bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect and Possibilities of Irradiation Results Error Correction (Demonstrated on the Results of the IAEA Coordinated Program)
Authors: Nagel G
Published: February 2009

The material-state error is caused by the use of material property values, in the initial state unidentical and thus incomparable, for the determination of neutron irradiation damage. To correct the material-state error, the unirradiated-state property values must be normalized to the material location the irradiated specimens were taken from. Depending on the material property variation involved and on the effect of other error sources as well as on the purpose of the irradiation experiment, the correction of the material-state error will be a more or less necessary preparation to make irradiation results comparable.

A correction of the material-state error was performed on the results of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Coordinated Research Programme (Steel, ASTM A533-B, Class 1, HSST Plate 03). The evaluation of the corrected results led to the separation of results apparently influenced by special irradiation conditions, thus narrowing the trend band of the results effectively.

The remaining trend band appears to be the collective result of the irradiation sensitivities of all individual material states, that is, material locations represented, and thus not subject to further reduction.

A correlation of irradiation sensitivity and initial material state could not be proved.

The results do not separate as such between heavy water and light water moderated test reactors.
Irradiation Creep and Growth in Zirconium During Proton Bombardment
Authors: Faulkner D , McElroy RJ
Published: February 2009

The irradiation creep and growth behavior of zirconium alloys has been studied during irradiation with 3.5-MeV protons. Irradiations were carried out at temperatures in the range 423 to 623 K and strain measurements were recorded up to displacement levels of 0.03 displacements per atom (dpa). In annealed materials, a significant portion of the measured strain could be attributed to the presence of dislocation loops. The measured growth strain was found to be dependent on texture, grain dimensions, network dislocation structure (cold work), and temperature. Experiments to separate the irradiation creep and growth components of the total strain revealed that irradiation growth was by far the most significant component in cold-worked zirconium-niobium alloys but that the two components were approximately equal in annealed crystal bar zirconium specimens. An investigation of transient effects revealed that no strain transient was observed when the irradiation flux was removed. The strain rate was found to be proportional to the applied stress (at low stresses) and to the damage rate.
Tensile Property Correlations for Highly Irradiated 20 Percent Cold-Worked Type 316 Stainless Steel
Authors: Fish RL , Cannon NS , Wire GL
Published: February 2009

Recent experiments on developmental fast-flux test facility (FFTF) cladding (20 percent cold-worked Type 316 stainless steel) have extended the data base to a fast neutron fluence of 8.4 × 1022 neutrons (n)/cm2 (E > 0.1 MeV). The specimens were irradiated in the experimental breeder reactor-II (EBR-II) at temperatures ranging from 371 to 816°C, although peak fluence levels were attained on specimens irradiated near 371 and 649°C only. Tension tests were performed at 232°C, near the irradiation temperature, and, in some cases, above the irradiation temperature. Test specimen strain rates ranged from 4 × 10 -5/s to 4 × 10-2/s.

The data generated on cladding irradiated near 371 °C established that the low-temperature strength and ductility are fluence independent beyond about 5 × 1022 n/cm2 (E > 0.1 MeV). The strength behavior of the irradiated cladding at 538, 593, and 649 °C is essentially the same as exhibited by thermally aged developmental cladding at the same temperatures and times out of the reactor. Up to a fluence of ∼5 × 1022 n/cm2 (E > 0.1 MeV), the 538°C ductility values remain relatively fluence independent after an initial decrease. Higher temperature (593 and 649 °C) ductilities decrease continually with increasing fluence.

Tensile parameter correlations were developed for the prediction of irradiation effects on the tensile properties of 20 percent cold-worked Type 316 stainless steel. These correlations are based on unirradiated tensile property correlations developed using Hart's equation-of-state approach. The basic premise is that the condition of plastic deformation of some materials such as 316 stainless steel can be characterized by a structure parameter (σ*) which describes the material's “hardness.” It is found that irradiation effects can be incorporated into this formulation by parameterizing the changes in σ* with irradiation temperature and fluence. The resulting correlations provide a description of strength and ductility over the temperature range of 371 to 871 °C and strain rates of 10-5 to 10 1/s.
Effects of Neutron Irradiation and Fatigue on Ductility of Stainless Steel DIN 1.4948
Authors: de Vries MI , van der Schaaf B , Staal HU , Elej LD
Published: February 2009

Test specimens of stainless steel DIN 1.4948, which is similar to AISI Type 304, have been irradiated at 723 and 823 K up to fluences of 1 × 1023 neutrons (n)∙m-2 and 5 × 1024 n.m-2 (E > 0.1 MeV). These are representative conditions for the reactor vessel and inner components of the liquid metal fast breeder reactor SNR-300 after 16 years of operation. High-temperature (723 to 1023 K) tension tests at strain rates (ϵ) from 10-7 to 10 s-1 show a considerable decrease of tensile ductility. The extent depends on helium content, test temperature, and strain rate. The atomic helium fractions of 3 × 10-7 and 7 × 10-6 result from the reactions of thermal neutrons with the 14 ppm boron present in the steel. Helium embrittlement sets in at strain rates below 1 to 10 s-1 (the range of interest for Bethe-Tait accident analyses). A minimum total elongation value of 6 percent is shown at 923 K. The postirradiation fatigue life is reduced by up to about 50 percent due to intergranular cracking. The combination of irradiation and fatigue causes a decrease of ductility after a smaller number of prior fatigue cycles than in the case of unirradiated material.
Effects of Irradiation on the Mechanical Properties of Austenitic Stainless Steels Under Dynamic Loading
Authors: Albertini C , Del Grande A , Montagnani M
Published: February 2009

