bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Observation of compact intracloud discharges using VHF broadband interferometers
Authors: Liu Hengyi , Dong Wansheng , Wu Ting , Zheng Dong , Zhang Yijun 
Published: November 2011

Compact intracloud discharge (CID) is a distinct intracloud lightning discharge characterized by strong VHF emissions, and it is one of the most mysterious lightning events. In this paper the CID channel evolution images obtained by using VHF broadband interferometers are presented for the first time. Analysis of 11 CIDs shows that the channels of CIDs develop mainly in a vertical direction. The vertical scale of CIDs is in the range of 0.40–1.9 km. The average duration of VHF broadband emissions is 15 μs. The average apparent speed of CIDs is in a range of 0.44–1.0 × 108 m/s with a mean value of 0.61 × 108 m/s. The temporal‐spatial evolution of the radiation sources of the CID shows an oscillation pattern, confirming the previous prediction that there is an oscillating current being reflected at the two ends of the CID channel. The estimated speed of the current wave in the CID channel is in a range of 0.56–2.6 × 108 m/s with a mean value of 1.4 × 108 m/s.
Natural disasters decline in 2001
Authors: Showstack Randy 
Published: November 2011

About 700 natural catastrophes struck around the globe during 2001, accounting for U.S.$36 billion in economic losses, according to a December study issued by Munich Re, the world's biggest reinsurer.The number of events fell below the record 850 that occurred during 2000, and the economic loss was only a third of the record U.S.$100 billion loss during 1999; though insured losses increased to U.S.$11.5 billion from U.S.$7.5 billion a year earlier.
Natural disasters online
Authors: Showstack Randy 
Published: November 2011

Wildfires, severe storms, floods, volcanic eruptions, and major air pollution events are types of major natural hazards that NASA will track on a new Web site unveiled on 16 January.The site, part of the agency's Earth Observatory, will track these hazards in near‐real time with imagery acquired from NASA's Earth Science Enterprise and Earth Observing System satellite missions, along with related descriptive information.
Global environmental report card
Authors: Showstack Randy 
Published: November 2011

Worldwatch Institute, a Washington, D.C.‐based think tank, issued a gloomy yet hopeful annual “State of the World” report on global environmental trends on 10 January.The report notes some recent successful efforts to protect the environment, including the phasing out of the production of ozone‐depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and the 2001 signing of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). Nonetheless, the report calls for a global war on environmental degradation “that is as aggressive and well‐funded as the war on terrorism” following the 11 September terrorist attacks in the United States.
Coral reefs at risk
Authors: Showstack Randy 
Published: November 2011

Eighty‐eight percent of Southeast Asia's reefs are threatened by overfishing, destructive fishing, and sedimentation and pollution from inland activities, according to a new report by 35 regional scientists published by the World Resources Institute.Nearly 100,000 square kilometers of coral reefs—34% of the world's total—are located in Southeast Asia.
Oxygen dip in southern ocean
Authors: Showstack Randy 
Published: November 2011

Climate simulations predict a decrease in oxygen at depths of 500–2,500 meters in the southern ocean around Antarctica, a team of Australian climate researchers announced on 15 March.“The interpretation [from the simulations[ is that less oxygen‐rich water is penetrating into the ocean, and this in turn gives additional credibility to climate change models. The oxygen analysis provides a new benchmark of understanding for researchers, “said Richard Matear, an oceanographer with Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).
Greenhouse gas trading starts up
Authors: Showstack Randy 
Published: November 2011

While nations decide on whether to sign on to the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, some countries and private companies are moving forward with greenhouse gas emissions trading.A 19 March report, “The Emerging International Greenhouse Gas Market,” by the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, reports that about 65 greenhouse gas emissions trades for quantities above 1,000 metric tons of carbon dioxideequivalent already have occurred worldwide since 1996. Many of these trades have taken place under a voluntary, ad hoc framework, though the United Kingdom and Denmark have established their own domestic emissions trading programs.
UNEP report outlines global responses to different development scenarios
Authors: Showstack Randy 
Published: November 2011

