bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A review of the health effects of energy conserving materials.
Authors: Levin L , Purdom P W
Published: November 2008

The energy conservation movement has promoted both greater use of insulating materials and the reduction of heat losses by sealing air leaks. The release of volatile or airborne materials from the installation of these building materials under these conditions has resulted in an exacerbated indoor air pollution with the potential for certain health and safety hazards. Consequently, a comparative review of the health and safety hazards, exposure standards, and regulatory action associated with the more commonly used insulating materials with particular respect to current energy conservation measures was undertaken. The materials reviewed included asbestos, urea-formaldehyde foam, polyvinyl chloride, cellulosic insulations, fibrous glass, mineral wool, and vermiculite. Although no longer used, the past installation of asbestos in a friable form is the greatest potential health hazard. The exposure to formaldehyde gas from its release from urea-formaldehyde foam has elicited subjective complaints of sensory irritation and unresolved controversy and regulatory action regarding its toxicity to humans. Lesser health problems have been associated with the more widely used fibrous glass and mineral or rock wools.
The role of treponemal tests in therapeutic decision making.
Authors: Hart G
Published: November 2008

As part of process evaluation of a syphilis control program, the predictability of serologic tests was assessed by reviewing the primary care case records (containing serology findings on 5,643 sera) of all individuals in six aboriginal communities. The direct relationship of predictability to positivity of treponemal test was influenced by the Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) titre and when results were stratified by this variable, an inverse association of predictive value with levels of positivity of treponemal test was demonstrated. The predictive values positive of the FTA-ABS-IgM test for untreated disease was 0.31 for VDRL titres of 1:4 and increased to 0.84 for VDRL titres exceeding 1:16. The predictive value of treponemal tests would be increased by more restrictive criteria for their performance, and optimum interpretation demands concurrent assessment of VDRL titre, and clinical and epidemiological background of the individual patient. This type of evaluation on individual control programs is encouraged because the quantitative findings will vary with disease prevalence, testing criteria, and the individual laboratory testing performance.
Assessing the impact of copayment on family planning services: a preliminary analysis in California.
Authors: Aved B M , Harp V
Published: November 2008

A legislatively mandated copayment system for California state-funded family planning services was evaluated after the first six months of experience. Most clients reportedly could make their payments, but three times as many providers suggested lowering the fees as suggested raising them, and one-third reported a decrease in client donations. While the majority of providers did not report a decrease in clients, 22 per cent did so. For these drop-outs, it is estimated that the State would pay approximately $3 million in costs associated with unintended pregnancies, or one and a half times the amount cut from the Family Planning budget.
Location decisions of National Health Service Corps physicians.
Authors: Stamps P L , Kuriger F H
Published: November 2008

Results of a survey of 100 National Health Service Corps (NHSC) physicians in 10 east coast states (94 per cent response rate) indicate that 56 have plans to locate in a rural area after their service obligation is complete and 15 have not yet decided. Those who decide for a rural practice value personal and community factors to a higher degree than professional factors and are more likely to have a primary care practice.
The role of motor vehicle crashes in causing certain injuries.
Authors: Fife D , Ginsburg M , Boynton W
Published: November 2008

Hospital discharge data from Rhode Island were used to assess the role of motor vehicle crashes in causing several types of serious injuries. Motor vehicle crashes were the cause of injury for approximately two-thirds of patients hospitalized with injuries to the chest organs, liver, and spleen, and approximately one-third of those with traumatic pneumothorax or hemothorax, and injuries to the head, kidney, intestine, distal femur, pelvis, and patella.
Utilization and cost of ambulatory care services of Medicaid recipients, Bronx.
Authors: Lee J , Morehead M A
Published: November 2008

The Bronx Professional Standards Review Organization (BPSRO) analyzed 1979-80 ambulatory claims for South Bronx Medicaid recipients. An estimated 87 per cent of Medicaid eligibles were users of care with an average of 11.2 visits a year, compared to an average of 9.8 visits for the Bronx Medicaid population. Shared Health Facilities (Medicaid Mills) were the principle providers of care. Two-thirds of the costs were generated by one-fourth of the patients who made more than 10 visits each a year. PBSRO concluded the South Bronx does not lack health care resources for the Medicaid recipient and that public policy and patients would benefit by concentrating reforms on high utilizers and provision of care for the near poor.
Fulfillment of patient requests in a general medicine clinic.
Authors: Uhlmann R F , Carter W B , Inui T S
Published: November 2008

For initial visits to a longitudinal-care internal medicine clinic, we elicited patients' requests for problems to be addressed, measured patients' assessments of request fulfillment, and determined correlates of request fulfillment. Patients rated all requests as fulfilled in 62 of 71 cases (87 per cent). Fewer pre-encounter patient-reported problems, discretionary features of the doctor-patient encounter including more time spent eliciting history of present illness, and greater completeness of laboratory testing were associated with request fulfillment.
IUD-associated hospitalization in less developed countries.
Authors: Chi I C , Laufe L , Rogers S
Published: November 2008

