bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lipid metabolism inGiardia: a post-genomic perspective
Authors: YICHOY M. , DUARTE T. T. , DE CHATTERJEE A. , MENDEZ T. L. , AGUILERA K. Y. , ROY D. , ROYCHOWDHURY S. , ALEY S. B. , DAS S.
Published: September 2010

Giardia lamblia, a protozoan parasite, infects a wide variety of vertebrates, including humans. Studies indicate that this anaerobic protist possesses a limited ability to synthesize lipid moleculesde novoand depends on supplies from its environment for growth and differentiation. It has been suggested that most lipids and fatty acids are taken up by endocytic and non-endocytic pathways and are used byGiardiafor energy production and membrane/organelle biosynthesis. The purpose of this article is to provide an update on recent progress in the field of lipid research of this parasite and the validation of lipid metabolic pathways through recent genomic information. Based on current cellular, biochemical and genomic data, a comprehensive pathway has been proposed to facilitate our understanding of lipid and fatty acid metabolism/syntheses in this waterborne pathogen. We envision that the current review will be helpful in identifying targets from the pathways that could be used to design novel therapies to control giardiasis and related diseases.
Reappraising the theme of breeding systems inEchinococcus: is outcrossing a rare phenomenon?
Authors: HAAG K. L. , MARIN P. B. , GRAICHEN D. A. S. , DE LA RUE M. L.
Published: September 2010

Selfing has been considered the most common mode of reproduction inEchinococcusflatworms. However, population genetic studies on the asexual larval stage involving nuclear co-dominant markers have not always revealed significant heterozygote deficiencies – the expected outcome of a regularly and highly inbred population. In this study, we analysed the genetic structure ofEchinococcus granulosus sensu latopopulations from Southern Brazil during their adult (sexual) stage using 1 mitochondrial and 1 nuclear marker (cox 1andmdh, respectively). We show that parasite genetic differentiation is largest among definitive hosts (domestic dogs) from different farms, suggesting that transmission is mostly maintained within a farm. Moreover, we show that heterozygote deficiencies are not significant, and we suggest that outbreeding is the most common mode of reproduction of the parasite in that region.
The living standard of miners in Biscay (1876-1936): wages, the human development index and height
Authors: Escudero Antonio , Pérez Castroviejo Pedro M.
Published: September 2010

Recent research on working-class living standards during the Industrial Revolution has shown that wages do not cover all welfare components — for instance, working conditions, leisure time or the «access rights» needed make one prosper (health, education and freedom). This is why studies have been published in which wages are compared with other living standard indicators. Following this line of research, our paper examines the evolution of welfare among Biscayan miners between 1876 and 1936 by contrasting real wages, Human Development Index and height. An additional contribution of the paper is that we relate the high morbi-mortality in the Biscayan working-class neighbourhoods with market failures derived from urbanisation, a connection not explicitly considered in the literature on living standards during the Industrial Revolution. These market failures were known by liberal politicians because the hygienists urged the intervention of the State to correct or, at least, ease them. However, the town councils in the Bilbao mining zone took more than 20 years to put into practice the measures proposed by the hygienists.
The development of the Welfare State in Portugal: trends in social expenditure between 1938 and 2003
Authors: Carolo Daniel Fernando , Pereirinha José António
Published: September 2010

This paper presents a data series on social expenditure in Portugal for the period 1938-2003. The series was built with the aim of identifying and characterizing the most significant phases in the process leading up to the current welfare state system in this country. The establishment of a social insurance (Previdência) in 1935 was one of the founding pillars of theEstado Novo(New State). Reforms to Social Welfare (Previdência Social) in 1962, while in the full throes of the New State, policy measures taken after the revolution of 1974 and a new orientation for social policy following the accession of Portugal to the European Economic Community (EEC) in the mid-1980s brought about significant transformations in the institutional organizational structure that provided welfare and conferred social rights in Portugal. To understand this process, knowledge is needed of the transformations to the institutional structures governing the organizations that provided welfare, welfare coverage in terms of the type of benefit and the population entitled to social risk protection, the magnitude of spending on benefits associated with these risks, as well as how benefits were allocated between the institutions. We built a data series for the period 1938-1980, which can then be matched to data already published in the OECD Social Expenditure Database from 1980 onwards. As a result, a consistent series for social expenditure from 1938 to 2003 was obtained. The methodology used to create the series enabled us to measure the impact of the variation in population coverage for social risks and the average generosity of benefits on the relative share of social expenditure in GDP. We present an interpretive reading for the full period, covering the New State and the Democracy from 1974, of the process of building the welfare state in Portugal.
The educational effects of 19thcentury disentailment of Catholic Church land in Colombia
Authors: Fazio Vargas Antonella , Sánchez Torres Fabio
Published: September 2010

The aim of this paper is to analyse the effects of land concentration prompted by the distribution of disentailed church land during the second half of the 19thcentury on the accumulation of human capital in early 20thcentury Colombia1. Using existing primary sources on the process of land disentailment and the 1912 National Census at the municipal level, descriptive statistics and econometric evidence show a significant and negative relationship between the amount of disentailed land during the 1870s and literacy and school enrolment rates of males in 1912.
Graphs, Links, and Duality on Surfaces
Authors: KRUSHKAL VYACHESLAV
Published: September 2010

