bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spatiotemporal Wavelet Transform and the Multiscale Behavior of the Madden–Julian Oscillation*
Authors: Kikuchi Kazuyoshi , Wang Bin
Published: March 2010

Meteorological and geophysical phenomena involve multiple-scale processes. Here the spatiotemporal wavelet transform (STWT) is applied to detect significant, nonstationary, wave propagation signals from a time–space domain. One of the major advantages of the STWT is the capability to localize the wave properties in both space and time, which facilitates the study of interactions among multiple-scale disturbances by providing relevant information about energy concentration at a given time and space. The global wavelet spectrum (scalogram) of the STWT, which gives an integrated view of the spectrum as wavenumber and frequency, provides a lucid picture of the spectral power distribution that is consistent with the result obtained from the Fourier-based space–time power spectrum. The STWT has also the capability of reconstruction and thus can be used as a spatiotemporal wave filter.

The STWT analysis is applied to analyze the multiscale structure of the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) studied by Nakazawa. All types of convectively coupled equatorial waves were identified. The analysis results reveal the structural differences between the MJO and Kelvin waves and their different relationships with the embedded westward propagating inertio-gravity (WIG) waves: for the Kelvin wave the enhanced activity of the WIG waves coincides with the most active convective area, whereas for the MJO the enhanced WIG waves occur to the east of the MJO convective center. In addition, the WIG waves in the MJO have shorter wavelengths and periods, but those in the Kelvin waves have longer wavelengths and periods. This difference may hold a key to understanding the propagation speed difference between the MJO and Kelvin waves. The possible “upscale feedback” of the WIG waves on the MJO and Kelvin waves is also discussed.
Opposite Annular Responses of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres to Indian Ocean Warming
Authors: Li Shuanglin , Perlwitz Judith , Hoerling Martin P. , Chen Xiaoting
Published: March 2010

Atmospheric circulation changes during boreal winter of the second half of the twentieth century exhibit a trend toward the positive polarity of both the Northern Hemisphere annular mode (NAM) and the Southern Hemisphere annular mode (SAM). This has occurred in concert with other trends in the climate system, most notably a warming of the Indian Ocean. This study explores whether the tropical Indian Ocean warming played a role in forcing these annular trends. Five different atmospheric general circulation models (AGCMs) are forced with an idealized, transient warming of Indian Ocean sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTA); the results of this indicate that the warming contributed to the annular trend in the NH but offset the annular trend in SH. The latter result implies that the Indian Ocean warming may have partly cancelled the influence of the stratospheric ozone depletion over the southern polar area, which itself forced a trend toward the positive phase of the SAM. Diagnosis of the physical mechanisms for the annular responses indicates that the direct impact of the diabatic heating induced by the Indian Ocean warming does not account for the annular response in the extratropics. Instead, interactions between the forced stationary wave anomalies and transient eddies is key for the formation of annular structures.
Reducing Forecast Errors Due to Model Imperfections Using Ensemble Kalman Filtering
Authors: Koyama Hiroshi , Watanabe Masahiro
Published: March 2010

A method is introduced for reducing forecast errors in an extended-range to one-month forecast based on an ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF). The prediction skill in such a forecast is typically affected not only by the accuracy of initial conditions but also by the model imperfections. Hence, to improve the forecast in imperfect models, the framework of EnKF is modified by using a state augmentation method. The method includes an adaptive parameter estimation that optimizes mismatched model parameters and a model ensemble initialized with the perturbed model parameter. The main features are the combined ensemble forecast of the initial condition and the parameter, and the assimilation for time-varying parameters with a theoretical basis.

First, the method is validated in the imperfect Lorenz ’96 model constructed by parameterizing the small-scale variable of the perfect model. The results indicate a reduction in the ensemble-mean forecast error and the optimization of the ensemble spread. It is found that the time-dependent parameter estimation contributes to reduce the forecast error with a lead time shorter than one week, whereas the model ensemble is effective for improving a forecast with a longer lead time. Moreover, the parameter assimilation is useful when model imperfections have a longer time scale than the forecast lead time, and the model ensemble appears to be relevant in any time scale. Preliminary results using a low-resolution atmospheric general circulation model that implements this method support some of the above findings.
Derecho and MCS Development, Evolution, and Multiscale Interactions during 3–5 July 2003
Authors: Metz Nicholas D. , Bosart Lance F.
Published: March 2010

From 3 to 5 July 2003 during the Bow Echo and Mesoscale Convective Vortex Experiment (BAMEX), multiple mesoscale convective systems (MCSs 1 and 2) and derechos (derechos AN, AS, A, BW, and BE) progressed across a preferred upper Midwest corridor. The derechos evolved in a favorable synoptic-scale environment. However, the environmental details associated with each derecho, such as the characteristics of the initial surface boundary, the formation position relative to the upper-level jet stream, the presence of an upper-level mesoscale disturbance, and the CAPE/shear environment varied from derecho to derecho.

