bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Geological records of changes in wind regime over south Greenland since the Medieval Warm Period: a tentative reconstruction
Authors: Kuijpers Antoon , Mikkelsen Naja 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACTPublished marine sediment core records and new information from terrestrial aeolian deposits from the surroundings of Igaliku Fjord, south Greenland, have been used for a tentative reconstruction of multi-decadal to centennial scale changes in the intensity of regional atmospheric circulation since the Medieval Warm Period. The marine data show that aeolian activity over southern Greenland was generally enhanced in the Medieval Warm Period between c. AD 900 and c. AD 1300. The preliminary data from the onshore aeolian deposits suggest that wind activity was strongest after AD 1000, reaching a peak close to AD 1300, after which atmospheric circulation intensity decreased. A comparison with the marine data shows that this decrease coincides with increased advection of Polar Water by the East Greenland Current at the beginning of the Little Ice Age. The aeolian sediment record suggests foehn wind activity displaying multi-decadal oscillations in the range of known north Atlantic climate oscillations. The intensity of erosional processes in south Greenland has previously often been attributed to farming activities initiated after AD 1000 by the Norse who disappeared a few hundred years later. Our findings suggest, however, that erosion in this area is mainly related to marked variations in wind strength.
Distribution of androdioecious and hermaphroditic populations of the mangrove Laguncularia racemosa (Combretaceae) in Florida and the Bahamas
Authors: Landry Carol L. , Rathcke Beverly J. , Kass Lee B. 
Published: December 2008

Abstract:The breeding system of Laguncularia racemosa is variable among populations; some populations are androdioecious while other populations lack male plants. To determine whether androdioecy is widespread in L. racemosa, 65 populations were surveyed in Florida and the Bahamas. Fruits are water-dispersed, so the observed distribution of breeding systems was compared to local and regional water currents in order to determine whether dispersal could be important to the maintenance of male plants in androdioecious populations. Twenty-two of the 36 populations surveyed in Florida were androdioecious, with male frequencies that ranged from 1–68%. On the Florida east coast, all populations north of latitude 26°30′ N lacked males while all populations south of this latitude were androdioecious, which suggests that northern populations may lack males due to dispersal limitation. The pattern of distribution on the Florida west coast suggests that males may be maintained in some populations via dispersal. Nine islands in north-central Bahamas were surveyed, and androdioecious populations were found only on San Salvador Island, where male frequencies ranged from 5–28%. Dispersal, fragmentation, and selection hypotheses are suggested to explain the observed pattern of distribution; these hypotheses will be tested in future studies.
The impact of forest conversion to oil palm on arthropod abundance and biomass in Sabah, Malaysia
Authors: Turner Edgar C. , Foster William A. 
Published: December 2008

Abstract:Deforestation rates in South-East Asia are among the highest of any tropical region, with expansion of oil palm being one important factor. Despite this, few studies have investigated the impact of oil palm expansion on the arthropod fauna. We report here the first study on the impact of forest conversion to oil palm on overall arthropod abundance, biomass and composition. We compared arthropod abundance and biomass, collected from epiphytic bird's nest ferns, the canopy, and leaf litter between primary forest, logged forest and oil palm plantation. Epiphytes, canopy and litter all contained a lower abundance (epiphytes: 67.2%, canopy: 2.3% and litter: 77.1% reduction) and biomass (epiphytes: 87.5%, canopy: 37.9% and litter: 72.4% reduction) of arthropods in oil palm compared with primary forest. However, not all orders of arthropods showed the same level of decline, with some groups having higher abundance and biomass in oil palm, resulting in an altered community composition in the epiphytes and canopy in oil palm compared with forest. Our results show that forest conversion to oil palm impacts detrimentally on invertebrates in all compartments of the forest ecosystem.
The savanna treeAcacia polyacanthafacilitates the establishment of riparian forests in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
Authors: Sharam Gregory J. , Sinclair A. R. E. , Turkington Roy , Jacob Aerin L. 
Published: December 2008