We introduce a polynomial invariant of graphs on surfaces,PG, generalizing the classical Tutte polynomial. Topological duality on surfaces gives rise to a natural duality result forPG, analogous to the duality for the Tutte polynomial of planar graphs. This property is important from the perspective of statistical mechanics, where the Tutte polynomial is known as the partition function of the Potts model. For ribbon graphs,PGspecializes to the well-known Bollobás–Riordan polynomial, and in fact the two polynomials carry equivalent information in this context. Duality is also established for a multivariate version of the polynomialPG. We then consider a 2-variable version of the Jones polynomial for links in thickened surfaces, taking into account homological information on the surface. An analogue of Thistlethwaite's theorem is established for these generalized Jones and Tutte polynomials for virtual links.
Exploring overweight, obesity and their behavioural correlates among children and adolescents: results from the Health-promotion through Obesity Prevention across Europe project
Authors: Brug Johannes , Lien Nanna , Klepp Knut-Inge , van Lenthe Frank J
Published: September 2010

Objectives

The Health-promotion through Obesity Prevention across Europe (HOPE) project aims to bring the European scientific knowledge on overweight, obesity and their determinants together and use the expertise of researchers across Europe to contribute to tackling the obesity epidemic.

Design/subjects/results

This special issue of Public Health Nutrition presents important results from one of the work packages of the HOPE project that aims at gaining and integrating knowledge on the determinants of nutrition, physical activity and obesity among schoolchildren and adolescents (aged 10–18 years) in different European regions. It includes contributions from Northern Europe (Norway), Central and Eastern Europe (Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic), Southern Europe (Greece) and Western Europe (Belgium and The Netherlands), as well as an overview of the availability of good-quality data on prevalence rates and trends in overweight (including obesity) among adolescents in European Union (EU) countries. The studies that are included report prevalence differences, data on relevant nutrition and physical activity behaviours, as well as potential physical and environmental behavioural determinants.

Conclusion

These papers provide further evidence on differences in obesity and overweight prevalence among different EU regions and countries, and contribute to the further exploration of risk factors that may or should be addressed in obesity prevention efforts for school-aged children and adolescents in EU countries.
Social, economic and demographic correlates of overweight and obesity in primary-school children: preliminary data from the Healthy Growth Study
Authors: Moschonis George , Tanagra Sofia , Vandorou Anastasia , Kyriakou Aikaterini E , Dede Vasiliki , Siatitsa Paraskevi E , Koumpitski Alexandra , Androutsos Odysseas , Grammatikaki Evangelia , Kantilafti Maria , Naoumi Anthi , Farmaki Aliki E , Siopi Aikaterini , Papadopoulou Eleni Z , Voutsadaki Elpida , Chlouveraki Fanouria , Maragkopoulou Konstantina , Argyri Efstathoula , Giannopoulou Aggeliki , Manios Yannis
Published: September 2010

Objective

To record the prevalence of overweight and obesity in urban primary-school children in relation to several socio-economic and demographic factors.

Design

Cross-sectional.

Setting/subjects

A representative sample of 729 schoolchildren (379 male and 350 female), aged 9–13 years, stratified by parental educational level, was examined in the urban region of Athens. Weight and height were measured using standard procedures. The International Obesity Task Force thresholds were used for the definition of overweight and obesity. Several socio-economic and demographic data and the child’s ‘popularity’ score were also recorded with specifically designed standardized questionnaires.

Results

The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 29·6 % and 11·1 %, respectively. Annual family income of €12 000–20 000 (OR = 1·58), residence ownership (OR = 1·63) and the grandmother as the child’s primary caregiver (OR = 1·38) were significantly associated with higher odds of childhood overweight and obesity. Non-Greek parental nationality (OR = 0·72) and higher ‘popularity’ scores of children (OR = 0·42) were significantly associated with lower odds of overweight and obesity. The grandmother as the child’s primary caregiver and an annual family income of €12 000–20 000 remained significantly associated with childhood overweight and obesity after adding all significant correlates of childhood overweight and obesity observed at the bivariate level in a multivariate regression model (OR = 1·51 and 1·61, respectively).

Conclusions

Among family income, residence ownership, child’s primary caregiver, parental nationality and popularity scores that were identified as significant correlates of childhood overweight and obesity at the bivariate level, lower family income and grandmother as the child’s primary caregiver were the only factors that remained significantly associated with childhood overweight and obesity at a multivariate level.
Relationship of physical activity and dietary habits with body mass index in the transition from childhood to adolescence: a 4-year longitudinal study
Authors: Haerens Leen , Vereecken Carine , Maes Lea , De Bourdeaudhuij Ilse
Published: September 2010

Objective

To explore the relationship between several physical activity (PA) and dietary behaviours and BMI Z-score and to investigate the relationship between changes in these variables and in the BMI Z-score over a 4-year period from childhood to adolescence.

Design

Longitudinal study in which children were included in the fifth grade and measured for four consecutive years. Dietary and PA behaviours as well as height and weight were measured by means of self-reported validated questionnaires.

Setting

Fifty-nine Flemish elementary schools.

Subjects

The baseline sample consisted of 51·9 % boys and the mean age was 10 (sd 0·4) years. During the first measurement year (2002), data on 1670 fifth graders were gathered. These measurements were repeated after 1 (n 1557), 2 (n 1151) and 3 (n 807) years.

