bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Balancing priorities: Decision‐making in sustainable supply chain management
Authors: Wu Zhaohui , Pagell Mark
Published: November 2010

The need for environmental protection and increasing demands for natural resources are forcing companies to reconsider their business models and restructure their supply chain operations. Scholars and proactive companies have begun to create more sustainable supply chains. What has not been fully addressed is how organizations deal with short‐term pressures to remain economically viable while implementing these newly modeled supply chains. In this study, we use theory‐building through case studies to answer the question: how do organizations balance short‐term profitability and long‐term environmental sustainability when making supply chain decisions under conditions of uncertainty? We present five sets of propositions that explain how exemplars in green supply chain management make decisions and balance short and long term objectives. We also identify four environmental postures that help explain the decisions organizations make when dealing with strategic trade‐offs among the economic, environmental and social elements of the triple‐bottom‐line.
Biofilm and persistent inflammation in endoscopic sinus surgery
Authors: Hochstim Christian J. , Masood Rizwan , Rice Dale H.
Published: November 2010

Bacterial biofilms have been observed in many patients with chronic rhinosinusitis, but their importance is still being investigated. This study examines the association between biofilms and other clinical findings in chronic rhinosinusitis patients.

Twenty‐four patients with chronic rhinosinusitis who failed medical management underwent endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS). Tissue was collected from the ethmoid sinus and analyzed for the presence of biofilm by hematoxylin and eosin staining, fluorescent in situ hybridization, and confocal scanning laser microscopy. Biofilms were classified as extensive (> 50% of mucosal surface in sample) or present (< 50% of surface). The surgeon remained blinded to the biofilm status of patients until postoperative follow‐up was complete.

The presence of bacterial biofilm was strongly associated with persistent mucosal inflammation after ESS (53% of biofilm‐positive patients vs 0% of biofilm‐negative patients, P = 0.009). The amount of biofilm was not important as there was no significant difference between the extensive and present biofilm classifications with respect to inflammation. The presence of biofilm was not associated with prior ESS, allergies, eosinophils, polyps, or presence of fungal elements.
A prospective study of the clinical impact of a multidisciplinary head and neck tumor board
Authors: Wheless Stephen A. , McKinney Kibwei A. , Zanation Adam M.
Published: November 2010

OBJECTIVE

There have been no studies undertaken on the effect of the multidisciplinary head and neck tumor board on treatment planning. The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of the multidisciplinary tumor board in altering diagnosis, stage, and treatment plan in patients with head and neck tumors.

STUDY DESIGN

Case series with planned data collection.

SETTING

Comprehensive cancer center and tertiary academic hospital.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

A prospective study of the discussions concerning 120 consecutive patients presented at a multidisciplinary head and neck tumor board was performed. As each patient was presented, a record was made of the “pre‐conference” diagnosis, stage, and treatment plan. After case discussion, the “post‐conference” diagnosis, stage, and treatment plan were recorded. Results are compared between malignant and benign tumor cohorts.

RESULTS

The study population comprised 120 patients with new presentations of head and neck tumors: 84 malignancies and 36 benign tumors. Approximately 27 percent of patients had some change in tumor diagnosis, stage, or treatment plan. Change in treatment was significantly more common in cases of malignancy, occurring in 24 percent of patients versus six percent of benign tumors (P = 0.0199). Changes in treatment were also noted to be largely escalations in management (P = 0.0084), adding multimodality care.

CONCLUSION

A multidisciplinary tumor board affects diagnostic and treatment decisions in a significant number of patients with newly diagnosed head and neck tumors. The multidisciplinary approach to patient care may be particularly effective in managing malignant tumors, in which treatment plans are most frequently altered.
Acute invasive fungal rhinosinusitis: Evaluation of 26 patients treated with endonasal or open surgical procedures
Authors: Kasapoglu Fikret , Coskun Hakan , Ozmen Omer Afsin , Akalin Halis , Ener Beyza
Published: November 2010

OBJECTIVE

Acute invasive fungal rhinosinusitis (AIFRS) is a serious disease with a high mortality and morbidity rate, which almost always affects immunocompromised patients and/or patients with diabetes mellitus. Our purpose was to present the diagnostic and therapeutic management and outcome of these patients.

STUDY DESIGN

Case series with chart review.

SETTING

Tertiary care university hospital.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Twenty‐six patients, who were operated on because of AIFRS between September 1999 and June 2009, were retrospectively evaluated in this study. Endoscopic surgery was used in 19 patients, and open surgical debridement was performed in seven patients.

