bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fatal subacute necrotising brainstem encephalitis in a young man due to a rare parasitic (Balamuthia) infection
Authors: Prasad K , Bhatia R , Srivastava M V P , Pardasani V , Garg A , Rishi A
Published: July 2008

We describe a case of brainstem inflammation in a young man which at first defied diagnosis. However, after his death, and notwithstanding our inability to find a cause at autopsy, we did not give up. After sending paraffin blocks to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, they suggested the diagnosis of Balamuthia (amoebic) infection.
Preventing further vascular events after a stroke or transient ischaemic attack: an update on medical management
Authors: Sudlow C
Published: July 2008

After a stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA) there is a high risk of stroke, particularly in the early days and weeks, and of other serious vascular events. Several preventive medical treatments can reduce these risks; starting them as early as possible will maximise the absolute risk reduction, as long as the diagnosis is secure, there is no known or suspected net harm from treatment, and they are acceptable to the patient. Medical treatments with clear evidence of benefit include: lowering blood pressure after all types of stroke or TIA; lowering blood cholesterol with a statin after ischaemic stroke or TIA; antiplatelet treatment after ischaemic stroke or TIA; and warfarin instead of antiplatelet treatment in patients with ischaemic stroke or TIA who have atrial fibrillation and no contraindications to anticoagulation. Lifestyle changes (for example, stopping smoking, reducing excess alcohol intake, adopting a healthy diet) and careful management of diabetes are also important.
Habitats fauniques du milieu rural québécois: une analyse floristique
Authors: Jobin Benoît , Boutin Céline , DesGranges Jean-Luc
Published: July 2008

Hedgerows, woodland edges, oldfields, woodlots, and ditches constitute important habitats for wildlife (including plants). They also play an important role in connecting larger areas in the increasing fragmented rural landscape. The intensification of agricultural practices and increase in herbicide use in some regions of southern Quebec has caused the destruction of several habitats and has lowered habitat quality by reducing plant diversity. Nevertheless, the floristic composition of these habitats is poorly known. This study aims at evaluating the structural composition and describing the associated flora of such habitats in the St. Lawrence lowlands. Point-intercept and line-intercept methods were utilized. In total, the flora of the herbaceous, shrub, and tree layers of 35 woodlots, 54 woodland edges, 65 hedgerows, 49 oldfields, and 47 ditches have been described. The herbaceous layer of dominant species of hedgerows, oldfields, and ditches was relatively similar compared to woodlots. Although several annual and introduced species were found in disturbed habitats such as hedgerows, ditches, and oldfields, species associated to climax forests (sugar maple–hickory, basswood, and yellow birch forests) were also discovered in these habitats, a fact that enhances their value with respect to the maintenance of plant biodiversity in rural habitats. Keywords: hedgerow, woodland edge, oldfield, farm woodlot, ditch, conservation, biodiversity, agriculture.
The effect of Alectoria sarmentosa, Bryoria fuscescens, and Bryoria fremontii extracts and usnic acid on the growth of Gremmeniella abietina in vitro
Authors: Kaitera J. A. , Helle T. , Jalkanen R. E.
Published: July 2008

The response of internal and external extracts of fresh arboreal lichens, Alectoria sarmentosa, Bryoria fuscescens and Bryoria fremontii, and commercial usnic acid extracted from Usnea spp. and Cladonia spp. on the growth of the Ascomycetous Gremmeniella abietina types was studied in vitro. Neither internal and external extracts of the three lichen nor usnic acid had strong inhibitive effect on the growth of either type A or B of G. abietina. A slight stimulative effect due to the extracts was, however, detected: type B (isolate 12) grew faster on almost all media than type A (isolate 11), but great variation within isolates of both types existed suggesting that different types of G. abietina may have different responses to chemicals. Keywords: Gremmeniella abietina, Alectoria sarmentosa, Bryoria fuscescens, Bryoria fremontii, usnic acid, lichen toxicity.
Fisheries Management Sciences: a plea for conceptual change
Authors: Stephenson Robert L. , Lane Daniel E.
Published: July 2008

Recent fishery failures, combined with changing views on management, point to the critical and urgent need for a new approach to fisheries management. Future management should focus on integrated fisheries, rather than solely on fish populations, and will require an appropriate combination of biological considerations with operational, social, and economic considerations of the fishery. This requires development of both a conceptual framework and an appropriate methodology for interdisciplinary decision making in fisheries management. We propose integration of the traditional fields of fisheries science and management with the scientific approach of management science to form Fisheries Management Science. Fisheries management science provides the framework and methodologies for defining multiple objectives and constraints, modelling alternative management scenarios, and assessing and managing risk. This framework accepts diverse information sources toward anticipatory decision making and consensus building, and offers a new paradigm within which effective fisheries management can emerge.
Seasonal changes in aerobic fitness indices in elite cyclists
Authors: Sassi Aldo , Impellizzeri Franco M. , Morelli Andrea , Menaspà Paolo , Rampinini Ermanno
Published: July 2008