Results

Significant inverse relationships with BMI Z-score were observed for frequency of breakfast consumption (β = −0·033, se = 0·012) and frequency of sports participation (β = −0·011, se = 0·004) across four time points. Significant inverse relationships between changes in BMI Z-score and changes in frequency of sports participation (β = −0·011, se = 0·006) and hours of physical education (PE; β = −0·052, se = 0·023) were observed, meaning that decreases in sports participation and hours spent in PE were associated with increases in BMI Z-score.

Conclusions

The present study provides an important insight into different dietary and PA behaviours related to (changes in) BMI Z-score during the transition from childhood to adolescence.
MATTERS OF FACT
Authors: JONES MATTHEW L.
Published: September 2010

At the end of Matters of Exchange, Harold Cook's major revisionist account of the early modern scientific revolution, he locates the political and economic writings of Bernard Mandeville within the practices and values of contemporaneous Dutch observational medicine. Like Mandeville, Cook describes the potency of early modern capitalism and its attendant value system in generating industry and knowledge; like Mandeville, Cook finds coercive systems of moral regulation to be mistaken in their estimation of human capacities; and like Mandeville, Cook does not shy away from the violence that often made the worldwide commerce in matters of fact possible. “Every Part was full of Vice,” famously rhymed Mandeville, “Yet the whole Mass a Paradise.” The practices and values of science, this book suggests, stemmed from the vices of the merchant and the consumer, not the sprezzatura of the baroque courtier, the asceticism of the Christian gentleman, the speculation of the university philosopher, or the dour appraisal of the theologian. Interest, not claims to disinterest, made modern science and its attendant values possible. Scrupulous attention to goods from around the world and right at home created the conditions for natural knowledge.
THE PROXIMITY OF THE PAST: EUGENICS IN AMERICAN CULTURE
Authors: RYDELL ROBERT W.
Published: September 2010

In 1935, as the Nazis’ state-of-the art eugenics exhibition from the Deutsches Hygiene Museum was concluding its American tour, a decision had to be made about whether to return the displays to Germany or to house them in an American museum. After the American Academy of Medicine decided against the display because of its political implications, the director of the Buffalo Museum of Science, Carlos Cummings, himself a physician, offered his institution as the exhibition's permanent home. “What is the astounding eugenics program upon which Chancellor Hitler has launched the German people?” Cummings wondered aloud. “As a matter of public interest, without endorsement,” he added, “the Museum will display in the Central Hall throughout this final quarter of 1935, a set of fifty-one posters and charts . . . which gives Americans a graphic explanation of Germany's campaign to rear in posterity ‘a new race nobility.’” Seven years later, with war raging, the museum received permission from the company that had insured the exhibition, to dismantle it from its permanent home in the museum's Hall of Heredity. An exhibition about eugenics, Nazi eugenics no less, that had been enthusiastically received as it had traveled the United States in the mid-1930s, had seemingly fallen victim to the war against eugenics launched by cultural anthropologists and geneticists. In light of the broad scholarship on eugenics, this certainly would be a plausible reading of the deinstallation of the Nazi eugenics exhibition. But the three books under review here suggest a more complex reading, one that suggests that eugenics and racism, considered as ideological systems, were less easily dislodged from American culture than from Buffalo's Museum of Science.
Research on ground vibration of the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility
Authors: Wang X. , Du H. , Yan Z. , Yin L.
Published: September 2010

Ground vibration is a key issue for the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF), which is a third-generation light source under commissioning. However, the ground vibration of the SSRF is much larger than other light sources for relatively softer soil and deeper bedrock. More than 1000 piles with 0.6 m diameter down to 48 m underground, and slabs of 1450 mm thickness for the storage ring tunnel and the experiment hall, have been used to attenuate the ground vibration. Measurement results show that these piles and slab have obvious attenuation effect for the vibration induced by nearby vehicles and air conditioners. The coherences with respect to different distances are also carried out.
Konstruktion und erste Validierung einer Skala zur Erfassung subjektiver schulischer Werte (SESSW)
Authors: Steinmayr Ricarda , Spinath Birgit
Published: September 2010

Zusammenfassung. Die vorliegenden Studien dienten der psychometrischen Überprüfung einer Skala zur Erfassung subjektiver schulbezogener Werte (SESSW). Der Fragebogen erfasst die drei subjektiven Wertekomponenten des Eccles-Modells persönliche Wichtigkeit, Nutzen und intrinsische Wertzuschreibung bezogen auf die Schule im Allgemeinen und fächerspezifisch für Mathematik, Deutsch, Physik und Chemie. Anhand einer Analysestichprobe von N = 391 Schülern/innen der gymnasialen Oberstufe konnten die postulierten Subskalen und die postulierte schulfachspezifische Struktur des Instrumentes bestätigt werden. Die psychometrischen Kennwerte des Instrumentes waren durchgehend gut, Beziehungen zu korrespondierenden Schulnoten und den entsprechenden Fähigkeitsselbstkonzepten belegten die konvergente und divergente Validität des Verfahrens. Als weiterer Validitätshinweis gelten die vorgefundenen fachspezifischen Geschlechtsunterschiede. Darüber hinaus weisen die Ergebnisse einer zweiten Studie mit N = 243 Schülern/innen auf die Bedeutsamkeit von Werten bei der Vorhersage von Kurswahlen in den fokussierten Fächern hin.
Experimentelle Konstruktion eines Kurzfragebogens zur direkten Veränderungsmessung psychotherapeutischer Effekte im Befinden
Authors: Krampen Günter
Published: September 2010

