bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Intradural Intramedullary Mixed Type Hemangioma: Optimizing the Surgical Management through Intraoperative Neurophysiological Monitoring
Authors: Rahyussalim Ahmad Jabir , Situmeang Adrian , Safri Ahmad Yanuar , Fadhly Zulfa Indah K.
Published: December 2015

Intradural intramedullary mixed type hemangioma is a rare histotype of primary spinal cord tumors, though it can carry a severe clinical burden leading to limb dysfunction or motor and sensory disturbances. Timely intervention with radical resection is the hallmark of treatment but achieving it is not an easy task even for experienced neurosurgeons. We herein present an exemplificative case presenting with sudden paraplegia in which total resection was achieved under intraoperative neurophysiology monitoring. A thorough discussion on the operative technique and the role of neuromonitoring in allowing a safe surgical management of primary spinal cord tumors is presented.
Emerging Implications for Extracellular Matrix‐Based Technologies in Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation
Authors: Londono Ricardo , Gorantla Vijay S. , Badylak Stephen F.
Published: December 2015

Despite recent progress in vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA), limitations including complex, high dose immunosuppression regimens, lifelong risk of toxicity from immunosuppressants, acute and most critically chronic graft rejection, and suboptimal nerve regeneration remain particularly challenging obstacles restricting clinical progress. When properly configured, customized, and implemented, biomaterials derived from the extracellular matrix (ECM) retain bioactive molecules and immunomodulatory properties that can promote stem cell migration, proliferation and differentiation, and constructive functional tissue remodeling. The present paper reviews the emerging implications of ECM‐based technologies in VCA, including local immunomodulation, tissue repair, nerve regeneration, minimally invasive graft targeted drug delivery, stem cell transplantation, and other donor graft manipulation.
Rapid and Accurate Identification of Adulterants via an Electronic Nose and DNA Identification Platform: Identification of Fake Velvet Antlers as an Example
Authors: Xu Guojie , Liu Chunsheng , Liao Caili , Ren Xiaolei , Zhang Xinyue , Fu Xiaorui , Wang Xueyong
Published: December 2015

Background.Adulterants in Chinese medicines had always affected the efficacy of Chinese medicines and resulted in safety problems in drug use. We aimed to take the identification of fake velvet antlers as an example for establishment of a rapid and accurate identification platform for modern pharmaceutical companies and markets of Chinese medicine.Methods.In this study, we developed a novel electronic nose and DNA identification platform for identifying fake velvet antlers. Electronic nose was designed for rapid screening, while accurate identification based on DNA method was performed when electronic nose fails to accurately identify some complex samples.Results.Rapid identification of different velvet antlers based on electronic nose showed the good identification power, while accurate identification based on DNA sequencing technology demonstrated a correct identification rate of 100%. We also mined thirty conserved specific sites of fake velvet antlers, which was useful for further work.Conclusions.The results suggested that electronic nose and DNA identification platform was effective for rapid and accurate identification of fake velvet antlers. It highly improved efficiency and decreased cost of identification and could provide a new sight and inspiration for identification in the field of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).
An Observational and Model Characterization of Vertical Structure of Wind Fields over Eastern United States: A Case Study of Sterling, Virginia
Authors: Gebremariam Sium , Demoz Belay , Okonkwo Churchill , Sakai Ricardo K.
Published: December 2015

The performance of twenty GCMs that participated in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Phase 5 (CMIP5) is evaluated at Sterling, Virginia, by comparing model outputs with radiosonde observational dataset and reanalysis dataset. We evaluated CMIP5 models in their ability to simulate wind climatology, seasonal cycle, interannual variability, and trends at the pressure levels from 850 hPa to 30 hPa. We also addressed the question of the number of years required to detect statistically significant wind trends using radiosonde wind measurements. Our results show that CMIP5 models and reanalysis successfully reproduced the observed climatological annual mean zonal wind and wind speed vertical distribution. They also capture the observed seasonal zonal, meridional, and wind speed vertical distribution with stronger (weaker) wind during the winter (summer) season. However, there is some disagreement in the magnitude of vertical profiles among CMIP5 models, reanalysis, and radiosonde observation. Overall, the number of years to obtain statistically significant trend decreases with increasing pressure level except for upper troposphere. Although the vertical profile of interannual variability of CMIP5 models and reanalysis agree with the radiosonde observation, the wind trend is not statistically significant. This indicates that detection of trends on local scale is challenging because of small signal-to-noise ratio problems.
Dysfunctions in the Mature Dendritic Cells Are Associated with the Presence of Metastases of Colorectal Cancer in the Surrounding Lymph Nodes
Authors: Pryczynicz Anna , Cepowicz Dariusz , Zaręba Konrad , Gryko Mariusz , Hołody-Zaręba Joanna , Kędra Bogusław , Kemona Andrzej , Guzińska-Ustymowicz Katarzyna
Published: December 2015