The primary purpose of this study was to compare seasonal changes in cycling gross efficiency (GE) and economy (EC) with changes in other aerobic fitness indices. The secondary aim was to assess the relationship between maximum oxygen consumption, GE, and EC among elite cyclists. The relationships of maximum oxygen consumption with GE and EC were studied in 13 cyclists (8 professional road cyclists and 5 mountain bikers). Seasonal changes in GE and EC, predicted time to exhaustion (pTE), maximum oxygen consumption, and respiratory compensation point (RCP) were examined in a subgroup of 8 subjects, before (TREST) and after (TPRECOMP) the pre-competitive winter training, and during the competitive period (TCOMP). GE and EC were assessed during a constant power test at 75% of peak power output (PPO). Significant main effect for time was found for maximum oxygen consumption (4.623 ± 0.675, 4.879 ± 0.727, and 5.010 ± 0.663 L·min–1; p = 0.028), PPO (417.8 ± 46.5, 443.0 ± 48.0, and 455 ± 48 W; p < 0.001), oxygen uptake at RCP (3.866 ± 0.793, 4.041 ± 0.685, and 4.143 ± 0.643 L·min–1; p = 0.049), power output at RCP (330 ± 64, 354 ± 52, and 361 ± 50 W; p < 0.001), and pTE (17 ± 4, 30 ± 8, and 46 ± 17 min; p < 0.001). No significant main effect for time was found in GE (p = 0.097) or EC (p = 0.225), despite within-subject seasonal changes. No significant correlations were found between absolute maximum oxygen consumption and GE (r = –0.276; p = 0.359) or EC (r = –0.328; p = 0.272). However, cyclists with high maximum oxygen consumption values (i.e., over 80 mL·kg–1·min–1), showed low efficiency rates. Despite within-subject seasonal waves in cycling efficiency, changes in GE and EC should not be expected as direct consequence of changes in other maximal and submaximal parameters of aerobic fitness (i.e., maximum oxygen consumption and RCP).
Acute milk-based protein–CHO supplementation attenuates exercise-induced muscle damage
Authors: Cockburn Emma , Hayes Philip R. , French Duncan N. , Stevenson Emma , St Clair Gibson Alan
Published: July 2008

Exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) leads to the degradation of protein structures within the muscle. This may subsequently lead to decrements in muscle performance and increases in intramuscular enzymes and delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Milk, which provides protein and carbohydrate (CHO), may lead to the attenuation of protein degradation and (or) an increase in protein synthesis that would limit the consequential effects of EIMD. This study examined the effects of acute milk and milk-based protein–CHO (CHO-P) supplementation on attenuating EIMD. Four independent groups of 6 healthy males consumed water (CON), CHO sports drink, milk-based CHO-P or milk (M), post EIMD. DOMS, isokinetic muscle performance, creatine kinase (CK), and myoglobin (Mb) were assessed immediately before and 24 and 48 h after EIMD. DOMS was not significantly different (p > 0.05) between groups at any time point. Peak torque (dominant) was significantly higher (p < 0.05) 48 h after CHO-P compared with CHO and CON, and M compared with CHO. Total work of the set (dominant) was significantly higher (p < 0.05) 48 h after CHO-P and M compared with CHO and CON. CK was significantly lower (p < 0.05) 48 h after CHO-P and M compared with CHO. Mb was significantly lower (p < 0.05) 48 h after CHO-P compared with CHO. At 48 h post-EIMD, milk and milk-based protein–CHO supplementation resulted in the attenuation of decreases in isokinetic muscle performance and increases in CK and Mb.
Sex differences in insulin action and body fat distribution in overweight and obese middle-aged and older men and women
Authors: Ferrara Cynthia M. , Goldberg Andrew P. , Nicklas Barbara J. , Sorkin John D. , Ryan Alice S.
Published: July 2008

Controversy exists as to whether there are differences in insulin action between older men and women, and what factors contribute to these differences. This study tests the hypothesis that sex differences in regional fat distribution contribute to a disparity in insulin sensitivity in older men vs. older women. Healthy, older (50–71 years), sedentary men (n = 28) and women (n = 29) were recruited to participate in the study. Body fat, fat-free mass (FFM), and visceral (VAT) and subcutaneous abdominal (SAT) adipose tissue areas were measured by DXA and computed tomography (CT). For measurements of insulin-stimulated glucose disposal (M), insulin was infused at a constant rate of 240 pmol·m–2·min–1, and M was calculated between the 90th and 120th min of the hyperinsulinemic–euglycemic clamp. The men weighed 16% more and had 16% higher waist and 4% lower hip circumferences than women (p < 0.05 for all). Total fat mass and SAT were 21% and 33% lower and FFM was 49% higher in men than in women, whereas waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and VAT:SAT ratio were 21% and 56% higher in men than in women (p < 0.05 for all). Although insulin concentrations during the glucose clamp were higher in men, M was 47% lower in men vs. women (21.7 ± 1.1 vs. 46.7 ± 3.1 µmol·L–1·kgFFM–1·min–1, p < 0.05). The sex-related differences in M persisted after controlling for insulin concentrations during the glucose clamp, for waist, WHR, and VAT:SAT. Older men are more insulin resistant than women, despite lower body fat and subcutaneous abdominal fat. This difference in insulin sensitivity is not explained by abdominal fat distribution, therefore other metabolic factors contribute to the sex differences in insulin sensitivity.
Advanced approaches to hot-mix asphalt dynamic modulus prediction
Authors: Ceylan Halil , Gopalakrishnan Kasthurirangan , Kim Sunghwan
Published: July 2008