RESULTS

Overall survival rate of the patients in the open surgery group (4 of 7; 57.1%) was similar to that of the endoscopically treated group (9 of 19; 47.3%). Thirteen patients (50%) died of complications related to the underlying disease (9 of 13; 69.2%) and AIFRS (4 of 13; 30.7%). AIFRS‐specific survival rate is 76.5 percent; 90 percent (9 of 10) and 57.1 percent (4 of 7) for endoscopic and open surgery groups, respectively. Four patients who died had pathological diagnosis of mucormycosis (P = 0.52).

CONCLUSION

AIFRS can be successfully treated with a combination of endonasal surgical debridement and antifungal medications. Endonasal approach is suitable for patients diagnosed in the early stages of the disease and provides a less traumatic option in those patients who already have a poor health status. Open surgery should be preferred in the presence of intraorbital extension, palatinal, and/or intracerebral involvement. Reversing the underlying disease process and immunosuppression is as important as the surgical and antifungal treatment.
Insertion of middle-ear Silastic sheeting during tympanoplasty: hearing outcomes
Authors: Elmorsy S M , Amer H E
Published: November 2010

Objective:

To study the effect of Silastic®sheeting placed in the middle ear during tympanoplasty, including the effect on hearing.

Design:

Retrospective study.

Background:

Chronic inflammation of the middle ear is common. Surgical treatment sometimes results in middle-ear adhesions and hearing deterioration.

Materials and methods:

We selected 106 patients with chronic otitis media, middle-ear adhesions and intact ossicles, based on intra-operative findings. These patients underwent single-stage tympanoplasty either with or without insertion of Silastic sheeting. Audiometry was undertaken pre-operatively and one and 12 months post-operatively.

Results:

Patients who had undergone Silastic sheet insertion showed significantly better air conduction, bone conduction and air–bone gap averages one year post-operatively, compared with those who had not.
Civil society and the consolidation of democracy in Kenya: an analysis of a Catholic parish's efforts in Kibera slum
Authors: Bodewes Christine
Published: November 2010

This article tests the theory of advocates who celebrate the potential of civil society to promote and deepen democracy in Africa, by examining whether the human rights ministry of a Catholic parish in Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya was able to consolidate democracy through a civic education programme during 2002–5. It concludes, from an analysis of the social, economic and political environment in Kibera, that parishioners who participated in the programme demonstrated an observable improvement in their democratic values and behaviour at a localised level within their own parish groups. However, civic education did not stimulate most participants to increase their involvement in advocacy and lobbying efforts to hold government officials to account for their abuse of power in Kibera. Parishioners were inhibited from promoting their rights primarily due to fears of violent retaliation by local government officials and politically sponsored youth wingers. Other factors such as apathy, ethnic divisions, limited resources and restrictive church protocols further curtailed parishioners' actions.
Troubled state-building in the DR Congo: the challenge from the margins
Authors: Tull Denis M.
Published: November 2010

This paper examines contentious state–society and centre–periphery relations in the DR Congo and their implications for state-building. Since the 2006 post-conflict elections, the state's authority has come under fire in the western province of Bas Congo, where a politico-religious group (Bundu Dia Kongo) has emerged as a serious challenger. Enjoying huge local legitimacy, the group has articulated political grievances that the newly elected central government has violently repressed. As locally perceived, elections are a legitimising tool in the hands of the government to impose its unfettered authority in the name of the state-building project. Furthermore, and backed by donors, the Kinshasa authorities also refuse to implement a wide-ranging decentralisation reform. This has fed disenchantment about post-conflict politics in Bas Congo, boding ill for democratic politics and the prospects of state-building in the DR Congo.
Who speaks what to whom? Multilingualism and language choice in Misión La Paz
Authors: Campbell Lyle , Grondona Verónica
Published: November 2010

The multilingualism and patterns of language use in Misión La Paz, Salta Province, Argentina are described and analyzed. Three indigenous languages, Chorote, Nivaclé, and Wichí, are spoken here, but interlocutors in conversations usually do not speak the same language to one another. There is extensive linguistic exogamy, and husbands and wives typically speak different languages to one another. Individuals identify with one language, speak it to all others, and claim only to understand but not to speak the other languages spoken to them. Children in the same family very often identify with and thus speak different languages from one another. This situation is examined and explanations are offered, with comparisons to similar situations elsewhere. The pattern of language choice and multilingual use in this case is arguably unique, with implications for several general claims about language contact and multilingualism.
Interpretations of “Chinglish”: Native Speakers, Language Learners and the Enregisterment of a Stigmatized Code
Authors: Henry Eric Steven
Published: November 2010