Dendritic cells play a key role in the antigen presentation and T cell activation. The aim of this study was a detailed analysis of the presence of mature dendritic cells (CD 83 positive) in colorectal cancer in correlation with selected clinicopathological parameters. The presence of mature dendritic cells (mDCs) was determined immunohistochemically using the anti-CD83 antibody. The morphometric analysis of the mDCs was performed in the normal colon wall adjacent to the cancerous tumor as well as in the front of the tumor and in the main mass of the cancerous tumor. Decrease in mDCs in the front and in the main tumor mass was observed. The increase in the number of mDCs in both of these locations was associated with the presence of metastases in the nearby lymph nodes (p<0.05andp<0.01). Furthermore, the increase in the proportion of mDCs in the main tumor mass was associated with the presence of the invasion of tumor cells into the blood and lymph vessels(p<0.01). The increase in the amount of mDCs in the cancerous tumor is associated with the invasiveness of the tumor and especially with the metastasis to the surrounding lymph nodes.
Self-Trained LMT for Semisupervised Learning
Authors: Fazakis Nikos , Karlos Stamatis , Kotsiantis Sotiris , Sgarbas Kyriakos
Published: December 2015

The most important asset of semisupervised classification methods is the use of available unlabeled data combined with a clearly smaller set of labeled examples, so as to increase the classification accuracy compared with the default procedure of supervised methods, which on the other hand use only the labeled data during the training phase. Both the absence of automated mechanisms that produce labeled data and the high cost of needed human effort for completing the procedure of labelization in several scientific domains rise the need for semisupervised methods which counterbalance this phenomenon. In this work, a self-trained Logistic Model Trees (LMT) algorithm is presented, which combines the characteristics of Logistic Trees under the scenario of poor available labeled data. We performed an in depth comparison with other well-known semisupervised classification methods on standard benchmark datasets and we finally reached to the point that the presented technique had better accuracy in most cases.
Cholecystostomy as Bridge to Surgery and as Definitive Treatment or Acute Cholecystectomy in Patients with Acute Cholecystitis
Authors: Popowicz Agnieszka , Lundell Lars , Gerber Peter , Gustafsson Ulf , Pieniowski Emil , Sinabulya Helen , Sjödahl Krister , Tsekrekos Andrianos , Sandblom Gabriel
Published: December 2015

Purpose.Percutaneous cholecystostomy (PC) has increasingly been used as bridge to surgery as well as sole treatment for patients with acute cholecystitis (AC). The aim of the study was to assess the outcome after PC compared to acute cholecystectomy in patients with AC.Methods.A review of medical records was performed on all patients residing in Stockholm County treated for AC in the years 2003 and 2008.Results.In 2003 and 2008 altogether 799 and 833 patients were admitted for AC. The number of patients treated with PC was 21/799 (2.6%) in 2003 and 50/833 (6.0%) in 2008. The complication rate (Clavien-Dindo ≥ 2) was 4/71 (5.6%) after PC and 135/736 (18.3%) after acute cholecystectomy. Mean (standard deviation) hospital stay was 11.4 (10.5) days for patients treated with PC and 5.1 (4.3) days for patients undergoing acute cholecystectomy. After adjusting for age, gender, Charlson comorbidity index, and degree of cholecystitis, the hospital stay was significantly longer for patients treated with PC than for those undergoing acute cholecystectomy (P<0.001) but the risk for intervention-related complications was found to be significantly lower (P=0.001) in the PC group.Conclusion.PC can be performed with few serious complications, albeit with a longer hospital stay.
A Dishful of a Troubled Mind: Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells in Psychiatric Research
Authors: Kálmán Sára , Hathy Edit , Réthelyi János M.
Published: December 2015

Neuronal differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells and direct reprogramming represent powerful methods for modeling the development of neurons in vitro. Moreover, this approach is also a means for comparing various cellular phenotypes between cell lines originating from healthy and diseased individuals or isogenic cell lines engineered to differ at only one or a few genomic loci. Despite methodological constraints and initial skepticism regarding this approach, the field is expanding at a fast pace. The improvements include the development of new differentiation protocols resulting in selected neuronal populations (e.g., dopaminergic, GABAergic, hippocampal, and cortical), the widespread use of genome editing methods, and single‐cell techniques. A major challenge awaiting in vitro disease modeling is the integration of clinical data in the models, by selection of well characterized clinical populations. Ideally, these models will also demonstrate how different diagnostic categories share overlapping molecular disease mechanisms, but also have unique characteristics. In this review we evaluate studies with regard to the described developments, to demonstrate how differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells and direct reprogramming can contribute to psychiatry.
Cartilage Defect Treatments: With or without Cells? Mesenchymal Stem Cells or Chondrocytes? Traditional or Matrix‐Assisted? A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analyses
Authors: Deng Zhantao , Jin Jiewen , Zhao Jianning , Xu Haidong
Published: December 2015

Articular cartilage defects have been addressed by using multiple strategies. In the last two decades, promising new strategies by using assorted scaffolds and cell sources to induce tissue regeneration have emerged, such as autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) and mesenchymal stem cell implantation (MSCI). However, it is still controversial in the clinical strategies when to choose these treatments. Thus, we conducted a systematic review and meta‐analyses to compare the efficacy and safety of different cartilage treatments. In our study, 17 studies were selected to compare different treatments for cartilage defects. The results of meta‐analyses indicated that cell‐based cartilage treatments showed significant better efficacy than cell‐free treatments did (OR: 4.27, 95% CI: 2.19–8.34; WMD: 10.11, 95% CI: 2.69–16.53). Another result indicated that MACT had significant better efficacy than traditional ACI did (OR: 0.49, 95% CI: 0.30–0.82). Besides, the incidence of graft hypertrophy of MACT was slightly lower than that of traditional ACI (OR: 2.43, 95% CI: 1.00–5.94). Current data showed that the cell‐based treatments and MACT are better options for cartilage treatments, but more well‐designed comparative studies are still needed to enhance our understanding of different treatments for cartilage defects.
Difficulties in Determining Snowpack Sublimation in Complex Terrain at the Macroscale
Authors: Svoma Bohumil M.
Published: December 2015

