bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Persistent organic pollutants meet adipose tissue hypoxia: does cross‐talk contribute to inflammation during obesity?
Authors: Myre M. , Imbeault P. 
Published: September 2013

SummaryLipophilic persistent organic pollutants (POPs) accumulate in lipid‐rich tissues such as human adipose tissue. This is particularly problematic in individuals with excess adiposity, a physiological state that may be additionally characterized by local adipose tissue hypoxia. Hypoxic patches occur when oxygen diffusion is insufficient to reach all hypertrophic adipocytes. POPs and hypoxia independently contribute to the development of adipose tissue‐specific and systemic inflammation often associated with obesity. Inflammation is induced by increased proinflammatory mediators such as tumour necrosis factor‐alpha, interleukin‐6, and monocyte chemotactic protein‐1, as well as reduced adiponectin release, an anti‐inflammatory and insulin‐sensitizing adipokine. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) mediates the cellular response to some pollutants, while hypoxia responses occur through the oxygen‐sensitive transcription factor hypoxia‐inducible factor (HIF)‐1. There is some overlap between the two signalling pathways since both require a common subunit called the AhR nuclear translocator. As such, it is unclear how adipocytes respond to simultaneous POP and hypoxia exposure. This brief review explores the independent contribution of POPs and adipose tissue hypoxia as factors underlying the inflammatory response from adipocytes during obesity. It also highlights that the combined effect of POPs and hypoxia through the AhR and HIF‐1 signalling pathways remains to be tested.
A review of climate change impacts on urban soil functions with examples and policy insights from England, UK
Authors: Rawlins B. G. , Harris J. , Price S. , Bartlett M. 
Published: September 2013

AbstractAs of 2010, more than half of the global population resides in urban areas and relies to some extent on the functions, services and natural capital provided by urban soils. Greater extremes in climate predicted for the coming decades will impact on these urban soil functions to varying degrees. We provide an inventory of urban soil functions based on an extension to the typology of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (i.e. we added a ‘carrying function’ to those of supporting, regulating, provisioning and cultural functions) and review the climate drivers that are likely to have the most significant impacts upon them, using urban soils of England as an exemplar. We identify knowledge gaps, as in areas such as carbon cycling and storage, disease regulation and cultural services. We assess adaptation measures, which may ameliorate these potential, climate‐change‐related impacts including changes in construction practices, developments in green architecture and development proposals under the planning regime. We discuss the lack of policies relating to urban soils and the problem associated with monitoring their functions, as is often the case, when large quantities of soil are removed and replaced, leading to major transformation of soil properties, which may be unrelated to pedogenic processes.
Analysis of metabolic washout of positron emitters produced during carbon ion head and neck radiotherapy
Authors: Helmbrecht Stephan , Enghardt Wolfgang , Parodi Katia , Didinger Bernd , Debus Jürgen , Kunath Daniela , Priegnitz Marlen , Fiedler Fine 
Published: September 2013

Purpose:Particle Therapy Positron Emission Tomography (PT‐PET) is a suitable method for verification of therapeutic dose delivery by measurements of irradiation‐induced β+‐activity. Due to metabolic processes in living tissue β+‐emitters can be removed from the place of generation. This washout is a limiting factor for image quality. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether a washout model obtained by animal experiments is applicable to patient data.Methods:A model for the washout has been developed by Mizuno et al. [Phys. Med. Biol. 48(15), – (2003)] 10.1088/0031‐9155/48/15/302 and Tomitani et al. [Phys. Med. Biol. 48(7), 875–889 (2003)] 10.1088/0031‐9155/48/7/305. It is based upon measurements in a rabbit in living and dead conditions. This model was modified and applied to PET data acquired during the experimental therapy project at GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung Darmstadt, Germany. Three components are expected: A fast one with a half life of 2 s, a medium one in the range of 2–3 min, and a slow component of the order of 2–3 h. Ten patients were selected randomly for investigation of the fast component. To analyze the other two components, 12 one‐of‐a‐kind measurements from a single volunteer patient are available.Results:A fast washout on the time scale of a few seconds was not observed in the patient data. The medium processes showed a mean half life of 155.7 ± 4.6 s. This is in the expected range. Fractions of the activity not influenced by the washout were found.Conclusions:On the time scale of an in‐beam or in‐room measurement only the medium‐time washout processes play a remarkable role. A slow component may be neglected if the measurements do not exceed 20 min after the end of the irradiation. The fast component is not observed due to the low relative blood filled volume in the brain.
Socioeconomic status and exposure to outdoor NO2and benzene in the Asturias INMA birth cohort, Spain
Authors: Fernández-Somoano Ana , Tardon Adonina 
Published: September 2013