Data on 11,977 insertions of an intrauterine device (IUD) from 25 collaborating centers in 16 less developed countries (LDCs) were investigated for IUD-associated hospitalizations. These centers maintained regular follow-up and reported at least one hospitalization among their IUD cases. The Lippes Loop, Copper T, Delta Loop, and Delta T were the most commonly used devices, and three-fourths of all devices were inserted in postpartum women. Fifty-five of the 128 reported subsequent hospitalizations were associated with IUD use. Main indications for IUD-associated hospitalizations were pelvic infection, bleeding/pain, and method failure. Statistically significant differences were not detected in the three-month gross cumulative rates for hospitalizations due to IUD complications by age (less than 30 vs 30+), parity (0-1 vs 2+), or device type (Lippes Loop and Copper T vs Delta devices vs others). Three types of IUD-associated hospitalization rates were calculated, each involving a margin of error: 1) a Pearl rate of 8.0 per 1,000 woman-years of IUD use; 2) a one-year life table rate of 6.3 per 1,000 insertions; and 3) crude rates ranging from 3.2 to 4.6 per 1,000 cases.
Users of coin-operated computerized sphygmomanometry and reasons for utilization: a descriptive study.
Authors: Moore P V , Flynn J B
Published: November 2008

A sample of 209 users of coin-operated computerized sphygmomanometers were interviewed during randomly selected hours. Follow-up phone contact was made to determine if any health care action was taken as a result of the blood pressure reading. Results suggest that when used in conjunction with the guidance of a physician or nurse, coin-operated computerized blood pressure machines may help individuals be active participants in the control of high blood pressures.
Hospital-sponsored primary care: II. Impact on patient access.
Authors: Aday L A , Andersen R , Loevy S S , Kremer B
Published: November 2008

This article, the second of two, considers the impact of a nationwide demonstration of 53 community hospital sponsored group practices (CHPs). Surveys of a sample of the communities in which the CHPs were introduced suggest that about half of the communities were socioeconomically and, to some extent, medically disadvantaged. The CHPs tended to attract people who had previously not had a regular source of care or who used hospital outpatient departments or emergency rooms, as well as patients of established primary care physicians. Access to care and satisfaction appeared to be as good or better for CHP patients compared to regular patients of physicians in the target areas. The programs did not increase the use of inpatient services, emergency rooms, or hospital outpatient departments. The findings suggest that at present community hospital sponsored group practices would not have a profound effect on access to care if adopted nationally, but that targeted implementation by hospitals in lower income and minority communities can improve patient opportunities for appropriate primary care services.
A focused approach to quality of care assessment in family planning.
Authors: Hirschhorn N , Goldy A S , Plager B , Bell P , Brier J , Parenteau T , McIntosh E N , Robbins J
Published: November 2008

An approach to quality of care assessment for family planning based on management-by-objectives has been tested in 18 clinics. Key indicator standards were developed by the family planning agencies themselves and objective survey instruments designed to measure performance against the standards. Results were made available quickly to each clinic and led to operational changes in the majority, with evidence of improved performance and willingness to use evaluation of care as a means for clinic management. Analyses of the aggregated data showed wide variations in performance over several indices of care.
The use of comparability ratios to adjust hospital trend data.
Authors: Gee S C , Page W F
Published: November 2008

Hospital trend data may be affected by changes in diagnostic coding schemes. We studied the change from ICDA-8 (I-8) to ICD-9-CM (I-9) in a sample of roughly 13,600 double-coded Veterans Administration hospital diagnoses. Comparability ratios were computed and used to adjust trend data which overlap the time period when the shift from I-8 to I-9 occurred. With this adjustment for change in diagnostic coding scheme, apparent diagnostic trends are substantially altered.
Patterns of contraceptive method of use by California family planning clinic clients, 1976-84.
Authors: Aved B M
Published: November 2008

Trends in contraceptive method of use by California family planning clients, 1976-84, are reviewed. Although use of foam and condoms doubled from 1976 to 1980 and was sustained, interest peaked but markedly declined for the diaphragm. Oral contraceptive (OC) use declined overall and most notably for older women, but there are indications in 1983 and 1984 of a slight OC "come back". Older women were more likely to choose methods free from medical side effects than were younger women.
Self-reported pelvic inflammatory disease in the US: a common occurrence.
Authors: Aral S O , Mosher W D , Cates W
Published: November 2008

Based on a nationally representative sample of American women of reproductive age, in 1982, one in seven reported having had pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). One in ten had received ambulatory care, and one in 25 were hospitalized for PID. A two-fold race differential was observed in self-reported history of PID. One in four Blacks compared to one in eight Whites reported having received treatment for this condition sometime in the past. The previous history of PID, especially in the older age groups, reflects the combined effect of secular trends in PID incidence and temporal changes in diagnostic and treatment practices.
Lipid, kilocalorie, and selected mineral intakes of rural black schoolgirls.
Authors: Steele M F , Gallagher M L
Published: November 2008

