bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Becoming-Speckled Warbler: Re/creating Australian Natural History Pedagogy
Authors: Stewart Alistair 
Published: March 2012

AbstractThe speckled warbler and other woodland birds of south-eastern Australia have declined dramatically since European settlement; many species are at risk of becoming locally and/or nationally extinct. Coincidently, Australian environmental education research of the last decade has largely been silent on the development of pedagogy that refects the natural history of this continent (Stewart, 2006). The current circumstances that face the speckled warbler, I argue, is emblematic of both the state of woodland birds of south-eastern Australia, and the condition of natural history pedagogy within Australian environmental education research. In this paper I employ Deleuze and Guattari's (1987) philosophy “becoming-animal” to explore ways that the life and circumstances of the speckled warbler might inform natural history focused Australian environmental education research. The epistemology and ontology ofbecoming-speckled warbleroffers a basis to reconsider and strengthen links between Australian natural history pedagogy and notions of sustainability.
Understanding Student Learning in Environmental Education in Aotearoa New Zealand
Authors: Eames Chris , Barker Miles 
Published: March 2012

AbstractThis paper seeks to provide a perspective on environmental education in Aotearoa New Zealand. To contextualise this perspective, it illustrates how environmental, socio-cultural and political imperatives have shaped the development of environmental education in this land. These imperatives illuminate the natural history of the country, the connectedness within the worldviews of the indigenous Māori people, the pioneering views of some enlightened European settlers, and tensions between development and conservation. We connect this context with an overview of research in Aotearoa New Zealand into one aspect of environmental education – student learning in schools. Examples from recent research in this area are provided to show how these approaches are contributing to the Aotearoa New Zealand-ness of environmental education.
The transmission of the polyphonicAmenin the early fifteenth century
Authors: Honisch Erika 
Published: March 2012

ABSTRACTStudies of manuscripts such as the Trent Codices (I-TRbc87–92) and Bologna Q15 (I-Bc15) have shown that fifteenth-century scribes were not necessarily passive transmitters of the material they copied. Whether motivated by practical constraints or aesthetic preferences, they added, excised and re-composed sections or voices as they saw fit. The frequency and ingenuity of such emendations encourage us to examine them further – not as unwelcome alterations to a putative ‘Urtext’ but as creative acts in their own right.This article focuses on one site of scribal emendation: the concludingAmensections of early fifteenth-century Gloria and Credo settings. Frequently, otherwise concordant sources for the same piece transmitAmensections that appear to be unrelated to each other. I propose that certain types ofAmensettings were more susceptible than others to alteration and that one type – the short, self-contained, homophonicAmen– arose through scribal emendation. In order to describe in precise terms the choices a scribe might make, I introduce a nomenclature system for theAmensettings encountered in this period. Taking a panoptic view of the major sources for sacred polyphony in the first half of the fifteenth century, this article contributes to our understanding of scribal activity and manuscript culture.
Variability in the carbon isotopic composition of foliage carbon pools (soluble carbohydrates, waxes) and respiration fluxes in southeastern U.S. pine forests
Authors: Mortazavi Behzad , Conte Maureen H. , Chanton Jeffrey P. , Weber J. C. , Martin Timothy A. , Cropper Wendell P. 
Published: March 2012

We measured the δ13C of assimilated carbon (foliage organic matter (δCOM), soluble carbohydrates (δCSC), and waxes (δCW)) and respiratory carbon (foliage (δCFR), soil (δCSR) and ecosystem 13CO2 (δCER)) for two years at adjacent ecosystems in the southeastern U.S.: a regenerated 32 m tall mature Pinus palustrisforest, and a mid‐rotation 13 m tallPinus elliottii stand. Carbon pools and foliage respiration in P. palustris were isotopically enriched by 2‰ relative to P. elliottii. Despite this enrichment, mean δCER values of the two sites were nearly identical. No temporal trends were apparent in δCSC, δCFR, δCSR and δCER. In contrast, δCOM and δCW at both sites declined by approximately 2‰ over the study. This appears to reflect the adjustment in the δ13C of carbon storage reserves used for biosynthesis as the trees recovered from a severe drought prior to our study. Unexpectedly, the rate of δ13C decrease in the secondary C32–36 n‐alkanoic acid wax molecular cluster was twice that observed forδCOM and the predominant C22–26 compound cluster, and provides new evidence for parallel but separate wax chain elongation systems utilizing different carbon precursor pools in these species. δCFR and δCER were consistently enriched relative to assimilated carbon but, in contrast to previous studies, showed limited variations in response to changes in vapor pressure deficit (D). This limited variability in respiratory fluxes and δCSC may be due to the shallow water table as well as the deep taproots of pines, which limit fluctuations in photosynthetic discrimination arising from changes in D.
In silico design of potent agonists for human PPAR γ
Authors: Pallapotu Navya , M Divya , Hema Kanipakam , Umamaheswari Amineni 
Published: March 2012

AbstractPeroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR γ) acts as a key regulator on adipocyte differentiation and glucose homeostasis. PPAR γ has been implicated in the pathology of type 2 diabetes. As human PPAR γ activity is considered important in improving insulin sensitivity, in silico screening was carried out to find potent agonists for human PPAR γ protein. The co-crystal structure of PPAR γ, solved through X-Ray diffraction method was retrieved from the protein data bank. Four PPAR γ agonists selected from literature were submitted to subsequent 2D searching protocol using Ligand.Info, which yielded 1699 structural analogs. The PPAR γ co-crystal structure and ligand dataset were preprocessed using protein preparation wizard and LigPrep, respectively. Further, docking was performed by using three phased docking protocol of Maestro v9.2 that implements Glide v5.7. The obtained thirteen leads through docking were compared with the existing inhibitors and seven leads with good binding affinity with PPAR γ were proposed. The binding orientations of the seven leads were coinciding well with the native co-crystal structure of human PPAR γ. Thus, the proposed seven leads can be suggested as potential agonists for improving insulin sensitivity in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus if synthesized and validated in animal models
Stress and food intake: what's the deal with your meal.
Authors: Tryon M. S. , Laugero K. D. 
Published: March 2012

Abstract
Stress induces modification in both psychological and biological systems that have been associated with the onset of illness. Many of these changes are mediated through the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis and the effects of its hormones. This review describes how the HPA response to psychological stress is affected by macro- and micronutrients, highlighting implications to stress-induced alterations in eating behaviour. The interrelationship between nutrition and food choice is evident and the effect of foods and food constituents compounds neuroendocrine and related psychological processes regulating the adaptation to stress. The nutritional differences between individuals exposed to stress may help to explain person-to-person variability in vulnerability to stress and stress-related eating habits and disease. More longitudinal studies are needed to examine the effects of whole foods, specific dietary constituents and dietary patterns on HPA responses to stress.
Probiotics - what is the evidence behind the health claims?
Authors: Quigley E. M. M. 
Published: March 2012

Abstract
For decades, if not longer, a host of products have been marketed as probiotics and have claimed an exhaustive range of health-promoting and disease-modifying effects. Many such claims are unsupported by evidence from high-quality human studies and many products are of doubtful provenance and quality. However, with the realization of the critical role of the 'forgotten organ', the enteric microbiota, and its interactions with the host in generating a variety of functions which sustain health and, when disrupted, lead to disease, a solid scientific basis has been developed to support the use of probiotics in infectious, allergic, inflammatory and metabolic disorders. Progress in the clinical arena has not kept pace with that in the laboratory and most health claims, be they for the prevention of illness in the healthy, or for the alleviation of an established disorder in those afflicted with a disease state, remain unsupported by incontrovertible evidence. For some conditions, however, and, most notably, diarrhoeal illnesses, some inflammatory bowel diseases, certain infectious disorders and irritable bowel syndrome, good clinical data are beginning to accumulate. Given the current changes in the regulatory attitudes towards probiotics and their health claims, it is likely that the standards for approval of a health claim will become more, and not less, stringent, thus, paving the way for high-quality clinical trials of appropriate design and duration.
Comparison of the physiological and health effects of different types of non-viscous soluble fibres.
Authors: Lefranc-Millot C. , Chanson-Rollé A. , Macioce V. , Azaïs-Braesco V. 
Published: March 2012

Abstract
The beneficial role of dietary fibre in general health is well recognized, and recommended intakes are usually 21-38 g/day, depending on age, gender and country. However, actual dietary fibre intakes are below these recommendations in most Western countries. In order to improve the dietary fibre intakes of the population, national dietary guidelines encourage the consumption of fibre-rich foods, including naturally rich foods and fortified foods. Non-viscous soluble fibres have been widely used to fortify foods, and several physiological and health effects have been proposed to be associated with their consumption. The current article aims at reviewing the available scientific evidence to support these effects, with specific references to polydextrose, resistant dextrins and resistant maltodextrins, and focusing on benefits related to intestinal well-being, prebiotic effects, weight management and satiety. Recent findings obtained in humans and animals are highlighted, and when permitted, the level of evidence available for each type of fibre is compared. Although the degree of evidence, and thus conclusion of the scientific evaluation, varies according to the considered benefit and fibre type, the review of available data suggests that the soluble fibres highlighted in this paper may exert several benefits in relation to intestinal well-being, control of satiety and weight management, and to a lower extent, prebiotic properties. Nevertheless, more data from good-quality human trials are clearly needed to draw conclusions on the specific beneficial impacts associated with the consumption of these types of soluble fibres.
Understanding amoebic gill disease.
Authors: Wallach M. , Nowak B. F. 
Published: March 2012