The dynamic modulus (|E*|) is one of the primary hot-mix asphalt (HMA) material property inputs at all three hierarchical levels in the new Mechanistic–empirical pavement design guide (MEPDG). The existing |E*| prediction models were developed mainly from regression analysis of an |E*| database obtained from laboratory testing over many years and, in general, lack the necessary accuracy for making reliable predictions. This paper describes the development of a simplified HMA |E*| prediction model employing artificial neural network (ANN) methodology. The intelligent |E*| prediction models were developed using the latest comprehensive |E*| database that is available to researchers (from National Cooperative Highway Research Program Report 547) containing 7400 data points from 346 HMA mixtures. The ANN model predictions were compared with the Hirsch |E*| prediction model, which has a logical structure and a relatively simple prediction model in terms of the number of input parameters needed with respect to the existing |E*| models. The ANN-based |E*| predictions showed significantly higher accuracy compared with the Hirsch model predictions. The sensitivity of input variables to the ANN model predictions were also examined and discussed.
Sonic echo and impulse response tests for length evaluation of soil nails in various bonding mediums
Authors: Liao Shu-Tao , Huang Chin-Kuo , Wang Chung-Yue
Published: July 2008

The objective of this paper is to present the results of research for evaluating the installed lengths of soil nails with nondestructive testing methods. Two closely related methods, the sonic echo test and the impulse response test, both of which had been widely applied to assess the integrity of drilled shafts and driven piles, were evaluated to test their capabilities on soil nails. To carry out this study, soil nails of various lengths were embedded in different surrounding materials in the laboratory and then tested with both methods to predict their lengths. The surrounding materials studied in this research included soil and cement grout. Finally, field tests for in situ soil nails were carried out. The results indicated that the relative stiffness of the soil nail to the bond material plays a very important role in the success of testing. It is hoped that through this kind of study, the capability and limitation of using these nondestructive testing techniques to determine the installed lengths or to evaluate the bonding conditions of soil nails can be better understood.
Wide-range antifungal antagonism ofPaenibacillus ehimensisIB-X-b and its dependence on chitinase and β-1,3-glucanase production
Authors: Aktuganov G. , Melentjev A. , Galimzianova N. , Khalikova E. , Korpela T. , Susi P.
Published: July 2008

Previously, we isolated a strain of Bacillus that had antifungal activity and produced lytic enzymes with fungicidal potential. In the present study, we identified the bacterium as Paenibacillus ehimensis and further explored its antifungal properties. In liquid co-cultivation assays, P. ehimensis IB-X-b decreased biomass production of several pathogenic fungi by 45%–75%. The inhibition was accompanied by degradation of fungal cell walls and alterations in hyphal morphology. Residual medium from cultures of P. ehimensis IB-X-b inhibited fungal growth, indicating the inhibitors were secreted into the medium. Of the 2 major lytic enzymes, chitinases were only induced by chitin-containing substrates, whereas β-1,3-glucanase showed steady levels in all carbon sources. Both purified chitinase and β-1,3-glucanase degraded cell walls of macerated fungal mycelia, whereas only the latter also degraded cell walls of intact mycelia. The results indicate synergism between the antifungal action mechanisms of these enzymes in which β-1,3-glucanase is the initiator of the cell wall hydrolysis, whereas the degradation process is reinforced by chitinases. Paenibacillus ehimensis IB-X-b has pronounced antifungal activity with a wide range of fungi and has potential as a biological control agent against plant pathogenic fungi.
Compacting Coastal Plain soils changes midrotation loblolly pine allometry by reducing root biomass
Authors: Ludovici Kim H.
Published: July 2008

Factorial combinations of soil compaction and organic matter removal were replicated at the Long Term Site Productivity study in the Croatan National Forest, near New Bern, North Carolina, USA. Ten years after planting, 18 preselected loblolly pine ( Pinus taeda L.) trees were destructively harvested to quantify treatment effects on total above- and below-ground tree biomass and to detect any changes in the absolute and relative allocation patterns. Stem volume at year 10 was not affected by compaction treatments, even though the ultisols on these sites continued to have higher bulk densities than noncompacted plots. However, even when site preparation treatments were undetectable aboveground, the treatments significantly altered absolute root growth and tree biomass allocation patterns. Soil compaction decreased taproot production and significantly increased the ratio of aboveground to belowground biomass. Decreased root production will decrease carbon and nutrient stores belowground, which may impact future site productivity.
Dynamics of wood in stream networks of the western Cascades Range, Oregon
Authors: Czarnomski Nicole M. , Dreher David M. , Snyder Kai U. , Jones Julia A. , Swanson Frederick J.
Published: July 2008

