bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Incredible Tale of Texasgulf Well 7 and Fracture Permeability, Paradox Basin, Utah
Authors: Huntoon Peter W.
Published: May 2007

Normal faults and associated extended joints form an extremely permeable zone in Pennsylvanian and Permian limestones and arkoscs along the crest of the Cane Creek salt growth anticline of southeastern Utah. These same rocks in unfaulted states comprise an extensive regional confining layer sequence.

Fluids in the fault zone are sodium chloride/hydrogen sulfide brines which have bleached all permeable flow paths within the units. Bleaching patterns in outcrops reveal that circulation in the fault zone is largely restricted to the fault planes and nearby extended joints. Orthogonal joints within the fault zone are also bleached but to a lesser extent. In contrast, bleaching of all joints a short distance from the faults is rare. The highly anisotropic permeability distribution observed is characterized by maximum principal permeability tensors oriented parallel to the strike of the faults and minimum principal tensors perpendicular to the fault planes.

The productive zone has a transmissivity considerably in excess of 10s gallons/day‐foot parallel to the strike of the faults. Fracture permeability is attributed to minute separations developed along faults and joints as the rocks containing them underwent extension perpendicular to the strike of the anticline. The causative extensional stress regime was imposed on the rocks as they were bent and stretched over the growing core of the anticline.

The general conclusion of this article is that extensional tectonic regimes are ideally suited for imprinting fracture permeability on brittle rock sequences. Such fractures include extensional joints and high angle normal faults. Small offsets appear to favor development of porosity because surface irregularities in the fracture planes are not ground off thereby forcing the facing surfaces to separate, and gouge development is minimized.
Physiological and haematological findings and clinical observations in a model of acute systemic anaphylaxis inDirofilaria immitis‐sensitised cats
Authors: LITSTER A. , ATWELL R.
Published: June 2007

ObjectiveThis study aims to understand the pathophysiology of anaphylaxis inDirofilaria immitis‐sensitised cats by analysing objective physiological and haematological measurements after challenge.

DesignNineteen healthyD immitis‐ naïve cats were sensitised using weekly injections of aluminium hydroxide‐adjuvantedD immitisantigen, administered subcutaneously over 6 weeks. After sensitisation, cats (n = 16) were anaesthetised and challenged with intravenousD immitisantigen. A control group (n = 3) was sham‐challenged using intravenous sterile 0.9% saline. Systolic blood pressure (measured non‐invasively/indirectly), respiratory rate, degree of dyspnoea, blood O2saturation, expired CO2, and heart rate and were measured immediately before and at 10 to 15 min intervals after challenge until terminal apnoea occurred or euthanasia at 140 mins post‐challenge. Blood was collected for complete blood count immediately before and at 10, 20 and 35 mins after challenge. Clinical observations were recorded as they occurred.

ResultsAntigen‐challenged cats were divided into two groups: acute (apnoea occurred within 25 mins of challenge) and subacute (breathing at 25 mins after challenge). In both groups, the degree of dyspnoea increased and blood O2saturation and blood pressure decreased. Respiratory rate increased in the subacute group. Expired CO2decreased in both Ag‐challenged and control groups. Haematocrit increased in the subacute group. Neutrophil count decreased in the acute group and platelet count decreased in the subacute group. Eosinophil count decreased in the subacute and control groups. Sustained dyspnoea and gastrointestinal signs were the most common clinical manifestations of anaphylaxis in the antigen‐challenged cats.

ConclusionsIntravenous challenge withD immitisantigen in sensitised cats results in dyspnoea, hypoxaemia and systemic hypotension accompanied by haemoconcentration.
Assessment of producer conducted antemortem inspection of market pigs in Australia
Authors: JACKOWIAK J. , KIERMEIER A. , KOLEGA V. , MISSEN G. , REISER D. , POINTON AM
Published: June 2007

Objective A field trial was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of on‐farm antemortem inspection performed by Australian pig producers in terms of proficiency in detecting unhealthy animals (suspects), the impact on food safety and animal welfare outcomes.

Animals A total of 64 trial groups of market pigs (n = 10,703) were dispatched from 20 herds to three abattoirs in three states.

Procedure All producers and abattoir antemortem inspectors were trained in antemortem inspection prior to the trial, using a standardised set of antemortem criteria. Study 1 consisted of three comparisons: on‐farm versus abattoir antemortem inspections on the same pigs, transport effects in suspect and normal pigs, and meat rejection and carcase disposition in suspect and normal pigs. Study 2 compared Salmonella spp. status of suspect and normal pigs. Studies 3 and 4 were conducted to assist the interpretation of the results of on‐farm versus abattoir inspection. Antemortem inspection results of three producers and one abattoir antemortem inspector were compared with those of a reference inspector (Gold Standard).