BackgroundIt is commonly assumed that low socioeconomic levels are associated with greater exposure to pollution, but this is not necessarily valid. Our goal was to examine how individual socioeconomic characteristics are associated with exposure levels in a Spanish region included in the INfancia y Medio Ambiente (INMA) cohort.MethodsThe study population comprised 430 pregnant women from the Asturias INMA cohort. Air pollution exposure was estimated using land-use regression techniques. Information about the participants’ lifestyle and socioeconomic variables was collected through questionnaires. In multivariate analysis, the levels of NO2and benzene assigned to each woman were considered as dependent variables. Other variables included in the models were residential zone, age, education, parity, smoking, season, working status during pregnancy and social class.ResultsThe average NO2level was 23.60 (SD=6.50) μg/m3. For benzene, the mean value was 2.31 (SD=1.32) μg/m3. We found no association of any pollutant with education. We observed an association between social class and benzene levels. Social classes I and II had the highest levels. The analysed socioeconomic and lifestyle variables accounted for little variability in air pollution in the models; this variability was explained mainly by residential zone (adjusted R2: 0.27 for NO2; 0.09 for benzene).ConclusionsEducation and social class were not clearly associated with pollution. Administrations should monitor the environment of residential areas regardless of the socioeconomic level, and they should increase the distances between housing and polluting sources to prevent settlements at distances that are harmful to health.
THE WILLINGNESS OF A CUSTOMER TO CO-CREATE INNOVATIVE, TECHNOLOGY-BASED SERVICES: CONCEPTUALISATION AND MEASUREMENT
Authors: HANDRICH MATTHIAS , HEIDENREICH SVEN 
Published: September 2013

Customer co-creation is a phenomenon, whose relevance for innovative technology-based services (TBS) has been acknowledged both by scientific and management practice. However, empirical research on this topic is scarce. Above all others, the lack of a good metric for this construct to establish a common ground for empirical research has hampered progress to date. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to develop and test a construct measuring the willingness of a customer to engage in co-creation (hereafer, WCC) of innovative, TBS. This article provides a thorough literature review on customer co-creation, proposes a scale to measure the willingness to co-create (WCC) innovative, TBS and reports the results of a validation process using expert judges, an exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The results of our studies show that the scale has good psychometric properties and that its relationships with other constructs and consumer adoption behaviour conform to theoretical expectations.
Fluvial sediment supply, mud banks, cheniers and the morphodynamics of the coast of South America between the Amazon and Orinoco river mouths
Authors: Anthony Edward J. , Gardel Antoine , Gratiot Nicolas 
Published: September 2013

Abstract

The overarching morphosedimentary control on the coast of South America between the Amazon and Orinoco rivers is the massive muddy discharge of the Amazon (from
c.
754×10
6
to 1000×10
6
t a
−1
). This mud supply by the world’s largest river reflects sediment sourcing from the Andes, weathering in a tropical–equatorial climate and the extremely high water discharge (
ca
173 000 m
3
s
−1
). Amazon mud forms an estuarine mega-turbidity maximum on the shelf that feeds the growth of a subaqueous delta. About 15–20% of this mud forms coastal banks that migrate towards the mouth of the Orinoco, which has constructed a large subaerial delta. This muddy coast exhibits interspersed beaches and cheniers constructed from sand supplied by the smaller rivers and by the Orinoco, and is characterized by extremely large spatio-temporal geomorphic variability resulting from intense wave-reworking of the migrating banks, mangrove colonization and destruction, and erosion in interbank areas. These dynamic processes also drive important biogeochemical recycling, enhancing coastal productivity while efficiently remineralizing organic matter and promoting authigenic mineral formation. This muddy coast is being impacted by human-induced changes, in Guyana in particular. The Amazon–Orinoco coast provides an analogue for muddy, wave-dominated shorefaces in the geological record.
Neoarchaean crustal growth by combined arc–plume action: evidence from the Kadiri Greenstone Belt, eastern Dharwar craton, India
Authors: Dey Sukanta , Nandy Jinia , Choudhary A. K. , Liu Yongsheng , Zong Keqing 
Published: September 2013