Effects of strain rate and temperature on AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel irradiated to a dose of 2.2 displacements per atom (dpa) have been examined. Strain rates ranged between 10-2 s-1 and 102 s-1. Temperatures were ambient and 400°C. Techniques used for preparation of specimens and testing are described together with experimental results. The superposition of the effects of strain rate and irradiation causes important reduction of ductility both at room and at high temperature. Therefore, special cautions should be taken in fixing safety coefficients for the calculation of dynamically loaded structures, such as pressure vessels, in case of an accident in fast breeder reactors.
Effects of Irradiation Temperature, Fluence, and Heating Rate on Postirradiation Flow Properties of Cladding Under Simulated Temperature Transient Heating and Deformation Conditions
Authors: Cannon NS , Duncan DR
Published: February 2009

Irradiation temperature, fluence, and heating rate effects on plastic flow and failure properties of fast reactor cladding were investigated by heating internally pressurized specimens until failure occurred. Specimens tested were from 20 percent cold-worked Type 316 stainless steel cladding, irradiated in the experimental breeder reactor II (EBR-II) at temperatures to 720°C and fluences to 1023 neutrons (n)/cm2 (E > 0.1 MeV).

A decrease of transient failure temperature with increasing irradiation temperature was observed at the “standard” heating rate of 5.6 C°/s. This effect became more pronounced for irradiation temperatures above 600°C. Transient failure temperatures also generally decreased with increasing fluence for tests performed at the standard heating rate. Irradiated and unirradiated specimens were tested at several heating rates. For equal stress, fluence, and irradiation temperature, decreasing the heating rate decreased failure temperatures by as much as 170 deg C for irradiated specimens and 150 deg C for unirradiated specimens. The data reported herein fall well within fast-flux test facility (FFTF) design limits for transient conditions and serve to confirm the material properties currently used in the design analyses.
In-Reactor Deformation and Fracture of Austenitic Stainless Steels
Authors: Bloom EE , Wolfer WG
Published: February 2009

An experimental technique for determining in-reactor fracture strain was developed and demonstrated. Differential swelling between a specimen holder and a test specimen with a lower swelling rate produced uniaxial deformation in 304 and cold-worked 316 stainless steel specimens. In-reactor deformations of 0.7 to 2.1 percent were achieved in Type 304 stainless steel previously irradiated to fluences up to 8.8 × 1026 neutrons (n)/m2 without fracture. These strains are significantly higher than found in postirradiation creep-rupture tests on similar specimens. From the measured strain values and published irradiation creep data and correlations, the stress levels during the irradiation were calculated. On the basis of previous postirradiation creep-rupture results, many of the specimens that did not fail would be predicted to fail. Thus we conclude that the in-reactor rupture life is longer than predicted by postirradiation tests.

Strain in a fractured specimen was estimated to be less than 3.8 percent, and the in-reactor fractures were intergranular—the same fracture mode as found in postirradiation tests. Irradiation creep may relax stresses at crack tips and sliding boundaries, thus retarding the initiation or growth of cracks, or both, and leading to longer rupture lives in-reactor. However, the very high ductility or superplastic behavior predicted by the strain-rate sensitivity of irradiation creep is not achieved because of the eventual interruption of the deformation process by grain boundary fracture.
Uncle Sam Wants Them
Authors: McCoy Katherine
Published: February 2009

Throughout most of the 20th century, warring nation—states generally had two options to increase their military strength. They could create a coalition—as the United States did in World War II—or institute a draft—as it did in Vietnam.

Today, though, countries have a third option. Rent.

Hiring private military corporations, sometimes called private security corporations or private security firms, has fast become a popular way for nations to fight wars.
Community Organizing and Social Change
Authors: Stoecker Randy
Published: February 2009

It was 2008, early in the presidential campaign season. Everyone was talking about whether a woman or an African American would be the Democratic party nominee for president. And then they began talking about community organizing.

In the early days of the Democratic primary we learned that both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama had connections to it. Clinton had written her undergraduate thesis on the famous community organizer Saul Alinsky. Obama had actually done it in Chicago through the Gamaliel Foundation, one of the national faith-based community organizing networks.
Communities That Don't bowl in the fog
Authors: Martinrogers Nicole , Rausch Ela , Mattessich Paul
Published: February 2009

Early one morning, members of a Santa Cruz business owners' association discussed a request for a contribution to an affordable housing development. They considered making the donation, but couldn't agree about the need for this type of housing in their community.