Results Of the pigs examined, 2.12% (95% CI: [1.84%, 2.42%]) were classified as suspect at on‐farm antemortem inspection compared to only 0.14% at abattoir antemortem inspection. Forty one percent of pigs classified as suspect on‐farm had locomotor problems (arthritis, lameness and foot abscess). Compared to normal pigs, suspect pigs had a relative risk of 67.7 (P < 0.0001) of suffering transport injuries. Meat rejection amounted to the equivalent of 9.68% of suspect carcases, compared to the equivalent of 0.35% of normal carcases. The isolation of Salmonella species from caecal content from 20.9% of 67 suspect pigs and 18.8% of 133 control pigs (two matched healthy pigs from the same batch for each suspect pig) were not significantly different. When compared with the reference inspector on‐farm, three producers classified abnormalities in 2,495 pigs with high specificity (0.98), acceptable sensitivity (0.82) and kappa (0.57).

Conclusions With training, producer sensitivity in antemortem inspection may be high and more proficient than abattoir antemortem inspection. Use of producer inspections may have benefits for animal welfare and chain efficiency, but not food safety.
Effect of treatment with two intravaginal inserts on the uterine and vaginal microflora of early postpartum beef cows
Authors: PADULA AM , MACMILLAN KL
Published: June 2007

Objective To describe the bacterial species found within the uterus and vagina of early postpartum (10 to 20 d) beef cows treated for 14 d with (i) two intravaginal (CIDR‐BTM) progesterone releasing inserts (C‐P4; n=31); (ii) two identical but blank inserts (C‐BL; n=15); (iii) untreated controls (CON; n=15). It was hypothesised that due to the locally immunosuppressive effects of progesterone on the uterus, the bacterial microflora of C‐P4 would be altered by this treatment in contrast to CON and C‐BL.

Procedure Cows were enrolled at two intervals 7 d apart. Blood samples were collected at 0, 7 and 14 d after beginning treatments for subsequent progesterone assay. A triple guarded swabbing technique was used to collect bacteriological samples from the uterus of every cow on days 0, 7 and 14 following CIDR™ insertion. Swabs were also collected from the inserts and vagina of every cow on day 14. Due to the small sample sizes, only descriptive statistics were generated.

Results Plasma progesterone levels were maintained at mid‐luteal phase concentrations by the intravaginal progesterone releasing inserts (C‐P4: 4.2 ± 0.4 ng/mL at 7 d; 3.6 ± 0.2 ng/mL at 14 d), although increased progesterone concentrations were found in 4/15 CON and 9/15 C‐BL cows on day 14. Bacteria were isolated from 32/61 (52%) of all uterine samples collected at the time of insertion. Uterine and vaginal swabs from CON cows showed a marked reduction in isolates over time such that 14 d after insertion only 1/15 uterine swabs grew bacteria. In contrast, C‐BL and C‐P4 treated cows failed to show reductions in the number of uterine or vaginal isolates at 14 d after device insertion. Heavy growths of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Actinomyces pyogenes were found on the intravaginal inserts from C‐BL and C‐P4 cows. Cows enrolled in the second week of the study that received intravaginal inserts (C‐P4 + C‐BL) were more likely to have Pseudomonas isolated from the uterus than those enrolled in week 1 (1/18 versus 14/28).

Conclusions The presence of two intravaginal inserts, regardless of hormone content, substantially altered the profile of uterine and vaginal bacteria in early postpartum beef cows. It was suspected that because of the early stage at insert application, the cervix had not involuted sufficiently to provide an adequate microbial barrier to the uterus. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the predominant species isolated from both uterine and insert cultures after 14 d of treatment but may have been a contaminant, due to the greater proportion of cows infected with it that had been enrolled in the second week of the study.
The relationship between the Feline Coronavirus antibody titre and the age, breed, gender and health status of Australian cats
Authors: BELL ET , MALIK R. , NORRIS JM
Published: June 2007

Objectives To investigate the relationship between Feline Coronavirus (FCoV) antibody titres and age, breed, gender and health status of Australian cats

Design Retrospective study

Procedure Results from two serological tests that measure FCoV antibody levels, the Coronase test and the 7B Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) test, were recorded over a 2‐year period, with patient signalment, history, presenting complaint and the reason for ordering the test (as available). Results from each antibody test were related to four explanatory variables (breed, age, gender and health status at the time of blood collection) using univariate ordinal logistic regression analyses, Mann Whitney U tests, one‐sample sign tests or Kruskal‐Wallis analyses, as appropriate.

Results Results from 637 Coronase and 191 7B FIP antibody tests were recorded. There were significant differences in median Coronase antibody titres between breeds of cats (P<0.0005). Specifically, the median Coronase antibody titres of Siamese, Persians, Domestic Shorthairs and Bengal cats (100) were significantly lower than that of British Shorthairs, Cornish Rex and Burmese cats (400, P<0.0005). There was no statistical relationship between the Coronase or 7B FIP antibody titres and age, gender or overall health status, even when considering only those cats in which clinical signs suggestive of FIP were present.

