bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Climate Change on Recent Vegetation Changes on Dovrefjell, Norway
Authors: Michelsen Ottar , Syverhuset Anne Olga , Pedersen Bård , Holten Jarle Inge
Published: January 2011

The ongoing climate warming has been reported to affect a broad range of organisms, and mountain ecosystems are considered to be particularly sensitive because they are limited by low temperatures. Meteorological data show an increased temperature for the alpine areas at Dovrefjell, Norway, causing a prolonged growing season and increased temperature sum. As part of the worldwide project Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine Environments (GLORIA), the short-term changes in vascular plant species richness, species composition of lichen and vascular plant communities, and abundance of single species were studied at four summits representing an altitudinal gradient from the low alpine to the high alpine zone. During the period from 2001 to 2008, an increase in species richness at the lowest summit, as well as a change in the composition of vascular plant communities, was found at the two lowest summits. The results also indicate an increase in abundance of some shrubs and graminoids and a decline in the cover of some species of lichens at the lowest summit. These changes are in accordance with climate induced changes reported in other studies, but other causes for the observed vegetation changes, in particular changes in grazing and trampling pressure, cannot be ruled out.
Recent Progresses in Characterising Information Inequalities
Authors: Chan Terence
Published: January 2011

In this paper, we present a revision on some of the recent progresses made in characterising and understanding information inequalities, which are the fundamental physical laws in communications and compression. We will begin with the introduction of a geometric framework for information inequalities, followed by the first non-Shannon inequality proved by Zhang et al. in 1998 [1]. The discovery of this non-Shannon inequality is a breakthrough in the area and has led to the subsequent discovery of many more non-Shannon inequalities. We will also review the close relations between information inequalities and other research areas such as Kolmogorov complexity, determinantal inequalities, and group-theoretic inequalities. These relations have led to non-traditional techniques in proving information inequalities and at the same time made impacts back onthose related areas by the introduction of information-theoretic tools.
Renewable Hydrogen Carrier — Carbohydrate: Constructing the Carbon-Neutral Carbohydrate Economy
Authors: Zhang Y.-H. Percival , Mielenz Jonathan R.
Published: January 2011

The hydrogen economy presents an appealing energy future but its implementation must solve numerous problems ranging from low-cost sustainable production, high-density storage, costly infrastructure, to eliminating safety concern. The use of renewable carbohydrate as a high-density hydrogen carrier and energy source for hydrogen production is possible due to emerging cell-free synthetic biology technology—cell-free synthetic pathway biotransformation (SyPaB). Assembly of numerous enzymes and co-enzymes in vitro can create complicated set of biological reactions or pathways that microorganisms or catalysts cannot complete, for example, C6H10O5 (aq) + 7 H2O (l) à 12 H2 (g) + 6 CO2 (g) (PLoS One 2007, 2:e456). Thanks to 100% selectivity of enzymes, modest reaction conditions, and high-purity of generated hydrogen, carbohydrate is a promising hydrogen carrier for end users. Gravimetric density of carbohydrate is 14.8 H2 mass% if water can be recycled from proton exchange membrane fuel cells or 8.33% H2 mass% without water recycling. Renewable carbohydrate can be isolated from plant biomass or would be produced from a combination of solar electricity/hydrogen and carbon dioxide fixation mediated by high-efficiency artificial photosynthesis mediated by SyPaB. The construction of this carbon-neutral carbohydrate economy would address numerous sustainability challenges, such as electricity and hydrogen storage, CO2 fixation and long-term storage, water conservation, transportation fuel production, plus feed and food production.
People, Governance and Forests—The Stumbling Blocks in Forest Governance Reform in Latin America
Authors: Contreras-Hermosilla Arnoldo
Published: January 2011

This article examines common barriers to achieving adequate levels of forest resource governance in countries of Latin America. It looks at the deficiencies of the policy and regulatory frameworks affecting forests, the common failure to impose the rule of law, the main factors that constrain the effectiveness of government actions in the forest sector and at the political barriers to introducing reforms for change in governance structures. The elimination of these barriers acquires new importance in the implementation of successful REDD+ programs in the countries of the region.
The Role of Food and Nutrition System Approaches in Tackling Hidden Hunger
Authors: Burchi Francesco , Fanzo Jessica , Frison Emile
Published: January 2011

One of the World’s greatest challenges is to secure sufficient and healthy food for all, and to do so in an environmentally sustainable manner. This review explores the interrelationships of food, health, and environment, and their role in addressing chronic micronutrient deficiencies, also known as “hidden hunger”, affecting over two billion people worldwide. While the complexity and underlying determinants of undernutrition have been well-understood for decades, the scaling of food and nutrition system approaches that combine sustainable agriculture aimed at improved diet diversity and livelihoods have been limited in their development and implementation. However, an integrated system approach to reduce hidden hunger could potentially serve as a sustainable opportunity.
Smoking Cessation in Indigenous Populations of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States: Elements of Effective Interventions
Authors: DiGiacomo Michelle , Davidson Patricia  M. , Abbott Penelope  A. , Davison Joyce , Moore Louise , Thompson Sandra  C.
Published: January 2011

