bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Impact of National and State Policy on Elementary School Foreign Language Programs: The Iowa Case Study
Authors: Rosenbusch Marcia Harmon
Published: September 2010

ABSTRACT: This article reviews selected national policy recommendations and examines their impact on state policy making in Iowa, specifically in terms of the number and quality of Iowa elementary school foreign language programs and teacher qualifications from the mid‐1980s through the 1990s. Understanding the effect that these policies have had on early language programs in Iowa may help the profession determine the impact of national policy on state educational programs. This study suggests that future research on the impact of national policies in other states can help professionals design strategies for shaping policies in support of foreign language programs that begin in the early grades and continue through secondary school, building skills across levels.
Description of the first recorded major occurrence of equine viral arteritis in France
Authors: PRONOST S. , PITEL P. H. , MISZCZAK F. , LEGRAND L. , MARCILLAUD‐PITEL C. , HAMON M. , TAPPREST J. , BALASURIYA U. B. R. , FREYMUTH F. , FORTIER G.
Published: September 2010

Reasons for performing study: The vast majority of equine arteritis virus (EAV) infections are inapparent or relatively mild, but may occasionally cause outbreaks of equine viral arteritis. The event observed in France during the summer of 2007 was the most important seen in the country, with mortality and disruption of economic activity.

Objectives: To describe the different stages seen during the outbreak and to show how molecular tools were used for both the detection and management of the crisis.

Methods: EAV detection was performed by real‐time reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) in blood, nasal swabs, semen or organ samples. Characterisation of EAV strains was performed by sequencing the ORF5 fragment.

Results: The outbreak affected 18 premises in 5 counties in western France, which represented the index, 8 primary and 9 secondary premises. Artificial insemination in draught horses was responsible for the virus spread. Eight mortality cases were observed, including one fetus, 5 young foals and 2 mature horses. Forty‐three individuals had positive results by real‐time RT‐PCR. The range of measured cycle threshold (Ct) values varied from 19.8 to 40.4 depending on the biological samples. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the 33 isolated strains all clustered within the EU‐2 subgroup.

Conclusions: The mortality rate attests to the virulence of the strain involved in this outbreak. Real‐time RT‐PCR was used for the first time in order to follow‐up an epidemic disease in horses.

Potential relevance: The early detection of 3 signals with high Ct values attest the importance of taking low signals into account in field conditions.
Cytokine and catabolic enzyme expression in synovium, synovial fluid and articular cartilage of naturally osteoarthritic equine carpi
Authors: KAMM J. L. , NIXON A. J. , WITTE T. H.
Published: September 2010

Reasons for performing study: Understanding the expression of catabolic and anabolic genes during osteoarthritis progression should help to identify the major mediators of the disease.

Objective: To compare the cytokine and anabolic marker concentrations in synovium, synovial fluid and cartilage between normal and osteoarthritic joints.

Methods: Carpi from horses age 2–11 years were used. Tissues were harvested at the time of surgery or euthanasia, and RNA was isolated for RT‐PCR analysis. Tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), interleukin‐1beta (IL‐1β), aggrecanase 1 (ADAMTS‐4), aggrecanase 2 (ADAMTS‐5), matrix metalloproteinase‐13 (MMP‐13), interleukin 17 (IL‐17) and collagen type I alpha 1(Col‐1) expression were determined in synovium. TNFα, IL‐1β, ADAMTS‐4, ADAMTS‐5, MMP‐13, IL‐17, collagen type IIB (Col‐2B), and aggrecan expression were determined in cartilage. TNFα concentration in the synovial fluid was determined by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Results: Expression of TNFα, ADAMTS‐5 and MMP‐13 was significantly increased in synovial tissue from OA joints. Synovial membrane IL‐1β abundance showed only moderate elevations in OA, without reaching significant levels. Cytokine expression was increased significantly in OA cartilage samples, particularly TNFα, IL‐1β, ADAMTS‐4 and MMP‐13; and collagen type I expression was significantly increased in synovial tissues from OA groups. Collagen type II message was diminished in mild and moderate stages of OA, but rebounded to significant elevations in severely degenerate joints. Conversely, aggrecan levels significantly declined in cartilage from all OA groups. Synovial fluid TNFα peptide concentration was significantly increased in severe OA cases.

Conclusion: TNFα was increased in all degrees of equine OA, and was abundantly expressed in synovial membrane and cartilage. IL‐1β was overexpressed in OA cartilage, but not to a significant extent in synovium.

Potential relevance: Control of TNFα should be considered further as a target in the treatment of OA. ADAMTS‐4 may be the primary aggrecanase causing cartilage breakdown in OA.
Exercise‐induced TBC1D1 Ser237 phosphorylation and 14‐3‐3 protein binding capacity in human skeletal muscle
Authors: Frøsig Christian , Pehmøller Christian , Birk Jesper B. , Richter Erik A. , Wojtaszewski Jørgen F. P.
Published: September 2010