In many mountainous regions, snowmelt is an essential component of water resources and ecosystem function and snow sublimation often leads to water loss from the given drainage basin. Previous investigators have developed numerous modeling and measurement techniques to quantify sublimation, illustrating high variability over short distances. The complexities of modeling and measuring sublimation limit investigations to smaller scales in complex terrain and therefore the effects that microscale controls on sublimation have at the macroscale are not well understood. A key component of microscale variability, vegetation cover, can change on short time scales relative to other components (e.g., slope, aspect, and elevation) in response to natural and anthropogenic influences such as land use practice, drought, wildfire, insect infestation, and climate change. Basic vegetation-sublimation relationships may vary within a given drainage basin, by climate type, seasonally, and interannually. It is therefore particularly important to advance understanding of vegetation effects on sublimation at the macroscale.
Differential Serum Cytokine Levels and Risk of Lung Cancer Between African and European Americans
Authors: Pine Sharon R. , Mechanic Leah E. , Enewold Lindsey , Bowman Elise D. , Ryan Bríd M. , Cote Michele L. , Wenzlaff Angela S. , Loffredo Christopher A. , Olivo-Marston Susan , Chaturvedi Anil , Caporaso Neil E. , Schwartz Ann G. , Harris Curtis C.
Published: December 2015

Background: African Americans have a higher risk of developing lung cancer than European Americans. Previous studies suggested that certain circulating cytokines were associated with lung cancer. We hypothesized that variations in serum cytokine levels exist between African Americans and European Americans, and increased circulating cytokine levels contribute to lung cancer differently in the two races.

Methods: Differences in 10 serum cytokine levels, IL1β, IL4, IL5, IL6, IL8, IL10, IL12, granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor, IFNγ, and TNFα, between 170 African-American and 296 European-American controls from the National Cancer Institute-Maryland (NCI-MD) case–control study were assessed. Associations of the serum cytokine levels with lung cancer were analyzed. Statistically significant results were replicated in the prospective Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial and the Wayne State University Karmanos Cancer Institute case–control study.

Results: Six cytokines, IL4, IL5, IL8, IL10, IFNγ, and TNFα, were significantly higher among European-American as compared with African-American controls. Elevated IL6 and IL8 levels were associated with lung cancer among both races in all three studies. Elevated IL1β, IL10, and TNFα levels were associated with lung cancer only among African Americans. The association between elevated TNFα levels and lung cancer among European Americans was significant after adjustment for additional factors.

Conclusions: Serum cytokine levels vary by race and might contribute to lung cancer differently between African Americans and European Americans.

Impact: Future work examining risk prediction models of lung cancer can measure circulating cytokines to accurately characterize risk within racial groups. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 25(3); 488–97. ©2015 AACR.
Dietary Intake of One-Carbon Metabolism–Related Nutrients and Pancreatic Cancer Risk: The Singapore Chinese Health Study
Authors: Huang Joyce Y. , Butler Lesley M. , Wang Renwei , Jin Aizhen , Koh Woon-Puay , Yuan Jian-Min
Published: December 2015

Background: Nutrients involved in one-carbon metabolism are hypothesized to protect against pancreatic cancer development.

Methods: The Singapore Chinese Health Study database was used to prospectively examine the association between intake of one-carbon metabolism–related nutrients and pancreatic cancer risk. Between 1993 and 1998, 63,257 men and women ages 45 to 74 years were enrolled into the cohort. The daily intakes of the following one-carbon metabolism–related nutrients were assessed at enrollment using a 165-item food frequency questionnaire: betaine, choline, folate, and vitamins B2, B6, and B12. Multivariable HRs and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for pancreatic cancer risk associated with dietary intakes of one-carbon metabolism–related nutrients were calculated.

Results: As of December 2013, 271 incident pancreatic cancer cases were identified during an average of 16.3 years of follow-up. Higher intakes of vitamin B6 and choline were associated with statistically significant decreases in the risk of developing pancreatic cancer. Compared with the lowest quartile, HRs (95% CIs) for the highest quartiles of vitamin B6 and choline were 0.52 (0.36–0.74; P trend = 0.001) and 0.67 (0.48–0.93; P trend = 0.04), respectively. There were no clear associations between the other one-carbon metabolism–related nutrients and pancreatic cancer risk.

Conclusion: Our study suggests that higher intake of vitamin B6 and choline may lower the risk of pancreatic cancer.