The MCSs and derechos composed three distinct convective episodes. Multiple mesoscale interactions between the MCSs and derechos and the environment altered the character and longevity of these episodes. The first convective episode consisted of derecho A, which formed from merging derechos AN and AS (northern and southern systems, respectively). The ∼200-hPa-deep cold pool associated with derecho A decreased surface potential temperatures by 4–8 K. MCS 1 dissipated upon entering this cold pool and an inertia–gravity wave was emitted that helped to spawn MCS 2. This inertia–gravity wave connected MCSs 1 and 2 into a compound convective episode. As derecho BW (western system) approached a strong surface boundary across Iowa created by the cold pools of derecho A and MCS 1, derecho BE (eastern system) formed. The remnants of derecho BW merged with derecho BE creating another compound convective episode.

The upscale effects resulting from this active convective period directly affected subsequent convective development. Upper-level diabatic heating associated with derecho A resulted in NCEP GFS 66-h negative 1000–500-hPa thickness errors of 4–8 dam (forecast too cold) and negative 200-hPa wind errors of 10–20 m s−1 (forecast too weak). The resulting stronger than forecast 200-hPa jet stream likely increased synoptic-scale forcing for the formation and evolution of derecho BW.
Comparison of the Performance of Different Analog-Based Bayesian Probabilistic Precipitation Forecasts over Bilbao, Spain
Authors: Fernández-Ferrero Alejandro , Sáenz Jon , Ibarra-Berastegi Gabriel
Published: March 2010

This study evaluates the performance of different analog-based downscaling models for probabilistic quantitative precipitation forecasts over the metropolitan area of Bilbao, Spain. The analog-based statistical downscaling models used are a probability of the exceedance models in which the probability is derived from the probabilities given by a set of analogs and three Bayesian models. Results show that the differences in the performance of the models are subtle. The simplest model, which makes no use of Bayesian methods, performs better than the other models in the forecast of very low precipitation events, very likely due to the quality of the found analogs, since these categories are very populated in the phase space and forecast is very easy. However, as precipitation rates increase, Bayesian models perform better than the simple one based on probability of exceedance from individual analogs. The Bayesian models involving precipitation in the computation of the likelihood show in general the smallest biases in the forecast versus observed probabilities.
Calling the Police in Instances of Family Violence
Authors: Kang Ji Hyon , Lynch James P.
Published: March 2010

This study examines the impact of the victim–offender relationship on the willingness of victims to call the police in family violence incidents, with particular attention to the life stages of victims. Different stages of life have an impact on the decision to report criminal victimization. Family composition and the roles of family members change over life stages. When children are young, adults in the household have child-rearing responsibilities that shape the interpersonal dynamics in the household. When children approach adulthood and parents age, the parents may become more dependent on the children in a variety of ways. These changes in family composition and organization across life stages can affect the normative and cost–benefit considerations in deciding whether to call the police or not. Yet studies of responses to family violence have virtually ignored the influence of life stage on the decision to call the police. In addition, most studies of victims of family violence focus on marital or intimate relationships and fail to examine any other relationships in the family. It is not clear whether the findings from the general literature on domestic violence are applicable to intergenerational family violence. This article examines the impact of a broader range of victim–offender relationships across three age groups representing different life stages. The authors find that the factors explaining victims’ decisions to report victimization to the police vary across life stages.
Marcion: A New Perspective on his Life, Theology, and Impact
Authors: Moll Sebastian
Published: March 2010

The main argument of the present article is that previous scholarship has turned Marcion’s exegesis of Scripture upside down. He did not find the inspiration for his doctrine in the teachings of the Apostle Paul, it is the Old Testament and its portrait of an inconsistent, vengeful and cruel God which forms the centre of his theology. Marcion does not understand the Old Testament in the light of the New, he interprets the New Testament in the light of the Old.
Estimating Mental Distress in Vietnam: the Use of the SRQ-20
Authors: Richardson Lisa K. , Amstadter Ananda B. , Kilpatrick Dean G. , Gaboury Mario T. , Trinh Luong Tran  , Lam Tu Trung  , Nguyen Thanh Tam  , Tuan Tran , La Thi Buoi  , Tran Thu Ha  , Tran Duc Thach  , Acierno Ron
Published: March 2010

Background: Community-based estimates of psychopathology prevalence in developing countries such as Vietnam, are needed to reduce presumed significant burden of poor mental health.

Aims: This study derived population-based prevalence estimates of mental distress, as measured by the SRQ-20, in a community sample of 4,981 adults living in Vietnam. This study also examined correlates of mental distress based on SRQ-20 caseness indications. Risk and protective factors were identified in terms of their unique contribution to caseness.

