bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Safe Introduction of Robot-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy after a Training Program in a High-Volume Robotic Centre
Authors: Lumen Nicolaas , Van Praet Charles , De Troyer Bart , Fonteyne Valérie , Oosterlinck Willem , Decaestecker Karel , Mottrie Alexandre
Published: July 2013

Introduction: Localized prostate cancer is increasingly treated by robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). We evaluated the introduction of RARP following a training program at a high-volume robotic center. Materials and Methods: Before starting RARP, a young urologist followed a 6-month training program. The outcome of his first 50 RARPs was compared with the last 50 open radical prostatectomies (ORPs) performed by an experienced urologist at the same institution. Tumor characteristics were similar in both groups. Median follow-up was 12 (RARP) and 31 (ORP) months (p < 0.001). Results: RARP was associated with more nerve sparing (82 vs. ORP 46%, p < 0.001), longer operation time [median 205 (range 120-310) vs. ORP 180 (85-280) min, p = 0.001], lower decline of postoperative hemoglobin [RARP -2.1 (0.1-4.5) vs. ORP -4.0 (1.0-7.0) g/dl, p < 0.001] and shorter catheter stay [6 (5-47) vs. ORP 14 (9-43) days, p < 0.001]. Complication rates were similar. Overall and pT2-positive surgical margin rate was 8 vs. 24% (p = 0.054) and 0 vs. 11.8% (p = 0.114) for RARP vs. ORP, respectively. One-year urinary continence rate was 76.7 (RARP) and 75.8% (ORP, p = 0.833). Conclusions: RARP was safely introduced after a training program in a high-volume robotic center, both surgically, oncologically and functionally.
Foxc1 Gene Null Mutation Causes Ectopic Budding and Kidney Hypoplasia but Not Dysplasia
Authors: Komaki Fumiyo , Miyazaki Yoichi , Niimura Fumio , Matsusaka Taiji , Ichikawa Iekuni , Motojima Masaru
Published: July 2013

Background: Mice carrying the null-mutated Foxc1 gene frequently develop an anomalous double collecting system. These mice provide an ideal opportunity to specify the role of ectopic budding in the development of congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract. Methods: Tissue specimens were collected from Foxc1ch/ch mutants at several embryonic stages and at birth. The upper and lower pole kidneys were qualitatively and quantitatively examined by histology, in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. Results: Upper pole kidneys of newborn Foxc1ch/ch mice were significantly more hypoplastic and contained significantly fewer glomeruli than their lower pole counterparts. On embryonic day 14.5, the stage immediately before the formation of the first urine, the upper pole kidney was already smaller than the lower pole kidney. Neither histology nor immunostaining for kidney markers showed dysplastic regions in either kidney of newborn Foxc1ch/ch mice. Of note, expression of Foxc1 was restricted to maturing podocytes and was not detectable in any intermediate structure of nephron development in the nephrogenic zone. Conclusion: Ectopic budding alone results only in kidney hypoplasia but not dysplasia. The development of dysplasticity in the maturing kidney involves gene(s) that function beyond the initial budding stage within the metanephros.
Frequent Nocturnal Hemodialysis Associates with Improvement of Prolonged QTc Intervals
Authors: Thomson Benjamin K.A. , Momciu Bogdan , Huang Shih-Han S. , Chan Christopher T. , Urquhart Brad L. , Skanes Allan C. , Krahn Andrew D. , Klein George J. , Lindsay Robert M.
Published: July 2013

Background/Aims: Sudden cardiac death remains the leading cause of death in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Prolongation of QTc intervals (as measured by the tangent method) increases sudden cardiac death risk in populations without kidney disease. Methods: We performed a retrospective electrocardiograph (ECG) and chart review of HD patients. Our objectives were (1) to establish the effect of one of four different dialysis modalities on interdialytic QTc intervals, (2) to determine the effect of dialysis frequency and time on QTc interval and on the prevalence of borderline or prolonged QTc intervals, and (3) to determine if changes in QTc interval were simultaneous to changes in electrocardiographic left ventricular mass. Results: Frequent nocturnal HD was associated with a decrease in QTc interval for all patients (from 436.5 to 421.3 ms, p = 0.0187) and for patients who initiated dialysis with prolonged QTc (468.2 to 438.2 ms, p = 0.0134). This change happened before changes in left ventricular mass were evident. Dialysis duration predicted a decrease in QTc better than dialysis frequency (R2 6.50 vs. 3.00%, p = 0.023 vs. 0.102). Prevalence of borderline or prolonged QTc increased in patients dialyzed <4 h/session (12/39 to 22/39, p = 0.039). Conclusions: Frequent nocturnal HD may be the ideal modality to initiate HD in end-stage kidney disease patients with prolonged QTc.
Subjectivity and Schizophrenia: Another Look at Incomprehensibility and Treatment Nonadherence
Authors: Parnas Josef , Henriksen Mads Gram
Published: July 2013