Later that afternoon, the director of a Boston nonprofit searched for information about labor market conditions in her agency's service area. She wanted to demonstrate the need for more employment training in a grant proposal.

The same day in St. Paul, city council members struggled to prioritize funding for a ride share initiative, a crime prevention program, and a teen center's homework help program. Each had different perceptions of the needs for these services and thus advocated different priorities.
Making World Cities
Authors: Goldman Michael , Longhofer Wesley
Published: February 2009

In the spring of 2007, someone moved to a city. The move was a momentous one in terms of its demographic implications—it marked the tipping point of a new urban century in which more than half the world's population now lives in cities.
No Real Release
Authors: Massoglia Michael , Schnittker Jason
Published: February 2009

Media attention to the inadequacies of the prison health care system, often reported in vivid detail, has had real implications for prison policies and management. There's now growing recognition of the role prisons play in the spread of infectious disease and serious efforts to curtail infection among prisoners.
American Higher Ed Isn't Doing the Job
Authors: Hout Michael
Published: February 2009

One thing I know is the United States isn't producing enough college graduates to compete in the global economy.
Strategic Role Taking and Political Struggle: Bearing Witness to the Iraq War
Authors: Bonds Eric
Published: February 2009

U.S. and Canadian peace activists traveled to Iraq as a social movement tactic, in the buildup to the war and during the war itself, in an attempt to sustain or increase peace activism at home. Based on interviews with fourteen peace activists, this study analyzes how the presence of antiwar activists in Iraq serves two social movement goals. First, their presence in Iraq bestowed activists increased access to media, bolstering their ability to reframe the war within mainstream media accounts. Second, by traveling to Iraq, activists furnished themselves with stories of the hardships and suffering of war to share with audiences at home. By retelling these narratives, activists provide opportunities and obligations for audience members to imaginatively take the role of Iraqi civilians, in the hope that audience members will practice moral reasoning and be consequently moved to act against the war. To provide these role‐taking opportunities, peace activists must also engage in a political struggle over “otherhood” by countering official attempts to dehumanize Iraqis.
Imagined Masculinity: Body, Sexuality, and Family among Israeli Military Reserves
Authors: Sion Liora , Ben‐Ari Eyal
Published: February 2009

This article explores how middle‐class Jewish men on reserve duty in the Israel Defense Forces form a “proper” masculinity through humor and jokes. Reserve service creates a fruitful territory for researching four issues that have not been extensively studied in the literature on masculinities: the relation between gender and age, the periodic reaffirmation of masculinity along the life course, how women are perceived as sexual objects and how informal social pressure is placed on singles to marry and begin families, and how men not only are motivated by homophobia but use images of women and homosexuals to map and interpret power relations and competition between men.
“As Far as They Knew I Came from France”: Stigma, Passing, and Not Speaking about the Holocaust
Authors: Stein Arlene
Published: February 2009

Today we recognize that storytelling plays an important role in helping survivors of traumatic episodes such as sexual abuse, military combat, or genocide refashion a sense of self and “work through” their traumatic experiences. But before the Holocaust was named and widely acknowledged and the diagnosis of post‐traumatic stress had emerged, survivors of Hitler's genocidal policies struggled to tell their stories in a world that did not particularly wish to hear them. While most accounts of Holocaust survivors’ postwar experiences focus on themes of redemption, adjustment, and integration, my analysis of interviews with Holocaust survivors suggests during their first two decades living in the United States they were often silenced by individuals they encountered. I use Goffman's analysis of stigma to document how and why this silencing occurred, and with what consequences, providing an account of the interactions survivors had with family members, neighbors and acquaintances, and the strategies of identity management that survivors devised.
Period of dominance of the ovulatory follicle influences embryo quality in lactating dairy cows
Authors: Cerri Ronaldo L A , Rutigliano Heloísa M , Chebel Ricardo C , Santos José E P
Published: February 2009

Length of dominance of the ovulatory follicle and exposure to oestradiol (OE2) during proestrus can affect fertility. Lactating cows had their oestrous cycle pre-synchronized and were subjected to one of the four synchronization treatments. Cows in the oestrus detection (OD) treatment received GnRH on day 6 of the oestrous cycle, PGF2α7 days later, and were inseminated at detected oestrus. The remaining cows were subjected to the Ovsynch (OVS) protocol (day 0 GnRH, day 7 PGF2α, day 9 GnRH, and timed artificial insemination (AI) 12 h later) starting on day 3 (OVS3) or day 6 (OVS6 and OVS6E) of the oestrous cycle. Cows in the OVS6E treatment received an injection of 0.5 mg oestradiol cypionate 36 h before AI. Ovaries were examined by ultrasonography and blood was sampled for progesterone and OE2concentrations. Uteri were flushed 6 days after AI and recovered embryos–oocytes evaluated. Diameter of the ovulatory follicle at AI differed (P<0.01) among treatments, and it was the largest for OVS3 cows, which also had extended (P<0.01) length of follicular dominance. During proestrus, OD and OVS6E cows had increased (P<0.01) OE2concentrations. Fertilization was not altered by treatments, and maximum fertilization was achieved when the number of accessory spermatozoa was >7. Proportions of viable embryos in relation to embryos and embryos–oocytes recovered were smaller for OVS3 cows (P<0.01) than the other treatments, and embryos from OVS3 cows also had fewer (P<0.01) blastomeres and tended (P=0.09) to have a lower proportion of live blastomeres. Extending the period of follicle dominance did not alter fertilization but reduced (P<0.001) embryo quality. Embryo quality was compromised even when the dominance of the ovulatory follicle was extended by only 1.5 days.
Mutations in Genes Encoding Sorting Nexins Alter Production ofIntracellular and Extracellular Proteases in Aspergillus nidulans
Authors: Katz Margaret E , Evans Cara J , Heagney Emma E , vanKuyk Patricia A , Kelly Joan M , Cheetham Brian F
Published: February 2009

