie K. , Murray R. M. , Jones P. B.
Published: November 2007

Background

Social capital has been considered aetiologically important in schizophrenia but the empirical evidence to support this hypothesis is absent. We tested whether social capital, measured at the neighbourhood level, was associated with the incidence of schizophrenia (ICD-10 F20).

Method

We administered a cross-sectional questionnaire on social capital to 5% of the adult population in 33 neighbourhoods (wards) in South London (n=16 459). The questionnaire contained items relating to two social capital constructs: social cohesion and trust (SC&T) and social disorganization (SocD). Schizophrenia incidence rates, estimated using data from the Aetiology and Ethnicity in Schizophrenia and Other Psychoses (AESOP) study, provided the outcome. We used multi-level Poisson regression to test our hypothesis while controlling for individual- and neighbourhood-level characteristics.

Results

We identified 148 cases during 565 576 person-years at-risk. Twenty-six per cent of the variation in incidence rates was attributable to neighbourhood-level characteristics. Response from the social capital survey was 25.7%. The association between SC&T and schizophrenia was U-shaped. Compared with neighbourhoods with medial levels of SC&T, incidence rates were significantly higher in neighbourhoods with low [incidence rates ratio (IRR) 2.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2–3.3] and high (IRR 2.5, 95% CI 1.3–4.8) levels of SC&T, independent of age, sex, ethnicity, ethnic density, ethnic fragmentation and socio-economic deprivation.

Conclusion

Neighbourhood variation in SC&T was non-linearly associated with the incidence of schizophrenia within an urban area. Neighbourhoods with low SC&T may fail to mediate social stress whereas high SC&T neighbourhoods may have greater informal social control or may increase the risk of schizophrenia for residents excluded from accessing available social capital.
Unhappiness, health and cognitive ability in old age
Authors: Rabbitt P. , Lunn M. , Ibrahim S. , Cobain M. , McInnes L.
Published: November 2007

Background

To test whether scores on depression inventories on entry to a longitudinal study predict mental ability over the next 4–16 years.

Method

Associations between scores on the Beck Depression Inventory and on tests of intelligence, vocabulary and memory were analysed in 5070 volunteers aged 49–93 years after differences in prescribed drug consumption, death and drop-out, sex, socio-economic advantage and recruitment cohort effects had also been considered.

Results

On all cognitive tasks Beck scores on entry, even in the range 0–7 indicating differences in above average contentment, affected overall levels of cognitive performance but not rates of age-related cognitive decline suggesting effects of differences in life satisfaction rather than in depression.

Conclusions

A new finding is that, in old age, increments in life satisfaction are associated with better cognitive performance. Implications for interpreting associations between depression inventory scores and cognitive performance in elderly samples are discussed.
Hierarchical sensor fusion for building a probabilistic local map using active sensor modules
Authors: Kim Gon Woo , Kim Ji Min , Kwak Nosan , Lee Beom Hee
Published: November 2007

An algorithm for three-level hierarchical sensor fusions has beenproposed and applied to environment map building with enhanced accuracy and efficiency. The algorithm was realized through the two new types of sensor modules, which are composed of a halogen lamp-based active vision sensor and a semicircular ultrasonic (US) and infrared (IR) sensor system. In the first-level fusion, the US and IR sensor information is utilized in terms of the geometric characteristics of the sensor location. In the second-level fusion, the outputs from the US and IR sensors are combined with the sheet of halogen light through a proposed rule base. In the third-level fusion, local maps from the first- and second-level fusion are updated in a probabilistic way for a very accurate environment local map. A practical implementation has been carried out to demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed hierarchical sensor fusion algorithm in environment map building.
Effect of fixed or changing temperatures during prolonged storage on the growth of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis inoculated artificially into shell eggs
Authors: OKAMURA M. , KIKUCHI S. , SUZUKI A. , TACHIZAKI H. , TAKEHARA K. , NAKAMURA M.
Published: November 2007