Psychiatry is in a time of crisis. The absence of significant breakthroughs to actionable etiological knowledge has left the discipline in a state of uncertainty and worries are being voiced about its status and future. In our view, the stagnation can be, at least in part, ascribed to an excessive, behaviorist-oriented, epistemological, and ontological simplification of psychopathology. The aim of this phenomenological study is to articulate the notion of the ‘disordered self' in schizophrenia, a notion that we believe constitutes an important step forward in grasping its essential pathogenetic structures. Through the framework of self-disorders, we analyze two domains of the psychopathology of schizophrenia, seeking to recast their puzzling nature into more useful clinical and scientific terms. First, we examine the so-called schizophrenic incomprehensibility (bizarre gestalt, bizarre delusions, and ‘crazy actions') and argue that grasping the altered framework for experiencing, associated with the disordered self, makes these phenomena appear comprehensible to a considerable extent. Second, we explore the issue of treatment noncompliance and provide a novel account of ‘poor insight' into illness. We propose that poor insight into schizophrenia is not simply a problem of insufficient self- reflection due to psychological defenses or impaired metacognition, but rather that it is intrinsically expressive of the severity and nature of self-disorders. The instabilities of the first-person perspective throw the patient into a different, often quasisolipsistic, ontological-existential framework. We argue that interventions seeking to optimize the patients' compliance might prove more efficient if they take the alterations of the patients' ontological-existential framework into account.
Existential Vulnerability: Toward a Psychopathology of Limit Situations
Authors: Fuchs Thomas
Published: July 2013

Jaspers' concept of limit situations seems particularly appropriate not only to elucidate outstanding existential situations in general, but also basic preconditions for the occurrence of mental disorders. For this purpose, the concept is first explained in Jaspers' sense and then related to an ‘existential vulnerability' of mentally ill persons that makes them experience even inconspicuous events as distressing limit situations. In such situations, an otherwise hidden fundamental condition of existence becomes manifest for them, e.g. the fragility of one's own body, the inevitability of freedom, or the finiteness of life. This fundamental condition is found unbearable and, as a reaction, gives rise to mental illness. This concept of existential vulnerability is illustrated by some psychopathological examples.
Population-Based, Risk-Stratified Genetic Testing for Ovarian Cancer Risk: A Focus Group Study
Authors: Meisel S.F. , Side L. , Fraser L. , Gessler S. , Wardle J. , Lanceley A.
Published: July 2013

Study Purpose: A population-based risk stratification programme for ovarian cancer (OC) may improve OC survival by identifying women at increased risk and implementing an appropriate risk management strategy. The present study explored attitudes towards an OC risk stratification programme incorporating predictive genetic testing and risk-stratified screening as part of a larger study investigating OC screening. Methods: Focus groups consisting of 56 members of the general public (mean age 45 years; 34% non-white) were conducted using a hypothetical scenario. The group sessions were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using Framework Analysis. Results: There was strong support for the proposed programme. Genetic testing and risk-stratified screening was thought to raise awareness, offer reassurance and offer opportunities for early intervention. Anxiety was only mentioned in relation to receiving a diagnosis of OC and not with screening per se. Perhaps because lay models of cancer already embrace both environmental and genetic factors, a low-risk result was not anticipated to result in a false sense of immunity. Unexpectedly, participants also wanted to receive cancer prevention advice in conjunction with genetic testing; screening alone was not regarded as sufficient. Conclusion: The encouraging results from this small study warrant further large-scale research into risk-stratified OC screening.
Empathy as a Sense of Autonomy
Authors: Stanghellini Giovanni , Rosfort René
Published: July 2013

In this paper, we examine Jaspers' ambiguous approach to empathy. We start by situating Jaspers' notion of empathic understanding in the context of contemporary philosophical discussions of empathy. We distinguish a phenomenological approach to interpersonal understanding from two influential accounts of other minds, namely, theory-theory and simulation-theory, and then we contrast Jaspers' notion of empathic understanding with a phenomenological approach. We distinguish two basic kinds of empathy, a prereflective nonconative kind and a more reflective conative kind. Then we argue that Jaspers' philosophical conception of human nature as restless and undefinable autonomy makes him reject any kind of comprehensive attempt to understand other people. We try to make sense of this rejection by discussing the epistemological and ethical nature of his notorious ‘theorem of incomprehensibility'. This eventually leads us, by way of conclusion, to sketch a method required for making sense of those experiences that cannot be understood via ordinary empathy. The key notion of this method is called ‘second-order empathy'.
Karl Jaspers' Multiperspectivalism
Authors: Wiggins Osborne P. , Schwartz Michael Alan
Published: July 2013

In later editions of his General Psychopathology, Karl Jaspers prescribes many different methods and theoretical points of view for psychopathologists to utilize. Each of these perspectives on the subject matter of psychopathology, however, gives the investigator access to only one dimension of the patient's being. Hence, Jaspers insists that several different perspectives must be employed in order to avoid a one-sided and partial comprehension of the patient and his or her problem. He advocates a multiperspectival approach in psychopathology. Nevertheless, Jaspers remains aware that the patient is a unified whole. This unified whole, however, is not knowable as such, but can rather be approached only under the guidance of an ‘idea' of the whole. Jaspers takes the basic notion of ‘idea' (Idee) from Kant, but he modifies and uses it for his own purposes. Jaspers' multiperspectivalism may seem to invite charges of relativism because it leaves the psychopathologist to ‘pick and choose' any method or theory he or she prefers. This charge is addressed by admitting that there does exist a certain relativism in Jaspers' position in that any one perspective does provide only one approach to the reality of the patient and that other equally useful perspectives could have been chosen. However, each perspective itself can be subjected to test by evidence, and in such tests, claims made from that perspective can be found to be true or false. Helen Longino's theory of scientific knowledge helps support such a thesis.
Acute Kidney Injury due to Crescentic Glomerulonephritis in a Patient with Polycystic Kidney Disease
Authors: Maggard Reuben , Makary Raafat , Monteiro Carmela l. , James Leighton R.
Published: July 2013

