bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Ozone loss rates in the Arctic winter stratosphere during 1994–2000 derived from POAM II/III and ILAS observations: Implications for relationships among ozone loss, PSC occurrence, and temperature
Authors: Terao Yukio , Sugita Takafumi , Sasano Yasuhiro 
Published: January 2012

Quantitative chemical ozone loss rates at the 475 K isentropic surface inside the Arctic polar vortex are evaluated for six winters (January through March) using a satellite‐based Match technique. Satellite observational data are taken from the Polar Ozone and Aerosol Measurement (POAM) II for 1994–1996, the Improved Limb Atmospheric Spectrometer (ILAS) for 1997, and the POAM III for 1999–2000. The largest ozone loss rates were observed in the end of January 1995 (∼50 ± 20 ppbv d−1), February 1996 (∼40–50 ± 15 ppbv d−1), February 1997 (∼40 ± 8 ppbv d−1), January 2000 (∼60 ± 30 ppbv d−1), and early March 2000 (∼40 ± 10 ppbv d−1). The probability of polar stratospheric cloud (PSC) existence is estimated using aerosol extinction coefficient data from POAM II/III and ILAS. Ozone loss and the PSC probability are strongly correlated and an absolute increase of 10% in the PSC probability is found to amplify the chemical ozone loss rate during Arctic winter by approximately 25 ± 6 ppbv per day or 3.2 ± 0.7 ppbv per sunlit hour. Relationships between average Arctic winter ozone loss rates and various PSC‐ and temperature‐related indices are investigated, including the area of polar vortex that is colder than the threshold temperature for PSC existence (APSC), the PSC formation potential (PFP), and the potential for activation of chlorine (PACl). Of these three, PACl provides the best proxy representation of interannual variability in Arctic ozone loss at the 475 K level. Large ozone loss occurred primarily for air masses that experienced low temperatures between 187 K and 195 K within the previous 10 days and the ozone loss rates clearly increase with decreasing the minimum temperature. The particularly large ozone losses of ∼9 ± 3 ppbv per sunlit hour in February 1996 and January 2000 were associated with low minimum temperatures of 187–189 K, simultaneously with high PSC probabilities.
Observation of atmospheric oxygen/nitrogen ratio aboard a cargo ship using gas chromatography/thermal conductivity detector
Authors: Yamagishi Hiroaki , Tohjima Yasunori , Mukai Hitoshi , Nojiri Yukihiro , Miyazaki Chihiro , Katsumata Keiichi 
Published: January 2012

Measurements of atmospheric O2/N2 ratio and CO2 concentration have been used to analyze the −ΔO2/ΔCO2 ratio to obtain information on CO2 sources, e.g., anthropogenic or terrestrial biogenic sources (respiration or wildfire). In this study we report on the development of a shipboard system for measuring atmospheric O2/N2 ratio by using the gas chromatography/thermal conductivity detector (GC/TCD) technique. The standard error for a one hour average (N = 6) is found to be ± 5 per meg (±1 ppm). The shipboard measurements have been conducted since the end of September 2007 on the Voluntary Observing Ship TRANS FUTURE 5, a cargo ship sailing between Japan, Australia, and New Zealand every six weeks. Spatially, the observation covers latitudes between 41°S and 33°N over the western Pacific. Air masses with high CO2 concentration are observed along the coastline of Australia and New Zealand. In more than two thirds of the cases (17 of 23 events) detected between September 2007 and July 2009, values of the −ΔO2/ΔCO2 ratio are less than 1.15, indicating dominance of biogenic sources (e.g., respiration or wildfire) of CO2.
The biological cost of consciousness
Authors: Baars Bernard 
Published: January 2012