Results: Using a cut-off of 7/8, 19.2% of the sample was considered to be a probable case ( n = 954), with females endorsing more items than males. Marital status and employment status were not associated with mental health distress. Higher wealth, endorsing religious affi liation, and self-reports of good health were associated with lower SRQ-20 scores. Age and being female were associated with higher SRQ-20 scores.

Conclusions: A single item was as adequate a measure of wealth as multi-item rating scales. Our estimate of mental distress using the SRQ-20 is much greater than that of other studies, and in contrast to western prevalence studies, age was not a protective factor in this study. The SRQ-20 is a brief, cost-effective and reasonably valid measure of both community and individual mental distress.
The Protective Functions of Relationships, Social Support and Self-Esteem in the Life Satisfaction of Children of Migrant Workers in Shanghai, China
Authors: Fu Keung Wong Daniel , Yingli Chang  , Xuesong He  , Qiaobing Wu
Published: March 2010

Background: At present, China has approximately 20 million migrant school-aged children accompanying their parents in relocating to the cities. However, very little is known about them. Using a resilience framework, the present study attempted to examine the psychosocial factors affecting their life satisfaction in Shanghai, China.

Methods: A total of 625 migrant children were recruited from 10 schools in Shanghai through a cross-sectional survey design using multi-stage cluster sampling method. The questionnaire included measures of life satisfaction, self-esteem, social support, relationships at school and the parent—child and peer relationships.

Results: Hierarchical regression analysis was performed to explore the relative effects of different relationship domains, self-esteem and social support on the life satisfaction of migrant children. The results suggested that parent—child and peer relationships significantly influenced the life satisfaction of children of migrant workers. Relationships in school did not exert such effect. Both social support and self-esteem had significant effects on the life satisfaction of migrant children.

Conclusions: Relationship factors, social support and self-esteem are critical factors affecting the life satisfaction of migrant children. The findings and implications were discussed in relation to developmental and migration-related issues and the social contexts of the lives of children of migrant workers in Shanghai, China.
Social protection for orphans and vulnerable children in Zimbabwe: The case for cash transfers
Authors: Mushunje Mildred T. , Mafico Muriel
Published: March 2010

The unprecedented number of orphans and vulnerable children in Zimbabwe has created an urgent need to create innovative ways to provide for the social protection of these children. Innovative packages consisting of educational, food and psychosocial support are being implemented by non-governmental organizations. However, as the orphan crisis continues to deepen, more needs to be done and, learning from the experiences of other countries, the option of cash transfers for social protection for orphans and vulnerable children offers an attractive option for Zimbabwe. This article explores the possibility of using cash transfers for the support of orphans and vulnerable children and highlights the challenges and strengths of this approach.
From resilience to resistance: A reconstruction of the strengths perspective in social work practice
Authors: Guo Wei-he , Tsui Ming-sum
Published: March 2010

Many practice models in social work focus primarily on the concepts associated with resilience. By contrast, resistance and rebellion, important strategies of the disadvantaged, are often neglected by social workers in developed countries. The authors seek to reconstruct and revitalize the strengths perspective by constructing a framework that includes theories of reflective practice.
International students’ views about transferability in social work education and practice
Authors: Beecher Blake , Reeves John , Eggertsen Lars , Furuto Sharlene
Published: March 2010

This qualitative study explored international students’ views of US social work education and Asian-Pacific indigenous practices. Some students recognized indigenous practices, strongly valued multiculturalism and regretted not having agency-specific knowledge and skills. While some social work knowledge and skills seemed to be universal, others were western-influenced.
Innovation in schools of social work: An international exploration
Authors: Cwikel Julie , Savaya Riki , Munford Robyn , Desai Murli
Published: March 2010

An exploratory study was carried out on innovations introduced in schools of social work from 11 countries, based on a content analysis of semi-structured questionnaires. The innovations that emerged from these responses reflect, in part, the emerging requirements of coping with the global changes that affect social work practice today.
The role of social security in South Africa
Authors: Kaseke Edwell
Published: March 2010

The article examines the role of social security in South Africa based on a review of secondary data. The author argues that the role of social security is to prevent and reduce poverty and to promote reintegration. The social security system needs to be strengthened in order to enhance effectiveness.
Foaming of an Immiscible Blend System Using Organic Liquids as Blowing Agents
Authors: Gutmann Peter , Hildebrandt Klaus , Altstädt Volker , Müller Axel H.E.
Published: March 2010

