bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Phytoavailability, human risk assessment and transfer characteristics of cadmium and zinc contamination from urban gardens in Kano, Nigeria
Authors: Abdu Nafiu , Agbenin John O , Buerkert Andreas 
Published: August 2011

AbstractBACKGROUND: Quantitative data about phytoavailability and transfer into consumed plant parts for heavy metals in intensively managed urban vegetable production areas of sub‐Saharan Africa are scarce. We therefore studied the transfer of zinc (Zn) and cadmium (Cd) from soil to the root and subsequent translocation to edible portions of four vegetables in six urban gardens.RESULTS: While respective diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA)‐available Zn and Cd concentrations ranged from 18 to 66 mg kg−1 and from 0.19 to 0.35 mg kg−1, respectively, in soils, total Zn and Cd were 8.4–256 mg kg−1 and 0.04–1.7 mg kg−1 in shoot parts. Metal transfer factor (MTF) ratios were higher in Zn (0.2–0.9) than in Cd (0.1–0.6). Our data suggest that total Zn concentration in soil is a reliable indicator to assess its transfer from soil to crop in lettuce, carrot and parsley, while for Cd DTPA‐extractable concentration may be used to estimate soil–crop transfer of Cd in amaranthus and carrot. Overall, Cd was more easily translocated to the aerial plant parts than Zn.CONCLUSION: Zinc and Cd accumulation by vegetables in our soils is mainly a metabolically controlled process. Such accumulation can contaminate the ecosystem but under our conditions intake and ingestion of these metals will likely have to occur over a prolonged period to experience health hazard. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry
Site occupancy and cavity use by the northern flying squirrel in the boreal forest
Authors: Trudeau Caroline , Imbeau Louis , Drapeau Pierre , Mazerolle Marc J. 
Published: August 2011

AbstractTree cavities are used as shelter and breeding nests by numerous avian and mammalian species. In cold environments, tree cavities are often proposed as the best winter nest choice because of the superior protection they offer from precipitation, wind, cold temperatures, and predators. As such, they represent a critical resource, which has the potential to limit population size of non‐excavating species. We assessed factors affecting site occupancy in the boreal forest by northern flying squirrels, a secondary user of tree cavities, and to identify which nest type is preferred during the colder days of the autumn–winter period. We trapped flying squirrels twice in 59 aspen‐dominated stands in the autumn period using low‐ (1.5 m above ground‐level) and high‐mounted (4 m) traps to determine site occupancy. A total of 85 individuals were captured on 2,880 trap‐nights. During the winter period, we radio‐tracked 26 individuals to 87 diurnal nests in 220 locations. None of the habitat variables considered (cavity availability, woody debris, and lateral cover) explained site occupancy. Detectability decreased with precipitation, and was lower using high traps than low traps. Both females and males used tree cavities (26%), external nests (39%), and ground nests (35%). In cold weather, females preferred ground nests, whereas males preferred external nests. Our results do not support the hypothesis that tree cavities represent a limiting factor to northern flying squirrels in cold environments. Instead, this species seems to be a generalist and is opportunistic, using a variety of nest types. Nevertheless, practices ensuring the persistence of large diameter live cavity trees, providing better insulative properties, are likely to increase the relative use of tree cavities as nest sites by northern flying squirrels. © 2011 The Wildlife Society.
The roles of polyacrylate in poly(vinyl chloride)‐lignin composites
Authors: Liu Feiyue , Xu Kai , Chen Mingcai , Cao Derong 
Published: August 2011

AbstractA novel method was adopted to improve the adhesion between lignin particles and poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) matrix in PVC‐lignin composites. Lignin was treated with a polyacrylate, poly(ethyl acrylate‐co‐acrylic acid), and the composites was prepared with PVC and the treated lignin. The mechanical properties and morphology of the composites were investigated, and the roles of polyacrylate in the composites were discussed. The results show that both the tensile and impact strengths of the composites are improved when both the content of carboxyl in polyacrylate and its dosage are low, and the optimum is: yield strength, 24.17 MPa, higher than that of PVC control (21.88 MPa); breaking strength, 33.59 MPa, close to that of PVC control (35.62 MPa); and impact strength, 8.0 kJ m−2, 31% higher than that of PVC control (6.1 kJ m−2). Microscopic morphology analysis suggests that polyacrylate improved the adhesion between lignin particles and PVC matrix. The roles of polyacrylate are as the following: polyacrylate is combined with lignin by hydrogen bond and ester bond, and most of its chains spread into PVC matrix due to its good compatibility with PVC, thereby lignin particles can be well bound with PVC matrix. POLYM. COMPOS., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers
Carbohydrate‐Modified Silicone Surfactants
Authors: Han Fu , Deng Yun‐yun , Zhou Ya‐wen , Xu Bao‐cai 
Published: August 2011