A global environmental assessment by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), released 22 May recognizes improvements over the past several decades in river and air quality in many developed nations, and efforts to repair the stratospheric ozone layer. However, the report also notes a steady decline in the environment—including fresh water, coastal, and marine resources—especially in many developing nations.The assessment by the UNEP comes 30 years after the first international environmental conference in Stockholm and three months prior to the August 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg.
Science role in countering terrorism
Authors: Showstack Randy 
Published: November 2011

Geoscience expertise figures as a component of a new report on harnessing the U.S. science and technology community in the fight against terrorism.The National Research Council report, “Making the Nation Safer: The Role of Science and Technology in Countering Terrorism,” proposes research agendas in a number of areas perceived to be vulnerable to terrorism. These areas include nuclear and radiological threats, toxic chemicals and explosive materials, information technology, energy systems, and cities and fixed infrastructure.
A glacial record
Authors: Showstack Randy 
Published: November 2011

Drilling 460 meters to bedrock, a scientific team led by Lonnie Thompson, a professor of geological sciences at Ohio State University (OSU) in Columbus, Ohio, has produced the longest ice core ever taken from a mountain glacier.The core, from an ice cap between Mount Bona and the Churchill stratovolcano on the Canadian‐U.S. border, beats by 150 meters the previous record for a glacier ice core. This was from the Guliya ice cap in western China, also drilled by a Thompson‐led team.
Studying lightning strikes
Authors: Showstack Randy 
Published: November 2011

Scientists studying thunderstorms hope that using an “uninhabited aerial vehicle,” or UAV will allow them to overcome speed limitations of conventional aircraft to gain a better understanding of weather data and forecasting.Researchers with the Altus Cumulus Electrification Study (ACES) say that the Altus UAV flies at between 129 and 185 kilometers per hour, slower than conventional aircraft. This should allow the 55‐foot wingspan vehicle to provide a longer‐duration picture of thunderstorms without putting pilots and airborne researchers at risk during an August field campaign, based out of Naval Air Station Key West in Florida.
Yucca Mountain repository approved
Authors: Showstack Randy 
Published: November 2011

At a quiet White House ceremony on 23 July, U.S. President George W. Bush signed into law House Joint Resolution 87, which approves the site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, for the development of a repository for disposing of high‐level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel.White House spokesman Ari Fleischer called the signing “an important step forward on the way to a comprehensive policy for dealing with our nation's nuclear waste.”
Measuring soil moisture
Authors: Showstack Randy 
Published: November 2011

A recent aerial field experiment of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration carried out above farmland near Ames, Iowa, could help scientists to develop a remote global soil moisture observing system over most of the Earth's non‐forested and unfrozen regions.During the experiment, which lasted from 25 June to 8 July scientists and engineers measured soil moisture content with remote sensing techniques that included a passive and active L‐ and S‐band microwave instrument about 1.1 kilometers above ground, and an airborne synthetic aperture radar flying at an altitude of about 7.9 kilometers.
U.S. flood damage data reported
Authors: Showstack Randy 
Published: November 2011

Pennsylvania and California were hit with the most flood damage of any U.S. states between 1955 and 1999, according to a reanalysis of historical flood damage estimates released in a 5 August report.Pennsylvania was hit with nearly $12 billion in flood damages from a few major events, while a number of damaging floods in California cost that state almost $11 billion. North Dakotans suffered the most per capita economic losses ($363 per person) due to flooding.
Drought‐stricken states
Authors: Showstack Randy 
Published: November 2011

Nearly half of the contiguous United States, and at least part of 37 states, were in moderate to extreme drought in July, scientists at the National Climatic Data Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced on 14 August. Thirty‐seven percent of the contiguous U.S. suffered severe to extreme drought, based on the Palmer Drought Index. Those extreme conditions stretched from the Southwest to Montana and Nebraska, and from Georgia to Virginia.While rainfall brought some relief to areas in the Gulf Coast and West Texas in July, some parts of the Southeast and western U.S. have been in various drought stages since 1998, according to the center.
Ozone layer recovery promising
Authors: Showstack Randy 
Published: November 2011