Impact: Our prospective findings are consistent with the in vivo evidence for protective roles of vitamin B6 and choline on pancreatic cancer development. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 25(2); 417–24. ©2015 AACR.
Performance of Three-Biomarker Immunohistochemistry for Intrinsic Breast Cancer Subtyping in the AMBER Consortium
Authors: Allott Emma H. , Cohen Stephanie M. , Geradts Joseph , Sun Xuezheng , Khoury Thaer , Bshara Wiam , Zirpoli Gary R. , Miller C. Ryan , Hwang Helena , Thorne Leigh B. , O'Connor Siobhan , Tse Chiu-Kit , Bell Mary B. , Hu Zhiyuan , Li Yan , Kirk Erin L. , Bethea Traci N. , Perou Charles M. , Palmer Julie R. , Ambrosone Christine B. , Olshan Andrew F. , Troester Melissa A.
Published: December 2015

Background: Classification of breast cancer into intrinsic subtypes has clinical and epidemiologic importance. To examine accuracy of IHC-based methods for identifying intrinsic subtypes, a three-biomarker IHC panel was compared with the clinical record and RNA-based intrinsic (PAM50) subtypes.

Methods: Automated scoring of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and HER2 was performed on IHC-stained tissue microarrays comprising 1,920 cases from the African American Breast Cancer Epidemiology and Risk (AMBER) consortium. Multiple cores (1–6/case) were collapsed to classify cases, and automated scoring was compared with the clinical record and to RNA-based subtyping.

Results: Automated analysis of the three-biomarker IHC panel produced high agreement with the clinical record (93% for ER and HER2, and 88% for PR). Cases with low tumor cellularity and smaller core size had reduced agreement with the clinical record. IHC-based definitions had high agreement with the clinical record regardless of hormone receptor positivity threshold (1% vs. 10%), but a 10% threshold produced highest agreement with RNA-based intrinsic subtypes. Using a 10% threshold, IHC-based definitions identified the basal-like intrinsic subtype with high sensitivity (86%), although sensitivity was lower for luminal A, luminal B, and HER2-enriched subtypes (76%, 40%, and 37%, respectively).

Conclusion: Three-biomarker IHC-based subtyping has reasonable accuracy for distinguishing basal-like from nonbasal-like, although additional biomarkers are required for accurate classification of luminal A, luminal B, and HER2-enriched cancers.

Impact: Epidemiologic studies relying on three-biomarker IHC status for subtype classification should use caution when distinguishing luminal A from luminal B and when interpreting findings for HER2-enriched cancers. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 25(3); 470–8. ©2015 AACR.
Effective Clinical Responses in Metastatic Melanoma Patients after Vaccination with Primary Myeloid Dendritic Cells
Authors: Schreibelt Gerty , Bol Kalijn F. , Westdorp Harm , Wimmers Florian , Aarntzen Erik H.J.G. , Duiveman-de Boer Tjitske , van de Rakt Mandy W.M.M. , Scharenborg Nicole M. , de Boer Annemiek J. , Pots Jeanette M. , Olde Nordkamp Michel A.M. , van Oorschot Tom G.M. , Tel Jurjen , Winkels Gregor , Petry Katja , Blokx Willeke A.M. , van Rossum Michelle M. , Welzen Marieke E.B. , Mus Roel D.M. , Croockewit Sandra A.J. , Koornstra Rutger H.T. , Jacobs Joannes F.M. , Kelderman Sander , Blank Christian U. , Gerritsen Winald R. , Punt Cornelis J.A. , Figdor Carl G. , de Vries I. Jolanda M.
Published: December 2015

Purpose: Thus far, dendritic cell (DC)-based immunotherapy of cancer was primarily based on in vitro–generated monocyte-derived DCs, which require extensive in vitro manipulation. Here, we report on a clinical study exploiting primary CD1c+ myeloid DCs, naturally circulating in the blood.

Experimental Design: Fourteen stage IV melanoma patients, without previous systemic treatment for metastatic disease, received autologous CD1c+ myeloid DCs, activated by only brief (16 hours) ex vivo culture and loaded with tumor-associated antigens of tyrosinase and gp100.

Results: Our results show that therapeutic vaccination against melanoma with small amounts (3–10 × 106) of myeloid DCs is feasible and without substantial toxicity. Four of 14 patients showed long-term progression-free survival (12–35 months), which directly correlated with the development of multifunctional CD8+ T-cell responses in three of these patients. In particular, high CD107a expression, indicative for cytolytic activity, and IFNγ as well as TNFα and CCL4 production was observed. Apparently, these T-cell responses are essential to induce tumor regression and promote long-term survival by stalling tumor growth.

Conclusions: We show that vaccination of metastatic melanoma patients with primary myeloid DCs is feasible and safe and results in induction of effective antitumor immune responses that coincide with improved progression-free survival. Clin Cancer Res; 22(9); 2155–66. ©2015 AACR.
Identification of an Immunogenic Subset of Metastatic Uveal Melanoma
Authors: Rothermel Luke D. , Sabesan Arvind C. , Stephens Daniel J. , Chandran Smita S. , Paria Biman C. , Srivastava Abhishek K. , Somerville Robert , Wunderlich John R. , Lee Chyi-Chia R. , Xi Liqiang , Pham Trinh H. , Raffeld Mark , Jailwala Parthav , Kasoji Manjula , Kammula Udai S.
Published: December 2015

Purpose: Uveal melanoma is a rare melanoma variant with no effective therapies once metastases develop. Although durable cancer regression can be achieved in metastatic cutaneous melanoma with immunotherapies that augment naturally existing antitumor T-cell responses, the role of these treatments for metastatic uveal melanoma remains unclear. We sought to define the relative immunogenicity of these two melanoma variants and determine whether endogenous antitumor immune responses exist against uveal melanoma.