XprG, a putative p53-like transcriptional activator, regulates production of extracellular proteases in response to nutrient limitation and may also have a role in programmed cell death. To identify genes that may be involved in the XprG regulatory pathway, xprG2 revertants were isolated and shown to carry mutations in genes which we have named sogA-C (suppressors of xprG). The translocation breakpoint in the sogA1 mutant was localized to a homolog of Saccharomyces cerevisiae VPS5 and mapping data indicated that sogB was tightly linked to a VPS17 homolog. Complementation of the sogA1 and sogB1 mutations and identification of nonsense mutations in the sogA2 and sogB1 alleles confirmed the identification. Vps17p and Vps5p are part of a complex involved in sorting of vacuolar proteins in yeast and regulation of cell-surface receptors in mammals. Protease zymograms indicate that mutations in sogA-C permit secretion of intracellular proteases, as in S. cerevisiae vps5 and vps17 mutants. In contrast to S. cerevisiae, the production of intracellular protease was much higher in the mutants. Analysis of serine protease gene expression suggests that an XprG-independent mechanism for regulation of extracellular protease gene expression in response to carbon starvation exists and is activated in the pseudorevertants.
Germline Expression Influences Operon Organization in theCaenorhabditis elegansGenome
Authors: Reinke Valerie , Cutter Asher D
Published: February 2009

Operons are found across multiple kingdoms and phyla, from prokaryotes to chordates. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, the genome contains >1000 operons that compose ∼15% of the protein-coding genes. However, determination of the force(s) promoting the origin and maintenance of operons in C. elegans has proved elusive. Compared to bacterial operons, genes within a C. elegans operon often show poor coexpression and only sometimes encode proteins with related functions. Using analysis of microarray and large-scale in situ hybridization data, we demonstrate that almost all operon-encoded genes are expressed in germline tissue. However, genes expressed during spermatogenesis are excluded from operons. Operons group together along chromosomes in local clusters that also contain monocistronic germline-expressed genes. Additionally, germline expression of genes in operons is largely independent of the molecular function of the encoded proteins. These analyses demonstrate that mechanisms governing germline gene expression influence operon origination and/or maintenance. Thus, gene expression in a specific tissue can have profound effects on the evolution of genome organization.
Detecting Selective Sweeps: A New Approach Based on Hidden Markov Models
Authors: Boitard Simon , Schlötterer Christian , Futschik Andreas
Published: February 2009

Detecting and localizing selective sweeps on the basis of SNP data has recently received considerable attention. Here we introduce the use of hidden Markov models (HMMs) for the detection of selective sweeps in DNA sequences. Like previously published methods, our HMMs use the site frequency spectrum, and the spatial pattern of diversity along the sequence, to identify selection. In contrast to earlier approaches, our HMMs explicitly model the correlation structure between linked sites. The detection power of our methods, and their accuracy for estimating the selected site location, is similar to that of competing methods for constant size populations. In the case of population bottlenecks, however, our methods frequently showed fewer false positives.
Both the RGS Domain and the Six C-Terminal Amino Acids of Mouse Axin Are Required for Normal Embryogenesis
Authors: Chia Ian V , Kim Min Jung , Itoh Keiji , Sokol Sergei Y , Costantini Frank
Published: February 2009

Axin is a negative regulator of canonical Wnt signaling, which promotes the degradation of β-catenin, the major effector in this signaling cascade. While many protein-binding domains of Axin have been identified, their significance has not been evaluated in vivo. Here, we report the generation and analysis of mice carrying modified Axin alleles in which either the RGS domain or the six C-terminal amino acids (C6 motif) were deleted. The RGS domain is required for APC-binding, while the C6 motif has been implicated in the activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase, but is not required for the effects of Axin on the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, in vitro. Both mutant Axin alleles caused recessive embryonic lethality at E9.5–E10.5, with defects indistinguishable from those caused by a null allele. As Axin-ΔRGS protein was produced at normal levels, its inability to support embryogenesis confirms the importance of interactions between Axin and APC. In contrast, Axin-ΔC6 protein was expressed at only 25–30% of the normal level, which may account for the recessive lethality of this allele. Furthermore, many AxinΔC6/ΔC6 embryos that were heterozygous for a β-catenin null mutation survived to term, demonstrating that early lethality was due to failure to negatively regulate β-catenin.
An Implant-Retained Maxillary Overdenture to Obturate a Patent Oronasal Communication: A Case Report
Authors: Flanagan Dennis
Published: February 2009