Dietary intakes of nutrients implicated in cardiovascular disease were studied in 143 Black females, age 9 years. Dietary recall interviews were conducted and data compared with recommendations of several authoritative groups. A majority of subjects reported intakes: exceeding recommendations for total fat, saturated fat, and sodium; within recommendations for potassium and cholesterol; and below recommendations for kilocalories.
An outbreak of foodborne hepatitis A showing a relationship between dose and incubation period.
Authors: Istre G R , Hopkins R S
Published: November 2008

Seven of eleven persons who attended a picnic developed symptoms of hepatitis A, two and a half to five weeks later. The epidemiologically implicated source was tuna salad, served in sandwiches and prepared by the index case. The number of sandwiches consumed was inversely related to the incubation period. This phenonemon may explain some of the variability of incubation periods for hepatitis A.
Contemporary table salt practices and blood pressure.
Authors: Phillips K , Holm K , Wu A C
Published: November 2008

Salt intake of 978 subjects when compared to 1954 data demonstrated a trend toward the decreased use of table salt. When hypertensives in treatment were excluded, persons reporting low salt use had higher mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures than those reporting high salt use. These findings were the reverse of the relationships found in 1954.
Moving the 'standards movement'.
Authors: Schaefer M
Published: November 2008

Substantial variations found in state implementation of public health service standards were partially explained by information collected from State Health Departments. A number of structural factors, particularly the distribution of service and supervisory responsibilities between state and local agencies, produce role and tactical differences in the process of standards implementation. Patterns and philosophies of intergovernmental funding were also reported to be critical to the process. In that these and related factors have their roots in political decisions, attention to internal and external political constraints is believed to be important to progress on standards implementation. Finally, the extent of variation reported raises the issue of the degree to which a common paradigm of public health exists and guides practice in state and local communities.
The prevalence of Toxocara species ova in backyards and gardens of Baltimore, Maryland.
Authors: Childs J E
Published: November 2008

Toxocara species ova were found in 16 of 146 (11 per cent) soil samples collected from backyards and gardens of private residences within Baltimore City. The recovery rate of parasite ova was similar for households regardless of their grouping by pet ownership characteristics or the presence of visible animal feces. The findings demonstrate the common occurrence of these eggs in locations likely to be important in the transmission of visceral larva migrans.
Are public hospitals in New York City inferior to voluntary, nonprofit hospitals? A study of JCAH hospital surveys.
Authors: Hyman H H
Published: November 2008

All 60 non-profit, acute-care hospitals in New York City were grouped into three classes: publicly supported hospitals (HHCs), voluntary hospitals under 400 beds (CHs), and voluntary hospitals over 400 beds (SHs). 11 functional areas listed in Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals 1980-1982 surveys were analyzed to compare recommendations for improving cited deficiencies. The survey findings showed that HHCs had a mean of 37.8 recommendations per hospital compared to 42.7 for CHs and 46.9 for SHs. The 11 functions were aggregated into three major components: safety, support, and direct medical services. CHs had fewer safety mean recommendations per hospital (18.7) than SHs (22.2) and HHCs (22.2), but on support and direct medical service components HHCs had fewer recommendations than the other two hospital groups. HHCs had fewer recommendations on nine of 11 functions compared to the other hospitals. Based on these data, HHCs do not appear inferior to either class of voluntary hospitals.
Bias resulting from using the card-back system to contact patients in an epidemiologic study.
Authors: McTiernan A , Weiss N S , Daling J R
Published: November 2008

In a case-control study of thyroid cancer in women in western Washington, the card-back system was used to contact patients. Demographic characteristics and reproductive history of 124 cases who returned a card and 35 who did not were compared, and were found to differ with respect to various reproductive and demographic factors. Relative risk estimates for various thyroid cancer risk factors were calculated two ways: including as cases only those who returned a card, and including all cases; these estimates differed for some risk factors. The results suggest that the use of the card-back system may result in a low level of response which can lead to biased study results.
Cigarette smoking behavior among Rhode Island physicians, 1963-83.
Authors: Buechner J S , Perry D K , Scott H D , Freedman B E , Tierney J T , Waters W J
Published: November 2008

A survey of practicing physicians in Rhode Island revealed a cigarette smoking rate of only 8.3 per cent in 1983. This represents a continuation of the consistent decrease seen in the percentage of physician smokers in each such survey since 1963. Under age 30, the rate was only 4.5 per cent. An exponential model suggests that the overall rate for Rhode Island physicians will be below 3 per cent by the year 2000.
Collisions with passenger cars and moose, Sweden.
Authors: Björnstig U , Eriksson A , Thorson J , Bylund P O
Published: November 2008

The number of collisions between motor vehicles and moose is increasing in many countries. Collisions with large, high animals such as moose cause typical rear- and downward deformation of the windshield pillars and front roof, most pronounced for small passenger cars; the injury risk increases with the deformation of the car. A strengthening of the windshield pillars and front roof and the use of antilacerative windshields would reduce the injury risk to car occupants.
The effect of passive smoking on children's pulmonary function in Shanghai.
Authors: Chen Y , Li W X
Published: November 2008