Polycystic kidney disease is an inherited condition, characterized by the development of cysts in the kidney, as well as in other organs. Patients with polycystic kidney can suffer from the same causes of acute kidney injury as the general population. Nephritic syndrome is an uncommon cause of acute kidney injury in the general population and less common in patients with polycystic kidney disease. We report the second case of crescentic glomerulonephritis, causing acute kidney injury, in a patient with polycystic kidney disease.
Mitochondrial DNA Damage Can Promote Atherosclerosis Independently of Reactive Oxygen Species Through Effects on Smooth Muscle Cells and Monocytes and Correlates With Higher-Risk Plaques in Humans
Authors: Yu Emma , Calvert Patrick A. , Mercer John R. , Harrison James , Baker Lauren , Figg Nichola L. , Kumar Sheetal , Wang Julie C. , Hurst Liam A. , Obaid Daniel R. , Logan Angela , West Nick E.J. , Clarke Murray C.H. , Vidal-Puig Antonio , Murphy Michael P. , Bennett Martin R.
Published: July 2013

Background—

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) damage occurs in both circulating cells and the vessel wall in human atherosclerosis. However, it is unclear whether mtDNA damage directly promotes atherogenesis or is a consequence of tissue damage, which cell types are involved, and whether its effects are mediated only through reactive oxygen species.

Methods and Results—

mtDNA damage occurred early in the vessel wall in apolipoprotein E–null (ApoE
−/−
) mice, before significant atherosclerosis developed. mtDNA defects were also identified in circulating monocytes and liver and were associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. To determine whether mtDNA damage directly promotes atherosclerosis, we studied ApoE
−/−
mice deficient for mitochondrial polymerase-γ proofreading activity (polG
−/−
/ApoE
−/−
). polG
−/−
/ApoE
−/−
mice showed extensive mtDNA damage and defects in oxidative phosphorylation but no increase in reactive oxygen species. polG
−/−
/ApoE
−/−
mice showed increased atherosclerosis, associated with impaired proliferation and apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cells, and hyperlipidemia. Transplantation with polG
−/−
/ApoE
−/−
bone marrow increased the features of plaque vulnerability, and polG
−/−
/ApoE
−/−
monocytes showed increased apoptosis and inflammatory cytokine release. To examine mtDNA damage in human atherosclerosis, we assessed mtDNA adducts in plaques and in leukocytes from patients who had undergone virtual histology intravascular ultrasound characterization of coronary plaques. Human atherosclerotic plaques showed increased mtDNA damage compared with normal vessels; in contrast, leukocyte mtDNA damage was associated with higher-risk plaques but not plaque burden.

Conclusions—

We show that mtDNA damage in vessel wall and circulating cells is widespread and causative and indicates higher risk in atherosclerosis. Protection against mtDNA damage and improvement of mitochondrial function are potential areas for new therapeutics.
Endothelial-Like Progenitor Cells Engineered to Produce Prostacyclin Rescue Monocrotaline-Induced Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension and Provide Right Ventricle Benefits
Authors: Zhou Lei , Chen Zhiqiang , Vanderslice Peter , So Shui-Ping , Ruan Ke-He , Willerson James T. , Dixon Richard A.F.
Published: July 2013

Background—

Intravenous prostacyclin is approved for treating pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), but it has a short half-life and must be delivered systemically via an indwelling intravenous catheter. We hypothesize that localized jugular vein delivery of prostacyclin-producing cells may provide sustained therapeutic effects without the limitations of systemic delivery.

Methods and Results—

We generated a vector expressing a human cyclooxygenase isoform 1 and prostacyclin synthase fusion protein that produces prostacyclin from arachidonic acid. Endothelial-like progenitor cells (ELPCs) were transfected with the cyclooxygenase isoform 1-prostacyclin synthase plasmid and labeled with lentivirus expressing nuclear-localized red fluorescent protein (nuRFP). The engineered ELPCs (expressing cyclooxygenase isoform 1-prostacyclin synthase and nuRFP) were tested in rats with monocrotaline (MCT)-induced PAH. In PAH prevention studies, treatment with engineered ELPCs or control ELPCs (expressing nuRFP alone) attenuated MCT-induced right ventricular systolic pressure increase, right ventricular hypertrophy, and pulmonary vessel wall thickening. Engineered ELPCs were more effective than control ELPCs in all variables evaluated. In PAH reversal studies, engineered ELPCs or control ELPCs increased the survival rate of rats with established PAH and decreased right ventricular hypertrophy. Engineered ELPCs provided a survival benefit 2 weeks earlier than did control ELPCs. Microarray-based gene ontology analysis of the right ventricle revealed that a number of MCT-altered genes and neurotransmitter pathways (dopamine, serotonin, and γ-aminobutyric acid) were restored after ELPC-based prostacyclin gene therapy.