Indigenous people throughout the world suffer a higher burden of disease than their non-indigenous counterparts contributing to disproportionate rates of disability. A significant proportion of this disability can be attributed to the adverse effects of smoking. In this paper, we aimed to identify and discuss the key elements of individual-level smoking cessation interventions in indigenous people worldwide. An integrative review of published peer-reviewed literature was conducted. Literature on smoking cessation interventions in indigenous people was identified via search of electronic databases. Documents were selected for review if they were published in a peer-reviewed journal, written in English, published from 1990–2010, and documented an individual-level intervention to assist indigenous people to quit smoking. Studies that met inclusion criteria were limited to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the USA, despite seeking representation from other indigenous populations. Few interventions tailored for indigenous populations were identified and the level of detail included in evaluation reports was variable. Features associated with successful interventions were integrated, flexible, community-based approaches that addressed known barriers and facilitators to quitting smoking. More tailored and targeted approaches to smoking cessation interventions for indigenous populations are required. The complexity of achieving smoking cessation is underscored as is the need to collaboratively develop interventions that are acceptable and appropriate to local populations.
Formation and Morphology of Zn2Ti3O8 Powders Using Hydrothermal Process without Dispersant Agent or Mineralizer
Authors: Wang Cheng-Li , Hwang Weng-Sing , Chang Kuo-Ming , Ko Horng-Huey , Hsi Chi-Shiung , Huang Hong-Hsin , Wang Moo-Chin
Published: January 2011

Synthesis of Zn2Ti3O8 powders for attenuating UVA using TiCl4, Zn(NO3)2×6H2O and NH4OH as precursor materials by hydrothermal process has been investigated. The X-ray diffractometry (XRD) results show the phases of ZnO, anatase TiO2 and Zn2Ti3O8 coexisted when the zinc titanate powders were calcined at 600 °C for 1 h. When calcined at 900 °C for 1 h, the XRD results reveal the existence of ZnO, Zn2TiO4, rutile TiO2 and ZnTiO3. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations show extensive large agglomeration in the samples. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) and electron diffraction (ED) examination results indicate that ZnTiO3 crystallites formed with a size of about 5 nm on the matrix of plate-like ZnO when calcined at 700 °C for 1 h. The calcination samples have acceptable absorbance at a wavelength of 400 nm, indicating that the zinc titanate precursor powders calcined at 700 °C for 1 h can be used as an UVA-attenuating agent.
Structural Determination of Three Different Series of Compounds as Hsp90 Inhibitors Using 3D-QSAR Modeling, Molecular Docking and Molecular Dynamics Methods
Authors: Liu Jianling , Wang Fangfang , Ma Zhi , Wang Xia , Wang Yonghua
Published: January 2011

Hsp90 is involved in correcting, folding, maturation and activation of a diverse array of client proteins; it has also been implicated in the treatment of cancer in recent years. In this work, comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA), comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA), molecular docking and molecular dynamics were performed on three different series of Hsp90 inhibitors to build 3D-QSAR models, which were based on the ligand-based or receptor-based methods. The optimum 3D-QSAR models exhibited reasonable statistical characteristics with averaging internal q2 > 0.60 and external r2pred > 0.66 for Benzamide tetrahydro-4H-carbazol-4-one analogs (BT), AT13387 derivatives (AT) and Dihydroxylphenyl amides (DA). The results revealed that steric effects contributed the most to the BT model, whereas H-bonding was more important to AT, and electrostatic, hydrophobic, H-bond donor almost contributed equally to the DA model. The docking analysis showed that Asp93, Tyr139 and Thr184 in Hsp90 are important for the three series of inhibitors. Molecular dynamics simulation (MD) further indicated that the conformation derived from docking is basically consistent with the average structure extracted from MD simulation. These results not only lead to a better understanding of interactions between these inhibitors and Hsp90 receptor but also provide useful information for the design of new inhibitors with a specific activity.
Epigenetic Regulation of Cancer-Associated Genes in Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Kwon Mi Jeong , Shin Young Kee
Published: January 2011

The involvement of epigenetic aberrations in the development and progression of tumors is now well established. However, most studies have focused on the epigenetic inactivation of tumor suppressor genes during tumorigenesis and little is known about the epigenetic activation of cancer-associated genes, except for the DNA hypomethylation of some genes. Recently, we reported that the overexpression of cancer-promoting genes in ovarian cancer is associated with the loss of repressive histone modifications. This discovery suggested that epigenetic derepression may contribute to ovarian tumorigenesis by constituting a possible mechanism for the overexpression of oncogenes or cancer-promoting genes in tumors. The emerging importance of epigenetic aberrations in tumor initiation and in the regulation of cancer-initiating cells, suggests that epigenetically regulated genes may be promising therapeutic targets and biomarkers. Given that the current challenges in ovarian cancer include the identification of biomarkers for early cancer detection and the discovery of novel therapeutic targets for patients with recurrent malignancies undergoing chemotherapy, understanding the epigenetic changes that occur in ovarian cancer is crucial. This review looks at epigenetic mechanisms involved in the regulation of cancer-associated genes, including the contribution of epigenetic derepression to the activation of cancer-associated genes in ovarian cancer. In addition, possible epigenetic therapies targeting epigenetically dysregulated genes are discussed. A better understanding of the epigenetic changes in ovarian cancer will contribute to the improvement of patient outcomes.
Role of Versican, Hyaluronan and CD44 in Ovarian Cancer Metastasis
Authors: Ween Miranda P. , Oehler Martin K. , Ricciardelli Carmela
Published: January 2011

