bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Entorhinal verrucae correlate with surface geometry
Authors: Augustinack Jean , Huber Kristen , Postelnicu Gheorghe , Frosch Matthew , Pienaar Rudolph , Fischl Bruce
Published: May 2012

Entorhinal verrucae are unique, small elevations on the surface of entorhinal cortex, formed due to distinctive clustering of large neurons in entorhinal layer II. In Alzheimer’s disease, the verrucae atrophy as a result of neurofibrillary tangle formation and concomitant neuronal loss. Previously, we found significant decreases in verrucae height, width, surface area, and volume even in the mildest stage of Alzheimer’s disease. In this report, we introduce a new method for analyzing verrucae prominence using measures of their curvature. Smoothed surfaces and curvatures were generated using FreeSurfer (http://surfer.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu) from 100 μm3 ex vivo MRI isosurfaces. We examined the positive and negative components of mean curvature AreaNorm(H+/-) and Gaussian curvature AreaNorm(K +/−) in entorhinal cortex. A significant difference was found between entorhinal (n=10) and non-entorhinal cortices (n=9) for both AreaNorm(H+/-) and AreaNorm(K +/−). We also validated our curvature analysis through a comparison with previously published verrucae measures derived from manual labels of individual verrucae. A significant positive correlation was found between mean verrucae height and AreaNorm(H+/-). Both mean verrucae height and volume were significantly positively correlated with AreaNorm(K +/−). These results demonstrate that K and H are accurate metrics for detecting the presence or absence of entorhinal verrucae. Curvature analysis may be a useful and sensitive technique for detecting local surface changes in entorhinal cortex.
Opening a Grave in Antiquity – Formation and Interpretation in the Kingdom of Meroe
Authors: de Voogt Alex , Francigny Vincent
Published: May 2012

During Late Antiquity in the Middle Nile Valley, the cemeteries of the Kingdom of Meroe had their graves visited many times after the first burial took place. Even if robbers left a burial chamber open, it could still be reused soon after for another individual accompanied by a regular funerary ceremony. The term “grave activity” is introduced here to describe any human intervention likely to modify the environment of a tomb. It includes any (re-)opening of the grave related to looting activity or reburial practice. “Grave activity” may affect the structure, the position and presence of one or more bodies as well as the presence (or absence) of funerary deposits. A disturbed grave should be studied by disentangling these activities. This can be achieved with a reconstruction of the chronology and the types of activity as well as the particular consequences of each. While these activities are usually highly confusing to archaeologists, it is shown how a systematic documentation can be used to offer a better understanding and interpretation of Meroitic funerary practices.
Vers Une Réduction Des Préjugés et la Fonte Des Antagonismes: Un Bilan de L'expansion de la Métallurgie du Fer En Afrique Sud-Saharienne
Authors: Clist Bernard
Published: May 2012

E. Zangato’s 2007 book on the Oboui archaeological site in the Central African Republic has been read and commented. This contextualised reading leads to questioning some of the data published in the Journal of African Archaeology in 2010. At that time a very old date for the earliest iron smelting south of the Sahara was suggested. However, a detailed examination of chronological data from West, Central and East Africa leads one to date the more robust evidence for the start of iron smelting after 800 cal BC. Furthermore, important ideas are brought up, amongst others, about the reliability of radiocarbon dating, the required degree of accuracy during archaeological field work and problems of stratigraphy.
Technological and Typological Study of the Upper Capsian Bone Assemblage from SHM-1, Tunisia
Authors: Mulazzani Simone , Sidéra Isabelle
Published: May 2012

Presented here is a study of the bone industry from the Capsian site of SHM-1 in eastern Tunisia, dating from the 7th and 6th millennia BC. In spite of the very fragmentary condition of the 111 specimens analysed, the technological approach adopted — used for the first time in the Maghreb — shows recurrences within the chaines opératoires used in tool production, choice of raw materials, cutting and fashioning techniques, and the morphologies sought. The assemblage mainly consists of pointed tools obtained by grooving ruminant metapodials in two or four pieces, as well as other types peculiar to the North African context. The traits and patterns apparent in the SHM-1 assemblage are also found in other Capsian and Neolithic assemblages, thereby allowing us to make a first characterisation of certain technical and cultural components common to the Capsian tradition.
Filling Gaps in the Protohistory of the Eastern Maghreb: The Althiburos Archaeological Project (El Kef, Tunisia)
Authors: Sanmartí Joan , Kallala Nabil , Belarte Maria Carme , Ramon Joan , Telmini Bouthéina Maraoui , Jornet Rafel , Miniaoui Souad
Published: May 2012