TBC1D1 is a Rab‐GTPase activating protein involved in regulation of GLUT4 translocation in skeletal muscle. We here evaluated exercise‐induced regulation of TBC1D1 Ser237 phosphorylation and 14‐3‐3 protein binding capacity in human skeletal muscle. In separate experiments healthy men performed all‐out cycle exercise lasting either 30 s, 2 min or 20 min. After all exercise protocols, TBC1D1 Ser237 phosphorylation increased (∼70–230%, P < 0.005), with the greatest response observed after 20 min of cycling. Interestingly, capacity of TBC1D1 to bind 14‐3‐3 protein showed a similar pattern of regulation, increasing 60–250% (P < 0.001). Furthermore, recombinant 5′AMP‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) induced both Ser237 phosphorylation and 14‐3‐3 binding properties on human TBC1D1 when evaluated in vitro. To further characterize the role of AMPK as an upstream kinase regulating TBC1D1, extensor digitorum longus muscle (EDL) from whole body α1 or α2 AMPK knock‐out and wild‐type mice were stimulated to contract in vitro. In wild‐type and α1 knock‐out mice, contractions resulted in a similar ∼100% increase (P < 0.001) in Ser237 phosphorylation. Interestingly, muscle of α2 knock‐out mice were characterized by reduced protein content of TBC1D1 (∼50%, P < 0.001) as well as in basal and contraction‐stimulated (∼60%, P < 0.001) Ser237 phosphorylation, even after correction for the reduced TBC1D1 protein content. This study shows that TBC1D1 is Ser237 phosphorylated and 14‐3‐3 protein binding capacity is increased in response to exercise in human skeletal muscle. Furthermore, we show that the catalytic α2 AMPK subunit is the main (but probably not the only) donor of AMPK activity regulating TBC1D1 Ser237 phosphorylation in mouse EDL muscle.
Comparative Efficacies of Human Simulated Exposures of Telavancin and Vancomycin against Methicillin-Resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
with a Range of Vancomycin MICs in a Murine Pneumonia Model
Authors: Crandon Jared L. , Kuti Joseph L. , Nicolau David P.
Published: September 2010

Telavancin displays potent
in vitro
and
in vivo
activity against methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA), including strains with reduced susceptibility to vancomycin. We compared the efficacies of telavancin and vancomycin against MRSA strains with vancomycin MICs of ≥1 μg/ml in a neutropenic murine lung infection model. Thirteen clinical MRSA isolates (7 vancomycin-susceptible, 2 vancomycin-heteroresistant [hVISA], and 4 vancomycin-intermediate [VISA] isolates) were tested after 24 h, and 7 isolates (1 hVISA and 4 VISA isolates) were tested after 48 h of exposure. Mice were administered subcutaneous doses of telavancin at 40 mg/kg of body weight every 12 h (q12h) or of vancomycin at 110 mg/kg q12h; doses were designed to simulate the area under the concentration-time curve for the free, unbound fraction of drug (
f
AUC) observed for humans given telavancin at 10 mg/kg q24h or vancomycin at 1 g q12h. Efficacy was expressed as the 24- or 48-h change in lung bacterial density from pretreatment counts. At dose initiation, the mean bacterial load was 6.16 ± 0.26 log
10
CFU/ml, which increased by averages of 1.26 ± 0.55 and 1.74 ± 0.68 log in untreated mice after 24 and 48 h, respectively. At both time points, similar CFU reductions were noted for telavancin and vancomycin against MRSA, with vancomycin MICs of ≤2 μg/ml. Both drugs were similarly efficacious after 24 and 48 h of treatment against the hVISA strains tested. Against VISA isolates, telavancin reduced bacterial burdens significantly more than vancomycin for 1 of 4 isolates after 24 h and for 3 of 4 isolates after 48 h. These data support the potential utility of telavancin for the treatment of MRSA pneumonia caused by pathogens with reduced susceptibility to vancomycin.
Nasal Carriage of Methicillin-Resistant and Methicillin-Sensitive Strains ofStaphylococcus sciuriin the Indonesian Population
Authors: Severin J. A. , Lestari E. S. , Kuntaman K. , Pastink M. , Snijders S. V. , Lemmens-den Toom N. , Horst-Kreft D. , Hadi U. , Duerink D. O. , Goessens W. H. , Fluit A. C. , van Wamel W. , van Belkum A. , Verbrugh H. A.
Published: September 2010

Staphylococcus sciuristrains were unexpectedly cultured from healthy persons and patients from Indonesia during a population-based survey on nasalStaphylococcus aureuscarriage. Fifty-oneS. sciuriisolates were further characterized. TheS. aureus mecAgene was detected by PCR in 22 isolates (43.1%), whereasS. sciuri mecAwas found in 33 isolates (64.7%). The staphylococcal cassette chromosomemec(SCCmec) regions ofS. aureus mecA-positive isolates contained elements of classicalS. aureusSCCmectypes II and/or III.
Elevated Levels of thePlasmodium yoeliiHomologue of Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor Attenuate Blood-Stage Malaria
Authors: Thorat Swati , Daly Thomas M. , Bergman Lawrence W. , Burns James M.
Published: September 2010