There is increasing evidence to suggest that extracellular matrix (ECM) components play an active role in tumor progression and are an important determinant for the growth and progression of solid tumors. Tumor cells interfere with the normal programming of ECM biosynthesis and can extensively modify the structure and composition of the matrix. In ovarian cancer alterations in the extracellular environment are critical for tumor initiation and progression and intra-peritoneal dissemination. ECM molecules including versican and hyaluronan (HA) which interacts with the HA receptor, CD44, have been shown to play critical roles in ovarian cancer metastasis. This review focuses on versican, HA, and CD44 and their potential as therapeutic targets for ovarian cancer.
Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)-quercetin Conjugate as Biomaterial in Ophthalmology: An “ab initio” Study
Authors: Curcio Manuela , Cirillo Giuseppe , Parisi Ortensia Ilaria , Iemma Francesca , Spizzirri Umile Gianfranco , Altimari Ilaria , Picci Nevio , Puoci Francesco
Published: January 2011

A novel polymeric material with antioxidant properties and suitable for ophthalmic application was synthesized by free radical grafting reaction between 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and quercetin. The presence of quercetin in the polymeric chain was confirmed by FT-IR and UV-Vis analyses, while an estimation of the amount of quercetin bound per gram of polymer was obtained by the Folin-Ciocalteu assay. The conjugate shows high biocompatibility (HET-CAM assay) and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties which were extensively investigated by specific in vitro tests.
A New Highly Bioactive Composite for Scaffold Applications: A Feasibility Study
Authors: Bellucci Devis , Cannillo Valeria , Sola Antonella
Published: January 2011

Hydroxyapatite (HA) has been widely investigated as scaffolding material for bone tissue engineering, mainly for its excellent biocompatibility. Presently, there is an increasing interest in the composites of hydroxyapatite with bioactive glasses, with the aim to obtain systems with improved bioactivity or mechanical properties. Moreover, modifying the ratio between bioactive glass and hydroxyapatite results in the possibility of controlling the reaction rate of the composite scaffold in the human body. However, high temperature treatments are usually required in order to sinter HA-based composites, causing the bioactive glass to crystallize into a glass-ceramic, with possible negative effects on its bioactivity. In the present research work, a glass composition belonging to the Na2O-CaO-P2O5-SiO2 system, with a reduced tendency to crystallize, is applied to realize HA-based composites. The novel samples can be sintered at a relative low temperature (750 °C) compared to the widely studied HA/45S5 Bioglass® composites. This fact greatly helps to preserve the amorphous nature of the glass, with excellent effects in terms of bioactivity, according to in vitro tests. As a first application, the obtained composites are also tested to realize highly porous scaffolds by means of the standard burning out method.
New Cytotoxic Oxygenated Sterols from the Marine Bryozoan Cryptosula pallasiana
Authors: Tian Xiang-Rong , Tang Hai-Feng , Li Yu-Shan , Lin Hou-Wen , Chen Xiao-Li , Ma Ning , Yao Min-Na , Zhang Ping-Hu
Published: January 2011

Six new sterols (1–6), together with seven known sterols (7–13), were isolated from the CCl4 extract of the marine bryozoan Cryptosula pallasiana, four (3–6) of which have already been reported as synthetic sterols. This is the first time that these compounds (3–6) are reported as natural sterols. The structures of the new compounds were determined on the basis of the extensive spectroscopic analysis, including two-dimensional (2D) NMR and HR-ESI-MS data. Compounds 1–4, 7 and 10–13 were evaluated for their cytotoxicity against HL-60 human myeloid leukemia cell line, and all of the evaluated compounds exhibited moderate cytotoxicity to HL-60 cells with a range of IC50 values from 14.73 to 22.11 µg/mL except for compounds 12 and 13.
Crystal Structure and Hydrogen Bonding Study of (10E)-2,2-Dimethyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-benzo[g]chromene-5,10-dione 10-Oxime Derived From a-Lapachone
Authors: Da Silva Andrea R. , Herbst Marcelo H. , Ferreira Aurelio B. B. , Da Silva Ari M. , Visentin Lorenzo C.
Published: January 2011

The compound (10E)-2,2-dimethyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-benzo[g]chromene-5,10-dione-10-oxime (1) was synthesized from a-lapachone and hydroxylamine chloride in alkaline medium. Single-crystals suitable for X-ray diffraction measurements were grown from an ethanol solution, and the crystal structure of the title molecule is reported for the first time. The title molecule was also characterized by 1H- and 13C-NMR in CDCl3 solution, FTIR and MS. The crystal structure of 1 shows an E stereochemistry and dimers formed through classical hydrogen bonds.
Preparative Isolation of Three Anthraquinones from Rumex japonicus by High-Speed Counter-Current Chromatography
Authors: Guo Shuying , Feng Bo , Zhu Ruonan , Ma Jiankang , Wang Wei
Published: January 2011