Conclusion This study reinforces the complexity of interpreting serological tests for FCoV in both healthy cats and patients with signs compatible with FIP. Unique to this study is the detection of a significant relationship between breed and median FCoV antibody titre. This supports the theory that breed related differences exist in response to FCoV infection. The distribution of median Coronase antibody titres by breed was very similar to the pattern of breed predisposition to FIP recently reported in Sydney.1
Putting the Image Back in Imagination
Authors: KIND AMY
Published: May 2007

Despite their intuitive appeal and a long philosophical history, imagery‐based accounts of the imagination have fallen into disfavor in contemporary discussions. the philosophical pressure to reject such accounts seems to derive from two distinct sources. First, the fact that mental images have proved difficult to accommodate within a scientific conception of mind has led to numerous attempts to explain away their existence, and this in turn has led to attempts to explain the phenomenon of imagining without reference to such ontologically dubious entities as mental images. Second, even those philosophers who accept mental images in their ontology have worried about what seem to be fairly obvious examples of imaginings that occur without imagery. In this paper, I aim to relieve both these points of philosophical pressure and, in the process, develop a new imagery‐based account of the imagination: the imagery model.
Knowledge in Action
Authors: GIBBONS JOHN
Published: May 2007

This paper argues that the role of knowledge in the explanation and production of intentional action is as indispensable as the roles of belief and desire. If we are interested in explaining intentional actions rather than intentions or attempts, we need to make reference to more than the agent's beliefs and desires. It is easy to see how the truth of your beliefs, or perhaps, facts about a setting will be involved in the explanation of an action. If you believe you can stop your car by pressing a pedal, then, if your belief is true, you will stop. If it is false, you will not. By considering cases of unintentional actions, actions involving luck and cases of deviant causal chains, I show why knowledge is required. By looking at the notion of causal relevance, I argue that the connection between knowledge and action is causal and not merely conceptual.

“What knowledge adds to belief is not psychologically relevant.”1—Stephen Stich
The Epistemological Argument Against Descriptivism*
Authors: JESHION ROBIN
Published: May 2007

The epistemological argument against descriptivism about proper names is extremely simple. Fora proper name ‘N’ and definite description ‘F’, the proposition expressed by “If N exists, then N is F is not normally known a priori. But descriptivism about proper names entails otherwise. So descriptivism is false. The argument is widely regarded as sound. This paper aims to establish that the epistemological argument is highly unstable. The problem with the argument is that there seems to be no convincing rationale for the first premise that is independent of a view about the nature of the proposition expressed by the sentence “If N exists, then N is F”.
On Obscenity: The Thrill and Repulsion of the Morally Prohibited
Authors: KIERAN MATTHEW
Published: May 2007

The paper proceeds by criticising the central accounts of obscenity proffered by Feinberg, Scruton and the suggestive remarks of Nussbaum and goes on to argue for the following formal characterization of obscenity: x is appropriately judged obscene if and only if either (A) x is appropriately classified as a member of a form or class of objects whose authorized purpose is to solicit and commend to us cognitive‐affective responses which are (1) internalized as morally prohibited and (2) does so in ways found to be or which are held to warrant repulsion and (3) does so in order to (a) indulge first order desires held to be morally prohibited or (b) indulge the desire to be morally transgres‐sive or the desire to feel repulsed or (c) afford cognitive rewards or (d) any combination thereof or (B) x successfully elicits cognitive‐affective responses which conform to conditions (1)–(3).
Knowledge and the Internal Revisited1
Authors: MCDOWELL JOHN
Published: May 2007

In “Knowledge and the Social Articulation of the Space of Reasons,” Robert Brandom reads my “Knowledge and the Internal” as sketching a position that, when properly elaborated, opens into his own social‐perspectival conception of knowledge (and of objectivity in general). But this depends on taking me to hold that there cannot be justification for a belief sufficient to exclude the possibility that the belief is false. And that is exactly what I argued against in “Knowledge and the Internal.” Seeing that P constitutes falsehood‐excluding justification for believing that P. That should seem common sense, but it is made unavailable by the inferentialist conception of justification that Brandom takes for granted. So far from realizing my aims, Brandom's social‐perspectival conception of knowledge is squarely in the target area of my argument in “Knowledge and the Internal,” which I restate here so as to bring that out.
Nietzsche Contra Darwin
Authors: RICHARDSON JOHN
Published: May 2007

Nietzsche attributes ‘will power’ to all living things, but this seems in sharp conflict with other positions important to him‐and implausible besides. The doctrine smacks of both metaphysics and anthropomorphizing, which he elsewhere derides. Will to power seems to be an intentional end‐directedness, involving cognitive or representational powers he is rightly loath to attribute to all organisms, and tends to downplay even in persons. This paper argues that we find a stronger reading of will to power‐both more plausible and more consistent with Nietzsche's other views‐by developing his affinities with Darwinism. By seeing will to power as an ‘internal revision’to Darwinism, opposing the latter's stress (as Nietzsche thinks) on ‘survival’, but assenting to its uses of natural selection, we can ground or naturalize that notion, congenially to Nietzsche and to us.
How Berkeley Can Maintain That Snow Is White
Authors: ATHERTON MARGARET
Published: May 2007

Berkeley has made the bold claim on behalf of his theory that it is uniquely able to justify the claim that snow is white. But this claim, made most strikingly in the Third of his Three Dialogues, has been held, most forcefully by Margaret Wilson, to conflict with Berkeley's argument in the First Dialogue that, because of various facts to do with perceptual variation, colors are merely apparent and hence, mind‐dependent. This paper develops an alternative reading of the First Dialogue arguments, in which their project is not to establish the mind‐dependence of colors but instead to undermine the position that colors are also mind‐independent. Under these circumstances, the coherence of the First and the Third Dialogue arguments is assured, just so long as the Third Dialogue claim to have established that snow is really white is not taken to mean that snow is mind‐independently white, but instead, something like that our experiences of snow are stably and regularly white.
Disciplined Syntacticism and Moral Expressivism
Authors: LENMAN JAMES
Published: May 2007