Indications are that the stratospheric ozone layer may be on the road to recovery, according to a 16 September report by the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organization. However, the report cautions that the ozone layer will still be vulnerable, even with continued international compliance with the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.“During the next decade, we should see a recovery of the ozone layer;”said Gerard Megie, co‐chair of the Montreal Protocol's scientific assessment panel.
Mapping climate conditions with materials corrosion
Authors: Showstack Randy 
Published: November 2011

The world's first comprehensive materials corrosion mapping system can predict the effects that climatic conditions have on the life cycle of products ranging from automobiles to bridges, according to Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the Australian Industrial Galvanizers Corporation. Both jointly announced the system on 14 November.The mapping system, which incorporates conditions such as moisture, salinity pollution, and prevailing winds, can predict the corrosion of materials in any part of Australia, they said. Ivan Cole of CSIRO Materials Engineering said the mapping system even takes into account durability factors impacting on greenhouse gas contributions and soil conditions, making it a unique tool for Australian industry.
Factors Contributing to Adherence to Dietary Treatment of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Diseases
Authors: Henry Michelle L. , Atkins Dan , Fleischer David , Pan Zhaoxing , Ruybal Joseph , Furuta Glenn T. 
Published: November 2011

ABSTRACTThe purpose of the present study was to identify barriers to dietary adherence found in the treatment of children with eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases (EGIDs) and food allergy. A prospective study using a self‐administered survey to parents of children with EGIDs at a national advocacy meeting was completed. Responses from 45 participants describing children ages 1 to 18 years (69% boys) identified that 63% were adherent to food restrictions. Physicians provided dietary instructions more often than dietitians. Nonadherence was associated with lack of school support (P < 0.027). Access to a dietitian may improve the care of children with EGIDs.
Emotional contagion of dental fear to children: the fathers’ mediating role in parental transfer of fear
Authors: LARA AMERICA , CREGO ANTONIO , ROMERO‐MAROTO MARTIN 
Published: November 2011

International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry 2012; 22: 324–330
Background.  Dental fear is considered to be one of the most frequent problems in paediatric dentistry. According to literature, parents’ levels of dental fear play a key role in the development of child’s dental anxiety.Hypothesis or Aim.  We have tried to identify the presence of emotional transmission of dental fear among family members and to analyse the different roles that mothers and fathers might play concerning the contagion of dental fear to children. We have hypothesized a key role of the father in the transfer of dental fear from mother to child.Design.  A questionnaire‐based survey (Children’s Fear Survey Schedule‐Dental Subscale) has been distributed among 183 schoolchildren and their parents in Madrid (Spain). Inferential statistical analyses, i.e. correlation and hierarchical multiple regression, were carried out and possible mediating effects between variables have been tested.Results.  Our results support the hypothesis that family members’ levels of dental fear are significantly correlated, and they also allow us to affirm that fathers’ dental fear is a mediating variable in the relationship between mothers and children’s fear scores.Conclusions.  Together with the presence of emotional transmission of dental fear among family members, we identified the relevant role that fathers play as regards the transfer of dental fear from parents to children.
Partitioning the effects of an ecosystem engineer: kangaroo rats control community structure via multiple pathways
Authors: Prugh Laura R. , Brashares Justin S. 
Published: November 2011

Summary1. Ecosystem engineers impact communities by altering habitat conditions, but they can also have strong effects through consumptive, competitive and other non‐engineering pathways.2. Engineering effects can lead to fundamentally different community dynamics than non‐engineering effects, but the relative strengths of these interactions are seldom quantified.3. We combined structural equation modelling and exclosure experiments to partition the effects of a keystone engineer, the giant kangaroo rat (Dipodomys ingens), on plants, invertebrates and vertebrates in a semi‐arid California grassland.4. We separated the effects of burrow creation from kangaroo rat density and found that kangaroo rats increased the diversity and abundance of other species via both engineering and non‐engineering pathways.5. Engineering was the primary factor structuring plant and small mammal communities, whereas non‐engineering effects structured invertebrate communities and increased lizard abundance.6. These results highlight the importance of the non‐engineering effects of ecosystem engineers and shed new light on the multiple pathways by which strong‐interactors shape communities.
Comparative study of the in situ immune response in oral and nasal mucosal leishmaniasis
Authors: PALMEIRO M. R. , MORGADO F. N. , VALETE‐ROSALINO C. M. , MARTINS A. C. , MOREIRA J. , QUINTELLA L. P. , De OLIVEIRA SCHUBACH A. , CONCEIÇÃO‐SILVA F. 
Published: November 2011