Three anthraquinones—emodin, chrysophanol, and physcion—were successfully purified from the dichloromethane extract of the Chinese medicinal herb Rumex japonicus by high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC). The extract was separated with n-hexane–ethanol–water (18:22:3, v/v/v) as the two-phase solvent system and yielded 3.4 mg of emodin, 24.1 mg of chrysophanol, and 2.0 mg of physcion from 500 mg of sample with purities of 99.2 %, 98.8% and 98.2%, respectively. The HSCCC fractions were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and the chemical structures of the three anthraquinones were confirmed by 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR analysis. This is the first time these anthraquinones have been obtained from R. japonicus by HSCCC.
Selection of Peptides Targeting Helix 31 of Bacterial 16S Ribosomal RNA by Screening M13 Phage-Display Libraries
Authors: Lamichhane Tek N. , Abeydeera N. Dinuka , Duc Anne-Cécile E. , Cunningham Philip R. , Chow Christine S.
Published: January 2011

Ribosomal RNA is the catalytic portion of ribosomes, and undergoes a variety of conformational changes during translation. Structural changes in ribosomal RNA can be facilitated by the presence of modified nucleotides. Helix 31 of bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA harbors two modified nucleotides, m2G966 and m5C967, that are highly conserved among bacteria, though the degree and nature of the modifications in this region are different in eukaryotes. Contacts between helix 31 and the P-site tRNA, initiation factors, and ribosomal proteins highlight the importance of this region in translation. In this work, a heptapeptide M13 phage-display library was screened for ligands that target the wild-type, naturally modified bacterial helix 31. Several peptides, including TYLPWPA, CVRPFAL, TLWDLIP, FVRPFPL, ATPLWLK, and DIRTQRE, were found to be prevalent after several rounds of screening. Several of the peptides exhibited moderate affinity (in the high nM to low µM range) to modified helix 31 in biophysical assays, including surface plasmon resonance (SPR), and were also shown to bind 30S ribosomal subunits. These peptides also inhibited protein synthesis in cell-free translation assays.
Synthesis, Characterization and Antifungal Evaluation of 5-Substituted-4-Amino-1,2,4-Triazole-3-Thioesters
Authors: Hasan Aurangzeb , Thomas Noel Francis , Gapil Shelly
Published: January 2011

A series of 5-substituted-4-amino-1,2,4-triazole-3-thioesters was synthesized by converting variously substituted organic acids successively into the corresponding esters, hydrazides, 5-substituted-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-thiols, 5-substituted-1,2,4-triazole-2-thiols and 5-substituted-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-thioesters. Finally the target compounds were obtained by refluxing 5-substituted-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-thioesters in the presence of hydrazine hydrate and absolute alcohol. The structures of the synthesized compounds were established by physicochemical and spectroscopic methods. The synthesized compounds were evaluated for their in vitro antifungal activity. Some of the evaluated compounds possessed significant antifungal activity as compared to a terbinafine standard.
Behaviors in Ethylene Polymerization of MgCl2-SiO2/TiCl4/THF Ziegler-Natta Catalysts with Differently Treated SiO2
Authors: Senso Nichapat , Jongsomjit Bunjerd , Praserthdam Piyasan
Published: January 2011

The present research focuses on investigation of the catalytic behaviors of MgCl2-SiO2/TiCl4/THF Ziegler-Natta (ZN) catalysts with fumed SiO2 variously treated with silane compounds. The non-treated silica (NTS) and other silicas treated with dimethylsilicone fluid (TSDMSF), dimethyldichlorosilane (TSDMDCS), and hexamethyl-disilazane (TSHMDS) were employed. It was found that the Cat-TSDMDCS and Cat-TSHMDS exhibited remarkably high activity, even with a similar bulk Ti content as the others. Thus, the more powerful technique of XPS analysis was used to determine the Ti content at the catalyst surface. It was evident that the surface concentrations of Ti could play important role on the catalyst activity. As the result, the increased activity is proportional to the surface concentration of Ti. It was mentioned that the change in surface concentration of Ti with different treated silica can be attributed to the effect of silane spacer group and steric hindrance. The distribution of Ti on the external surface can be also proven by means of EDX mapping, which matched the results obtained by XPS analysis. The treated silica also resulted in narrower molecular weight distribution (MWD) due to the more uniform active sites produced. There was no significant change in polymer morphology upon treatment of the silica.
Opioid Antagonists May Reverse Endogenous Opiate “Dependence” in the Treatment of Self-Injurious Behavior
Authors: Sandman Curt A. , Kemp Aaron S.
Published: January 2011

Self-injurious behavior (SIB) is a primary reason that individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDD) are either retained in restrictive environments or are administered psychotropic medication. There are no known causes and no universally accepted treatments for this complex behavior among individuals with NDD. There is developing evidence, however, that individuals exhibiting SIB have a disturbance of the opiate-mediated pain and pleasure system. One hypothesis is that SIB reflects insensitivity to pain and general sensory depression (hypoalgesia), perhaps related to chronic elevation of endogenous opiates. For instance, many self-injurious individuals do not exhibit the usual signs of pain after their “injurious” behavior. Moreover, for some individuals the addictive properties of elevated endogenous opiates (euphoria) may be responsible for maintaining their SIB. In this perspective, SIB may be viewed as an addiction because it supplies the "fix" for tolerant, down-regulated opiate receptors. Reports that levels of endogenous opiates at rest and after SIB episodes predict positive responses to opiate blockers (e.g., naltrexone) provide further support for opiate-mediated SIB and form the basis for a rational treatment strategy. Although the long term effects of opiate blockers on SIB are unknown, reduction in SIB following acute treatment provides support that a specific biological system may be dysregulated in a subgroup of patients. It is concluded that naltrexone produces a clinically significant reduction in the serious and life-threatening behavior of self injury for individuals who have not been responsive to any other type of treatment. Several suggestions and cautions are provided for regimens of naltrexone treatment of SIB.
Structural Analysis of Aromatic Liquid Crystalline Polyesters
Authors: Hall Henry , Ahad Samiul , Bates Robert , Bertucci Maria , Contreras Cristina , Dospinoiu Alexandru , Lin Guangxin , Singletary Nancy , Somogyi Arpad
Published: January 2011