Little is known about the Eastern Maghreb in the second and first millennia BC, except for the very last centuries when classical sources provide some information about the Numidian kingdoms. The survey and excavation of Althiburos and its surroundings have provided valuable data related to the first millennium BC. Occupation of the site dates back to the ninth or tenth century cal BC and continues into Roman times. Archaeobiological data — particularly the evidence of grape, a crop that only provides a return after several years, but thereafter produces fruit for a considerable period — suggest that the population was sedentary from the beginning, and that it probably grew throughout occupation. Iron slag is also present from the eight or tenth century cal BC. The construction of a Punic-type cistern and an impressive defensive wall indicate that the site developed into a city-like settlement by the mid-first millennium BC. While relations with Carthage may have played an important role in this process, we suggest that population growth was the main cause for sedentariness and, later, for the development of cities and the Numidian states. Other important aspects of the project include the typology and dating of pottery, the discovery of small pre-Roman habitation sites, and the dating of a small dolmen and one of the funerary mounds in the city’s surroundings.
"Chinesenesses" Outside Mainland China: Macao and Taiwan through Post-1997 Hong Kong Cinema
Authors: Hongjin He Hilary
Published: May 2012

By examining the filmic representation of Macao and Taiwan in Hong Kong films, mostly released after the 1997 sovereignty transfer, this paper will address the notion of Chineseness in its plural form as associated with different Chinese societies. The purpose is to bring attention to the cosmopolitan side of Chineseness in Hong Kong cinema rather than the mere influence from the Mainland (PRC). I will argue that it is this pluralised, composite Chineseness reflected in Hong Kong cinema that has reinforced its very “Hong Kong-ness” against the impact from the “orthodox” Chineseness of the Mainland. Through a combination of textual and contextual analyses of selected Hong Kong diaspora films respectively set in Macao and Taiwan, this paper aims to provide a general understanding of the imbrications of various Chinese societies within Greater China and, most importantly, the changing role and position of Hong Kong (cinema) within this conceptual China as “one country” before and after it became a special part of the PRC.
Identification and Antibacterial Evaluation of Bioactive Compounds from Garcinia kola (Heckel) Seeds
Authors: Seanego Christinah T. , Ndip Roland N.
Published: May 2012

We assessed the bioactivity of G. kola seeds on Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Plesiomonas shigelloides and Salmonella typhimurium. The crude ethyl acetate, ethanol, methanol, acetone and aqueous extracts were screened by the agar-well diffusion method and their activities were further determined by Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) assays. The extracts were fractionated by Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC). Bioautography was used to assess the activity of the possible classes of compounds present in the more active extracts. Column chromatography was used to purify the active compounds from the mixture, while GC-MS was used to identify the phytocomponents of the fractions. The inhibition zone diameters of the extracts ranged from 0–24 ± 1.1 mm, while MIC and MBC values ranged between 0.04–1.25 mg/mL and 0.081–2.5 mg/mL, respectively. The chloroform/ethyl acetate/formic acid (CEF) solvent system separated more active compounds. The MIC of the fractions ranged between 0.0006–2.5 mg/mL. CEF 3 (F3), CEF 11 (F11) and CEF 12 (F12) revealed the presence of high levels of linoleic acid, 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid and 2,3-dihydro-3,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl ester, respectively. The results obtained from this study justify the use of this plant in traditional medicine and provide leads which could be further exploited for the development of new and potent antimicrobials.
A Kernel Gabor-Based Weighted Region Covariance Matrix for Face Recognition
Authors: Qin Huafeng , Qin Lan , Xue Lian , Li Yantao
Published: May 2012

This paper proposes a novel image region descriptor for face recognition, named kernel Gabor-based weighted region covariance matrix (KGWRCM). As different parts are different effectual in characterizing and recognizing faces, we construct a weighting matrix by computing the similarity of each pixel within a face sample to emphasize features. We then incorporate the weighting matrices into a region covariance matrix, named weighted region covariance matrix (WRCM), to obtain the discriminative features of faces for recognition. Finally, to further preserve discriminative features in higher dimensional space, we develop the kernel Gabor-based weighted region covariance matrix (KGWRCM). Experimental results show that the KGWRCM outperforms other algorithms including the kernel Gabor-based region covariance matrix (KGCRM).
Aquatic Acoustic Metrics Interface Utility for Underwater Sound Monitoring and Analysis
Authors: Ren Huiying , Halvorsen Michele B. , Deng Zhiqun Daniel , Carlson Thomas J.
Published: May 2012

Fishes and marine mammals may suffer a range of potential effects from exposure to intense underwater sound generated by anthropogenic activities such as pile driving, shipping, sonars, and underwater blasting. Several underwater sound recording (USR) devices have been built to acquire samples of the underwater sound generated by anthropogenic activities. Software becomes indispensable for processing and analyzing the audio files recorded by these USRs. In this paper, we provide a detailed description of a new software package, the Aquatic Acoustic Metrics Interface (AAMI), specifically designed for analysis of underwater sound recordings to provide data in metrics that facilitate evaluation of the potential impacts of the sound on aquatic animals. In addition to the basic functions, such as loading and editing audio files recorded by USRs and batch processing of sound files, the software utilizes recording system calibration data to compute important parameters in physical units. The software also facilitates comparison of the noise sound sample metrics with biological measures such as audiograms of the sensitivity of aquatic animals to the sound, integrating various components into a single analytical frame. The features of the AAMI software are discussed, and several case studies are presented to illustrate its functionality.
Princesses de Bactriane ou « Gracieuses mères » trans-élamites?
Authors: Amiet Pierre
Published: May 2012