We develop and test a conceptual model of wood dynamics in stream networks that considers legacies of forest management practices, floods, and debris flows. We combine an observational study of wood in 25 km of 2nd- through 5th-order streams in a steep, forested watershed of the western Cascade Range of Oregon with whole-network studies of forest cutting, roads, and geomorphic processes over the preceding 50 years. Statistical and simple mass balance analyses show that natural process and forest management effects on wood input, transport processes, and decomposition account for observed patterns of wood in the stream network. Forest practices reduced wood amounts throughout the network; in headwater streams these effects are fixed in stream segments bordered by cuts and roads, but in larger channels they are diffused along the channel by fluvial transport of wood. Landforms and roads limited delivery of wood by debris flows to mainstem channels. Network dynamics studies and watershed management plans should include spatial patterns of debris flow initiation and runout, flood redistribution, and reduction of wood in the network by forest cutting and intentional wood removal from channels on time scales of forest succession and recurrence of major floods.
The value of timber inventory information for management planning
Authors: Borders B. E. , Harrison W. M. , Clutter M. L. , Shiver B. D. , Souter R. A.
Published: July 2008

Timber inventory data is the basis for many monetary transactions related to timber and timberland sale and (or) purchase as well as for development of timber management plans. The value of such data is well known and much appreciated for sale and (or) purchase of standing merchantable timber. Unfortunately, the value of timber inventory data for planning purposes is less well understood. We report on the results of a large simulation study that was undertaken to evaluate the utility and value of timber inventory data for timber management plan development for a typical timberland ownership in the southern United States. Our results indicate that timberland managers are likely producing management plans that do not maximize the profitability of their timberland holdings. Specifically, our results indicate it is likely that timber management organizations that develop timber management plans with stand level data that has a sampling error of 25% are experiencing expected losses in net present value in excess of 170 US$·ha–1 on a large proportion of the acreage found on typical timberland parcels in the southern United States.
FLATTENED MOEBIUS STRIPS: THEIR PHYSICS, GEOMETRY AND TAXONOMY
Authors: AVRIN J. S.
Published: July 2008

Apart from their generic relationship to knots and their application to particle physics [1], flattened Moebius strips (FMS) are of intrinsic interest as elements of a genus with specific rules of combination and a unique taxonomy. Here, FMS taxonomy is developed in detail from combinatorial and lexicographic points of view which include notions of degeneracy, completeness and excited states. The results are compared to the standard, spin-parameterized, abstract hierarchy derived by group-theoretic arguments as the direct product of vector spin spaces [2]. A review of the notion of excited states then leads to a new and different model of Beta decay that employs only fusion and fission. There is additional discussion of the relationship between twist and charge and an operator/tensor formulation of the fusion and fission of basic FMS units. Associating a Hopf algebra to FMS operations as a step toward a topological quantum field theory is also investigated. The notion of spinor/twistor networks is seen to emerge from a consideration of FMS configurations for higher values of twist and the introduction of a mode dual to the canonical FMS configuration. The last section discusses the connection of the MS genus to fiber bundle/gauge theory, the concept of spin, and the Dirac equation of the electron.
Strategies for Determining the Nature of Dark Matter
Authors: Hooper Dan , Baltz Edward A.
Published: July 2008

In this review, we discuss the role of the various experimental programs taking part in the effort to identify the particle nature of dark matter. In particular, we focus on electroweak-scale dark matter particles and discuss a wide range of search strategies that are being developed and utilized to detect them. These efforts include direct detection experiments, which attempt to observe the elastic scattering of dark matter particles with nuclei; indirect detection experiments, which search for photons, antimatter, and neutrinos produced as a result of dark matter annihilations; and collider searches for new teraelectronvolt-scale physics. Each of these techniques could potentially provide a unique and complementary set of information related to the mass, interactions, and distribution of dark matter. Ideally, these many different tools will be used together to conclusively identify the particle or particles that constitute the dark matter of the universe.
Synthesis, Structural, and Biological Studies of Some Schiff Bases and Their Metal Complexes
Authors: Mishra A. P. , Soni Monika
Published: July 2008

New bidentate or tridentate Schiff bases and their
VO(II) and Co(II) complexes formed by the condensation of methyl
isobutyl ketone with nicotinamide (mna)/2-amino-4-chlorophenol
(map) and 2-hydroxy acetophenone with nicotinamide
(han)/isoniazide (hai). Physicochemical characterization has been
carried out to determine the structure of the complexes. The FAB
mass and thermal data show degradation pattern of the complexes.
XRD analysis reveals that all the studied complexes crystallize as
tetragonal crystal system. Some of the complexes have been
screened for their antimicrobial activity by the well diffusion
technique using DMSO as solvent on different species of pathogenic
bacteria/fungi, that is, E. coli, S. aureus, S. fecalis,
A. niger, T. polysporum, and their antimicrobial potency
have been discussed. It has been found that all the complexes are
antimicrobially active and show higher activity than the free
ligand. Metal chelation affects significantly the
antimicrobial/bioactive behavior of the organic ligands.
A Fixed Point Approach to the Stability of a Functional Equation of the Spiral of Theodorus
Authors: Jung Soon-Mo , Rassias John Michael
Published: July 2008

Cădariu and Radu applied the fixed point method to the investigation of Cauchy and Jensen functional equations. In this paper, we adopt the idea of Cădariu and Radu to prove the stability of a functional equation of the spiral of Theodorus, "Equation missing"
The Clinical Features of Adult Unilateral Moyamoya Disease: Does It Have the Same Clinical Characteristics as Typical Moyamoya Disease?
Authors: Ogata Toshiyasu , Yasaka Masahiro , Inoue Tooru , Yasumori Kotaro , Ibayashi Setsuro , Iida Mitsuo , Okada Yasushi
Published: July 2008

