bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
MULTIFRACTIONAL STOCHASTIC VOLATILITY MODELS
Authors: Corlay Sylvain , Lebovits Joachim , Véhel Jacques Lévy
Published: February 2013

The aim of this work is to advocate the use of multifractional Brownian motion (mBm) as a relevant model in financial mathematics. mBm is an extension of fractional Brownian motion where the Hurst parameter is allowed to vary in time. This enables the possibility to accommodate for varying local regularity, and to decouple it from long‐range dependence properties. While we believe that mBm is potentially useful in a variety of applications in finance, we focus here on a multifractional stochastic volatility Hull & White model that is an extension of the model studied in Comte and Renault. Using the stochastic calculus with respect to mBm developed in Lebovits and Lévy Véhel, we solve the corresponding stochastic differential equations. Since the solutions are of course not explicit, we take advantage of recently developed numerical techniques, namely functional quantization‐based cubature methods, to get accurate approximations. This allows us to test the behavior of our model (as well as the one in Comte and Renault) with respect to its parameters, and in particular its ability to explain some features of the implied volatility surface. An advantage of our model is that it is able both to fit smiles at different maturities, and to take volatility persistence into account in a more precise way than Comte and Renault.
Quantifying past and present connectivity illuminates a rapidly changing landscape for the African elephant
Authors: Epps Clinton W. , Wasser Samuel K. , Keim Jonah L. , Mutayoba Benezeth M. , Brashares Justin S.
Published: February 2013

There is widespread concern about impacts of land‐use change on connectivity among animal and plant populations, but those impacts are difficult to quantify. Moreover, lack of knowledge regarding ecosystems before fragmentation may obscure appropriate conservation targets. We use occurrence and population genetic data to contrast connectivity for a long‐lived mega‐herbivore over historical and contemporary time frames. We test whether (i) historical gene flow is predicted by persistent landscape features rather than human settlement, (ii) contemporary connectivity is most affected by human settlement and (iii) recent gene flow estimates show the effects of both factors. We used 16 microsatellite loci to estimate historical and recent gene flow among African elephant (Loxodonta africana) populations in seven protected areas in Tanzania, East Africa. We used historical gene flow (FST and G'ST) to test and optimize models of historical landscape resistance to movement. We inferred contemporary landscape resistance from elephant resource selection, assessed via walking surveys across ~15 400 km2 of protected and unprotected lands. We used assignment‐based recent gene flow estimates to optimize and test the contemporary resistance model, and to test a combined historical and contemporary model. We detected striking changes in connectivity. Historical connectivity among elephant populations was strongly influenced by slope but not human settlement, whereas contemporary connectivity was influenced most by human settlement. Recent gene flow was strongly influenced by slope but was also correlated with contemporary resistance. Inferences across multiple timescales can better inform conservation efforts on large and complex landscapes, while mitigating the fundamental problem of shifting baselines in conservation.
The role of continental shelf width in determining freshwater phylogeographic patterns in south‐eastern Australian pygmy perches (Teleostei: Percichthyidae)
Authors: Unmack Peter J. , Hammer Michael P. , Adams Mark , Johnson Jerald B. , Dowling Thomas E.
Published: February 2013

Biogeographic patterns displayed by obligate freshwater organisms are intimately related to the nature and extent of connectivity between suitable habitats. Two of the more significant barriers to freshwater connections are seawater and major drainage divides. South‐eastern Australia provides a contrast between these barriers as it has discrete areas that are likely influenced to a greater or lesser extent by each barrier type. We use continental shelf width as a proxy for the potential degree of river coalescence during low sea levels. Our specific hypothesis is that the degree of phylogeographic divergence between coastal river basins should correspond to the continental shelf width of each region. This predicts that genetic divergences between river basins should be lowest in regions with a wider continental shelf and that regions with similar continental shelf width should have similar genetic divergences. Pygmy perches (Nannoperca australis and Nannoperca ‘flindersi’) in south‐eastern Australia provide an ideal opportunity to test these biogeographic hypotheses. Phylogeographic patterns were examined based on range‐wide sampling of 82 populations for cytochrome b and 23 polymorphic allozyme loci. Our results recovered only limited support for our continental shelf width hypothesis, although patterns within Bass clade were largely congruent with reconstructed low sea‐level drainage patterns. In addition, we identified several instances of drainage divide crossings, typically associated with low elevational differences. Our results demonstrate high levels of genetic heterogeneity with important conservation implications, especially for declining populations in the Murray–Darling Basin and a highly restricted disjunct population in Ansons River, Tasmania.
Application of Observability Techniques to Structural System Identification
Authors: Lozano‐Galant Jose Antonio , Nogal María , Castillo Enrique , Turmo Jose
Published: February 2013