Zusammenfassung. Befunde aus zwei Studien zur Entwicklung eines Kurzinstruments zur direkten Veränderungsmessung psychotherapeutischer Effekte werden dargestellt. Die Fragebogenkonstruktion fokussiert Veränderungen im Bereich des Befindens. An Studie I waren 150 Patienten von 14 niedergelassenen Psychotherapeuten beteiligt. Sie wurden nach dem Zufall einer Therapie- oder einer Wartelistekontrollgruppe zugewiesen. Nach dreimonatiger Psychotherapie bzw. Wartezeit beantworteten alle den aus zwölf Komparativaussagen bestehenden „Veränderungsfragebogen zum Entspannungserleben und Befinden – Psychotherapie” (VFE-PT). Die Änderungssensivität des Kurzfragebogens für Psychotherapieeffekte wird im Vergleich zur unbehandelten Kontrollgruppe auf Item- und Skalenniveau empirisch bestätigt. Studie II folgt einem naturalistischen Design, nach dem 275 erwachsene ambulante Patienten den VFE-PT 12 bis 20 Wochen nach Therapiebeginn ausgefüllt haben. Die Befunde bestätigen die guten Itemparameter und interne Konsistenz des Verfahrens. Die konvergente Validität des VFE-PT wird durch bedeutsame Korrelationen zu Indikatoren klinisch relevanter Veränderungen aus der indirekten Veränderungsmessung bestätigt.
Barrieren und Barrierenmanagement im Prozess der Sportteilnahme
Authors: Krämer Lena , Fuchs Reinhard
Published: September 2010

Zusammenfassung. Im vorliegenden Beitrag werden zwei Arten von Barrieren konzeptionell voneinander abgegrenzt, die in der Literatur zur Gesundheitsverhaltensänderung häufig nicht klar unterschieden werden: zum einen negative Konsequenzerwartungen (Erwartungen über die Folgen einer Verhaltensausführung), zum anderen situative Barrieren (Risikosituationen, die eine Verhaltensausführung erschweren). Das Überwinden der Barrieren erfordert volitionale Gegenstrategien, welche im Konzept des Barrierenmanagements zusammengefasst werden. Zu den situativen Barrieren sowie zum Barrierenmanagement wurden neue Skalen entwickelt, die hier vorgestellt und diskutiert werden. An 692 orthopädische Patienten wurden sechs Wochen nach einem stationären Rehabilitationsaufenthalt Selbstbeurteilungsfragebögen verschickt. Die Fragebögen enthielten unter anderem Items zu situativen Barrieren (13 Items) und Barrierenmanagement (15 Items) sowie zu negativen Konsequenzerwartungen, Selbstwirksamkeit, Absichtsstärke und Sportverhalten. Die faktorenanalytische Auswertung der situativen Barrieren führte zur Bildung der beiden Subskalen „Körperliche Barrieren” (Cronbachs α = .74) und „Psychosoziale Barrieren” (α = .83). Die entsprechenden Analysen zum Barrierenmanagement mündeten in die Konstruktion der Subskalen „Präventives Barrierenmanagement” (α = .71) und „Akutes Barrierenmanagement” (α = .68). Korrelations- und Regressionsanalysen mit den oben genannten Außenkriterien konnten die Validität der Skalen bestätigen. Die vorgelegten Messinstrumente erlauben eine systematische Analyse der motivationalen und volitionalen Prozesse der regelmäßigen Sportteilnahme. Neben ihrer theoretischen Bedeutsamkeit stellen die beiden Skalen auch für die sport- und gesundheitspsychologische Praxis viel versprechende Messinstrumente dar.
Measuring and modeling the spectrum of fine‐root turnover times in three forests using isotopes, minirhizotrons, and the Radix model
Authors: Gaudinski Julia B. , Torn M. S. , Riley W. J. , Dawson T. E. , Joslin J. D. , Majdi H.
Published: September 2010

Fine root (<2 mm) cycling rates are important for understanding plant ecology and carbon fluxes in forests, but they are difficult to determine and remain uncertain. This paper synthesizes minirhizotron and isotopic data and a root model and concludes that (1) fine roots have a spectrum of turnover times ranging from months to many years and (2) the mean age of live root biomass (A) and the mean age of roots when they die (i.e., their turnover time (τ)) are not equal. We estimated A and τ of fine roots in three forests using the root model Radix. For short‐lived roots, we constrained τ with existing minirhizotron data; for long‐lived roots, we used new radiocarbon measurements of roots sampled by diameter size class and root branch order. Long‐lived root pools had site mean τ of 8–13 y and 5–9 y when sampled by diameter and branch order, respectively. Mean turnover times across sites were in general not significantly different as a function of branch‐order, size class, or depth. Our modeling results indicate that ∼20% of fine root biomass has turnover times of about a year, and ∼80% has decadal turnover times. This partitioning is reflected in our predicted mean ages of ∼9 y and turnover times of ∼3 y. We estimate that fine root mortality contributes between 38 and 104 g C m−2 y−1 to soil in these forests. These estimates are 20 to 80% of previous estimates in these and similar forests, in part because we explicitly account for the large portion of fine‐root biomass with decadal cycling rates. Our work shows that both fast and slow cycling roots must be modeled jointly to account for the heterogeneous nature of fine‐root dynamics.
Detection of supercooled liquid in mixed‐phase clouds using radar Doppler spectra
Authors: Luke Edward P. , Kollias Pavlos , Shupe Matthew D.
Published: September 2010