The excessive production of proinflammatory cytokines plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of severe malaria. Mammalian macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) (mMIF) is an immune mediator that promotes a sustained proinflammatory response by inhibiting the glucocorticoid-mediated downregulation of inflammation. In addition,Plasmodiumparasites also encode a homologue of mammalian MIF that is expressed in asexual-stage parasites. We used thePlasmodium yoeliimurine model to study the potential role of parasite-encoded MIF in the pathogenesis of malaria. Antibodies raised against purified, non-epitope-taggedP. yoeliiMIF (PyMIF) were used to localize expression in trophozoite- and schizont-stage parasites and demonstrate extracellular release.In vitro, recombinantPyMIF was shown to actively induce the chemotaxis of macrophages but did not induce or enhance tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) production from peritoneal macrophages. To examine the role of parasite-derivedPyMIFin vivo, two transgenic parasite lines that constitutively overexpressPyMIF were generated, one in a nonlethalP. yoelii17X background [Py17X-MIF(+)] and the other in a lethalP. yoelii17XL background [Py17XL-MIF(+)]. Challenge studies with transgenic parasites in mice showed that the increased expression ofPyMIF resulted in a reduction in disease severity. Mice infected withPy17X-MIF(+) developed lower peak parasitemia levels than controls, while malaria-associated anemia was unaltered. Infection withPy17XL-MIF(+) resulted in a prolonged course of infection and a reduction in the overall mortality rate. Combined, the data indicate that parasite-derived MIF does not contribute significantly to immunopathology but, through its chemotactic ability toward macrophages, may attenuate disease and prolong infection of highly virulent parasite isolates.
Republished paper: Assuring validity of multisource feedback in a national programme
Authors: Archer Julian , McGraw Mary , Davies Helena
Published: September 2010

Objective

To report the evidence for and challenges to the validity of Sheffield Peer Review Assessment Tool (SPRAT) with paediatric Specialist Registrars (SpRs) across the UK as part of Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health workplace based assessment programme.

Design

Quality assurance analysis, including generalisability, of a multisource feedback questionnaire study.

Setting

All UK Deaneries between August 2005 and May 2006.

Participants

577 year 2 and 4 Paediatric SpRs.

Interventions

Trainees were evaluated using SPRAT sent to clinical colleagues of their choosing. Data were analysed reporting totals, means and SD, and year groups were compared using independent t tests. A factor analysis was undertaken. Reliability was estimated using generalisability theory. Trainee and assessor demographic details were explored to try to explain variability in scores.

Main outcome measures

4770 SPRAT assessments were provided about 577 paediatric SpRs. The mean scores between years were significantly different (Year 2 mean=5.08, SD=0.34, Year 4 mean=5.18, SD=0.34). A factor analysis returned a two-factor solution, clinical care and psychosocial skills. The 95% CI showed that trainees scoring ≥4.3 with nine assessors can be seen as achieving satisfactory performance with statistical confidence. Consultants marked trainees significantly lower (t=−4.52) whereas Senior House Officers and Foundation doctors scored their SpRs significantly higher (SHO t=2.06, Foundation t=2.77).

Conclusions

There is increasing evidence that multisource feedback (MSF) assesses two generic traits, clinical care and psychosocial skills. The validity of MSF is threatened by systematic bias, namely leniency bias and the seniority of assessors. Unregulated self-selection of assessors needs to end.
Ammonia Volatilization from some Forest Floor Materials Following Urea Fertilization
Authors: Mahendrappa M. K.
Published: September 2010

Ammonia volatilization from urea-treated organic layers of four softwood and three hardwood forest stands was investigated under laboratory conditions. All samples were treated with urea at rates equivalent to 168, 336, and 500 kg N per hectare. In addition, samples from a jack pine (Pinusbanksiana) stand were treated with urea at rates equivalent to 1100 and 1680 kg N per hectare (1 ha = 104 m2). At the end of a 7-day volatilization period the pH values of L and F + H layers were determined.In both softwood and hardwood samples, the proportions of added N volatilized as ammonia were larger when higher dosages of urea were applied. It is suggested that the rate of ammonia volatilization is determined by the concentration gradient of urea in solution around the sites where the enzyme urease hydrolyses urea. Less ammonia was evolved from hardwood than from softwood organic layers. Ammonia volatilization from softwood and hardwood organic layers treated with 336 kg N per hectare in urea was 0.41 to 3.75 and 0.16 to 1.76% of the added N, respectively. At the end of the experimental period the pH values of the L layers were generally higher than those of the F + H layers. The organic layers from the hardwood stands showed a smaller shift in pH than those from the softwood stands treated with the same levels of urea nitrogen.
Nutrition and Growth of White Spruce Outplants: Enhancement by Herbicidal Site Preparation
Authors: Sutton Roy F.
Published: September 2010

Two Rubicon sand sites in eastern Ontario, differing in fertility (sparsely vegetated area I and densely sodded area II) were each subdivided into 24 plots, 3.5 m × 3.5 m. Twelve plots in each area were treated with paraquat plus simazine in August, 1969, and, with 12 control plots in each area, were planted at 38 cm × 38 cm spacing with 16 white spruce (Piceaglauca (Moench) Voss) in May, 1970. Soil fertility significantly influenced nutrition and growth. Weed control significantly conserved soil moisture (on which survival in area II was dependent) and gave highly significant increases in foliage nutrient concentrations. This fertility effect, rather than soil moisture conservation, is considered to be the principal cause of the highly significant increases in height increment in area II in 1970 and subsequently in both areas.
Genotype and Season Influence Chlorogenic Acid Content in Douglas-fir Foliage
Authors: Radwan M. A.
Published: September 2010

Chlorogenic acid content was determined in foliage of six grafted clones and seven F1 full-sib progenies at three different times during 1971. Detectable amounts of the compound were found in all foliage tissues examined, but levels varied among clones, among progenies, and by season of sample collection. Chlorogenic acid levels in the progeny appeared to be inherited and influenced by both parents. However, average content was substantially higher in the parents than in progenies, reflecting a possible age effect. Results corroborate previous findings with respect to genotypic differences of chlorogenic acid in Douglas-fir foliage and its positive association with susceptibility to deer browsing.
Extractives Produced during Heartwood Formation in Relation to Amounts of Parenchyma in Juglansnigra and Quercusrupra
Authors: Nelson Neil D.
Published: September 2010