Foaming of blend systems is a promising approach to develop cellular materials with a set of desired properties. However, foaming of blend systems is not only a chance but also a challenge, as different polymers have to be foamed at the same foaming conditions. The best conditions during foaming are individual to each polymer and influence the obtained cellular structure. In immiscible polymer blends like poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene ether) (PPE) and poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) (SAN) the differences in glass-transition temperature (Tg) and viscosity are vast and can inhibit the foaming of the blend system. In order to minimize the above-mentioned difference in Tg and viscosity, one approach is to choose a blowing agent, which shows a selective solubility in one polymer phase, working as a selective plasticizer. The aim of the present study is to evaluate systematically the foaming behavior of immiscible PPE/SAN blend systems using ethanol and n-pentane as blowing agents. Mass uptake of ethanol and n-pentane in the PPE/SAN-blends as function of the blend composition is measured, offering a selective solubility of ethanol in SAN, while n-pentane shows a high affinity to PPE. The plasticizing effect on the blend phases PPE and SAN is theoretically estimated using the Chow-equation and the WLF-equation. After foaming the blowing agent saturated blend samples in an oil-bath at different temperatures, the density reduction and the cellular structures are analyzed and correlated to the blend morphology, the blowing agent solubility in the blend phase, the rheological properties and the glass transition temperature of the nonsaturated and saturated blend phases.
‘An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth’: Political violence and counter-insurgency in Egypt
Authors: Fielding David , Shortland Anja
Published: March 2010

The authors analyse newly collected time-series data measuring the dimensions of violent political conflict in Egypt. Attention is focused on the interaction between politically motivated attacks by Islamists and the counter-insurgency measures used by the Egyptian government. Both insurgency and counter-insurgency are multidimensional. Insurgency includes attacks on tourists, on Egyptian civilians and on security forces. Counter-insurgency includes arrests and attacks on militants. To some extent, the dynamics of insurgency and counter-insurgency can be described by two distinct cycles of violence: one related to highly politicized activities on both sides, and another related to less explicitly political activities. However, the two cycles are inter-related, leading to complex and asymmetric dynamics in the relationships between the different dimensions of the conflict. The authors find that the combination of political repression and military counter-insurgency measures employed by the Egyptian government has the potential to exacerbate rather than reduce political violence. On the other hand, the overall level of conflict intensity in Egypt can be mitigated by food subsidies. Finally, the existence of significant spillovers from upsurges in the Israeli—Palestinian conflict shows the regional importance of reaching a Middle East peace agreement.
Predictors of Employment Outcomes for State-Federal Vocational Rehabilitation Consumers With HIV/AIDS
Authors: Jung Youngoh , Schaller James , Bellini James
Published: March 2010

In this study, the authors investigated the effects of demographic, medical, and vocational rehabilitation service variables on employment outcomes of persons living with HIV/AIDS. Binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine predictors of employment outcomes using two groups drawn from Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA-911) data. Only service variables were found to be significantly related to employment outcomes in both groups. Job placement assistance and on-the-job supports were found to be significant predictors of a successful employment outcome at closure. Whereas higher case service expenditures increased the likelihood of achieving employment at closure, longer length of time in rehabilitation decreased the likelihood of employment at closure.
Model-based optimal start control strategy for multi-chiller plants in commercial buildings
Authors: Yongjun Sun  , Shengwei Wang  , Gongsheng Huang
Published: March 2010

Chiller start control is to schedule chillers start-up operation, including how many chillers to be put into operation and when to start these chillers, for cooling down building internal temperature to a desired level before occupying. Chiller optimal start aims to find the most efficient way to schedule the chiller start operation for energy savings. Previous studies on chiller optimal start mainly focus on determining the pre-cooling lead time based only on initial outdoor and indoor temperatures without considering the impact of the recovery ability, i.e. the ability of the chillers to return the indoor air temperature to its set-point value. Different from previous studies, a new optimal start strategy is proposed in this article, which considers both the recovery ability and the cooling load condition as the optimizing variables. The new strategy is model-based and realized in two steps. The first step is to predict the building cooling load using a simplified building model, and identify a feasible set for the operating chiller number. The second step is to estimate the pre-cooling lead time using the simplified building model for each number inside the feasible range identified in the first step, and calculate the corresponding energy consumption. The number and its corresponding pre-cooling lead time which yields the least energy consumption constitute the optimal start operation.

Practical application: The proposed strategy, validated through case studies, can be used in practical applications to select the optimal number of operating chillers and determine the associated pre-cooling lead time in order to achieve minimum energy consumption in the pre-cooling period.
Measurement and prediction of road traffic noise at different building floor levels in Hong Kong
Authors: Mak CM , Leung WK , Jiang GS
Published: March 2010

In Hong Kong, approximately one million people are affected by severe road traffic noise. It is crucial to estimate the vertical distribution of traffic noise levels at different levels in high-rise buildings during the planning and design stages for new residential buildings. The Calculation of Road Traffic Noise (CRTN) has been adopted in Hong Kong to estimate traffic noise from the road. However, there have been criticisms of the CRTN model’s accuracy and suitability for predicting road traffic noise in Hong Kong. This study examines and evaluates the accuracy of the CRTN method in predicting the vertical distribution of traffic noise level LA10 at different floor levels of a 20-storey residential building in Hong Kong. Also, measurements have been conducted of the traffic noise levels at each floor level of the building. Both the predicted and measured LA10 show a similar trend: the higher the floor level, the lower the traffic noise levels. However, the predicted LA10 at the building façade has a tendency of overestimation, especially at the higher floor levels, with a mean difference of +2.0 dBA between the predicted and measured results. A correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.9331 between the predicted and the measured LA10 indicates that the predicted levels correlate closely with the measured levels. The CRTN is therefore a useful tool in predicting traffic noise levels at different floor levels during the building planning stage.