Résumé Les statuettes composites exclusivement féminines, déposées dans les tombes de Bactriane et Margiane en « Iran Extérieur » trans-élamite, restent énigmatiques. Mais leur similitude avec l’effigie de la reine élamite vêtue de même suggère un rapprochement avec la amma haštuk, « gracieuse Mère » citée par le sukkalmah Temti Agun. Dans cette civilisation urbaine périphérique, on pourrait avoir adopté une telle Mère ainsi statufiée pour protectrice des morts selon une interprétation archaïque du matriarcat élamite incarné par la sœur-épouse du roi d’Élam.
Social change at Emar: The influence of the Hittite occupation on local traditions
Authors: van Exel Vincent J.
Published: May 2012

Résumé Cet article examine l’influence de l’occupation hittite sur les traditions locales à Emar. Deux développements récents nécessitent une nouvelle analyse des découvertes épigraphiques d’Emar. Premièrement, les fouilles de Tell Munbaqa (Ekalte) révèlent plus en détail la structure du pouvoir de la tradition locale, le soi-disant modèle de la «royauté limitée». Deuxièmement, la poursuite des recherches sur la chronologie des textes d’Emar révèle leur potentiel pour mener une analyse historique plus détaillée. Ainsi, l’évolution des pratiques juridiques d’Emar montre comment l’administration hittite a progressivement accru son contrôle sur Emar.
TU 38, its scribe and his family
Authors: Boiy Tom
Published: May 2012

Résumé Plusieurs scribes cunéiformes de la ville d’Uruk de l’époque hellénistique appartiennent à la famille d’Ekur-zakir. En général, la tradition père-fils chez les scribes permet la création des arbres généalogiques des familles des scribes, mais une image exacte est souvent impossible à obtenir à cause de phénomènes d’homonymie et de papponymie. Deux branches de la famille d’Ekur-zakir d’après les colophons des textes canoniques et les formules de datation font l’objet de cette étude. TU 38, un texte canonique comportant un long colophon qui explique l’histoire du texte et qui fait référence à un copiste de la même famille dans le passée, est d’une importance centrale dans cette étude.
De Koloci à la drépanocytose
Authors: Lainé Agnès , Diallo Dapa , Traoré Bakary
Published: May 2012

La drépanocytose affecte 1 à 3 % des nouveau-nés en Afrique subsaharienne. Les situations épidémiologiques et anthropologiques, les politiques de santé inégales d’une région à l’autre depuis plusieurs décennies, font entrevoir l’intérêt d’études situées et historicisées. Dans le contexte de la mise en place d’un centre de recherche et de lutte contre la drépanocytose à Bamako, nous avons étudié en 2007-2008 les interrelations entre les savoirs et le traitement social de cette pathologie, en milieu rural d’une part, urbain d’autre part. Cette recherche, réalisée par entretiens auprès de personnes atteintes, de parents d’enfants atteints, de tradithérapeutes, de personnels biomédicaux et associatifs, révèle l’impact des transformations des savoirs sur le vécu social de la maladie et l’impact de la mondialisation économique et sanitaire sur les trajectoires familiales. Elle plaide pour la prise en compte des contextes sociaux dans les orientations de santé publique et les actions de communication.
La méningite « prise en grippe » ?
Authors: Thiongane Oumy
Published: May 2012

La maîtrise des problèmes de santé publique au Niger est conditionnée aux exigences des institutions internationales compétentes dans le domaine sanitaire. Alors qu’on pourrait s’attendre à ce que ces exigences soient d’ordre pratique, elles façonnent également la représentation du risque épidémique. A travers l’ethnographie de prise de décision au sein d’un comité d’experts nigériens et européens au moment de la pandémie annoncée de grippe AH1N1, et pendant l’épidémie de méningite la plus importante connue au Niger depuis plus d’une décennie, cet article met en lumière les représentations différentes du risque. Il montre que des logiques conflictuelles président à la gestion des épidémies et que l’enjeu fondamental réside dans l’existence et la mise à disposition des ressources permettant de maîtriser les maladies infectieuses. Cette étape dépend fortement de la manière dont les institutions internationales se représentent le risque sanitaire. En outre, la question du paradigme de la préparation à l’épidémie de méningite est confrontée à des contingences souvent construites.
Science Popularization by Organizing Training Activities Within the Electronic Game Laboratories
Authors: Pozdnyakov S. N. , Posov I. A. , Pukhov A. F. , Tsvetkova I. V.
Published: May 2012

The article describes the history of the knowledge popularization in Russia and the current situation in this domain with the impact of rapidly developing computer technologies. The article also introduces the Construct, Test, Explore (CTE) contest aimed to take students into the scientific phenomena through the game laboratories illustrating the unsolved and difficult problems of mathematics, informatics, and physics. The CTE School project based on the contest ideas is devoted to learning basic algorithms from the theory of information or discrete mathematics through training experiments.
Educational Chances for Cultural Expressions out of the New Technologies
Authors: Proietti Enrico
Published: May 2012