Amounts of axial and ray parenchyma were evaluated in relation to phenolic extractives in the heartwood of Juglansnigra L. and Quercusrubra L. Quantity of phenolic extractives and tree age (rings from pith) were positively related in J. nigra. Extractive production and rate of radial growth were not correlated in either of the species. Numbers of parenchyma cells per unit weight of wood and relative volumes of parenchyma (volume/wood volume and volume/wood weight) were not causally related between or within trees to quantity of phenolic heartwood extractives in either species. The data suggest that the rate and duration of aromatic biosynthesis during the formation of heartwood in woody angiosperms are affected much more by physiological conditions near the sapwood–heartwood boundary than by amounts of parenchyma participating in the biosynthesis.
Geoclimatic Patterns in Specific Gravity and Tracheid Length in Wood of Pitch Pine
Authors: Ledig F. Thomas , Zobel Bruce J. , Matthias Martha F.
Published: September 2010

Increment cores, 12 mm diameter, were taken from pitch pine throughout its natural range and analyzed for tracheid length, unextracted specific gravity, and extracted specific gravity. Tracheid length and specific gravity increased from north to south along topoclines. However, correlations with climatic variables such as mean annual snowfall, date in the spring when mean temperature reaches 6 °C (43 °F), or daylength on that date, were more closely related to tracheid length and specific gravity than geographic location perse, indicating the existence of ecoclines. It is hypothesized that the geoclimatic patterns are the pleiotrophic result of selection for shorter. growing seasons in northern latitudes. Variance components indicated substantial variation in specific gravity among trees within stands and among areas, but not among stands in areas. For tracheid length, all three sources of variation were significant. Correlations between wood properties were low when calculated among trees within stands.
Dye Movement Associated with Discolored Wood in Red Maple
Authors: Dessureault Michel , Tattar Terry A.
Published: September 2010

Acid fuchsin was used to study the movement of xylem sap around discolored tissues associated with artificial wounds on red maples. The dye did not penetrate discolored tissues nor a narrow bleached zone surrounding these tissues.
The Black Sea back-arc basin: insights to its origin from geodynamic models of modern analogues
Authors: Stephenson Randell , Schellart Wouter P.
Published: September 2010

The Black Sea is generally thought to be a back-arc basin with active extension (rifting) beginning in late Early Cretaceous times – although some fundamental issues such as the presence or absence of a related magmatic arc and the orientation of the related, driving, subduction zone remain vaguely defined at best. However, as shown here, the regional structure of the Black Sea is consistent with that predicted by geodynamic models of modern back-arc basin formation, in which extension is driven by slab roll-back. This includes an asymmetric distribution of horst and graben structures in the back-arc basin, the distribution and spacing of which is related to the strength of the underlying lithosphere, which forms the hanging wall of the subduction zone. By analogy, the intrabasinal structure of the Black Sea as a whole is explicable as the consequence of a single phase of asymmetric back-arc basin formation, not two separate phases independently responsible for its western and eastern segments, and its underlying lithosphere is rheologically strong, as predicted by recent models of Precambrian Europe and present-day tomography.
Key predistribution for homogeneous wireless sensor networks with group deployment of nodes
Authors: Martin Keith M. , Paterson Maura B. , Stinson Douglas R.
Published: September 2010

Recent literature contains proposals for key predistribution schemes for sensor networks in which nodes are deployed in separate groups. In this article we consider the implications of group deployment for the connectivity and resilience of a key predistribution scheme. We propose a flexible scheme, based on the structure of a resolvable transversal design. We demonstrate that this scheme permits effective trade-offs between resilience, connectivity and storage requirements within a group-deployed environment as compared with other schemes in the literature, and show that group deployment can be used to increase network connectivity, without increasing storage requirements or sacrificing resilience.
To Perform Thrombolysis or Not: A Case of Acute Pancreatitis Presenting with Chest Pain and Transient Left Bundle Branch Block
Authors: Ullah S. , Mehmood S. , Chatha H. A. , Mahmood A.
Published: September 2010

A suspected case of acute coronary syndrome presented with new-onset left bundle branch and first-degree heart blocks. The decision to thrombolyse was reverted as ECG changes proved to be transient within fifteen minutes of presentation. Later on the patient was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis based on laboratory results of serum amylase, confirmed on radiological investigations.
Reciprocity: A Predictor of Mental Health and Continuity in Elderly People's Relationships? A Review
Authors: Fyrand Live
Published: September 2010

Many studies have demonstrated that social relationships confer mental health benefits. This paper aims to identify whether and howreciprocityin social relationships predicts or is associated with mental health benefits as well as with continuity in elderly people's social relationships. The studies reviewed in this paper show that, among elders, being in a balanced or underbenefited reciprocal position predicts better mental health and life quality than being in an overbenefited position. Throughout the course of life, reciprocity evens out present and earlier reciprocal imbalances, securing continuity in close relationships—particularly between spouses and between elderly parents and adult children. In friendships, securing continuity seems to be based on the maintenance of independence based on balanced reciprocal relations, making these relationships more vulnerable. Due to the problems of conceptualization and measurement in the reviewed studies, one should be cautious in stating a final conclusion that the reciprocity norm has a universal positive effect on mental health and continuity in elderly people's relationships.
An International, Web-Based, Prospective Cohort Study to Determine Whether the Use of ACE Inhibitors prior to the Onset of Scleroderma Renal Crisis Is Associated with Worse Outcomes—Methodology and Preliminary Results
Authors: Hudson Marie , Baron Murray , Lo Ernest , Weinfeld Joanna , Furst Daniel E. , Khanna Dinesh
Published: September 2010