As a linguistic curiosity, Chinglish has long fascinated native speakers of English, prompting numerous studies that analyze its form with a view towards either eliminating it or accepting it as a viable Standard English variant. In this article, I examine how various social groups involved in foreign language education in China, including Chinese students, foreign teachers and linguists, enregister Chinglish as a linguistic variety. I argue that Chinglish is not distinguished by the presence or absence of any particular linguistic feature, but a label produced in the intersubjective engagements between language learners and native speakers. Chinglish is structured by and reinforces the relations of expertise within the Chinese English language speech community, thus representing larger anxieties about nationalism and modernization in a global context.*
Politics and Privatization: Exogenous pressures, domestic incentives and state divestiture in Latin America
Authors: DOYLE DAVID
Published: November 2010

Despite a pervasive trend towards state retrenchment in Latin America since the 1980s, there remains significant variation in the levels of privatization across the region. However, very few cross-national studies of the determinants of privatization have been conducted and we still do not truly know why states privatize. This paper examines the determinants of privatization for 14 Latin American states over the period 1975 to 2003. I contend that privatization is best conceptualized as a two-stage process involving an initial decision to privatize, followed by a subsequent decision concerning the extent and intensity of privatization. In addition, privatization cannot be simply explained by either international or domestic level-variables. Rather, endogenous and exogenous variables will have different impacts at different stages of this process. The results of the statistical tests yield two important insights. Firstly, the initial decision to privatize is primarily shaped by international factors, in particular, international diffusion, while variation in the level of state divestiture across the region can primarily be explained by domestic economic and political conditions.
Farm Interests as Bargaining Chips: France in the EU-Mercosur Free Trade Negotiations
Authors: KONOLD DIETER
Published: November 2010

In trade policy France ranks as one of the most protectionist countries in the European Union. From an outside perspective, the French attitude is usually explained as a consequence of the strength and influence of the agrarian lobby. The article argues that farm groups in France have lost their formerly privileged position and the power to pursue their interests politically. A closer look at domestic politics shows that agricultural reforms were successfully implemented against the opposition of the farm lobby during the last ten years. But at the same time, French policy-makers were keen to create the impression that they were unable to make concessions in international trade talks due to the resistance of the agricultural sector. The EU-Mercosur negotiations demonstrate how the French government fended off demands for liberalization using farm interests as bargaining chips.
DEMAND ANALYSIS AS AN ILL-POSED INVERSE PROBLEM WITH SEMIPARAMETRIC SPECIFICATION
Authors: Hoderlein Stefan , Holzmann Hajo
Published: November 2010

In this paper we are concerned with analyzing the behavior of a semiparametric estimator that corrects for endogeneity in a nonparametric regression by assuming mean independence of residuals from instruments only. Because it is common in many applications, we focus on the case where endogenous regressors and additional instruments are jointly normal, conditional on exogenous regressors. This leads to a severely ill-posed inverse problem. In this setup, we show first how to test for conditional normality. More importantly, we then establish how to exploit this knowledge when constructing an estimator, and we derive the large sample behavior of such an estimator. In addition, in a Monte Carlo experiment we analyze its finite sample behavior. Our application comes from consumer demand. We obtain new and interesting findings that highlight both the advantages and the difficulties of an approach that leads to ill-posed inverse problems. Finally, we discuss the somewhat problematic relationship between endogenous nonparametric regression models and the recently emphasized issue of unobserved heterogeneity in structural models.
ESTIMATION OF A SEMIPARAMETRIC IGARCH(1,1) MODEL
Authors: Kim Woocheol , Linton Oliver
Published: November 2010

We propose a semiparametric IGARCH model that allows for persistence in variance but also allows for more flexible functional form. We assume that the difference of the squared process is weakly stationary. We propose an estimation strategy based on the nonparametric instrumental variable method. We establish the rate of convergence of our estimator.
Nonlinearity and noise at the rod—rod bipolar cell synapse
Authors: TREXLER E. BRADY , CASTI ALEXANDER R.R. , ZHANG YU
Published: November 2010