The European Commission faced the subject of educational relation between new media technologies and expressions of culture in order to adopt pondered policies. This article reports on the proceedings of an Open Method of Coordination Working Group, whose task has been to study the synergies between education and culture, regarding the new methods of artistic and cultural education provided by new technologies. By illustrating the debate on Media Literacy across Europe, it shows the specific recommendations expressed by the Group. Special focus is given on the educational application of new technologies to cultural heritage. By using this paratextual tool society could improve comprehension. As happened during a workshop of the Working Group, this paper focuses on the educational significance of using archaeological contexts. The necessary mental attitude to imagine and reconstruct past exteriorities involves a lot of contexts, above all the virtual one.
Drilling Optimization via Particle Swarm Optimization
Authors: Ting T. O. , Lee T. S.
Published: May 2012

The drilling process based on Material Reduction Rate (MRR) is modeled in this work. The modeling of this process is rather time-consuming and expensive as it involves 32 experiments with appropriate apparatus. Having had the model, the authors employed the well-known algorithm, namely Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) to solve the maximization problem with some constraints present. All the results obtained showed non-violation to the constraints imposed. It means the solutions found are all feasible. The developed program may be useful for some practical purposes such as estimating the drilling duration, proper time to change the drill etc.
The Influence of Taxon Sampling and Tree Shape on Molecular Dating: An Empirical Example from Mammalian Mitochondrial Genomes
Authors: Soares André E.R. , Schrago Carlos G.
Published: May 2012

Over the last decade, molecular dating methods have been among the most studied subjects in statistical phylogenetics. Although the evolutionary modelling of substitution rates and the handling of calibration information are the primary focus of species divergence time research, parameters that influence topological estimation, such as taxon sampling and tree shape, also have the potential to influence evolutionary age estimates. However, the impact of topological parameters on chronological estimates is rarely considered. In this study, we use mitochondrial genomes to evaluate the influence of tree shape and taxon sampling on the divergence times of selected nodes of the mammalian tree. Our results show that taxon sampling affects divergence time estimates; the credibility intervals for age estimates decrease as taxonomic sampling increases (i.e., estimates become more precise). The influence of taxonomic sampling was not observed on nodes that lay deep in the mammalian phylogeny, although the means of the posterior distributions tend to converge with increased taxon sampling, an effect that is independent of the location of the node. In the majority of cases, the effect of tree shape was negligible.
Elucidating a Cornish Ethnie: The Argument for Mixed Method
Authors: Husk Kerryn
Published: May 2012

This paper examines the discrepancies between phases of research into an emerging small-scale ethnic group in the UK. Whilst top level indications using large-scale survey data produced sociologically relevant findings about the group it was not until the analysis of subsequent qualitative interview data that a more comprehensive picture emerged. Links between ethnicity and social exclusion are demonstrably strong, particularly in areas of disadvantage (Sanchez-Perez, Morales and Jansa, 2005) and the Cornish potentially represent just such a case. Initial quantitative analyses of primary and secondary survey data indicated little significant link between ethnic group affiliation and social exclusion factors. However a more interesting discrepancy between the belief of exclusion and the reality emerged during a stage of qualitative interviews. This paper contributes to the literature critical of methodological exclusivism and towards triangulated, mixed methodologies.
Revisiting the Archives: A case study from the history of geriatric medicine
Authors: Bornat Joanna , Raghuram Parvati , Henry Leroi
Published: May 2012

Using two data sets in parallel, generated at different times by different researchers, the case is made for the re-use of archived qualitative data. Two sets of oral history interviews one, dating from 1990-1, with doctors and others who pioneered the development of the geriatric specialty in the early years of the National Health Service, the other, ESRC funded during 2007-9, with South Asian doctors who came to work in the UK and found work in geriatric medicine, are subjected to parallel investigation. The article argues that by considering the two sets of interviews together, each informs the other, leading to reconceptualisation and unexpected links between the data sets, new research questions and finally suggests additional dimensions to issues relating to the ethics of secondary analysis.
Cosmology and Society: Developing a Bourdieusian Perspective
Authors: Dickens Peter
Published: May 2012

Contemporary sociology has paid very little attention to cosmology. But, like all forms of intellectual endeavour, cosmology is a product of society. Using insights from Bourdieu's social theory, this paper shows how cosmologies are invested in by owners of economic capital seeking power and social status. There are also important dialectical relations between economic patronage and cosmology, cosmologies resonating in different ways with the economic interests patronising them. These assertions are made using three case studies: Renaissance Europe, 17th century England and 20th century U.S.A. The selection of these case studies has been based on two connected criteria. First, as Arrighi (2010) outlines, there has been ‘a recurrent pattern of historical capitalism’ whereby phases of stable growth based on technological innovation alternate with periods of crisis and the rise of a new economic, social and technological regime. The case-study areas examined here have been made the nodal-points of these cycles of accumulation and financial investment. Local elites, business organisations and governments have organised the expansion and restructuring of their economy and have used regional economic expansion to promote and display their power and cultural capital. This brings us to the second reason for choosing the particular case studies examined here. Advances in scientific capital (including astronomy and cosmology) have often corresponded with these macrosocial changes and investments. A macro-perspective such as that of Arrighi does little to show how ‘economic capital’ is used by particular people and institutions in particular regions to enhance their power and prestige. But a Bourdieusian perspective can show which elites (owners of economic, social and symbolic capital) control, and are controlled by, these global economic shocks.
Hopes for the Future: Parents’ and Children's Narratives of Children's Future Employment Orientations
Authors: Harden Jeni , Backett-Milburn Kathryn , Maclean Alice , Jamieson Lynn
Published: May 2012

‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ is a question often asked of children yet little is known about how children and their parents think about their future in terms of employment. This paper, based on qualitative longitudinal research with 14 families, explores children's and parents’ narratives about children's employment futures, illuminating the values, social relations and structures through which such narratives are formed. The paper reflects on the extent to which children's present lives are future orientated and the ways this future orientation manifests itself in everyday life. The findings highlight the hopes expressed by parents and the nature of parental influence in shaping their children's futures. While children's futures were not developed as precise plans, there were many ways in which they were being ‘planned’. Choices were expanded or narrowed and trajectories mapped out through parents’ and children's hopes, dreams and assumptions for what the future would hold. This ‘planning’ was framed by the families’ individualised biographies and their socio-economic position.
An Empirical Study on Xenophobia in Almeria (Spain)
Authors: De Rafael Gonzalo Herranz
Published: May 2012

This article examines the existence of xenophobia in ten census tracts, each with the greatest and lowest density of immigration in the city of Almeria. The study shows that immigration density encourages xenophobic attitudes and behaviours within the population, as well as segmentation according to the immigrant's place of origin. This paper presents a descriptive and explanatory analysis of xenophobia. The descriptive analysis profiles the most and least xenophobic areas in Almeria. The explanatory analysis uses five models of Pearson's correlations for socio-demographic variables and attitudes toward immigration (independent variables) and the xenophobia index (dependent variable) to test which variables best explain the level of xenophobia in Almeria. It was found that the cognitive level or beliefs about specific aspects of immigration have a high degree of explanatory power in addressing variation in the degree of xenophobia.
Latino/a Immigrant Street Vendors in Los Angeles: Photo-Documenting Sidewalks from ‘Back-Home’
Authors: Muñoz Lorena
Published: May 2012

Street vending in Los Angeles is reconfigured, organized, and supported through the daily practices of Latina/o immigrants. Vendors physically transform the streets into public markets, utilizing sidewalks, fences, walls, parking lots, and benches in immigrant receiving neighbourhoods in Los Angeles. Street vending, as the most visual occupation of the informal economy, vendors depend on their visibility to be successful entrepreneurs, while as immigrants negotiate on going surveillance and policing of their bodies by the state and its apparatus. In this paper, I explore how the informal landscapes inhabited by Latina/o immigrants can be better understood through a process of visualisation. It is my argument that through the use of still photography as part of the research process, we can comprehend more fully how Latino immigrant's racialized bodies and their use of public space are visual processes integral to the production of ephemeral street vending landscapes in Los Angeles.
Engaging with a World outside of Ourselves: Vistas of Flatness, Children's Work and the Urban Informal Economy
Authors: Mizen Phillip , Ofosu-Kusi Yaw
Published: May 2012

This paper considers the work and labour of children living on the streets of Accra, Ghana. It does so in two distinctive ways. First, it considers how the children's photographs of a day or two in their working lives, and the dialogues that go on in, through and around them, may contribute to the making of strong sociological arguments about children's work. In so doing, this paper elaborates the connections between visual sociology and realist traditions of photography, and argues that photographs can contribute distinctive and novel sources of insight into working children's lives and a powerful, humanising media of dissemination. Second, these arguments are then deployed to examine street children's experiences of work. Conceptualised in terms of its ‘flatness’, the paper explores the informal means of regulation through which the children are locked into types of working that prove difficult to escape.
Global modeling of SOA formation from dicarbonyls, epoxides, organic nitrates and peroxides
Authors: Lin G. , Penner J. E. , Sillman S. , Taraborrelli D. , Lelieveld J.
Published: May 2012