The fate of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (SE) in whole, unbroken eggs was monitored during storage at fixed or changing temperatures after inoculation with 20–47 c.f.u. of SE. Eggs stored at 10°C and 20°C showed little or no bacterial growth over 6 weeks, while egg storage at 30°C increased the percentage of the eggs that contained >106 c.f.u. after 3 weeks. Egg storage at 20°C for 5 days followed by 10°C caused only a few eggs with >106 c.f.u. after 2 weeks, whereas storage at 22–30°C or 27–35°C for 5 days followed by 25°C induced a rapid increase of eggs that contained >106 c.f.u. after 1 or 2 weeks, respectively. Therefore, egg storage at 10°C and 20°C can control SE growth, although the temperature during egg storage and transportation from farm to table should also be taken into consideration.
Development of a Method Using Image Analysis for the Measurement of Cellulose‐Binding Domains Adsorbed onto Cellulose Fibers
Authors: Pinto Ricardo , Amaral António L. , Carvalho Joana , Ferreira Eugénio C. , Mota Manuel , Gama Miguel
Published: November 2007

The surface concentration of CBD‐FITC conjugates, adsorbed on cellulose fibers, was determined by image analysis. The program consists of two scripts, the first dedicated to the elaboration of the calibration curve. The emission of fluorescent light, detected by image analysis, is correlated with the concentration of CBD solutions. This calibration is then used (second script) to determine the concentration of CBDs adsorbed on cellulosic fibers. This method allows the direct estimation of the surface concentration of adsorbed CBDs, which usually is not accurately calculated from depletion studies, since the surface area is hardly known. By observing different spots in the surface of the fibers, site‐specific information is obtained. It was verified that the physically heterogeneous fibers exhibit different amounts of adsorbed CBDs.
High‐resolution observations of the intensity of secondary circulation along a curved tidal channel
Authors: Vennell Ross , Old Chris
Published: November 2007

High horizontal resolution moving vessel acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) observations of the spatial pattern of cross‐stream velocities in a curved tidal channel show radially outward surface velocities up to 10 cm s−1 which are maximum midchannel, consistent with helical secondary flow in a vertical plane normal to the depth‐averaged velocity. The 30‐m‐cross‐ and 150‐m‐along‐channel resolution observations are from a 2700‐m‐long section of a 350‐m‐wide horizontally and vertically well mixed tidal channel with a radius of curvature 1–5 km. The along‐channel resolution allows the intensity of the curvature induced secondary flow to be estimated from the linear correlation between the observed cross‐channel component of vertical shear and the shear estimated from the streamwise velocity and its varying curvature using an existing analytic model. The two shears are highly correlated and the regression line slope demonstrates that the observed curvature induced secondary flow is 30% more intense than that predicted by the model for a typical bottom drag coefficient. The secondary flow is 50% more intense than that predicted using the drag coefficient which best fits the streamwise velocity profile. Numerical solutions demonstrate that the intensity of the secondary flow is sensitive to small changes in the shape of the eddy viscosity profile; hence intensity may be sensitive to the way turbulence is modeled. Lagged correlation of the observations showed that the secondary flow adapts to changes in curvature and primary flow over a 300‐m length scale, or 20 water depths, consistent with the existing model and laboratory studies.
Consistency of the aerosol type classification from satellite remote sensing during the Atmospheric Brown Cloud–East Asia Regional Experiment campaign
Authors: Kim Jhoon , Lee Jaehwa , Lee Hee Choon , Higurashi Akiko , Takemura Toshihiko , Song Chul Han
Published: November 2007