Background: The cerebral hemodynamics in unilateral moyamoya disease have not been clarified. The present study was done to clarify the clinical characteristics of patients with unilateral moyamoya disease compared to those with typical moyamoya disease or occlusive lesions of the internal carotid artery, terminal portion or middle cerebral artery. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients who had unilateral or bilateral steno-occlusive lesions at the internal carotid artery terminal portion or proximal middle cerebral artery. We divided the patients into 3 groups: typical moyamoya (n = 25), unilateral moyamoya (n = 12) and nonmoyamoya (n = 44). Atherosclerotic risk factors and frequency of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke were compared among the 3 groups. We also examined the extent of cerebral collateral vessels by angiography and used single-photon emission computed tomography to measure the regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) at rest and after acetazolamide injection. Results: The data on age, sex, hyperlipidemia and smoking habits in the unilateral moyamoya group fell in between those of the typical moyamoya and nonmoyamoya groups. Stroke was less frequent in the unilateral moyamoya group compared to the typical moyamoya or nonmoyamoya groups (p < 0.05). The rCBF at rest and after acetazolamide injection were significantly higher in the unilateral moyamoya group than in the typical moyamoya and nonmoyamoya groups (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Patients with unilateral moyamoya disease appear to have the lowest frequency of stroke and a reduced rCBF, despite the fact that they have more atherosclerotic risk factors than patients with bilateral lesions.
Fluoxetine Improves the Quality of Life in Patients with Poststroke Emotional Disturbances
Authors: Choi-Kwon S. , Choi J. , Kwon S.U. , Kang D.W. , Kim J.S.
Published: July 2008

Background: Fluoxetine may improve the poststroke emotional disturbances. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of fluoxetine on quality of life (QOL) over time in stroke patients with emotional disturbances. Methods: We studied 152 consecutive stroke patients (mean age, 58 years) who had either poststroke depression (PSD), emotional incontinence (PSEI) or anger proneness (PSAP) at an average of 14 months (range = 3–28) after the onset of stroke. The Korean version of SF-36 was used to assess the QOL. The presence of PSD, PSEI and PSAP was also determined with a standardized questionnaire. The subjects were given either 20 mg/day of fluoxetine (n = 76) or placebo (n = 76) for 3 months. Follow-up evaluations were done at 3, 6 and 12 months after the beginning of the treatment. Results: The score in the mental health domain was significantly higher in the fluoxetine group than in the placebo group at the 3-, 6- and 12-month follow-ups. The scores in the general health (p < 0.05) and social functioning (p < 0.05) domains were also significantly higher in the fluoxetine than in the placebo group at 12 months of follow up even if there was no definitive improvement in PSD, PSEI and PSAP at this time. Conclusions: Fluoxetine is effective in improving QOL, particularly so in the mental health subdomain. Our results suggest that fluoxetine may be used to improve the QOL of stroke patients with emotional disturbances.
Multimodality Evaluation of the Viability of Stem Cells Delivered Into Different Zones of Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Hung Ta-Chuan , Suzuki Yoriyasu , Urashima Takashi , Caffarelli Anthony , Hoyt Grant , Sheikh Ahmad Y. , Yeung Alan C. , Weissman Irving , Robbins Robert C. , Bulte Jeff M. , Yang Phillip C.
Published: July 2008

Background—

We tested the hypothesis that multimodality imaging of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) provides accurate assessment of cellular location, viability, and restorative potential after transplantation into different zones of myocardial infarction.

Methods and Results—

Mice underwent left anterior descending artery ligation followed by transplantation of dual-labeled mESCs with superparamagnetic iron oxide and luciferase via direct injection into 3 different zones of myocardial infarction: intra-infarction, peri-infarction, and normal (remote). One day after transplantation, magnetic resonance imaging enabled assessment of the precise anatomic locations of mESCs. Bioluminescence imaging allowed longitudinal analysis of cell viability through detection of luciferase activity. Subsequent evaluation of myocardial regeneration and functional restoration was performed by echocardiography and pressure–volume loop analysis. Using 16-segment analysis, we demonstrated precise localization of dual-labeled mESCs. A strong correlation between histology and magnetic resonance imaging was established (
r
=0.962,
P
=0.002). Bioluminescent imaging data demonstrated that cell viability in the remote group was significantly higher than in other groups. Echocardiography and pressure–volume loop analysis revealed improved functional restoration in animals treated with mESCs, although myocardial regeneration was not observed.