Practical application: This study provides an evaluation of the accuracy of the CRTN method in predicting the vertical distribution of traffic noise level at different floor levels of a residential building. It suggests that the CRTN is a useful tool in predicting traffic noise levels at different floor levels during the building planning stage.
Beyond Hillary and Benazir: Women’s Political Leadership Worldwide
Authors: Jalalzai Farida , Krook Mona Lena
Published: March 2010

Women have recently made dramatic gains in electoral politics, winning a number of high profile positions of national leadership and a record number of seats in parliaments around the world. This article surveys and analyzes these developments, seeking to understand why women’s representation has increased in some countries but not in others, as well as what these patterns indicate about changes in the status of women in political life. It concludes with some reflections on the gendered nature of the public sphere and what these shifts might mean for women as a group.
Explaining Majoritarian Modification: The Politics of Electoral Reform in the United Kingdom and British Columbia
Authors: Flinders Matthew
Published: March 2010

Drawing on recent research in the United Kingdom and the Canadian province of British Columbia, this article focuses on the politics of electoral reform:the strategic maneuvering by political elites to prevent and facilitate change. Through a comparative analysis of two highly majoritarian polities in which dominant executives have, since 1997, adopted contrasting reform trajectories, the article suggests that previous analyses of this topic have underemphasized the role of political agency and ideational change. In order to demonstrate this argument, the article develops and refines a process-based approach by embedding it within a framework that recognizes the interplay between context, agency, and structure. Not only does this approach deepen our understanding of executive veto points, majoritarian modification, and aversive constitutionalism, but it also sensitizes scholars to the role and power of political cultures and dominant ideologies.
Global Forces and Corporate Reforms in South Korea
Authors: Xiaoke Zhang
Published: March 2010

This article attempts to examine the international forces at work in the transformation of corporate governance in South Korea. In so doing, it provides a corrective to existing analyses that pay inadequate attention to how internationalization shapes domestic decisions about corporate reforms. The article explores the causal impact of four factors — overseas reforms and competition, global market constraints, transnational norms, and internalization of external pressures. It posits that these different forms of internationalization have created powerful forces for sustained corporate reforms in South Korea since the Asian financial crisis of 1997—8. While they have not preordained convergence toward the Anglo-American model of capitalism, they have overwhelmed political resistance and institutional inertia to result in an important shift in the architecture of South Korean corporate governance.
On Territorology
Authors: Brighenti Andrea Mubi
Published: March 2010

The development of territorology requires the overcoming of the dichotomy between determinist and constructivist approaches, in order to advance towards a general science of territory and territorial phenomena. Insights for this task can come from at least four main threads of research: biology, zooethology and human ethology; human ecology, social psychology and interactionism; human, political and legal geography; and philosophy. In light of the insights derived from these traditions, the article aims to conceptualize territorial components, technologies, movements, effects, and their interplay, in order to establish the main lines of inquiry for territorology. A general territorology, it is argued, amounts to a sociology of territorial acts and relations, whose aim is to analyze the expressive and functional components of territories, as fixed through their organizational and technological devices.
Picturing the Messianic: Agamben and Titian’s The Nymph and the Shepherd
Authors: Palladino Paolo
Published: March 2010

In The Open (2002), a series of reflections on the historical endeavours to define the essential features of the human figure in relation to the biological existence it shares with animals, Giorgio Agamben offers a detailed reading of Titian’s painting The Nymph and the Shepherd. He argues that the scene depicted enables the contemporary viewer to visualize the advent of radical freedom, the moment when the historical dialectic of nature and culture comes to a ‘stand-still’. In this article, I offer a different reading of The Nymph and the Shepherd, whereby the advent of radical freedom and death become indistinguishable. This different reading, I argue, calls into question Agamben’s understanding of corporeal being. I conclude by suggesting more speculatively and tentatively that ‘bioart’, the field now emerging at the intersection of the creative arts and the bio-medical sciences, may provide a better site of reflection on the questions Agamben ultimately poses about the future of bio-political governmentality.
‘Programming the Beautiful’
Authors: Kane Carolyn L.
Published: March 2010