Laboratory preparations of liquid crystalline prepolymers, distillates accompanying prepolymers, final polymers, and sublimates accompanying final polymers were examined. NaOD/D2O depolymerization of prepolymers and polymers back to monomers with integration of the 1H NMR spectra showed up to 6% excess of carboxyls over phenol groups, caused partly by loss of the low-boiling comonomer hydroquinone through distillation during prepolymerization and leaving anhydride units in the polymer chain. ESI− MS and MS/MS of hexafluoroisopropanol extracts of the prepolymer detected small molecules including some containing anhydride groups; ESI+ MS showed the presence of small cyclic oligomers. 1H NMR (including TOCSY) spectra provided more quantitative analyses of these oligomers. The final polymerization increases the length of the polymer chains and sublimes out the small oligomers. Anhydride linkages remaining in the polymer must make LCP’s more susceptible to degradation by nucleophilic reagents such as water, alkalis, and amines.
The Effect of Polyterpenol Thin Film Surfaces on Bacterial Viability and Adhesion
Authors: Bazaka Kateryna , Jacob Mohan V. , Truong Vi Khanh , Crawford Russell J. , Ivanova Elena P.
Published: January 2011

The nanometer scale surface topography of a solid substrate is known to influence the extent of bacterial attachment and their subsequent proliferation to form biofilms. As an extension of our previous work on the development of a novel organic polymer coating for the prevention of growth of medically significant bacteria on three-dimensional solid surfaces, this study examines the effect of surface coating on the adhesion and proliferation tendencies of Staphylococcus aureus and compares to those previously investigated tendencies of Pseudomonas aeruginosa on similar coatings. Radio frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition was used to coat the surface of the substrate with thin film of terpinen-4-ol, a constituent of tea-tree oil known to inhibit the growth of a broad range of bacteria. The presence of the coating decreased the substrate surface roughness from approximately 2.1 nm to 0.4 nm. Similar to P. aeruginosa, S. aureus presented notably different patterns of attachment in response to the presence of the surface film, where the amount of attachment, extracellular polymeric substance production, and cell proliferation on the coated surface was found to be greatly reduced compared to that obtained on the unmodified surface. This work suggests that the antimicrobial and antifouling coating used in this study could be effectively integrated into medical and other clinically relevant devices to prevent bacterial growth and to minimize bacteria-associated adverse host responses.
An Autonomous Wearable System for Predicting and Detecting Localised Muscle Fatigue
Authors: Al-Mulla Mohamed R. , Sepulveda Francisco , Colley Martin
Published: January 2011

Muscle fatigue is an established area of research and various types of muscle fatigue have been clinically investigated in order to fully understand the condition. This paper demonstrates a non-invasive technique used to automate the fatigue detection and prediction process. The system utilises the clinical aspects such as kinematics and surface electromyography (sEMG) of an athlete during isometric contractions. Various signal analysis methods are used illustrating their applicability in real-time settings. This demonstrated system can be used in sports scenarios to promote muscle growth/performance or prevent injury. To date, research on localised muscle fatigue focuses on the clinical side and lacks the implementation for detecting/predicting localised muscle fatigue using an autonomous system. Results show that automating the process of localised muscle fatigue detection/prediction is promising. The autonomous fatigue system was tested on five individuals showing 90.37% accuracy on average of correct classification and an error of 4.35% in predicting the time to when fatigue will onset.
Overview of the Characteristics of Micro- and Nano-Structured Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensors
Authors: Roh Sookyoung , Chung Taerin , Lee Byoungho
Published: January 2011

The performance of bio-chemical sensing devices has been greatly improved by the development of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) based sensors. Advancements in micro- and nano-fabrication technologies have led to a variety of structures in SPR sensing systems being proposed. In this review, SPR sensors (from typical Kretschmann prism configurations to fiber sensor schemes) with micro- or nano-structures for local light field enhancement, extraordinary optical transmission, interference of surface plasmon waves, plasmonic cavities, etc. are discussed. We summarize and compare their performances and present guidelines for the design of SPR sensors.
Sensor and Display Human Factors Based Design Constraints for Head Mounted and Tele-Operation Systems
Authors: Harrison Andre , Mullins Linda , Etienne-Cummings Ralph
Published: January 2011