Conclusions—

Cyclooxygenase isoform 1-prostacyclin synthase–expressing ELPCs reversed MCT-induced PAH. A single jugular vein injection offered survival benefits for at least 4 weeks and may provide a promising option for PAH patients.
Korean Dramas and Films: Key Factors for Their International Competitiveness
Authors: Parc Jimmyn , Hwy-Chang Moon
Published: July 2013

Abstract

The Korean wave, which is the popularity of Korean entertainment outside Korea, is a fairly new phenomenon. Encompassing Korean dramas, films, and songs, it has been highlighted by international media outlets and scholars. Several prestigious newspapers and scholars attempted to explain the competitiveness of the Korean wave, but they have remained biased by missing, overemphasizing, or overlapping important success factors. To provide a more comprehensive and accurate analysis, this paper conducts a rigorous study on the competitiveness of Korean entertainment industry focused on Korean dramas and films with a comprehensive analytical tool, the generalized double diamond model. The results of this study provide evidences that the Korean wave is not a temporary phenomenon but a sustainable industry segment. For further enhancement of this important industry, this paper suggests useful implications, including international cooperation with other countries.
South Korea during the Park Chung Hee Era: Explaining Korea’s Developmental Decades
Authors: Gemici Kurtuluş
Published: July 2013

Abstract

Despite the voluminous literature on South Korea’s rapid economic development and social transformation in the 1960s and 1970s, the literature in English on Park Chung Hee — the political figure who indelibly marked this era — is still lacking. Furthermore, the existing studies approach the subject of Korea’s fateful decades from general theoretical perspectives, such as the developmental state. This approach inevitably flattens out historical particularity in the process. A recent edited volume, The Park Chung Hee Era: The Transformation of South Korea, fills these gaps by bringing political history back into the study of Korean modernization. The goal of this review essay is a critical evaluation of this volume’s contribution to scholarship on South Korea. It is posited that The Park Chung Hee Era throws light on topics such as Park’s leadership that have been hitherto neglected in the analysis of arguably the most consequential decades in the history of South Korea. However, while the edited volume mounts an effective criticism of existing perspectives on Korea’s developmental decades under Park Chung Hee’s rule, it is less successful in offering a consistent framework to analyze different causal factors shaping the Korean trajectory of economic development.
China’s Population Policy at the Crossroads: Social Impacts and Prospects
Authors: Jiang Quanbao , Jiang Quanbao , Li Shuzhuo , Jiang Quanbao , Li Shuzhuo , Feldman Marcus W.
Published: July 2013

Abstract

China’s total fertility rate fell below replacement level in the 1990s. From the 1970s the fertility rate declined dramatically, mainly as a consequence of the national population policy whose aim has been to limit birth numbers, control population growth and boost economic growth. Having achieved such a low fertility rate, how will China’s population policy evolve in the future? This paper first reviews the history of China’s population policy since 1970 in three stages: 1970–1979; 1980–1999; and after 2000. We explore the impacts of China’s population policy, including relief of pressure on China’s environment and resources, fertility decline, the unexpectedly high male-biased sex ratio at birth (SRB), the coming shortage of labour force, and the rapid aging of the population, and extinction of racial and cultural diversity. We also investigate ethical issues raised by the implementation of the policy and its results. Finally we introduce the controversy over potential adjustment of the policy, acknowledging the problems faced by western countries with low fertility and the counter-measures they have taken. We offer some suggestions that might be appropriate in the Chinese context.
Experience as the Invisible Drive of Historical Writing
Authors: Simon Zoltán Boldizsár
Published: July 2013

Abstract

From time to time our tiny intellectual worlds are simultaneously shaken by big ideas – ideas that, however big they are, have their expiration-date. Such is the case with the idea of the impossibility to find life outside language. In this essay, I picture what I think is the current state of the philosophy of history after the so-called linguistic turn and what I think the direction is where the philosophy of history might be headed by taking into account the important job done by linguistic theories. I regard the abandonment of epistemology and the arrival to the realm of aesthetics as a point of no return, and conclude that a new philosophy of history has to have an aesthetic character. However, due to the omnipotence of language I also detect a narrow constructive potential in linguistic theories and argue that a new philosophy of history has to have the dual task of searching for life outside language while remaining in the realm of aesthetics. As a next step, I identify Frank Ankersmit’s notion of an individual historical experience as a move towards the fulfillment of this dual task. Finally, because Ankersmit’s experience remains mute, in the second half of the essay I attempt to present an outline of the possibility of a fruitful cooperation between the philosophy of history and phenomenology. More precisely, I am trying to synchronize Ankersmit’s notion of an individual historical experience with László Tengelyi’s phenomenological experiments with experience and let Tengelyi speak where Ankersmit “stops talking”. As a result, with the help of Tengelyi, an aperture can be found in language through which experience might worm its way. Due to this fissure, experience might be regarded as an invisible driving force behind linguistic expressions, and thus behind historical writing.
An Anti-Christian Polemical Piyyut by Yosef Ibn Avitur Employing Elements from Toledot Yeshu
Authors: Rand Michael
Published: July 2013