Color has long been at home in the domains of classical art and aesthetics. However, with the introduction of computer art in Germany in the early 1960s, a new ‘rational theory’ of art, media and color emerged. Many believed this new ‘science’ of art would generate computer algorithms which would enable new media aesthetic ‘principles to be formulated mathematically’ — thus ending the lofty mystifications that have, for too long, been associated with Romantic notions about artwork and art-making. Although, as German computer artist Herbert Franke noted, ‘Traditional aesthetic modes of expression are of little avail to the artist who works with technical systems, particularly computers’, I argue herein that the shifts in aesthetic theory brought about by the introduction of computer art are more complex than a clear-cut subsumption to mathematics, information theory or cybernetics. While the ‘Programming the Beautiful’ project that began in Europe in the 1960s — the three-fold rationalization of the artist, the artwork and color — has been largely realized, nonetheless, today we find ourselves seeped in the neo-Romanticization of new media art, the reglorification of the role of the artist, and new digital color — ironically, the exact opposite of what the project for rational art initially sought.
Georg Simmel’s Aphorisms
Authors: Swedberg Richard , Reich Wendelin
Published: March 2010

This article contains an analysis of Georg Simmel’s aphorisms and an appendix with a number of these in translation. An account is given of the production, publication and reception of the around 300 aphorisms that Simmel produced. His close relationship to Gertrud Kantorowicz is discussed, since she was given the legal right to many of Simmel’s aphorisms when he died and also assigned the task of publishing them by Simmel. The main themes in Simmel’s aphorisms are presented: love, Man, philosophy, Lebensphilosophie and art. Two of Simmel’s aphorisms are also given an extended analysis. It is suggested that the skill of writing a good aphorism, both when it comes to style and content, has much to do with what we call the art of compression . It is also suggested that what ultimately attracted Simmel to the form of aphorism was its capacity to hint at something that is richer than the reality we are currently experiencing.
A New Histology Scoring System for the Assessment of the Quality of Human Cartilage Repair: ICRS II
Authors: Mainil-Varlet Pierre , Van Damme Boudewijn , Nesic Dobrila , Knutsen Gunnar , Kandel Rita , Roberts Sally
Published: March 2010

Background

A reliable and reproducible method is needed to assess cartilage repair.

Purpose

This study was undertaken to test the reproducibility of 2 established histological scoring systems, the Modified O'Driscoll Scale (MODS) and International Cartilage Research Society (ICRS) Visual Assessment Scale (ICRS I), and subsequently to develop and evaluate a new grading system for cartilage repair.

Study Design

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2.

Methods

A total of 107 cartilage biopsy specimens were graded using MODS and ICRS I, and the reader variability was measured. The new grading system, ICRS II, was developed and the inter- and intrareader variability determined by 3 independent readers. Collagen type II deposition was assessed immunohistochemically.

Results

The MODS and ICRS I demonstrated high interreader variability, with MODS also showing high intrareader variability. A new histological scoring system, ICRS II, was developed comprising 14 criteria to assess parameters related to chondrocyte phenotype and tissue structure. The ICRS II demonstrated lower inter- and intrareader variability compared with MODS or ICRS I. The overall assessment and matrix staining scores had the best correlation coefficients for inter- and intrareader variability (r = .81 and .82, respectively). The extent of collagen type II in cartilage, considered a marker of differentiation toward hyaline cartilage, could represent a measure of good cartilage repair. A correlation coefficient of .56 was obtained between the extent of collagen type II staining and the overall assessment score.

Conclusion

The ICRS II represents an improvement over current histological cartilage repair grading systems in terms of reader reproducibility. The clinical relevance and its ability to predict long-term repair durability will be assessed once long-term clinical data become available.
Short Bamboo Fiber-reinforced HDPE Composites: Influence of Fiber Content and Modification on Strength of the Composite
Authors: Mohanty Smita , Nayak Sanjay K.
Published: March 2010

Bamboo fiber-reinforced HDPE composites were prepared employing melt blending technique followed by injection molding. A systematic investigation of the mechanical, dynamic, thermal, and morphological behavior of the composites was carried out. It was observed that the tensile and flexural properties increased with the increase in the fiber loading from 10% to 30%, beyond which there was a decline in the mechanical strength of the composites. Further, the composites treated with maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene (MAPE) exhibited improved mechanical properties, which confirmed efficient fiber—matrix adhesion. Dynamic mechanical analysis showed that the storage modulus increased in the untreated and treated composites as compared with virgin HDPE, indicating an increase in the rigidity of the matrix polymer with reinforcement. The morphology of the tensile fractured samples was also examined using scanning electron microscopic analysis. The thermal characteristics in the composites have been studied using DSC, TGA, and HDT respectively. Water absorption test revealed lesser water uptake in the treated composites.
Mechanical Properties of Highly Filled PVC/Wood-Flour Composites
Authors: Joshi P.S. , Marathe D.S.
Published: March 2010