AbstractSilicone surfactants have been widely used in our daily life and many industrial fields on the basis of their unusual properties. Only in the past decades has the use of silicone as a hydrophobic building block for the preparation of surfactants become common. The recent trend to combine silicone, polyoxyalkylene and carbohydrate moieties in the same molecule has resulted in a plethora of new compounds with new properties. The generic structure and surface activity of silicone surfactants are reviewed in this article. Especially, the preparation, properties and application of carbohydrate‐modified silicone surfactants such as glucosamide‐containing and glycoside‐containing silicone surfactants are described in detail. In addition, the future development of silicone surfactants is discussed.
Phonotactics and morphophonology in early child language: Evidence from Dutch
Authors: ZAMUNER TANIA S. , KERKHOFF ANNEMARIE , FIKKERT PAULA 
Published: August 2011

ABSTRACTThis research investigates children's knowledge of how surface pronunciations of lexical items vary according to their phonological and morphological context. Dutch-learning children aged 2.5 and 3.5 years were tested on voicing neutralization and morphophonological alternations. For instance, voicing does not alternate between the pair [pɛt]~[pɛtən] (cap~caps) but does in [bɛt]~[bɛdən] (bed~beds). Data from the first experiment showed that children at a younger age were less accurate at imitating words with /d/ than /t/, regardless of morphological context. In a second study, children between 2 and 4 years were asked to produce singulars from novel plurals (e.g., [kɛtən]~[kɛt] and [kɛdən]~[kɛt]). Results indicated that children's performance was better in contexts that did not require surface variation. Dutch-learning children are not able to robustly generalize their knowledge of phonotactics and morphophonological alternations. Rather, it appears that their knowledge is more concrete, in line with recent usage-based theories of acquisition.
The grass is greener: Farmers' experiences with pastured poultry
Authors: Hilimire Kathleen 
Published: August 2011

AbstractRearing poultry outdoors on pasture for egg and meat production is a growing industry in the USA. However, little has been written on farmers' experiences with this practice. This paper presents the results of in-depth interviews and surveys with 18 California pastured poultry producers (62% response rate). Although the sample size of growers is small in absolute numbers, it represents 62% of nearly all pastured poultry growers in California, a state known for the pioneering work of growers who specialize in alternative agricultural practices. Such alternative systems merit critical analysis in order to refine their implementation and contribution to sustainable food production. This research aims to provide such critical analysis of pastured poultry production, a highly innovative and emergent practice. Growers were queried concerning the values that brought them to participate in alternative animal production, the benefits and challenges of integrating pastured poultry into farming operations, the use of heritage and industrial breeds, and management practices. Results showed that the influence of Joel Salatin, farmer and author of Pastured Poultry Profits, tied with farmer desire to sustainably produce meat and/or eggs as the main drivers respondents gave for raising pastured poultry (39% each). Farmers reported the primary benefit of pastured poultry was soil fertility (61%), followed by marketing appeal (44%). The most commonly cited challenge to pastured poultry growers was predation of birds (44%) followed by cost of feed (22%). Pastured poultry were directly profitable to 50% of farmers, although 78% of respondents cited indirect profits through savings on items such as fertilizer and pest management. This paper places these results in the context of value-laden farmer decision-making.
Interactions of temperature and nutrient changes: effects on phytoplankton in the Piburger See (Tyrol, Austria)
Authors: THIES H. , TOLOTTI M. , NICKUS U. , LAMI A. , MUSAZZI S. , GUILIZZONI P. , ROSE N. L. , YANG H. 
Published: August 2011