This is a case report of dental prosthetic treatment of a 72-year-old patient with cleft palate with a persisting oral nasal communication in the anterior hard palate. The remaining teeth were extracted, and dental implants were surgically placed in the maxilla and mandible to retain removable overdentures. The maxillary complete overdenture had full palatal coverage as opposed to partial coverage. It was retained by 5 implants with low-profile light retentive retainers. The mandibular overdenture was retained with 4 implants of different diameters and brands. Apparent parameters for successful treatment of a removable maxillary overdenture are as follows: denture flanges, flat or lingualized occlusal scheme, light low-profile retainer retention, maximum implant positional spread with parallel placement, and a minimum of 4 rough-surfaced, long, wide implants placed in denser-type bone sites.
Early Implant Placement in Bilateral Sinus Floor Augmentation Using Iliac Bone Block Grafts in Severe Maxillary Atrophy: A Clinical, Histological, and Radiographic Case Report
Authors: Acocella Alessandro , Sacco Roberto , Nardi Paolo , Agostini Tommaso
Published: February 2009

Effectively restoring a grossly atrophic maxilla can be difficult for the implant surgeon. The placement of dental implants in patients who are edentulous in the posterior maxilla can present difficulties because of deficient posterior alveolar ridge and increased pneumatization of the maxillary sinus, resulting in a minimal hard tissue bed. Implant placement requires adequate quality and quantity of bone, especially in the posterior maxilla. Insufficient bone height and width in this area of the maxilla, because of expansion of the maxillary sinus and atrophic reduction of the alveolar ridge, represents a contraindication for conventional insertion of dental implants. The reconstruction of edentulous patients with adequate bone volume and density by the use of bone graft and, subsequently, the placement of dental implants has become a viable treatment option with high predictability. It is commonly shared that autologous bone graft is the gold standard grafting method in the augmentation of Higmoro antrum and in any kinds of guided bone regeneration. In this article, the authors report a case of severe maxillary atrophy that is augmented by block bone graft harvested from iliac crest. An early placement of implants is possible due to the quick healing of the site, as proven by histologic examinations.
The Use of Laser Technology (Er;Cr:YSGG) and Stereolithography to Aid in the Placement of a Subperiosteal Implant: Case Study
Authors: Kusek Edward R.
Published: February 2009

The use of laser technology has helped this clinician to provide treatment with less postoperative pain and increased healing. The subperiosteal implant is a modality that has been used for several decades, although its popularity has declined in favor of endosseous dental implants. In some instances, however, it remains the treatment of choice, specifically in the atrophic mandible (where placement of endosseous implants is not possible) or when placement would increase the chances of jaw fracture. This article reports the case of a patient rehabilitated using a simplified surgical protocol involving laser surgery and stereolithography.
Early-Stage Gastric MALT Lymphoma: Is It a Truly Localized Disease?
Authors: Siakantaris Marina P. , Pangalis Gerassimos A. , Dimitriadou Evangelia , Kontopidou Flora N. , Vassilakopoulos Theodoros P. , Kalpadakis Christina , Sachanas Sotirios , Yiakoumis Xanthi , Korkolopoulou Penelope , Kyrtsonis Marie-Christine , Bobotsis Panayia , Androulaki Athina , Patsouris Eustratios , Panayiotidis Panayiotis , Angelopoulou Maria K.
Published: February 2009

Learning Objectives

After completing this course, the reader should be able to: In your patients with gastric MALT lymphoma (GML), determine accurate staging and formulate appropriate treatment strategies.Assess early stage GML patients who should be closely monitored for early intervention and manage treatment plans.Design further studies with different modality treatments to explore the impact of occult blood disease on patients' outcomes.

This article is available for continuing medical education credit at CME.TheOncologist.com.
Forest management is driving the eastern North American boreal forest outside its natural range of variability
Authors: Cyr Dominic , Gauthier Sylvie , Bergeron Yves , Carcaillet Christopher
Published: February 2009

Fire is fundamental to the natural dynamics of the North American boreal forest. It is therefore often suggested that the impacts of anthropogenic disturbances (eg logging) on a managed landscape are attenuated if the patterns and processes created by these events resemble those of natural disturbances (eg fire). To provide forest management guidelines, we investigate the long‐term variability in the mean fire interval (MFI) of a boreal landscape in eastern North America, as reconstructed from lacustrine (lake‐associated) sedimentary charcoal. We translate the natural variability in MFI into a range of landscape age structures, using a simple modeling approach. Although using the array of possible forest age structures provides managers with some flexibility, an assessment of the current state of the landscape suggests that logging has already caused a shift in the age‐class distribution toward a stronger representation of young stands with a concurrent decrease in old‐growth stands. Logging is indeed quickly forcing the studied landscape outside of its long‐term natural range of variability, implying that substantial changes in management practices are required, if we collectively decide to maintain these fundamental attributes of the boreal forest.
An Empirical Framework for Objective Testing for P-Consciousness in an Artificial Agent
Authors: Hales Colin
Published: February 2009