Background. To describe the methodology of a study designed to determine whether systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients with incident scleroderma renal crisis (SRC) on angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors prior to the onset of SRC have worse outcomes.Methods. Prospective, international cohort study of SRC subjects identified through an ongoing web-based survey. Every second Friday afternoon, an e-mail was sent to 589 participating physicians to identify new cases of SRC. Death or dialysis at one year after the onset of SRC will be compared in patients exposed or not to ACE inhibitors prior to the onset of SRC.Results. Fifteen months after the start of the survey, we had identified 76 incident cases of SRC. Of these, 66 (87%) had a hypertensive SRC and 10 (13%) a normotensive SRC. Twenty-two percent (22%) of the patients were on an ACE inhibitor immediately prior to the onset of the SRC. To date, we have collected one-year follow-up data on approximately 1/3 of the cohort. Of these, over 50% have died or remain on dialysis at one year.Conclusion. An international, web-based cohort study design is a feasible method of recruiting a substantial number of patients to study an infrequent vascular manifestation of SSc.
Exact Solutions for Nonclassical Stefan Problems
Authors: Briozzo Adriana C. , Tarzia Domingo A.
Published: September 2010

We consider one‐phase nonclassical unidimensional Stefan problems for a source function F
which depends on the heat flux, or the temperature on the fixed face x = 0. In the first case, we assume a temperature boundary condition, and in the second case we assume a heat flux boundary condition or a convective boundary condition at the fixed face. Exact solutions of a similarity type are obtained in all cases.
Predicting Successful Aging in a Population-Based Sample of Georgia Centenarians
Authors: Arnold Jonathan , Dai Jianliang , Nahapetyan Lusine , Arte Ankit , Johnson Mary Ann , Hausman Dorothy , Rodgers Willard L. , Hensley Robert , Martin Peter , MacDonald Maurice , Davey Adam , Siegler Ilene C. , Jazwinski S. Michal , Poon Leonard W.
Published: September 2010

Used a population-based sample (Georgia Centenarian Study, GCS), to determine proportions of centenarians reaching 100 years as (1) survivors (43%) of chronic diseases first experienced between 0–80 years of age, (2) delayers (36%) with chronic diseases first experienced between 80–98 years of age, or (3) escapers (17%) with chronic diseases only at 98 years of age or older. Diseases fall into two morbidity profiles of 11 chronic diseases; one including cardiovascular disease, cancer, anemia, and osteoporosis, and another including dementia. Centenarians at risk for cancer in their lifetime tended to be escapers (73%), while those at risk for cardiovascular disease tended to be survivors (24%), delayers (39%), or escapers (32%). Approximately half (43%) of the centenarians did not experience dementia. Psychiatric disorders were positively associated with dementia, but prevalence of depression, anxiety, and psychoses did not differ significantly between centenarians and an octogenarian control group. However, centenarians were higher on the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) than octogenarians. Consistent with our model of developmental adaptation in aging, distal life events contribute to predicting survivorship outcome in which health status as survivor, delayer, or escaper appears as adaptation variables late in life.
Importance of Refractory Pain and Hypertension in Acute Type B Aortic Dissection
Authors: Trimarchi Santi , Eagle Kim A. , Nienaber Christoph A. , Pyeritz Reed E. , Jonker Frederik H.W. , Suzuki Toru , O'Gara Patrick T. , Hutchinson Stuart J. , Rampoldi Vincenzo , Grassi Viviana , Bossone Eduardo , Muhs Bart E. , Evangelista Arturo , Tsai Thomas T. , Froehlich Jim B. , Cooper Jeanna V. , Montgomery Dan , Meinhardt Gabriel , Myrmel Truls , Upchurch Gilbert R. , Sundt Thoralf M. , Isselbacher Eric M. ,   on behalf of the International Registry of Acute Aortic Dissection (IRAD) Investigators
Published: September 2010

Background—

In patients with acute type B aortic dissection, presence of recurrent or refractory pain and/or refractory hypertension on medical therapy is sometimes used as an indication for invasive treatment. The International Registry of Acute Aortic Dissection (IRAD) was used to investigate the impact of refractory pain and/or refractory hypertension on the outcomes of acute type B aortic dissection.

Methods and Results—

Three hundred sixty-five patients affected by uncomplicated acute type B aortic dissection, enrolled in IRAD from 1996 to 2004, were categorized according to risk profile into 2 groups. Patients with recurrent and/or refractory pain or refractory hypertension (group I; n=69) and patients without clinical complications at presentation (group II; n=296) were compared. “High-risk” patients with classic complications were excluded from this analysis. The overall in-hospital mortality was 6.5% and was increased in group I compared with group II (17.4% versus 4.0%;
P
=0.0003). The in-hospital mortality after medical management was significantly increased in group I compared with group II (35.6% versus 1.5%;
P
=0.0003). Mortality rates after surgical (20% versus 28%;
P
=0.74) or endovascular management (3.7% versus 9.1%;
P
=0.50) did not differ significantly between group I and group II, respectively. A multivariable logistic regression model confirmed that recurrent and/or refractory pain or refractory hypertension was a predictor of in-hospital mortality (odds ratio, 3.31; 95% confidence interval, 1.04 to 10.45;
P
=0.041).