We report the findings of a cross-sectional study of the relationship between passive smoking and pulmonary function of children in Shanghai, People's Republic of China. The 571 study subjects included 303 males and 268 females, ranging in age from 8 to 16 years, from a primary school and a secondary school at Xu-Hui District. Lung function tests were performed at the schools, and questionnaires were completed by parents. The father's cigarette smoking status during child's lifetime was linearly related to a decrease in the per cent predicted values of FEV1.0, MMEF and FEF 62.5-87.5% in total subjects; in school-girls, father's smoking status accounted for 0.5 per cent, 1.2 per cent, and 1.6 per cent of the total variation, respectively; the trend was less marked in boys. Other environmental factors considered in this study, i.e., educational level of the father, the use of coal or gas for cooking, the presence of patients with chronic respiratory diseases in the family, etc., did not seem to have any important role on the children's pulmonary function.
Survey of city/county public health agencies to determine the development, use, and effect of program performance standards.
Authors: Axnick N W , Katz M , Schiffer C , Johnson W , Cross F
Published: November 2008

For over 80 per cent of a national sample of local health agencies in the United States, minimum program standards are specified by the state, by law, regulation, or some other policy method. The performance standards that are used are a mix of state and local standards, with one-third of the agencies reporting that the Model Standards were used in developing their own standards.
Parasitic infections in a New York City hospital: trends from 1971 to 1984.
Authors: Vermund S H , LaFleur F , MacLeod S
Published: November 2008

We report the frequency of parasitic infections 1971-84 in a major New York City Medical Center whose catchment area includes many immigrants from Dominican Republic. Infection with 7,803 parasites was documented in 41,958 laboratory specimens. Trends were toward fewer total specimens being sent and fewer still being positive, although a rise in G. lamblia, E. histolytica, and Cryptosporidium is apparent in recent years. Parasitology laboratories should provide similar data to alert clinicians to the parasites prevalent locally.
MOSQUITO ERADICATION IN SOUTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Authors: Royer B. Franklin , Emerson C. A.
Published: November 2008

There were a great many problems at Hog Island and the mosquitoes formed one of no mean magnitude. What Dr. Royer and Mr. Emerson have done is given in considerable detail because the paper tells other men in other malarial districts what can be done; how to organize and how to accomplish results.
ENDEMIC GOITER AS A PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM
Authors: Tolman Mayo
Published: November 2008

Twelve thousand persons in West Virginia are afflicted with goiter, which is nevertheless a disease little considered in the United States. It is endemic in New Hampshire and other mountain regions. Mr. Tolman assembles what is known of its causes and distribution.
FUNCTIONS AND PLAN OF ORGANIZATION OF DIVISION OF INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE
Authors: Selby C. D.
Published: November 2008

Protection of the industrial worker is the key-note of this story. Difficulties which an important government agency discovers are set forth, and the author tells how to overcome them, not forgetting first, the education of the people which must be the foundation of all reform.
Bromine adsorption on Ge(001) surface: comparative study for coverages of 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1 monolayer
Authors: MikoÅ‚ajczyk PaweÅ‚ , Stankiewicz Barbara
Published: November 2008

We present theoretical analysis of bromine adsorption on the Ge(001)-p(1Ã—2) surface. Bromine adsorbs dissociatively at the Ge(001) surface and the adlayer of bromine develops ordered structures of adatoms bound to substrate dimers. We analyse atomic configurations of the Ge(001) surface covered by 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1 monolayer of bromine. Various stable surface structures, found in calculations, are presented and their energies are compared. Simulated STM images are also discussed for the considered configurations.
Kollektiv handeln im klein parzellierten Luzerner Wald: ein Erfahrungsbericht | Collective action in small-scale forestry in Lucerne: a progress report
Authors: Schmidhauser Albin
Published: November 2008

An important matter of concern in the Lucerne forest policy is how to overcome the structural hindrances caused by the small size of private forest property. For this reason, since 2006, the project “Creation of regional organizations for forest management cooperation” has been followed. A regional organization is an association of forest owners for the purpose of managing their forests together under the direction of a forestry expert. By the middle of 2008, 28% of all private forest owners belonged to such a regional organization. These are now to be found almost everywhere in the canton and already represent 39% of all private forest parcels and 60% of the total surface area in private hands. The present success of the regional organizations is largely to be attributed to the project's introduction from the bottom up, to its clear and simple structure, to the efforts at open communication and to the initial financial aid given by the canton. For most of the forest owners, joining a regional organization means a break with tradition. Therefore, in the course of the reflections and discussions conducted, a central part is occupied by the themes: giving up long-standing relationships with customers; introducing new and scarcely known forms of sales procedures; and the middle- and long-term financing of the regional organizations from the forest proceeds.
Diabetes, Medicine and Modernity in Cameroon
Authors: Awah Paschal Kum , Phillimore Peter
Published: November 2008