AbstractSome philosophers maintain that consciousness as subjective experience has no biological function. However, conscious brain events seem very different from unconscious ones. The cortex and thalamus support the reportable qualitative contents of consciousness. Subcortical structures like the cerebellum do not. Likewise, attended sensory stimuli are typically reportable as conscious, while memories of those stimuli are not so reportable until they are specifically recalled.Reports of conscious experiences in normal humans always involve subjectivity and an implicit observing ego. Unconscious brain events are not reportable, even under optimal conditions of report. While there are claimed exceptions to these points, they are rare or poorly validated.Normal consciousness also implies high availability (rapid conscious access) of the questions routinely asked of neurological patients in the Mental Status Examination, such as common sense features of personal identity, time, place, and social context. Along with “current concerns,” recent conscious contents, and the like, these contents correspond to high frequency items in working memory. While working memory contents are not immediately conscious, they can be rapidly re-called to consciousness.The anatomy and physiology of reportable conscious sensorimotor contents are ultraconserved over perhaps 200 million years of mammalian evolution. By comparison, full-fledged language is thought to arise some 100,000 years ago in homo sapiens, while writing, which enables accel-erated cultural development, dates between 2.5 and 6 millennia. Contrary to some claims, therefore, conscious waking precedes language by hundreds of millions of years.Like other major adaptations, conscious and unconscious brain events have distinctive biological pros and cons. These involve information processing efficiency, metabolic costs and benefits, and behavioral pros and cons. The well known momentary limited capacity of conscious contents is an example of an information processing cost, while the very large and energy-hungry corticothalamic system makes costly metabolic demands.After a century of scientific neglect, fundamental concepts like “conscious,” “unconscious,” “voluntary” and “non-voluntary” are still vitally important, because they refer to major biopsychological phenomena that otherwise are difficult to discuss.
Quantity and proliferation rate of mesenchymal stem cells in human cord blood during gestation
Authors: Ma Lan‐Lan , Meng Fan‐Biao , Shi Ping , Li Gang , Pang Xi‐Ning 
Published: January 2012

AbstractUCB (umbilical cord blood) as a resource of MSCs (mesenchymal stem cells) is widely accepted, but the quantity and characteristics of UCB‐MSCs from different gestational ages have not been well studied. We have quantified the number of MSCs in UCB at different gestational ages using a multi‐colour flowcytometer and compared the cell proliferation rates of these UCB‐MSCs. Defining MSCs as CD44+/CD105+/CD34 −/CD45 population, their numbers declined in the UCB at the gestational age. Proliferation rates were significantly higher in UCB before term than at full term. Non‐full term UCB samples may be a better source of MSCs.
Testing zooplankton secondary production models against Daphnia magna growth
Authors: Gómez May , Martínez Ico , Mayo Ismael , Morales José Miguel , Santana Angelo , Packard Ted T. 
Published: January 2012

AbstractGómez, M., Martínez, I., Mayo, I., Morales, J. M., Santana, A., and Packard, T. T. 2012. Testing zooplankton secondary production models against Daphnia magna growth. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 69: 421–428. Modelling secondary production rates in the zooplankton is essential for population ecology studies, but assessing these rates is difficult and rarely done. Here, five secondary production models are tested by measuring Daphnia magna growth. To provide a range of growth rates, Daphnia were cultured under three different nutrition regimes (yeast, cornflour, and phytoplankton). Length and biomass were monitored daily in three simple time-course experiments to provide the growth rates, which ranged from 0.11 to 0.30 d–1 with secondary production rates of 350–643 µg dry mass d−1. Secondary production was predicted best by the freshwater crustacean-based model of Stockwell and Johannsson (1997). Marine copepod-based marine models were totally unsuitable.
First Report of Mango Malformation Disease Caused by Fusarium mangiferae in Spain
Authors: Crespo M. , Cazorla F. M. , Hermoso J. M. , Guirado E. , Maymon M. , Torés J. A. , Freeman S. , de Vicente A. 
Published: January 2012