This article deals with the problem of applying observability techniques to structural system identification, understanding as such the problem of identifying which is the subset of characteristics of the structure, such as Young's modulus, area, inertia, and/or product of them (flexural or axial stiffnesses) that can be uniquely defined when an adequate subset of deflections, forces, and/or moments in the nodes is provided. Compared with other standard observability problems, two issues arise here. First, nonlinear unknown variables (products or quotients of elemental variables) appear and second, the mechanical and geometrical properties of the structure are “coupled” with the deflections and/or rotations at the nodes. To solve these problems, an algebraic method that adapts the standard observability problem to deal with structural system identification is proposed in this article. The results obtained show, for the very first time, how observability techniques can be efficiently used for the identification of structural systems. Some examples are given to illustrate the proposed methodology and to demonstrate its power.
Modernity: The Jewish Perspective
Authors: Bielik-Robson Agata
Published: February 2013

This paper aims at delivering a definition of modernity as offered by modern Jewish theology: a theological capturing of the modern era as an epoch possessing its own unique and positive religious characteristics. This positive theological evaluation of modernity seems to derive uniquely from the Jewish perspective which sees in modernitas a hopeful repetition of the narrative of Exodus: the story of liberation and autonomous self-constitution of man helped by God who wished his subjects to stop being just subjects, but also wanted to offer them freedom. This emphatically affirmative definition of religious modernity has only one equivalent in Christian theology: the millenarist notion of a “new age” – die Neuzeit, or modernitas – as the third age of the spirit, which greatly influenced the most ambitious strain of modern philosophy: German Idealism and Hegel in particular. In referring to the writings of Jacob Taubes (most of all his Occidental Eschatology) I will attempt to show that the twentieth-century Jewish messianism tends to perceive modernity, also in its Christian version, as an epoch of the reawakening of the original spirit of the Hebrew revelation, conceived most of all as the emancipatory event of Exodus.
New Movements and New Media
Authors: Finigan Timothy
Published: February 2013

While the emergence of “new Movements” characterise the pontificate of John Paul II, Benedict XVI's time is marked by the Catholic Church's use of new media. It began with Catholic websites and has moved on to blogging and tweeting. This is how the Church must communicate with younger people, until these are replaced by newer digital systems. Most blogs are dominated by a conservative version of Catholicism, but this may be what appeals to those young people who are still drawn to the Church. The disposability and built –in obsolescence of devices like tablets can be a problem compared with the comparative longevity of what they are replacing, namely books.
Three Ways of Engaging Theologically with Modernity
Authors: Healy Nicholas
Published: February 2013

The paper discusses three theological ways of responding to modernity, all of which rely in some way upon the analogy of the church as a culture. First, Friedrich Schleiermacher represents the turn to the subject and the turn to the church. Second, Stanley Hauerwas's rejection of the turn to the subject is shown to require a sharper turn to the church. Third, David Kelsey's recent work is used to present a modification of that turn substantial enough to constitute a third way. Kelsey's analysis of various theological logics and how they are often conflated in modern theology, together with his account of church practices, is used to integrate a more traditional theocentric theological approach with a more contemporary focus on the church's practices. Some conclusions are then drawn for critical congregational study of enactments of church practices.
The Credibility of the Catholic Church as Public Actor
Authors: O'Loughlin Thomas
Published: February 2013

This article assumes that there is a profound crisis of credibility in the Catholic Church today. This is distinct from the issue of the credibility of Christian faith or the credibility of theism, for many who believe, indeed many Catholics, are affected by this sense that the Church, as a public actor, lacks credibility. Moreover, while it would be a mistake to seek the roots of this lack of credibility within general appeals to “modern unbelief,” so it would also be a mistake to imagine that it is purely a matter of “image” or as a direct result of the revelations about clerical child-abuse and its cover-up. It argues that modern society has evolved, through painful experience, a healthy scepticism about large organisations and with this has developed a set of social values (e.g. mutual responsibility and transparency) that are at odds with many of the values (e.g. hierarchy) that the Church has inherited from its past. Far from seeing these developments as part of a pathology of modernity, they can be seen as the work of the Spirit and a challenge to the Church to embrace new ways of being a witness to the truth and new ways of embodying the Christ in its living.
Does the Order and Timing of Active Labour Market Programmes Matter?
Authors: Lechner Michael , Wiehler Stephan
Published: February 2013

This study extends the traditional focus of active labour market policy evaluation from a static comparison of participation in a programme versus non‐participation (or participation in another programme) to the evaluation of the effects of programme sequences, that is, multiple participation or timing of such programmes. Explicitly allowing for dynamic selection into different stages of such programme sequences we analyse multiple programmes, the timing of programmes, and the order of programmes. The analysis is based on comprehensive administrative data on the Austrian labour force. Our findings suggest that (i) active job search programmes are more effective after a qualification programme compared to the reverse order, (ii) multiple participation in qualification measures dominates single participation and (iii) the effectiveness of several labour market programmes deteriorates the later they start during an unemployment spell.
The relationships between self‐transcendence and spiritual well‐being in cognitively intact nursing home patients
Authors: Haugan Gørill , Rannestad Toril , Hammervold Randi , Garåsen Helge , Espnes Geir A.
Published: February 2013

Background

Self‐transcendence is considered a developmental process of personal maturity and a vital resource of well‐being in later adulthood. Measurement of the associations between self‐transcendence and spiritual well‐being in cognitively intact nursing home patients has not been previously published.