Summary1. Contemporary limnological and palaeolimnological data from Piburger See (Eastern Alps, Austria) allowed the reconstruction of its trophic state since the late 19th century and the assessment of changes in phytoplankton biomass and species composition in relation to selected environmental parameters.2. A radiometrically dated sediment core from Piburger See was analysed for geochemical parameters, spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCPs), bacterial and algal pigments, and diatoms. The low SCP sediment inventory assigns Piburger See to the ‘cleaner’ sites in Europe with respect to fossil‐fuel related air pollution. The sedimentary pigment and diatom record reveals moderate eutrophication during the 20th century, followed by a slow re‐oligotrophication since the mid‐1980s because of lake restoration starting in 1970.3. Epilimnetic temperature for Piburger See was reconstructed using air temperature records. A pronounced temperature increase has been recorded during the mid‐1940s and since the late‐20th century, both promoting algal growth and changes in species composition (e.g. increase in centric diatoms and recent bloom of Asterionella formosa).4. Climate scenarios project additional substantial warming for this mountain lake by the end of the 21st century which will be most pronounced during the growing season. The predicted change in lake water temperature and thermal dynamics represents a key driver for the trophic and ecological status of Piburger See in the future.
Possible Involvement of IL‐21 and IL‐10 on Salivary IgA Levels in Chronic Periodontitis Subjects
Authors: Napimoga M. H. , Nunes L. H. A. C. , Maciel A. A. B. , Demasi A. P. D. , Benatti B. B. , Santos V. R. , Bastos M. F. , de Miranda T. S. , Duarte P. M. 
Published: August 2011

AbstractSpecific cytokines and the costimulatory protein CD40 play role in inducing immunoglobulin (Ig)A production by B cells in the humoral immune response. However, to date, the role of these mediators was not investigated in chronic periodontitis. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the local levels of interleukin (IL)‐21, IL‐21 receptor (IL‐21R), IL‐4, IL‐10 and CD40 ligand (CD40L) on chronic periodontitis subjects and their relationship with the salivary levels of IgA. Gingival biopsies and un‐stimulated saliva were collected from chronic periodontitis (n = 15) and periodontally healthy (n = 15) subjects. The mRNA levels of IL‐4, IL‐10, IL‐21, IL‐21R, CD40L in the gingival biopsies were evaluated by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction. The salivary levels of IgA and the levels of IL‐4 and IL‐10 in the gingival biopsies were analyzed by ELISA. The mean levels of IgA were significantly higher in the chronic periodontitis compared to periodontally healthy group (P < 0.05). The mRNA levels for IL‐21 was higher (P < 0.05) in the chronic periodontitis when compared to the healthy group. However, the expression of IL‐21R and CD40L did not differ between groups. The IL‐10 was significantly elevated at mRNA and protein levels in chronic periodontitis when compared to periodontally healthy group (P < 0.05). Conversely, the mRNA levels as well as the protein amount of IL‐4 were significantly lower (P < 0.05) in chronic periodontitis than healthy ones. In conclusion, the upregulation of IL‐21 and IL‐10 and downregulation of IL‐4 in periodontitis tissues may be collectively involved in the increased levels of salivary IgA in chronic periodontitis subjects.
PRINCIPLES FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A PEDESTRIAN PLAN IN MEDIUM SIZE CITIES
Authors: Alves Fernando Manuel Brandão , Ramalho António Manuel Leite 
Published: August 2011

In order to contribute to the effective humanization of the contemporary city and in line with the sustainability of urban areas, this paper focuses on primary pedestrian areas aiming to investigate and demonstrate the benefits of organization and the essential conditions of implementing “pedestrian networks”.The realization of its qualifying character in the urban environment should specify:

The challenge of reinterpreting the idea of the city, due to the transformation of associated “urban forms” and “lifestyles”;
The need to structure the territory, in order to promote the understanding and ownership of the different places that compose a city;
The ability to generate synergies, as a means of affirming the “local” in the context of the “global” opportunities and threats.