Mango (Mangifera indica L.) malformation disease (MMD) is one of the most important diseases affecting this crop worldwide, which causes severe economic losses because of the reduction of productivity. Symptoms of MMD in Spain were observed for the first time in April of 2006 in three mango orchards in the Axarquia Region (southern Spain). Symptoms included an abnormal development of vegetative shoots with shortened internodes and dwarfed leaves and hypertrophied short and thickened panicles. In the years of 2006, 2009, and 2010, isolates of Fusarium were obtained from vegetative shoots and floral tissue of symptomatic mango trees from 21 different orchards of cvs. Keitt, Kent, Osteen, Tommy Atkins, and a variety of minor commercial cultivars, all showing typical symptoms of MMD. Different Fusarium-like strains were isolated from infected tissues. Colonies from single-spored isolates possessed dark purple-to-salmon-colored mycelium when grown on potato dextrose agar medium. On fresh carnation leaf agar medium, mycelium contained aerial conidiophores possessing three- to five-celled macroconidia and abundant microconidia in false heads from mono- and polyphialides; while cream-orange-colored sporodochia were produced on the surface of the medium, typical for Fusarium mangiferae. The identification of 37 isolates was confirmed as F. mangiferae by species-specific PCR analysis with the primer pair 1-3 F/R that amplified a 608-bp DNA fragment from all Spanish isolates as well as a representative Israeli control strain, Fus 34, also designated as MRC7560 (2). Pathogenicity using four representative isolates, UMAF F02, UMAF F10, UMAF F17, and UMAF F38 of F. mangiferae from Spain as well as isolate MRC7560, was tested on 2-year-old healthy mango seedlings cv. Keitt by inoculating 15 buds from three different trees with a 20-μl conidial suspension (5 × 107 conidia per ml) per isolate (1). This experiment was conducted twice with two independent sets of plants and at different times (March and November 2010). Typical mango malformation symptoms were detected after bud break in March 2011, 5 and 12 months after inoculation. Symptoms were observed for 60% of the inoculated buds with the four F. mangiferae Spanish isolates and 75% with the MRC7560 control strain, but not with water-inoculated control plants. Recovered isolates from the infected floral and vegetative malformed buds were identical morphologically to those inoculated, and the specific 608-bp fragment described for F. mangiferae was amplified with specific-PCR, thus fulfilling Koch's postulates. To our knowledge, this is the first report of mango malformation disease caused by F. mangiferae in Spain and Europe. References: (1) S. Freeman et al. Phytopathology 89:456, 1999. (2) Q. I. Zheng and R. C. Ploetz. Plant Pathol. 51:208, 2002.
Clinical waste incinerators in Cameroon – a case study
Authors: Ikome Kuwoh Mochungong Peter , Gulis Gabriel , Sodemann Morten 
Published: January 2012