Abstract:Forests are being converted to grasslands and croplands across Africa and natural regeneration of forests is typically poor. In Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, the savanna tree speciesAcacia polyacanthaestablished in riparian grasslands and forest trees subsequently established within these stands. We examined the conditions for establishment of: (1)A. polyacanthaand (2) riparian (non-Acacia) forests. Fire was excluded from three grassland areas for 5 y allowingA. polyacanthato establish during 1999 when dry-season rainfall was high. The seedlings of forest tree species did not establish in grasslands, but were found in largeA. polyacanthastands (> 0.3 ha) with reduced grass cover (< 10%), higher cover of herbs (> 80%) and thorny shrubs (> 90%). Seeding survival was high in large stands (0.87 y−1), but declined in artificial canopy gaps due to the ingrowth of grasses (0.21 y−1) and subsequent fires (0.07 y−1). Shrub removal also reduced seedling survival (0.46 y−1) due to browsing by antelope. We propose that: (1)A. polyacanthaestablishes in pulses perhaps as infrequently as twice per century, and (2) riparian forests in Serengeti have established via facilitation under larger stands where shade excludes grass, and therefore fires and thorny shrubs exclude browsers.
Activation of syllable units during visual recognition of French words in Grade 2
Authors: CHETAIL FABIENNE , MATHEY STEPHANIE 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACTThe aim of the study was to investigate the syllable activation hypothesis in French beginning readers. Second graders performed a lexical decision task in which bisyllabic words were presented in two colours that either matched the syllable boundaries or not. The data showed that the children were sensitive to syllable match and to syllable complexity. In addition, good readers were slowed down while poor readers were speeded up by syllable match. These findings suggest that syllables are functional units of lexical access in children and that syllable activation is influenced by reading level.
An approach to estimate the number of SARS cases imported by international air travel
Authors: GOUBAR A. , BITAR D. , CAO W. C. , FENG D. , FANG L. Q. , DESENCLOS J. C. 
Published: December 2008

SUMMARYThe worldwide spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) raised questions about the risk of importation of such infection, in particular by air travel. Entry screening was implemented in some countries although poor evidence on its effectiveness is reported. We developed a model to estimate the number of imported SARS cases between regions, using the 2003 SARS epidemic data to apply this model for two scenarios: from Beijing to Frankfurt and from Hong Kong to London. We back-calculated the data to estimate individuals’ time of infection and built a model where every individual has a probability of being isolated, of traveling, and of being undetected at arrival. The findings, consistent with what was observed in 2003, suggest that entry screening does not affect the predicted number of imported cases. Inversely, importation depends on the transmission dynamic in the country of origin (including control measures in place) and on the intensity of air travel between regions.
Coastal Acidification by Rivers:A Threat to Shellfish?
Authors: Salisbury Joseph , Green Mark , Hunt Chris , Campbell Janet 
Published: December 2008

Increasing atmospheric CO2 is likely to cause a corresponding increase in oceanic acidity by lowering pH by 0.20.5 pH units by the end of the 21st century [Royal Society, 2005]. In light of increasing acidity, there are growing concerns about the future health of a variety of marine organisms, particularly shellfish, which in the United States is a $1.6 billion industry.Shellfish predominantly inhabit coastal regions, and in addition to the projected stress caused by the global trend in ocean acidification, some coastal ecosystems receive persistent or episodic acid inputs as a result of interactions with river water, bottom sediments, or atmospheric deposition of terrigenous materials. Most river plumes are acidic relative to the receiving ocean, and river water is mixed extensively over the continental shelf. Moreover, the chemical nature and magnitude of discharge are changing rapidly due to climate change and land‐use practices.
Cassak and Cully Receive 2008 F. L. Scarf Award
Authors: Anonymous  
Published: December 2008

Paul Adam Cassak and Christopher M. Cully have been awarded the F. L. Scarf Award, given annually to recent Ph.D. recipients for outstanding dissertation research that contributes directly to solarplanetary sciences.They will be formally presented with the award at the SPA Section Dinner during the 2008 AGU Fall Meeting, which will be held 15–19 December in San Francisco, Calif.
The Policy Requirements of Gene-Environment Research
Authors: Wise Paul 
Published: December 2008