For mobile imaging systems in head mounted displays and tele-operation systems it is important to maximize the amount of visual information transmitted to the human visual system without exceeding its input capacity. This paper aims to describe the design constraints on the imager and display systems of head mounted devices and tele-operated systems based upon the capabilities of the human visual system. We also present the experimental results of methods to improve the amount of visual information conveyed to a user when trying to display a high dynamic range image on a low dynamic range display.
PCF-Based Cavity Enhanced Spectroscopic Sensors for Simultaneous Multicomponent Trace Gas Analysis
Authors: Nakaema Walter M. , Hao Zuo-Qiang , Rohwetter Philipp , Wöste Ludger , Stelmaszczyk Kamil
Published: January 2011

A multiwavelength, multicomponent CRDS gas sensor operating on the basis of a compact photonic crystal fibre supercontinuum light source has been constructed. It features a simple design encompassing one radiation source, one cavity and one detection unit (a spectrograph with a fitted ICCD camera) that are common for all wavelengths. Multicomponent detection capability of the device is demonstrated by simultaneous measurements of the absorption spectra of molecular oxygen (spin-forbidden b-X branch) and water vapor (polyads 4v, 4v + d) in ambient atmospheric air. Issues related to multimodal cavity excitation, as well as to obtaining the best signal-to-noise ratio are discussed together with methods for their practical resolution based on operating the cavity in a “quasi continuum” mode and setting long camera gate widths, respectively. A comprehensive review of multiwavelength CRDS techniques is also given.
Mobile Location with NLOS Identification and Mitigation Based on Modified Kalman Filtering
Authors: Ke Wei , Wu Lenan
Published: January 2011

In order to enhance accuracy and reliability of wireless location in the mixed line-of-sight (LOS) and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) environments, a robust mobile location algorithm is presented to track the position of a mobile node (MN). An extended Kalman filter (EKF) modified in the updating phase is utilized to reduce the NLOS error in rough wireless environments, in which the NLOS bias contained in each measurement range is estimated directly by the constrained optimization method. To identify the change of channel situation between NLOS and LOS, a low complexity identification method based on innovation vectors is proposed. Numerical results illustrate that the location errors of the proposed algorithm are all significantly smaller than those of the iterated NLOS EKF algorithm and the conventional EKF algorithm in different LOS/NLOS conditions. Moreover, this location method does not require any statistical distribution knowledge of the NLOS error. In addition, complexity experiments suggest that this algorithm supports real-time applications.
IJA: An Efficient Algorithm for Query Processing in Sensor Networks
Authors: Lee Hyun Chang , Lee Young Jae , Lim Ji Hyang , Kim Dong Hwa
Published: January 2011

One of main features in sensor networks is the function that processes real time state information after gathering needed data from many domains. The component technologies consisting of each node called a sensor node that are including physical sensors, processors, actuators and power have advanced significantly over the last decade. Thanks to the advanced technology, over time sensor networks have been adopted in an all-round industry sensing physical phenomenon. However, sensor nodes in sensor networks are considerably constrained because with their energy and memory resources they have a very limited ability to process any information compared to conventional computer systems. Thus query processing over the nodes should be constrained because of their limitations. Due to the problems, the join operations in sensor networks are typically processed in a distributed manner over a set of nodes and have been studied. By way of example while simple queries, such as select and aggregate queries, in sensor networks have been addressed in the literature, the processing of join queries in sensor networks remains to be investigated. Therefore, in this paper, we propose and describe an Incremental Join Algorithm (IJA) in Sensor Networks to reduce the overhead caused by moving a join pair to the final join node or to minimize the communication cost that is the main consumer of the battery when processing the distributed queries in sensor networks environments. At the same time, the simulation result shows that the proposed IJA algorithm significantly reduces the number of bytes to be moved to join nodes compared to the popular synopsis join algorithm.
Design and Implementation of a Wireless Sensor Network-Based Remote Water-Level Monitoring System
Authors: Li Xiuhong , Cheng Xiao , Gong Peng , Yan Ke
Published: January 2011

The proposed remote water-level monitoring system (RWMS) consists of a field sensor module, a base station module, adata center module and aWEB releasing module. It has advantages in real time and synchronized remote control, expandability, and anti-jamming capabilities. The RWMS can realize real-time remote monitoring, providing early warning of events and protection of the safety of monitoring personnel under certain dangerous circumstances. This system has been successfully applied in Poyanghu Lake. The cost of the whole system is approximately 1,500 yuan (RMB).
Leg Motion Classification with Artificial Neural Networks Using Wavelet-Based Features of Gyroscope Signals
Authors: Ayrulu-Erdem Birsel , Barshan Billur
Published: January 2011

We extract the informative features of gyroscope signals using the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) decomposition and provide them as input to multi-layer feed-forward artificial neural networks (ANNs) for leg motion classification. Since the DWT is based on correlating the analyzed signal with a prototype wavelet function, selection of the wavelet type can influence the performance of wavelet-based applications significantly. We also investigate the effect of selecting different wavelet families on classification accuracy and ANN complexity and provide a comparison between them. The maximum classification accuracy of 97.7% is achieved with the Daubechies wavelet of order 16 and the reverse bi-orthogonal (RBO) wavelet of order 3.1, both with similar ANN complexity. However, the RBO 3.1 wavelet is preferable because of its lower computational complexity in the DWTdecomposition and reconstruction.
Land Use Dynamics of the Fast-Growing Shanghai Metropolis, China (1979–2008) and its Implications for Land Use and Urban Planning Policy
Authors: Zhang Hao , Zhou Li-Guo , Chen Ming-Nan , Ma Wei-Chun
Published: January 2011