It is, therefore, disciplinary useful to test a methodological urban planning “process” with the aim to design and manage “pedestrian networks”, applicable in a range of cities considered of medium size, according to the European classification mainly based on population criteria.
ILLOCUTION, SILENCING AND THE ACT OF REFUSAL
Authors: MIKKOLA MARI 
Published: August 2011

AbstractRae Langton and Jennifer Hornsby argue that there may be a free‐speech argument against pornography, if pornographic speech has the power to illocutionarily silence women: women's locution ‘No!’ that aims to refuse unwanted sex may misfire because pornography creates communicative conditions where the locution does not count as a refusal. Central to this is the view that women's speech lacks uptake, which is necessary for illocutionary acts like that of refusal. Alexander Bird has critiqued this view by arguing that uptake is not necessary for the illocutionary act of refusal. The Hornsby‐Langton view, then, is philosophically indefensible. Here I defend the philosophical cogency of the Hornsby‐Langton approach.
Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) Abnormalities Across the Life Span of Rats Prenatally Exposed to Alcohol
Authors: Church Michael W. , Hotra John W. , Holmes Pamela A. , Anumba Jennifer I. , Jackson Desmond A. , Adams Brittany R. 
Published: August 2011

Background:  Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a leading cause of neurodevelopmental impairments (NDIs) in developed countries. Sensory deficits can play a major role in NDI, yet few studies have investigated the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on sensory function. In addition, there is a paucity of information on the lifelong effects of prenatal alcohol exposure. Thus, we sought to investigate the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on auditory function across the life span in an animal model. Based on prior findings with prenatal alcohol exposure and other forms of adverse prenatal environments, we hypothesized that animals prenatally exposed to alcohol would show an age‐dependent pattern of (i) hearing and neurological abnormalities as postweanling pups, (ii) a substantial dissipation of such abnormalities in young adulthood, and (iii) a resurgence of such abnormalities in middle‐aged adulthood.
Methods:  Pregnant rats were randomly assigned to an untreated control (CON), a pair‐fed control (PFC), or an alcohol‐treated (ALC) group. The ALC dams were gavaged with 6 mg/kg alcohol daily from gestation day (GD) 6 to 21. The PFC dams were gavaged daily from GD6 to GD21 with an isocaloric and isovolumetric water‐based solution of maltose‐dextrins and pair‐fed to the ALC dams. The CON dams were the untreated group to which the ALC and CON groups were compared. Hearing and neurological functions in the offspring were assessed with the auditory brainstem response (ABR) at the postnatal ages of 22, 220, and 520 days.
Results:  In accord with our hypothesis, ABR abnormalities were first observed in the postweanling pups, largely dissipated in young adulthood, and then resurged in middle‐aged adulthood. This age‐related pattern suggests that the ALC pups had a developmental delay that dissipated in young adulthood and an enhanced age‐related deterioration that occurred in middle‐aged adulthood. Such a pattern is consistent with the fetal programming hypothesis of adult‐onset diseases (the Barker hypothesis).
Conclusions:  Our findings have important clinical implications for the assessment and management of (i) childhood hearing disorders and their comorbidities (i.e., speech‐and‐language, learning, and attention deficit disorders) and (ii) enhanced age‐related hearing and neurological degeneration in middle‐aged adulthood that can result from prenatal alcohol exposure. We recommend hearing evaluation be a part of any long‐term follow‐up for FAS patients and patients exposed to any adverse prenatal environment.
Evaluation of the Effects of Urotensin II and Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase Inhibitor on Skin Microvessel Tone in Healthy Controls and Heart Failure Patients
Authors: Tran Lavinia , Kompa Andrew R. , Wang Bing H. , Krum Henry 
Published: August 2011

SUMMARYIntroduction: Urotensin II (UII) is a potent vasoactive peptide that exerts differential effects on heart failure (HF) patients compared to health controls. However, the mechanism of action remains unclear. The role of soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) as a mediator of UII in the vasculature has not been explored. Aims: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of UII in the presence and absence of sEH inhibitor AUDA on skin microvessel tone in HF patients and healthy controls using iontophoresis and laser Doppler velocimetry. UII (10−7 M) and AUDA (10−10, 10−7, and 10−5 M) were administered to the forearm of participants by iontophoresis for 30 seconds. Laser Doppler velocimetry was performed for 5 minutes to measure flux through the subcutaneous blood vessels. Response (flux) was measured for 5 minutes per concentration with 25 continuous scans. Results: UII increased flux in healthy controls by 39% (P < 0.05) and increased flux in HF patients by 6% (ns). AUDA (10−10 and 10−7 M) administration further decreased flux by 115% (P < 0.05) and 255% (P < 0.0001), respectively in healthy controls. In HF patients, AUDA (10−10, 10−7, and 10−5 M) further increased flux by 77% (P < 0.05), 67% (P < 0.01), and 100% (P < 0.05), respectively. AUDA alone at 10−7 M increased flux in both groups by 31% (healthy controls, P < 0.05) and 36% (HF, P < 0.01). Conclusion: Taken together, the presence of HF appeared to abrogate the vasodilator responsiveness of sEH inhibitor. These results suggest an important role for both UII and sEH in vascular regulation and that sEH may be involved in mediating UII effects. Furthermore, the study highlights the therapeutic potential of sEH inhibitors for the treatment of HF.
A PSYCHOLOGICAL STUDY OF TYPOGRAPHY
Authors: BURT CYRIL , COOPER W. F. , MARTIN J. L. 
Published: August 2011