Aims

The aim of this study was to identify the relationships between self‐transcendence and spiritual well‐being in cognitively intact nursing home patients.

Methods

A cross‐sectional design using the self‐transcendence scale and the FACIT‐Sp spiritual well‐being questionnaire was adopted. A sample of 202 cognitively intact nursing home patients in mid‐Norway was selected to respond to the questionnaires in 2008 and 2009. Statistical analyses were conducted using lisrel 8.8 (Scientific Software International, Chicago, IL, USA) and structural equation modelling.

Results

A hypothesised structural equation model comprising a two‐factor construct of self‐transcendence and a three‐factor construct of spiritual well‐being demonstrated significant direct relationships between self‐transcendence and spiritual well‐being and total effects of self‐transcendence on spiritual well‐being.

Implications for practice

Facilitating patients' self‐transcendence, both interpersonally and intrapersonally, might increase spiritual well‐being among cognitively intact nursing home patients, which is seen to be of great importance to nursing home patients' overall satisfaction and satisfaction with staff. The two‐factor construct of self‐transcendence and the three‐factor construct of FACIT‐Sp allow a more complex examination of the associations between the constructs and prove more specific guidelines for nursing interventions promoting well‐being in nursing home patients.
THE ROLE OF STATE‐REINFORCED SELF‐GOVERNANCE IN AVERTING THE TRAGEDY OF THE IRRIGATION COMMONS IN JAPAN
Authors: SARKER ASHUTOSH
Published: February 2013

The scholarly works on governance alternatives are peppered with arguments suggesting that, to avert the tragedy of the commons, the state should coerce resource users to manage the commons; take authoritarian ownership of it; privatize it; co‐manage it with users, or, since the state may also destroy self‐governing institutions of users, stay away so that users can develop self‐governing institutions for management. This article examines the management of the irrigation commons in post‐war Japan and explores a unique policy alternative termed ‘state‐reinforced self‐governance’. It allows a financially, technologically, statutorily, and politically strong state to assist strategically, rather than coerce, users to self‐govern and avert the tragedy of the commons.
A LEVER FOR IMPROVEMENT OR A MAGNET FOR BLAME? PRESS AND POLITICAL RESPONSES TO INTERNATIONAL EDUCATIONAL RANKINGS IN FOUR EU COUNTRIES
Authors: DIXON RUTH , ARNDT CHRISTIANE , MULLERS MANUEL , VAKKURI JARMO , ENGBLOM‐PELKKALA KRISTIINA , HOOD CHRISTOPHER
Published: February 2013

Educational performance rankings elicit extensive press coverage and varied political responses. To investigate how the negativity of press coverage was related to the rankings results and political response, we compared the domestic press coverage of two educational rankings (the 2006 editions of the OECD's Progress in Student Achievement (PISA) and the IEA's Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS)) in four European countries (Germany, Finland, France, and Britain). We found negative press coverage in all four countries. Strikingly, Finland had the same percentage of negative articles as Germany, despite much better performance. British politicians received far more personal blame for poor results than their French or German counterparts, but the political response was strongest in Germany and Britain. We discuss our findings in the context of the effects such rankings might be expected to have, and argue that these rankings alone do not provide sufficient levers to improve educational performance.
ELPylated haemagglutinins produced in tobacco plants induce potentially neutralizing antibodies against H5N1 viruses in mice
Authors: Phan Hoang T. , Pohl Julia , Floss Doreen M. , Rabenstein Frank , Veits Jutta , Le Binh T. , Chu Ha H. , Hause Gerd , Mettenleiter Thomas , Conrad Udo
Published: February 2013

Reducing the cost of vaccine production is a key priority for veterinary research, and the possibility of heterologously expressing antigen in plants provides a particularly attractive means of achieving this. Here, we report the expression of the avian influenza virus haemagglutinin (AIV HA) in tobacco, both as a monomer and as a trimer in its native and its ELPylated form. We firstly presented evidence to produce stabilized trimers of soluble HA in plants. ELPylation of these trimers does not influence the trimerization. Strong expression enhancement in planta caused by ELPylation was demonstrated for trimerized H5‐ELP. ELPylated trimers could be purified by a membrane‐based inverse transition cycling procedure with the potential of successful scale‐up. The trimeric form of AIV HA was found to enhance the HA‐specific immune response compared with the monomeric form. Plant‐derived AIV HA trimers elicited potentially neutralizing antibodies interacting with both homologous virus‐like particles from plants and heterologous inactivated AIV. ELPylation did not influence the functionality and the antigenicity of the stabilized H5 trimers. These data allow further developments including scale‐up of production, purification and virus challenge experiments with the final goal to achieve suitable technologies for efficient avian flu vaccine production.
Cellular Remodelling by Apoptosis During Porcine Placentation
Authors: Cristofolini A , Sanchis G , Moliva M , Alonso L , Chanique A , Koncurat M , Merkis C
Published: February 2013