Abstract. Recent experimental findings indicate that secondary organic aerosol (SOA) represents an important and, under many circumstances, the major fraction of the organic aerosol burden. Here, we use a global 3-D model (IMPACT) to test the results of different mechanisms for the production of SOA. The basic mechanism includes SOA formation from organic nitrates and peroxides produced from an explicit chemical formulation, using partition coefficients based on thermodynamic principles together with assumptions for the rate of formation of low-volatility oligomers. We also include the formation of low-volatility SOA from the reaction of glyoxal and methylglyoxal on aqueous aerosols and cloud droplets as well as from the reaction of epoxides on aqueous aerosols. A model simulation including these SOA formation mechanisms gives an annual global SOA production of 120.5 Tg. The global production of SOA is decreased substantially to 90.8 Tg yr−1 if the HOx regeneration mechanism proposed by Peeters et al. (2009) is used. Model predictions with and without this HOx (OH and HO2 regeneration scheme are compared with multiple surface observation datasets, namely: the Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) for the United States, the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP), and aerosol mass spectrometry (AMS) data measured in both the Northern Hemisphere and tropical forest regions. All model simulations show reasonable agreement with the organic carbon mass observed in the IMPROVE network and the AMS dataset, however observations in Europe are significantly underestimated, which may be caused by an underestimation of primary organic aerosol emissions (POA) in winter and of emissions and/or SOA production in the summer. The modeled organic aerosol concentrations tend to be higher by roughly a factor of three when compared with measurements at three tropical forest sites. This overestimate suggests that more measurements and model studies are needed to examine the formation of organic aerosols in the tropics. The modeled organic carbon (OC) in the free troposphere is in agreement with measurements in the ITCT-2K4 aircraft campaign over North America and in pollution layers off Asia during the INTEX-B campaign, although the model underestimates OC in the free troposphere in comparison with the ACE-Asia campaign off the coast of Japan.
Microphysical simulations of sulfur burdens from stratospheric sulfur geoengineering
Authors: English J. M. , Toon O. B. , Mills M. J.
Published: May 2012

Abstract. Recent microphysical studies suggest that geoengineering by continuous stratospheric injection of SO2 gas may be limited by the growth of the aerosols. We study the efficacy of SO2, H2SO4 and aerosol injections on aerosol mass and optical depth using a three-dimensional general circulation model with sulfur chemistry and sectional aerosol microphysics (WACCM/CARMA). We find increasing injection rates of SO2 in a narrow band around the equator to have limited efficacy while broadening the injecting zone as well as injecting particles instead of SO2 gas increases the sulfate burden for a given injection rate, in agreement with previous work. We find that injecting H2SO4 gas instead of SO2 does not discernibly alter sulfate size or mass, in contrast with a previous study using a plume model with a microphysical model. However, the physics and chemistry in aircraft plumes, which are smaller than climate model grid cells, need to be more carefully considered. We also find significant perturbations to tropospheric aerosol for all injections studied, particularly in the upper troposphere and near the poles, where sulfate burden increases by up to 100 times. This enhanced burden could have implications for tropospheric radiative forcing and chemistry. These results highlight the need to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions rather than attempt to cool the planet through geoengineering, and to further study geoengineering before it can be seriously considered as a climate intervention option.
Retrieval of tropospheric CO column from hyperspectral infrared sounders – application to four years of Aqua/AIRS and MetOp-A/IASI
Authors: Thonat T. , Crevoisier C. , Scott N. A. , Chédin A. , Schuck T. , Armante R. , Crépeau L.
Published: May 2012

Abstract. Four years of tropospheric integrated content of CO are retrieved from infrared hyperspectral observations of AIRS onboard Aqua and IASI onboard MetOp-A, for the period July 2007–June 2011. The retrieval method is based on a double differential approach that relies on the difference between brightness temperatures (BT) observed by the sounder and BT simulated by the 4A radiative transfer model on collocated ECMWF reanalyses, for several couples of channels located in the 4.7 μm CO band. AIRS and IASI give access to similar integrated contents of CO with a maximum sensitivity near 450 hPa and half a maximum between 200 and 750 hPa depending on the thermal contrast (i.e. the difference between the surface temperature and the temperature of the first pressure level). However, differences in their spectral and radiometric characteristics yield differences in the retrieval characteristics with AIRS selected couples of channels being more sensitive to surface characteristics. Moreover, IASI covers the whole CO absorption band, with a 3 times greater spectral resolution, giving access to channels presenting a 3 times higher signal to noise ratio. This results in a better precision and lower standard deviation of the IASI retrievals. Conservatively, comparisons with CARIBIC aircraft measurements yield a relative difference of 3.42% for IASI and 4.92% for AIRS. On average, AIRS and IASI retrievals are in very good agreement, showing the same seasonality, seasonal amplitudes, interannual variability and spatial distribution. The analysis of the monthly evolution of CO particularly highlights the strong influence of biomass burning on the evolution of CO in several tropical regions. In particular, a sharp increase in CO in 2010 in the southern tropics, especially over South America and South Africa, is observed, and is shown to be related to El Niño and to the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation.
Productivity response of calcareous nannoplankton to Eocene Thermal Maximum 2 (ETM2)
Authors: Dedert M. , Stoll H. M. , Kroon D. , Shimizu N. , Kanamaru K. , Ziveri P.
Published: May 2012