Conclusions—

Recurrent pain and refractory hypertension appeared as clinical signs associated with increased in-hospital mortality, particularly when managed medically. These observations suggest that aortic intervention, such as via an endovascular approach, may be indicated in this intermediate-risk group.
Aldosterone Synthase Inhibition With LCI699
Authors: Amar Laurence , Azizi Michel , Menard Joël , Peyrard Séverine , Watson Catherine , Plouin Pierre-François
Published: September 2010

We report the first administration of an orally active aldosterone synthase inhibitor, LCI699, to 14 patients with primary aldosteronism. After a 2-week placebo run-in, patients received oral LCI699 (0.5 mg BID) for 2 weeks, LCI699 (1.0 mg BID) for 2 weeks, and placebo for 1 week. We assessed changes in hormone concentrations, plasma potassium levels, and 24-hour ambulatory systolic blood pressure and safety. The supine plasma aldosterone concentration decreased from 540 pmol/L (95% CI: 394 to 739 pmol/L) to 171 pmol/L (95% CI: 128 to 230 pmol/L) after 0.5 mg of LCI699 (−68%;
P
<0.0001) and to 133 pmol/L (95% CI: 100 to 177 pmol/L) after 1.0 mg of LCI699 (−75%;
P
<0.0001). Plasma 11-deoxycorticosterone concentrations increased by 710% after 0.5 mg of LCI699 (
P
<0.0001) and by 1427% after 1.0 mg of LCI699 (
P
<0.0001). The plasma potassium concentration increased from 3.27±0.31 to 4.03±0.33 mmol/L (
P
<0.0001) after only 1 week on 0.5 mg of LCI699. Twenty-four–hour ambulatory systolic blood pressure decreased by −4.1 mm Hg (95% CI: −8.1 to −0.1 mm Hg) after 4 weeks of treatment (
P
=0.046). Basal plasma cortisol concentrations remained unchanged, whereas plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone concentrations increased by 35% after 0.5 mg of LCI699 (
P
=0.08) and by 113% after 1.0 mg of LCI699 (
P
<0.0001), and the plasma cortisol response to an adrenocorticotropic hormone test was blunted. All of the variables except plasma 11-deoxycorticosterone concentration returned to initial levels after the placebo. LCI699 was well tolerated. In conclusion, the administration of LCI699, up to 1.0 mg BID, effectively and safely inhibits aldosterone synthase in patients with primary aldosteronism. This 4-week treatment corrected the hypokalemia and mildly decreased blood pressure. The effects on the glucocorticoid axis were consistent with a latent inhibition of cortisol synthesis.
Renal Sinus Fat and Poor Blood Pressure Control in Middle-Aged and Elderly Individuals at Risk for Cardiovascular Events
Authors: Chughtai Haroon L. , Morgan Timothy M. , Rocco Michael , Stacey Brandon , Brinkley Tina E. , Ding Jingzhong , Nicklas Barbara , Hamilton Craig , Hundley W. Gregory
Published: September 2010

Fat in the renal sinus (RS), a region of the kidney in which low pressure venous and lymphatic vessels are present, may indirectly influence blood pressure. The purpose of this study was to assess the association between RS fat and control of blood pressure on receipt of antihypertensive medications. A total of 205 participants aged 55 to 85 years at risk for cardiovascular events underwent MRI assessments of abdominal and RS fat, measurement of blood pressure, and determination of the number of prescribed antihypertensive medications. Multivariable linear regression was used to determine associations among RS fat, blood pressure, and the number of prescribed antihypertensive medications. Abdominal fat averaged 416±160 cm
3
(median and interquartile range of 396 cm
3
and 308 to 518 cm
3
); intraperitoneal fat averaged 141±73 cm
3
(median and interquartile range of 129 cm
3
and 86 to 194 cm
3
); and RS fat averaged 4.6±3.2 cm
3
(median and interquartile range of 4.2 cm
3
and 2.2 to 6.6 cm
3
). After accounting for age, sex, height, body mass index, and intraperitoneal fat, RS fat correlated with the number of prescribed antihypertensive medications (
P
=0.010), stage II hypertension (
P
=0.02), and renal size (
P
≤0.001). In conclusion, after accounting for other body fat depots and risk factors for hypertension, RS fat volume is associated with the number of prescribed antihypertensive medications and stage II hypertension. These results indicate that further studies are warranted to determine whether fat accumulation in the RS promotes hypertension.
Distribution of Landscape Types in the Global Historical Climatology Network
Authors: Montandon Laure M. , Fall Souleymane , Pielke Roger A. , Niyogi Dev
Published: September 2010

The Global Historical Climate Network version 2 (GHCNv.2) surface temperature dataset is widely used for reconstructions such as the global average surface temperature (GAST) anomaly. Because land use and land cover (LULC) affect temperatures, it is important to examine the spatial distribution and the LULC representation of GHCNv.2 stations. Here, nightlight imagery, two LULC datasets, and a population and cropland historical reconstruction are used to estimate the present and historical worldwide occurrence of LULC types and the number of GHCNv.2 stations within each. Results show that the GHCNv.2 station locations are biased toward urban and cropland (>50% stations versus 18.4% of the world’s land) and past century reclaimed cropland areas (35% stations versus 3.4% land). However, widely occurring LULC such as open shrubland, bare, snow/ice, and evergreen broadleaf forests are underrepresented (14% stations versus 48.1% land), as well as nonurban areas that have remained uncultivated in the past century (14.2% stations versus 43.2% land). Results from the temperature trends over the different landscapes confirm that the temperature trends are different for different LULC and that the GHCNv.2 stations network might be missing on long-term larger positive trends. This opens the possibility that the temperature increases of Earth’s land surface in the last century would be higher than what the GHCNv.2-based GAST analyses report.
Analysis of Gravity Waves Generated at the Top of a Drainage Flow
Authors: Viana Samuel , Terradellas Enric , Yagüe Carlos
Published: September 2010