Two related and relatively obscure issues in science have eluded empirical tractability. Both can be directly traced to progress in artificial intelligence. The first is scientific proof of consciousness or otherwise in anything. The second is the role of consciousness in intelligent behaviour. This document approaches both issues by exploring the idea of using scientific behaviour self-referentially as a benchmark in an objective test for P-consciousness, which is the relevant critical aspect of consciousness. Scientific behaviour is unique in being both highly formalised and provably critically dependent on the P-consciousness of the primary senses. In the context of the primary senses P-consciousness is literally a formal identity with scientific observation. As such it is intrinsically afforded a status of critical dependency demonstrably no different to any other critical dependency in science, making scientific behaviour ideally suited to a self-referential scientific circumstance. The ‘provability’ derives from the delivery by science of objectively verifiable ‘laws of nature’. By exploiting the critical dependency, an empirical framework is constructed as a refined and specialised version of existing propositions for a ‘test for consciousness’. The specific role of P-consciousness is clarified: it is a human intracranial central nervous system construct that symbolically grounds the scientist in the distal external world, resulting in our ability to recognise, characterise and adapt to distal natural world novelty. It is hoped that in opening a discussion of a novel approach, the artificial intelligence community may eventually find a viable contender for its long overdue scientific basis.
Incidence of Hospitalization Due to Pneumonia in Children Aged Less than 3 Years
Authors: Cilla Gustavo , Oñate Eider , Pérez-Yarza Eduardo G. , Nogués Agustin , Pérez-Trallero Emilio
Published: February 2009

Background:

The aim of this study was to determine the hospitalization rate due to pneumonia in preschool
children in our region and to compare the rate found with those reported in the literature.

Methods:

We performed a prospective study between October 2004 and September 2006 in patients aged less than 3 years
old in San Sebastian (Spain) and the surrounding region. All children admitted to hospital for radiologically-confirmed
pneumonia (presence of lobar or segmental alveolar infiltrate, interstitial infiltrate and/or pleural effusion) were included.

Results:

There were 116 episodes requiring hospitalization, representing an incidence of 6.4 cases/1000 inhabitants (6.2 in
infants aged less than 1 year and 6.6 in children aged 12-35 months). Admission to the intensive care unit was required in
10.3% (12/116). Alveolar infiltrate was found on chest radiograph in 62.1% (72/116), ranging from 51.4% (19/37) in infants
aged less than 1 year and 69.6% (32/46) in children aged 24 months or more. Mortality at 30 days of admission was
nil.

Conclusion:

The incidence of hospitalization due to community-acquired pneumonia in infants and children, as well as
that of pneumonia with alveolar infiltrate, was high in our region. Evaluation of the potential utility of the new pneumococcal
conjugate vaccine and the influenza vaccine for children should also take into account their effectiveness in preventing
pneumonia in this age group.
High Hydrostatic Pressure for Disinfection of Bone Grafts and Biomaterials: An Experimental Study
Authors: Gollwitzer Hans , Mittelmeier Wolfram , Brendle Monika , Weber Patrick , Miethke Thomas , Hofmann Gunther O , Gerdesmeyer Ludger , Schauwecker Johannes , Diehl Peter
Published: February 2009

Background:

Autoclaving, heat, irradiation or chemical detergents are used to disinfect autografts, allografts and biomaterials for tissue reconstruction. These methods are often associated with deterioration of mechanical, physical, and biological properties of the bone grafts and synthetic implants. High hydrostatic pressure has been proposed as a novel method preserving biomechanical and biological properties of bone, tendon and cartilage. This is the first study to assess the inactivation of clinically relevant bacteria on biomaterials and human bone by high hydrostatic pressure.

Methods:

Bacterial suspensions ofStaphylococcus aureus,Pseudomonas aeruginosaandEnterococcus faecium, implants covered with infected blood, human bone infectedin vitro, and biopsies of patients with chronic osteomyelitis were subjected to different protocols of high hydrostatic pressure up to 600 MPa. Bacterial survival after high hydrostatic pressure treatment was determined and compared with bacterial growth in untreated controls.

Results:

S. aureusandP. aeruginosain suspension were completely inactivated by high hydrostatic pressure (> 5log levels), whereasE. faeciumshowed barotolerance up to 600 MPa. Blood and adherence to metal implants did not significantly alter inactivation of bacteria, and complete disinfection was achieved with barotolerant bacteria (S. aureusandP. aeruginosa). However, osteoarthritic bone demonstrated a non-homogeneous baroprotective effect, with single bone samples resistant to treatment resulting in unaltered bacterial growth, and complete disinfection of artificially infected bone specimens was achieved in 66% forS. aureus, 60% forP. aeruginosaand 0% forE. faecium. Human bone samples of patients with chronic osteomyelitis could be completely disinfected in 2 of 37 cases.