Moral Expressivists typically concede that, in someminimalsense, moral sentences are truth‐apt but claim that in some morerobustsense they are not. TheImmodest Disciplined Syntacticist, a species of minimalist about truth, raises a doubt as to whether this contrast can be made out. I here address this challenge by motivating and describing a distinction betweenreduciblyandirreduciblytruth‐apt sentences. In the light of this distinction the Disciplined Syntacticist must either adopt a moremodestversion of his theory, friendlier to Expressivism, or substantially modify it, abandoning one of its central conditions on truth‐aptness. One natural and promising such modification, thePure Discipline View, is described and its implications for an understanding of Expressivism briefly discussed.
Infallibilism and Gettier's Legacy
Authors: DANIEL  , HOWARD‐SNYDER FRANCES , FEIT NEIL
Published: May 2007

Infallibilism is the view that a belief cannot be at once warranted and false. In this essay we assess three nonpartisan arguments for infallibilism, arguments that do not depend on a prior commitment to some substantive theory of warrant. Three premises, one from each argument, are most significant: (1) if a belief can be at once warranted and false, then the Gettier Problem cannot be solved; (2) if a belief can be at once warranted and false, then its warrant can be transferred to an accidentally true belief: (3) if a belief can be at once warranted and false, then it can be warranted and accidentally true. We argue that each of these is either false or no more plausible than its denial. Along the way, we offer a solution to the Gettier Problem that is compatible with fallibilism.
The Bare Metaphysical Possibility of Bare Dispositions
Authors: MCKlTRICK JENNIFER
Published: May 2007

Many philosophers hold that all dispositions must have independent causal bases. 1 challenge this view, hence defending the possibility of bare dispositions. In part I, I explain more fully what I mean by “disposition,”“causal basis,” and “bare disposition.” In part 2, I consider the claim that the concept of a disposition entails that dispositions are not bare. In part 3. I consider arguments. due to Prior, Pargetter, and Jackson, that dispositions necessarily have distinct causal bases. In part 4, I consider arguments by Smith and Stoljar that there can't be bare dispositions because they would make for unwelcome “barely true” counterfactuals. In the end. I find no reason to deny the possibility of bare dispositions.
Scepticism and its Sources
Authors: OKASHA SAMIR
Published: May 2007

A number of recent philosophers, including Michael Williams, Barry Stroud and Donald Davidson, have argued that scepticism about the external world stems from the founda‐tionalist assumption that sensory experience supplies the data for our beliefs about the world. In order to assess this thesis, I offer a brief characterisation of the logical form of sceptical arguments. I suggest that sceptical arguments rely on the idea that many of our beliefs about the world are‘underdetermined’by the evidence on which they are based. Drawing on this characterisation of scepticism, I argue that Williams, Stroud and Davidson are right to see the foundationalist assumption as essential to the sceptic's argument, but wrong to think that scepticism is inevitable once that assumption is in place. By pursuing an analogy with some recent debates in the philosophy of science, I try to locate the additional assumptions which the sceptic must make, in order to derive her conclusion.
Deflationism, the Problem of Representation, and Horwich's Use Theory of Meaning
Authors: GUPTA ANIL
Published: May 2007

This paper contains a critical discussion of Paul Horwich's use theory of meaning. Horwich attempts to dissolve the problem of representation through a combination of his theory of meaning and a deflationism about truth. I argue that the dissolution works only if deflationism makes strong and dubious claims about semantic concepts. Horwich offers a specific version of the use theory of meaning. I argue that this version rests on an unacceptable identification: an identification of principles that are fundamental to an explanation of the acceptance of sentences with principles that are fundamental to meaning.
Open Questions and the Manifest Image
Authors: KALDERON MARK ELI
Published: May 2007

The essay argues that, on their usual metalinguistic reconstructions, the open question argument and Frege's puzzle are variants of the same argument. Each are arguments to a conclusion about a difference in meaning; each deploy compositionality as a premise; and each deploy a premise linking epistemic features of sentences with their meaning (which, given certain meaning‐platonist assumptions, can be interpreted as a universal instantiation of Leibniz's law). Given these parallels, each is sound just in case the other is. They are, in fact, unsound. The essay first argues that reformulations of these arguments directly in terms of Leibniz's law are unsound and then that subarguments of the metalinguistic versions are unsound for structurally similar reasons. Finally, given how the theory/observation distinction is deployed in linguistic practice, the meaning‐platonist assumptions are shown to be optional.

Shouldn't philosophers be permitted to rise above faith in grammar? All due respect for governesses–but hasn't the time come for philosophy to renounce the faith of governesses?

FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE, Beyond Good and Evil, 1886
Rights Externalism
Authors: DARBY DERRICK
Published: May 2007

Rights externalism is the thesis that a subject's status as a rightholder is secured not on account of it having a certain nature, but on account of it being afforded a certain sort of social recognition. I believe that rights externalism has been given short shrift, largely because a certain objection is widely taken to be a compelling reason for rejecting it. This objection goes roughly as follows. Both in theory and in practice we commonly appeal to the fact that subjects possess certain nonconventional rights (independently of whether these rights have been socially recognized) to criticize immoral social practices, arrangements, and institutions. But if being a rightholder is directly determined by whether subjects have been afforded a certain sort of social recognition, then we cannot appeal to the fact that subjects possess certain nonconventional rights for critical purposes in some instances, namely, in those instances where the relevant social recognition has not been extended. Although this objection is taken by some rights internalists to justify favoring rights internalism over rights externalism, I argue that it does not.
Aesthetic Testimony: What Can We Learn from Others about Beauty and Art?1
Authors: MESKIN AARON
Published: May 2007

The thesis that aesthetic testimony cannot provide aesthetic justification or knowledge is widely accepted–even by realists about aesthetic properties and values. This Kantian position is mistaken. Some testimony about beauty and artistic value can provide a degree of aesthetic justification and, perhaps, even knowledge. That is, there are cases in which one can be justified in making an aesthetic judgment purely on the basis of someone else's testimony. But widespread aesthetic unreliability creates a problem for much aesthetic testimony. Hence, most testimony about art does not have much epistemic value. The situation is somewhat different with respect to aesthetic testimony about nature, proofs, and theories.

And yet he realizes clearly that other people's approval in no way provides him with a valid proof by which to judge beauty; even though others may perhaps see and observe for him, and even though what many have seen the same way may serve him, who believes he saw it differently, as a sufficient basis of proof for a theoretical and hence logical judgment, yet the fact that others have liked something can never serve him as a basis for an aesthetic judgment.

Immanuel Kant, Critique of Judgment
Still Mythic After All Those Years: On Alston's Latest Defense of the Given
Authors: Rosenberg Jay F.
Published: May 2007

Wilfrid Sellars’ conclusion in “Empiricism and the Philosophy of Mind” that “the Given” is a “Myth” quickly elicited philosophical opposition and remains contentious fifty years later. William Alston has challenged that conclusion on several occasions by attempting to devise an acceptable account of perception committed to the givenness of perceived objects. His most recent challenge advances a “Theory of Appearing” which posits irreducible non‐conceptual relations, ostensibly overlooked by Sellars, e.g., of “looking red”, between the subject and the object perceived, that can play a justificatory role vis‐à‐vis the corresponding beliefs, e.g., that the object is red. I argue that Alston undermines his positive plausibility arguments by first blurring and then ignoring crucial differences among various looks‐concepts, and that his own putative “phenomenal” looks‐concept demonstrably cannot play the justificatory role that he envisions for it. Both his critique of Sellars’ arguments and his own alternative proposal thus fail on all fronts.
Cardiac angiotensin II type I and type II receptors are increased in rats submitted to experimental hypothyroidism
Authors: Carneiro‐Ramos M. S. , Diniz G. P. , Almeida J. , Vieira R. L. P. , Pinheiro S. V. B. , Santos R. A. , Barreto‐Chaves M. L. M.
Published: June 2007

This study assessed the behaviour of angiotensin II (Ang II) receptors in an experimental hypothyroidism model in male Wistar rats. Animals were subjected to thyroidectomy and resting for 14 days. The alteration of cardiac mass was evaluated by total heart weight (HW), right ventricle weight (RVW), left ventricle weight (LVW), ratio of HW, RVW and LVW to body weight (BW) and atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) expression. Cardiac and plasma Ang II levels and serum T3and T4were determined. The mRNA and protein levels of Ang II receptors were investigated by RT‐PCR and Western blotting, respectively. Functional analyses were performed using binding assays. T3and T4levels and the haemodynamic parameters confirmed the hypothyroid state. HW/BW, RVW/BW and LVW/BW ratios and the ANF expression were lower than those of control animals. No change was observed in cardiac or plasma Ang II levels. Both AT1/AT2 mRNA and protein levels were increased in the heart of hypothyroid animals due to a significant increase of these receptors in the RV. Experiments performed in cardiomyocytes showed a direct effect promoted by low thyroid hormone levels upon AT1 and AT2 receptors, discarding possible influence of haemodynamic parameters. Functional assays showed that both receptors are able to bind Ang II. Herein, we have identified, for the first time, a close and direct relation of elevated Ang II receptor levels in hypothyroidism. Whether the increase in these receptors in hypothyroidism is an alternative mechanism to compensate the atrophic state of heart or whether it may represent a potential means to the progression of heart failure remains unknown.
Surface Energy for Creation of Multiple Curved Cracks in Rubbery Materials
Authors: Chang J. H. , Lin J. S.
Published: May 2007