In the retina, rod bipolar (RBP) cells synapse with many rods, and suppression of rod outer segment and synaptic noise is necessary for their detection of rod single-photon responses (SPRs). Depending on the rods’ signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), the suppression mechanism will likely eliminate some SPRs as well, resulting in decreased quantum efficiency. We examined this synapse in rabbit, where 100 rods converge onto each RBP. Suction electrode recordings showed that rabbit rod SPRs were difficult to distinguish from noise (independent SNR estimates were 2.3 and 2.8). Nonlinear transmission from rods to RBPs improved response detection (SNR = 8.7), but a large portion of the rod SPRs was discarded. For the dimmest flashes, the loss approached 90%. Despite the high rejection ratio, noise of two distinct types was apparent in the RBP traces: low-amplitude rumblings and discrete events that resembled the SPR. The SPR-like event frequency suggests that they result from thermal isomerizations of rhodopsin, which occurred at the rate 0.033/s/rod. The presence of low-amplitude noise is explained by a sigmoidal input–output relationship at the rod—RBP synapse and the input of noisy rods. The rabbit rod SNR and RBP quantum efficiency are the lowest yet reported, suggesting that the quantum efficiency of the rod—RBP synapse may depend on the SNR in rods. These results point to the possibility that fewer photoisomerizations are discarded for species such as primate, which has a higher rod SNR.
ALTERNATIVE MONETARY POLICIES IN A TURNPIKE ECONOMY
Authors: Manuelli Rodolfo , Sargent Thomas J.
Published: November 2010

This paper modifies a Townsend turnpike model by letting agents stay at a location long enough to trade some consumption loans, but not long enough to support a Pareto-optimal allocation. Monetary equilibria exist that are nonoptimal in the absence of a scheme to pay interest on currency at a particular rate. Paying interest on currency at the optimal rate delivers a Pareto-optimal allocation, but a different one than the allocation for an associated nonmonetary centralized economy. The price level remains determinate under an optimal policy. We study the response of the model to “helicopter drops” of currency, steady increases in the money supply, and restrictions on private intermediation.
Seasonal and hemispheric variations of the total auroral precipitation energy flux from TIMED/GUVI
Authors: Luan Xiaoli , Wang Wenbin , Burns Alan , Solomon Stanley , Zhang Yongliang , Paxton Larry J.
Published: November 2010

The auroral hemispheric power (HP) has been calculated from the averaged energy flux derived from Far‐ultraviolet emission observations made by the global ultraviolet imager (GUVI) instrument on board the Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) satellite during 2002–2007. This HP was used to study how variations in seasonal and hemispheric asymmetries changed with changing geomagnetic activity. Our results showed that there were persistent seasonal and hemispheric differences in quiet conditions. There were HP differences of about 1–3 GW between the summer and winter seasons in each hemisphere and also between the two hemispheres during each solstice period for low geomagnetic activity (Kp ≤ 3). The summer‐winter asymmetry was 4%–35% when HP was low. These summer‐winter differences became negligible when geomagnetic activity was moderate to active. Similarly, there were also HP differences of about 2 GW between local summers of the two hemispheres during geomagnetically quiet conditions (Kp < 3) but not during higher Kp conditions. The hemispheric asymmetries between the two summer solstices were about 10%–20% during quiet conditions, whereas there was no apparent hemispheric asymmetry between the two winter solstices under all Kp 1–5 conditions. Solar illumination effects were probably the primary cause of the seasonal and hemispheric variations of the auroral hemispheric power for these geomagnetically quiet conditions. During moderate and active conditions the conductivities were driven more by the production of ionization due to precipitation, so the precipitation was more symmetric.
Revisiting internal wave generation by tide‐topography interaction
Authors: Mohri Ken , Hibiya Toshiyuki , Iwamae Nobuyuki
Published: November 2010

To clarify the physics responsible for tidal generation of internal waves over abyssal small‐scale bottom topography, we carry out a series of numerical experiments using a vertically two‐dimensional primitive equation model. It is found that the stratified fluid response can be categorized into four dynamical regimes in terms of two dimensionless parameters related to tidal advection effects and buoyancy effects. Under parameters corresponding to the real abyssal ocean, quasi‐steady internal waves are created over the bottom topography only during the limited time interval centered at the maximum of opposing tidal flow; since the created internal waves cannot maintain the quasi‐steady balance with the decreasing tidal flow, they then start propagating upstream. This “partial quasi‐steady response” in the abyssal ocean is found to be quite similar to the response actually observed in the shallow ocean, causing the widespread misinterpretation that strong tide‐topography interactions in the shallow ocean can generate quasi‐steady lee waves. In the present study, we clearly distinguish between the dynamical regimes corresponding to “quasi‐steady response” and partial quasi‐steady response to dispel this confusion about the interpretation of tide‐topography interactions, not only for the abyssal ocean but also for the shallow ocean.
In situ balloon‐borne measurements of HNO3 and HCl stratospheric vertical profiles influenced by polar stratospheric cloud formation during the 2005–2006 Arctic winter
Authors: Grossel A. , Huret N. , Catoire V. , Berthet G. , Renard J.‐B. , Robert C. , Gaubicher B.
Published: November 2010