Conclusions—

Multimodality evaluation of mESC engraftment in the heterogeneous tissue of myocardial infarction is possible. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated accurate anatomic localization of dual-labeled mESCs. Bioluminescent imaging enabled assessment of variable viability of mESCs transplanted into the infarcted myocardium. Echocardiography and pressure–volume loop analysis validated the restorative potential of mESCs. Although mESCs transplanted into the remote zone demonstrated the highest viability, precise delivery of mESCs into the peri-infarction region might be equally critical in restoring the injured myocardium.
Nanoscale and Painting
Authors: da Silva Filipe Rocha
Published: July 2008

Filipe Rocha da Silva creates very large paintings depicting extremely small, almost invisible figures. In this text he tries to explain why he does so and considers the possible relationship of these works to nanoscale phenomena and technology, which have been so influential in the 21st century.
Leonardo da Vinci: A Review
Authors: Veltman Kim H.
Published: July 2008

The article reviews scholarship on Leonardo da Vinci during the 20th century. An initial fascination with a handful of paintings has led to a nearly comprehensive understanding of his art. A catalogue raisonnée for Leonardo and his school has yet to be made. Awareness of Leonardo as a scientist began with a vague reputation of a universal genius who never finished anything. Some praised, others sought to limit him as an artist-engineer. The 20th century revealed that Leonardo made substantial contributions in the domains of physics, mechanics, optics, perspective and medicine. Even so, nearly 500 years after his birth, much remains to be done in understanding fully one of the great geniuses of all time.
Fluente: A Virtual Choreography
Authors: Hsieh Chi-Min
Published: July 2008

In the virtual choreography, “Fluente”, the human material body is no more solid as we see, but is fluid as we imagine. One can see motion flows through the material body, because all the fluid motions are consequent on the energy transmission. Furthermore, the energy transmission does not only exist on one individual, but also exist among groups gradually and continually underlain the energetic conservation. Dancers exercise their body everyday in the aim to discover and rehearse how the motion of the whole is duly evolved from their motor locus. The process by which motors provoke the whole motion is as mysterious as beautiful; therefore, the author realizes it in the virtual choreography, “Fluente”. “Fluente” does not aim to present the fluid motion of human body but to explore the “inner propagation” existing within the real material bones, muscles, and our imagination as well. It comes from the center source with the vital breathe to flow as well to propagate perpetually.
Beyond the Hype. Working in the German Internet Industry
Authors: Mayer-Ahuja Nicole , Wolf Harald
Published: July 2008

How are work and knowledge organized in high-skill services? This question is widely debated as these work-arrangements are often presented as precursors of a future reconciliation of flexibility and self-determination. After introducing some of the most important concepts, the focus will be directed towards the Internet-Industry, which has been perceived as an especially innovative part of the (German) labor market since the mid-1990s. It will be argued that this new industry has been constituted at the core of Internet-services, displaying a distinctive structure of (usually small) firms with rather clear-cut portfolios and job-profiles. Drawing upon 12 case-studies in German Internet-companies, we will discuss the nature and development of interdisciplinary project-work as well as the (changing) significance of flexible employment-relationships, flat hierarchies and indirect methods of control. Emerging is a picture of young companies, in which expectations of creative tasks and egalitarian work-structures are widespread among management and employees alike. They are, however, increasingly confronted with the need to rely upon routine work, stable employment, formal hierarchical structures and direct control under the conditions of consolidation after 2001. This makes the Internet-companies of our sample appear as rather typical small- and medium-sized enterprises, shaped by the German institutional framework of work-organization as well as by the front-line character of service work, although the (often frustrated) ideals of self-determination may prove to be a source of future innovation.
The Influence of Atmospheric Noise and Uncertainty in Ocean Initial Conditions on the Limit of Predictability in a Coupled GCM
Authors: Stan Cristiana , Kirtman Ben P.
Published: July 2008

The influence of atmospheric stochastic forcing and uncertainty in initial conditions on the limit of predictability of the NCEP Climate Forecast System (CFS) is quantified based on comparisons of idealized identical twin prediction experiments using two different coupling strategies. In the first method, called the interactive ensemble, a single oceanic general circulation model (GCM; the Modular Ocean Model version 3 of GFDL) is coupled to the ensemble average of multiple realizations (in this case six ensemble members) of an atmospheric GCM (NCEP Global Forecast System). In the second method the standard CFS is used. The interactive ensemble is specifically designed to reduce the internal atmospheric dynamic fluctuations that are unrelated to the sea surface temperature anomalies via ensemble averaging at the air–sea interface, whereas in the standard CFS, the atmospheric noise (i.e., stochastic forcing) plays an active role in the evolution of the coupled system. In the identical twin experiments presented here, the perfect model approach is taken, thereby explicitly excluding the impact of model error on the estimate of the limit of predictability. The experimental design and the analysis separately consider how uncertainty in the ocean initial conditions (i.e., initial condition noise) versus uncertainty as the forecast evolves (i.e., noise due to internal dynamics of the atmosphere) impact estimates of the limit of predictability. Estimates of the limit of predictability are based on both deterministic measures (ensemble spread and root-mean-square error) and probabilistic measures (relative operating characteristics). The analysis examines both oceanic and atmospheric variables in the tropical Pacific. The overarching result is that noise in the initial condition is the primary factor limiting predictability, whereas noise as the forecast evolves is of secondary importance.
Quantifying Climate Feedbacks Using Radiative Kernels
Authors: Soden Brian J. , Held Isaac M. , Colman Robert , Shell Karen M. , Kiehl Jeffrey T. , Shields Christine A.
Published: July 2008