Abstract. A wide variety of type‐faces have now become available for books and journals. It therefore seemed desirable to investigate (A) the legibility and (B) the aesthetic merits of those in more frequent use.

Using tests of speed and comprehension, we have studied the influence of type‐face, boldness, size, interlinear spacing, length of line, and width of margin on legibility both with children and with adults. The results have furnished provisional norms for children's reading books and for scientific journals such as the present.
Factorial methods, supplemented by an analysis of introspections, appear to yield a classification of both readers and type faces based on aesthetic preference; and the data incidentally obtained throw considerable light on the reasons for such preferences.
THE EFFECT OF ONE STIMULUS ON THE THRESHOLD FOR ANOTHER: AN APPLICATION OF SIGNAL DETECTABILITY THEORY1
Authors: Treisman Michel 
Published: August 2011

If an accessory stimulus regularly precedes a critical stimulus at a fixed inter‐stimulus interval then the shorter the interval the lower the threshold for the critical stimulus. Three hypotheses which might explain this are discussed, and two experiments described. Experiment 1 shows that varying the intensity of an accessory stimulus does not affect the extent of the threshold fall it produces. Experiment 2 confirmed a prediction that randomizing inter‐stimulus intervals over a small range would allow the threshold to fall as the mean inter‐stimulus interval decreased at long mean intervals but not at short ones. Taken with earlier results, these experiments indicate that the subject lowers his threshold during a range of time about the end of the inter‐stimulus interval in which he expects that the stimulus may occur. It is also shown that the extent of the fall in threshold is inversely proportional to the length of this range of expectation, and that the latter appears to be directly proportional to the duration of the inter‐stimulus interval.This variation in threshold level is considered in terms of the model of the threshold provided by signal detectability theory. It is shown that the threshold falls are due to changes in the criterion computed by the subject, rather than in the sensory noise. This model is also successfully used to predict the extent of the shifts in detection rate that occur as the inter‐stimulus interval alters, on the assumption that subjects attempt to keep their false positive rates constant. Finally it is suggested that in computing the appropriate criterion for each inter‐stimulus interval the subject uses a simple approximate method rather than the more complex exact method.
LINEAR HYPOTHESES IN 2×a FREQUENCY TABLES
Authors: Rodger R. S. 
Published: August 2011

An approximate method, with decision‐based error‐rates, for testing linear statistical hypotheses (0κi) about a independent binomial parameters (φj) is given which is more general than the usual methods for partitioning Xm2 from a 2 × a table. Parameters in Table 2 may be used to choose sample‐size (n) for stated alternatives to 0κi and power (or expected proportion of rejections). The procedure may be used for planned tests (v1 = 1) or post‐hoc tests (v1 = a − 1 or v1 = a) and in the latter case the probability of rejecting r of the 0κi (r = 1, 2, …, v1) can be directly calculated for any statement of what is true in the populations.The results from sampling experiments are used to examine the adequacy of the approximation and compare the method proposed (Rv1) with two others (Gv1 and Zv1) Although the latter methods have a power advantage under some circumstances, their experimental results for n ≤ 30 are generally less close to ‘theory’ than those of Rv1, and they are always arithmetically and conceptually more complex. The results from these experiments suggest that the Rv1 approximation is adequate when n ≥ 10 and the row of smaller expected frequencies (nφ) is greater than or equal to 1. When the φj differ and the true φj approach 0 or 1, “end‐effects” appear but these diminish as n increases.These methods can be used in a 2×a generalization of the 2 × 2 median test. If this is interpreted not as a test of population medians, but as a test of proportions of population distributions to the right of Me (the value of the common sample median), which is φj in population j, it is distribution‐free.