The Atmospheric Brown Cloud–East Asia Regional Experiment (ABC‐EAREX) was conducted under the UNEP/ABC‐Asia project to intercompare the aerosol and gas measurements in springtime from various instruments from late February to April 2005 at the Gosan Supersite on Jeju Island, Korea. Satellite instruments such as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) provide a large‐scale regional view of the aerosol during the ABC‐EAREX period. This study shows the temporal and spatial distribution of four major aerosol types (dust, carbonaceous, sea salt and sulfate) retrieved by MODIS‐OMI Algorithm and Four‐Channel Algorithm utilizing data from MODIS and OMI over east Asia during the ABC‐EAREX campaign. Results from two different retrieval show that a complexity of aerosol types and sources exist over east Asia: Some aerosols are emitted while others are transported. Nevertheless, the results show reasonable consistency in the distribution according to aerosol type. The agreement of aerosol type classification for each aerosol type ranges from 32% to 81% depending on the type. These results were compared with the results from a three‐dimensional aerosol transport radiation model, SPRINTARS. Dust type aerosol is usually found to be mixed with carbonaceous type aerosol. It implies that the dust type aerosol is loaded and transported with polluted air mass. The evidence that polluted air masses in the continent can be transported long distance is also captured; that is, sea salt type mixed with the sulfate aerosol is detected over a remote ocean.
Origins and chemical characteristics of fine aerosols during the northeastern Asia regional experiment (Atmospheric Brown Cloud–East Asia Regional Experiment 2005)
Authors: Lee Meehye , Song Mijung , Moon Kwang J. , Han Jin S. , Lee Gangwoong , Kim Kyung‐Ryul
Published: November 2007

As a part of ABC‐EAREX 2005 (Atmospheric Brown Cloud–East Asia Regional Experiment 2005), trace gases and compositions of PM2.5 were measured at Gosan supersite in Jeju Island during 13–30 March 2005. Aerosol constituents were determined continuously on site at 1‐a intervals. The mean concentrations of gases were 56 ppbv for O3, 297 ppbv for CO, 3.2 ppbv for SO2, and 2.2 ppbv for NOx. For PM2.5, the average mass concentration was 27.3 μg/m3, and mean concentrations of nss‐SO42−, organic carbon (OC), and elemental carbon (EC) were 3.34 μg/m3, 4.22 μg/m3, and 1.00 μg/m3, respectively. The simultaneous measurements of gaseous and aerosol species revealed that the composition of PM2.5 was mainly determined by anthropogenic plumes from nearby lands. Most of pollution plumes were associated with the passage of cold frontal systems, when all major species were greatly enhanced. Of these, two episodes were followed by dust incidents. In general, EC and nss‐SO42− were well correlated with CO while OC was in good agreement with O3. Particularly, the variations of OC/EC ratios exhibited a maximum in the afternoon corresponding to the peak of O3/CO ratios, suggesting OC/EC as a marker representing the degree of chemical processing of fine aerosol. The ratios of OC/CO for all measurements fell between emission ratios of China and South Korea. For pollution episodes, the correlations of CO with nss‐SO42− and EC were significant and their relative enhancement was suggested as an indicator to distinguish different types of pollution plumes.
Mantle upwellings and convective instabilities revealed by seismic tomography and helium isotope geochemistry beneath eastern Africa
Authors: Montagner Jean‐Paul , Marty Bernard , Stutzmann Eléonore , Sicilia Déborah , Cara Michel , Pik Raphael , Lévêque Jean‐Jacques , Roult Geneviève , Beucler Eric , Debayle Eric
Published: November 2007

The relationship between intraplate volcanism and continental tectonics has been investigated for North and East Africa using a high resolution three‐dimensional anisotropic tomographic model derived from seismic data of a French experiment “Horn of Africa” and existing broadband data. The joint inversion for seismic velocity and anisotropy of the upper 400 km of the mantle, and geochemical data reveals a complex interaction between mantle upwellings, and lithosphere. Two kinds of mantle upwellings can be distinguished: The first one, the Afar “plume” originates from deeper than 400 km and is characterized by enrichment in primordial 3He and 3He/4He ratios higher than those along mid‐ocean ridges (MOR). The second one, associated with other Cenozoic volcanic provinces (Darfur, Tibesti, Hoggar, Cameroon), with 3He/4He ratios similar to, or lower than MOR, is a consequence of shallower upwelling. The presumed asthenospheric convective instabilities are oriented in an east‐west direction, resulting from interaction between south‐north asthenospheric mantle flow, main plume head and topography on the base of lithosphere.
Widespread occurrence of a novel high coercivity, thermally stable, low unblocking temperature magnetic phase in heated archeological material
Authors: McIntosh G. , Kovacheva M. , Catanzariti G. , Osete M. L. , Casas L.
Published: November 2007