The extent to which the climate will change due to an external forcing depends largely on radiative feedbacks, which act to amplify or damp the surface temperature response. There are a variety of issues that complicate the analysis of radiative feedbacks in global climate models, resulting in some confusion regarding their strengths and distributions. In this paper, the authors present a method for quantifying climate feedbacks based on “radiative kernels” that describe the differential response of the top-of-atmosphere radiative fluxes to incremental changes in the feedback variables. The use of radiative kernels enables one to decompose the feedback into one factor that depends on the radiative transfer algorithm and the unperturbed climate state and a second factor that arises from the climate response of the feedback variables. Such decomposition facilitates an understanding of the spatial characteristics of the feedbacks and the causes of intermodel differences. This technique provides a simple and accurate way to compare feedbacks across different models using a consistent methodology. Cloud feedbacks cannot be evaluated directly from a cloud radiative kernel because of strong nonlinearities, but they can be estimated from the change in cloud forcing and the difference between the full-sky and clear-sky kernels. The authors construct maps to illustrate the regional structure of the feedbacks and compare results obtained using three different model kernels to demonstrate the robustness of the methodology. The results confirm that models typically generate globally averaged cloud feedbacks that are substantially positive or near neutral, unlike the change in cloud forcing itself, which is as often negative as positive.
A Conjecture on the Role of Bottom-Enhanced Diapycnal Mixing in the Parameterization of Geostrophic Eddies
Authors: Marshall David P. , Naveira Garabato Alberto C.
Published: July 2008

The parameterization of geostrophic eddies represents a large sink of energy in most ocean models, yet the ultimate fate of this eddy energy in the ocean remains unclear. The authors conjecture that a significant fraction of the eddy energy may be transferred to internal lee waves and oscillations over rough bottom topography, leading to bottom-enhanced diapycnal mixing. A range of circumstantial evidence in support of this conjecture is presented and discussed. The authors further propose a modification to the Gent and McWilliams eddy parameterization to account for the bottom-enhanced diapycnal mixing.
The Influence of Whitecapping Waves on the Vertical Structure of Turbulence in a Shallow Estuarine Embayment
Authors: Jones Nicole L. , Monismith Stephen G.
Published: July 2008

The vertical distribution of the turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate was measured using an array of four acoustic Doppler velocimeters in the shallow embayment of Grizzly Bay, San Francisco Bay, California. Owing to the combination of wind and tide forcing in this shallow system, the surface and bottom boundary layers overlapped. Whitecapping waves were generated for a significant spectral peak steepness greater than 0.05 or above a wind speed of 3 m s−1. Under conditions of whitecapping waves, the turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate in the upper portion of the water column was greatly enhanced, relative to the predictions of wind stress wall-layer theory. Instead, the dissipation followed a modified deep-water breaking-wave scaling. Near the bed (bottom 10% of the water column), the dissipation measurements were either equal to or less than that predicted by wall-layer theory. Stratification due to concentration gradients in suspended sediment was identified as the likely cause for these periods of production–dissipation imbalance close to the bed. During 50% of the well-mixed conditions experienced in the month-long experiment, whitecapping waves provided the dominant source of turbulent kinetic energy over 90% or more of the water column.
Mean Flow in the Gulf of Mexico
Authors: Sturges Wilton , Kenyon Kern E.
Published: July 2008

Several independent data sources suggest that there is a net upper-layer mass flux O(3 Sv) (Sv ≡ 106 m3 s−1) to the west in the central Gulf of Mexico, even though the western gulf is a closed basin. A plausible explanation is that this net flux is pumped downward by the convergent wind-driven Ekman pumping, as is typical of all midlatitude anticlyclonic gyres. The downward flux can follow isopycnals to depths O(500–600 m) and deeper by eddy mixing; a mechanism for forcing deep water to the south through the Yucatan Channel is provided by the intrusion and ring-shedding cycle of the Loop Current. Potential vorticity maps show that a deep flow from the western gulf back to the Yucatan Channel is likely.
An Observational Study of Convection Initiation on 12 June 2002 during IHOP_2002
Authors: Weckwerth Tammy M. , Murphey Hanne V. , Flamant Cyrille , Goldstein Janine , Pettet Crystalyne R.
Published: July 2008

The International H2O Project (IHOP_2002) was designed to sample the three-dimensional time-varying moisture field to better understand convective processes. Numerous research and operational water vapor measuring systems and retrievals, via in situ and remote sensing techniques, were operated in the U.S. Southern Great Plains from 13 May to 25 June 2002. This was done in combination with more traditional observations of wind and temperature. Convection initiation (CI) sampling strategies were designed to optimally employ the array of ground-based and airborne sensors to observe the processes leading to the development of deep, moist convection. This case study examines several clear-air features and their impact on CI on 12 June 2002. The supercells that developed produced damaging winds and hail. The clear-air, preconvective features included (i) a mesoscale low pressure region, (ii) a dryline, (iii) an old outflow boundary, (iv) the intersection of (ii) and (iii), (v) internal gravity waves, and (vi) horizontal convective rolls.