This article examines popular understandings of diabetes, and conflicts and ambiguities in the management of diabetes care, in two areas of Cameroon. Conducted over a two-year period, comparative ethnography in Yaoundé and Bafut started in four diabetes clinics (two in each place). From there it extended outwards, first to the homes of patients with diabetes, and then on to a number of indigenous healers consulted by patients or their families. We explore here the tension between clinic-based demands for patients' ‘compliance’ with treatment guidelines, including repeated strictures against resorting to ‘traditional’ medicine, and patients' own willingness to alternate between biomedicine and indigenous practitioners, a process in which they subject the claims of both to a kind of pragmatic evaluation. The continuing importance of indigenous healing practices, and explanations for diabetes in terms of ancestral intervention or witchcraft, are considered in the light of recent anthropological debate about the ‘modernity of witchcraft’ in Africa.
Comparison of Statistical Dynamical, Square Root and Ensemble Kalman Filters
Authors: O’Kane Terence  J. , Frederiksen Jorgen  S.
Published: November 2008

We present a statistical dynamical Kalman filter and compare its performance to deterministic ensemble square root and stochastic ensemble Kalman filters for error covariance modeling with applications to data assimilation. Our studies compare assimilation and error growth in barotropic flows during a period in 1979 in which several large scale atmospheric blocking regime transitions occurred in the Northern Hemisphere. We examine the role of sampling error and its effect on estimating the flow dependent growing error structures and the associated effects on the respective Kalman gains. We also introduce a Shannon entropy reduction measure and relate it to the spectra of the Kalman gain.
Halogenated Terpenes and a C15-Acetogenin from the Marine Red Alga Laurencia saitoi
Authors: Ji Nai-Yun , Li Xiao-Ming , Wang Bin-Gui
Published: November 2008

Seven parguerane diterpenes: 15-bromo-2,7,19-triacetoxyparguer-9(11)-en-16-ol (1), 15-bromo-2,7,16,19-tetraacetoxyparguer-9(11)-ene (2), 15-bromo-2,19-diacetoxyparguer-9(11)-en-7,16-diol (3), 15-bromo-2,16,19-triacetoxyparguer-9(11)-en-7-ol (4), 15-bromo-2,16-diacetoxyparguer-9(11)-en-7-ol (5), 15-bromoparguer-9(11)-en-16-ol (6), 15-bromoparguer-7-en-16-ol (7), two polyether triterpenes: thyrsiferol (8) and thyrsiferyl 23-acetate (9), and one C15-acetogenin, neolaurallene (10), were isolated from a sample of marine red alga Laurencia saitoi collected off the coast of Yantai. Their structures were established by detailed NMR spectroscopic analysis and comparison with literature data.
Sputtered Encapsulation as Wafer Level Packaging for Isolatable MEMS Devices: A Technique Demonstrated on a Capacitive Accelerometer
Authors: Hamzah Azrul  Azlan , Yunas Jumril , Majlis Burhanuddin  Yeop , Ahmad Ibrahim
Published: November 2008

This paper discusses sputtered silicon encapsulation as a wafer level packaging approach for isolatable MEMS devices. Devices such as accelerometers, RF switches, inductors, and filters that do not require interaction with the surroundings to function, could thus be fully encapsulated at the wafer level after fabrication. A MEMSTech 50g capacitive accelerometer was used to demonstrate a sputtered encapsulation technique. Encapsulation with a very uniform surface profile was achieved using spin-on glass (SOG) as a sacrificial layer, SU-8 as base layer, RF sputtered silicon as main structural layer, eutectic gold-silicon as seal layer, and liquid crystal polymer (LCP) as outer encapsulant layer. SEM inspection and capacitance test indicated that the movable elements were released after encapsulation. Nanoindentation test confirmed that the encapsulated device is sufficiently robust to withstand a transfer molding process. Thus, an encapsulation technique that is robust, CMOS compatible, and economical has been successfully developed for packaging isolatable MEMS devices at the wafer level.
Study of the Relationships between the Spatial Extent of Surface Urban Heat Islands and Urban Characteristic Factors Based on Landsat ETM+ Data
Authors: Zhang Jinqu , Wang Yunpeng
Published: November 2008