The widespread occurrence of a novel, high coercivity magnetic phase in well‐heated archeological material is reported. Its properties are defined when it represents the dominant magnetic phase, although it is nearly always found as part of a mixture of magnetic phases. They are as follows: very high coercivity (remanence coercivity >600 mT), low unblocking temperatures (≤200°C) and high degree of thermal stability–this last property distinguishing it from goethite. The phase shows striking similarities to magnetic phases produced by thermal decomposition of nontronite (an Fe‐rich clay), where decomposition occurs after prolonged heating in air to high temperatures – conditions suffered by well‐heated archeomagnetic material. Preliminary results of Mössbauer and X‐Ray diffraction spectroscopy suggest that the phase is more likely to be a substituted hematite, rather than Fe‐cristobalite or a variant of ɛ‐Fe2O3.
Effect of lower mantle viscosity on the time‐dependence of plate velocities in three‐dimensional mantle convection models
Authors: Gait A. D. , Lowman J. P.
Published: November 2007

Earth's evolution has featured stages of relatively steady plate motion interrupted by brief periods of rapid change in plate direction. Previous studies have shown that vigorously convecting internally heated systems featuring dynamically determined plate‐like surface motion can also be characterized by predominantly steady periods punctuated by comparatively short reorganization events. Here, we investigate time‐dependence in two mantle convection models featuring significantly contrasting viscosity profiles and assess the influence of lower mantle viscosity on plate velocity time‐dependence. We model a system featuring nine finite thickness viscous plates at the top of a 6 × 6 × 1 Cartesian geometry solution domain. We find that plate reorganization events involving between 1 and 3 plates occur with geologically relevant frequency in a calculation featuring a factor of 36 increase in lower mantle viscosity relative to the upper mantle. Specifying a mantle viscosity at a depth of 2000 km that is 3000 times greater than the upper mantle viscosity suppresses this time‐dependence.
Remote sensing of aerosol optical depth over central Europe from MSG‐SEVIRI data and accuracy assessment with ground‐based AERONET measurements
Authors: Popp C. , Hauser A. , Foppa N. , Wunderle S.
Published: November 2007

In this study, the remote sensing of aerosol optical depth (τa) from the geostationary Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) is demonstrated. The proposed method is based on the analysis of a time series of SEVIRI's 0.6 μm channel images. Top‐of‐atmosphere reflectance is precorrected for the effect of atmospheric gases and a background aerosol amount. Subsequently, surface reflectance for each pixel is estimated by determining its lowest precorrected reflectance within the observed time period for each satellite observation time of the day. The resulting diurnal surface reflectance curve in combination with the radiative transfer code SMAC are finally used to derive τa. This approach is applied to SEVIRI subscenes of central Europe (40.8–51.3°N, 0.3°W–19.9°E) from August 2004, daily acquired between 0612 and 1712 UTC in intervals of 15 min. SEVIRI τa are related to Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) Sun photometer measurements from nine sites. About 3200 instantaneous SEVIRI and Sun photometer τa are compared. An overall correlation of 0.9 and a root mean square error of 0.08 are obtained. Further, the spatial distribution of SEVIRI τa maps for August 2004 represent expectable features like higher concentrations in industrialized regions or lower loading in higher altitudes. It is concluded that the described method is able to provide an estimate of τa from MSG‐SEVIRI data. Such aerosol maps of high temporal frequency could be of interest to atmospheric related sciences, e.g., to track aerosol particle transport.
Satellite observations of mean winds and tides in the lower thermosphere: 1. Aliasing and sampling issues
Authors: McLandress Charles , Zhang Shengpan P.
Published: November 2007