Cloud phase identification from active remote sensors in the temperature range from 0 to −40°C, where both liquid and ice hydrometeor phases are sustainable, is challenging. Millimeter wavelength cloud radars (MMCR) are able to penetrate and detect multiple cloud layers. However, in mixed‐phase conditions, ice crystals dominate the radar signal, rendering the detection of liquid droplets from radar observables more difficult. The technique proposed here overcomes this fundamental limitation by using morphological features in MMCR Doppler spectra to detect supercooled liquid droplets in the radar sampling volume in the presence of ice particles. High lidar backscatter and near‐zero lidar depolarization measurements (good indicators of the presence of liquid droplets) from the Mixed‐Phase Arctic Clouds Experiment (MPACE) conducted in Barrow, Alaska, are used to train the technique and evaluate its potential for detecting mixed‐phase conditions. Ceilometer, microwave radiometer, and radiosonde measurements provide additional independent validation. Because of the ability of MMCRs to penetrate multiple liquid layers, this radar‐based technique does not suffer from the extinction limitations of lidars and is thus able to expand cloud phase identification methods to cloud regions beyond where lidars can penetrate, providing output at the native radar resolution. The technique is applicable to all profiling radars that have sufficient sensitivity to observe the small amount of liquid in mixed‐phase clouds.
Bed load transport in turbulent flow at the grain scale: Experiments and modeling
Authors: Lajeunesse E. , Malverti L. , Charru F.
Published: September 2010

We report an experimental investigation of the motion of bed load particles under steady and spatially uniform turbulent flow above a flat sediment bed of uniform grain size. Using a high‐speed video imaging system, we recorded the trajectories of the moving particles and measured their velocity and the length and duration of their flights, as well as the surface density of the moving particles. Our observations show that entrained particles exhibit intermittent motion composed of the succession of periods of “flight” and periods of rest. During one flight, a particle may go through phases of reptation, during which it moves in nearly persistent contact with the rough bed, and phases of saltation, during which it travels sufficiently high above the bed to reach high velocities. The distributions of longitudinal and transverse particle velocities obey a decreasing exponential and a Gaussian law, respectively. Interestingly, these observations are similar to those previously reported for viscous flows. The experimental results presented here support the erosion‐deposition model of Charru (2006) and allow the calibration of the involved coefficients. In particular, noting τ*, the Shields number, and τ*c, the threshold Shields number, we find that (1) the surface density of moving particles increases linearly with τ* − τ*c; (2) the average particle velocity increases linearly with τ*1/2 − τ*c1/2, with a finite nonzero value at the threshold; (3) the flight duration scales with a characteristic settling time with no significant dependence on either τ* or the settling Reynolds number; and (4) the flight length increases linearly with τ*1/2 − τ*c1/2. The results presented in this paper should provide a valuable physical framework to describe bed form development in turbulent flows.
Focal mechanisms for sub‐crustal earthquakes in the Gulf of Cadiz from a dense OBS deployment
Authors: Geissler W. H. , Matias L. , Stich D. , Carrilho F. , Jokat W. , Monna S. , IbenBrahim A. , Mancilla F. , Gutscher M.‐A. , Sallarès V. , Zitellini N.
Published: September 2010

An eleven‐month deployment of 25 ocean bottom seismometers provides an unprecedented opportunity to study low‐magnitude local earthquakes in the complex transpressive plate boundary setting of the Gulf of Cadiz, known for the 1755 Lisbon earthquake and tsunami. 36 relocated earthquakes (ML 2.2 to 4.8) concentrate at 40–60 km depth, near the base of the seismogenic layer in ∼140 Ma old oceanic mantle lithosphere, and roughly align along two perpendicular, NNE‐SSW and WNW‐ESE striking structures. First motion focal mechanisms indicate compressive stress for the cluster close to the northern Horseshoe fault termination which trends perpendicular to plate convergence. Focal mechanisms for the second cluster near the southern termination of the Horseshoe fault indicate a strike‐slip regime, providing evidence for present‐day activity of a dextral shear zone proposed to represent the Eurasia‐Africa plate contact. We hypothesize that regional tectonics is characterized by slip partitioning.
Multiple trophic levels fueled by recirculation in the Columbia River plume
Authors: Kudela Raphael M. , Horner‐Devine Alexander R. , Banas Neil S. , Hickey Barbara M. , Peterson Tawnya D. , McCabe Ryan M. , Lessard Evelyn J. , Frame Elizabeth , Bruland Kenneth W. , Jay David A. , Peterson Jay O. , Peterson William T. , Kosro P. Michael , Palacios Sherry L. , Lohan Maeve C. , Dever Edward P.
Published: September 2010

Large rivers represent gateways for the transport of terrigenous and anthropogenic material to the coastal ocean. Here we document a ∼700 km2 recirculation or bulge associated with the Columbia River plume that retains recently discharged river water sufficiently to create a regional bioreactor. Fueled by a fluvial nitrate source, this feature stimulated growth across three trophic levels and may buffer this gateway system during periods of increased warming and stratification that lead to decreased ocean productivity, potentially enhancing production at multiple trophic levels and enriching surface waters far from the river mouth.
Influence of the voltage‐time derivative in X‐ray emission from laboratory sparks
Authors: March Víctor , Montanyà Joan
Published: September 2010