Ten cities with different population and urban sizes located in the Pearl River Delta, Guangdong Province, P.R. China were selected to study the relationships between the spatial extent of surface urban heat islands (SUHI) and five urban characteristic factors such as urban size, development area, water proportion, mean NDVI (Normalized Vegetation Index) and population density, etc. The spatial extent of SUHI was quantified by using the hot island area (HIA). All the cities are almost at the same latitude, showing similar climate and solar radiation, the influence of which could thus be eliminated during our computation and comparative study. The land surface temperatures (LST) were retrieved from the data of Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) band 6 using a mono-window algorithm. A variance-segmenting method was proposed to compute HIA for each city from the retrieved LST. Factors like urban size, development area and water proportion were extracted directly from the classification images of the same ETM+ data and the population density factor is from the official census. Correlation and regression analyses were performed to study the relationships between the HIA and the related factors, and the results show that HIA is highly correlated to urban size (r=0.95), population density (r=0.97) and development area (r=0.83) in this area. It was also proved that a weak negative correlation existed between HIA and both mean NDVI and water proportion for each city. Linear functions between HIA and its related factors were established, respectively. The HIA can reflect the spatial extent and magnitude of the surface urban heat island effect, and can be used as reference in the urban planning.
Solvothermal Synthesis, Cathodoluminescence, and Field‐Emission Properties of Pure and N‐Doped ZnO Nanobullets
Authors: Gautam Ujjal K. , Panchakarla L. S. , Dierre Benjamin , Fang Xiaosheng , Bando Yoshio , Sekiguchi Takashi , Govindaraj A. , Golberg Dmitri , Rao C. N. R.
Published: November 2008

Homogenous crystallization in solution, in the absence of external influences, is expected to lead to growth that is symmetric at least in two opposite facets. Such was not the case when we attempted to synthesize ZnO nanostructures by employing a solvothermal technique. The reaction product, instead, consisted of bullet‐shaped tiny single crystals with an abrupt hexagonal base and a sharp tip. A careful analysis of the product and the intermediate states of the synthesis reveals that one of the reaction intermediates with sheet‐like morphology acts as a self‐sacrificing template and induces such unexpected and novel growth. The synthesis was further extended to dope the nanobullets with nitrogen as previous studies showed this can induce p‐type behavior in ZnO, which is technologically complementary to the naturally occurring n‐type ZnO. Herein, a soft‐chemical approach is used for the first time for this purpose, which is otherwise accomplished with high‐temperature techniques. Cathodoluminesce (CL) investigations reveal stable optical behavior within a pure nanobullet. On the other hand, the CL spectra derived from the surfaces and the cores of the doped samples are different, pointing at a N‐rich core. Finally, even though N‐doped ZnO is known to have high electrical conductivity, the study now demonstrates that the field‐emission properties of ZnO can also be greatly enhanced by means of N doping.
Lateglacial and Holocene cosmogenic surface exposure age glacial chronology and geomorphological evidence for the presence of cold‐based glaciers at Nevado Sajama, Bolivia
Authors: Smith Colby A. , Lowell Thomas V. , Caffee Marc W.
Published: November 2008

Comparisons of palaeo‐equilibrium line altitudes between the Western and Eastern Cordilleras in the Central Andes are commonly based on the assumption that the tall outermost moraines visible in remotely sensed images of the Western Cordillera date to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). However, field investigation and geomorphic mapping at Nevado Sajama, Bolivia, indicates the tall moraines are relic features with shorter moraines overlying and in some cases extending beyond them. 36Cl exposure ages from the shorter moraines suggest that they date to Lateglacial times ca. 16.9–10.2 ka. Although Lateglacial deposits have been found throughout the Central Andes, the extent of these deposits relative to LGM deposits varies both between the Western and Eastern Cordilleras and north‐to‐south along the Western Cordillera. In the Western Cordillera in the zone of easterly winds, the Lateglacial appears to be the most extensive glacial advance of the last glacial cycle. Geomorphic evidence also suggests that some Lateglacial moraines were deposited by cold‐based ice, a previously unreported finding in the tropical Andes. Retreat from other glacial features occurred at about 7.0–4.4 ka and 4.7–3.3 ka. These are the first directly dated Holocene glacial deposits in the Western Cordillera of Bolivia, and their presence suggests that the mid Holocene may not have been as warm and dry as previously thought. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Macromol. Chem. Phys. 23/2008
Authors: Chen Kai , Baker Ashley N. , Vyazovkin Sergey
Published: November 2008

Cover: Virgin polystyrene (PS) and two PS‐clay nanocomposites of different structure were dissolved in CS2. Differential scanning calorimetry was used to study the effect of clay on the gelation and gel melting. An effect was only detected for a nanocomposite with an intercalated structure. The gels prepared by isothermal annealing and continuous cooling showed markedly different melting behavior. Further details can be found in the article by K. Chen, A. N. Baker, and S. Vyazovkin* on page 2367.
Seeing REDD: Issues, principles and possible opportunities in Northern Australia
Authors: Van Oosterzee P. , Garnett S. T.
Published: November 2008

When the Kyoto Protocol was drafted, a major opportunity was lost to conserve existing stands of rainforest, particularly in developing countries, through the recognition of the benefits of reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation (known as REDD). Even post‐Kyoto, arguments persist for excluding REDD and related schemes from carbon accounting systems. The gap in mandated procedures, however, has to some extent been filled by the voluntary market which draws investment from companies wishing to demonstrate their environmental credentials to investors. This innovative market has products that extend beyond carbon to biodiversity and social benefits. The issues and principles involved are addressed in this article, along with reference to two possible REDD opportunities in northern Australia. Sadly, one of these opportunities has just been missed. For the other, institutional mechanisms will be needed to allow owners of intact forests to benefit from their carbon value and related environmental services potential. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Implementation challenges in protecting the global environmental commons: The case of climate change policies in Brazil
Authors: Pinto Rogerio F. , De Oliveira Jose Antonio Puppim
Published: November 2008