The Canadian Middle Atmosphere Model, a general circulation model extending up to 200 km, is used to analyze the impact of aliasing and data gaps on satellite observations of zonal mean winds and migrating tides in the lower thermosphere. Focus is placed on measurements from the Wind Imaging Interferometer (WINDII). Mock data sets are constructed by sampling daily zonal mean and migrating tides from the model like the satellite. Previously unverified assumptions that satellite observations of the zonal mean zonal winds and the meridional component of the diurnal tide winds are largely unaffected by aliasing are confirmed. Of the two, the meridional component of the diurnal tide is more robust. The amplitude of the zonal component of the diurnal tide is not strongly affected by aliasing. Tidal phase is nearly unaffected. Gaps in the WINDII data do not adversely affect the results provided sufficient local time coverage is available. The analysis suggests that more subtle features in the WINDII observations, such as the tidally driven cell‐like structures in the zonal mean meridional wind at low latitudes, may be observable. Issues pertaining to the sampling interval and the use of daytime‐only data are also addressed. Sampling every second or third day provides nearly as good results as sampling every day, and that using daytime‐only data results in substantial biases in the zonal mean zonal winds in the lower thermosphere. The latter underscores the importance of the accurate removal of the migrating diurnal tide from climatologies generated from daytime‐only satellite data.
Satellite observations of mean winds and tides in the lower thermosphere: 2. Wind Imaging Interferometer monthly winds for 1992 and 1993
Authors: Zhang Shengpan P. , McLandress Charles , Shepherd Gordon G.
Published: November 2007

Satellite observations of monthly (i.e., 60‐d averages centered on the 15th of each month) zonal mean and migrating tide winds in the region of 90–120 km and 40°S–40°N from the Wind Imaging Interferometer are presented. The zonal mean zonal winds are characterized by annually varying eastward winds at midlatitudes with a maximum in summer and semiannually varying westward winds in the tropics with maxima at equinox below 105 km. The zonal mean meridional winds are characterized by a summer‐to‐winter flow below 100 km at solstice and by a cell‐like structure at equinox; the latter is the first such global observation of this tidally driven structure. Two distinct types of diurnal tide are observed: an upward propagating one and an evanescent one of comparable magnitude. The propagating tide, which is dominant in the subtropics below about 105 km, exhibits a semiannual variation with a primary maximum in March/April and a secondary maximum in September/October. The evanescent tide, which is dominant poleward of 20°N/S and above 100 km, has an annual variation with a maximum in the summer months. The coupling of the two produces a double‐peaked structure in the vertical profile of the diurnal amplitude. The semidiurnal tide is generally weaker than the diurnal tide. The maximum semidiurnal winds are at 30–40°N/S and at 105–110 km. Both zonal and meridional components are stronger in April–September than in October–March in both hemispheres, but in the equatorial region in April–September the meridional component has a maximum whereas the zonal component has a minimum.
Fold and fault interactions during the development of an elongated narrow basin: The Almanzora Neogene‐Quaternary Corridor (SE Betic Cordillera, Spain)
Authors: Pedrera Antonio , Galindo‐Zaldívar Jesús , Sanz de Galdeano Carlos , López‐Garrido Ángel Carlos
Published: November 2007

Elongated corridors grow in different tectonic settings, mainly in areas deformed by fold and fault sets parallel to the borders. The Almanzora Corridor, however, is a good example of an E‐W elongated asymmetrical narrow basin developed in a changing stress scenario, generated by the interaction of fold and fault sets oriented parallel and oblique to the corridor borders. The initial crustal thickening process was mainly related to the development of the E‐W oriented Sierra de Los Filabres large antiform, which constitutes a major heterogeneity. During the Tortonian, a NW‐SE convergent tectonic setting, oblique to this already emerged antiform, gives rise to a large dextral simple shear band that determines: the development of a major fold (Las Estancias antiform), the asymmetrical location of minor tectonic structures (faults and minor folds), and the distribution of sedimentation/denudation areas that finally configure the Almanzora Corridor synform. Furthermore, development of NW‐SE oriented normal faults points to NE‐SW orthogonal extension in a new stress field oblique to the corridor borders. This region illustrates that the elongated character of the corridors may persist, inherited from the orientation of previous crustal rheological heterogeneities. In addition, marine transgression may be produced in compressional settings, favored by the synform development during initial stages of crustal thickening, finally led to the relief uplift.
Uncultured archaea in deep marine subsurface sediments: have we caught them all?
Authors: Teske Andreas , Sørensen Ketil B
Published: November 2007