X‐rays produced by laboratory sparks in air at atmospheric pressure for rod‐rod and rod‐plane configurations were observed. A total of 510 sparks were applied for both polarities. The paper shows the effects of the voltage rise time and the peak voltage in the generation of X‐rays. It is found here that shorter rise times and high peak voltages tend to produce more X‐rays emissions with higher energies than longer front waveforms or lower peak voltages. In a similar way, higher voltage variations produce more energetic emissions. This finding suggests that the variation of the electric field before the breakdown can play a fundamental role in the X‐ray production. The results are similar with the observations of X‐rays produced in natural lightning where detections have been associated to leader steps before the return stroke.
Interaction between terrestrial plasma sheet electrons and the lunar surface: SELENE (Kaguya) observations
Authors: Harada Yuki , Machida Shinobu , Saito Yoshifumi , Yokota Shoichiro , Asamura Kazushi , Nishino Masaki N. , Tanaka Takaaki , Tsunakawa Hideo , Shibuya Hidetoshi , Takahashi Futoshi , Matsushima Masaki , Shimizu Hisayoshi
Published: September 2010

Analysis of the data obtained by SELENE (Kaguya) revealed a partial loss in the electron velocity distribution function due to the “gyro‐loss effect”, namely gyrating electrons being absorbed by the lunar surface. The Moon enters the Earth's magnetosphere for a few days around full moon, where plasma conditions are significantly different from those in the solar wind. When the magnetic field is locally parallel to the lunar surface, relatively high‐energy electrons in the terrestrial plasma sheet with Larmor radii greater than SELENE's orbital height strike the lunar surface and are absorbed before they can be detected. This phenomenon can be observed as an empty region in the electron distribution function, which is initially isotropic in the plasma sheet, resulting in a non‐gyrotropic distribution. We observed the expected characteristic electron distributions, as well as an empty region that was consistent with the presence of a relatively strong electric field (∼10 mV/m) around the Moon when it is in the plasma sheet.
A total volatile inventory for Masaya Volcano, Nicaragua
Authors: Martin R. S. , Sawyer G. M. , Spampinato L. , Salerno G. G. , Ramirez C. , Ilyinskaya E. , Witt M. L. I. , Mather T. A. , Watson I. M. , Phillips J. C. , Oppenheimer C.
Published: September 2010

We present results from a campaign in March 2009 to assess the current state of emissions from Masaya Volcano, Nicaragua. These results constitute one of the most comprehensive inventories to date of emissions from an active volcano and update the exceptional record of emissions from Masaya. Results from open‐path Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and filter packs demonstrate that, in terms of H2O, SO2, CO2, HCl, and HF (molar H2O/SO2 = 63, CO2/SO2 = 2.7, SO2/HCl = 1.7, SO2/HF = 8.8), the 2009 gas composition was highly comparable to that from the 1998 to 2000 period, indicating stability of the shallow magma system. This continuity extends to certain aerosol species (molar SO2/SO42− = 190, Na+/SO42− = 0.68, K+/SO42− = 0.71, Ca2+/SO42− = 1.6 × 10−2, Mg2+/SO42− = 3.6 × 10−3) and, to a lesser extent, the heavy halogens (i.e., molar HCl/HBr = 2.4 × 103, HCl/HI = 5.0 × 104). In contrast to an earlier study at Masaya, we did not detect HNO3. SO2 fluxes were low (690 Mg d−1), suggesting that Masaya was close to the minimum of its degassing cycle. By combining compositional results with the SO2 flux, we estimate a total volatile flux of 14,000 Mg d−1. This rate is consistent with 1−4 wt% volatile loss from a convective magma flux of 17,000–4000 kg s−1. These results will allow for a better understanding of degassing processes at Masaya and other basaltic volcanoes.
Climatological aspects of the optical properties of fine/coarse mode aerosol mixtures
Authors: Eck T. F. , Holben B. N. , Sinyuk A. , Pinker R. T. , Goloub P. , Chen H. , Chatenet B. , Li Z. , Singh R. P. , Tripathi S. N. , Reid J. S. , Giles D. M. , Dubovik O. , O'Neill N. T. , Smirnov A. , Wang P. , Xia X.
Published: September 2010

Aerosol mixtures composed of coarse mode desert dust combined with fine mode combustion generated aerosols (from fossil fuel and biomass burning sources) were investigated at three locations that are in and/or downwind of major global aerosol emission source regions. Multiyear monitoring data at Aerosol Robotic Network sites in Beijing (central eastern China), Kanpur (Indo‐Gangetic Plain, northern India), and Ilorin (Nigeria, Sudanian zone of West Africa) were utilized to study the climatological characteristics of aerosol optical properties. Multiyear climatological averages of spectral single scattering albedo (SSA) versus fine mode fraction (FMF) of aerosol optical depth at 675 nm at all three sites exhibited relatively linear trends up to ∼50% FMF. This suggests the possibility that external linear mixing of both fine and coarse mode components (weighted by FMF) dominates the SSA variation, where the SSA of each component remains relatively constant for this range of FMF only. However, it is likely that a combination of other factors is also involved in determining the dynamics of SSA as a function of FMF, such as fine mode particles adhering to coarse mode dust. The spectral variation of the climatological averaged aerosol absorption optical depth (AAOD) was nearly linear in logarithmic coordinates over the wavelength range of 440–870 nm for both the Kanpur and Ilorin sites. However, at two sites in China (Beijing and Xianghe), a distinct nonlinearity in spectral AAOD in logarithmic space was observed, suggesting the possibility of anomalously strong absorption in coarse mode aerosols increasing the 870 nm AAOD.
Patterns of fungal diversity and composition along a salinity gradient
Authors: Mohamed Devon J , Martiny Jennifer B H
Published: September 2010