A fracture parameter Mc is proposed for evaluation of the surface energy associated with the creation of multiple curved cracks in 2D rubbery solids under the action of large deformation. Based on the concept of the M-integral, the parameter is developed by performing the integration along a closed contour enclosing all the cracks and with respect to a reference coordinate system originated at the geometric center of all the crack tips. The integration is shown to be path-independent so that the complicated singular stress field in the near-tip areas need not be involved in the calculation. It is thus suggested that Mc be possibly used as a fracture parameter for describing the degradation of material and∕or structural integrity caused by irreversible evolution of multiple curved cracks in a rubbery media.
Genome-Wide Mapping of in Vivo Protein-DNA Interactions
Authors: Johnson David S. , Mortazavi Ali , Myers Richard M. , Wold Barbara
Published: June 2007

In vivo protein-DNA interactions connect each transcription factor with its direct targets to form a gene network scaffold. To map these protein-DNA interactions comprehensively across entire mammalian genomes, we developed a large-scale chromatin immunoprecipitation assay (ChIPSeq) based on direct ultrahigh-throughput DNA sequencing. This sequence census method was then used to map in vivo binding of the neuron-restrictive silencer factor (NRSF; also known as REST, for repressor element–1 silencing transcription factor) to 1946 locations in the human genome. The data display sharp resolution of binding position [±50 base pairs (bp)], which facilitated our finding motifs and allowed us to identify noncanonical NRSF-binding motifs. These ChIPSeq data also have high sensitivity and specificity [ROC (receiver operator characteristic) area ≥ 0.96] and statistical confidence (
P
<10
–4
), properties that were important for inferring new candidate interactions. These include key transcription factors in the gene network that regulates pancreatic islet cell development.
Now bounded, now immeasurable: perspectives on time in disability, in suffering and at end of life
Authors: Underwood Lynn G
Published: June 2007

Novels, films, poems and visual art can expand our view of time in ways that can be useful in dealing with disability, suffering and end of life. In particular, they can reveal more complex ways to view time. This can be effective both for the person suffering and for those who care for them. Our typical ways of viewing time include linear sequential clock time, which progresses in an evenly parsed, ordered, unidirectional way, and memory or narrative time—time as we remember it. These two ways of viewing time often do not agree. Since these can compete as the best predictors of outcomes in different circumstances, neither can make an exclusive claim to be “real time.” A third view of time that has potential application is one that is multilayered, extending endlessly and evidencing expansiveness in each moment. Examples of the usefulness of this third, more complex view of time in asthma, pain, end of life and disability are presented. The arts can introduce this more complex view in a way that can help one fold it into life. All these ways of viewing time in combination can broaden the perspective clinicians have when co-creating with patients good decisions in difficult situations.
“Medicalisation of falling in love”: medical students’ responses to Thomas Mann’sThe Black Swan
Authors: Lahtinen Aino-Maija , Torppa Martina
Published: June 2007

The value of implementing literature in medical education is widely accepted. The initial responses of medical students to Thomas Mann’s short storyThe Black Swanare described and their resources for making sense of the story are presented. Their written responses revealed that the students interpreted the story mainly through a medical framework and were capable of understanding the story’s complex and existential issues related to medicine. Evident gaps in the students’ interpretations and understanding are discussed and suggestions on using such kinds of intellectual texts in medical teaching are offered.
Venerable or vulnerable: ageing and old age in JRR Tolkien’sThe lord of the rings
Authors: Hogan David B , Clarfield A Mark
Published: June 2007

An underappreciated aspect ofThe lord of the rings(TLOTR) by JRR Tolkien is in how the author dealt with death, longevity and ageing in the work. During his early years, Tolkien endured first the passing of both parents and then the deaths of most of his friends during the First World War. It was not surprising that a search for the meaning of life and death became a preoccupation of Tolkien. Tolkien’s Roman Catholic faith underpinned his thoughts about mortality. He also found solace in Northern myths that held that there was intrinsic worth to courage in the face of our inevitable demise. Along with his colleague, CS Lewis, he took an opposing stand to JBS Haldane, Olaf Stapledon and other precursors of transhumanists, who felt that bioengineering would allow us to extend human life span virtually without limit. Although Tolkien acknowledged the urge to try to escape our mortality,TLOTRis a story about accepting the need to let go with all of the attendant regrets and sorrow.
Dialogue in the narrative process
Authors: Martin Viv
Published: June 2007

This article draws on VM’s doctoral research into the narratives of illness and surgery, and their impact on conceptions of self and life story. This article was the result of conference presentations held during June/July 2005 in Belfast (Arts-Based Educational Research) and Truro (Association of Medical Humanities), UK. The aim of this article is to explore the topic of “dialogue” in the research relationship. This is done primarily through a story,Shoes, butterflies and devils, which is intended to evoke a sense of the relationship between Patricia and VM, through which the connections between the autobiographical roots of her research and Patricia’s experience of kidney failure, dialysis, transplant and heart failure are portrayed. The story is preceded by a brief introduction and account of her methodology, followed by a discussion of some of the conceptual aspects of dialogue that she has tried to highlight in the story.
Fossil flowers and fruits of capsular Myrtaceae from the Eocene of South Australia.
Authors: Basinger J.F. , Greenwood D.R. , Wilson P.G. , Christophel D.C.
Published: June 2007