Within the context of the Envisat satellite validation, the Spectromètre InfraRouge par Absorption de Lasers Embarqués (SPIRALE), balloon‐borne infrared spectrometer was flown in the Arctic stratosphere (Kiruna, Sweden; 67.6°N, 21.6°E) in January 2006. In situ vertical profiles of O3, N2O, HNO3, and HCl were obtained between 13 and 27.3 km. The Stratospheric and Tropospheric Aerosols Counter (STAC) was mounted on board, allowing in situ characterization of the vertical particle distribution at six values of radius between 0.2 and 1.0 μm. Complex structures were observed in both HNO3 and HCl vertical profiles with very low values in the 20.5–22 km layer and simultaneously thin layers of clouds were observed below the HNO3 depleted layer. We used correlations of N2O:HNO3 and O3:HNO3 to characterize these layers and a model approach to investigate the processes involved. It appears that denitrification and renitrification processes have been captured that were linked to the formation of a polar stratospheric cloud. Several tests using different nitric acid trihydrate (NAT) nucleation rates in the model were performed to obtain the best agreement between microphysical and chemical results and measurements. Best results were obtained with a nucleation rate independent of temperature.
Chemistry‐climate model simulations of spring Antarctic ozone
Authors: Austin John , Struthers H. , Scinocca J. , Plummer D. A. , Akiyoshi H. , Baumgaertner A. J. G. , Bekki S. , Bodeker G. E. , Braesicke P. , Brühl C. , Butchart N. , Chipperfield M. P. , Cugnet D. , Dameris M. , Dhomse S. , Frith S. , Garny H. , Gettelman A. , Hardiman S. C. , Jöckel P. , Kinnison D. , Kubin A. , Lamarque J. F. , Langematz U. , Mancini E. , Marchand M. , Michou M. , Morgenstern O. , Nakamura T. , Nielsen J. E. , Pitari G. , Pyle J. , Rozanov E. , Shepherd T. G. , Shibata K. , Smale D. , Teyssèdre H. , Yamashita Y.
Published: November 2010

Coupled chemistry‐climate model simulations covering the recent past and continuing throughout the 21st century have been completed with a range of different models. Common forcings are used for the halogen amounts and greenhouse gas concentrations, as expected under the Montreal Protocol (with amendments) and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change A1b Scenario. The simulations of the Antarctic ozone hole are compared using commonly used diagnostics: the minimum ozone, the maximum area of ozone below 220 DU, and the ozone mass deficit below 220 DU. Despite the fact that the processes responsible for ozone depletion are reasonably well understood, a wide range of results is obtained. Comparisons with observations indicate that one of the reasons for the model underprediction in ozone hole area is the tendency for models to underpredict, by up to 35%, the area of low temperatures responsible for polar stratospheric cloud formation. Models also typically have species gradients that are too weak at the edge of the polar vortex, suggesting that there is too much mixing of air across the vortex edge. Other models show a high bias in total column ozone which restricts the size of the ozone hole (defined by a 220 DU threshold). The results of those models which agree best with observations are examined in more detail. For several models the ozone hole does not disappear this century but a small ozone hole of up to three million square kilometers continues to occur in most springs even after 2070.
Carbon cycle data assimilation with a generic phenology model
Authors: Knorr W. , Kaminski T. , Scholze M. , Gobron N. , Pinty B. , Giering R. , Mathieu P.‐P.
Published: November 2010