Conclusion:

High hydrostatic pressure offers new perspectives for disinfection of sensitive biomaterials and bone grafts, and contamination by blood did not significantly affect bacterial inactivation rates. However, a significant baroprotective effect was demonstrated in bone. Effectiveness is currently limited to colonization and / or infection with barosensitive micro-organisms.
Magnetic Fields Induce Changes in Photosynthetic Pigments Content in Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) Seedlings
Authors: Dhawi Faten , Al-Khayri Jameel M.
Published: February 2009

Growth, development and plants productivity are usually affected by photosynthetic pigments activity. Magnetic
fields are known to induce biochemical changes and could be used as a stimulator for growth related reactions including
affecting photosynthetic pigments. The impact of magnetic field strengths on chlorophyll and carotenoids were
investigated in this study through the use of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) seedlings. To study the effects of magnetic
treatments on photosynthetic pigments, date palm seedlings were exposed to magnetic fields in two experiments. In the
first experiment, seedlings were treated with static magnetic field at three levels of (10, 50 and 100 mT) and different durations
(30, 60, 180, 240 and 360 min). At the second experiment, seedlings were treated with alternating magnetic field at
1.5 T for different durations (1, 5, 10 and 15 min). The photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, carotenoids
and total pigments) were assayed using spectrophotometric methods. Results indicated that pigments content (chlorophyll
a, chlorophyll b, carotenoids and total pigments) was significantly increased under static magnetic field. The highest
measurements were recorded at 100 mT, after 360 min of exposure. On the other hand, alternating magnetic field has decreased
photosynthetic pigments content after 10 min of treatment with 1.5 T. Low magnetic field doses had a simulative
effect on photosynthetic pigments whereas high doses had a negative effect. Chlorophyll a and carotenoids were more affected
than chlorophyll b. Magnetic fields treatment could be used to enhance plant growth and productivity.
Air Treatment Techniques for Abatement of Emissions from Intensive Livestock Production
Authors: Melse Roland W. , Ogink Nico W.M. , Rulkens Wim H.
Published: February 2009

Intensive livestock production is connected with a number of environmental effects, including emissions of
ammonia (NH3), greenhouse gases (CH4 and N2O), odour, and particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5). Possible strategies
for emission reduction include feed management, adaptation of housing design, and, in case of mechanically ventilated
animal houses, the application of end-of-pipe air treatment, viz acid scrubbers and bioscrubbers. Air treatment techniques
can achieve very high emission reductions (up to 100% ammonia removal for acid scrubbers). Furthermore, air treatment
offers the possibility to achieve removal of not just one compound but of a combined removal of a variety of pollutants
(ammonia, odour and particulate matter) at the same time. The successful application of scrubbers is of increasing importance
as intensive livestock operations have to comply with ever stricter regulations and emission limits. Research is
needed to address topics such as reduction of costs (both investment and operational costs), improvement of process control
to guarantee stable removal efficiencies, decrease of N2O production in bioscrubbers, and increase of odour removal
efficiency.
Analysis of Three Different Kalman Filter Implementations for Agricultural Vehicle Positioning
Authors: Rodríguez M. , Gómez J.
Published: February 2009

Conventional positioning techniques based on GPS receivers are not accurate enough to be used with autonomous
guidance systems. High accuracy GPS receivers can be employed, but the cost of the system would be very high.
The alternative solution presented in this article is to combine the data provided by different positioning sensors using a
Kalman filter. The described procedure also uses an odometric estimation of the mobile position, based on the kinematic
model of the agricultural vehicle. Three different implementations of the Kalman filter are described, using different sensor
combinations but based on the same vehicle model.
Analgesic and Anti-Gastropathic Effects of Salidroside Isolated from Acer tegmentosum Heartwood
Authors: Yoo Yeong-Min , Nam Jung-Hwan , Kim Min-Young , Choi Jongwon , Lee Kyung-Tae , Park Hee-Juhn
Published: February 2009

The heartwood of Acer tegmentosum(Acereaceae) has been used as a Korean traditional medicinal drug against alcohol poisoning and hepatitis. To find the biologically active substance in A. tegmentosum heartwood, we investigated the protective effects of the heartwood extract and its constituents on pain and gastropathy in mouse. In these experiments, salidroside, a major compound, significantly reduced gastric lesion and pain in mice. Oral administration of salidroside at the 10 and 20 mg/kg doses greatly reduced the gastric lesion induced by HCl/ethanol (inhibitory effect, 51.5 and 68.8%, respectively) and by indomethacin/bethanechol (inhibitory effect, 31.3 and 38.8%, respectively). Salidroside also stabilized pH of gastric juice and the increase of gastric juice secretion and total acid output. Taken together, these results demonstrated that salidroside is the main ingredient of A. tegmentosum heartwood to prevent gastric lesion and pain that can be caused by drinking alcohol.
Hydrazonoyl Halides: Their Versatile Biological Activities
Authors: S.Shawali Ahmad , A.Samy Nevien
Published: February 2009