Through the integrated approach of remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) techniques, four Landsat TM/ETM+ imagery acquired during 1979 and 2008 were used to quantitatively characterize the patterns of land use and land cover change (LULC) and urban sprawl in the fast-growing Shanghai Metropolis, China. Results showed that, the urban/built-up area grew on average by 4,242.06 ha yr−1. Bare land grew by 1,594.66 ha yr−1 on average. In contrast, cropland decreased by 3,286.26 ha yr−1 on average, followed by forest and shrub, water, and tidal land, which decreased by 1,331.33 ha yr−1, 903.43 ha yr−1, and 315.72 ha yr−1 on average, respectively. As a result, during 1979 and 2008 approximately 83.83% of the newly urban/built-up land was converted from cropland (67.35%), forest and shrub (9.12%), water (4.80%), and tidal land (2.19%). Another significant change was the continuous increase in regular residents, which played a very important role in contributing to local population growth and increase in urban/built-up land. This can be explained with this city’s huge demand for investment and qualified labor since the latest industrial transformation. Moreover, with a decrease in cropland, the proportion of population engaged in farming decreased 13.84%. Therefore, significant socio-economic transformation occurred, and this would lead to new demand for land resources. However, due to very scarce land resources and overload of population in Shanghai, the drive to achieve economic goals at the loss of cropland, water, and the other lands is not sustainable. Future urban planning policy aiming at ensuring a win-win balance between sustainable land use and economic growth is urgently needed.
The Carbon and Global Warming Potential Impacts of Organic Farming: Does It Have a Significant Role in an Energy Constrained World?
Authors: Lynch Derek  H. , MacRae Rod , Martin Ralph  C.
Published: January 2011

About 130 studies were analyzed to compare farm-level energy use and global warming potential (GWP) of organic and conventional production sectors. Cross cutting issues such as tillage, compost, soil carbon sequestration and energy offsets were also reviewed. Finally, we contrasted E and GWP data from the wider food system. We concluded that the evidence strongly favours organic farming with respect to whole-farm energy use and energy efficiency both on a per hectare and per farm product basis, with the possible exception of poultry and fruit sectors. For GWP, evidence is insufficient except in a few sectors, with results per ha more consistently favouring organic farming than GWP per unit product. Tillage was consistently a negligible contributor to farm E use and additional tillage on organic farms does not appear to significantly deplete soil C. Energy offsets, biogas, energy crops and residues have a more limited role on organic farms compared to conventional ones, because of the nutrient and soil building uses of soil organic matter, and the high demand for organic foods in human markets. If farm E use represents 35% of total food chain E use, improvements shown of 20% or more in E efficiency through organic farm management would reduce food-chain E use by 7% or more. Among other food supply chain stages, wholesale/retail (including cooling and packaging) and processing often each contribute 30% or more to total food system E. Thus, additional improvements can be obtained with reduced processing, whole foods and food waste minimization.
Demand and Supply Structure for Food in Asia
Authors: Matsumura Kanichiro
Published: January 2011

In the late 1990s, the author conducted research entitled “Modeling the demand and supply structure for food in Asia”. The research was based on a system dynamics method and, using time series datasets up to 1998 to estimate the parameters, tried to figure out the demand and supply structure for food until the year 2010. In this paper, the author introduces an overall research structure and compares previous study results with the latest statistical data provided by the Food and Agricultural Organization, United Nations (FAO).
Géographie humaine et archéologie en Basse Bretagne
Authors: Gouletquer P.-L.
Published: January 2011

L'étude de la localisation des vestiges archéologiques, comparée à la disposition d'éléments actuels de l'occupation des paysages, conduit à l'application à l'archéologie de lois de la structuration de l'espace définies en géographie humaine. Mais, par leur nature même, les structures archéologiques ainsi mises en évidence introduisent nécessairement la durée dans l'élude des réseaux contemporains et permettent d'expliquer certaines anomalies apparentes.
Activité cyclonique et rythmes climatiques aux latitudes moyennes (lre partie)
Authors: Trzpit Jean-Paul
Published: January 2011

The distribution of extratropical cyclones is characterized by a zonal organisation and an oceanic dominance. Most of the disturbances travel between the 40 th and 65 th parallels. These heat engines transform a part of the potential energy into kinetic energy. That potential energy derives from the strong thermal gradient which is connected with the convergence of polar and tropical influences. The Ocean, which forms a latent heat source, stirs up the cyclonic processes, too. The cyclones make up the features of seasons. A low (12.3 % of the annual total) and more uniformely spread cyclonic activity is typical of the summer months ; winter is marked by an exacerbation of disturbances (37.1 %) Intermediate seasons do not show such contrasting features. Spring which intensifies the action of the cold arctic and continental sources, totalizes 23.2 % of the whole cyclonic activity. On the other hand, autumn (27.4 %) stirs up the warm tropical maritime source. The cyclones represent a main factor by differentiating regional climates of Western Europe ; they also explain the seasonal distribution of precipitations along the Atlantic neighbouring lands.
Les Monts d'Ambazac et de Saint-Goussaud. Deux points de vue sur la morphogenèse limousine
Authors: Klein Claude
Published: January 2011

The Ambazac and Saint-Goussaud Hills (Limousin, Massif Central) are proeminent residual landforms (« inselbergs ») that stand upon an erosional surface developed during the Upper Eocene. The slopes by which this « inselberg landscape » rises from the lower plateaus of Taurion and Ardour Rivers derive their energy from the tectonic movements which have uplift the region during the Neogene ; their steepness being a product of the differential weathering which has taken advantage of a remarkable lithologie contrast between leucogranites and melamorphic rocks.
Le Troisième Age dans la population française
Authors: Beteille René
Published: January 2011

Die Zahlen der über 65 jährigen beträgt 13,6 % der französischen Bevölkerung, d. h. über 7 Millionen Menschen. Die Belastung im Verhältnis zu den Berufsläligen nimmt seil dem Kriegsende ständig zu.