Contents

The mechanisms that regulate the apoptosis are essential to the normal development and maintenance of homoeostasis and play an important role in placental development in mammals. During porcine pregnancy, there must be a proper cellular remodelling to achieve a normal gestational development. Knowledge of pig physiology during pregnancy will explore options to increase the productivity of this species of high economical value. The purpose of this work was to study the cell morphology and apoptosis of porcine placentas from early, mid and late pregnancy. For that purpose, high‐resolution light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were performed to the study of cell morphology. TUNEL, the apoptosis index (IAp) and the expression of c‐FLIP through immunohistochemistry technique were used to the study of apoptosis. High‐resolution light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy confirmed the presence of placental cells with ultrastructural apoptotic features. Apoptotic nuclei were detected by TUNEL in different placental structures and phagocytes containing apoptotic bodies. The IAp in villi was 9.34% at early, 0.82% at mid and 23.85% at late pregnancy. Statistically significant differences were found between periods (p < 0.05). In previous studies, we determined a differential induction of the apoptotic routes in the placental villi in agreement with the gestational period. A co‐expression of receptors and mitochondrial proteins in placental connective tissue was detected, but the immunolocalization of c‐FLIP would indicate an endogenous inhibition of the extrinsic pathway. In conclusion, in swine there exists differential activation of inducing apoptotic pathways in different placental structures according to the gestational period.
The Presence of SOD 1 and GSH‐Px in Bovine Retained and Properly Released Foetal Membranes
Authors: Kankofer M , Wawrzykowski J , Hoedemaker M
Published: February 2013

Contents

The maintenance of antioxidative/oxidative balance is crucial for cellular and extracellular environment. That is why antioxidative enzymes express their activity in different isoforms in different cell compartments and extracellular space. The aim of study was to verify the results of previous experiment on activities of antioxidative enzymes by the determination of their enzymatic proteins in bovine placental tissues by Western blotting technique. Moreover, the presence of particular isoenzymes was detected and differentiated. Homogenates of maternal and foetal part of both properly released and retained bovine placenta were subjected to PAGE electrophoresis in non‐reducing and reducing conditions and Western blotting with appropriate antibodies against superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH‐Px). Electrophoresis allowed for the detection of protein bands of molecular weight related to CuZn‐SOD as well as cGSH‐Px isoenzymes. The reaction with appropriate antibodies confirmed this. Densitometric analysis, although semi‐quantitative, allowed for the observation of trends in differences in antioxidative enzyme proteins, which may partly confirm previously described results in cases of retained and released placenta. Local antioxidative enzymatic mechanisms in bovine placental tissues are represented by CuZn‐SOD and cGSH‐Px, which show the changes in their expression during improper placental release.
Decision Strategies to Reduce Teenage and Young Adult Deaths in the United States
Authors: Keeney Ralph L. , Palley Asa B.
Published: February 2013

This article uses decision analysis concepts and techniques to address an extremely important problem to any family with children, namely, how to avoid the tragic death of a child during the high‐risk ages of 15–24. Descriptively, our analysis indicates that of the 35,000 annual deaths among this age group in the United States, approximately 20,000 could be avoided if individuals chose readily available alternatives for decisions relating to these deaths. Prescriptively, we develop a decision framework for parents and a child to both identify and proactively pursue decisions that can lower that child's exposure to life‐threatening risks and positively alter decisions when facing such risks. Applying this framework for parents and the youth themselves, we illustrate the logic and process of generating proactive alternatives with numerous examples that each could pursue to lower these life‐threatening risks and possibly avoid a tragic premature death, and discuss some public policy implications of our findings.
A novel HLA‐A allele, A*31:65, was identified by sequence‐based typing in a Chinese potential donor
Authors: Chen Y.‐F. , Yang L. , Zhuang Y.‐L. , Nie X.‐M. , Zhu C.‐F.
Published: February 2013

A*31:65: one nucleotide change resulting in a new motif CAC at codon 84 in HLA‐A.
HLA‐B*27:44, a novel allele identified by sequence‐based typing, is a well‐documented allele in China
Authors: Gong Z. , Zhang Z. , Shan X. , Mei W. , Li D.
Published: February 2013

The sequence of HLA‐B*27:44 differs in exon 2 from the sequence of B*27:08 by one amino acid change at codon 74.
A novel HLA‐B allele, B*40:01:06, identified by sequence‐based typing in a Chinese individual
Authors: Gong Z. , Zhang Z. , Shan X. , Li W. , Liu N.
Published: February 2013

The sequence of HLA‐B*40:01:06 differs in exon 3 from the sequence of B*40:01:01 by one nucleotide 435 (codon121) G to A.
High throughput HLA genotyping using 454 sequencing and the Fluidigm Access Array™ system for simplified amplicon library preparation
Authors: Moonsamy P. V. , Williams T. , Bonella P. , Holcomb C. L. , Höglund B. N. , Hillman G. , Goodridge D. , Turenchalk G. S. , Blake L. A. , Daigle D. A. , Simen B. B. , Hamilton A. , May A. P. , Erlich H. A.
Published: February 2013