Experimental Design: We surgically procured liver metastases from uveal melanoma (n = 16) and cutaneous melanoma (n = 35) patients and compared the attributes of their respective tumor cell populations and their infiltrating T cells (TIL) using clinical radiology, histopathology, immune assays, and whole-exomic sequencing.

Results: Despite having common melanocytic lineage, uveal melanoma and cutaneous melanoma metastases differed in their melanin content, tumor differentiation antigen expression, and somatic mutational profile. Immunologic analysis of TIL cultures expanded from these divergent forms of melanoma revealed cutaneous melanoma TIL were predominantly composed of CD8+ T cells, whereas uveal melanoma TIL were CD4+ dominant. Reactivity against autologous tumor was significantly greater in cutaneous melanoma TIL compared with uveal melanoma TIL. However, we identified TIL from a subset of uveal melanoma patients which had robust antitumor reactivity comparable in magnitude with cutaneous melanoma TIL. Interestingly, the absence of melanin pigmentation in the parental tumor strongly correlated with the generation of highly reactive uveal melanoma TIL.

Conclusions: The discovery of this immunogenic group of uveal melanoma metastases should prompt clinical efforts to determine whether patients who harbor these unique tumors can benefit from immunotherapies that exploit endogenous antitumor T-cell populations. Clin Cancer Res; 22(9); 2237–49. ©2015 AACR.
Antarctic and Southern Ocean Surface Temperatures in CMIP5 Models in the Context of the Surface Energy Budget*
Authors: Schneider David P. , Reusch David B.
Published: December 2015

This study examines the biases, intermodel spread, and intermodel range of surface air temperature (SAT) across the Antarctic ice sheet and Southern Ocean in 26 structurally different climate models. Over the ocean (40°–60°S), an ensemble-mean warm bias peaks in late austral summer concurrently with the peak in the intermodel range of SAT. This warm bias lags a spring–summer positive bias in net surface radiation due to weak shortwave cloud forcing and is gradually reduced during autumn and winter. For the ice sheet, inconsistencies among reanalyses and observational datasets give low confidence in the ensemble-mean bias of SAT, but a small summer warm bias is suggested in comparison with nonreanalysis SAT data. The ensemble mean hides a large intermodel range of SAT, which peaks during the summer insolation maximum. In summer on the ice sheet, the SAT intermodel spread is largely associated with the surface albedo. In winter, models universally exhibit a too-strong deficit in net surface radiation related to the downward longwave radiation, implying that the lower atmosphere is too stable. This radiation deficit is balanced by the transfer of sensible heat toward the surface (which largely explains the intermodel spread in SAT) and by a subsurface heat flux. The winter bias in downward longwave radiation is due to the longwave cloud radiative effect, which the ensemble mean underestimates by a factor of 2. The implications of these results for improving climate simulations over Antarctica and the Southern Ocean are discussed.
Atmospheric Diabatic Heating in Different Weather States and the General Circulation
Authors: Rossow William B. , Zhang Yuanchong , Tselioudis George
Published: December 2015

Analysis of multiple global satellite products identifies distinctive weather states of the atmosphere from the mesoscale pattern of cloud properties and quantifies the associated diabatic heating/cooling by radiative flux divergence, precipitation, and surface sensible heat flux. The results show that the forcing for the atmospheric general circulation is a very dynamic process, varying strongly at weather space–time scales, comprising relatively infrequent, strong heating events by “stormy” weather and more nearly continuous, weak cooling by “fair” weather. Such behavior undercuts the value of analyses of time-averaged energy exchanges in observations or numerical models. It is proposed that an analysis of the joint time-related variations of the global weather states and the general circulation on weather space–time scales might be used to establish useful “feedback like” relationships between cloud processes and the large-scale circulation.
Measurement of Incoming Radiation below Forest Canopies: A Comparison of Different Radiometer Configurations
Authors: Webster Clare , Rutter Nick , Zahner Franziska , Jonas Tobias
Published: December 2015

Ground-based, subcanopy measurements of incoming shortwave and longwave radiation are frequently used to drive and validate energy balance and snowmelt models. These subcanopy measurements are frequently obtained using different configurations (linear or distributed; stationary or moving) of radiometer arrays that are installed to capture the spatial and temporal variability of longwave and shortwave radiation. Three different radiometer configurations (stationary distributed, stationary linear, and moving linear) were deployed in a spruce forest in the eastern Swiss Alps during a 9-month period, capturing the annual range of sun angles and sky conditions. Results showed a strong seasonal variation in differences between measurements of shortwave transmissivity between the three configurations, whereas differences in longwave enhancement appeared to be seasonally independent. Shortwave transmissivity showed a larger spatial variation in the subcanopy than longwave enhancement at this field site. The two linear configurations showed the greatest similarity in shortwave transmissivity measurements, and the measurements of longwave enhancement were largely similar between all three configurations. A reduction in the number of radiometers in each array reduced the similarities between each stationary configuration. The differences presented here are taken to reflect the natural threshold of spatial noise in subcanopy measurements that can be expected between the three configurations.
Three-Dimensional Distribution of Turbulent Mixing in the South China Sea
Authors: Yang Qingxuan , Zhao Wei , Liang Xinfeng , Tian Jiwei
Published: December 2015