The various biological activities namely anthelmintic, antiarthropodal, antiviral, antimicrobial, herbicidal,
antisarcoptic, acaricidal, insecticidal and miticidal activities exhibited by the hydrazonoyl halides are surveyed. Also, the uses of such halides as pesticides, weed controlling and antihypertensive agents as well as lipoxygenase and cyclo-oxygenase inhibitors are presented. Furthermore, their contact dermatitis and phytotoxicity effects are pointed out in addition to their metabolic fate.
Individuals' Interest in the Preservation of their Culture
Authors: Gans Chaim
Published: February 2009

The interest individuals have in the preservation of their culture raises various difficulties pertaining to the meaning of this interest, its justification, and its normative implications. In this Paper, I wish to make several comments on these issues and the relationships between them. I will discuss the meaning of the interest individuals have in the preservation of their culture and the justification of this interest by referring to Margalit and Halbertals article Liberalism and the Right to Culture. I will then comment on the classification of cultural preservation rights by referring to Kymlickas notions of poly-ethnic rights, self-government rights and representation rights. I will conclude with questions concerning the justification of some particular rights to cultural preservation by resorting to Brian Barrys discussion of Québec language rights and some examples of Israels immigration policies.
Banning Parties: Religious and Ethnic Partisanship in Multicultural Democracies
Authors: Rosenblum Nancy L.
Published: February 2009

One under-theorized aspect of "multiculturalism and the antidiscrimination principle" is religious and ethnicity based political parties. With political organization, the fact of pluralism is made concrete for democratic purposes. When the struggle for empowerment is "waged within the world of democratic politics" it is waged through parties. That is the associational form modern democracies have settled on for participation, representation, and governing, and for countervailing power and regular opposition. Particularist parties and bloc voting are key instruments of political conflict and, as important, of political integration. This Paper looks at the challenges these parties pose to democracy; specifically, at the principal reasons given for banning parties from participation in electoral politics. I identify four categories of justification for disqualification: violent overthrow, incitement to hate, altering the character of the nation, and outside support or control. This is a preliminary to setting out regulative principles of "defensive democracy."
Economic Opportunities and the Protection of Minority Languages
Authors: Suk Julie Chi-hye
Published: February 2009

In this Article, Professor Suk defends the moral legitimacy of liberal states legal protection of minority languages. Many opponents of minority language protection have argued or assumed that legal intervention denies individuals the right to choose the majority language and the economic opportunities often attached to the dominant language. This Article argues that such arguments overlook another category of goods that are necessary to individual autonomy: relational resources. Individuals have an interest in maintaining their ancestral languages because doing so is essential to maintaining ones relationship to ones family and community. The relational interest cannot easily be compared with economic opportunities, because these two dimensions of autonomy are incommensurable. As a result, a liberal state should avoid forcing its citizens to choose between these incommensurable goods. By adopting policies that protect minority languages, while also ensuring individuals access to economic and political participation in the majority language, a liberal state can manage and balance the conflict between these important competing aspects of autonomy.
Law and Internal Cultural Conflicts
Authors: Ben-Shemesh Yaacov
Published: February 2009

Liberal political theory acknowledges the interdependence of the wellbeing of individuals and the flourishing of the cultural groups to which they belong. Consequently, many liberal political philosophers have proposed policies and laws aimed at multicultural accommodation. That is, policies and laws aimed at assisting communities to preserve their cultural values and practices, and at allowing them greater autonomy and self-government. However, certain religious and cultural groups hold beliefs, values, and practices that are oppressive and discriminatory against some of their own members. Accommodating such groups may contribute to the discrimination and oppression. This question of minorities within minorities poses a real dilemma for liberal political philosophy. In this Paper I focus on certain cases that fall under the minorities within minorities framework that raise particularly complicated theoretical considerations. These are the cases where the demands for equal treatment are raised not by the state or by outsiders, but by disadvantaged individuals and groups within a community, who base their claim for greater equality not on the superiority of liberal values over the values of their culture but rather on an alternative, competing, interpretation of the values of their culture. I suggest that strong normative considerations support the view that the liberal state should assist challenges by marginalized individuals within communities to reinterpret cultural values and traditions in ways more favorable to them.
Contextualizing Multiculturalism: A Three Dimensional Examination of Multicultural Claims
Authors: Stopler Gila
Published: February 2009

The emergence of multicultural theory and of claims of recognition by cultural, ethnic, and national minorities has brought to the forefront previously neglected aspects of the right to equality. However, when judged on their own, claims for recognition stand the risk of failing to fully capture, and even distorting, the meaning of equality. I suggest that in order to avoid this risk, multicultural claims need to be contextualized. Employing Nancy Frasers framework of two dimensions of justicerecognition and redistributionand adding a third dimensionpolitical participation, I suggest a framework for a contextualized assessment of multicultural claims that allows us to properly and fully assess their validity. I then go on to employ this framework on the claims of Israels two most significant cultural minoritiesthe Palestinian Arabs and the Ultra Orthodox Jews. I show how the use of the suggested framework helps to expose the considerable differences between these two cultural minorities, and consequently the notable difference in the merits of their claims, a difference that would have otherwise gone undetected.