Abstract. The Early Eocene Thermal Maximum 2 (ETM2) at ~53.7 Ma is one of multiple hyperthermal events that followed the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM, ~56 Ma). The negative carbon excursion and deep ocean carbonate dissolution which occurred during the event imply that a substantial amount (103 Gt) of carbon (C) was added to the ocean-atmosphere system, consequently increasing atmospheric CO2(pCO2). This makes the event relevant to the current scenario of anthropogenic CO2 additions and global change. Resulting changes in ocean stratification and pH, as well as changes in exogenic cycles which supply nutrients to the ocean, may have affected the productivity of marine phytoplankton, especially calcifying phytoplankton. Changes in productivity, in turn, may affect the rate of sequestration of excess CO2 in the deep ocean and sediments. In order to reconstruct the productivity response by calcareous nannoplankton to ETM2 in the South Atlantic (Site 1265) and North Pacific (Site 1209), we employ the coccolith Sr/Ca productivity proxy with analysis of well-preserved picked monogeneric populations by ion probe supplemented by analysis of various size fractions of nannofossil sediments by ICP-AES. The former technique of measuring Sr/Ca in selected nannofossil populations using the ion probe circumvents possible contamination with secondary calcite. Avoiding such contamination is important for an accurate interpretation of the nannoplankton productivity record, since diagenetic processes can bias the productivity signal, as we demonstrate for Sr/Ca measurements in the fine (<20 μm) and other size fractions obtained from bulk sediments from Site 1265. At this site, the paleoproductivity signal as reconstructed from the Sr/Ca appears to be governed by cyclic changes, possibly orbital forcing, resulting in a 20–30% variability in Sr/Ca in dominant genera as obtained by ion probe. The ~13 to 21% increase in Sr/Ca above the cyclic background conditions as measured by ion probe in dominating genera may result from a slightly elevated productivity during ETM2. This high productivity phase is probably the result of enhanced nutrient supply either from land or from upwelling. The ion probe results show that calcareous nannoplankton productivity was not reduced by environmental conditions accompanying ETM2 at Site 1265, but imply an overall sustained productivity and potentially a small productivity increase during the extreme climatic conditions of ETM2 in this portion of the South Atlantic. However, in the open oceanic setting of Site 1209, a significant decrease in dominant genera Sr/Ca is observed, indicating reduced productivity.
Ecological adaptation as an important factor in environmental flow assessments based on an integrated multi-objective method
Authors: Sun T. , Xu J. , Yang Z. F.
Published: May 2012

Abstract. An integrated multi-objective method for environmental flow assessments was developed that considered adaptation as a pivotal factor affecting how ecosystems respond to hydrological alterations. Responses of habitat area, and the magnitude of those responses as a result of fluctuations in river discharge, were established. The requirements of typical migrated species during pivotal life-stage seasons (e.g. reproduction and juvenile growth) were integrated into the flow-needs assessment. Critical environmental flows for a typical species were defined based on two primary objectives: (1) high level of habitat area and (2) low variability. After integrating the water requirements for various species with the maximum acceptable discharge boundary, appropriate temporal limits of environmental flows for ecosystems were recommended. The method was applied in the Yellow River Estuary in Eastern Shandong province, China. Our data show that, while recommended environmental flows established with ecological adaptation in mind may not necessarily benefit short-term survival of a typical resident organism on a limited temporal or spatial scale, they may encourage long-term, stable biodiversity and ecosystem health. Thus, short-term ecosystem losses are compensated by significant long-term gains.
Joint return periods in hydrology: a critical and practical review focusing on synthetic design hydrograph estimation
Authors: Vandenberghe S. , van den Berg M. J. , Gräler B. , Petroselli A. , Grimaldi S. , De Baets B. , Verhoest N. E. C.
Published: May 2012

Abstract. Most of the hydrological and hydraulic studies refer to the notion of a return period to quantify design variables. When dealing with multiple design variables, the well-known univariate statistical analysis is no longer satisfactory and several issues challenge the practitioner. How should one incorporate the dependence between variables? How should the joint return period be defined and applied? In this study, an overview of the state-of-the-art for defining joint return periods is given. The construction of multivariate distribution functions is done through the use of copulas, given their practicality in multivariate frequency analysis and their ability to model numerous types of dependence structures in a flexible way. A case study focusing on the selection of design hydrograph characteristics is presented and the design values of a three-dimensional phenomenon composed of peak discharge, volume and duration are derived. Joint return period methods based on regression analysis, bivariate conditional distributions, bivariate joint distributions, and Kendal distribution functions are investigated and compared highlighting theoretical and practical issues of multivariate frequency analysis. Also an ensemble-based method is introduced. For a given design return period, the method chosen clearly affects the calculated design event. Eventually, light is shed on the practical implications of a chosen method.
Urban vulnerability and resilience within the context of climate change
Authors: Tromeur E. , Ménard R. , Bailly J.-B. , Soulié C.
Published: May 2012

Abstract. Natural hazards, due to climate change, are particularly damaging in urban areas because of interdependencies of their networks. So, urban resilience has to face up to climate risks. The most impacting phenomenon is the urban heat island (UHI) effect. The storage capacity of heat is depending on shapes of buildings, public spaces, spatial organization, transport or even industrial activities. So, adaptive strategies for improving urban climate could be possible in different ways. In the framework of the French project Resilis, this study characterises urban vulnerability and resilience in terms of energy needs of buildings and outside urban comfort according to the IPCC carbon dioxide emission scenarios B2 and A2 for the period 2050–2100 for 10 French cities. The evolutions of four climate indicators in terms of heating and cooling needs and number of hours when the temperature is above 28 °C are then obtained for each city to analyse climate risks and their impacts in urban environment.
Genetic Diversity of Colletotrichum spp. an Endophytic Fungi in a Medicinal Plant, Brazilian Pepper Tree
Authors: Lima J. S. , Figueiredo J. G. , Gomes R. G. , Stringari D. , Goulin E. H. , Adamoski D. , Kava-Cordeiro V. , Galli-Terasawa L. V. , Glienke C.
Published: May 2012