Photosynthesis by terrestrial plants is the main driver of the global carbon cycle, and the presence of actively photosynthesizing vegetation can now be observed from space. However, challenges remain when translating remotely sensed data into carbon fluxes. One reason is that the Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FAPAR), which documents the presence of photosynthetically active vegetation, relates more directly to leaf development and leaf phenology than to photosynthetic rates. Here, we present a new approach for linking FAPAR and vegetation‐to‐atmosphere carbon fluxes through variational data assimilation. The scheme extends the Carbon Cycle Data Assimilation System (CCDAS) by a newly developed, globally applicable and generic leaf phenology model, which includes both temperature and water‐driven leaf development. CCDAS is run for seven sites, six of them included in the FLUXNET network. Optimization is carried out simultaneously for all sites against 20 months of daily FAPAR from the Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer on board the European Space Agency's ENVISAT platform. Fourteen parameters related to phenology and 24 related to photosynthesis are optimized simultaneously, and their posterior uncertainties are computed. We find that with one parameter set for all sites, the model is able to reproduce the observed FAPAR spanning boreal, temperate, humid‐tropical, and semiarid climates. Assimilation of FAPAR has led to reduced uncertainty (by >10%) of 10 of the 38 parameters, including one parameter related to photosynthesis, and a moderate reduction in net primary productivity uncertainty. The approach can easily be extended to regional or global studies and to the assimilation of further remotely sensed data.
A validation of heat and carbon fluxes from high‐resolution land surface and regional models
Authors: Anav Alessandro , D'Andrea Fabio , Viovy Nicolas , Vuichard Nicolas
Published: November 2010

The performance of Organizing Carbon and Hydrology in Dynamic Ecosystems (ORCHIDEE), a model of surface hydrology, plant phenology, and vegetation dynamics, in reproducing field measurements of heat and carbon fluxes at various spatial and temporal scales is assessed. The model is forced by two high‐resolution (30 km) regional climate models (RegCM3 and WRF) output in the Euro‐Mediterranean region for the period 2002–2007. First a validation of the regional models surface climatology is conducted in comparison to gridded meteorological station data and to other state of the art regional models. Then annual cycles and interannual variability of latent and sensible heat, gross primary production, and net ecosystem exchange are compared to in situ experimental data provided from the CARBOEUROPE network. Six sites were chosen across the Euro‐Mediterranean region, representing different forest environments. Results show that ORCHIDEE is able to reproduce the annual cycle of heat and carbon fluxes, with errors comparable with the measurement uncertainties. The interannual variations appear more problematic. While the variations of sensible heat are at least of the same sign as observed, latent heat is less well reproduced, while there is hardly any skill in reproducing carbon fluxes. The main difference between the two regional models used for forcing is an excessive precipitation produced on average by RegCM3. This causes errors in the latent heat and gross primary production of ORCHIDEE.
Consistency of global satellite‐derived aerosol and cloud data sets with recent brightening observations
Authors: Cermak Jan , Wild Martin , Knutti Reto , Mishchenko Michael I. , Heidinger Andrew K.
Published: November 2010

Solar radiation at the Earth surface has increased over land and ocean since about 1990 (‘global brightening’). An analysis of various global (ocean only) aerosol and (global) cloud data sets from geostationary and polar orbiting satellites is performed to determine whether changes in these quantities have occurred in accordance with ‘global brightening’, and to analyse the global distribution of these changes. Change‐point detection and trend analysis are employed in the analysis. In a period from the mid‐1980s to the mid‐2000s, aerosol optical depth is found to have started declining in the early 1990s, while cloud data sets do not agree on trends. Ångström exponent data seem to suggest changes in pollution.
Application of randomly oriented spheroids for retrieval of dust particle parameters from multiwavelength lidar measurements
Authors: Veselovskii I. , Dubovik O. , Kolgotin A. , Lapyonok T. , Di Girolamo P. , Summa D. , Whiteman D. N. , Mishchenko M. , Tanré D.
Published: November 2010

Multiwavelength (MW) Raman lidars have demonstrated their potential to profile particle parameters; however, until now, the physical models used in retrieval algorithms for processing MW lidar data have been predominantly based on the Mie theory. This approach is applicable to the modeling of light scattering by spherically symmetric particles only and does not adequately reproduce the scattering by generally nonspherical desert dust particles. Here we present an algorithm based on a model of randomly oriented spheroids for the inversion of multiwavelength lidar data. The aerosols are modeled as a mixture of two aerosol components: one composed only of spherical and the second composed of nonspherical particles. The nonspherical component is an ensemble of randomly oriented spheroids with size‐independent shape distribution. This approach has been integrated into an algorithm retrieving aerosol properties from the observations with a Raman lidar based on a tripled Nd:YAG laser. Such a lidar provides three backscattering coefficients, two extinction coefficients, and the particle depolarization ratio at a single or multiple wavelengths. Simulations were performed for a bimodal particle size distribution typical of desert dust particles. The uncertainty of the retrieved particle surface, volume concentration, and effective radius for 10% measurement errors is estimated to be below 30%. We show that if the effect of particle nonsphericity is not accounted for, the errors in the retrieved aerosol parameters increase notably. The algorithm was tested with experimental data from a Saharan dust outbreak episode, measured with the BASIL multiwavelength Raman lidar in August 2007. The vertical profiles of particle parameters as well as the particle size distributions at different heights were retrieved. It was shown that the algorithm developed provided substantially reasonable results consistent with the available independent information about the observed aerosol event.
HYPROM hydrology surface‐runoff prognostic model
Authors: Nickovic Slobodan , Pejanovic Goran , Djurdjevic Vladimir , Roskar Jozef , Vujadinovic Mirjam
Published: November 2010