The present article evaluates the effect of variation of WF on the tensile strength, modulus, and elongation at break. The pin-bearing properties usually correlate well with tensile properties. Tensile strength and pin-bearing strength decrease but tensile modulus increases on addition of WF. The tensile strength, pin-bearing strength, and mode of pin-bearing failure also depends on the void content. Increase in void content has a detrimental effect on all the mechanical properties. Wide variation is observed in impact strength because of unpredictable void content due to use of non-vented extrusion process. TGA indicates insignificant effect of WF on thermal stability of composites. Infrared spectroscopy indicates some interaction between PVC and WF.
Kenaf Core Reinforced High-density Polyethylene/Soya Powder Composites: The Effects of Filler Loading and Compatibilizer
Authors: Ismail H. , Hamid Abdullah A. , Abu Bakar A.
Published: March 2010

The effects of kenaf core loading and maleated polyethylene (MAPE) as a compatibilizer on processing torque, mechanical properties, and water absorption were studied. HDPE/soya powder/kenaf core composites were prepared by incorporation of kenaf core powder at different loadings into HDPE/soya powder matrix with an internal mixer (Haake PolyLab) at 180°C and 50 rpm rotor speed. A compatibilizer, i.e., MAPE, was used to improve the matrix-filler interaction and the mechanical properties of the composites. The results indicated that tensile strength and elongation at break decreased with increasing filler loading, whereas stabilization torque, tensile modulus, flexural strength, flexural modulus, and water absorption exhibited an increasing trend. The presence of MAPE also enhanced the tensile and flexural properties of the composites.
Research on Mechanical Behavior of the Flax/Polyactic Acid Composites
Authors: Xiao-Yun Wang , Qiu-Hong Wang , Huang Gu
Published: March 2010

Composite boards were fabricated using a heat press machine with flax fiber as the reinforcement material and polyactic acid fiber as the matrix. Mechanical properties of the material were tested, and the results indicated that the flax fiber volume fraction of 35% may be a better choice as far as the tensile and bending properties are concerned. Too low a flax volume fraction would reduce the reinforcing effect of the flax fiber. Too high a flax volume fraction may induce defective bonding between the fiber and the matrix. The orientation of the reinforcing fiber in the material played an important role in determining the mechanical behavior of the materials.
Inorganic Particle Size and Content Effects on Tensile Strength of Polymer Composites
Authors: Liang J.Z. , Li A.
Published: March 2010

The influence of inorganic filler particle size and content on tensile strength of polymer composites was discussed in this paper. Based on an interfacial model between inclusion and matrix and the work by Turcsanyi et al., an expression of interfacial adhesion parameter B was proposed, and a new tensile strength equation considering particle diameter effect for polymer composites was derived. A polypropylene (PP) filled with diatomite was fabricated by means of a twin-screw extruder, and the tensile mechanical properties were measured at room temperature to identify the effects of the filler diameter and content on the tensile mechanical properties of these composites. It was found that the tensile strength of these composite systems decreased slightly with an increase of the filler diameter. This equation was initially verified by using these measured data of tensile strength of the PP/diatomite composites. The results show that the predictions were close to the measured data of tensile strength, and the maximum relative errors between them were within 10%.
Poly-Ether-Ether-Ketone Composites Reinforced with Alumina Nanoparticles: Processing and Characterization
Authors: Ramana Reddy K. , Parameswaran Venkitanarayanan , Sundaraiah K. , Singh R.K. , Bhasker Rao K.U. , Iyengar N.G.R.
Published: March 2010

In this study, the thermoplastic poly-ether-ether-ketone (PEEK) was reinforced with alumina nanoparticles and the effect of adding nanoparticles on the properties of PEEK was investigated. A novel processing route consisting of first dispersing the nanoparticles and fine PEEK powder in ethanol medium through ultrasonication and then compounding the dried mixture in a single screw extruder to produce tapes was adapted to make the composites. Composites having particle weight fractions of 1%, 2%, 3%, and 5% were prepared successfully. Transmission electron micrographs of the prepared composites indicated excellent dispersion of nanoparticles even for the 5% composite. Subsequently, thermal, tensile and dynamic properties of the composite were evaluated. The results of the thermal characterization indicated that addition of 5% weight fraction of the nanoparticles improved the thermal decomposition temperature by 27°C. The storage modulus increased with addition of nanoparticles whereas the loss factor decreased. The tensile strength and failure strain of the 5% composite was respectively, 9% and 28% higher than that of PEEK.
Effect of Grafting on Properties of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Fiber Reinforced Polycaprolactone Biocomposites
Authors: Mohammad Zhariff Abdul Hamid  , Nor Azowa Ibrahim  , Wan Md Zin Wan Yunus  , Zaman Khairul , Dahlan Mohd
Published: March 2010