SummaryMucosal Leishmaniasis (ML) may occur in both nasal and oral mucosa. However, despite the impressive tissue destruction, little is known about the oral involvement. To compare some changes underlying inflammation in oral and nasal ML, we performed immunohistochemistry on mucosal tissue of 20 patients with ML (nasal [n = 12]; oral [n = 8] lesions) and 20 healthy donors using antibodies that recognize inflammatory markers (CD3, CD4, CD8, CD22, CD68, neutrophil elastase, CD1a, CLA, Ki67, Bcl‐2, NOS2, CD62E, Fas and FasL). A significantly larger number of cells, mainly T cells and macrophages, were observed in lesions than in healthy tissue. In addition, high nitric oxide synthase 2 (NOS2) expression was associated with a reduced detection of parasites, highlighting the importance of NOS2 for parasite elimination. Oral lesions had higher numbers of neutrophils, parasites, proliferating cells and NOS2 than nasal lesions. These findings, together with the shorter duration of oral lesions and more intense symptoms, suggest a more recent inflammatory process. It could be explained by lesion‐induced oral cavity changes that lead to eating difficulties and social stigma. In addition, the frequent poor tooth conservation and gingival inflammation tend to amplify tissue destruction and symptoms and may impair and confuse the correct diagnosis, thus delaying the onset of specific treatment.
The pro‐inflammatory effects of platelet contamination in plasma and mitigation strategies for avoidance
Authors: Bercovitz R. S. , Kelher M. R. , Khan S. Y. , Land K. J. , Berry T. H. , Silliman C. C. 
Published: November 2011

Background and Objectives  Plasma and platelet concentrates are disproportionately implicated in transfusion‐related acute lung injury (TRALI). Platelet‐derived pro‐inflammatory mediators, including soluble CD40 ligand (sCD40L), accumulate during storage. We hypothesized that platelet contamination induces sCD40L generation that causes neutrophil [polymorphonuclear leucocyte (PMN)] priming and PMN‐mediated cytotoxicity.Materials and Methods  Plasma was untreated, centrifuged (12 500 g) or separated from leucoreduced whole blood (WBLR) prior to freezing. Platelet counts and sCD40L concentrations were measured 1–5 days post‐thaw. The plasma was assayed for PMN priming activity and was used in a two‐event in vitro model of PMN‐mediated human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cell (HMVEC) cytotoxicity.Results  Untreated plasma contained 42 ± 4·2 × 103/μl platelets, which generated sCD40L accumulation (1·6–eight‐fold vs. controls). Priming activity and HMVEC cytotoxicity were directly proportional to sCD40L concentration. WBLR and centrifugation reduced platelet and sCD40L contamination, abrogating the pro‐inflammatory potential.Conclusion  Platelet contamination causes sCD40L accumulation in stored plasma that may contribute to TRALI. Platelet reduction is potentially the first TRALI mitigation effort in plasma manufacturing.
Infliximab or cyclosporine for acute severe ulcerative colitis: A retrospective analysis
Authors: Dean Kathryn E , Hikaka Joanna , Huakau John T , Walmsley Russell S 
Published: November 2011