Abstract

Amoebic gill disease (AGD) is a severely debilitating disease, which mainly affects the salmonid industry. It causes high production losses worldwide, including Tasmania, where it is the main health problem in farmed Atlantic salmon. Without the use of control procedures such as fresh water bathing and/or by maintaining fish population densities at a level commensurate with proper hygiene, this disease can often lead to the death of over 50% of infected salmon. AGD is caused by the parasitic amoeba,
Neoparamoeba perurans
, which binds to and inhabits the gill epithelium of growing fish. Pathology is associated with severe epithelial hyperplasia, fusion of gill lamellae, lowering of oxygen tension and pH of the blood and eventual death of the fish. In order to understand this disease process, research has been carried out, to study the immune response of fish to primary and secondary infections, the genetic basis of resistance to infection as well as how the parasite binds to the host gill tissue and induces a severe host response. Results have shown that
N. perurans
contains within its surface glycocalyx, high-molecular-weight mucin-like glycoproteins. These surface mucins are immunodominant, according to studies showing that they are the major antigens recognized by antibody in serum from fish exposed to the parasite, as well as when immunized with either whole parasites or subcellular fractions. Thus far, attempts to vaccinate salmon using the purified, high-molecular-weight surface antigen (HMWA) have failed to induce significant protective immunity. However, these studies have greatly aided our understanding of the molecular basis of the amoeba binding and infection process.
Determination of the optical constants for Cu(In,Ga)Se2 and CuxSe in the IR region
Authors: Schöldström J , Zimmermann U , Edoff M 
Published: March 2012

Abstract
The complex refractive index of Cu
x
Se and Cu(In,Ga)Se2 has been calculated from experimental data in the wavelength region from 0.3 to 20 µm. For Cu(In,Ga)Se2, the imaginary part exhibits very low values in the infrared range, whereas the real part decreases gently from 3 to 2.5. The Cu
x
Se film is found to be conducting with increasing real and imaginary parts. It is found not to follow the Drude model. Reflectance and transmittance measurements were performed on thin films grown on soda lime glass and double polished low-doped silicon as substrates. Solutions for the complex refractive index were extracted from the measurement data using an optical model for the film and substrate. A method to map all solutions for the complex refractive index was applied to select the physically correct one.
Ion activation energy delivered to wounds by atmospheric pressure dielectric-barrier discharges: sputtering of lipid-like surfaces
Authors: Babaeva Natalia Yu , Ning Ning , Graves David B , Kushner Mark J 
Published: March 2012

Abstract
The application of atmospheric pressure plasmas to human tissue has been shown to have therapeutic effects for wound healing and in treatment of skin diseases. These effects are attributed to production of UV photon fluxes, electric fields and beneficial radicals which intersect with biological reaction chains, and to energetic ions bombarding the surface. In this paper we report on results from a computational investigation of the ion energy and angular distributions (IEADs) in a dielectric-barrier discharge sustained in air incident directly on cell membranes for small dry and wet wounds in human skin. We found that ion energies in excess of 20–30 eV can be delivered onto cell membranes of dry wounds, and up to 60 eV onto the liquid interface of the wet wound. The details of the IEADs depend on the orientation of the cell membrane and on the relative location of the plasma streamer to the wound. Using results from a molecular dynamics simulation of ion sputter probabilities of typical lipid-like material, we show that prolonged exposure of the cell membrane to such IEADs can produce significant carbon removal.
Thermoelectric properties of non-stoichiometric AgSbTe2 based alloys with a small amount of GeTe addition
Authors: Chen Y , He B , Zhu T J , Zhao X B 
Published: March 2012

Abstract
The (Ag0.366Sb0.558Te)1−x
(GeTe)
x
(0 < x ⩽ 8%) solid solutions were prepared and the thermoelectric properties were presented from 300 to 600 K. The Seebeck coefficient decreased with an increase in GeTe content x, while the electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity followed the opposite trend, indicating the carrier concentration increased monotonically with GeTe content. The thermal conductivity showed almost no temperature dependence. Lorenz number was calculated under consideration of the two carrier conduction mechanism, and the thermal conductivity was mainly from lattice conduction. The calculated lattice thermal conductivity increased monotonically with GeTe content, suggesting that unharmonic umklapp scattering dominates thermal conduction in this material system. By rough estimation it is demonstrated that the increasing lattice thermal conductivity after alloying is a result of the increase in the Debye temperature and the decrease in the Grüneisen parameter.
Formation of ultra-thin bi-molecular boundary adsorbed films
Authors: Chong W W F , Teodorescu M , Rahnejat H 
Published: March 2012