Estuarine salinity gradients are known to influence plant, bacterial and archaeal community structure. We sequenced 18S rRNA genes to investigate patterns in sediment fungal diversity (richness and evenness of taxa) and composition (taxonomic and phylogenetic) along an estuarine salinity gradient. We sampled three marshes—a salt, brackish and freshwater marsh—in Rhode Island. To compare the relative effect of the salinity gradient with that of plants, we sampled fungi in plots with Spartina patens and in plots from which plants were removed 2 years prior to sampling. The fungal sediment community was unique compared with previously sampled fungal communities; we detected more Ascomycota (78%), fewer Basidiomycota (6%) and more fungi from basal lineages (16%) (Chytridiomycota, Glomeromycota and four additional groups) than typically found in soil. Across marshes, fungal composition changed substantially, whereas fungal diversity differed only at the finest level of genetic resolution, and was highest in the intermediate, brackish marsh. In contrast, the presence of plants had a highly significant effect on fungal diversity at all levels of genetic resolution, but less of an effect on fungal composition. These results suggest that salinity (or other covarying parameters) selects for a distinctive fungal composition, and plants provide additional niches upon which taxa within these communities can specialize and coexist. Given the number of sequences from basal fungal lineages, the study also suggests that further sampling of estuarine sediments may help in understanding early fungal evolution.
Seasonality and resource availability control bacterial and archaeal communities in soils of a temperate beech forest
Authors: Rasche Frank , Knapp Daniela , Kaiser Christina , Koranda Marianne , Kitzler Barbara , Zechmeister-Boltenstern Sophie , Richter Andreas , Sessitsch Angela
Published: September 2010

It was hypothesized that seasonality and resource availability altered through tree girdling were major determinants of the phylogenetic composition of the archaeal and bacterial community in a temperate beech forest soil. During a 2-year field experiment, involving girdling of beech trees to intercept the transfer of easily available carbon (C) from the canopy to roots, members of the dominant phylogenetic microbial phyla residing in top soils under girdled versus untreated control trees were monitored at bimonthly intervals through 16S rRNA gene-based terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism profiling and quantitative PCR analysis. Effects on nitrifying and denitrifying groups were assessed by measuring the abundances of nirS and nosZ genes as well as bacterial and archaeal amoA genes. Seasonal dynamics displayed by key phylogenetic and nitrogen (N) cycling functional groups were found to be tightly coupled with seasonal alterations in labile C and N pools as well as with variation in soil temperature and soil moisture. In particular, archaea and acidobacteria were highly responsive to soil nutritional and soil climatic changes associated with seasonality, indicating their high metabolic versatility and capability to adapt to environmental changes. For these phyla, significant interrelations with soil chemical and microbial process data were found suggesting their potential, but poorly described contribution to nitrification or denitrification in temperate forest soils. In conclusion, our extensive approach allowed us to get novel insights into effects of seasonality and resource availability on the microbial community, in particular on hitherto poorly studied bacterial phyla and functional groups.
Blood Gene Expression Reveal Pathway Differences Between Diet‐Sensitive and Resistant Obese Subjects Prior to Caloric Restriction
Authors: Ghosh Sujoy , Dent Robert , Harper Mary E. , Stuart Joan , McPherson Ruth
Published: September 2010

Weight loss in response to caloric restriction displays significant interindividual heterogeneity. To develop early predictors of weight‐loss success, we have compared whole‐blood gene expression profiles of obese, diet‐sensitive vs. obese, diet‐resistant subjects prior to the initiation of clinically supervised caloric restriction. Pathway enrichment analysis of gene expression profiles by multiple applications converged on the “oxidative phosphorylation” (OXPHOS) pathway, and to a lesser extent the “proteasome” pathway, as statistically significantly upregulated in obese, diet‐sensitive subjects compared to the diet‐resistant subjects. The finding of increased OXPHOS is consistent with earlier observations of increased proton leak, increased expression of OXPHOS genes, and increased oxidative muscle fibers in skeletal muscle of obese, diet‐sensitive subjects. The current study further highlights the utility of blood as a sentinel tissue reflecting systemic states and provides a potential modality to predict future weight‐loss success, relevant to the design of individualized bariatric treatment programs.
Age‐Related Changes in Insulin Sensitivity and β‐Cell Function Among European‐American and African‐American Women
Authors: Chandler‐Laney Paula C. , Phadke Radhika P. , Granger Wesley M. , Fernández José R. , Muñoz Julian A. , Man Chiara Dalla , Cobelli Claudio , Ovalle Fernando , Gower Barbara A.
Published: September 2010