The major objective of this study was to develop a hydrology model (HYPROM) to simulate overland watershed processes based on advanced numerical and parameterization methods. The resulting model, HYPROM, was designed for real‐time watershed prediction. The model solves grid point‐based shallow water equations with numerical approaches that include an efficient explicit time‐differencing scheme for the gravity wave components and a physically based and numerically stable implicit scheme for the friction slope terms. The model dynamics (advection, diffusion, and height gradient force) are explicitly represented, whereas the model physics (e.g., friction slope) are parameterized, i.e., subgrid effects are expressed in terms of the model grid point variables. The fact that the modeling governing equations for momentum and mass are all prognostic makes HYPROM distinct to most other prognostic hydrology systems. The model uses real topography, river routing, and land cover data to represent surface influences. The HYPROM calculations can be executed offline (i.e., independent of a driving atmospheric model) or online as a callable routine of a driving atmospheric model. The model is applicable across a broad range of spatial scales ranging from local to regional and global scales. The model can be set up over different geographic domains and can run efficiently on conventional computer platforms. Finally, the model can be used either for hydrologic forecasts or climate studies if embedded as a component of an atmospheric climate model.
Spatial variability in airborne bacterial communities across land-use types and their relationship to the bacterial communities of potential source environments
Authors: Bowers Robert M , McLetchie Shawna , Knight Rob , Fierer Noah
Published: November 2010

Although bacteria are ubiquitous in the near-surface atmosphere and they can have important effects on human health, airborne bacteria have received relatively little attention and their spatial dynamics remain poorly understood. Owing to differences in meteorological conditions and the potential sources of airborne bacteria, we would expect the atmosphere over different land-use types to harbor distinct bacterial communities. To test this hypothesis, we sampled the near-surface atmosphere above three distinct land-use types (agricultural fields, suburban areas and forests) across northern Colorado, USA, sampling five sites per land-use type. Microbial abundances were stable across land-use types, with ∼105–106 bacterial cells per m3 of air, but the concentrations of biological ice nuclei, determined using a droplet freezing assay, were on average two and eight times higher in samples from agricultural areas than in the other two land-use types. Likewise, the composition of the airborne bacterial communities, assessed via bar-coded pyrosequencing, was significantly related to land-use type and these differences were likely driven by shifts in the sources of bacteria to the atmosphere across the land-uses, not local meteorological conditions. A meta-analysis of previously published data shows that atmospheric bacterial communities differ from those in potential source environments (leaf surfaces and soils), and we demonstrate that we may be able to use this information to determine the relative inputs of bacteria from these source environments to the atmosphere. This work furthers our understanding of bacterial diversity in the atmosphere, the terrestrial controls on this diversity and potential approaches for source tracking of airborne bacteria.
eagle-i: An Ontology-Driven Framework For Biomedical Resource Curation And Discovery
Authors: Johnson Tenille , Shaffer Christopher , Stone Larry , Torniai Carlo , Segerdell Erik , Wilson Melanie , Bashor Ted , Bourges-Waldegg Daniela , Corday Karen , Haendel Melissa , Frost H. Robert
Published: November 2010