Biocomposites of polycaprolactones (PCL) and oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber (OPEFB) were prepared and characterized. In order to improve the mechanical properties the biocomposites, the OPEFB was modified by grafting with methyl methacrylate (MMA). The modification of fiber was carried out at 70°C under nitrogen atmosphere by using hydrogen peroxide as an initiator and Fe2+ as catalyst. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis showed that, after modification, the OH stretching in the sample was decreased, while the C=O absorption was increased. The grafted and the ungrafted OPEFB were used to prepare PCL/OPEFB-g-PMMA and PCL/OPEFB biocomposites. The tensile and flexural strength of PCL/OPEFB-g-PMMA composite were improved, indicating good interaction between OPEFB-g-PMMA and PCL. An improvement of impact strength also can be seen in the PCL/OPEFB-g-PMMA composite. The micrographs of the tensile specimens of the fractured surface examined by the scanning electron microscopy demonstrated better adhesion between the grafted OPEFB and PCL.
Cadmium transport in blood serum
Authors: Saljooghi Amir Shokooh , Fatemi SJ
Published: March 2010

The binding of Cd2+ to human serum transferrin in 0.1 M N-(2-hydroxyethyl) piperazine-N ′-2-ethanesulfonic acid and 5 mM sodium bicarbonate at pH 7.4 has been studied by difference ultraviolet spectrophotometry. The apparent association constants were found to be 2.61 × 105 M —1 and 8.51 × 104M— 1, respectively. These association constants are pH-dependent, reducing with both increasing and decreasing pH. The apparent pKa values were found to be 4.93 and 5.42. Competitive assays of binding of Cd2+ to transferrin in the presence of citrate and human serum albumin at molar ratios corresponding to those found in normal plasma showed that a considerable amount of Cd2+ was not bound to transferrin. The competitive binding assays indicate that ∼50% of Cd2+ is bound to transferrin, ∼37% to albumin and reminder to citrate. These results therefore suggest that, although transferrin at pH 7.4 is the major Cd 2+-binding component of plasma, an appreciable amount of Cd2+ may be bound to albumin.
A new method for early assessment of effects of exposing two non-target crustacean species, Asellus aquaticus and Gammarus fossarum, to pesticides, a laboratory study
Authors: Lukančič Simon , Žibrat Uroš , Mezek Tadej , Jerebic Andreja , Simčič Tatjana , Brancelj Anton
Published: March 2010

A reliable method is needed for assessing the condition of aquatic animals and their resistance to toxic pollutants. The physiological responses of two freshwater crustaceans, Asellus aquaticus and Gammarus fossarum, following in vitro exposure to two pesticides (atrazine and imidacloprid), were measured by a combination of electron transport system (ETS) activity and respiration (R). Short-term exposure concentrations were selected according to standard toxicity tests and ranged from 0.01 mg L—1 to 10 mg L—1. When pesticide concentration was greater than 1 mg l— 1 (which is below the LC50 [48 hours] determined for both species), A. aquaticus and G. fossarum responded to short-term exposure with elevated levels of R and/or lower levels of ETS activity. One hour exposure to concentrations of up to 10 mg L—1 showed an effect in both test species. Laboratory tests confirmed that G. fossarum is more sensitive to short-term pesticide exposure than A. aquaticus. The combination of these two methods provides a useful and effective tool for assessing the general condition of aquatic animals. It also enables to determine toxic effects on freshwater biota of specific or combined pollutants. ETS/R ratio may be used as a quick predictor of effects on organisms exposed to pesticides and other stress factors such as changes in temperature, light, salinity, oxygen concentration and food.
Effect of formaldehyde inhalation on rat livers: A light and electron microscopic study
Authors: Cikmaz Selman , Kutoglu Tunc , Kanter Mehmet , Mesut Recep
Published: March 2010

It is well known that formaldehyde (FA) is cytotoxic and potentially carcinogenic. Although the individual effects of this reactant on cells has been investigated, the cytotoxicity exerted by the coexistence of FA is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of FA on the liver in rats, by light and electron microscopic level. We used 18 Wistar albino rats divided into three groups, exposed to 0 (control), 19.7 ppm FA gas for a total of 4 weeks, 8 h/day, 5 days a week (subacute) and 20.3 parts per million (ppm) FA gas for a total of 13 weeks, 8 h/day, 5 days a week (subchronic). After the completion of the exposure period, they were sacrificed by decapitation and their liver tissue samples were taken in order to be processed for light and electron microscopic studies. Light microscopic evaluation of liver tissue samples of FA-exposed rats revealed enlarged sinusoids filled with blood and mononuclear cell infiltration in the portal areas and around the central veins. In addition, some of the hepatocytes showed loss of cytoplasm, and some had a hyperchromatic nucleus. The cells of FA-exposed livers, on the other hand, showed an electron-lucent ground-cytoplasm and a hypertrophy of the smooth-surfaced endoplasmic reticulum. In conclusion, we observed that exposure FA caused diverse histopathological changes indicating the destruction in the liver tissue and this destruction has direct relationship with the length of the exposure period.