Flowers and fruits of the Myrtaceae are described from the Middle Eocene Golden Grove locality of South Australia, and the taxon is here named Tristaniandra alleyi gen. et sp.nov. Flowers are pentamerous and perigynous, with sepals, petals, and stamens inserted on the rim of a hypanthium. Filaments are basally fused to form antepetalous stamen bundles, each consisting of about 6–8 stamens. The tricarpellate ovary becomes exserted on maturation, forming a partly exserted, dry fruit with loculicidal dehiscence. These features are typical of capsular-fruited members of the Myrtaceae; in particular, taxa in the tribe Kanieae. While the characteristics of the fossils are not found within any one extant genus, the fossils show some similarity to living species of Tristaniopsis , although the staminal bundles are more comparable to those found in Tristania , which is only distantly related and has a rather different fruit. Capsular-fruited Myrtaceae are now primarily confined to Australasia, and appear to have had a Gondwanic origin in the latest Cretaceous to Paleogene. Nevertheless, as fossil flowers and fruits are rare, and infrafamilial identification of pollen and leaves is difficult, the Paleogene record of capsular Myrtaceae is largely equivocal. The Golden Grove fossils establish a record of the tribe Kanieae within Eocene coastal rainforest vegetation at paleolatitude 55°–58°S during a time of global warmth.
Evidence that branches of evergreen angiosperm and coniferous trees differ in hydraulic conductance but not in Huber values
Authors: Lusk Christopher H. , Jiménez-Castillo Mylthon , Salazar-Ortega Nicolás
Published: June 2007

The hydraulic efficiency conferred by vessels is regarded as one of the key innovations explaining the historical rise of the angiosperms at the expense of the gymnosperms. Few studies, however, have compared the structure and function of xylem and their relationships with foliage traits in evergreen representatives of both groups. We measured sapwood cross-sectional area, conduit diameters, hydraulic conductance, and leaf area of fine branches (2.5–7.5 mm diameter) of five conifers and eight evergreen angiosperm trees in evergreen temperate forests in south-central Chile. Conductance of both lineages was higher at Los Lleuques, a warm temperate site with strong Mediterranean influence, than in a cool temperate rain forest at Puyehue. At a common sapwood cross-sectional area, angiosperm branches at both sites had greater hydraulic conductance (G) than conifers, but similar leaf areas. Branch conductance normalized by subtended leaf area (GL) at both sites was, therefore, higher in angiosperms than in conifers. Hydraulically weighted mean conduit diameters were much larger in angiosperms than in conifers, although this difference was less marked at Puyehue, the cooler of the two sites. Conduits of the vesselless rain forest angiosperm Drimys winteri J.R. & G. Forst were wider than those of coniferous associates, although narrower than angiosperm vessels. However, GL of D. winteri was within the range of values measured for vesselbearing angiosperms at the same site. The observed differences in xylem structure and function correlate with evidence that evergreen angiosperms have higher average stomatal conductance and photosynthetic capacity than their coniferous associates in southern temperate forests. Comparisons of conifers and angiosperm branches thus suggest that the superior capacity of angiosperm conduits is attributable to the development of higher gas-exchange rates per unit leaf area, rather than to a more extensive leaf area. Results also suggest that the tracheary elements of some vesselless angiosperms differ in width and hydraulic efficiency from conifer tracheids.
Thermogenesis in Syngonium (Araceae)
Authors: Chouteau Mathieu , Barabé Denis , Gibernau Marc
Published: June 2007

Floral cycles and spadix temperatures were recorded for two species of Syngonium: Syngonium schottianum Wendl. ex Schott (section Cordatum) and Syngonium angustatum Schott (section Syngonium). Both species exhibited a 3-day flowering cycle, beginning with stigma receptivity and opening of the spathe the first day, the female phase continues over the second day, and the male phase continues over the third day. These species displayed two distinct patterns of heat production during flowering. In S. schottianum, the spadix warmed up twice during the beginning of the second and third nights, but in S. angustatum, the spadix warmed up twice the second day, once the second night, and once the third day. These different thermogenic cycles are discussed in regard to other genera that are phylogenetically close or sharing similar flowering and thermogenic cycles.
Isotopic fractionation of zinc in field grown tomato
Authors: Cavagnaro T.R. , Jackson L.E.
Published: June 2007

Many of the world’s soils are deficient in zinc (Zn), and this has implications for plant and human nutrition. Consequently, there is a need to better understand plant uptake and allocation of Zn. Natural abundances of stable isotopes have been used to gain insight into uptake, assimilation, and allocation of various elements by plants. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was used to study the fractionation of Zn isotopes in the shoots and fruits of mature tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum L.) grown on an organic farm. Effects of mycorrhizal colonization of roots on Zn fractionation were studied by growing a tomato mutant with reduced mycorrhizal colonization, and its mycorrhizal wild-type progenitor. Fruits of both genotypes were enriched in 64Zn and 66Zn and depleted in 67Zn and 68Zn isotopes, based on calculations that expressed the concentration of each isotope as a percentage of total Zn. The reverse was true of the shoots. Furthermore, shoots of the mycorrhizal genotype were very slightly enriched in 64Zn and 66Zn isotopes relative to those of the reduced mycorrhizal colonization genotype. Possible explanations for fractionation of Zn between shoots and fruits, including differential bonding of Zn to cellular components, processes affecting Zn–phytate–protein complexes, and Zn transport and translocation processes are discussed.
Molecular modeling of the mechanical behavior and interactions in dry and slightly hydrated sodium montmorillonite interlayer
Authors: Katti Dinesh R , Schmidt Steven R , Ghosh Pijush , Katti Kalpana S
Published: June 2007