A unique combination of instruments was positioned to sample the preconvective environment on 12 June 2002. The Lidar pour l’Etude des Interactions Aérosols Nuages Dynamique Rayonnement et du Cycle de l’Eau (LEANDRE II) water vapor differential absorption lidar (DIAL), the airborne Electra Doppler Radar (ELDORA), and the Navy Research Laboratory (NRL) P3 aircraft in situ measurements provided information on the moisture and vertical velocity distribution within the boundary layer. Radiosondes, dropsondes, wind profilers, and an Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI) provided temperature, moisture, and wind profiling information. Although other ground-based sensors (i.e., S-band dual-polarization Doppler radar, Mobile Integrated Profiling System) were 50–150 km west of the CI area, they were useful for illustrating the boundary layer kinematics and reflectivity fields.

Results suggest that the mesolow and mesoscale boundaries, respectively, acted to enhance the low-level moisture advection and convergence in the CI region. While internal gravity waves were present and appeared to modulate water vapor along the old outflow boundary, they did not play an obvious role in CI in this case. Horizontal convective rolls were observed beneath the new storms that initiated and may have helped to focus the CI in this case.
Prediction of Convective Initiation and Storm Evolution on 12 June 2002 during IHOP_2002. Part I: Control Simulation and Sensitivity Experiments
Authors: Liu Haixia , Xue Ming
Published: July 2008

The 12–13 June 2002 convective initiation case from the International H2O Project (IHOP_2002) field experiment over the central Great Plains of the United States is simulated numerically with the Advanced Regional Prediction System (ARPS) at 3-km horizontal resolution. The case involves a developing mesoscale cyclone, a dryline extending from a low center southwestward with a cold front closely behind, which intercepts the midsection of the dryline, and an outflow boundary stretching eastward from the low center resulting from earlier mesoscale convection. Convective initiation occurred in the afternoon at several locations along and near the dryline or near the outflow boundary, but was not captured by the most intensive deployment of observation instruments during the field experiment, which focused instead on the dryline–outflow boundary intersection point.

Standard and special surface and upper-air observations collected during the field experiment are assimilated into the ARPS at hourly intervals in a 6-h preforecast period in the control experiment. This experiment captured the initiation of four groups of convective cells rather well, with timing errors ranging between 10 and 100 min and location errors ranging between 5 and 60 km. The general processes of convective initiation are discussed. Interestingly, a secondary initiation of cells due to the collision between the main outflow boundary and the gust fronts developing out of model-predicted convection earlier is also captured accurately about 7 h into the prediction. The organization of cells into a squall line after 7 h is reproduced less well.

A set of sensitivity experiments is performed in which the impact of assimilating nonstandard data gathered by IHOP_2002, and the length and interval of the data assimilation are examined. Overall, the control experiment that assimilated the most data produced the best forecast although some of the other experiments did better in some aspects, including the timing and location of the initiation of some of the cell groups. Possible reasons for the latter results are suggested. The lateral boundary locations are also found to have significant impacts on the initiation and subsequent evolution of convection, by affecting the interior flow response and/or feeding in more accurate observation information through the boundary, as available gridded analyses from a mesoscale operational model were used as the boundary condition. Another experiment examines the impact of the vertical correlation scale in the analysis scheme on the cold pool analysis and the subsequent forecast. A companion paper will analyze in more detail the process and mechanism of convective initiation, based on the results of a nested 1-km forecast.
Potential Vorticity Regression and Its Relationship to Dynamical Piecewise Inversion
Authors: Gombos Daniel , Hansen James A.
Published: July 2008

Hakim and Torn (HT) presented a statistical piecewise potential vorticity (PV) regression technique that uses flow-dependent analysis covariances from an ensemble square root filter to statistically infer the relationship between the PV and state fields. This paper illustrates that the PV perturbation effectively regressed by HT’s regression is the projection of the PV perturbation onto the ensemble PV anomalies that define the regression operator. It is shown that the piecewise PV inversion of this effective PV perturbation via the technique presented in Davis and Emanuel yields nearly identical heights to those from an HT regression performed in the subspace of the leading PV singular vectors.
Third-Order Finite-Difference Schemes on Icosahedral-Type Grids on the Sphere
Authors: Steppeler J. , Rípodas P. , Jonkheid B. , Thomas S.
Published: July 2008

A practical method is proposed to achieve high-order finite-difference schemes on grids that are quasi-homogeneous on the sphere. A family of grids is used that are characterized by the parameter NP, which can take on values of 3, 4, and 5, etc. The parameter NP is the number of grid patches meeting at the Poles. For NP = 3 the cube sphere grid is obtained and for NP = 5 the icosahedron is obtained. While the grid construction method is valid for all values of NP, the tests performed in this paper concern only the case NP = 5 (i.e., the icosahedron). For each of the rhomboidal patches, the grid is created by connecting points on opposing sides of the rhomboid by great circles. This offers the possibility to obtain derivatives for a line of grid points along a great circle in the classical way. Therefore, it becomes possible to use well-known spatial discretizations from limited-area models. Local models can be transferred to the sphere with rather limited effort. The method was tested using the fourth-order Runge–Kutta integration method and fourth-order spatial differencing. At patch limits, boundary values are obtained using third-order serendipity interpolation, giving the scheme an overall space–time accuracy of 3. The serendipity interpolation is quite efficient. Third-order interpolation in two dimensions is achieved by a set of linear interpolations and a number of function evaluations. All coefficients can be precomputed. The third-order convergence is demonstrated by numerical experiments using Williamson’s test cases 2 and 6.