Abstract

Field and geochemical studies combined with laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) zircon U–Pb dating set important constraints on the timing and petrogenesis of volcanic rocks of the Neoarchaean Kadiri greenstone belt and the mechanism of crust formation in the eastern Dharwar craton (EDC). The volcanic rocks are divided into three suites: tholeiitic basalts, calc-alkaline high-Mg# andesites and dominant dacites–rhyolites. The basalts (pillowed in places) show flat rare earth element (REE) and primordial mantle-normalized trace element patterns, but have minor negative Nb and Ta anomalies. They are interpreted as mantle plume-related oceanic plateau basalts whose source contained minor continental crustal input. The andesites are characterized by high Mg# (0.66–0.52), Cr and Ni, with depletion of high-field strength elements (HFSE) and enrichment of light REE (LREE) and large-ion lithophile elements (LILE). They were probably derived from a metasomatized mantle wedge overlying a subducted slab in a continental margin subduction zone. The dacites–rhyolites are silicic rocks (SiO
2
=61–72 wt%) with low Cr and Ni, K
2
O/Na
2
O mostly 0.5–1.1, highly fractionated REE patterns, enrichments of LILE and distinctly negative HFSE anomalies. One rhyolite sample yielded a zircon U–Pb age of 2353±32 Ma. This suite is similar to potassic adakites and is explained as the product of deep melting of thickened crust in the arc with a significant older crustal component. Collision between a continental margin arc with an oceanic plateau followed by slab break-off, upwelling of hot asthenosphere and extensive crustal reworking in a sustained compressional regime is proposed for the geodynamic evolution of the area. This is in corroboration with the scenario of EDC as a Neoarchaean hot orogen as suggested recently by some workers.

Supplementary material:

Details of whole-rock major and trace element determination, Nd isotope analysis and zircon U–Pb dating and trace element analysis, the geographical coordinates of the samples and the values of the international rock standards analysed are available at
http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18660
Effects of Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibition on Postural Tachycardia Syndrome
Authors: Green Elizabeth A. , Raj Vidya , Shibao Cyndya A. , Biaggioni Italo , Black Bonnie K. , Dupont William D. , Robertson David , Raj Satish R. 
Published: September 2013

Background

Postural tachycardia syndrome (
POTS
) is a disorder of chronic orthostatic intolerance accompanied by excessive orthostatic tachycardia. Patients with
POTS
commonly have comorbid conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression, or fibromyalgia that are treated with medications that inhibit the norepinephrine reuptake transporter (
NRI
).
NRI
medications can increase sympathetic nervous system tone, which may increase heart rate (
HR
) and worsen symptoms in
POTS
patients. We sought to determine whether
NRI
with atomoxetine increases standing tachycardia or worsens the symptom burden in
POTS
patients.

Methods and Results

Patients with
POTS
(n=27) underwent an acute drug trial of atomoxetine 40 mg and placebo on separate mornings in a randomized, crossover design. Blood pressure (
BP
),
HR
, and symptoms were assessed while seated and after standing prior to and hourly for 4 hours following study drug administration. Atomoxetine significantly increased standing
HR
compared with placebo (121±17 beats per minute versus 105±15 beats per minute;
P
=0.001) in
POTS
patients, with a trend toward higher standing systolic
BP
(
P
=0.072). Symptom scores worsened with atomoxetine compared to placebo (+4.2 au versus −3.5 au;
P
=0.028) from baseline to 2 hours after study drug administration.