Geographisch gesehen sind die Reniner unausgeglichen verteilt : gewisse Departments sind uberaltert, in anderen dagegen ist die Bevölkerung jünger. Darüber hinaus sind die Frauen zahlreicher als die Männer.

Durch die Renlenfrage, die sozialen Enrichtungen (Altenheime, Pflege- heime u.s.w.) und einen spezifischen Markt ist ein neuer Wirtschaftszweig entstanden.
Activité cyclonique et rythmes climatiques aux latitudes moyennes (2e partie)
Authors: Trzpit Jean-Paul
Published: January 2011

La distribution des cyclones exlratropicaux présente une organisation zonale et une dominante océanique. La majeure partie des perturbations voyagent entre les 40e et 65e parallèles. Ces machines thermiques assurent la conversion en énergie cinétique, d'une fraction de l'énergie potentielle liée au fort gradient méridien de températures qui souligne la convergence des influences polaires et tropicales. L'Océan, source de chaleur latente, active aussi les mécanismes cycloniques. Les cyclones modèlent la physionomie des saisons. Les mois d'été se caractérisent par une activité cyclonique réduite (12,3 % du total annuel) et plus uniformément répartie ; l'hiver s'accompagne d'une exacerbation des perturbations (37,1 %). Les saisons intermédiaires apparaissent moins contrastées. Le printemps qui privilégie l'action des sources froides arctique et continentales, totalise 23,2 % de l'activité cyclonique. Inversement, l'automne (27,4 %) marque une activation de la source chaude, tropicale et maritime. Les cyclones jouent un rôle prépondérant dans l'individualisation des climats régionaux de l'Europe de l'Ouest et constituent le facteur premier des régimes pluviométriques de la façade atlantique.
Les pêches maritimes britanniques : une activité en crise
Authors: Fournet Philippe
Published: January 2011

SUMMARY

Already seriously affected by the stagnation of domestic demand and by the over exploitation of certain species, the British maritime fishing industry has very poorly supported the effects of the recent energy crisis. Furthermore, the generalization of the 200 mile fishing limit in the North Atlantic has deprived British fleet owners of fishing areas that are particularly rich in commercial types of fish. In addition, all of the fishing ports where industrial fishing is conducted have been struck by the same stagnation : the offices of many ship and boat owners are definitely closed, a large part of the trawler fleet has been disbanded, the fish transformation industries are inadequately supplied in spite of an increase in imports, and many of the unemployed fishermen are finding it extremely difficult to adjust to conditions ashore. This situation accounts for the attitude of London which is refusing to make of its 200 miles limit a community area, as is desired by the C.E.E. , and is asking for an exclusive fishing zone which would be capable of reviving its deep sea fishing activities and of maintaining an active coastal fishing program. Finally, in an attempt to save their high sea fishing fleet, the shipowners are attempting to create joint ventures overseas, and they have their eyes set on certain fishing zones in the Southern Hemisphere that are still under-exploited.
Géographie fiscale en milieu urbain : l'exemple de la ville de Nantes
Authors: Rapetti Danielle
Published: January 2011

RÉSUMÉ

L'accès légal depuis 1974 aux « Registres de publicité des impositions sur les revenus des personnes privées » ouvre la voie aux investigations les plus fines en géographie fiscale. La ville de Nantes sert de cadre à la mise au point d'une méthode d'analyse reposant sur les notions de « critère d'aisance » et de « profil fiscal » définies pour chaque rue. Il en résulte la possibilité d'établir un véritable réseau fiscal hiérarchisé que l'on peut considérer comme une importante composante du tissu urbain.
L'endettement de l'agriculture française. L'exemple du département d'Indre-et-Loire
Authors: Maury Régis
Published: January 2011

Die Verschuldung der französischen Landwirtschaft ist zum Teil auf den Beitritt Frankreichs zur Gemeinschaft der Marktwirlschaftsländer nach dem zweiten Wellkrieg zurückzuführen. Die von der Agrartätigkeit nicht wegzudenkenden Benötigungen, sowie die Krise seil 1974 haben eine derartig vermehrte Verschuldung bewirkt, dass die Tourainer Landwirtschaft vielfach dramalische Situationen kennt : gewisse Betriebe weisen Schulden auf, die 20 % und mehr des Vermögens belasten. Die zu niedrigen Agrarpreise, im Verhältnis zu den Betriebs — und Produktionskosten — sind an dieser Pleite schuld. Die Landwirte werden gerettet, erst wenn ihre Arbeit bezahlt wird.