The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I and class II loci are the most polymorphic genes in the human genome; distinguishing the thousands of HLA alleles is challenging. Next generation sequencing of exonic amplicons with the 454 genome sequence (GS) FLX System and Conexio Assign ATF 454 software provides high resolution, high throughput HLA genotyping for eight class I and class II loci. HLA typing of potential donors for unrelated bone marrow donor registries typically uses a subset of these loci at high sample throughput and low cost per sample. The Fluidigm Access Array System enables the incorporation of 48 different multiplex identifiers (MIDs) corresponding to 48 genomic DNA samples with up to 48 different primer pairs in a microfluidic device generating 2304 parallel polymerase chain reactions (PCRs). Minimal volumes of reagents are used. During genomic PCR, in this 4‐primer system, the outer set of primers containing the MID and the 454 adaptor sequences are incorporated into an amplicon generated by the inner HLA target‐specific primers each containing a common sequence tag at the 5′ end of the forward and reverse primers. Pools of the resulting amplicons are used for emulsion PCR and clonal sequencing on the 454 Life Sciences GS FLX System, followed by genotyping with Conexio software. We have genotyped 192 samples with 100% concordance to known genotypes using 8 primer pairs (covering exons 2 and 3 of HLA‐A, B and C, and exon 2 of DRB1, 3/4/5 and DQB1) and 96 MIDs in a single GS FLX run. An average of 166 reads per amplicon was obtained. We have also genotyped 96 samples at high resolution (14 primer pairs covering exons 2, 3, and 4 of the class I loci and exons 2 of DRB1, 3/4/5, DQA1, DQB1, DPB1, and exon 3 of DQB1), recovering an average of 173 sequence reads per amplicon.
Foreign Equity Trading and Average Stock‐return Volatility
Authors: Umutlu Mehmet , Akdeniz Levent , Altay‐Salih Aslihan
Published: February 2013

We examine whether there is a relationship between foreign equity trading and average total volatility, measured as the value‐weighted average of stock‐return variance in the Istanbul Stock Exchange. We employ foreign equity purchase and sale data to track changes in foreign equity trading, which not only enable us to capture effective foreign investor participation but also to observe the potential asymmetric effects of incoming and outgoing funds on the average total volatility. Consistent with the implications of the asymmetric information hypothesis, we find that net equity flow is positively associated with average total volatility. Furthermore, we show that net equity flow affects the average total volatility through the local and idiosyncratic volatilities, suggesting that foreign investors engage in the production of firm specific and market wide information.
Foreign Exchange Intervention in Emerging Markets: A Survey of Empirical Studies
Authors: Menkhoff Lukas
Published: February 2013

Nowadays foreign exchange interventions occur in emerging market economies, whereas empirical studies on interventions mainly refer to advanced economies. However, interventions in emerging markets are different from those in advanced economies: they occur ‘regularly’ and central banks have considerable leverage, derived from relatively high reserves, some non‐sterilisation, the central bank’s information advantage and capital controls. Consequently, these interventions often successfully impact the level and volatility of exchange rates. Nevertheless, more research on interventions in emerging markets is needed analysing the influence of heterogeneous institutional circumstances, examining the role of central bank communication and using high‐frequency data.
Number One Country, Number One Currency?1
Authors: Eichengreen Barry
Published: February 2013

This paper assesses the prospects for renminbi internationalisation, arguing that the process will encounter significant challenges. Some of these are familiar: the Chinese economy, while large, remains poor; China’s financial markets lack depth and liquidity; encouraging international use of the renminbi will require substantial capital account liberalisation, in the course of which things can go wrong. In addition, I highlight a less familiar challenge: China’s political system may be an obstacle to renminbi internationalisation. Since the early nineteenth century, the leading international currency or currencies have been those of countries with democratic political systems where there are constraints on the executive, which have built durable alliances, and where creditors are well represented. This is not a prediction that China must have a Democratic Spring before the renminbi becomes a leading international and reserve currency. But it does suggest that the country will have to contemplate significant political reform.
Does filaggrin expression correlate with severity of clinical signs in dogs with atopic dermatitis?
Authors: Marsella Rosanna
Published: February 2013

Background

Filaggrin expression is decreased in subsets of humans and dogs with atopic dermatitis (AD). Filaggrin expression is modulated by inflammation, but it is unknown whether expression is inversely correlated with clinical signs.

Hypothesis/Objectives

To investigate the correlation between filaggrin expression and the severity of clinical signs in an experimental model of canine AD.

Animals

Eighteen atopic research beagle dogs sensitized to house dust mite allergens.