Conclusion

Norepinephrine reuptake inhibition with atomoxetine acutely increased standing
HR
and symptom burden in patients with
POTS
.

Clinical Trials Registration

URL
:
http://clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier:
NCT
00262470.
Ventral and Dorsal Visual Stream Contributions to the Perception of Object Shape and Object Location
Authors: Zachariou Valentinos , Klatzky Roberta , Behrmann Marlene 
Published: September 2013

AbstractGrowing evidence suggests that the functional specialization of the two cortical visual pathways may not be as distinct as originally proposed. Here, we explore possible contributions of the dorsal “where/how” visual stream to shape perception and, conversely, contributions of the ventral “what” visual stream to location perception in human adults. Participants performed a shape detection task and a location detection task while undergoing fMRI. For shape detection, comparable BOLD activation in the ventral and dorsal visual streams was observed, and the magnitude of this activation was correlated with behavioral performance. For location detection, cortical activation was significantly stronger in the dorsal than ventral visual pathway and did not correlate with the behavioral outcome. This asymmetry in cortical profile across tasks is particularly noteworthy given that the visual input was identical and that the tasks were matched for difficulty in performance. We confirmed the asymmetry in a subsequent psychophysical experiment in which participants detected changes in either object location or shape, while ignoring the other, task-irrelevant dimension. Detection of a location change was slowed by an irrelevant shape change matched for difficulty, but the reverse did not hold. We conclude that both ventral and dorsal visual streams contribute to shape perception, but that location processing appears to be essentially a function of the dorsal visual pathway.
Comparing Tropical Precipitation Simulated by the Met Office NWP and Climate Models with Satellite Observations
Authors: Liu Chunlei , Allan Richard P. , Brooks Malcolm , Milton Sean 
Published: September 2013

AbstractForecasts of precipitation and water vapor made by the Met Office global numerical weather prediction (NWP) model are evaluated using products from satellite observations by the Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder (SSMIS) and Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Multisatellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) for June–September 2011, with a focus on tropical areas (30°S–30°N). Consistent with previous studies, the predicted diurnal cycle of precipitation peaks too early (by ~3 h) and the amplitude is too strong over both tropical ocean and land regions. Most of the wet and dry precipitation biases, particularly those over land, can be explained by the diurnal-cycle discrepancies. An overall wet bias over the equatorial Pacific and Indian Oceans and a dry bias over the western Pacific warm pool and India are linked with similar biases in the climate model, which shares common parameterizations with the NWP version. Whereas precipitation biases develop within hours in the NWP model, underestimates in water vapor (which are assimilated by the NWP model) evolve over the first few days of the forecast. The NWP simulations are able to capture observed daily-to-intraseasonal variability in water vapor and precipitation, including fluctuations associated with tropical cyclones.
Water Budget and Precipitation Efficiency of Typhoon Morakot (2009)
Authors: Huang Hsiao-Ling , Yang Ming-Jen , Sui Chung-Hsiung 
Published: September 2013

AbstractIn this study, the Weather Research and Forecasting model, version 3.2, with the finest grid size of 1 km is used to explicitly simulate Typhoon Morakot (2009), which dumped rainfall of more than 2600 mm in 3 days on Taiwan. The model reasonably reproduced the track, the organization, the sizes of the eye and eyewall, and the characteristics of major convective cells in outer rainbands. The horizontal rainfall distribution and local rainfall maximum in the southwestern portion of the Central Mountain Range (CMR) are captured. The simulated rain rate and precipitation efficiency (PE) over the CMR are highly correlated. In the absence of terrain forcing, the simulated TC’s track is farther north and rainfall distribution is mainly determined by rainbands. The calculated rain rate and PE over the CMR during landfall are about 50% and 15%–20% less than those of the full-terrain control run, respectively. By following major convective cells that propagate eastward from the Taiwan Strait to the CMR, it is found that the PE and the processes of vapor condensation and raindrop evaporation are strongly influenced by orographic lifting; the PEs are 60%–75% over ocean and more than 95% over the CMR, respectively. The secondary increase of PE results from the increase of ice-phase deposition ratio when the liquid-phase condensation becomes small as the air on the lee side subsides and moves downstream. This nearly perfect PE over the CMR causes tremendous rainfall in southwestern Taiwan, triggering enormous landslides and severe flooding.
Centennial-Scale Sea Surface Temperature Analysis and Its Uncertainty
Authors: Hirahara Shoji , Ishii Masayoshi , Fukuda Yoshikazu 
Published: September 2013

