bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Atopy Is Inversely Related to Schistosome Infection Intensity: A Comparative Study in Zimbabwean Villages with Distinct Levels of Schistosoma haematobium Infection
Authors: Rujeni Nadine , Nausch Norman , Bourke Claire D. , Midzi Nicholas , Mduluza Takafira , Taylor David W. , Mutapi Francisca
Published: March 2012

Background: The hygiene hypothesis suggests that parasitic infections protect against allergic diseases by modulating the host’s immune responses. Experimental studies indicate that this protection depends on the intensity of parasitic infection, but this observation has not been tested in human populations. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the intensity of Schistosoma haematobium infection is related to atopic responses and whether this relationship differs between populations with distinct parasite transmission dynamics. Methods: The study was conducted in two villages with different Schistosoma haematobium transmission dynamics, i.e. high (n = 365) and low (n = 307) transmission. Allergic reactivity to the common house dust mite (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus) was measured by skin prick tests and allergen-specific IgE and IgG4 quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Atopic responses were related to current infection intensity and schistosome transmission levels. Results: Schistosome infection intensity was negatively associated with the skin prick reactivity, mite-specific IgE and the ratio IgE/IgG4 in the high-transmission village. However, when only low levels of infection were analyzed in the 2 villages, there was no correlation between mite-specific responses and infection intensity. Conclusion: The relationship between schistosome infection and atopic responses is dependent on the intensity of current schistosome infection. Thus, consistent with results from animal models, with an increasing parasite burden, the immunoregulation of immune responses to allergens appears to become more pronounced.
Treatment of Small Superficial Haemangioma with Timolol 0.5% Ophthalmic Solution: A Series of 20 Cases
Authors: Oranje A.P. , Janmohamed S.R. , Madern G.C. , de Laat P.C.J.
Published: March 2012

Background: Haemangioma of infancy (HOI) on the face may be disfiguring and alarming for parents. Usually they are not treated when they are small. Treatment of HOI with propranolol is a breakthrough. Timolol (topical treatment) and propranolol are closely related. Methods: We considered topical treatment with timolol 0.5% ophthalmic solution 3–4 times daily in patients with small HOI. Twenty patients with small mostly superficial HOI were included. Results: A series of 20 patients with HOI treated with timolol 0.5% ophthalmic solution are described. The treatment was effective in all superficial HOIs after 1–4 months. A quick direct inhibitory effect on the growth of the HOI followed by slower regression was observed. The children had to be treated during the whole proliferative phase. Deep HOIs on the nose (2 cases) and lower eyelid (1 case) showed no response. Conclusion: Topical timolol 0.5% ophthalmic solution is effective in HOI. Safety and effectiveness of drugs like topical timolol and topical propranolol require further investigation but they seem very safe when used in small HOIs. We recommend that small superficial HOIs should be treated in an early proliferative phase.
First-Trimester Screening for Spontaneous Preterm Delivery with Maternal Characteristics and Cervical Length
Authors: Greco Elena , Gupta Rachna , Syngelaki Argyro , Poon Leona C.Y. , Nicolaides Kypros H.
Published: March 2012

Objective: It was the aim of this study to examine the potential value of cervical length at 11–13 weeks’ gestation in the prediction of spontaneous preterm delivery. Methods: This was a screening study for spontaneous preterm delivery in singleton pregnancies from cervical length measured by transvaginal ultrasound at 11–13 weeks’ gestation. The performance of screening for preterm delivery by cervical length alone and with maternal characteristics was estimated. Results: In the 9,974 pregnancies included in the study, spontaneous delivery before 34 weeks occurred in 104 (1.0%) cases. Multivariate regression analysis in the term delivery group demonstrated that for the log10 cervical length, significant independent contributions were provided by fetal crown-rump length, maternal height, age, racial origin and parity. The median cervical length multiple of the median (MoM), corrected for maternal characteristics, was significantly lower in the preterm (0.892 MoM, 95% CI 0.829–0.945) than in the term delivery group (0.994 MoM, 95% CI 0.919–1.082; p < 0.0001). In screening by a combination of maternal characteristics and cervical length, the estimated detection rate of preterm delivery was 54.8% (95% CI 44.7–64.6), at a false-positive rate of 10%. Conclusions: Effective first-trimester screening for spontaneous early preterm delivery can be provided by a combination of maternal characteristics and cervical length.
Not All Inflammatory Markers Are Linked to Kidney Function: Results from a Population-Based Study
Authors: Pruijmª Menno , Ponte Belén , Vollenweider Peter , Mooser Vincent , Paccaud Fred , Waeber Gérard , Marques-Vidal Pedro , Burnier Michel , Bochud Murielle
Published: March 2012