AbstractDr. Paul Wise began with a brief overview of policy formation, specifically that related to child development. He then delved into the changing taxonomy of disease and its implications for policy. He concluded by stressing the need for frameworks for collective action to reframe policy in terms of gene-environment interactions.To watch Dr. Wise’s presentation, please see the Panel 4 "Google Video posting.":http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1375553372274016362&hl=en Panel 4 also features presentations by Dr. Richard Sharp of the Cleveland Clinic on "Disease Advocacy and Contested Environments" and by Professor Sara Shostak of Brandeis University on "Sealing Complexity: Genetics, Social Structure and Policy Environments."To view more of the Capturing Complexity Symposium, please see the Panel 5 "Google Video posting,":http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2359679706574224441&hl=en featuring Drs. Marc Feldman and Paul Ehrlich of Stanford University and Sir Michael Rutter of the Institute of Psychiatry, London. Dr. Feldman explored the lack of consideration of environmental influences in recent genome-wide association studies. Dr. Ehrlich also stressed the importance of the environment, and Sir Rutter concluded by responding to evocative topics brought up earlier in the Symposium such as personalized insurance policies, causation models and translational research.To view the final deliberative discussion, involving all panelists and moderated by Professor Hank Greely, JD, please see the Panel 6 "Google Video posting.":http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7026328789822465424&hl=en
History and Philosophy of Gene Environment Interaction
Authors: Schaffner Kenneth 
Published: December 2008

AbstractDr. Kenneth Schaffner gave a brief introduction to the symposium topics. He began with a history of the thinking on gene-environment interactions and described the ensuing controversies. He cited the lack of a consensus theory of the environment and then described some methodological and technological advances in the studies of gene-environment interactions.To watch Dr. Schaffner’s presentation, please see the Panel 1 "Google Video posting.":http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3097337289947323438&hl=en
The compositional simulation and seismic monitoring of CO2 EOR and sequestration in new gas condensate reservoir
Authors: Yuan Chengwu , Jin Long 
Published: December 2008

AbstractWhile mature oil reservoir and aquifers are good candidates for CO2 sequestration, we proposed and investigated the alternative approach which, at the very start of production, combines CO2 sequestration and CO2 EOR in gas condensate reservoir. Firstly, we conducted compositional reservoir simulation and synthetic seismic simulation in a five-spot well pattern to investigate whether seismic data can monitor of CO2 front and gas condensate bank. The simulated results and the seismic simulation results are compared with each other. Although the density contrast among reservoir gas, injected CO2 and condensate is smaller than the density contrast in the case of CO2 sequestration in aquifer, the seismic signal can capture this smaller difference and monitor the CO2 injection front and locate the condensate zone. When there is no adequate data available for reservoir characterization at early period of production, this direct measurement is very valuable for reservoir characterization and for any stimulation of condensate block. Secondly, we compare the production by natural depletion and production combined CO2 EOR and storage at the very beginning. The latter will speed up the recovery process, increase the recovery rate while simultaneously store CO2 in reservoir. The extra benefit in gas condensate reservoir is that injection of CO2 will increase the pressure and postpone and decrease liquid dropout and relieve the condensate blocking.
Open Yourself Up to the Possibilities: “Communicating” With People With Dementia
Authors: Burke Grace M. 
Published: December 2008

Abstract
What would it be like to lose your “words,” to be unable to remember a phrase or the name of your children? When will you learn your last “new word” and struggle to even recall the ones that you learned very early in your life? What if losing these words was just the tip of the proverbial iceberg? What about when you eventually can't understand what others are saying to you or when the stories they tell are too hard to follow, words are too complex, the environment too overwhelming, and you can't listen for more than a few seconds? What about when words no longer come for important needs like a drink, a sweet, or a walk in the sun?
Difficulty with communication is often one of the first noticeable symptoms of people who have Alzheimer's disease and other dementias and is listed as one of the 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer's (Alzheimer's Association, n.d.).
A Review of Nontraditional Biomanipulation
Authors: Zhang Xia , Xie Ping , Huang Xiaoping 
Published: December 2008