The effective control of climate change rests, to a great extent, on governance mechanisms to protect the global commons as a type of common pool resource on a global scale. This calls for action beyond the boundaries of the state and of local interests. Collective solutions at the global level are needed as a means of sharing in the promises that globalisation holds. Moreover, global policies need to rest on the harmonisation of local and national interests in order to be effectively implemented. The attendant implementation challenges are addressed in this article with reference to Brazil's experience, against the backdrop of considerations also applicable to other developing countries. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Symposium introduction‐Climate change, governance and environmental services: Institutional perspectives, issues and challenges
Authors: Thynne Ian
Published: November 2008

While the science and economics of climate change have been examined extensively, this has not been so with institutions, governance and service activity which are essential response mechanisms. This Symposium seeks to address this situation in theory and practice. Here, three broad institutional perspectives are provided, comprising issues and challenges for institutions within and across state‐market‐civil society boundaries. This material leads into subsequent discussions of significant developments in Brazil, China, India, Vietnam, Australia and the European Union. The result is an array of insights and lessons on which further research and analyses could valuably build. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cluster ion beam profiling of organics by secondary ion mass spectrometry – does sodium affect the molecular ion intensity at interfaces?
Authors: Green Felicia M. , Gilmore Ian S. , Seah Martin P.
Published: November 2008

The use of cluster ion beam sputtering for depth profiling organic materials is of growing technological importance and is a very active area of research. At the 44th IUVSTA Workshop on “Sputtering and Ion Emission by Cluster Ion Beams”, recent results were presented of a cluster ion beam depth profile of a thin organic molecular layer on a silicon wafer substrate. Those data showed that the intensity of molecular secondary ions is observed to increase at the interface and this was explained in terms of the higher stopping power in the substrate and a consequently higher sputtering yield and even higher secondary ion molecular sputtering yield. An alternative hypothesis was postulated in the workshop discussion which may be paraphrased as: “under primary ion bombardment of an organic layer, mobile ions such as sodium may migrate to the interface with the inorganic substrate and this enhancement of the sodium concentration increases the ionisation probability, so increasing the molecular ion yield observed at the interface”. It is important to understand if measurement artefacts occur at interfaces for quantification as these are of great technological relevance – for example, the concentration of drug in a drug delivery system. Here, we evaluate the above hypothesis using a sample that exhibits regions of high and low sodium concentration at both the organic surface and the interface with the silicon wafer substrate. There is no evidence to support the hypothesis that the probability of molecular secondary ion ionisation is related to the sodium concentration at these levels. © Crown copyright 2008. Reproduced with the permission of Her Majesty's Stationery Office. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
ON KLEINIAN GROUPS WITH THE SAME SET OF AXES
Authors: XIE BAOHUA , JIANG YUEPING
Published: November 2008

J. W. Anderson (1996) asked whether two finitely generated Kleinian groups $G_{1}, G_{2}\subset \mathrm {Isom}(\mathbb {H}^{n})$ with the same set of axes are commensurable. We give some partial solutions.
Foreign body ingestion: comparison of diagnostic accuracy of computed tomography versus endoscopy
Authors: Luk W-H , Fan W C , Chan R Y Y , Chan S W W , Tse K H , Chan J C S
Published: November 2008

Purpose:

To investigate and compare the sensitivity and specificity of computed tomography and of endoscopy, as diagnostic tests for foreign body ingestion.

Materials and methods:

Over a two-year period, Asian patients with suspected foreign body ingestion were studied. The clinical findings, computed tomography images, endoscopic results, treatment and outcomes were prospectively analysed.

Results:

Over the study period, 193 patients were admitted for foreign body ingestion, complaining of a persistent foreign body sensation in the neck. The sensitivity and specificity of computed tomography were 78 and 96 per cent, respectively; the positive predictive value was 75 per cent and the negative predictive value 97 per cent. The diagnostic accuracy of computed tomography was 94 per cent.