Background: Several studies have reported increased levels of inflammatory biomarkers in chronic kidney disease (CKD), but data from the general population are sparse. In this study, we assessed levels of the inflammatory markers C-reactive protein (hsCRP), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6 across all ranges of renal function. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in a random sample of 6,184 Caucasian subjects aged 35–75 years in Lausanne, Switzerland. Serum levels of hsCRP, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β were measured in 6,067 participants (98.1%); serum creatinine-based estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFRcreat, CKD-EPI formula) was used to assess renal function, and albumin/creatinine ratio on spot morning urine to assess microalbuminuria (MAU). Results: Higher serum levels of IL-6, TNF-α and hsCRP and lower levels of IL-1β were associated with a lower renal function, CKD (eGFRcreat <60 ml/min/1.73 m2; n = 283), and MAU (n = 583). In multivariate linear regression analysis adjusted for age, sex, hypertension, smoking, diabetes, body mass index, lipids, antihypertensive and hypolipemic therapy, only log-transformed TNF-α remained independently associated with lower renal function (β –0.54 ±0.19). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, higher TNF-α levels were associated with CKD (OR 1.17; 95% CI 1.01–1.35), whereas higher levels of IL-6 (OR 1.09; 95% CI 1.02–1.16) and hsCRP (OR 1.21; 95% CI 1.10–1.32) were associated with MAU. Conclusion: We did not confirm a significant association between renal function and IL-6, IL-1β and hsCRP in the general population. However, our results demonstrate a significant association between TNF-α and renal function, suggesting a potential link between inflammation and the development of CKD. These data also confirm the association between MAU and inflammation.
Impact of Oral Iron Challenges on Circulating Non-Transferrin-Bound Iron in Healthy Guatemalan Males
Authors: Schümann Klaus , Kroll Sylvia , Romero-Abal Maria-Eugenia , Georgiou Niki A. , Marx Jo J.M. , Weiss Günter , Solomons Noel W.
Published: March 2012

Introduction: Oral iron as a supplement has been associated with adverse health consequences, especially in the context of young children with active malaria. A potential aggravating role of non-transferrin-bound iron (NTBI) has been proposed. Material and Methods: NTBI responses in both a fasting and post-oral iron dosing situation were related to serum iron concentration and ferritin status. Fasting and 1, 2, and 3 h postdose serum samples were obtained in conjunction with oral ferrous sulfate supplementation in aqueous solution of 0, 15, 30, 60, 120 and 240 mg Fe in a cohort of 8 healthy Guatemalan men over a 9-week metabolic protocol. Hemoglobin, serum ferritin, percent transferrin saturation, serum iron and NTBI were all measured. Results: Circulating levels of serum iron and NTBI increased in a graded fashion in response to oral iron, with the relative increment for NTBI slightly greater than that of iron. Detectable NTBI was occasionally measured in fasting specimens, more frequently in subjects with high ferritin status. Post-iron NTBI responses, by contrast, were higher in normal-ferritin subjects in absolute terms, and rose with increasing postabsorptive serum iron responses. Discussion: The appearance and response of circulating NTBI were consistent with recognized principles of iron regulation.
New Considerations on the Neuromodulatory Role of Thiamine
Authors: Hirsch Joseph A. , Parrott James
Published: March 2012

Background: A nonmetabolic role for thiamine in cholinergic neurotransmission has long been suggested. The mechanism remains unclear. We sought to extend our previous research to elucidate the effect of the thiamine metabolic antagonist, oxythiamine, on the release of acetylcholine from the brain. Methods: The potassium-stimulated release of acetylcholine from superfused rat brain slices was determined. Hand-cut slices of cerebral cortex were preincubated with tritiated choline to label acetylcholine stores. Two periods of stimulation (S1, S2) with 50 mmol/l solution for 3.5 min were performed as superfusate was collected. During S1, only 50 mmol/l potassium-containing Krebs-bicarbonate buffer with 2 mmol/l calcium was used. Using a two-by-two design, S2 consisted of exposure to 50 mmol/l potassium with or without 10–4 mol/l oxythiamine, with or without calcium. The S2/S1 ratio was calculated. Results: Oxythiamine enhanced the potassium-evoked release of acetylcholine by 60% but only when calcium was present in the superfusing medium. Conclusion: These data confirm earlier findings with oxythiamine on the calcium-mediated synaptic transmission of acetylcholine and support a possible neuromodulatory role for thiamine distinct from its actions as a cofactor during metabolic processes.
The Influence of MDR1 G2677T/A Genetic Polymorphisms on the Pharmacokinetics of Repaglinide in Healthy Chinese Volunteers
Authors: Xiang Qian , Cui Yi Min , Zhao Xia , Yan Liang , Zhou Ying
Published: March 2012

Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the pharmacogenetic variability in the disposition of repaglinide in healthy Chinese subjects. Methods: A single dose of 2 mg repaglinide was orally administered to 24 healthy Chinese subjects. The serum concentrations of repaglinide were measured by using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. We determined the polymorphic alleles of MDR1 C1236T, MDR1 G2677T/A, MDR1 C3435T, CYP3A4*18, OATP1B1 G388A, and OATP1B1 T521C in each subject. Results: The area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time 0 to infinity (AUC(0–inf)) of repaglinide was significantly higher in subjects possessing the MDR1 2677GT and 2677TT alleles than in those with the MDR1 2677GG and 2677TA alleles (p = 0.007). The mean AUCs and peak plasma concentration were higher in subjects with the 521TC allele than in those with the OATP1B1 521TT allele, and the OATP1B1 388A allele is associated with a reduced trend of pharmacokinetic exposure; however, these trends were not statistically significant. The pharmacokinetics of repaglinide was not associated with MDR1 C1236T, MDR1 C3435T, and CYP3A4*18. Conclusion: This study shows that the genetic polymorphisms of MDR1 G2677T/A might explain the variability in the pharmacokinetics of repaglinide in the Chinese population.
Serum Hemojuvelin and Hepcidin Levels in Chronic Kidney Disease
Authors: Rumjon Adam , Sarafidis Pantelis , Brincat Stephan , Musto Rebecca , Malyszko Jolanta , Bansal Sukhvinder S. , Macdougall Iain C.
Published: March 2012

Background: Hemojuvelin (HJV) has recently emerged as one of a number of significant regulators of iron homeostasis and hepcidin expression. Recently, an immunoassay has been developed to measure circulating levels of soluble HJV (sHJV). The aim of this study was to measure serum hepcidin and sHJV levels in a chronic kidney disease (CKD) population. Methods: A total of 93 patients participated in the study (31 hemodialysis, 31 non-dialysis, 31 transplant recipients), and were matched for age and gender. Serum samples were taken for measurement of hepcidin-25 and sHJV, along with standard hematological, biochemical and inflammatory markers, and univariate/multivariate analyses were performed. Results: Serum sHJV levels were markedly elevated in the hemodialysis patients (2,619 ± 1,445 ng/ml) compared to the CKD (590 ± 344 ng/ml) and transplant recipients (870 ± 638 ng/ml) (p < 0.001), normal range 370–890 ng/ml. There was a strong correlation between serum ferritin and sHJV, which remained after adjustment for potential confounders (beta 0.92, p < 0.001). In the univariate analysis, sHJV levels correlated with serum hepcidin but this was not evident in the multivariate analysis. No associations were seen between sHJV and markers of inflammation or eGFR. Conclusions: sHJV is elevated in hemodialysis patients compared to non-dialysis CKD patients. There was no association between sHJV and eGFR (in the non-dialysis groups), suggesting that factors other than decreased renal clearance are responsible for the high sHJV levels. The strong association between sHJV and ferritin suggests an interdependent relationship, although further studies are required to elucidate the possible mechanism(s) for this.
Rapid Differentiation of Candida dubliniensis from Candida albicans by Early D-Xylose Assimilation
Authors: Ellepola A.N.B. , Khan Z.U.
Published: March 2012

Objective: To determine if D-xylose (XYL) and/or α-methyl-D-glucoside (MDG) assimilation can be used reliably as a rapid test to differentiate Candida dubliniensis from Candida albicans at an earlier time point such as 2 h after inoculation. Materials and Methods: Thirty isolates of C. albicans and C. dubliniensis recovered from anatomical sites and clinical specimens were used. Isolates were inoculated into the API 20C AUX yeast identification system, and incubated at 30°C. XYL and MDG assimilations were read at 2-hour intervals beginning 2 h after the initial inoculation and up to 24 h of incubation; thereafter, results were read after 48 and 72 h. Results: Twenty-nine (97%) C. albicans isolates had assimilated XYL at 16 h and, by 24 h, all isolates were positive for XYL assimilation. None of the C. dubliniensis isolates assimilated XYL. The MDG assimilation revealed that 24, 40, 92 and 100% of C. albicans isolates became positive after 16, 24, 48 and 72 h of incubation, respectively, whereas only 3% of C. dubliniensis isolates assimilated MDG after 72 h. Conclusions: The findings showed that it is possible to rapidly differentiate C. albicans from C. dubliniensis isolates using the API 20C AUX carbohydrate assimilation kits after 16 h of incubation at 30°C based on the XYL assimilation.
Noninvasive Stratum Corneum Sampling and Electron Microscopical Examination of Skin Barrier Integrity: Pilot Study with a Topical Glycerin Formulation for Atopic Dermatitis
Authors: Daehnhardt-Pfeiffer S. , Surber C. , Wilhelm K.-P. , Daehnhardt D. , Springmann G. , Boettcher M. , Foelster-Holst R.
Published: March 2012

Introduction: Therapy of atopic dermatitis encloses use of medicated and nonmedicated preparations. Results of clinical and biophysical procedures indirectly describe the condition of the impaired skin barrier (SB). Direct evaluation of SB integrity is only possible by electron microscopical visualization, e.g. intercellular lipid lamellae (ICLL) organization of the stratum corneum. Method: SB integrity was measured by morphometric analysis of ICLL in healthy and atopic skin and after a 15-day treatment (plus 7-day follow-up) of atopic skin with a glycerin preparation. Results: Significant treatment effect was shown by the restoration of the ICLL. Conclusions: The study reveals that morphometric analysis of ICLL organization is suitable to differentiate between healthy and diseased skin and to semiquantitatively determine the effect of a nonmedicated glycerin formulation. Limitation: Small treatment cohort.
Colonization of the Oral Cavity by Probiotic Bacteria
Authors: Ravn I. , Dige I. , Meyer R.L. , Nyvad B.
Published: March 2012

The aim of this study was to investigate if three probiotic bacteria present in the milk product Cultura Dofilus® naturell could be detected in saliva and on oral mucosal surfaces, and if they colonized dental surfaces in situ in 8 caries-inactive individuals after 8 daily exposures to the milk product for up to 3 days. Bacteria were identified by fluorescence in situ hybridization and confocal laser scanning microscopy. While probiotic bacteria were present sporadically in the oral cavity on mucosal surfaces and in saliva after 3 days of frequent use of the probiotic milk, they were not detected on dental surfaces. Probiotic bacteria may thus contribute to general oral health, but their potential role in biofilm-induced dental diseases remains unclear.
Age-related Neural Reorganization during Spoken Word Recognition: The Interaction of Form and Meaning
Authors: Shafto Meredith , Randall Billi , Stamatakis Emmanuel A. , Wright Paul , Tyler L. K.
Published: March 2012

Research on language and aging typically shows that language comprehension is preserved across the life span. Recent neuroimaging results suggest that this good performance is underpinned by age-related neural reorganization [e.g., Tyler, L. K., Shafto, M. A., Randall, B., Wright, P., Marslen-Wilson, W. D., & Stamatakis, E. A. Preserving syntactic processing across the adult life span: The modulation of the frontotemporal language system in the context of age-related atrophy. Cerebral Cortex, 20, 352–364, 2010]. The current study examines how age-related reorganization affects the balance between component linguistic processes by manipulating semantic and phonological factors during spoken word recognition in younger and older adults. Participants in an fMRI study performed an auditory lexical decision task where words varied in their phonological and semantic properties as measured by degree of phonological competition and imageability. Older adults had a preserved lexicality effect, but compared with younger people, their behavioral sensitivity to phonological competition was reduced, as was competition-related activity in left inferior frontal gyrus. This was accompanied by increases in behavioral sensitivity to imageability and imageability-related activity in left middle temporal gyrus. These results support previous findings that neural compensation underpins preserved comprehension in aging and demonstrate that neural reorganization can affect the balance between semantic and phonological processing.
“Where Are We Really Going? Always Home”: Thomas Merton and Hermann Hesse
Authors: Collins John
Published: March 2012

Abstract

In 1968 Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk, made a journey to the Far East to study Eastern monastic religions. Merton’s contemplative prayer life was enhanced by his literary imagination, which was fueled by the reading of a broad spectrum of novelists and poets. During his trip eastward, Thomas Merton read three Hermann Hesse novels and recorded notes in his journal regarding two of them:Journey to the EastandSteppenwolf. This essay examines Thomas Merton’s enigmatic quotations and observations about the two aforementioned novels within the context of each of the respective volumes. Further clarification of Merton’s notes is rendered through a presentation in parallel fashion of other journal entries and recorded conferences made by the monk primarily during his eastward journey. The discussion ofJourney to the Eastreflects Thomas Merton’s own spiritual quest as he traveled to Asia revealing his attraction to the “feminine mystique” as well as his sharing of both Hesse’s disdain for the herd instinct of illusory communities and his alternative portrayal of enlightened communes seeking aesthetic excellence. As Merton readSteppenwolf, he identified with Harry Haller’s propensity for self-contradiction and a tendency to vacillate between the polarities of holding the bourgeoisie at arm’s length and his eventual compromise with the conventions of the bourgeois society.
“I Bid Thee Arise!”: Reverse-Editing and Reversal Miracles in Carl Theodor Dreyer’s Ordet
Authors: Ponder Justin
Published: March 2012

Abstract

Many scholars have analyzed Carl Theodor Dreyer’sOrdetfor its unusual camera movements, long takes, and reverse-editing. Some have gone so far as to link these cinematic devices toOrdet’s narrative focus on miracles, exploring connections between the film’s form and its content. This essay attempts to bridge the gap between formal analysis and theological analysis. It examines the film’s representation of miracles against the conceptual history of miracles, considering the extent to which we may regard the film as a theological argument, making visual assertions as important and fruitful as verbal ones.
Dismantling the Dublin System: M.S.S. v. Belgium and Greece
Authors: Moreno-Lax Violeta
Published: March 2012

Abstract

The Dublin Regulation establishes criteria and mechanisms for determining the Member State responsible for examining an application for asylum lodged in the European Union by a third-country national. The system is based on the presumption that Member States may be considered ‘safe countries’ for asylum seekers, for which reason transfers from one Member State to another are supposed not to violate the principle of non-refoulement. The fact that all Member States have acceded to the 1951 Refugee Convention and to the European Convention on Human Rights, that they share a pledge to establish a Common European Asylum System comprising harmonized protection standards, and that, as members of the Union, are obliged to respect and protect fundamental rights, constitute the unspoken premises on which the supposition rests. However, the Dublin Regulation does not establish whether the presumption should be considered absolute or rebuttable, and how and when, in the latter situation, it should be deemed refuted in the individual case. How the ‘principle of refutability’ has come into being in the case law of the European Court of Human Rights constitutes the focus of the present analysis. The review of the Strasbourg jurisprudence is accompanied by an assessment of the diverging practices that have proliferated across the EU in this regard. The paper concludes with some reflections on the impact of the M.S.S. judgement on the forthcoming reform of the Dublin system.
The Classical Islamic Law of Waqf: A Concise Introduction
Authors: Abbasi Muhammad Zubair
Published: March 2012

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to provide a concise and brief introduction to the classical Islamic law of waqf. This study is based on the Fiqh literature of four Sunni schools of thought. The primary focus is on the Ḥanafī Fiqh, however, representative texts of the other schools have also been taken into account. There are three major findings in this article. First, the law contained in Fiqh texts is incomplete because it does not encompass ʿurf (custom) and qānūn (imperial decrees). Custom is recognised in these texts in support of Fiqh, but qānūn is totally missing despite references to the power of rulers regarding certain provisions of waqf law. Second, the legal theory is inconsistent, as the majority of jurists hold that the ownership of a founder terminates with the creation of a waqf. However, not only the founder and his legal heirs maintain a limited proprietary interest in waqf property; the waqf also dissolves with the apostasy of its founder. Third, family awqāf (pl. of waqf) come into direct conflict with the law of inheritance and the law of gifts. However, the testamentary waqf and waqf during terminal illness are subservient to inheritance law, and jurists have tried to harmonise waqf law with inheritance law whenever an opportunity arose.
The Caiaphas Family
Authors: Bauckham Richard
Published: March 2012

In June 2011 the Israel Antiquities Authority announced details of an ossuary that they acquired c. 2008 and which bears the inscription: ‘Mariam daughter of Yeshua‘ bar Qayafa, priest from Ma‘aziah from Bet ’Imri’. The ossuary is unprovenanced but was reported to have come from the vicinity of the Elah valley. This is the first time that the name Qayafa (Caiaphas) has been found on an inscription other than those on ossuaries in the ‘Caiaphas’ tomb in North Talpiyot, Jerusalem, thought to be the tomb of the high priest Joseph Caiaphas and members of his family. The new inscription offers an opportunity to correlate its information about the Caiaphas family with that from the ‘Caiaphas’ tomb and with references to the high priest Caiaphas and the Caiaphas family in Josephus and rabbinic literature. This article argues that the epithet ‘bar Qayafa’ attached to Yehosef on the ‘Caiaphas’ ossuary and to Yeshua on the ‘Mariam’ ossuary, is not used as a true patronymic but as a family name, equivalent to Josephus’ use of ‘Caiaphas’ as the quasi-surname of the high priest. Caiaphas is a nickname, probably originally borne by the progenitor of the family and then used as the family name. The most obvious meaning in Aramaic of the name Caiaphas (‘the jelly or crust that forms on boiled meat’) may well be the actual meaning, comparable with some other derogatory nicknames of the period. The ‘Mariam’ inscription informs us that the family belonged to the Ma‘aziah priestly course and to the sub-division (‘fathers’ house’) Bet ’Imri. If the reported place of origin of the ‘Mariam’ ossuary is correct, it helps us to locate the family home, which the Tosefta records as Bet Maqoshesh. It may well be modern Khirbet Qeiyafa (the settlement would later have been named after its powerful local family). The discovery that the family had a burial place near its home in the country, as well as the ‘Caiaphas’ tomb near Jerusalem, may help to explain why the latter is relatively small and overcrowded. These conclusions help to fill out our increasingly accurate picture of the powerful priestly aristocracy of the late Second Temple period.
Anarchist Philosophy, Civic Traditions and the Culture of Arab Revolutions
Authors: Bamyeh Mohammed A.
Published: March 2012

An exploration of the most common theories and methods used in the ongoing Arab uprisings suggests that their roots lie in ordinary and familiar civic ethics, rather than in any conscious ideological project preceding the revolutions. This article explores the hypothesis that the revolutions have been facilitated most by long-standing traditions of self-organization that are usually ignored in scholarship of social movements as well as by organized social movements themselves. Both, after all, tend to see political mobilization as a result of either clear structures such as organizations or leaders, or as a function of explicit ideological commitments. Arguing against this way of seeing social movements and especially revolutionary processes, this paper explores the history of certain Arab civic traditions and popular propositions that possess what might be called anarchist features. These already familiar traditions and propositions came to the fore in the Arab revolutions. The article focuses on three of these broadly familiar anarchist styles of thinking and organizing that were central to the Arab revolutions: 1) the notion of the simplicity of truth; 2) the dialogic nature of the revolutionary process itself; and 3) the leaderless conception “the people.” All three features are argued to have emerged out of a merger between long-standing civic ethics and a more recent historical memory of previous revolutionary experiences.
On Historicism, the Aporia of Time and the Arab Revolutions
Authors: Sabry Tarik
Published: March 2012

The proposed intervention is borne out of intellectual frustration and dissatisfaction with facile and largely descriptive chronometric analyses of the ‘Arab Spring’, that have failed to articulate the revolutions beyond their chaotic, unfolding eventfulness. Focusing on and grappling with key themes such as history, historicism, modernity, post-modernity, technology, art and poetics, this intervention describes key responses to the Arab revolutions and asks what it means to fight for modernity in post-modern times?
The Crisis of Representative Democracy in the Post-Yugoslav Region. Discrepancies of Elite Policies and Citizens’ Expectations
Authors: Džihić Vedran , Segert Dieter , Wieser Angela
Published: March 2012