Abstract

This article presents a critical edition of the piyyut האומרים אב ובן ורוח שלישי for Yom Kippur by Yosef ibn Avitur (tenth-eleventh centuries). This piyyut, which contains an explicit anti-Christian polemic, is examined in light of two antecedents belonging to the same type. Furthermore, Avitur’s piyyut displays literary elements that are attested in the complex known as Toledot Yeshu—especially the epithet ממזר ובן נידה referring to Jesus himself as well as a reference to him having been crucified “on a cabbage stalk.” These elements are analyzed and conclusions are drawn with regard to their implication for the study of the evolution of the Toledot Yeshu literature.
A Persecution was Decreed: Persecution as a Rhetorical Device in the Literature of the Ge’Onim and Rishonim Part 2
Authors: Ringer Albert
Published: July 2013

Abstract

It is a common misconception that the haftarah started as a replacement for the reading of the Torah. This idea has its modern source in an influential article published in 1927 by Jacob Mann. Going back to rabbinical and medieval sources shows that we should read them as topological texts. They give a pseudo-historical basis to well known and loved features of the service, like the haftarah, thereby missing a straightforward Talmudic source. Furthermore, they also seem to be in dialog with other medieval texts that speak about martyrdom as a reaction to repression.
Water mites of the genus Brachypoda (Acari: Hydrachnidia: Aturidae) in Turkey
Authors: ESEN YUNUS , PEŠIĆ VLADIMIR , ERMAN ORHAN
Published: July 2013

In this study, three water mite species of the genus Brachypoda (Acari: Hydrachnidia: Aturidae) are reported from Turkey. Brachypoda (Hemibrachypoda) orientalis Pešić & Esen sp. nov. is characterized by the digitiform ventral extension of IV-L-4 apically bearing three peg-like setae. Populations from Russia and Turkey previously recorded under the name Brachypoda (Hemibrachypoda) mutila Walter, 1928 belong to this species. Brachypoda (Hemibrachypoda) baderi Di Sabatino & Cicolani, 1991 and Brachypoda (Parabrachypoda) montii Maglio, 1924 are reported as new for the fauna of Turkey, while Brachypoda (Hemibrachypoda) mutila Walter, 1928 is excluded from the Turkish fauna.
Two new erythroneurine leafhopper genera and first record of Thailus Mahmood from China (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Typhlocybinae), with description of four new species
Authors: CAO YANGHUI , ZHANG YALIN
Published: July 2013

Two new genera of tribe Erythroneurini from China, Saccata gen. nov. and Variolosa gen. nov. are described and illustrated based on type species Saccata insolita sp. nov. and Variolosa meni sp. nov. respectively. Genus Thailus Mahmood with new species Thailus versicolor sp. nov. is reported from China for the first time and another new species, T. rectilinea sp. nov. from Thailand is also described. A key to adult males of Thailus is provided.
Euhybus newly recorded from Tibet with descriptions of two new species (Diptera: Empidoidea, Hybotinae)
Authors: WANG NING , LI ZHU , YANG DING
Published: July 2013

Euhybus is newly recorded from Tibet. The following two species are described as new to science: Euhybus longiseta sp. nov. and E. nigritarsis sp. nov. A key to the known species from China is provided.
Description of male, pupa and larva of Psorophora (Grabhamia) paulli and redescription of the female (Diptera: Culicidae)
Authors: STEIN MARINA , ROSSI GUSTAVO CARLOS , ALMIRÓN WALTER RICARDO
Published: July 2013

The female of Psorophora (Grabhamia) paulli Paterson & Shannon is redescribed, and the pupa, fourth-instar larva and male genitalia are described and illustrated for the first time. Information about the distribution, bionomics and taxonomy is also included. Adults of Ps. paulli can be separated from the other species of the genus and subgenus by its small size. The larva of Ps. paulli is similar to that of Ps. varinervis Edwards and Ps. discolor (Coquillett) but can be separated based on the development of setae 1-X and 5-VIII, the length of the anal papillae and the comb on a sclerotized area.
A Mid Cretaceous representative of the modern scatopsid genus Ectaetia (Diptera: Scatopsidae: Ectaetiinae)
Authors: FATE CAITLIN , PERRICHOT VINCENT , NEL ANDRE
Published: July 2013

Ectaetia capdoliensis sp. n., first Cretaceous and oldest representative of the scatopsid subfamily Ectaetiinae, is described from the Late Albian / Early Cenomanian amber of southwestern France. This fossil demonstrates the remarkable morphological stability of these flies since at least the mid-Cretaceous. It suggests the presence of rotten wood under wet palaeoenvironment for the corresponding outcrop of Cadeuil.
Including Surface Kinetic Effects in Simple Models of Ice Vapor Diffusion
Authors: Zhang Chengzhu , Harrington Jerry Y.
Published: July 2013