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is more prevalent among African‐American (AA) than European‐American (EA) women for reasons that are unknown. Ethnic differences in physiological processes related to insulin sensitivity (SI) and secretion, and age‐related changes in these processes, may play a role. The purpose of this study was to identify ethnicity‐ and age‐related differences in SI and β‐cell responsivity among AA and EA females, and to determine whether these differences are independent of body composition and fat distribution. Healthy, normoglycemic females aged 7–12 years (n = 62), 18–32 years (n = 57), and 40–70 years (n = 49) were recruited for entry into this study. Following an overnight fast, SI, intravenous glucose tolerance (Kg), acute C‐peptide secretion (X0), and basal, first‐phase, second‐phase, and total β‐cell responsivity to glucose (PhiB, Phi1, Phi2, and PhiTOT, respectively) were measured by an intravenous glucose tolerance test. Total % body fat was assessed by dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry, and intra‐abdominal adiposity (IAAT) by computed tomography. Main effects of age group and ethnicity were measured with analysis of covariance, adjusting for % fat, IAAT, and SI as indicated. AA had lower SI, and higher Kg, X0, Phi1, and PhiTOT (P < 0.05), which remained after adjustment for % fat and IAAT. Greater X0, Phi1, and PhiTOT among AA were independent of SI. Advancing age was associated with greater Phi2 among both EA and AA. To conclude, inherent ethnic differences in β‐cell function exist independently of adiposity and SI. Future research should examine whether ethnic differences in β‐cell physiology contribute to disparities in T2D risk.
Kinetics of electron transfer between NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase and cytochrome P450 3A4
Authors: Farooq Yassar , Roberts Gordon C. K.
Published: September 2010

We have incorporated CYP3A4 (cytochrome P450 3A4) and CPR (NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase) into liposomes with a high lipid/protein ratio by an improved method. In the purified proteoliposomes, CYP3A4 binds testosterone with Kd (app)=36±6 μM and Hill coefficient=1.5±0.3, and 75±4% of the CYP3A4 can be reduced by NADPH in the presence of testosterone. Transfer of the first electron from CPR to CYP3A4 was measured by stopped-flow, trapping the reduced CYP3A4 as its Fe(II)–CO complex and measuring the characteristic absorbance change. Rapid electron transfer is observed in the presence of testosterone, with the fast phase, representing 90% of the total absorbance change, having a rate of 14±2 s−1. Measurements of the first electron transfer were performed at various molar ratios of CPR/CYP3A4 in proteoliposomes; the rate was unaffected, consistent with a model in which first electron transfer takes place within a relatively stable CPR–CYP3A4 complex. Steady-state rates of NADPH oxidation and of 6β-hydroxytestosterone formation were also measured as a function of the molar ratio of CPR/CYP3A4 in the proteoliposomes. These rates increased with increasing CPR/CYP3A4 ratio, showing a hyperbolic dependency indicating a Kd (app) of ~0.4 μM. This suggests that the CPR–CYP3A4 complex can dissociate and reform between the first and second electron transfers.
Comparison of the effect of hormones on the hormone synthesis of Tetrahymena in medium or salt solution
Authors: Csaba G. , Lajkó Eszter , Pállinger Éva
Published: September 2010

Tetrahymena pyriformis was maintained in TYM (tryptone‐yeast medium) as well as in Losina salt solution. One hour treatment of 10−15 M histamine, serotonin or insulin was given before the histamine, serotonin, triiodothyronine and adrenocorticotropin contents of the cells were measured by flow cytometry after immunocytochemical staining. Maintenance in salt solution increased the hormone level in the cells, and use of the treatment hormone treatments further increased the endogenous hormone content relative to that in medium. The cells in salt mimic better the natural conditions, which means that the effects of hormones under more natural conditions are expressed to a greater extent than the exogenously given hormones in TYM typically used under laboratory conditions. Intercellular hormonal communication between the cells of a Tetrahymena population might assist in the survival of the individual cells.
Light scattering study on the glass former o-terphenyl
Authors: Petzold N. , Rössler E. A.
Published: September 2010

Combining double monochromator, tandem Fabry-Pérot interferometry (TFPI), and photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS), the full range of the dynamic susceptibility of the glass former o-terphenyl is covered (240–440 K). A time resolution of 6 ns is reached by the PCS setup, and the measuring gap between PCS and TFPI has significantly shrunk. Combined time domain data are presented, which cover 0.01 ps–100 s. Regarding the primary α-process, no recognizable change in shape and amplitude is observed, i.e., frequency-temperature superposition holds over the entire temperature range investigated. The only change in the susceptibility is the emergence of the excess wing contribution, leading to a flattening of the susceptibility minimum close to Tg. Separating relaxation contribution from fast and slow dynamics, we determine the relaxation strength 1−frel(T) of the fast dynamics, which shows a cusplike temperature dependence with a crossover temperature Tc=316±10 K. Due to relative small changes of 1−frel(T) the effect is difficult to identify in frel(T) itself. The crossover temperature is larger than previously reported as no extrapolation scheme is applied.
Numerical and theoretical study of the generation of extreme ultraviolet radiation by relativistic laser interaction with a grating
Authors: Lavocat-Dubuis X. , Matte J.-P.
Published: September 2010

The generation of harmonics by the interaction of a femtosecond, relativistic intensity laser pulse with a grating of subwavelength periodicity was studied numerically and theoretically. For normal incidence, strong, coherent emission at the wavelength of the grating period and its harmonics is obtained, nearly parallel to the target surface, due to relativistic electron bunches emanating from each protuberance. For oblique incidence (30°), only even harmonics of the grating periodicity are seen, but with an even higher intensity. This is due to constructive interference of the emission from the grating protuberances. The emission along the grating surface is composed of trains of attosecond pulses; therefore there is no need to use a filter. An efficiency greater than 10−4 is obtained for the 24th harmonic. The conversion efficiency is fairly constant when the similarity parameter S=ne/(a0nc)(∝neλL/IL1/2) is held fixed, and is optimum when S≃4. Here, ne and nc are the electron density and the critical density; a0=eEL/(meωLc) is the quiver momentum in the laser field EL normalized to mec.