Methods

Dogs were challenged with house dust mites for 3 days consecutively (days 1–3) and skin biopsies collected on days 1 (before allergen challenge), 3 (peak of challenge) and 10 (at resolution of lesions). Clinical signs were scored using a modified version of CADESI‐03, the Canine Atopic Dermatitis Extent and Severity Index. Immunohistochemical staining was measured subjectively by three investigators who graded filaggrin staining for continuity, granularity and intensity. For objective evaluation of staining, the stratum granulosum and epidermis were traced, and the percentage of filaggrin per unit stratum granulosum and epidermal area were calculated. Correlations were investigated using Pearson's product–moment correlation (for linear correlations) and Spearman's rank correlation (for nonlinear correlations), pooling all days together and then separately on each day, using total clinical scores and either subjective or objective filaggrin scores.

Results

The only significant correlation was found between the subjective filaggrin scores and total clinical scores on day 1.

Conclusions and clinical importance

No inverse correlation exists between the severity of clinical signs and filaggrin expression; the clinical relevance of filaggrin in canine AD is unknown.
Evaporative Heat Transfer Analysis of a Heat Pipe With Hybrid Axial Groove
Authors: Bai Lizhan , Lin Guiping , Peterson G. P.
Published: February 2013

Through the application of thin film evaporation theory and the fundamental operating principles of heat pipes, a hybrid axial groove has been developed that can greatly enhance the performance characteristics of conventional heat pipes. This hybrid axial groove is composed of a V-shaped channel connected with a circular channel through a very narrow longitudinal slot. During the operation, the V-shaped channel can provide high capillary pressure to drive the fluid flow and still maintain a large evaporative heat transfer coefficient. The large circular channel serves as the main path for the condensate return from the condenser to the evaporator and results in a very low flow resistance. The combination of a high evaporative heat transfer coefficient and a low flow resistance results in considerable enhancement in the heat transport capability of conventional heat pipes. In the present work, a detailed mathematical model for the evaporative heat transfer of a single groove has been established based on the conservation principles for mass, momentum and energy, and the modeling results quantitatively verify that this particular configuration has an enhanced evaporative heat transfer performance compared with that of conventional rectangular groove, due to the considerable reduction in the liquid film thickness and a corresponding increase in the evaporative heat transfer area in both the evaporating liquid film region and the meniscus region.
Battery-Less Wireless Instrumented Knee Implant
Authors: Holmberg J. , Alexander L. , Rajamani R. , Bechtold J. E.
Published: February 2013

Over 400,000 total knee replacement procedures (TKR) are performed annually in the United States. This paper focuses on the development of a battery-less wireless instrumented tibial tray for performance feedback in TKR implants. The proposed instrumented tibial tray is powered internally by an integrated piezoelectric energy harvesting system. Energy is harvested during the walking of the patient when forces are exerted on the tibial component. The sensors and wireless electronics are entirely powered from the harvested energy. This tibial tray is also instrumented with capacitive force sensors and an ultra low-power method to measure the capacitive force sensors. A bench top test rig is developed for testing the battery-less wireless knee replacement implant. For a person with a body weight of 55 kg, the energy harvesting system can fully charge the storage capacitors in 11 steps and can harvest an average of 1051 μJ per step. To power the force measurement system for ten seconds and to transmit the data, the piezoelectric energy harvesting system must be charged before the force measurement process is initiated by a minimum of 11 steps and a minimum of two steps must be taken during the force measurement process. During the force measurement process, each force sensor is sampled at a frequency of 10 Hz for ten seconds; thereafter, all of the data is transmitted to the RF base station. The resulting capacitive force sensors adequately represented cyclic loads; however, the sensors demonstrated some issues with repeatability.
Casson Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer at an Exponentially Stretching Permeable Surface
Authors: Mukhopadhyay Swati , Vajravelu Kuppalapalle , Van Gorder Robert A.
Published: February 2013

The present paper deals with the boundary layer flow and heat transfer of a non-Newtonian fluid at an exponentially stretching permeable surface. The Casson fluid model is used to characterize the non-Newtonian fluid behavior, due to its various practical applications. With the help of similarity transformations the governing partial differential equations corresponding to the continuity, momentum, and energy equations are converted into nonlinear ordinary differential equations, and numerical solutions to these equations are obtained. Furthermore, in some specific parameter regimes, analytical solutions are found. It is observed that the effect of increasing values of the Casson parameter is to decrease the velocity field while enhancing the temperature field. Furthermore, it is observed that the effect of the increasing values of the suction parameter is to increase the skin-friction coefficient.
Blast Response of a Sandwich Beam/Wide Plate Based on the Extended High-Order Sandwich Panel Theory and Comparison With Elasticity
Authors: Phan Catherine N. , Kardomateas George A. , Frostig Yeoshua
Published: February 2013

This paper presents a one-dimensional analysis for the blast response of a sandwich beam/wide plate with a compressible core. The dynamic version of the recently developed extended high-order sandwich panel theory (EHSAPT) is first formulated. Material, geometric, and loading parameters are taken from blast experiments reported in literature. The novelty of EHSAPT is that it includes axial rigidity of the core and allows for three generalized coordinates in the core (the axial and transverse displacements at the centroid of the core and the rotation at the centroid of the core) instead of just one (shear stress in the core) of the earlier high-order sandwich panel theory (HSAPT). The solution procedure to determine the dynamic response to a general load applied on the top face sheet of a general asymmetric simply supported configuration is outlined. Although the dynamic EHSAPT is formulated in its full nonlinear version, the solution is for the linear problem so the accuracy of EHSAPT, along with the other theories, can be assessed by comparison to an available dynamic elasticity solution. Results show that the EHSAPT is very accurate and can capture the complex dynamic phenomena observed during the initial, transient phase of blast loading.
A Model of a Trapped Particle Under a Plate Adhering to a Rigid Surface
Authors: Parent Joel R. , Adams George G.
Published: February 2013