A model for kinetically limited vapor growth and aspect ratio evolution of atmospheric single ice crystals is presented. The method is based on the adaptive habit model of J. Chen and D. Lamb but is modified to include the deposition coefficients through a theory that accounts for axis-dependent growth. Deposition coefficients are predicted for each axis direction based on laboratory-determined critical supersaturations and therefore extends the adaptive habit approach and the capacitance model to low ice supersaturations. The new model is used to simulate changes in single-crystal primary habit in comparison to a hexagonal growth model. Results show that the new model captures the first-order features of axis-dependent, kinetically limited growth. The model reproduces not only the strong reductions in growth as supersaturations decrease but is also able to reproduce the near cessation of minor axis growth as saturations decline. While the new model reproduces the qualitative features of kinetically limited growth, relative errors are generally between 5% and 20% but can become larger than 50%. Parcel model simulation comparisons show that the new growth method reproduces the general features of axis-dependent growth in a changing temperature environment. The method also produces relatively accurate estimates of mass evolution with spherical particles, indicating that it may have broad applicability. Although the model compares well to a detailed method, uncertainties remain in the knowledge of surface kinetics that future studies need to unravel.
Global Multimodel Analysis of Drought in Runoff for the Second Half of the Twentieth Century
Authors: van Huijgevoort M. H. J. , Hazenberg P. , van Lanen H. A. J. , Teuling A. J. , Clark D. B. , Folwell S. , Gosling S. N. , Hanasaki N. , Heinke J. , Koirala S. , Stacke T. , Voss F. , Sheffield J. , Uijlenhoet R.
Published: July 2013

During the past decades large-scale models have been developed to simulate global and continental terrestrial water cycles. It is an open question whether these models are suitable to capture hydrological drought, in terms of runoff, on a global scale. A multimodel ensemble analysis was carried out to evaluate if 10 such large-scale models agree on major drought events during the second half of the twentieth century. Time series of monthly precipitation, monthly total runoff from 10 global hydrological models, and their ensemble median have been used to identify drought. Temporal development of area in drought for various regions across the globe was investigated. Model spread was largest in regions with low runoff and smallest in regions with high runoff. In vast regions, correlation between runoff drought derived from the models and meteorological drought was found to be low. This indicated that models add information to the signal derived from precipitation and that runoff drought cannot directly be determined from precipitation data alone in global drought analyses with a constant aggregation period. However, duration and spatial extent of major drought events differed between models. Some models showed a fast runoff response to rainfall, which led to deviations from reported drought events in slowly responding hydrological systems. By using an ensemble of models, this fast runoff response was partly overcome and delay in drought propagating from meteorological drought to drought in runoff was included. Finally, an ensemble of models also allows for consideration of uncertainty associated with individual model structures.
Improved Passive Microwave Retrievals of Rain Rate over Land and Ocean. Part I: Algorithm Description
Authors: Petty Grant W. , Li Ke
Published: July 2013

A new approach to passive microwave retrievals of precipitation is described that relies on an objective dimensional reduction procedure to filter, normalize, and decorrelate geophysical background noise while retaining the majority of radiometric information concerning precipitation. The dimensional reduction also sharply increases the effective density of any a priori database used in a Bayesian retrieval scheme.

The method is applied to passive microwave data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), reducing the original nine channels to three “pseudochannels” that are relatively insensitive to most background variations occurring within each of seven surface classes (one ocean plus six land and coast) for which they are defined. These pseudochannels may be used in any retrieval algorithm, including the current standard Goddard profiling algorithm (GPROF), in place of the original channels. The same methods are also under development for the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory Microwave Imager (GMI).

Starting with the pseudochannel definitions, a new Bayesian algorithm for retrieving the surface rain rate is described. The algorithm uses an a priori database populated with matchups between the TRMM precipitation radar (PR) and the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The explicit goal of the algorithm is to retrieve the PR-derived best estimate of the surface rain rate in portions of the TMI swath not covered by the PR. A unique feature of the new algorithm is that it provides robust posterior Bayesian probabilities of pixel-averaged rain rate exceeding various thresholds.

Validation and intercomparison of the new algorithm is the subject of a companion paper.
Reexamining the Vertical Development of Tornadic Vortex Signatures in Supercells
Authors: French Michael M. , Bluestein Howard B. , PopStefanija Ivan , Baldi Chad A. , Bluth Robert T.
Published: July 2013

Observations from a hybrid phased-array Doppler radar, the Mobile Weather Radar, 2005 X-band, Phased Array (MWR-05XP), were used to investigate the vertical development of tornadic vortex signatures (TVSs) during supercell tornadogenesis. Data with volumetric update times of ∼10 s, an order of magnitude better than that of most other mobile Doppler radars, were obtained up to storm midlevels during the formation of three tornadoes. It is found that TVSs formed upward with time during tornadogenesis for two cases. In a third case, missing low-level data prevented a complete time–height analysis of TVS development; however, TVS formation occurred first near the ground and then at storm midlevels several minutes later. These results are consistent with the small number of volumetric mobile Doppler radar tornadogenesis cases from the past ∼10 years, but counter to studies prior to that, in which a descending TVS was observed in roughly half of tornado cases utilizing Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) data. A comparative example is used to examine the possible effects relatively long WSR-88D volumetric update times have on determining the mode of tornadogenesis.
Asymmetric Hurricane Boundary Layer Structure from Dropsonde Composites in Relation to the Environmental Vertical Wind Shear
Authors: Zhang Jun A. , Rogers Robert F. , Reasor Paul D. , Uhlhorn Eric W. , Marks Frank D.
Published: July 2013