A three-dimensional distribution of turbulent mixing in the South China Sea (SCS) is obtained for the first time, using the Gregg–Henyey–Polzin parameterization and hydrographic observations from 2005 to 2012. Results indicate that turbulent mixing generally increases with depth in the SCS, reaching the order of 10−2 m2 s−1 at depth. In the horizontal direction, turbulence is more active in the northern SCS than in the south and is more active in the east than the west. Two mixing “hotspots” are identified in the bottom water of the Luzon Strait and Zhongsha Island Chain area, where diapycnal diffusivity values are around 3 × 10−2 m2 s−1. Potential mechanisms responsible for these spatial patterns are discussed, which include internal tide, bottom bathymetry, and near-inertial energy.
Regional Soil Moisture Biases and Their Influence on WRF Model Temperature Forecasts over the Intermountain West
Authors: Massey Jeffrey D. , Steenburgh W. James , Knievel Jason C. , Cheng William Y. Y.
Published: December 2015

Operational Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model forecasts run over Dugway Proving Ground (DPG) in northwest Utah, produced by the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command Four-Dimensional Weather System (4DWX), underpredict the amplitude of the diurnal temperature cycle during September and October. Mean afternoon [2000 UTC (1300 LST)] and early morning [1100 UTC (0400 LST)] 2-m temperature bias errors evaluated against 195 surface stations using 6- and 12-h forecasts are –1.37° and 1.66°C, respectively. Bias errors relative to soundings and 4DWX-DPG analyses illustrate that the afternoon cold bias extends from the surface to above the top of the planetary boundary layer, whereas the early morning warm bias develops in the lowest model levels and is confined to valleys and basins. These biases are largest during mostly clear conditions and are caused primarily by a regional overestimation of near-surface soil moisture in operational land surface analyses, which do not currently assimilate in situ soil moisture observations. Bias correction of these soil moisture analyses using data from 42 North American Soil Moisture Database stations throughout the Intermountain West reduces both the afternoon and early morning bias errors and improves forecasts of upper-level temperature and stability. These results illustrate that the assimilation of in situ and remotely sensed soil moisture observations, including those from the recently launched NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission, have the potential to greatly improve land surface analyses and near-surface temperature forecasts over arid regions.
A Horizontal Index for the Influence of Upper-Level Environmental Flow on Tropical Cyclone Intensity
Authors: Qian Yu-Kun , Liang Chang-Xia , Peng Shiqiu , Chen Shumin , Wang Sihua
Published: December 2015

A horizontal map of the upper-level forcing index (ULFI) is constructed to show the possible influence of upper-level large-scale environmental flow on the intensity change of tropical cyclones (TCs). The ULFI includes three commonly used diagnostics, that is, 200-hPa eddy flux convergences of both relative (REFC) and planetary angular momentum (PEFC), as well as axisymmetric absolute vorticity as a denominator that rescales the strength of the eddy forcings similar to the outflow-layer inertial stability. A simple procedure is adopted to convert these storm-relative components and the ULFI into Eulerian horizontal maps. Applications of this index map to three selected TC cases clearly demonstrate the process of upper-level TC–environment interaction: when a TC moves into a region of high (low) index, significant upper-level asymmetric forcing is exerted on the TC, leading to the strengthening (weakening) of the TC’s axisymmetric outflow and then possibly its intensity. As such, the horizontal map of ULFI not only provides a quantitative way of estimating the strength of upper-level asymmetric forcing at each grid point, but also serves as an indicator showing where the possible intensity change of a TC would occur under the influence of upper-level environmental flow. The index is thus recommended to be used in future studies of TC–environment interaction.
The Rise of India in the Development of Africa: The Case of the Agro-food Sector
Authors: Régnier Philippe
Published: December 2015

Compared to the disputed rise of China in Africa, the emergence of India has been rather neglected. Facing a quasi-absence of reliable data and literature, this article makes an attempt to explore the expanding presence of India in Africa’s agro-food sector. Based on a preliminary collection of information in Eastern and Western Africa, the analysis suggests that India’s corporate sector has been the main driver, with the facilitation of pro-active Indo-African business networks historically established in Eastern and Southern Africa in particular. The role of the government of India has been occasional and subsidiary.
Teknonymy and Multi-Nominality as Multiple Identity Markers for Vhavenḓa: An Autochthonic View
Authors: Mandende Itani P , Chaka Chaka , Makgato Moshidi M
Published: December 2015

This paper investigates teknonymy and multi-nominality as multiple identity markers for Vhavenḓa from an autochthonic view. Employing an ethnographic research design, and locating its argument within a six-pronged theoretical framework, the paper gleaned its data from two sources − interviews and document reviews. Its participants comprised 100 respondents. From this standpoint, the paper has mounted a discussion of the Vhavenḓa teknonymy. With reference to the latter, it has given pride of place to both teknonymy and multi-nominality, arguing that the two help engender multiple references, multiple addresses, and multiple identities.
Culture matters – the training of senior civil servants in Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland
Authors: Knassmüller Monika , Veit Sylvia
Published: December 2015