PurposeIncinerators are widely used to treat clinical waste in Cameroon's Northwest Region. These incinerators cause public apprehension owing to purported risks to operators, communities and the environment. This article aims to summarize findings from an April 2008 case study.Design/methodology/approachThree incinerators were randomly selected and investigated for site, design and operating standards. Empirical field observation was adopted and data collected through inventory and informal interviews. Bottom ash samples collected from the incinerators were prepared according to standard procedures and analyzed for heavy metals using Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) Emission Spectroscopy.FindingsShortcomings associated with site selection, design and operation standards were identified. Chemical analysis revealed that Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn, Mg and Ca were present in the bottom ash with mean concentration ranging from 10 mg/kg for Pb to 178080 mg/kg for Ca.Research limitations/implicationsFor logistic reasons, feedstock quantity and quality into the incinerators were not investigated. Neither were soil samples around and away from the incinerators.Practical implicationsAlthough highly favored, clinical waste incineration methods in this region have to be reconsidered. A thorough health and environmental impact assessment is suggested before subsequent decisions on choice and disposal site is made. This will curb potential negative impacts to the environment and public health.Originality/valueThis article adds a different perspective and sheds additional information to the debate on unsatisfactory clinical waste incinerators in resources‐poor countries. Alternative methods to incineration are presented that will be helpful to practitioners.
Factors relating to doctors' desire to change hospitals in Japan
Authors: Kato Ken , Yamauchi Kazunobu , Miyaji Makoto , Fujiwara Nakako , Katsuyama Kimiko , Amano Hiroshi , Kobayashi Santaro , Naito Michio , Maki Yasunori , Kawahara Hirohisa , Maseki Mitsuaki , Senoo Yoshio 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThis study seeks to investigate doctors' desire to change the hospital where they work to sustain higher quality care.Design/methodology/approachSelf‐administered questionnaires were sent to doctors in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Data were analyzed using univariate and logistic regression analysis and recursive partitioning.FindingsFactors related to doctors' desire to change hospitals, according to logistic regression, were interaction between working hours and satisfaction with the hospital, evaluation, local government hospitals versus private ones, small vs large hospitals, ophthalmology versus internal medicine, desire to continue working as a hospital doctor and age. Additionally, working hours were also found to be related, based on recursive partitioning.Research limitations/implicationsThe response rate was low and sampling bias was observed – therefore results need careful interpretation. Also, because this was a cross‐sectional study, causal relationships could not be identified. Desire to change hospitals, but not actual behavior, was measured.Practical implicationsEfforts to prevent doctors from changing hospitals should include considering job satisfaction and workload, doctor evaluation methods, support for career progression and organizational management.Originality/valueAs the hospital doctor shortage in rural areas becomes more serious, exploring doctors' desire to leave their current hospital is meaningful for Japanese hospital managers and hospitals worldwide aiming to provide sustainable and higher quality care.
A quality control application in healthcare management using experimental design criteria
Authors: Savsar Mehmet , Al‐Ajmi Moiedh M. 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to determine the significant factors that cause delays in surgery operations in a hospital and factors that affect productivity of surgery clinics.Design/methodology/approachData are collected from surgery clinics of an international hospital to identify main factors that affect delays in surgery operation. A design of experiment is then performed and the significance of the effects of these factors is determined. A regression model was also developed to find a relation between surgery delays and the selected factors.FindingsThe results show that such factors as the type of doctors and missing information significantly affect the delay in surgery operations as compared with some other factors, such as admission time considered in the study.Research limitations/implicationsThe models developed and the results obtained in this paper are specific to the application presented. However, the procedures are general and can be applied to similar problems.Practical implicationsThe results of the study can be used to control important factors to reduce the delays in surgery operations, reduce risks in patient health related to these delays, reduce hospital costs and improve the productivity of these clinics.Originality/valueThe paper considers a management problem related to surgery delays which has not been considered before and presents a procedure to study the causes of the problem. It provides a methodology that could be used to study similar problems in health care management systems and to improve these systems by analyzing operations and activities with respect to the factors that affect productivity and efficiency of such operations.
Oral cancer prevention and early detection
Authors: Jaber Louay , Shaban Sami , Hariri Deema 
Published: January 2012

PurposeDespite the crucial role that healthcare practitioners (HCPs) have in preventing and detecting oral cancer (OC), studies suggest that dentists and physicians do not adequately detect early stage OC which is attributed to their attitude and knowledge. This Saudi Arabian study aims to assess HCP's knowledge and practice vis‐à‐vis OC's risk factors and patient evaluation.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire was distributed to HCPs in six different Saudi Arabian settings. A total of 16 items representing a mixture of OC's risk and non‐risk factors were measured.FindingsThe study found that only 20.9 percent of HCPs could distinguish 11 items or more correctly. Additionally, when HCPs obtained the patient's medical history, no more than 32.3 percent routinely assessed ten important OC issues. Almost 36 percent of HCPs thought that attending to too many patients prevented them from taking proper medical histories, and 37.6 percent admitted that more training in preventing and detecting OC is needed.Research limitations/implicationsSince there is no effective automated system to reach Saudi Arabian practitioners, the number of practitioners involved in this study is limited.Practical implicationsThe knowledge and practice of HCPs with relation to OC do not appear to be sufficient and HCPs should have better and more training in OC prevention and early detection.Originality/valueIt appears that Saudi Arabian HCPs do not adequately participate in OC's prevention and early detection. It is suggested that continuous education strategies in Saudi Arabia should be reassessed and emphasis given to OC diagnosis.
Measuring complexity for building projects: a Delphi study
Authors: Xia Bo , Chan Albert P.C. 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe aim of this study is to identify complexity measures for building projects in the People's Republic of China (PRC).Design/methodology/approachA three‐round of Delphi questionnaire survey was conducted to identify the key parameters that measure the degree of project complexity. A complexity index (CI) was developed based on the identified measures and their relative importance.FindingsSix key measures of project complexity have been identified, namely: building structure & function; construction method; the urgency of the project schedule; project size/scale; geological condition; and neighboring environment.Practical implicationsThese complexity measures help stakeholders assess degrees of project complexity and better manage the potential risks that might be induced to different levels of project complexity.Originality/valueThe findings provide insightful perspectives to define and understand project complexity. For stakeholders, understanding and addressing the complexity help to improve project planning and implementation.
New life‐cycle costing approach for infrastructure rehabilitation
Authors: Farran Mazen , Zayed Tarek 
Published: January 2012