This study investigates the asymmetric structure of the hurricane boundary layer in relation to the environmental vertical wind shear in the inner core region. Data from 1878 GPS dropsondes deployed by research aircraft in 19 hurricanes are analyzed in a composite framework. Kinematic structure analyses based on Doppler radar data from 75 flights are compared with the dropsonde composites. Shear-relative quadrant-mean composite analyses show that both the kinematic and thermodynamic boundary layer height scales tend to decrease with decreasing radius, consistent with previous axisymmetric analyses. There is still a clear separation between the kinematic and thermodynamic boundary layer heights. Both the thermodynamic mixed layer and height of maximum tangential wind speed are within the inflow layer. The inflow layer depth is found to be deeper in quadrants downshear, with the downshear right (DR) quadrant being the deepest. The mixed layer depth and height of maximum tangential wind speed are alike at the eyewall, but are deeper outside in quadrants left of the shear. The results also suggest that air parcels acquire equivalent potential temperature θe from surface fluxes as they rotate through the upshear right (UR) quadrant from the upshear left (UL) quadrant. Convection is triggered in the DR quadrant in the presence of asymmetric mesoscale lifting coincident with a maximum in θe. Energy is then released by latent heating in the downshear left (DL) quadrant. Convective downdrafts bring down cool and dry air to the surface and lower θe again in the DL and UL quadrants. This cycling process may be directly tied to shear-induced asymmetry of convection in hurricanes.
Classification and Conceptual Models for Heavy Snowfall Events over East Vancouver Island of British Columbia, Canada
Authors: Wu Mingling R. , Snyder Bradley J. , Mo Ruping , Cannon Alex J. , Joe Paul I.
Published: July 2013

The East Vancouver Island region on the west coast of Canada is prone to heavy snow in winter due to its unique geographical setting, which involves complicated interactions among the atmosphere, ocean, and local topography. The challenge for operational meteorologists is to distinguish a weather system that produces extreme snow amounts from one that produces modest amounts in this region. In this study, subjective, objective, and hybrid classification techniques are used to analyze the characteristics of 81 snowstorms observed in this region over a 10-yr period (2000–09). It is demonstrated that there are four principal weather patterns (occluded front, lee low, warm advection, and convective storm) conducive to heavy snow in East Vancouver Island. The occluded front pattern is the most ubiquitous for producing snow events, while the lee low pattern is the most extreme snow producer that poses the biggest forecast challenge.

Based on the identified weather patterns and a further investigation of five key weather ingredients, four conceptual models are developed to illustrate the meteorological processes leading to significant snowfalls in East Vancouver Island. These conceptual models have the potential to help meteorologists better understand and identify weather systems that would produce heavy snowfalls in this region and, therefore, improve forecasting and warning performance.
Contextualizing ‘networked individualism’: The interplay of social categories, role relationships and tasks
Authors: Chua Vincent
Published: July 2013

Seemingly, we live in a world where people are free to decide which network members to activate for what sorts of tasks. This is the principle of ‘networked individualism’, where personal autonomy is central to the organization of personal networks. Yet is this autonomy overstated? Applying correspondence analysis (CA) to network survey data from Singapore, this article posits that while networked individualism is a modern trend, categories such as gender, ethnicity and class, do, in addition to personal autonomy, structure how people match role relationships to tasks. Unlike most studies, which examine the link between social categories and role relationships, or the link between role relationships and tasks, this work incorporates all elements under the rubric of a single study.
The structure of globalized travel: A relational country-pair analysis
Authors: Reyes Victoria
Published: July 2013

Utilizing data from the UNWTO, IMF, World Bank, and UNESCO, this article analyzes the global structure of travel and its deep asymmetries, revealing that travel is not global but is highly concentrated among a handful of countries. Furthermore, I find that the effects of globalization are neither universal nor consistent but depend upon the identities of countries involved and their relationships with one another. This article conceptualizes travel as a result of the relationship between country attributes within a given country-pair. More specifically, it investigates the relationship between travel and relative inequalities, institutional connections, and cultural wealth. I find that measures of inequality and cultural wealth differ depending on the relationship between country-pairs while institutional connections are significant across models.
A study of crack suppression mechanism of thin-ply carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer laminate with mesoscopic numerical simulation
Authors: Saito Hiroshi , Takeuchi Hiroki , Kimpara Isao
Published: July 2013

In order to examine the effect of ply thickness on the crack initiation and propagation in the 90° layer in [0°/90°n/0°] laminates, we conducted numerical simulations using two-dimensional mesoscopic numerical models. We found that the stress increase in the thin layer with 40 µm thickness was restricted in the vicinity of the adjacent layers, leading to restriction of crack penetration through the 90° layer. In addition, we confirmed the effect of stiffness of adjacent layers. In the case where the 90° layer was sandwiched between 45° layers, which had lower stiffness than the 0° layers, crack propagation in the 90° layer was faster than that observed with the 0° adjacent layers. Thus, the crack propagation behavior in the 90° layer was significantly influenced by the change in the stiffness caused by the orientation angle of the adjacent layers.
Synthesis and characterization of Fe–ZrO2 metal matrix composites
Authors: Jha Pushkar , Gupta Pallav , Kumar Devendra , Parkash Om
Published: July 2013