In this study, we reported thirty-nine endophytic fungi identified as Colletotrichum spp. associated with Brazilian pepper tree or aroeira (Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi. Anacardiaceae) in Paraná state, Brazil. These endophytes were identified by morphological and molecular methods, using PCR taxon-specific with CaInt/ITS4, CgInt/ITS4, and Col1/ITS4 primers, which amplify specific bands in C. acutatum, C. gloeosporioides lato sensu, and Colletotrichum boninensis, respectively, and by DNA sequence analysis of the nrDNA internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1, 5.8S, ITS2). We also assayed the presence of dsRNA particles in Colletotrichum spp. isolates. Combining both morphological characters and molecular data, we identified the species C. gloeosporioides, C. boninense, and C. simmondsii. However, we found a high genetic variability intraspecific in C. gloeosporioides which suggests the existence of several other species. Bands of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) were detected in three of thirty-nine isolates. Identity of these bands was confirmed by RNAse, DNAse, and S1 nuclease treatments for the isolates LGMF633, LGMF726, and LGMF729. This is the first study reporting these particles of dsRNA in C. gloeosporioides.
Role of the Juncturae Tendinum in Preventing Radial Subluxation of the Extensor Communis Tendons after Ulnar Sagittal Band Rupture: A Cadaveric Study
Authors: Farrar N. Greville , Kundra Amrit
Published: May 2012

Background. Radial subluxation of the extensor communis tendons at the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints is a rarely reportedvinjury. These injuries have proved difficult to reproduce in cadaveric studies and have a low biomechanical likelihood of occurrence due to the ulnar direction of pull of the extensor communis tendons. It has been suggested that the juncturae tendinum may have a stabilising role, preventing radial subluxation after ulnar sagittal band rupture; however this has not been established. Methods. 40 cadaveric digits were dissected to reveal the extensor mechanism around the MCP joints. The ulnar sagittal bands were released and then the juncturae tendinum divided, in stages, before observing for radial subluxation or dislocation during finger flexion. Results. Radial subluxation of the extensor tendon was observed in only one digit after complete ulnar sagisttal band release. When all the fingers were flexed, after the juncturae tendinorum were divided, four additional tendons subluxed radially and a fifth tendon dislocated in this direction. When the digits were then flexed individually, there were eight unstable tendons in total. Conclusions. The juncturae tendinum appear to have a role in stabilising the extensor communis tendons at the MCP joints and preventing radial subluxation after ulnar sagittal band rupture.
Perceived Barriers to Success for Minority Nursing Students: An Integrative Review
Authors: Loftin Collette , Newman Susan D. , Dumas Bonnie P. , Gilden Gail , Bond Mary Lou
Published: May 2012

The objective of this paper was to identify barriers to successful program completion faced by underrepresented minority nursing students. This paper reveals that minority nursing student’s face multiple barriers to success including lack of financial support, inadequate emotional and moral support, as well as insufficient academic advising, program mentoring, technical support, and professional socialization. An additional theme—a resolve to succeed in spite of the identified barriers—was identified. This body of literature focuses solely on successful minority students’ experiences, revealing a significant gap in the research. The findings of this paper highlight the need to create and maintain nursing programs capable of aggressively supporting minority student needs. Recommendations for future research are included.
Survival of Dopaminergic Amacrine Cells after Near-Infrared Light Treatment in MPTP-Treated Mice
Authors: Peoples Cassandra , Shaw Victoria E. , Stone Jonathan , Jeffery Glen , Baker Gary E. , Mitrofanis John
Published: May 2012

We examined whether near-infrared light (NIr) treatment (photobiomodulation) saves dopaminergic amacrine cells of the retina in an acute and a chronic 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) mouse model of Parkinson disease. For the acute model, BALB/c mice had MPTP (100 mg/kg) or saline injections over 30 hours, followed by a six-day-survival period. For the chronic model, mice had MPTP (200 mg/kg) or saline injections over five weeks, followed by a three-week-survival period. NIr treatment was applied either at the same time (simultaneous series) or well after (posttreatment series) the MPTP insult. There were four groups within each series: Saline, Saline-NIr, MPTP, and MPTP-NIr. Retinae were processed for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunochemistry, and cell number was analysed. In the MPTP groups, there was a significant reduction in TH+ cell number compared to the saline controls; this reduction was greater in the acute (~50%) compared to the chronic (~30%) cases. In the MPTP-NIr groups, there were significantly more TH+ cells than in the MPTP groups of both series (~30%). In summary, we showed that NIr treatment was able to both protect (simultaneous series) and rescue (posttreatment series) TH+ cells of the retina from parkinsonian insult.