The aim of this review is to identify problems, find general patterns, and extract recommendations for successful management using nontraditional biomanipulation to improve water quality. There are many obstacles that prevent traditional biomanipulation from achieving expectations: expending largely to remove planktivorous fish, reduction of external and internal phosphorus, and macrophyte re-establishment. Grazing pressure from large zooplankton is decoupled in hypereutrophic waters where cyanobacterial blooms flourish. The original idea of biomanipulation (increased zooplankton grazing rate as a tool for controlling nuisance algae) is not the only means of controlling nuisance algae via biotic manipulations. Stocking phytoplanktivorous fish may be considered to be a nontraditional method; however, it can be an effective management tool to control nuisance algal blooms in tropical lakes that are highly productive and unmanageable to reduce nutrient concentrations to low levels.Although small enclosures increase spatial overlap between predators and prey, leading to overestimates of the impact of predation, microcosm and whole-lake experiments have revealed similar community responses to major factors that regulate lake communities, such as nutrients and planktivorous fish. Both enclosure experiments and large-scale observations revealed that the initial phytoplankton community composition greatly impacted the success of biomanipulation. Long-term observations in Lake Donghu and Lake Qiandaohu have documented that silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and bighead carp (H. nobilis) (two filter-feeding planktivorous species commonly used in management) can suppress Microcystis blooms efficiently. The introduction of silver and bighead carp could be an effective management technique in eutrophic systems that lack macrozooplankton. We confirmed that nontraditional biomanipulation is only appropriate if the primary aim is to reduce nuisance blooms of large algal species, which cannot be controlled effectively by large herbivorous zooplankton. Alternatively, this type of biomanipulation did not work efficiently in less eutrophic systems where nanophytoplankton dominated.
Is refractory anaemia with ring sideroblasts and thrombocytosis (RARS‐T) a necessary or useful diagnostic category?
Authors: Wardrop Douglas , Steensma David P. 
Published: December 2008

SummaryBoth the 2001 World Health Organisation (WHO) classification of haematopoietic neoplasms and the 2008 WHO classification revision include a distinctive diagnostic category, refractory anaemia with ring sideroblasts and thrombocytosis (RARS‐T), to describe those rare patients who have both ≥15% ring sideroblasts and a sustained elevated platelet count. Recently, it has become clear that patients meeting WHO criteria for RARS‐T have clonal JAK2V617F and MPLW515 mutations at a similar rate to essential thrombocythaemia (ET). Given that the provisional classification of RARS‐T as a myelodysplastic syndrome/myeloproliferative neoplasm (MDS/MPN) overlap syndrome, rather than as a form of MPN (i.e., ET), rests principally upon the presence of ring sideroblasts, which are a non‐specific morphological finding, these new molecular results prompt reconsideration of the necessity for a distinctive RARS‐T category. Here we review the historical developments that led up the definition of RARS‐T as a disease entity, and we discuss conceptual understanding of RARS‐T and arguments against continued use of RARS‐T as a separate diagnostic category.
Clinical and histopathological characteristics of pityriasis alba
Authors: In S. I. , Yi S. W. , Kang H. Y. , Lee E. S. , Sohn S. , Kim Y. C. 
Published: December 2008