This investigation reports the phase, microstructure and hardness of ZrO2-reinforced iron-based metal matrix composites synthesized by powder metallurgy. The process involved the preparation of homogeneous mixture of electrolytic iron powder with different weight percentages (5%, 10%, 20% and 30%) of ZrO2 by milling, compaction in the form of rod and sintering in the temperature range of 900–1100℃ for 1–3 h in argon atmosphere. The sintered samples were subjected to X-ray diffraction for phase analysis and to scanning electron microscopy for microstructure evaluation. The X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy results show the presence of Fe, ZrO2 and Zr6Fe3O phases. This Zr6Fe3O phase is formed due to reactive sintering. From these studies it is concluded that two types of sintering are involved: (a) solid state sintering between Fe particles and (b) reactive sintering with the formation of iron zirconium oxide. Density and hardness of composite specimens were found to depend on fraction of ZrO2, the nature of sintering and the formation of Zr6Fe3O phases.
Ethical and medico-legal implications of capacity of patients in geriatric surgery
Authors: Terranova Claudio , Cardin Fabrizio , Pietra Laura Di , Zen Margherita , Bruttocao Andrea , Militello Carmelo
Published: July 2013

Objectives

The aim of this study was to assess the decision-making capacity of elderly patients hospitalized in a geriatric surgery division, and the clinician’s ability to assess that capacity.

Subjects and methods

The study was conducted on patients (aged >66 years) undergoing surgical procedures. Exclusion criteria were a diagnosis of psychogeriatric disorders interfering with decision-making capacity; hearing or visual impairment; and inability to communicate. Patients previously declared legally incompetent were also excluded. The methodological approach consisted of additional interviews to collect data on patients’ awareness of the reasons for their hospitalization, their informed consent, and their ability to sign a consent form. The interview was integrated with a clinical-behavioral assessment by means of the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Clock Drawing Test. Data were collected anonymously.

Results

The inclusion criteria were met by 123 patients, with a mean age ± SD of 77.65 ± 7.91 years (range 67–98). Their mean (±SD) Mini-Mental State Examination and the Clock Drawing Test scores were 24.53 ± 4.29 and 5.36 ± 2.41, respectively. Mild-to-severe cognitive impairment was identified in 39 patients (31.7%). The consent form was signed by 111 patients (90.25%), including 33 patients (29.72%) with mild-severe cognitive impairment; 18 patients (16.21%) were unaware of the reason for their admission to hospital.

Discussion

Many factors may interfere with elderly patients’ ability to give their valid consent to treatment, and this study reveals that clinicians may overestimate their patients’ decision-making capacity. Physicians should be aware of this problem, and intellectual capacity assessments and/or enhanced consent procedures should be considered when treating elderly patients.
Towards the Development of an Academic Word List for Applied Linguistics Research Articles
Authors: Khani Reza , Tazik Khalil
Published: July 2013

Academic vocabulary, as the most challenging aspect of language learning in EAP and ESP contexts, has received much attention in the last few decades (e.g. Laufer, 1988; Sutarsyah, et al., 1994; Laufer and Nation, 1999; Coxhead, 2000; Nation, 2001a, 2001b; Wang et al., 2008; Martinez et al., 2009). The major attainments of these studies were identifying the academic vocabularies in the form of some wordlists called for all (Coxhead, 2000), or for some specific fields of study (Wang et al., 2008). Along with these studies and because of the paucity of studies in the field of Applied Linguistics, this study tries to establish an academic wordlist specific for the field of Applied Linguistics. Using frequency and range as the criteria for word form selection, this study identified 773 academic word types. A total of 573 (74.12%) academic words found in the corpus overlapped with the words in Coxhead’s AWL (2000). Therefore, Applied Linguistics teachers and students should pay special attention to this wordlist. From these findings it is concluded that (1) academic words play an important role in academic texts; therefore, acquisition of them seems to be essential for language learners and users; (2) material and syllabus designers and teachers’ direct attention to these words can lead to a better understanding of these words; hence, students’ development in their writing and reading.
English Language Classroom Practices: Bangladeshi Primary School Children’s Perceptions
Authors: Shrestha Prithvi Narayan
Published: July 2013

English language teaching (ELT) has been investigated from various angles including how English language teachers perceive what happens in an ELT classroom. How primary school English language learners perceive their experiences of ELT is rarely reported in the published literature, particularly from developing countries such as Bangladesh. This article reports on a study that examined Bangladeshi primary school learners’ experience of English language classroom practices in which technology-enhanced communicative language teaching activities were promoted through a project called English in Action (EIA). EIA is a large-scale 9-year long international English language development project in Bangladesh, funded by the UK government. A semi-structured group interview was conducted with 600 Grade 3 students from different regions of Bangladesh. The findings showed that the learners found communicative language learning activities such as dialogue and role play more effective than translation and memorizing grammar rules for learning English, although they enjoyed reciting and drills. The results also showed that these learners’ English teachers tended to mix both traditional and communicative approaches in their lessons. The paper critiques EIA and argues that any major language development project needs to consider the local context and learners’ views on language learning for its success.