AbstractBackground and Aim:  Medical treatment of steroid‐refractory ulcerative colitis (UC) is limited to either cyclosporine or infliximab. Studies comparing cyclosporine with either placebo or intravenous methylprednisone showed promise for cyclosporine, but associated it with significant toxicity. There is conflicting, but increasingly positive evidence for using infliximab. There are no studies directly comparing these two treatments. Our aim was to compare the outcomes of patients with steroid‐refractory UC treated with either intravenous cyclosporine or infliximab.Methods:  We carried out a retrospective review of inpatients with steroid‐refractory UC, treated with either intravenous cyclosporine or infliximab, at Waitemata District Health Board, between January 2001 and February 2010. The primary end‐points were time to colectomy, and colectomy rates at 3 and 12 months. Secondary end‐points were time to discharge from initiation of treatment, steroid dependence at 12 months, and reported adverse events.Results:  The total study population was 38, with 19 in the infliximab group. Follow up to 12 months was complete in all patients. At 3 months, the colectomy rate was 63% for cyclosporine, compared to 21% (P = 0.0094). By 12 months the rate was 68% and 37% for cyclosporine and infliximab, respectively (P = 0.06). Patients in the cyclosporine group required an additional 5 days in hospital (P = 0.0086). Steroid dependence at 12 months was 50% for cyclosporine versus 25% for infliximab (P = 0.36). Cyclosporine caused more adverse events (P = 0.17).Conclusions:  Infliximab improved clinical outcomes compared to the previous use of intravenous cyclosporine in patients admitted with steroid‐refractory acute severe UC.
Potent hepatitis B surface antigen response to treatment of hepatitis‐B‐e‐antigen‐positive chronic hepatitis B with α‐interferon plus a nucleos(t)ide analog
Authors: Chen Xinyue , Cao Zhenhuan , Liu Yali , Zhang Hongwei , Zhang Yonghong , Ma Lina , Jin Yi , Yu Haibin , Ma Bing , Zheng Yanhong , Wu Hao 
Published: November 2011

AbstractBackground and Aim:  Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) clearance is the closest cure outcome in hepatitis B. The goal of this study was to investigate clinical features in chronic hepatitis B patients achieving seroconversion of HBsAg after treatment with α‐interferon (IFN‐α) and a nucleos(t)ide analog.Methods:  This retrospective study enrolled 38 chronic hepatitis B patients treated with IFN‐α plus a nucleos(t)ide analog who achieved HBsAg seroconversion during the period from June 2001 to May 2009. Clinical and laboratory data of the patients were collected before and after treatment every 3 months. All patients with HBsAg seroconversion in this study were followed up for at least 12 months post‐treatment.Results:  A total of 38 out of 142 patients achieved HBsAg seroconversion after treatment with IFN‐α and a nucleos(t)tide analog for a prolonged period of time (medium 31 months). The median time to hepatitis B e antigen seroconversion and to HBsAg seroconversion was 19.5 months (range 3–60 months) and 25.5 months (range 9–63 months), respectively. Thirty‐six patients (95%) sustained HBsAg seroconversion during the post‐treatment follow up. Three different HBsAg response patterns were observed with classical model accounting for 57.9% (22/38 cases), simultaneous transition mode accounting for 23.7% (9/38 cases), and HBsAg prior transition model accounting for 18.4% (7/38 cases).Conclusions:  Extended treatment with IFN‐α in combination with a nucleos(t)ide analog in patients with hepatitis‐B‐e‐antigen‐positive appears to be a promising approach for achieving a high rate of HBsAg clearance—the closest outcome to cure.
Acute‐on‐chronic liver failure in chronic hepatitis B
Authors: Seto Wai‐Kay , Lai Ching‐Lung , Yuen Man‐Fung 
Published: November 2011

AbstractAcute‐on‐chronic liver failure (ACLF) in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is most commonly caused by acute severe exacerbation of CHB. The pathophysiology of ACLF in CHB is still poorly understood. Despite the identification of important predisposing factors and prognostic markers, ACLF in CHB remains a disease associated with high mortality. The majority of studies using nucleoside analog therapy did not show any significant improvement in survival, although larger prospective studies are needed. Liver transplantation is the definitive treatment for ACLF in CHB. The challenge ahead would be prognosticating cases with favorable or unfavorable outcomes in order to streamline patients for early transplantation or for medical therapy.