Defining a complex intervention: The development of demarcation criteria for “meditation”.

The authors used a 5-round Delphi study with a panel of 7 experts in meditation research to achieve agreement on a set of criteria for a working definition of “meditation” for use in a comprehensive systematic review of the therapeutic use of meditation. Participants agreed that essential to a meditation practice is its use of (a) a defined technique, (b) logic relaxation, and (c) a self-induced state. Participants also agreed that a meditation practice may (d) involve a state of psychophysical relaxation somewhere in the process; (e) use a self-focus skill or anchor; (f) involve an altered state/mode of consciousness, mystic experience, enlightenment or suspension of logical thought processes; (g) be embedded in a religious/spiritual/philosophical context; or (h) involve an experience of mental silence. The results of this study provide insight into the challenges faced by researchers who want to demarcate meditative practices from nonmeditative practices, and they describe an approach to this problem that may prove useful for researchers trying to operationalize meditation in the context of comparative research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Scavenging of As from acid mine drainage by schwertmannite and ferrihydrite: a comparison with synthetic analogues

Ochreous precipitates containing 5.5-69.8 g/kg As were isolated from mine drainage in Finland and were composed of schwertmannite, ferrihydrite, and goethite. Schwertmannite formation was favored at pH 3-4, but its structure was degraded at high As levels. A series of coprecipitates were therefore prepared from mixed iron arsenate/sulfate solutions to define the limits of schwertmannite stability. Schwertmannite was replaced as the dominant phase by a poorly crystalline ironIII hydroxy arsenate (FeOHAs) when As/Fe mole ratios exceeded 0.15. The FeOHAs gave an X-ray diffraction pattern similar to that obtained from an "amorphous" ironIII arsenate (As/Fe = 1.0) with broad peaks at 0.30 and 0.16 nm. The FeOHAs possessed a magnetic hyperfinefield of 41.9T at 4.2 K that was intermediate to those of schwertmannite (46.1 T) and the ironIII arsenate (24.8 T). These data indicate a strong disruptive effect of arsenate on magnetic ordering and structure development in schwertmannite. Equilibration of 0.01 M arsenate solutions with freshly prepared schwertmannite and 2-line ferrihydrite at pH 3.0 for up to 60 d gave sorbed As contents of 175 and 210 g/kg, respectively. Arsenate sorption degraded the host schwertmannite and ferrihydrite, perhaps due to the formation of an FeOHAs surface phase.     

Monitoring the setting of calcium-based bone cements using pulse-echo ultrasound

We present a new technique, based on pulse-echo ultrasound, for monitoring the entire setting process of injectable bone cement. This research has been motivated by the lack of satisfying standards. The main problem with existing standards is the subjectivity, which leads to poor reproducibility. Because of this the results are not comparable between different research groups. A strong advantage with the proposed technique is that if low-intensity ultrasound is used, it provides a non-destructive analysis method. Once the cement paste has been applied to the measurement cell, no manipulation is needed throughout the entire setting process. The problem of the ultrasound affecting the setting of certain cement materials has been investigated, and solutions are discussed. The propagation of ultrasound is temperature-dependent, and therefore a technique for automatic compensation for temperature variations is discussed briefly. The testing was performed on -calcium sulfate hemihydrate (CSH) and mixtures of CSH and -tricalcium phosphate (-TCP). The results show that the acoustic properties of the cement are strongly correlated with the setting time, the density, and the adiabatic bulk modulus. The measured initial and final setting times agree well with the Gillmore needles standard. An important difference compared to the standards, is that the technique presented here allows the user to follow the entire setting process on-line.     

Three-dimensional imaging laser radar with a photon-counting avalanche photodiode array and microchip laser

We have developed a threedimensional imaging laser radar featuring 3-cm range resolution and single-photon sensitivity. This prototype direct-detection laser radar employs compact, all-solid-state technology for the laser and detector array. The source is a Nd:YAG microchip laser that is diode pumped, passively Q-switched, and frequency doubled. The detector is a gated, passively quenched, two-dimensional array of silicon avalanche photodiodes operating in Geigermode. After describing the system in detail, we present a three-dimensional image, derive performance characteristics, and discuss our plans for future imaging three-dimensional laser radars.     

Substrate age and precipitation effects on Hawaiian forest canopies from spaceborne imaging spectroscopy

We used spaceborne imaging spectroscopy provided by the Earth Observing-1 Hyperion sensor to quantify the relative importance of precipitation and substrate age that control ecosystem development and functioning in Metrosideros polymorpha rainforests of Hawaii. Four hyperspectral vegetation indices provided metrics of forest canopy structure, biochemistry and physiology to compare along gradients of annual rainfall (750 to > 6000 mm year^− 1) and substrate age (0 to 250,000 years). The canopy greenness index NDVI increased with annual precipitation and substrate age, but saturated in forests with rainfall of 3000 mm year^− 1. Precipitation and substrate age were roughly equal contributors to the observed greenness of the forests. A canopy water content index (NDWI) also increased with precipitation and substrate age, but did not reach a maximum until very wet (> 5000 mm year^− 1) forest conditions were encountered on the oldest substrates. The water index appears superior to the NDVI in capturing spatial and climate-substrate driven variations in canopy structure. The photochemical reflectance index (PRI) indicated highest light-use efficiency levels in canopies on the most developed substrates and at annual precipitation levels of 3-4500 mm year^− 1. A leaf carotenoid index (CRI) suggested a maximum canopy photosynthetic capacity at ∼ 4000 mm rainfall year^− 1 on the oldest substrates. These results quantify the sensitivity of rainforest canopies to changing precipitation and soil conditions, and they corroborate plot-scale analyses in native Hawaiian forests ecosystems. Structural and functional studies of remote rainforest regions are possible with spaceborne imaging spectroscopy, and could be used to understand the dynamics of rainforests with climate change.     

Formulation of Electrostrictive Stresses in Dielectric Bodies via an Airy Stress Function

A Maxwell-Airy stress function approach is presented for the evaluation of electrostrictive stresses in dielectric bodies. In the plane stress state a two-dimensional stress function is related to the electric field for an unpoled dielectric within an m3m cubic symmetry.     

Extraction, quantification, and biological availability of fumonisin B1 incorporated into the Oregon test diet and fed to rainbow trout

The purpose of this study was (i) to determine whether pure fumonisin B1 could be incorporated into, recovered, and detected by high-pressure liquid chromatographic analysis from the semipurified Oregon test diet (OTD) used in rainbow trout feeding studies, and (ii) to determine if the incorporated fumonisin B1 was biologically available using the change in free sphingoid bases in liver, kidney, and serum as a mechanism-based biomarker. The results indicate that fumonisin is not easily quantified in the OTD. Recoveries ranged from 12 to 81% of the calculated concentrations based on the fumonisin B1 added to the OTD. However, the fumonisin B1 in the OTD was readily absorbed and biologically active as evidenced by marked increases in free sphinganine in liver, kidney, and serum. The magnitude of the increase in free sphinganine at 100 ppm in the OTD was comparable to that known to be associated with liver toxicity in rats, pigs, and ponies.