Senior civil servants (SCS) are powerful actors with great responsibilities in the field of policymaking and management. Due to public sector reforms that are New Public Management oriented, specialised education and structured training programmes for (future) SCS as well as fast-track systems for high-potential employees have become increasingly important in many Western democracies over the last two decades. However, in several middle European countries SCS are hardly ever training participants, and furthermore, training systems have not been subject to larger reform efforts. In this article, the training of SCS in Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland is explored, and we discuss how the observable patterns of training policies can be explained. We argue that the existence or lack of desired human resource measures such as fast-track programmes might be explained by the dominant cultural orientations in these countries. In order to systematically address, further analyse and account for observations such as the fast-track example, we apply and explore the potential of grid-group typology, developed by anthropologist Mary Douglas as part of the cultural theory approach.
Vector Flow Imaging Compared with Conventional Doppler Ultrasound and Thermodilution for Estimation of Blood Flow in the Ascending Aorta
Authors: Hansen Kristoffer Lindskov , Møller-Sørensen Hasse , Kjaergaard Jesper , Jensen Maiken Brit , Lund Jens Teglgaard , Pedersen Mads Møller , Olesen Jacob Bjerring , Jensen Jørgen Arendt , Nielsen Michael Bachmann
Published: December 2015

Transverse oscillation (TO) is a real-time ultrasound vector flow method implemented on a commercial scanner. The TO setup was examined on a flowrig with constant and pulsatile flow. Subsequently, 25 patients undergoing cardiac bypass surgery were scanned intraoperatively with TO on the ascending aorta and compared to transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and pulmonary artery catheter thermodilution (PACTD). On the flowrig, TO had a precision of 5.5%, 9.4% and 14.7%, a percentage error of 18.2%, 14.6% and 40.7%, and a mean bias of 0.4 cm/s, 36.8 ml/min and 32.4 ml/min for velocity and flow rate (constant and pulsatile) estimation. The correlation coefficients for all flowrig evaluations were 0.99 indicating systematic bias. After bias correction, the percentage error was reduced to 11.5%, 12.6% and 15.9% for velocity and flow rate (constant and pulsatile) estimation. In the in vivo setup, TO, TEE, and PACTD had a precision of 21.9%, 13.7%, and 12.0%. TO compared with TEE and PACTD had a mean bias of 12.6 cm/s and −0.08 l/min, and a percentage error of 23.4%, and 36.7%, respectively. The percentage error was reduced to 22.9% for the TEE comparison, but increased to 43.8% for the PACTD comparison, after correction for the systematic bias found in the flowrig. TO is a reliable and precise method for velocity and flow rate estimation on a flowrig. However, TO with the present setup, is not interchangeable with PACTD for cardiac volume flow estimation, but is a reliable and precise angle-independent ultrasound alternative for velocity estimation of cardiac flow.
The politics of pleasure: Promenading on the Corniche and beachgoing
Authors: Khalili Laleh
Published: December 2015

Can the pleasures of young Palestinian women from refugee camps in promenading on the Beirut seaside Corniche on a warm summer evening be political? Or days spent at women-only beaches? If so, how do we understand such pleasure as everyday practices, as a politics of the present moment, or conversely (or simultaneously) as mechanisms of being co-opted into a broader apparatus of consumerist ideology and capitalist complacency? Drawing on ethnographic research over 2 years I argue that these moments of pleasure are caesuras in the massive apparatus of power – welded from strands of work, neoliberal practice, nationalist certitudes and political exclusion – which binds these women. These acts of pleasure cannot easily be categorised as ‘resistance’ but I argue that they should not facilely be considered reinforcements of hegemonic control either. They are momentary and ephemeral recognitions of ordinary life lived in hard times, attempts at clawing back an instant of joy from the drudgery of the everyday, and a surrender to the enjoyment of conviviality in public and urban spaces. If they are at all political, they are so because such conviviality is ever harder to sustain in the calamity of hopelessness that characterises so much politics today.
Combating misinformation in the ex-felon population
Authors: McCahon David S.
Published: December 2015

In-depth interviews conducted with recently released ex-felony offenders and months of participant observation, revealed that felon disenfranchisement laws and other exclusionary practices, cause ex-felons to wrongly believe they are without rights and benefits they retain in most US states, including the right to vote. Ex-felony offenders interviewed unknowingly exaggerated rights restrictions they faced post-conviction and often demonstrated that they were unable to decipher myth from truth, regarding their remaining rights. To mitigate misperceptions held by ex-felons, that alienate them from civil society, probation and parole agencies can facilitate civic reintegration through civic re-education.
Polity Without Politics? Artificial Intelligence Versus Democracy
Authors: Damnjanović Ivana
Published: December 2015

Is it time for politics and political theory to face the challenge of artificial intelligence (AI)? It seems to be the case that political theory constantly lags behind technological developments. With rapid developments in the field of AI, a common estimate is that technological singularity will probably happen in the next 50 to 200 years. Even regardless of the time frame, the very possibility of superhumanly smart AIs poses serious political questions and calls for some serious political decisions. Luckily, some scenarios are already provided by science fiction. The most common trope is that of a hostile AI taking over and destroying/enslaving humanity. Yet there is another path—AI takes over and makes itself a ruler (openly or behind the scenes), but rules in the genuine best interest of humanity. Such a turn of events, as described in Neal Asher’s Polity novels, may be an improvement compared to present political arrangements. It will, however, probably rob us of politics as such.
The Distribution of Power and the Inflation-Unemployment Relationship in the United States: A Post-Keynesian Approach
Authors: Vera Leonardo
Published: December 2015

This paper presents a theoretical explanation for the enigmatic discontinuity of the relationship between inflation and unemployment that has registered the U.S. economy since the early 1950s onwards. I argue that by distinguishing between two different historical episodes after World War II, the Golden Age and the Age of Decline, some insights in the Phillips curve puzzle can be gained and the analysis helps us to substantiate the existence of both downward sloping and upward sloping species of the curve. The regime change is illustrated here by building on a commonly used Post-Keynesian model of distribution and growth, which is enhanced to allow for an inflation process based on a conflicting claims approach and a growth rate form of Okun’s law. The model shows that the long-run Phillips curve can be either downward-sloping or upward-sloping, conditioned to the distribution of market power between business and labor.
Effects of the Badge Mechanism on Self-Efficacy and Learning Performance in a Game-Based English Learning Environment
Authors: Yang Jie Chi , Quadir Benazir , Chen Nian-Shing
Published: December 2015

A growing number of studies have been conducted on digital game-based learning (DGBL). However, there has been a lack of attention paid to individuals’ self-efficacy and learning performance in the implementation of DGBL. This study therefore investigated how the badge mechanism in DGBL enhanced users’ self-efficacy in the subject domain of English as a foreign language. In the study, a digital game-based English learning environment was designed with a badge mechanism including digital badges, leaderboard ranking, and learning practice with star icons. A quasi-experimental design was implemented. A total of 50 third-grade elementary school students participated in this study. Hypotheses were tested, and data were analyzed using paired sample t tests, multiple regression analyses, linear regression analyses, and logistic regression analyses. The results show that the badge mechanism had a significant positive influence on the learners’ self-efficacy and English learning performance. The study also investigated how self-efficacy could affect English learning performance, with the results revealing that it had a significant positive influence on learning performance. In addition, a subsequent analysis showed that those students with higher self-efficacy performed better than those with lower self-efficacy.
Optimizing Perioperative Nutrition in Pediatric Populations
Authors: Canada Nicki L. , Mullins Lucille , Pearo Brittany , Spoede Elizabeth
Published: December 2015

Nutrition status prior to surgery and nutrition rehabilitation after surgery can affect the morbidity and mortality of pediatric patients. A comprehensive approach to nutrition in pediatric surgical patients is important and includes preoperative assessment, perioperative nutrition considerations, and postoperative recovery. A thorough nutrition assessment to identify patients who are at nutrition risk prior to surgery is important so that the nutrition status can be optimized prior to the procedure to minimize suboptimal outcomes. Preoperative malnutrition is associated with increased complications and mean hospital days following surgery. Enteral and parenteral nutrition can be used in cases where food intake is inadequate to maintain and possibly improve nutrition status, especially in the 7−10 days prior to surgery. In the perioperative period, fasting should be limited to restricting solid foods and non–human milk 6 hours prior to the procedure and allowing clear liquids until 2 hours prior to the procedure. Postoperatively, early feeding has been shown to resolve postoperative ileus earlier, decrease infection rates, promote wound healing, and reduce length of hospital stay. If nutrition cannot be provided orally, then nutrition through either enteral or parenteral means should be initiated within 24–48 hours of surgery. Practitioners should identify those patients who are at the highest nutrition risk for postsurgical complications and provide guidance for optimal nutrition during the perioperative and postoperative period.
Microstructures and machinability of the Inconel 182 overlays at different overlay thickness deposited by shield metal arc welding
Authors: Wang Cheng Dong , Wang Chang Ying , Chen Ming , Ming Wei Wei
Published: December 2015

Nuclear steam turbines are well-known working in saturated wet-steam environment. The use of anti-corrosion material depositing or coating on the critical components and then machining to the required thickness with specific surface quality can be an effective and economical way to prevent critical components of steam turbines from corrosion and erosion. Inconel 182 can be this anti-corrosion material; however, a few literature has reported its machinability, not to mention its machinability at different overlay thickness. The objective of this study is to investigate the influence of the coated overlay thickness on microstructures and machinability of Inconel 182 overlays. First, the micro-hardness and microstructures of Inconel 182 overlays at different overlay thickness are studied. Afterwards, cutting forces, cutting temperature, surface roughness and the machined surface morphology at different overlay thickness are discussed. Finally, the prediction model for machining Inconel 182 overlays at different overlay thickness is established. The results indicate that the microstructures of Inconel 182 overlays strongly rely on overlays thickness and Inconel 182 electrode diameter (3.2 mm). The prediction model illustrates that the machinability of Inconel 182 overlays is acceptable at overlay thickness from about 0 to 2.1 mm; it is poor at overlay thickness from about 2.1 to 6.4 mm, and it is stable at overlay thickness from about 6.4 to 10 mm.