Conclusion:

Our study showed that computed tomography had high negative predictive value and accuracy in the diagnosis of foreign body ingestion. It was useful if endoscopy showed negative findings but the patient still had persistent symptoms of foreign body ingestion.
A single conserved proline residue determines the membrane topology of stomatin
Authors: Kadurin Ivan , Huber Stephan , Gründer Stefan
Published: November 2008

Stomatin is an integral membrane protein which is widely expressed in many cell types. It is accepted that stomatin has a unique hairpin-loop topology: it is anchored to the membrane with an N-terminal hydrophobic domain and the N- and C-termini are cytoplasmically localized. Stomatin is a prototype for a family of related proteins, containing among others MEC-2 (mechanosensory protein 2) from Caenorhabditis elegans, SLP (stomatin-like protein)-3 and podocin, all of which interact with ion channels to regulate their activity. Members of the stomatin family partly localize in DRMs (detergent-resistant membrane domains) enriched in cholesterol and sphingolipids. It has been proposed that a highly conserved proline residue in the middle of the hydrophobic domain directly binds cholesterol and that cholesterol binding is necessary for the regulation of ion channels. In the present study we show that a small part of the stomatin pool exists as a single-pass transmembrane protein rather than a hairpin-loop protein. The highly conserved proline residue is crucial for adopting the hairpin-loop topology: substitution of this proline residue by serine transfers the whole stomatin pool to the single-pass transmembrane form, which no longer localizes to DRMs. These results suggest that formation of the hairpin loop is inefficient and that the conserved proline residue is indispensable for formation of the hairpin loop. The single-pass transmembrane form exists also for SLP-3 and it should be considered that it mediates part of the physiological functions of stomatin and related proteins.
A molecular approach to understanding plant - plant interactions in the context of invasion biology
Authors: Broz Amanda K. , Manter Daniel K. , Callaway Ragan M. , Paschke Mark W. , Vivanco Jorge M.
Published: November 2008

Competition is a major determinant of plant community structure, and can influence the size and reproductive fitness of a species. Therefore, competitive responses may arise from alterations in gene expression and plant function when an individual is confronted with new competitors. This study explored competition at the level of gene expression by hybridising transcripts from Centaurea maculosa Lam., one of North America’s most invasive exotic plant species, to an Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh microarray chip. Centaurea was grown in competition with Festuca idahoensis Elmer, a native species that generally has weak competitive effects against Centaurea; Gaillardia aristata Pursh, a native species that tends to be a much stronger competitor against Centaurea; and alone (control). Some transcripts were induced or repressed to a similar extent regardless of the plant neighbour grown with Centaurea. Other transcripts showed differential expression that was specific to the competitor species, possibly indicating a species-specific aspect of the competitive response of Centaurea. These results are the first to identify genes in an invasive plant that are induced or repressed by plant neighbours and provide a new avenue of insight into the molecular aspects of plant competitive ability.
TheAspergillus nidulansKinesin-3 UncA Motor Moves Vesicles along a Subpopulation of Microtubules
Authors: Zekert Nadine , Fischer Reinhard
Published: November 2008

The extremely polarized growth form of filamentous fungi imposes a huge challenge on the cellular transport machinery, because proteins and lipids required for hyphal extension need to be continuously transported to the growing tip. Recently, it was shown that endocytosis is also important for hyphal growth. Here, we found that the Aspergillus nidulans kinesin-3 motor protein UncA transports vesicles and is required for fast hyphal extension. Most surprisingly, UncA-dependent vesicle movement occurred along a subpopulation of microtubules. Green fluorescent protein (GFP)-labeled UncArigordecorated a single microtubule, which remained intact during mitosis, whereas other cytoplasmic microtubules were depolymerized. Mitotic spindles were not labeled with GFP-UncArigorbut reacted with a specific antibody against tyrosinated α-tubulin. Hence, UncA binds preferentially to detyrosinated microtubules. In contrast, kinesin-1 (conventional kinesin) and kinesin-7 (KipA) did not show a preference for certain microtubules. This is the first example for different microtubule subpopulations in filamentous fungi and the first example for the preference of a kinesin-3 motor for detyrosinated microtubules.
On magnetic fields generated in a dielectric half-space by a slowly moving point charge outside
Authors: Barton Gabriel
Published: November 2008

A point charge moving with speed
u
≪
c
/
n
outside a non-dispersive dielectric half-space having refractive index
n
produces, inside the material, magnetic fields of the same order as and in fact larger than they would be in wholly empty space. The part of the field generated directly by the polarization currents is parallel to the surface, and has even parity with respect to it. For 1≪
n
≪
c
/
u
, these fields are practically independent of
n
, and, by a remarkable coincidence, the same as the (already known) fields that the same charge would produce in a half-space occupied by material having high (but not infinite) ohmic conductivity.
Giant microcystic adnexal carcinoma of the scalp
Authors: MATSUSHITA Shigeto , UEMURA Tetsuji , IMAYAMA Shuhei , SUGIHARA Hajime , YAMASAKI Mineko
Published: November 2008

Microcystic adnexal carcinoma (MAC) is an uncommon, locally aggressive tumor. It typically involves the upper lip of middle‐aged adults, and in rare instances the scalp. We report a Japanese woman with a giant MAC on the scalp. Physical examination revealed a 110 mm × 120 mm induration on her parietal region. Microscopically, the tumor showed both pilar and sweat gland differentiation. Resection included the cranium; for reconstruction we used a titan mesh allograft and covered it with a free latissimus dorsi muscle flap and a mesh skin graft. Ours is the first case of a MAC measuring more than 100 cm2 arising on the scalp of an individual in the third decade of life.