Abstract
An analytical method based on statistical mechanics is proposed to predict ultra-thin adsorbed films of physical fluids with molecular diversity formed on smooth surfaces. The model is representative of molecular interactions at the smooth summits of surface asperities in the nano-scale. At this physical scale the constraining effect of the solid barriers promotes discretization of the fluid volume into molecular layers. These layers are usually ejected from the contact in a stepwise manner. The integrated effect of intermolecular forces as well as their interactions with the contiguous surfaces is responsible for the discontinuous drainage of the fluid. However, at the same time, the adsorption energy of the molecular species strives to form a molecular monolayer upon the boundary solids. The net result of these complex interactions is an ultra-thin adsorbed film, whose shear characteristics depends on a competition between the repulsive solvation pressure and the energy of molecular adsorption. It is shown that very thin low shear strength films are formed in this manner. This would depend on the molecular concentration and the wall adsorption energy. An important implication is that boundary adherent films should be viewed as a result of surface-fluid combination for which the choice of concentration and fraction content of particular species are crucial.
On balanced exploitation of marine ecosystems: results from dynamic size spectra
Authors: Law Richard , Plank Michael J. , Kolding Jeppe 
Published: March 2012

Abstract
Law, R., Plank, M. J., and Kolding, J. 2012. On balanced exploitation of marine ecosystems: results from dynamic size spectra. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 69: 602–614. Fisheries are often managed to protect small young fish and to harvest big old fish. This can be wasteful, leading to large parts of catches being discarded. A recent suggestion is that it could be better to distribute fishing more widely across species and body sizes, balancing it more closely to the natural productivity of different organisms. Here, we test effects of such fishing against more traditional methods using a model of a single fish species with a dynamic size spectrum together with a fixed spectrum of plankton. This has the feature that productivity is determined by the bookkeeping of biomass in the model, and decreases as fish grow larger. The results show that harvesting smaller fish (which have higher productivity) allows a greater sustainable biomass yield than harvesting larger fish (which have lower productivity); the greater spawning-stock biomass that comes from protecting large fish contributes to this. Balanced exploitation brings fishing mortality more in line with this natural variation in productivity. In addition, the resilience of the ecosystem to perturbations can be improved, and disruption to the size distribution of organisms in the ecosystem reduced. We argue that there are potentially real benefits to be gained by moving towards more balanced exploitation of marine ecosystems, unconventional though this is.
Diagnosis of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Children and Adolescents
Authors: Vajro Pietro , Lenta Selvaggia , Socha Piotr , Dhawan Anil , McKiernan Patrick , Baumann Ulrich , Durmaz Ozlem , Lacaille Florence , McLin Valerie , Nobili Valerio 
Published: March 2012

ABSTRACTNonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of chronic liver disease in children and adolescents in the United States, and most probably also in the rest of the industrialized world.As the prevalence of NAFLD in childhood increases with the worldwide obesity epidemic, there is an urgent need for diagnostic standards that can be commonly used by pediatricians and hepatologists. To this end, we performed a PubMed search of the adult and pediatric literature on NAFLD diagnosis through May 2011 using Topics and/or relevant Authors as search words. According to the present literature, NAFLD is suspected based on the association of fatty liver combined with risk factors (mainly obesity), after the exclusion of other causes of liver disease. The reference but imperfect standard for confirming NAFLD is liver histology. The following surrogate markers are presently used to estimate degree of steatosis and liver fibrosis and risk of progression to end‐stage liver disease: imaging by ultrasonography or magnetic resonance imaging, liver function tests, and serum markers of liver fibrosis.NAFLD should be suspected in all of the overweight or obese children and adolescents older than 3 years with increased waist circumference especially if there is a NAFLD history in relatives. The typical presentation, however, is in children ages 10 years and older. The first diagnostic step in these children should be abdominal ultrasound and liver function tests, followed by exclusion of other liver diseases. Overweight/obese children with normal ultrasonographic imaging and normal liver function tests should still be monitored due to the poor sensitivity of these tests at a single assessment.Indications for liver biopsy include the following: to rule out other treatable diseases, in cases of clinically suspected advanced liver disease, before pharmacological/surgical treatment, and as part of a structured intervention protocol or clinical research trial.