Deep marine subsurface sediments represent a novel archaeal biosphere with unknown physiology; the sedimentary subsurface harbors numerous novel phylogenetic lineages of archaea that are at present uncultured. Archaeal 16S rRNA analyses of deep subsurface sediments demonstrate their global occurrence and wide habitat range, including deep subsurface sediments, methane seeps and organic-rich coastal sediments. These subsurface archaeal lineages were discovered by PCR of extracted environmental DNA; their detection ultimately depends on the specificity of the archaeal PCR 16S rRNA primers. Surprisingly high mismatch frequencies for some archaeal PCR primers result in amplification bias against the corresponding archaeal lineages; this review presents some examples. Obviously, most archaeal 16S rRNA PCR primers were developed either before the discovery of these deep subsurface archaeal lineages, or without taking their sequence variants into account. PCR surveys with multiple primer combinations, revision and updates of primers whenever possible, and increasing use of PCR-independent methods in molecular microbial ecology will contribute to a more comprehensive view of subsurface archaeal communities.
Archaeal diversity analysis of spacecraft assembly clean rooms
Authors: Moissl Christine , Bruckner James C , Venkateswaran Kasthuri
Published: November 2007

One of the main tasks of NASA's planetary protection program is to prevent the forward contamination of extraterrestrial environments with Earth life, and in turn preserve other planets and the integrity of future life detection missions. Despite information regarding bacterial diversity in NASA's clean rooms, little is known about the presence of Archaea. Archaeal community analysis of spacecraft-associated surfaces is important, as they are considered by some to represent terrestrial life most capable of surviving on Mars. The first insights into the archaeal diversity of clean rooms where spacecraft assembled are attempted. Nucleic acid sequences clustering with uncultivable Archaea within the Eury- and Crenarchaeota were retrieved from 8 of 26 samples collected from several spacecraft assembly clean rooms. Due to their potential capability to survive and proliferate in Martian conditions, screening for Archaea on spacecraft surfaces and instruments that are associated with future life detection missions may be necessary.
Relationships among Three Pathways for Resource Acquisition and their Contribution to Plant Performance in the Emergent Aquatic Plant Lythrum salicaria (L.)
Authors: Stevens K. J. , Peterson R. L.
Published: November 2007

Abstract: Three pathways for resource acquisition exist in the emergent aquatic plant, Lythrum salicaria (L.); a subterranean root system, a free‐floating adventitious root system, and arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) fungal hyphae colonizing subterranean roots. This study examined the relationship(s) among these pathways and their contribution to plant performance. If the free‐floating adventitious root system and/or AM fungi contribute to plant growth in wetland habitats, we predicted that their absence would result in a significant reduction in plant performance. Furthermore, if a reduction in resource uptake, effected by an absence of free‐floating adventitious roots and/or AM fungi, is compensated for by increased allocation to remaining pathway(s) for resource uptake, we predicted altered patterns of resource allocation among shoots and the remaining pathway(s) for resource uptake. Contrary to our predications, plants experiencing adventitious root removal and/or grown in the absence of AM fungi generally had greater biomass and total shoot height than controls. Similarly, while levels of AM colonization and subterranean root biomass displayed a treatment effect, the observed responses did not correspond with our predictions. This was also true for shoot: subterranean root dry weight ratios. Our results indicate that there is interaction among the 3 pathways for resource acquisition in L. salicaria and an effect on plant performance. The adaptive significance of these characteristics is unclear, highlighting the potential difficulties in extrapolating from terrestrial to aquatic plant species and among aquatic plant species with potentially different life history strategies.
Morphology and Anatomy of Shoot, Root, and Propagation Systems in Hoffmannseggia glauca
Authors: Kraus T. A. , Grosso M. A. , Basconsuelo S. C. , Bianco C. A. , Malpassi R. N.
Published: November 2007