Abstract
A new sea surface temperature (SST) analysis on a centennial time scale is presented. In this analysis, a daily SST field is constructed as a sum of a trend, interannual variations, and daily changes, using in situ SST and sea ice concentration observations. All SST values are accompanied with theory-based analysis errors as a measure of reliability. An improved equation is introduced to represent the ice–SST relationship, which is used to produce SST data from observed sea ice concentrations. Prior to the analysis, biases of individual SST measurement types are estimated for a homogenized long-term time series of global mean SST. Because metadata necessary for the bias correction are unavailable for many historical observational reports, the biases are determined so as to ensure consistency among existing SST and nighttime air temperature observations. The global mean SSTs with bias-corrected observations are in agreement with those of a previously published study, which adopted a different approach. Satellite observations are newly introduced for the purpose of reconstruction of SST variability over data-sparse regions. Moreover, uncertainty in areal means of the present and previous SST analyses is investigated using the theoretical analysis errors and estimated sampling errors. The result confirms the advantages of the present analysis, and it is helpful in understanding the reliability of SST for a specific area and time period.
Pan-Continental Droughts in North America over the Last Millennium*
Authors: Cook Benjamin I. , Smerdon Jason E. , Seager Richard , Cook Edward R. 
Published: September 2013

Abstract
Regional droughts are common in North America, but pan-continental droughts extending across multiple regions, including the 2012 event, are rare relative to single-region events. Here, the tree-ring-derived North American Drought Atlas is used to investigate drought variability in four regions over the last millennium, focusing on pan-continental droughts. During the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA), the central plains (CP), Southwest (SW), and Southeast (SE) regions experienced drier conditions and increased occurrence of droughts and the Northwest (NW) experienced several extended pluvials. Enhanced MCA aridity in the SW and CP manifested as multidecadal megadroughts. Notably, megadroughts in these regions differed in their timing and persistence, suggesting that they represent regional events influenced by local dynamics rather than a unified, continental-scale phenomena. There is no trend in pan-continental drought occurrence, defined as synchronous droughts in three or more regions. SW, CP, and SE (SW+CP+SE) droughts are the most common, occurring in 12% of all years and peaking in prevalence during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries; patterns involving three other regions occur in about 8% of years. Positive values of the Southern Oscillation index (La Niña conditions) are linked to SW, CP, and SE (SW+CP+SE) droughts and SW, CP, and NW (SW+CP+NW) droughts, whereas CP, NW, and SE (CP+NW+SE) droughts are associated with positive values of the Pacific decadal oscillation and Atlantic multidecadal oscillation. While relatively rare, pan-continental droughts are present in the paleo record and are linked to defined modes of climate variability, implying the potential for seasonal predictability. Assuming stable drought teleconnections, these events will remain an important feature of future North American hydroclimate, possibly increasing in their severity in step with other expected hydroclimate responses to increased greenhouse gas forcing.
Implementation of a Gabor Transform Data Quality-Control Algorithm for UHF Wind Profiling Radars
Authors: Bianco Laura , Gottas Daniel , Wilczak James M. 
Published: September 2013

AbstractIn this paper a Gabor transform–based algorithm is applied to identify and eliminate intermittent signal contamination in UHF wind profiling radars, such as that produced by migrating birds. The algorithm is applied in the time domain, and so it can be used to improve the accuracy of UHF radar wind profiler data in real time—an essential requirement if these wind profiler data are to be assimilated into operational weather forecast models. The added value of using a moment-level Weber–Wuertz pattern recognition scheme that follows the Gabor transform processing is demonstrated.