To accurately model and understand the mechanism of the evolution of microstructure during swelling, it is extremely important to model the mechanical response of smectite clay interlayers. The mechanical response of the interlayer of dry and hydrated montmorillonite is evaluated in this paper using steered molecular dynamics simulations. An atomic model of the sodium montmorillonite interlayer is first constructed. Dry montmorillonite and montmorillonite with one monolayer of interlayer water are studied. Using steered molecular dynamics, external forces can be applied to individual atoms to study the response of the model to applied forces. Displacement versus applied stress in the interlayer between clay layers for dry and hydrated conditions is evaluated by applying forces to the surface clay atoms. The paper describes the construction of the model, evaluation of the force field required for steered molecular dynamics simulations, the simulation procedure, and results of the simulations. The simulations not only provide the quantitative stress–deformation relationships but also give an insight into the molecular interactions taking place in dry and hydrated conditions.Key words: montmorillonite, swelling clays, cohesive soils, molecular dynamics, interlayer spacing.
Slope failure characteristics and stabilization methods
Authors: Chen H (Joanna) , Liu S H
Published: June 2007

This paper presents numerical and laboratory experiments to investigate slope failure characteristics and commonly used slope stabilization methods. Using an improved distinct element method, the interparticle adhesive force is incorporated with a modified numerical model to account for the effect of suction. The model is validated through laboratory tilting box tests. Calculated slope failure angles are consistent with experimental observations. Different patterns of slip surface are also identified. Furthermore, the modified numerical model quantifies the micromechanical characteristics of the interparticle network and their evolutions during shear deformation. The calculations show that the maximum ratio of shear stress to normal stress takes place when the contact plane coincides with the mobilized plane, whereas the minimum value occurs when it is parallel to the directions of principal stresses. On this basis, we propose the optimal installation angle of soil nails along the minor principal stress (σ3) direction. The effectiveness of this approach is evaluated through tilting box tests. Two commonly used slope surface stabilization methods are also experimentally investigated.Key words: distinct element method, tilting box test, slip surface, optimal installation angle of soil nails.
Field study of rainfall infiltration into a grassed unsaturated expansive soil slope
Authors: Zhan Tony LT , Ng Charles WW , Fredlund Del G
Published: June 2007

A full-scale field study was conducted to investigate the effects of rainfall infiltration on a natural grassed expansive soil slope in China. A 16 m wide × 28 m long area was selected for instrumentation. The instrumentation included jet-filled tensiometers, moisture probes, a tipping bucket rain gauge, and a vee-notch flow meter. One artificial rainfall event amounting to about 370 mm rain depth in total was applied to the slope. The monitored results suggested that there was about a 3 day delay in the response of surface runoff, pore-water pressure, and water content to the commencement of the simulated rainfall. The depth of influence of the rainfall, depending on the elevation along the slope, ranged from 2.8 to 3.5 m. Positive pore-water pressures were measured within the influence depth, and there existed significant subsurface downslope flow at the end of the simulated rainfall, particularly near the lower part of the slope. A comparison of infiltration rates between the grassed area and a bare area nearby indicated that the presence of grass significantly increased the infiltration rate and reduced surface runoff. The cracks and fissures developed in the unsaturated expansive soil played an important role in the hydrological process.Key words: expansive soil, slope instability, infiltration, vegetation cover, grass, soil suction, water content, unsaturated soil.
ROOM TEMPERATURE FERROMAGNETISM IN (N, Co)-CODOPED ZnO THIN FILMS
Authors: HOU D. L. , YE X. J. , MENG H. J. , ZHAO X. Y. , ZHOU H. J. , LI X. L. , ZHEN C. M. , TANG G. D.
Published: May 2007

A series of nitrogen-doped Zn 0.93 Co 0.07 O thin films grown on glass substrates were prepared by magnetron sputtering, which have shown ferromagnetic property at room temperature. The largest moment of about 4.92 μB/ Co and Curie temperature (T c ) of about 300 K were observed for Zn 0.93 Co 0.07 O thin film. P-type Co -doped ZnO thin films with room temperature ferromagnetism were obtained. We demonstrated a clear correlation between nitrogen and transition temperature and an inverse correlation between nitrogen and magnetization per Co ion.
QUANTUM COLLISIONS IN SEMI-CONSTRAINED STRUCTURES
Authors: MELGÅRD M.
Published: May 2007

The problem of a quantum particle moving in a narrow, bent two-dimensional channel is used to illustrate features of collisions in systems with semi-constrained structures. The collision theory of such systems is developed and, under certain general restrictions on the geometry, the following properties are rigorously established: (1) The (localized) Møller wave operator exist and the S operator is unitary in the scattering channels. (2) The singular spectrum is discrete in intervals away from the continuum thresholds. The discussion is based on a time-dependent approach.