Micro and nanomechanics are growing fields in the semiconductor and related industries. Consequently obstacles, such as particles trapped between layers, are becoming more important and warrant further attention. In this paper a numerical solution to the von Kármán equations for moderately large deflection is used to model a plate deformed due to a trapped particle lying between it and a rigid substrate. Due to the small scales involved, the effect of adhesion is included. The recently developed moment-discontinuity method is used to relate the work of adhesion to the contact radius without the explicit need to calculate the total potential energy. Three different boundary conditions are considered—the full clamp, the partial clamp, and the compliant clamp. Curve-fit equations are found for the numerical solution to the nondimensional coupled nonlinear differential equations for moderately large deflection of an axisymmetric plate. These results are found to match the small deflection theory when the deflection is less than the plate thickness. When the maximum deflection is much greater than the plate thickness, these results represent the membrane theory for which an approximate analytic solution exists.
Impedance Functions for Surface Rigid Rectangular Foundations on Transversely Isotropic Multilayer Half-Spaces
Authors: Amiri-Hezaveh Amirhossein , Eskandari-Ghadi Morteza , Rahimian Mohammad , Ghorbani-Tanha Amir K.
Published: February 2013

A horizontally multilayered Green elastic transversely isotropic half-space is considered as the domain of the boundary value problem involved in this paper, such that the axes of material symmetry of different layers are parallel to the axis of material symmetry of the lowest half-space, which is depthwise. The domain is assumed to be affected by an arbitrary time-harmonic forced vibration due to a rigid rectangular surface foundation. With the use of a potential function method and the Hankel integral transforms, the displacements and stresses Green's functions are determined in each layer. The unknown functions due to integrations in each layer are transformed to the unknown functions of the surface layer with the use of the concept of propagator matrix and the continuity conditions. The mixed boundary conditions at the surface of the whole domain are numerically satisfied with the assumption of piecewise constant distribution of tractions in the contact area. It is numerically shown that the surface displacement and stress boundary conditions are satisfied very well. The vertical and horizontal impedance functions of the rectangular foundation are determined, which may be used as lumped parameters in time-harmonic soil-structure interaction with transversely isotropic horizontally layered domain as the soil. It is shown that the impedance functions determined in this paper coincide with the same functions for the simpler case of isotropic homogeneous half-space as degenerations of this study.
Unique and Explicit Formulas for Green's Function in Three-Dimensional Anisotropic Linear Elasticity
Authors: Buroni Federico C. , Sáez Andrés
Published: February 2013

Unique, explicit, and exact expressions for the first- and second-order derivatives of the three-dimensional Green's function for general anisotropic materials are presented in this paper. The derived expressions are based on a mixed complex-variable method and are obtained from the solution proposed by Ting and Lee (Ting and Lee, 1997,“The Three-Dimensional Elastostatic Green's Function for General Anisotropic Linear Elastic Solids,” Q. J. Mech. Appl. Math. 50, pp. 407–426) which has three valuable features. First, it is explicit in terms of Stroh's eigenvalues pα (α=1,2,3) on the oblique plane with normal coincident with the position vector; second, it remains well-defined when some Stroh's eigenvalues are equal (mathematical degeneracy) or nearly equal (quasi-mathematical degeneracy); and third, they are exact. Therefore, both new proposed solutions inherit these appealing features, being explicit in terms of Stroh's eigenvalues, simpler, unique, exact and valid independently of the kind of degeneracy involved, as opposed to previous approaches. A study of all possible degenerate cases validate the proposed scheme.
Objective models of compressed breast shapes undergoing mammography
Authors: Feng Steve Si Jia , Patel Bhavika , Sechopoulos Ioannis
Published: February 2013

Purpose:

To develop models of compressed breasts undergoing mammography based on objective analysis, that are capable of accurately representing breast shapes in acquired clinical images and generating new, clinically realistic shapes.

Methods:

An automated edge detection algorithm was used to catalogue the breast shapes of clinically acquired cranio‐caudal (CC) and medio‐lateral oblique (MLO) view mammograms from a large database of digital mammography images. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed on these shapes to reduce the information contained within the shapes to a small number of linearly independent variables. The breast shape models, one of each view, were developed from the identified principal components, and their ability to reproduce the shape of breasts from an independent set of mammograms not used in the PCA, was assessed both visually and quantitatively by calculating the average distance error (ADE).

Results:

The PCA breast shape models of the CC and MLO mammographic views based on six principal components, in which 99.2% and 98.0%, respectively, of the total variance of the dataset is contained, were found to be able to reproduce breast shapes with strong fidelity (CC view mean ADE = 0.90 mm, MLO view mean ADE = 1.43 mm) and to generate new clinically realistic shapes. The PCA models based on fewer principal components were also successful, but to a lesser degree, as the two‐component model exhibited a mean ADE = 2.99 mm for the CC view, and a mean ADE = 4.63 mm for the MLO view. The four‐component models exhibited a mean ADE = 1.47 mm for the CC view and a mean ADE = 2.14 mm for the MLO view. Paired t‐tests of the ADE values of each image between models showed that these differences were statistically significant (max p‐value = 0.0247). Visual examination of modeled breast shapes confirmed these results. Histograms of the PCA parameters associated with the six principal components were fitted with Gaussian distributions. The six‐component model was also used to generate CC and MLO view mammogram breast shapes, using the mean PCA parameter values of these distributions and randomly generated values based on the fitted Gaussian distributions, which resemble clinically encountered breasts. A spreadsheet with the data necessary to apply this model is provided as the supplementary material.

Conclusions:

Our PCA models of breast shapes in both mammographic views successfully reproduce analyzed breast shapes and generate new clinically relevant shapes. This work can aid in research applications which incorporate breast shape modeling, such as x‐ray scatter correction, dosimetry, and image registration.
Is lack of suitable housing a barrier to home-based dialysis therapy for patients with end-stage renal disease? A cohort study
Authors: Forbes Suzanne H , McCafferty Kieran , Lawson Trevor , Stoby-Fields Meagan , Raftery Martin , Yaqoob Muhammad Magdi
Published: February 2013

Objective

To determine whether inadequate housing is the main barrier to the provision of home dialysis treatment.

Design

Prospective observational study.

Participants

All patients attending a predialysis clinic between 2006 and 2009 deemed medically suitable for home dialysis and not active on the preemptive transplant list.

Setting

A predialysis clinic in a London teaching hospital.

Main outcome measure

Assessment of patient's accommodation for suitability for home-based dialysis using departmental guidelines and the Government's Housing Health and Safety Rating System regulations 2005.

Results

A lack of adequate housing prohibited the provision of home haemodialysis to all but one of these patients. Moreover, only 29% of homes assessed were suitable for peritoneal dialysis, despite the lower spatial demands of this form of renal replacement therapy. In addition to the specific requirements of dialysis, we also found that only 33% of the homes visited fulfilled the minimum standard of housing as defined in the Government's Decent Homes Standard, with multiple specific hazards identified across the properties.

Conclusions

This study illustrates that the lack of suitable housing is a major barrier to the provision of home-based dialysis and underscores the need for this to be addressed urgently at both the central government and local authority levels. We suggest that it should be considered as a major priority to rehouse medically suitable patients with a view to enabling home-based therapy.
Numerical analysis of strengthening by rockfill embankments on an upstream tailings dam
Authors: Ormann Linda , Zardari Muhammad Auchar , Mattsson Hans , Bjelkevik Annika , Knutsson Sven
Published: February 2013

The consolidation process could be slow in an upstream tailings dam; therefore, the stability can reduce due to an increase in excess pore pressures when the dam is raised. The safety of the dam can be enhanced by constructing rockfill berms on the downstream side. This paper presents a case study on the strengthening of an upstream tailings dam with rockfill berms. The finite element analyses were performed for modelling the staged construction of the dam and for optimizing the volume of the rockfill berms. The dam was raised in 11 stages; each stage consisting of a raising phase and a consolidation phase. The study shows that the slope stability of the dam reduced due to an increase of excess pore pressures during the raising phase. The stability of the dam was successfully improved by utilizing rockfill berms as supports on the downstream side. A technique has been presented to minimize the volume of the rockfill berms so that the required stability can be achieved at minimum cost. This paper shows that the finite element method can be a useful tool for modelling the consolidation behaviour of an upstream tailings dam and minimizing the volume of the rockfill berms that may be needed to maintain the stability of the dam during staged construction.
Continuous-interval shear wave velocity profiling by auto-source and seismic piezocone tests
Authors: Ku Taeseo , Mayne Paul W. , Cargill Ethan
Published: February 2013

A new exploratory procedure for collecting continuous shear wave velocity measurements via cone penetration testing using a special autoseis source is presented whereby wavelets can be generated and recorded every 1 to 10 s. The continuous-interval seismic piezocone test (CiSCPTu) offers a fast, productive, and reliable means to expedite the collection of downhole shear wave velocity profiles, as well as additional readings on cone tip resistance, sleeve friction, and penetration porewater pressures with depth. A site in Windsor, Virginia, is utilized for illustrating the collection of data, calibration, and post-processing issues arising from large numbers of wavelets that require filtering, windowing, and selection in both time and frequency domain analyses. At the test site, the geology consists of shallow Holocene deposits of clays and sands to 8 m that are underlain by much stiffer calcareous sandy marine clay soils of Miocene age, which extend beyond the termination depths of the soundings at 30 m.