Drainage or katabatic flows are common mesoscale circulations established as a result of differential radiative cooling of near-surface air masses in sloping terrain. The initial irruption of these flows, with sudden shifts in wind speed and direction, may result in vertical displacements of air parcels from their equilibrium position, which prove to be a common source of internal gravity waves. This paper illustrates this mechanism and describes the main features of the oscillations following the study of observational data gathered throughout one night during the Stable Atmospheric Boundary Layer Experiment in Spain 2006 (SABLES2006) field campaign. Pressure differences, measured by microbarometers set at different levels of a tower, help to interpret the evolution of other atmospheric variables, provide a detailed picture of the irruption of a drainage current, and reveal the formation of gravity waves at its top. The main parameters of the waves are derived from wavelet cross correlation of pressure time series, recorded by a surface array of microbarometers. The analysis yields, among other parameters, the horizontal component of the phase and group velocities of the gravity waves, which compare well with the velocity of irruption of the drainage current. Wavelet and other multiresolution techniques are also applied to sonic anemometer records to study the interaction between turbulence and larger-scale motions. The analysis shows evidence of heat flux divergence induced by the gravity waves, which may constitute a key factor for the vertical thermal profile in the nocturnal boundary layer (NBL) in situations of weak turbulence and important wave activity.
Influence of Modes of Climate Variability on Global Precipitation Extremes
Authors: Kenyon Jesse , Hegerl Gabriele C.
Published: September 2010

The probability of climate extremes is strongly affected by atmospheric circulation. This study quantifies the worldwide influence of three major modes of circulation on station-based indices of intense precipitation: the El Niño–Southern Oscillation, the Pacific interdecadal variability as characterized by the North Pacific index (NPI), and the North Atlantic Oscillation–Northern Annular Mode. The study examines which stations show a statistically significant (5%) difference between the positive and negative phases of a circulation regime. Results show distinct regional patterns of response to all these modes of climate variability; however, precipitation extremes are most substantially affected by the El Niño–Southern Oscillation. The effects of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation are seen throughout the world, including in India, Africa, South America, the Pacific Rim, North America, and, weakly, Europe. The North Atlantic Oscillation has a strong, continent-wide effect on Eurasia and affects a small, but not negligible, percentage of stations across the Northern Hemispheric midlatitudes. This percentage increases slightly if the Northern Annular Mode index is used rather than the NAO index. In that case, a region of increase in intense precipitation can also be found in Southeast Asia. The NPI influence on precipitation extremes is similar to the response to El Niño, and strongest in landmasses adjacent to the Pacific. Consistently, indices of more rare precipitation events show a weaker response to circulation than indices of moderate extremes; the results are quite similar, but of opposite sign, for negative anomalies of the circulation indices.
Errors and Uncertainties in Microwave Link Rainfall Estimation Explored Using Drop Size Measurements and High-Resolution Radar Data
Authors: Leijnse Hidde , Uijlenhoet Remko , Berne Alexis
Published: September 2010

Microwave links can be used for the estimation of path-averaged rainfall by using either the path-integrated attenuation or the difference in attenuation of two signals with different frequencies and/or polarizations. Link signals have been simulated using measured time series of raindrop size distributions (DSDs) over a period of nearly 2 yr, in combination with wind velocity data and Taylor’s hypothesis. For this purpose, Taylor’s hypothesis has been tested using more than 1.5 yr of high-resolution radar data. In terms of correlation between spatial and temporal profiles of rainfall intensities, the validity of Taylor’s hypothesis quickly decreases with distance. However, in terms of error statistics, the hypothesis is seen to hold up to distances of at least 10 km. Errors and uncertainties (mean bias error and root-mean-square error, respectively) in microwave link rainfall estimates due to spatial DSD variation are at a minimum at frequencies (and frequency combinations) where the power-law relation for the conversion to rainfall intensity is close to linear. Errors generally increase with link length, whereas uncertainties decrease because of the decrease of scatter about the retrieval relations because of averaging of spatially variable DSDs for longer links. The exponent of power-law rainfall retrieval relations can explain a large part of the variation in both bias and uncertainty, which means that the order of magnitude of these error statistics can be predicted from the value of this exponent, regardless of the link length.
Precipitation Measurement at CESAR, the Netherlands
Authors: Leijnse H. , Uijlenhoet R. , van de Beek C. Z. , Overeem A. , Otto T. , Unal C. M. H. , Dufournet Y. , Russchenberg H. W. J. , Figueras i Ventura J. , Klein Baltink H. , Holleman I.
Published: September 2010