PurposeSeveral rehabilitation planning methods are reported in the literature for public infrastructures, such as bridges, pavements, sewers, etc. These methods, however, are limited to specific types of infrastructures. The purpose of the present research is to develop a novel and generic method for Maintenance and Rehabilitation Planning for Public Infrastructure (M&RPPI), which aims at determining the optimal rehabilitation profile over a desired analysis period.Design/methodology/approachThe M&RPPI method is based on life‐cycle costing (LCC) with probabilistic and continuous rating approach for condition states. The M&RPPI uses a new approach of “dynamic” Markov chain to represent the deterioration mechanism of an infrastructure and the impact of rehabilitation interventions on such infrastructure. It also uses genetic algorithm (GA) in conjunction with Markov chains in order to find the optimal rehabilitation profile. A case study is presented with a comparison between the traditional Markov decision process (MDP) and the newly developed method.FindingsThe new method, which generates lower LCC, is found practical in providing a complete M&R plan over a required study period, compared to a stationary decision policy with the traditional MDP. In addition, GA is found useful in the optimization process and overcomes the computational difficulties for large combinatorial problems.Research limitations/implicationsThe implementation of the developed models is limited to only four alternatives/actions. However, the developed models and framework are superior for MDP.Practical implicationsThe developed methodology and model play essential roles in the decision‐making process.Originality/valueThe new method is beneficial to researchers and practitioners. It is developed for a single facility; however, it provides a major step towards a broader infrastructure management system and capital budgeting problems.
Intellectual capital and corporate performance in Iranian pharmaceutical industry
Authors: Mehralian Gholamhossein , Rajabzadeh Ali , Reza Sadeh Mohammad , Reza Rasekh Hamid 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to empirically study the relationship between intellectual capital (IC) components (human, structural, and physical capitals) with the traditional measures of performance of the firm (profitability, productivity and market valuation) within the pharmaceutical sector of Iran.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical data were drawn from pharma companies listed in the Iranian Stock Exchange (ISE), over the six‐year period of 2004 to 2009. The analysis of correlation, simple linear multiple regression and artificial neural networks (ANNs) were applied for analyzing any existing relationship between variables in the present study.FindingsThe analysis indicates that the relationships between the performance of a company's IC and conventional performance indicators are varied. The findings suggest that the performance of a company's IC can explain profitability but not productivity and market valuation in Iran. Also the empirical analysis found that physical capital (VACA) was the one which was seen to have the major impact on the profitability of the firms over the period of study, in addition the result of ANN method also confirmed findings of multiple regression.Practical implicationsThere is an immediate need for policy makers and corporate managers wake up to the need to start disclosure of the IC of firms. IC measurement is of primary interest for top executives of pharmaceutical firms in Iran.Originality/valueThis is an initial and pioneering study to evaluate the IC and its relationship with the traditional measures of corporate performance in the Iranian pharmaceutical industry. The present study provides a new aspect of performance measurement for research‐based industries in emerging economies and would be a good topic for further research.