The eagle-i Consortium ("http://www.eagle-i.org/home":www.eagle-i.org/home) comprises nine geographically and ethnically diverse universities across America working to build a federated network of research resources. Biomedical research generates many resources that are rarely shared or published, including: reagents, protocols, instruments, expertise, organisms, training opportunities, software, human studies, and biological specimens. The goal of eagle-i is to improve biomedical research by helping researchers more easily find scientific resources that are difficult to discover, reducing time-consuming and expensive duplication of resources. Now in early development, the system will ultimately expand to include research resources at other universities following the end of the two-year pilot phase. An application ontology is being developed to enable representation of core facility and research lab resources in the eagle-i repository, leading to more effective searches and better linkage between data types. The eagle-i ontology will guide users to valid queries via auto-suggestion, ontology browsing, concept-based search, and synonym expansion. The ontology development effort is being guided by active discussions within the ontology community and brings together relevant preexisting ontologies in a logical framework. Components of the data entry and search interfaces are generated directly from the ontology, which allows rapid change in response to user needs and ontology evolution. Each eagle-i institution will populate and manage a local repository using data collection and curation tools. To enhance the quantity and quality of data, the data tools will take advantage of the ontology to support semi-automated annotation of resources. NIH/NCRR ARRA award U24RR029825.
Ischaemia monitoring with on‐line vectorcardiography during dobutamine stress echocardiography in patients after an episode of unstable coronary artery disease
Authors: Lundin P. , Eriksson S. V. , AndrÉn B. , LindahL B. , Tornvall P. , Melcher A.
Published: November 2010

. Lundin P, Eriksson SV, Andrén B, Lindahl B, Tornvall P, Melcher A (Danderyd Hospital, Danderyd, University Hospital, Uppsala, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden). Ischaemia monitoring with on‐line vectorcardiography during dobutamine stress echocardiography in patients after an episode of unstable coronary artery disease. J Intern Med 1998; 244: 61–70.

Objectives

This study investigated the ability of on‐line vectorcardiography (VCG) to detect myocardial ischaemia as assessed by dobutamine stress echocardiography after an episode of unstable coronary artery disease.

Design

Dobutamine stress test (incrementally infused doses of 5, 10, 20, 30 and 40 μg kg−1 per minute) was performed during simultaneous VCG monitoring. QRS vector difference (QRS‐VD), ST vector magnitude (ST‐VM), ST change vector magnitude (STC‐VM) and T change vector magnitude (TC‐VM) were monitored. A new wall motion abnormality or worsening of abnormal wall motion was regarded as indicating a positive dobutamine stress test.

Subjects

Fifty‐five patients with unstable angina pectoris and 16 patients with an acute non‐Q‐wave myocardial infarction were studied 5–8 days after admission.

Results

A positive dobutamine stress test was observed in 37 patients (52%). The sensitivity, specificity and total accuracy of identifying patients with a positive dobutamine stress test by VCG were: 38%, 91% and 63% for QRS‐VD; 59%, 88% and 73% for ST‐VM; 84%, 79% and 82% for STC‐VM; and 86%, 23% and 56% for TC‐VM. Patients with a positive dobutamine stress test showed higher maximum VCG values than patients with a negative dobutamine stress test (QRS‐VD, P < 0.01; ST‐VM, P < 0.001; STC‐VM, P < 0.001). The maximum VCG values were related to the number of segments showing new or worsening wall motion abnormality (QRS‐VD: r= 0.41, P < 0.001; ST‐VM: r= 0.44, P < 0.001; STC‐VM: r= 0.57, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

STC‐VM and ST‐VM seem to be the best VCG variables for detection of myocardial ischaemia as assessed by dobutamine stress echocardiography.
The role of DIMBOA on the feeding of Asian corn borer, Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenée) (Lep., Pyralidae)
Authors: Yan F. , Liang X. , Zhu X.
Published: November 2010

The role of 2,4‐dihydroxy‐7‐methoxy‐(2H)‐1,4‐benzoxazin‐3(4H)‐one (DIMBOA), on feeding of Asian corn borer (ACB), Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenée), was observed and quantified. DIMBOA had an antifeedant effect on ACB and a mathematical model was built for the correlation between DIMBOA concentration and antifeedant index. DIMBOA increased the time that the larvae required to reach the pupal stage and the larval weights in treatment were significantly less than those in control. The number of entrances of ACB on the plant sites were positively correlative to the DIMBOA concentrations, suggesting that feeding stimulants in the corn plants could probably override the antifeedant effect of DIMBOA
Automating insect identification: exploring the limitations of a prototype system
Authors: Weeks P. J. D. , O’Neill M. A. , Gaston K. J. , Gauld I. D.
Published: November 2010

Automated identification systems based on computer image analysis technology provide an attractive, but as yet unexploited potential solution to the growing burden of routine species identifications presently faced by a dwindling community of expert taxonomists. DAISY (the Digital Automated Identification SYstem) is a prototype novel automated identification system, developed to explore this possibility. In its pilot phase, the DAISY algorithms were developed to discriminate five species of parasitic wasp, based on differences in their wing structure. