bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Efficacy and Safety of Fixed-Dose Perindopril Arginine/Amlodipine in Hypertensive Patients Not Adequately Controlled with Amlodipine 5 mg or Perindopril tert-Butylamine 4 mg Monotherapy
Authors: Hu Dayi , Sun Yihong , Liao Yuhua , Huang Jing , Zhao Ruiping , Yang Kan
Published: January 2016

Objectives: To assess the blood pressure-lowering efficacy and tolerability of perindopril/amlodipine fixed-dose combinations in Chinese patients with mild-to-moderate essential hypertension not adequately controlled with monotherapy alone. Methods: In 2 separate double-blind studies, patients received a 4-week run-in monotherapy of amlodipine 5 mg or perindopril 4 mg, respectively. Those whose blood pressure was uncontrolled were then randomized to receive the fixed-dose combination of perindopril 5 mg/amlodipine 5 mg (Per/Amlo group) or remain on the monotherapy for 8 weeks. Patients who were uncontrolled at the week 8 (W8) visit were up-titrated for the Per/Amlo combination, or received additional treatment if on monotherapy, for a further 4 weeks. The main efficacy assessment was at 8 weeks. Results: After 8 weeks, systolic blood pressure (SBP; primary criterion) was statistically significantly lower in the Per/Amlo group (vs. Amlo 5 mg, p = 0.0095; vs. Per 4 mg, p < 0.0001). Uncontrolled patients at W8 who received an up-titration of the Per/Amlo combination showed a further SBP reduction. These changes were mirrored by reassuring reductions in diastolic blood pressure. The fixed-dose combinations were well tolerated. Conclusions: Single-pill combinations of perindopril and amlodipine provide hypertensive patients with a convenient and effective method of reducing blood pressure.
Clinical and Genetic Heterogeneity of the 15q13.3 Microdeletion Syndrome
Authors: Hassfurther Ariane , Komini Eleni , Fischer Judith , Leipoldt Michael
Published: January 2016

The 15q13.3 microdeletion is a recurrent CNV, presumably mediated by NAHR between segmental duplications in chromosome 15. The 15q13.3 deletion and duplication are associated with a wide range of clinical manifestations, such as intellectual deficits, seizures, autism, language and developmental delay, neuropsychiatric impairments, and behavioral problems illustrating incomplete penetrance and expressivity. This study comprises an evaluation of 106 symptomatic patients carrying the heterozygous deletion, as well as of 21 patients carrying the duplication, who have been described in previous studies. The analysis shows considerable heterogeneity for the manifestation of different key symptoms and familiar occurrence. Furthermore, 8 new patients are introduced. Convoluted familiar connections give new insights into the complexity of symptomatic manifestation. In previous studies, different opinions have been expressed as to the nature and precise location of the deletion breakpoints. Here, we show that not CHRNA7 and CHRFAM7A, but rather FAM7A or GOLGA8, serve as breakpoint regions concerning our patients. The deletion is described as heterogeneous in size. However, we assume that not only different breakpoints but also the imprecision of aCGH analysis on chromosome 15 due to segmental duplications accounts for the variability in size.
Materialidade televisiva e ambiência belle époque na minissérie Mad Maria: a lógica sensorial na minissérie como dilema
Authors: Wajnman Solange , Tavares Mariana Christina de Farias
Published: January 2016

A partir do estudo dos recursos expressivos da minissérie Mad Maria, tais como imagens cenográficas e figurino, pretendemos argumentar que essa produção traz, enquanto forma, elementos que apontam para a ambiguidade da visualidade televisiva. Em outras palavras, ao ilustrar paisagens românticas e impressionistas, bem como a ambiência da belle époque com suas luzes, cores reluzentes, tecidos vaporosos e cintilantes para o figurino, o dilema do meio televisivo é anunciado de maneira metafórica. De um lado, o envolvimento sensorial e a fruição estética autônoma do espectador são alavancados por esses elementos, o que favorece a mobilidade do olhar. No entanto, essa mesma condição inicial da percepção começa a se vincular a uma ordem produtiva da empresa, responsável por domesticar o olhar, inserindo-o em uma narrativa linear e em uma figurativização glamourizada.
Quem assinou o contrato com o Mídia Ninja?
Authors: Braighi Antônio Augusto
Published: January 2016

A partir do conceito de Contrato de Comunicação, analisa-se a dinâmica comunicativa do Mídia Ninja com os webespectadores. Antes, a noção da metáfora é colocada à prova, seguida de uma discussão teórica que evidencia os processos de validação e pré-validação de um discurso. O intuito é verificar, após uma análise descritiva do coletivo midiático, como se dão os processos de conformação da comunicação do mesmo para atender aos parâmetros da situação comunicativa. Problematizase ainda sobre a perspectiva da interlocução e da monolocução, e a influência destas no processo de validação. Reflexões e considerações são feitas ao final acerca da emergência do novo modelo de jornalismo apresentado pelo grupo e como ele se alinha com os intentos de um determinado público.
Demarcando fronteiras na tela da TV: as representações de alteridade na cobertura jornalística internacional
Authors: Lobato José Augusto Mendes
Published: January 2016

A proposta deste artigo é discutir a enunciação da alteridade na narrativa jornalística, tomando como base a cobertura internacional de quatro emissoras de TV (Globo, SBT, Record e Cultura) sobre a crise da região da Crimeia, na Ucrânia. Com base em conceitos das ciências da linguagem, das teorias do jornalismo, da semiótica da cultura e de reflexões sobre a imagem, dez matérias são examinadas para identificar os procedimentos que envolvem a conversão do Outro em informação jornalística – como os jogos de oposição, o reforço da função testemunhal e os processos de tradução e demarcação de fronteiras.
Dramaturgia em processo
Authors: Monzon Ana Carolina
Published: January 2016

Este trabalho reflete sobre o panorama atual da dramaturgia contemporânea brasileira no que tange à crescente prática do ator autônomo no processo de criação. Para isso, utilizam-se como proposta três bases para a composição dramatúrgica, independentemente da forma ou linguagem escolhida pelo grupo de artistas: a escolha dos materiais, o processo criador inacabado e a dramaturgia do ator. A pesquisa reflete, ainda, sobre dois estilos de registro dramatúrgico: o registro do processo criador e o registro textual ou corpóreo das partituras compostas. Todos os apontamentos servem de suporte e reflexão para o caráter inacabado ou em constante processo da dramaturgia atual.
A ação do lírico na dramaturgia contemporânea
Authors: Mendes Cleise Furtado
Published: January 2016

O artigo reavalia pressupostos de algumas teorias baseadas na “crise do drama” que se orientam, exclusivamente, pela presença de recursos épicos na dramaturgia moderna e contemporânea, propondo o exame das estratégias líricas recorrentes em novas formas de escrita dramatúrgica. Com exemplos da dramaturgia brasileira, o estudo sugere uma abordagem crítico-teórica que reconheça o papel estruturante dos procedimentos líricos para a reconfiguração da forma dramática e para a pluralidade discursiva que marca a produção atual.
Inhibition of Thrombin With PPACK-Nanoparticles Restores Disrupted Endothelial Barriers and Attenuates Thrombotic Risk in Experimental Atherosclerosis
Authors: Palekar Rohun U. , Jallouk Andrew P. , Myerson Jacob W. , Pan Hua , Wickline Samuel A.
Published: January 2016

Objective—

A role for thrombin in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis has been suggested through clinical and experimental studies revealing a critical link between the coagulation system and inflammation. Although approved drugs for inhibition of thrombin and thrombin-related signaling have demonstrated efficacy, their clinical application to this end may be limited because of significant potential for bleeding side effects. Thus, we sought to implement a plaque-localizing nanoparticle-based approach to interdict thrombin-induced inflammation and hypercoagulability in atherosclerosis.

Approach and Results—

We deployed a novel magnetic resonance spectroscopic method to quantify the severity of endothelial damage for correlation with traditional metrics of vessel procoagulant activity after dye-laser injury in fat-fed apolipoprotein E-null mice. We demonstrate that a 1-month course of treatment with antithrombin nanoparticles carrying the potent thrombin inhibitor PPACK (
d
-phenylalanyl-
l
-prolyl-
l
-arginyl chloromethylketone) nanoparticle (1) reduces the expression and secretion of proinflammatory and procoagulant molecules, (2) diminishes plaque procoagulant activity without the need for systemic anticoagulation, (3) rapidly restores disrupted vascular endothelial barriers, and (4) retards plaque progression in lesion-prone areas.

Conclusions—

These observations illustrate the role of thrombin as a pleiotropic atherogenic molecule under conditions of hypercholesterolemia and suggest the utility of its inhibition with locally acting antithrombin nanoparticle therapeutics as a rapid-acting anti-inflammatory strategy in atherosclerosis to reduce thrombotic risk.
Coagulation Factor XI Promotes Distal Platelet Activation and Single Platelet Consumption in the Bloodstream Under Shear Flow
Authors: Zilberman-Rudenko Jevgenia , Itakura Asako , Wiesenekker Chantal P. , Vetter Ralf , Maas Coen , Gailani David , Tucker Erik I. , Gruber András , Gerdes Christoph , McCarty Owen J.T.
Published: January 2016

Objective—

Coagulation factor XI (FXI) has been shown to contribute to thrombus formation on collagen or tissue factor–coated surfaces in vitro and in vivo by enhancing thrombin generation. Whether the role of the intrinsic pathway of coagulation is restricted to the local site of thrombus formation is unknown. This study was aimed to determine whether FXI could promote both proximal and distal platelet activation and aggregate formation in the bloodstream.

Approach and Results—

Pharmacological blockade of FXI activation or thrombin activity in blood did not affect local platelet adhesion, yet reduced local platelet aggregation, thrombin localization, and fibrin formation on immobilized collagen and tissue factor under shear flow, ex vivo. Downstream of the thrombus formed on immobilized collagen or collagen and 10 pmol/L tissue factor, platelet CD62P expression, microaggregate formation, and progressive platelet consumption were significantly reduced in the presence of FXI function-blocking antibodies or a thrombin inhibitor in a shear rate– and time-dependent manner. In a non-human primate model of thrombus formation, we found that inhibition of FXI reduced single platelet consumption in the bloodstream distal to a site of thrombus formation.

Conclusions—

This study demonstrates that the FXI–thrombin axis contributes to distal platelet activation and procoagulant microaggregate formation in the blood flow downstream of the site of thrombus formation. Our data highlight FXI as a novel therapeutic target for inhibiting distal platelet consumption without affecting proximal platelet adhesion.
Characterization of Myocardial Repolarization Reserve in Adolescent Females With Anorexia Nervosa
Authors: Padfield Gareth J. , Escudero Carolina A. , DeSouza Astrid M. , Steinberg Christian , Gibbs Karen , Puyat Joseph H. , Lam Pei Yoong , Sanatani Shubhayan , Sherwin Elizabeth , Potts James E. , Sandor George , Krahn Andrew D.
Published: January 2016

Background—

Patients with anorexia nervosa exhibit abnormal myocardial repolarization and are susceptible to sudden cardiac death. Exercise testing is useful in unmasking QT prolongation in disorders associated with abnormal repolarization. We characterized QT adaptation during exercise in anorexia.

Methods and Results—

Sixty-one adolescent female patients with anorexia nervosa and 45 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers performed symptom-limited cycle ergometry during 12-lead ECG monitoring. Changes in the QT interval during exercise were measured, and QT/RR-interval slopes were determined by using mixed-effects regression modeling. Patients had significantly lower body mass index than controls; however, resting heart rates and QT/QTc intervals were similar at baseline. Patients had shorter exercise times (13.7±4.5 versus 20.6±4.5 minutes;
P
<0.001) and lower peak heart rates (159±20 versus 184±9 beats/min;
P
<0.001). The mean QTc intervals were longer at peak exercise in patients (442±29 versus 422±19 ms;
P
<0.001). During submaximal exertion at comparable heart rates (114±6 versus 115±11 beats/min;
P
=0.54), the QTc interval had prolonged significantly more in patients than controls (37±28 versus 24±25 ms;
P
<0.016). The RR/QT slope, best described by a curvilinear relationship, was more gradual in patients than in controls (13.4; 95% confidence interval, 12.8–13.9 versus 15.8; 95% confidence interval, 15.3–16.4 ms QT change per 10% change in RR interval;
P
<0.001) and steepest in patients within the highest body mass index tertile versus the lowest (13.9; 95% confidence interval, 12.9–14.9 versus 12.3; 95% confidence interval, 11.3–13.3;
P
=0.026).

Conclusions—

Despite the absence of manifest QT prolongation, adolescent anorexic females have impaired repolarization reserve in comparison with healthy controls. Further study may identify impaired QT dynamics as a risk factor for arrhythmias in anorexia nervosa.
Full Expression of Cardiomyopathy Is Partly Dependent on B‐Cells: A Pathway That Involves Cytokine Activation, Immunoglobulin Deposition, and Activation of Apoptosis
Authors: Cordero‐Reyes Andrea M. , Youker Keith A. , Trevino Alejandro R. , Celis Rene , Hamilton Dale J. , Flores‐Arredondo Jose H. , Orrego Carlos M. , Bhimaraj Arvind , Estep Jerry D. , Torre‐Amione Guillermo
Published: January 2016

Background

Limited information exists on the role of B‐cell‐dependent mechanisms in the progression of heart failure (
HF
). However, in failing human myocardium, there is evidence of deposition of activated complement components as well as anticardiac antibodies. We aimed to determine the contribution of B‐cells in
HF
progression using a nonsurgical mouse model of nonischemic cardiomyopathy (
CMP
).

Methods and Results

CMP
protocol involved the use of
l
‐
NAME
and NaCl in the drinking water and angiotensin‐
II
infusion for 35 days. At day 35, mice were analyzed by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, gene expression, and histology. Mice (12 weeks old) were divided into 4 groups, all in C57
BL
/6 background: wild‐type (
WT
)
CMP
; severe combined immunodeficiency (
SCID
)
CMP
(T‐ and B‐cell deficient);
CD
22
−
CMP
(B‐cell depleted); and Nude
CMP
(T‐cell deficient), with their respective controls. We performed B‐cell depletion and reconstitution protocols. The protective effect of B‐cell depletion was demonstrated by a significant reduction of cell hypertrophy and collagen deposition and a preserved ejection fraction in the
CD
22
−
CMP
group compared to
WT CMP
. Once
SCID
mice underwent B‐cell reconstitution with isolated
CMP
B‐cells, the
CMP
phenotype was restored. Furthermore, deposition of IgG3 and apoptosis in the myocardium follows the development of
CMP
; in addition, in vitro studies demonstrated that activated B‐cells stimulate collagen production by cardiac fibroblasts.

Conclusions

The absence of B‐cells in this model of
HF
resulted in less hypertrophy and collagen deposition, preservation of left ventricular function, and, in association with these changes, a reduction in expression of proinflammatory cytokines, immunoglobulin G deposition, and apoptosis in the myocardium. Taken together, these data suggest that B‐cells play a contributory role in an angiotensin‐
II
‐induced
HF
model.
Determinants of Emergency Medical Services Utilization Among Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients in Hubei Province in China
Authors: Yin Xiaoxv , Yang Tingting , Gong Yanhong , Zhou Yanfeng , Li Wenzhen , Song Xingyue , Wang Mengdie , Hu Bo , Lu Zuxun
Published: January 2016

Background and Purpose—

Emergency medical services (EMS) can effectively shorten the prehospital delay for patients with acute ischemic stroke. This study aimed to investigate EMS utilization and its associated factors in patients with acute ischemic stroke in China.

Methods—

A cross-sectional study was conducted from October 1, 2014, to January 31, 2015, which included 2096 patients admitted for acute ischemic stroke from 66 hospitals in Hubei province in China. A multivariable stepwise logistic regression model was undertaken to identify the factors associated with EMS utilization.

Results—

Of the 2096 participants, only 323 cases (15.4%) used EMS. Those acute ischemic stroke patients who previously used EMS (odds ratio [OR] =9.8), whose National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score was ≥10 (OR=3.7), who lived in urban communities (OR=2.5), who had sudden onset of symptoms (OR=2.4), who experienced their first stroke (OR=1.8), and who recognized initial symptom as stroke (OR=1.4) were more likely to use EMS. Additionally, when acute ischemic stroke patients’ stroke symptom were noticed first by others (OR=2.1), rather than by the patients, EMS was more likely to be used.

Conclusions—

A very low proportion of patients with acute ischemic stroke used the EMS in Hubei province in China. Considerable education programs are required regarding knowledge of potential symptoms and the importance of EMS for stroke.
The Dyckia sordida complex (Bromeliaceae, Pitcairnioideae) and a new species from Minas Gerais, Brazil
Authors: Mallmann Büneker Henrique , Soares Kelen Pureza , Coelho de Assis Lucas
Published: January 2016

Dyckia nobilis, a new species of Bromeliaceae (Pitcairnioideae) from the Espinhaço Mountain Range (Minas Gerais, Brazil), is hereby described and illustrated. A summary of information on the species of the Dyckia sordida complex (i.e. D. inflexifolia, D. sordida and D. ursina), to which this new species belongs, is provided, including data on habitat, morphology, etymology as well as a key to the species of this complex. The species are evaluated for their conservation status according to the IUCN criteria.
Impatiens shennongensis (Balsaminaceae): a new species from Hubei, China
Authors: Wang Qian , Gadagkar Sudhindra R. , Deng Hong-ping , Yang Zhi-ming , Yu Feng-qiong
Published: January 2016

A new species of the genus Impatiens is described from Hubei province, China. Although it shares some features with I. dicentra, such as single-flowered peduncles and a filamentous bristle terminating the upper of the lateral united petals, it possesses distinct traits such as shorter plant height, rhombic to sub-rhombic leaves, lateral sepals entire, and lower sepals navicular without a spur. We believe that this is a new addition to the speciose Impatiens genus, and propose the name Impatiens shennongensis Q. Wang & H.P. Deng. We also describe the new species in this paper in terms of SEM-based seed and pollen micromorphology.
Observations on the biology of Afrotropical Hesperiidae (Lepidoptera). Part 9. Hesperiinae incertae sedis: Zingiberales feeders, genera of unknown biology and an overview of the Hesperiinae incertae sedis
Authors: COCK MATTHEW J. W. , CONGDON T. COLIN E. , COLLINS Steve C.
Published: January 2016

The Afrotropical genera that have been recorded to feed on Zingiberales are documented. Partial life histories are presented for Erionota torus Evans (a South-East Asian species established in Mauritius), Semalea arela (Mabille), S. pulvina (Plötz), Xanthodisca vibius (Hewitson), X. rega (Mabille), Hypoleucis ophiusa (Hewitson), Caenides dacena (Hewitson), Osmodes adon (Mabille), Gretna cylinda (Hewitson) and Moltena fiara (Butler). Additional notes from the literature are provided on the genera Leona and Rhabdomantis. Notes on natural enemies of E. torus and M. fiara are included. We find that the Zingiberaceae and Costaceae feeding genera, Semalea, Xanthodiscus, Hypoleucis and Caenides (part) are united by a C-shaped raised rim to the prothoracic spiracle of the pupa. The pupa of Osmodes adon indicates this genus may have no close affinities to other Afrotropical genera for which the life history is known. The pupa of G. cylinda is unlike any other that we have documented and may reflect that this is the only species which we have found to be formed on the open leaf under surface rather than in a shelter. The early stages of M. fiara indicate affinities with Zophopetes and related genera. The paper concludes with a brief comparative discussion of the early stages of the Afrotropical Hesperiinae incertae sedis as a whole. There appear to be useful characters to group species by the ova and pupae but less so by the caterpillars. Based on pupae alone, the Hesperiinae incertae sedis might be divided into nine groups.
On the genus Paralobella (Collembola: Neanuridae: Lobellini) with description of a new Chinese species
Authors: LUO YONGZHENG , PALACIOS-VARGAS JOSÉ G.
Published: January 2016

Remarks on the genus Paralobella Cassagnau & Deharveng, 1984 and a key to world species is provided. P. breviseta sp. nov. is described from Eastern China, it is distinguished from all known members of the genus by its biggest size, digitate body dorsolateral and lateral tubercles and very short setae on dorso-internal tubercles.
Eriophyoid mites (Acari: Prostigmata: Eriophyoidea) from Turkey: description of five new species
Authors: KIEDROWICZ AGNIESZKA , DENIZHAN EVSEL , BROMBEREK KLAUDIA , SZYDŁO WIKTORIA , SKORACKA ANNA
Published: January 2016

Five new eriophyoid mite species (Eriophyidae) from Turkey are described and illustrated in this paper: Aceria vanensis n. sp., Aceria onosmae n. sp., Aculus lydii n. sp., Aculus gebeliae n. sp. and Aculus spectabilis n. sp.. The descriptions are based on the morphology of females collected from weedy plants, respectively: Amaranthus retroflexus L. (Amaranthaceae), Onosma isauricum Boiss. et Heldr. (Boraginaceae), Hypericum lydium Boiss. (Hypericaceae), Lotus gebelia Vent. (Fabaceae) and Stachys spectabilis Choisy ex DC. (Lamiaceae). The new species were found to be vagrant on their host plants with no visible damage symptoms observed.
Descriptions of two new notodontid species from the relic Fagus forests in northeastern Taiwan (Lepidoptera, Notodontidae)
Authors: WU SHIPHER , CHANG WEI-CHUN , WANG LI-HAO , HUANG CHIA-LUNG , HSU YU FENG
Published: January 2016

Two new Fagus-feeding notodontids, i.e. Syntypistis taipingshanensis Wu & Hsu sp. n. and Pheosiopsis seni Wu & Hsu sp. n. are recently discovered from the relic Fagus forests in northeastern Taiwan. Based on the genitalia structures, the closely relatives of two new species are S. melana Wu & Fang, 2003 and P. albalienata Kishida & Kobayashi, 2005, respectively, both occurring in the Fagus forests of Southern China.
Climate Model Biases in the Width of the Tropical Belt
Authors: Davis Nicholas , Birner Thomas
Published: January 2016

Earth’s arid subtropics are situated at the edges of the tropical belt, which encircles the planet along the equator and covers half of its surface area. The climate of the tropical belt is strongly influenced by the Hadley cells, with their subsidence and easterly trade winds both sustaining the aridity at the belt’s edges. The understanding of Earth’s past, present, and future climates is contingent on understanding the dynamics influencing this region. An important but unanswered question is how realistically climate models reproduce the mean state of the tropical belt. This study augments the existing literature by examining the mean width and seasonality of the tropical belt in climate models from phase 5 of CMIP (CMIP5) and experiments from the second phase of the Chemistry–Climate Model Validation (CCMVal-2) activity of the Stratospheric Processes and Their Role in Climate (SPARC) project. While the models overall reproduce the structure of the tropical belt width’s seasonal cycle, they underestimate its amplitude and cannot consistently reproduce the seasonal cycle lag between the Northern Hemisphere Hadley cell edge and subtropical jet latitudes found in observations. Additionally, up to 50% of the intermodel variation in mean tropical belt width can be attributed to model horizontal resolution, with finer resolution leading to a narrower tropical belt. Finer resolution is associated with an equatorward shift and intensification of subtropical eddy momentum flux convergence, which via the Coriolis torque explains essentially all of the grid-size bias and a large fraction of the total intermodel variation in Hadley cell width.
Evaluation of ShARP Passive Rainfall Retrievals over Snow-Covered Land Surfaces and Coastal Zones
Authors: Ebtehaj Ardeshir M. , Bras Rafael L. , Foufoula-Georgiou Efi
Published: January 2016

Using satellite measurements in microwave bands to retrieve precipitation over land requires proper discrimination of the weak rainfall signals from strong and highly variable background Earth surface emissions. Traditionally, land retrieval methods rely on a weak signal of rainfall scattering on high-frequency channels and make use of empirical thresholding and regression-based techniques. Because of the increased surface signal interference, retrievals over radiometrically complex land surfaces—snow-covered lands, deserts, and coastal areas—are particularly challenging for this class of retrieval techniques. This paper evaluates the results by the recently proposed Shrunken Locally Linear Embedding Algorithm for Retrieval of Precipitation (ShARP) using data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite. The study focuses on a radiometrically complex region, partly covering the Tibetan highlands, Himalayas, and Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna River basins, which is unique in terms of its diverse land surface radiation regime and precipitation type, within the TRMM domain. Promising results are presented using ShARP over snow-covered land surfaces and in the vicinity of coastlines, in comparison with the land rainfall retrievals of the standard TRMM 2A12, version 7, product. The results show that ShARP can significantly reduce the rainfall overestimation due to the background snow contamination and markedly improve detection and retrieval of rainfall in the vicinity of coastlines. During the calendar year 2013, compared to TRMM 2A25, it is demonstrated that over the study domain the root-mean-square difference can be reduced up to 38% annually, while the improvement can reach up to 70% during the cold months of the year.
Lagrangian Surface Wave Motion and Stokes Drift Fluctuations
Authors: Herbers T. H. C. , Janssen T. T.
Published: January 2016

Nonlinear effects in Lagrangian sea surface motions are important to understanding variability in wave-induced mass transport, wave-driven diffusion processes, and the interpretation of measurements obtained with moored or free-drifting buoys. This study evaluates the Lagrangian vertical and horizontal motions of a particle at the surface in a natural, random sea state using second-order, finite-depth wave theory. In deep water, the predicted low-frequency (infragravity) surface height fluctuations are much larger than Eulerian bound wave motions and of the opposite sign. Comparison to surface elevation bispectra observed with a moored buoy in steady, high-wind conditions shows good agreement and confirms that—in contrast to the Eulerian sea surface motion with predominant phase coupling between the spectral peak and double-frequency harmonic components—nonlinearity in Lagrangian wave observations is dominated by phase-coupled infragravity motions. Sea surface skewness estimates obtained from moored buoys in deep and shallow sites, over a wide range of wind–sea and swell conditions, are in good agreement with second-order theory predictions. Theory and field data analysis of surface drift motions in deep water reveal energetic [O(10) cm s−1] infragravity velocity fluctuations that are several orders of magnitude larger and 180° out of phase with Eulerian infragravity motions. These large fluctuations in Stokes drift may be important in upper-ocean diffusion processes.
Institutional fields as linked arenas: Inter-field resource dependence, institutional work and institutional change
Authors: Furnari Santi
Published: January 2016

Theories of institutional change have paid limited attention to the ways in which relations between institutional fields might facilitate or hinder institutional change. I introduce inter-field resource dependence as an important condition explaining institutional change between fields. Building on resource dependence theory, I conceptualize two dimensions of inter-field resource dependence: mutual dependence and power imbalance. I argue that these two dimensions have opposite effects on the likelihood of institutional change between fields. Mutual dependence between two fields increases the chances of institutional change by inducing actors in both the fields to work at creating new shared institutions in order to regulate their mutual dependence. Power imbalance between two fields decreases the chances of institutional change by inducing actors in the dominant field to work at maintaining existing institutions in order to preserve their power. Thus, different types of inter-field resource dependence motivate actors to undertake different forms of institutional work, which in turn shape the likelihood of institutional change between fields. Developing this core argument, I theorize that whether the institutional change occurring between two fields is radical or incremental is a function of the type of resource dependence linking the two fields; for example, when power imbalance is high, institutional change is unlikely but when it occurs it tends to be radical.
Constructing positive identities in ableist workplaces: Disabled employees’ discursive practices engaging with the discourse of lower productivity
Authors: Jammaers Eline , Zanoni Patrizia , Hardonk Stefan
Published: January 2016

This article explores how disabled workers engage with the ableist discourse of disability as lower productivity in constructing positive identities in the workplace. Disabled employees inhabit a contradictory discursive position: as disabled individuals, they are discursively constructed for what they are unable to do, whereas as employees they are constituted as human resources and expected to be able to produce and create value. Our discourse analysis of 30 in-depth interviews with disabled employees identifies three types of discursive practices through which they construct positive workplace identities: (1) practices contesting the discourse of lower productivity as commonly defined; (2) practices contesting the discourse of lower productivity by redefining productivity; and (3) practices reaffirming the discourse of lower productivity yet refusing individual responsibility for it. The study advances the disability literature by highlighting how disabled speakers sustain positive workplace identities despite the negative institutionalized expectations of lower productivity both by challenging and reproducing ableism as an organizing principle.
Detection of Coxiella burnetii in acute undifferentiated febrile illnesses (AUFIs) in Iran
Authors: Khalili Mohammad , Reza Naderi Hamid , Salehnia Nasim , Abiri Zeinab
Published: January 2016

There are limited data on the aetiology of acute undifferentiated febrile illnesses (AUFIs) in Iran. Moreover, Coxiella burnetii has not previously been detected in clinical samples in this country. Previous studies have highlighted the importance of considering C. burnetii as a cause of AUFI. In this retrospective study, in 92 cases of AUFI where Q fever was suspected, C. burnetii DNA was detected in seven samples (7.36%). This is the first molecular confirmation of C. burnetii from clinical samples from Iran.
New insights into reservoir architecture of Fuyu oil layer in southern Songliao Basin based on analyses of water-flooding characteristics
Authors: Xu Lei , Hou Guiting , Dai Chunming , Shi Yongmin , Luo Ping , Wang Yunlong , Liang Yaohuan , Ma Wenlong
Published: January 2016

Fuyu oil layer of Fuyu oilfield located in southern Songliao Basin, NE China, has been in high water-cut stage after more than 50 years’ water injection. According to the cores of the inspection wells, the distribution of the remaining oil is inconsistent with predictions. The water-flooding characteristics playing an important role in controlling remaining oil distribution were studied by the cores, the logging data in dense well spacing area, as well as the measurements of porosity, permeability, and remaining oil saturation. Based on the water-flooding characteristics, the reservoir architecture and sedimentary environment of Fuyu oil layer were discussed. The results show that Fuyu oil layer is not characterized by the water-flooding law of a typical distributary channel in delta systems, that the lower single sand body always has a higher water-flooding degree than the upper as it consists of channels with single sand body scale (1–2 m) and stably distributed interchannel mudstone with a thickness of 10–30 cm. The specific reservoir architecture also indicates that the sedimentation of Fuyu oil layer has undergone frequent alternations of rivers and lakes. The results not only point out the distribution of remaining oil for such mature oilfields but also offer a new method to recognize the reservoir architecture.
Investigating the Human Capital Development–growth Nexus
Authors: Barra Cristian , Zotti Roberto
Published: January 2016

In this article, we test whether economic growth depends on human capital development mainly operating through an upgrading of human capital stock in the area where the universities are located. We specify a growth model where a qualitative measure of human capital development, university efficiency, is considered in conjunction with a customary quantitative measure of human capital development, number of graduates. The model is estimated on panel data over the period 2003 to 2011. The evidence suggests that both indicators of human capital development have a positive and significant impact on gross domestic product per capita. Results also show that knowledge spillovers occur between areas through the geographical proximity to the efficient universities, suggesting that the geography of production is affected. Results hold when robustness checks are performed.
Knowing and learning in everyday spaces (KALiEds): Mapping the information landscape of refugee youth learning in everyday spaces
Authors: Lloyd Annemaree , Wilkinson Jane
Published: January 2016

Refugee youth are faced with complex information needs that require them to identify and map the everyday spaces that can contribute to their learning outside the formal schooling system. The use of everyday spaces by refugee youth aged 16–25 was investigated using photovoice and interview data collection methods. The findings of the study suggest that the information needs and information literacy practices of this cohort arise from the desire to connect with a new community, to learn new social rules and to become established, while at the same time supporting the information needs of other family members and dealing with the social challenges that arise from cultural expectations. These challenges require them to connect with a wide range of everyday spaces to support their learning needs.
Fish-hood: Environmental assessment, critical Indigenous studies, and posthumanism at Fish Lake (Teztan Biny), Tsilhqot’in territory
Authors: Hoogeveen Dawn
Published: January 2016

This article is about how fish are regulated through environmental assessment. The theoretical frame used is nested between critical Indigenous studies and posthumanism which allows for an interrogation of how fish are very formally produced as disposable through mining regulatory procedures, such as environmental impact statements, that form the basis of the environmental assessment processes in Canada. The site of analysis is Fish Lake on Tsilhqot’in lands in the interior of British Columbia. I look at the corporate-scientific foundation of Canadian federal environmental assessment and an amendment within the federal Fisheries Act that allows fish bearing lakes to be turned into mining waste areas. An analysis of the use of these regulations illuminates part of the story about a twice-rejected copper–gold mine proposal at Fish Lake. In light of how Canadian regulations can produce fish as disposable, I explore if the value of fish can be explained externally from capital accumulation and technical representations in scientific studies within environmental assessment. The article reveals the environmental assessment process largely negates what I refer to as “fish-hood.”
Affect trumps age: A person-in-context relational view of age and motivation in SLA
Authors: Pfenninger Simone E , Singleton David
Published: January 2016

Recent findings (see, for example, Muñoz and Singleton, 2011) indicate that age of onset is not a strong determinant of instructed foreign language (FL) learners’ achievement and that age is intricately connected with social and psychological factors shaping the learner’s overall FL experience. The present study, accordingly, takes a participant-active approach by examining and comparing second language (L2) data, motivation questionnaire data, and language experience essays collected from a cohort of 200 Swiss learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) at the beginning and end of secondary school. These were used to analyse (1) whether in the long run early instructed FL learners in Switzerland outperform late instructed FL learners, and if so the extent to which motivation can explain this phenomenon, (2) the development of FL motivation and attitudes as students ascend the educational ladder, (3) the degree to which school-level variables affect age-related differences, and (4) learners’ beliefs about the age factor. We set out to combine large-scale quantitative methods (multilevel analyses) with individual-level qualitative data. While the results reveal clear differences with respect to rate of acquisition in favor of the late starters, whose motivation is more strongly goal- and future-focused at the first measurement, there is no main effect for starting age at the end of mandatory school time. Qualitative analyses of language experience essays offer insights into early and late starters’ L2 learning experience over the course of secondary school, capturing the multi-faceted complexity of the role played by starting age.
Preferences regarding disclosure of prognosis and end-of-life care: A survey of cancer patients with advanced disease in a lower-middle-income country
Authors: Zafar Waleed , Hafeez Haroon , Jamshed Arif , Shah Mazhar Ali , Quader Ainul , Yusuf M Aasim
Published: January 2016

Background:

Cancer patients’ preferences regarding disclosure of prognosis and end-of-life care remain under-reported from low- and middle-income countries where cancer poses an increasing demand on scarce healthcare resources. A better knowledge of these preferences can help in achievement of shared treatment goals.

Aim:

To survey preferences of adult cancer patients regarding disclosure of prognosis and end-of-life care

Design:

A multidimensional questionnaire was developed to survey consecutively sampled patients. A fifth of the participants completed a repeat survey 3 months later.

Setting/participants:

Adult patients at a specialist cancer center in Pakistan.

Results:

In total, 520 patients were surveyed initially (participation rate 98.6%) and 100 completed the repeat survey. Three in five respondents wanted a healthcare provider to give them detailed information about their prognosis and life expectancy. Those who wanted information withheld were significantly more likely to be female, to have a lower socioeconomic status, or to have lung cancer. Only two in five patients agreed that they wanted to die at home and more than 90% wanted all possible care till end-of-life. Yet, a little over half also agreed that they did not wish to be placed on a ventilator. In rank ordering preferences about end-of-life, respondents ranked “religious wellbeing” as the highest and “avoiding inappropriate prolongation of dying” as the lowest of six options.

Conclusion:

A majority of adult cancer patients surveyed in this study wanted a truthful disclosure about their disease prognosis and expressed a preference for hospital-based care at end-of-life. Healthcare providers should find ways to tailor prognostic information to patients’ expressed information needs.
The Development of a Program Engagement Theory for Group Offending Behavior Programs
Authors: Holdsworth Emma , Bowen Erica , Brown Sarah , Howat Douglas
Published: January 2016

Offender engagement in group offending behavior programs is poorly understood and under-theorized. In addition, there is no research on facilitators’ engagement. This article presents the first ever theory to address this gap. A Program Engagement Theory (PET) was derived from a constructivist grounded theory analysis that accounts for both facilitators’ and offenders’ engagement in group offending behavior programs (GOBPs). Interviews and session observations were used to collect data from 23 program facilitators and 28 offenders (group members). The analysis revealed that group members’ engagement involved shared identities and moving on as a group. In turn, this was dependent on facilitators personalising treatment frameworks and establishing a hook to help group members move on. The PET emphasizes the importance of considering change during treatment as a process rather than simply a program outcome. Solution-focused (SF) programs were more conducive to engagement and the change process than offence-focused programs.
Using the Evaluation of Social Interaction (ESI) with men in a low secure forensic unit
Authors: Williams Belinda , Chard Gill
Published: January 2016

Statement of context

This practice analysis explored the utility of the Evaluation of Social Interaction (ESI) in a 12-bedded male in-patient low secure forensic unit in England. The ESI is a standardised observational assessment of the person engaging in two social exchanges in naturalistic settings with real social partners.

Critical reflection on practice

The ESI helped identify specific social interaction skills that supported and skills that limited competent quality of social interaction. This enabled the men to better understand why they had social interaction problems, thus improve their motivation to engage in planning their own treatment and resulted in positive re-enforcement during the intervention.

Implications for practice

The ESI is suitable to use in forensic and mental health settings. Unexpected outcomes included a more productive team, a more settled atmosphere and reduced levels of frustration for both staff and clients.
Residual stresses in aerospace structures reinforced with bonded crack retarders
Authors: Syed Abdul Khadar , Fitzpatrick Michael E , Moffatt James E
Published: January 2016

Bonded crack retarder technology is an innovative concept to improve the fatigue performance of aircraft structures. Stiffening ‘straps’ are adhesively bonded to areas where potential fatigue cracking may occur. The straps retard the growth of fatigue cracks, by a combination of the local stiffening effect that reduces the crack driving force, and bridging in the wake of the crack. However, bonded crack retarder results in thermal residual stresses that may adversely affect the performance of the reinforced structure due to extensive fatigue loads in service. This is the first study where we have looked at the application of GLARE6/5 fibre-metal laminate as a bonded crack retarder onto a structural butt joint and simulated manhole mock-up assemblies containing cold-worked holes. Neutron diffraction was used for residual stress measurements. Results indicate that the strap-bonding process has no discernible effect on the magnitude of the compressive cold-working stresses. The use of bonded crack retarders should not, therefore, impair the benefits of cold working of fastener joints in aircraft structures.
Workability and Requests for Flexible Work Arrangements Among Older Adults: The Role of a Time and Place Management Intervention
Authors: Morelock Jeremiah C. , McNamara Tay K. , James Jacquelyn B.
Published: January 2016

This article investigates the effect of an intervention on the workability of older adults (i.e., the competence, health, and other mental and physical characteristics that workers need to meet the demands of their jobs). We used data from health care workers ( N = 437) who participated in a “time and place management” (TPM) intervention. Although related to flexible work options that aim to give workers more choice and control over the time and place of their work, TPM is conceptually distinct in that it focuses on the processes and guidelines necessary to the successful management of choice and control rather than the options alone. We focused on how the TPM intervention moderated the relationship between age and workability over time, with a particular focus on variation by baseline workability. Our results indicated that the intervention can benefit older workers with low workability.
Shifting Racialized Identities Among Mexican Heritage Women of the Rural South
Authors: Beck Scott A. , Stevenson Alma D.
Published: January 2016

During the past generation, rural southeast Georgia has been transformed by the New Latino Diaspora, with many counties’ Hispanic populations now exceeding 10% and still growing. Just as these communities have been transformed, so have the Hispanics who have settled in Dixie. This is the first longitudinal study that examines the macro-level social and micro-level discursive co-construction and renegotiation of racial positionings by Mexicans in this region. The study examines the applicability of models of immigrant racialization, developed in other regions of the United States regarding other immigrant groups, to contemporary Hispanics living in the traditionally African American and White rural South. A grounded theory coding of participant interviews from 1998 to 2014 yielded a thematic frequency matrix, which was then evaluated via software-based cluster analysis. The resultant model of Mexican racialization allows for both permeability between categories and individual agency while recognizing the power of socially constructed racial markers.
The Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit—An Evolving Model for Health Care Delivery
Authors: Loughran John , Puthawala Tauqir , Sutton Brad S. , Brown Lorrel E. , Pronovost Peter J. , DeFilippis Andrew P.
Published: January 2016

Prior to the advent of the coronary care unit (CCU), patients having an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) were managed on the general medicine wards with reported mortality rates of greater than 30%. The first CCUs are believed to be responsible for reducing mortality attributed to AMI by as much as 40%. This drastic improvement can be attributed to both advances in medical technology and in the process of health care delivery. Evolving considerably since the 1960s, the CCU is now more appropriately labeled as a cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) and represents a comprehensive system designed for the care of patients with an array of advanced cardiovascular disease, an entity that reaches far beyond its early association with AMI. Grouping of patients by diagnosis to a common physical space, dedicated teams of health care providers, as well as the development and implementation of evidence-based treatment algorithms have resulted in the delivery of safer, more efficient care, and most importantly better patient outcomes. The CICU serves as a platform for an integrated, team-based patient care delivery system that addresses a broad spectrum of patient needs. Lessons learned from this model can be broadly applied to address the urgent need to improve outcomes and efficiency in a variety of health care settings.