Summary
Background. Pityriasis alba (PA) is a skin disorder characterized by asymptomatic, variably hypopigmented, slightly scaling patches with indistinct margins. It is sometimes difficult to clinically differentiate PA from other hypopigmented disorders such as naevus depigmentosus.
Aim. To examine the clinical and histopathological characteristics of PA that are important in differentiating PA from other hypopigmenting disorders.
Methods. A clinical survey was carried out on 56 patients with PA. Histopathological features were investigated with immunostains for NKI/beteb antibody, melanoma antigen recognized by T cells (MART)-1 and S-100 protein, and by haematoxylin and eosin and Fontana–Masson stains.
Results. Of the 56 PA patients, 10 (18%) had a previous history of atopic dermatitis and 9 (16%) had a solitary lesion. Histopathological study revealed markedly reduced pigment in the epidermis of lesional skin, but no significant difference in melanocyte count was found between lesional and normal skin. Ultrastructurally, degenerative changes in melanocytes and a reduced number of melanosomes within keratinocytes were seen.
Conclusion. No significant difference in the number of melanocytes between lesional and normal skin was seen. These findings should be considered when diagnosing and differentiating PA from other hypopigmentary disorders.
Assessment of thyroid function during the long course of Hashimoto's thyroiditis in children and adolescents
Authors: Demirbilek H. , Kandemir N. , Gonc E. N. , Ozon A. , Alikasifoglu A. 
Published: December 2008

SummaryContext  The prognosis of Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) in children and adolescents is not well known and studies reporting long‐term outcome of the disease are scarce.Objective  To assess the thyroid hormone status during long‐term follow‐up and to establish the prognosis of children and adolescents with HT.Patients  One hundred and twenty‐nine patients with HT were re‐evaluated for thyroid hormone status after a mean follow‐up period of 50 months.Results  Seventy‐seven per cent of the euthyroid patients were still euthyroid, while 21·1% of these patients became hypothyroid at the time of re‐evaluation. However, 69·5% of hypothyroid patients remained hypothyroid (overt or subclinical) and 30·5% recovered.Conclusion  HT is a dynamic process. Thyroid functions can show variation during follow‐up. Therefore, thyroid function tests should be repeated periodically to detect progression to hypothyroidism in initially euthyroid patients as well as reversibility of hypothyroidism.
Significant tumour shrinkage after 12 months of lanreotide Autogel‐120 mg treatment given first‐line in acromegaly
Authors: Colao Annamaria , Auriemma Renata S. , Rebora Alberto , Galdiero Mariano , Resmini Eugenia , Minuto Francesco , Lombardi Gaetano , Pivonello Rosario , Ferone Diego 
Published: December 2008

SummaryObjective  To evaluate GH and IGF‐I control and tumour shrinkage in newly diagnosed patients with acromegaly treated first‐line with lanreotide‐Autogel (ATG) 120 mg.Design  Open, prospective.Patients  Twenty‐six patients (17 women, aged 31–70 years): eight enclosed and 12 extrasellar (eight invasive) macroadenomas and six microadenomas (one invasive). ATG 120 mg initially given every 4 weeks for 12 weeks; then intervals between injections increased to every 6 or 8 weeks if GH levels were ≤ 2·5 or < 1 µg/l (equal to 6·5 and 2·6 mU/l), respectively.Results  Final dosage was ATG 120 mg every 4 weeks in nine patients (34·6%), every 6 weeks in eight patients (30·8%) and every 8 weeks in the remaining nine patients (34·6%). After 12 months, both GH and IGF‐I were controlled in 14 patients (53·8%). The mean tumour volume decreased from 1405 ± 1827 mm3 at study entry to 960 ± 1381 mm3 after 6 months, and 799 ± 1161 mm3 after 12 months (P < 0·0001). Overall tumour shrinkage was 35·8 ± 28·1% after 6 months and 48·4 ± 27·6% after 12 months. After 12 months, 20 patients (76·9%) achieved > 25% tumour shrinkage: 12 of 14 with controlled disease (85·7%) and 8 of 12 with noncontrolled disease (66·7%; P = 0·49). Hyperhydrosis, paresthesiae and arthralgias significantly reduced after treatment. No patient withdrew from the study because of adverse events.Conclusion  ATG 120 mg in newly diagnosed patients with acromegaly controls GH and IGF‐I secretion in 53·8% and induces ≥ 25% tumour shrinkage in 76·9% during a 12‐month period. The treatment was associated with improvement of clinical symptoms and with a good safety profile.