Abstract: Hoffmannseggia glauca is a perennial weed that has tubers and root‐borne buds. Some authors only consider root tubers without mentioning root‐borne buds, while others consider that more anatomic studies become necessary to determine the origin of these structures and to interpret their behaviour. The objectives are: to study the growth form of the plant in order to analyze the ontogeny of its propagation organs, and to study its shoot and root anatomical characters that affect water conductivity. Hoffmannseggia glauca was collected in Argentina. Development of its shoot and root systems was observed. Shoots and roots were processed to obtain histological slides. Macerations were prepared to study vessel members. Primary and lateral roots originate buds that develop shoots at the end of the first year. In winter, aerial parts die and only latent buds at soil surface level and subterranean organs remain. In the following spring, they develop innovation shoots. Roots show localized swellings (tuberous roots), due to a pronounced increase of ray thickness and parenchymatous proliferation in the root center. Root vessel members are wider than those of aerial and subterranean shoots. Early development of an extensive root system, presence of root borne buds, anatomic and physiological specialization of innovation shoots, capability of parenchymatous rays to originate buds and tuberous roots, and high water transport efficiency in subterranean organs lead Hoffmannseggia glauca to display higher colonization potential than other species.
In Vitro Toxicity towards Kiwifruit Pollen of the Antimicrobial Peptides Magainins 1 and 2
Authors: Speranza A. M. , Taddei A. R. , Ovidi E.
Published: November 2007

Abstract: In vitro toxicity of the antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) magainin 1 and 2 to a higher plant organism, i.e., the bicellular male gametophyte of Actinidia deliciosa (kiwifruit), is investigated. Heavy damage to the plasma membrane, the primary cellular target of the peptides, was rapidly induced: in as few as 15 min, from 70 to nearly 100 % of pollen grains were rendered unviable by 20 μM magainin 1 or 2, respectively. Therefore, kiwifruit pollen sensitivity to natural magainins seemed to be higher if compared to the sensitivity of other pollen species towards magainin 2 amide or synthetic magainin analogues. Strong dose‐dependent inhibitory effects on kiwifruit pollen performance were registered: as for magainin 1, the EC50 at 120 min varied from 14.0 (germination) to 15.8 μM (tube elongation). The inhibitory effect was much greater when administering magainin 1 to elongating tubes rather than to ungerminated pollen grains. The two peptides differentially affected kiwifruit pollen, in line with the previously documented greater activity of magainin 2 in other cell systems. Furthermore, 20 μM magainin 1‐treated pollen grains took on a shrivelled shape within 30 min of incubation, an increasingly widespread effect with higher peptide concentration. At the ultrastructural level, both protoplast shrinkage and striking organelle alterations were evident, including chromatin condensation, swelling and loss of mitochondrial cristae, dilation of rough endoplasmic reticulum cisternae, and vacuolization of cytoplasm. To our knowledge, similar alterations in animal or plant cells treated with AMPs have not been described yet.
Development of Distylous Flowers and Investment of Biomass in Male and Female Function in Palicourea padifolia (Rubiaceae)
Authors: Hernández A. , Ornelas J. F.
Published: November 2007

Abstract: Knowledge of developmental pathways for achieving differences in style and anther heights, in concert with those of ancillary features accompanied with data in regard to biomass investment to male and female function, provide an excellent opportunity for examining the developmental correlations between primary and ancillary floral traits so as to understand the evolution of heterostyly. The ontogenetic relationships between bud length and anther height and between bud length and style height, and between bud length versus bud width, anther length, and number of pollen grains per anther for long‐styled (LS) and short‐styled (SS) morphs of P. padifolia are described. We also described the ontogenetic biomass allocation to male and female function and to corolla with elongation of buds harvested at regular intervals. We observed an early termination of stylar growth in SS buds, whereas LS styles steadily increased in size. Morph differences for relative growth rates were significant for anther height, anther length, and pollen number but not for bud width. Bud width and anther length had a negative allometric relationship with bud elongation. The relationship between bud length and number of pollen grains per anther was positive and morph differences in pollen number were detected at later stages of development. An increase in corolla mass involved a disproportionate allocation to the female function in SS flowers and male allocation was similar for the two morphs over the course of development. Our results are consistent with theoretical and empirical data for distylous species with an approach herkogamous ancestor, and with the more general hypothesis of ontogenetic lability of heterostyly, in which morph differences in style and anther heights are achieved in various ways. Variations observed in sexual investment between floral morphs suggest differences in sex expression during flower development.