If free and fair elections repeatedly fail to respond to popular dissatisfaction, then a crisis of representative democracy will emerge. In Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia, such a crisis is already undermining the legitimacy of their young democratic systems. Despite positive evaluations from democracy indices and EU reports, citizens are increasingly discontent and give little support to the existing political options. Understanding the causes and characteristics of this crisis requires revising the instruments for measuring democracy. More attention needs to be focused on citizens’ expectations for a freer and more prosperous future after their experiences of the crisis of state socialism. Measurements of institutional changes must also include people’s attitudes towards institutions. In addition, main trends in the economy as experienced by the average citizen need to be considered: evidence of an elite-captured economy, rising inequality, and limited state capacity to redistribute resources are crucial factors in understanding discrepancies between formal democratic standards and the actual responsiveness of the system to the wishes of its citizens. From the analysis of these post-Yugoslav societies, this article draws conclusions for general democracy theory.
OSIRIS: A Decade of Scattered Light
Authors: McLinden C. A. , Bourassa A. E. , Brohede S. , Cooper M. , Degenstein D. A. , Evans W. J. F. , Gattinger R. L. , Haley C. S. , Llewellyn E. J. , Lloyd N. D. , Loewen P. , Martin R. V. , McConnell J. C. , McDade I. C. , Murtagh D. , Rieger L. , von Savigny C. , Sheese P. E. , Sioris C. E. , Solheim B. , Strong K.
Published: March 2012

On 20 February 2001, a converted Russian ICBM delivered Odin, a small Swedish satellite, into low Earth orbit. One of the sensors onboard is a small Canadian spectrometer called OSIRIS. By measuring scattered sunlight from Earth's horizon, or limb, OSIRIS is able to deduce the abundance of trace gases and particles from the upper troposphere into the lower thermosphere. Designed and built on a modest budget, OSIRIS has exceeded not only its 2-yr lifetime but also all expectations. With more than a decade of continuous data, OSIRIS has recorded over 1.8 million limb scans. The complexities associated with unraveling scattered light in order to convert OSIRIS spectra into highquality geophysical profiles have forced the OSIRIS team to develop leading-edge algorithms and computer models. These profiles are being used to help address many science questions, including the coupling of atmospheric regions (e.g., stratosphere–troposphere exchange) and the budgets and trends in ozone, nitrogen, bromine, and other species. One specific example is the distribution and abundance of upper-tropospheric, lightning-produced reactive nitrogen and ozone. Arguably OSIRIS's most important contributions come from its aerosol measurements, including detection and characterization of subvisual cirrus and polar stratospheric and mesospheric clouds. OSIRIS also provides a unique view of the stratospheric aerosol layer, and it is able to identify and track perturbations from volcanic activity and biomass burning.
Understanding Space Weather: The Sun as a Variable Star
Authors: Strong Keith , Saba Julia , Kucera Therese
Published: March 2012

The American Meteorological Society has recently adopted space weather as a new core competency. This is the first in a series of papers discussing the multidisciplinary aspects of space weather. This paper concerns the physics behind solar variability, the driver of space weather. We follow the tortuous journey of the energy from its production in the solar core until it escapes into interplanetary space, showing how the internal dynamics and structure of the Sun change its nature. We show how the production and dissipation of magnetic fields are a key clue to untangling the riddle of the sunspot cycle and how that, in turn, affects the amount of radiation that the Earth receives from the Sun—the total solar irradiance.
Warm-Air Intrusions in Arizona’s Meteor Crater
Authors: Adler Bianca , Whiteman C. David , Hoch Sebastian W. , Lehner Manuela , Kalthoff Norbert
Published: March 2012

Episodic nighttime intrusions of warm air, accompanied by strong winds, enter the enclosed near-circular Meteor Crater basin on clear, synoptically undisturbed nights. Data analysis is used to document these events and to determine their spatial and temporal characteristics, their effects on the atmospheric structure inside the crater, and their relationship to larger-scale flows and atmospheric stability. A conceptual model that is based on hydraulic flow theory is offered to explain warm-air-intrusion events at the crater. The intermittent warm-air-intrusion events were closely related to a stable surface layer and a mesoscale (~50 km) drainage flow on the inclined plain outside the crater and to a continuous shallow cold-air inflow that came over the upstream crater rim. Depending on the upstream conditions, the cold-air inflow at the crater rim deepened temporarily and warmer air from above the stable surface layer on the surrounding plain descended into the crater, as part of the flowing layer. The flow descended up to 140 m into the 170-m-deep crater and did not penetrate the approximately 30-m-deep crater-floor inversion. The intruding air, which was up to 5 K warmer than the crater atmosphere, did not extend into the center of the crater, where the nighttime near-isothermal layer in the ambient crater atmosphere remained largely undisturbed. New investigations are suggested to test the hypothesis that the warm-air intrusions are associated with hydraulic jumps.
Measurement of Surface Energy Fluxes from Two Rangeland Sites and Comparison with a Multilayer Canopy Model
Authors: Flerchinger Gerald N. , Reba Michele L. , Marks Danny
Published: March 2012

Rangelands are often characterized by a patchy mosaic of vegetation types, making measurement and modeling of surface energy fluxes particularly challenging. The purpose of this study was to evaluate surface energy fluxes measured using three eddy covariance systems above and within two rangeland vegetation sites and use the data to improve simulations of turbulent energy fluxes in a multilayer plant canopy model: the Simultaneous Heat and Water (SHAW) model. Model modifications included adjustment of the wind profile roughness parameters for sparse canopies, extending the currently used K-theory approach to include influence of the roughness sublayer and stability functions within the canopy, and in a separate version of the model, introducing Lagrangian far-field turbulent transfer equations (L theory) in lieu of the K-theory approach. There was relatively little difference in simulated energy fluxes for the aspen canopy using L-theory versus K-theory turbulent transfer equations, but L theory tracked canopy air temperature profiles better during the growing season. Upward sensible heat flux was observed above aspen trees, within the aspen understory, and above sagebrush throughout the active snowmelt season. Model simulations confirmed the observed upward sensible flux during snowmelt was due to solar heating of the aspen limbs and sagebrush. Thus, the eddy covariance (EC) systems were unable to properly quantify fluxes at the snow surface when vegetation was present. Good agreement between measured and modeled energy fluxes suggest that they can be measured and simulated reliably in these complex environments, but care must be used in the interpretation of the results.
An Orography-Associated Extreme Rainfall Event during TiMREX: Initiation, Storm Evolution, and Maintenance
Authors: Xu Weixin , Zipser Edward J. , Chen Yi-Leng , Liu Chuntao , Liou Yu-Chieng , Lee Wen-Chau , Jong-Dao Jou Ben
Published: March 2012

This study investigates a long-duration mesoscale system with extremely heavy rainfall over southwest Taiwan during the Terrain-influenced Monsoon Rainfall Experiment (TiMREX). This mesoscale convective system develops offshore and stays quasi-stationary over the upstream ocean and southwest coast of Taiwan. New convection keeps developing upstream offshore but decays or dies after moving into the island, dropping the heaviest rain over the upstream ocean and coastal regions. Warm, moist, unstable conditions and a low-level jet (LLJ) are found only over the upstream ocean, while the island of Taiwan is under the control of a weak cold pool. The LLJ is lifted upward at the boundary between the cold pool and LLJ. Most convective clusters supporting the long-lived rainy mesoscale system are initiated and develop along that boundary. The initiation and maintenance is thought to be a “back-building–quasi-stationary” process. The cold pool forms from previous persistent precipitation with a temperature depression of 2°–4°C in the lowest 500 m, while the high terrain in Taiwan is thought to trap the cold pool from spreading or moving. As a result, the orography of Taiwan is “extended” to the upstream ocean and plays an indirect effect on the long-duration mesoscale system.
Moisture Transport into Midlatitudes ahead of Recurving Tropical Cyclones and Its Relevance in Two Predecessor Rain Events
Authors: Schumacher Russ S. , Galarneau Thomas J.
Published: March 2012

Global ensemble forecasts from The Observing System Research and Predictability Experiment (THORPEX) Interactive Grand Global Ensemble (TIGGE) are used to quantify the magnitude of moisture transport into North America ahead of recurving tropical cyclones (TCs). Two cases in which a predecessor rain event (PRE) occurred ahead of the recurving TC—Erin (2007) and Ike (2008)—are analyzed, with ensemble members correctly predicting TC recurvature contrasted from those predicting the TC to weaken or turn southward. This analysis demonstrates that TC-related moisture transport can increase the total water vapor in the atmosphere over North America by 20 mm or more, and that the moisture transport takes place both in the boundary layer and aloft. The increased moisture does not always correspond to increased rainfall in the ensemble forecasts, however, as the location and strength of baroclinic zones and their attendant secondary circulations that can lift this moist air are also crucial to the development of heavy rains.
Fragile Snapshot or Stable Relationships?
Authors: Barrington Lowell W.
Published: March 2012

One of the long-standing criticisms of cross-sectional survey data is that they provide only a contextually driven “snapshot” of attitudes. These attitudes are, the “snapshot critique” contends, highly fragile—subject to significant fluctuation based on events that arise domestically and globally. Although it makes sense that a major event can alter the percentage of people who respond to a given survey question in a particular way, it is less obvious that such an event jeopardizes the validity of multivariate analyses of survey data collected prior to the event. Given the prevalent use of cross-sectional survey data in quantitative political research, this question has significant implications for comparative politics. This study employs survey data from Ukraine before and after the “Orange Revolution” and from Georgia before and after the “Rose Revolution.” Its findings challenge the snapshot critique and support the idea that, even in the wake of a dramatic political event, the underlying relationships among variables measured by survey data can remain quite stable.
Friendship Predictors of Global Self-Worth and Domain-Specific Self-Concepts in University Students With and Without Learning Disability
Authors: Shany Michal , Wiener Judith , Assido Michal
Published: March 2012

This study investigated the association among friendship, global self-worth, and domain-specific self-concepts in 102 university students with and without learning disabilities (LD). Students with LD reported lower global self-worth and academic self-concept than students without LD, and this difference was greater for women. Students with LD also reported that they had more stable friendships than students without LD. Students with LD were more likely to have higher global self-worth and self-perceptions of social acceptance if they had stable friendships and had relationships where they communicated spontaneously and frankly. None of the friendship variables predicted academic self-concept. Thus, having stable and intimate friendships is a protective factor in relation to global self-worth and social self-concept in university students with LD.
Humanist Sociology and Holocaust Memorialization: On Accenting the Positive
Authors: Shostak Arthur B.
Published: March 2012

The inevitable passing of all direct Holocaust participants (victims and perpetrators alike) makes the perspective of empathetic others all the more significant. Humanist sociologists can help in the memorialization effort by processing their own related consequential memories. They can share resulting insights into the human condition, and they can recommend this demanding exercise to others. As well, by using the new methodology of Appreciative Inquiry they can help assess the current balance of attention to Good and Evil in the Holocaust narrative. New attention could be paid to efforts made by many victims to not surrender to victimization, along with related efforts of onlookers to lend them assistance. This accenting of the positive might earn fresh and supportive attention to the Holocaust in the future from non-Jews and Jews alike who are unknowing, indifferent, or at arm's length. Success in promoting vicarious memories in those born long after the Holocaust, memories that draw more on Good than on Evil, could help assure all of us a finer twenty-first century.
‘We Are Everywhere’: An Ecological Analysis of Organizations in the Anarchist Yellow Pages
Authors: Williams Dana M. , Lee Matthew T.
Published: March 2012

The Anarchist Yellow Pages (AYP), an international directory of anarchist groupings throughout the world, listed over two thousand organizations in 2005. This paper explores the types of these anarchist organizations and their geographic clustering throughout the world, with special emphasis on the 21 countries with at least 20 such organizations. The concentrations of anarchist organizations found in the AYP suggest that the movement tends to be strongly European-centered. North Americans are greatly involved in various media organizations; Spain, France, and Sweden have strong syndicalist tendencies; Italy and Germany tend to have a high percentage of physical spaces like social centers and info shops. The theory of political opportunity is used to interpret the global anarchist movement, leading to the general conclusion that rights and democracy are related to the concentration of anarchist organizations.
Stolen Sisters, Second Class Citizens, Poor Health: The Legacy of Colonization in Canada
Authors: Kubik Wendee , Bourassa Carrie , Hampton Mary
Published: March 2012

This paper examines the multiple oppressions faced by Aboriginal women as a result of Canada's sexist and racist colonial past. We explore the destructive affects of colonization on gender relations and societal structures and argue that Aboriginal women suffer higher rates of poverty, ill-health, violence and sexual exploitation than non-Aboriginal women as a result. The Sisters in Spirit Campaign (2004) and Amnesty International's “Stolen Sisters” report (2004) illustrate how violence is a result of the social and economic marginalization of Aboriginal women. Short term solutions focus on serious jail sentences and fines on those who procure, exploit and prepetrate crimes on girls and women while long term solutions must address the elimination of poverty among Aborignal women while simultaneously revaluing Aborignal women and their culture. Unless these underlying causes of poor health for Aboriginal women are addressed there is little chance of improvement.
Reducing Social and Health Inequalities Requires Building Social and Political Movements
Authors: Raphael Dennis
Published: March 2012

Health inequalities are an outcome of social inequalities and both result from the workings of the economic system, a governmental apparatus that maintains or reinforces these inequalities, and a public discourse that justifies these inequalities. The outcome of these processes is a skewed distribution of exposures among the population to various social (societal) determinants of health. Modifying these societal processes—thereby improving the social determinants of health—requires developing and implementing public policies consistent with reducing these inequalities. Two viewpoints dominate discussions of how this might be brought about: a) professionally-oriented rational or knowledge-based approaches and b) social and political movement-based materialist or political economy-oriented approaches. In political economies dominated by business interests such as those seen in Canada, the US, and UK, adopting a social and political movement-based approach is the most appropriate avenue of action. How this might be accomplished requires critical analysis of the political, economic, and social forces that lead jurisdictions to implement policies that either support or resist equity-oriented public policy innovations.
Global and Local Dynamics at the Cricket World Cup 2007 in the West Indies
Authors: Sekhon Joti
Published: March 2012

This paper focuses on the complex interplay of global and local forces during the Cricket World Cup in March and April 2007 (CWC 2007) in the West Indies, a group of former British colonies in the Caribbean. The analysis is located within a theoretical discussion of globalization and culture, and sport as an integral element of culture. In addition, I consider the transformation of the governance of sport worldwide in the last 150 years, including cricket, but particularly in relation to the more recent corporate globalization and commercial capitalism. How this process interacts with local histories and cultures, in this case as constructed and expressed through cricket in the West Indies, becomes the lens to understand and interpret the dynamics that shaped the operation, perception and outcome of CWC 2007. I demonstrate that the way in which the CWC unfolded reflects the interplay of simultaneous and multiple global and local forces, and highlights the role of sport as an aspect of popular culture through which cultural meanings and nationalist ideologies are expressed and displayed.