The Cabauw Experimental Site for Atmospheric Research (CESAR) observatory hosts a unique collection of instruments related to precipitation measurement. The data collected by these instruments are stored in a database that is freely accessible through a Web interface. The instruments present at the CESAR site include three disdrometers (two on the ground and one at 200 m above ground level), a dense network of rain gauges, three profiling radars (1.3, 3.3, and 35 GHz), and an X-band Doppler polarimetric scanning radar. In addition to these instruments, operational weather radar data from the nearby (∼25 km) De Bilt C-band Doppler radar are also available. The richness of the datasets available is illustrated for a rainfall event, where the synergy of the different instruments provides insight into precipitation at multiple spatial and temporal scales. These datasets, which are freely available to the scientific community, can contribute greatly to our understanding of precipitation-related atmospheric and hydrologic processes.
Wind Stress Curl and Coastal Upwelling in the Area of Monterey Bay Observed during AOSN-II
Authors: Wang Q. , Kalogiros J. A. , Ramp S. R. , Paduan J. D. , Buzorius G. , Jonsson H.
Published: September 2010

Aircraft measurements obtained during the 2003–04 Autonomous Ocean Sampling Network (AOSN-II) project were used to study the effect of small-scale variations of near-surface wind stress on coastal upwelling in the area of Monterey Bay. Using 5-km-long measurement segments at 35 m above the sea surface, wind stress and its curl were calculated with estimated accuracy of 0.02–0.03 N m−2 and 0.1–0.2 N m−2 per 100 kilometers, respectively. The spatial distribution of wind speed, wind stress, stress curl, and sea surface temperature were analyzed for four general wind conditions: northerly or southerly wind along the coastline, onshore flow, and offshore flow. Wind stress and speed maxima frequently were found to be noncollocated as bulk parameterizations imply owing to significant stability and nonhomogeneity effects at cold SST pools. The analyses revealed that complicated processes with different time scales (wind stress field variation, ocean response and upwelling, sea surface currents, and heating by solar radiation) affect the coastal sea surface temperature. It was found that the stress-curl-induced coastal upwelling only dominates in events during which positive curl extended systematically over a significant area (scales larger than 20 km). These events included cases with a northerly wind, which resulted in an expansion fan downstream from Point Año Nuevo (wind speed peaks greater than about 8–10 m s−1), and cases with an offshore/onshore flow, which are characterized by weak background upwelling due to Ekman transport. However, in general, observations show that cold pools of sea surface temperature in the central area of Monterey Bay were advected by ocean surface currents from strong upwelling regions. Aircraft vertical soundings taken in the bay area showed that dominant effects of the lee wave sheltering of coastal mountains resulted in weak atmospheric turbulence and affected the development of the atmospheric boundary layer. This effect causes low wind stress that limits upwelling, especially at the northern part of Monterey Bay. The sea surface temperature is generally warm in this part of the bay because of the shallow oceanic surface layer and solar heating of the upper ocean.
Observations of Vortex Rossby Waves Associated with a Mesoscale Cyclone*
Authors: Chavanne Cédric P. , Flament Pierre , Luther Douglas S. , Gurgel Klaus-Werner
Published: September 2010

Short-wavelength (L ∼ 100 km) Rossby waves with an eastward zonal phase velocity were observed by high-frequency radio Doppler current meters and moored ADCPs west of Oahu, Hawaii, during spring 2003. They had Rossby numbers Ro = |ζ/f| = O(1), periods of 12–15 days, and phase speeds of 8–9 cm s−1, and they were surface trapped with vertical e-folding scales of 30–170 m. They transferred horizontal kinetic energy to the background flow of a mesoscale cyclone lying 160–190 km west of Oahu, revealed by altimetry. The waves approximately satisfied the dispersion relation of vortex Rossby waves propagating through the radial gradient of potential vorticity associated with the cyclone. Vertical shear of the background currents may also affect wave propagation. Theoretical studies have shown that vortex Rossby waves provide a mechanism by which perturbed vortices axisymmetrize and strengthen and may be important to the dynamics of oceanic vortices.
Nowcasting Challenges during the Beijing Olympics: Successes, Failures, and Implications for Future Nowcasting Systems
Authors: Wilson James W. , Feng Yerong , Chen Min , Roberts Rita D.
Published: September 2010

The Beijing 2008 Forecast Demonstration Project (B08FDP) included a variety of nowcasting systems from China, Australia, Canada, and the United States. A goal of the B08FDP was to demonstrate state-of-the-art nowcasting systems within a mutual operational setting. The nowcasting systems were a mix of radar echo extrapolation methods, numerical models, techniques that blended numerical model and extrapolation methods, and systems incorporating forecaster input. This paper focuses on the skill of the nowcasting systems to forecast convective storms that threatened or affected the Summer Olympic Games held in Beijing, China. The topography surrounding Beijing provided unique challenges in that it often enhanced the degree and extent of storm initiation, growth, and dissipation, which took place over short time and space scales. The skill levels of the numerical techniques were inconsistent from hour to hour and day to day and it was speculated that without assimilation of real-time radar reflectivity and Doppler velocity fields to support model initialization, particularly for weakly forced convective events, it would be very difficult for models to provide accurate forecasts on the nowcasting time and space scales. Automated blending techniques tended to be no more skillful than extrapolation since they depended heavily on the models to provide storm initiation, growth, and dissipation. However, even with the cited limitations among individual nowcasting systems, the Chinese Olympic forecasters considered the B08FDP human consensus forecasts to be useful. Key to the success of the human forecasts was the development of nowcasting rules predicated on the character of Beijing convective weather realized over the previous two summers. Based on the B08FDP experience, the status of nowcasting convective storms and future directions are presented.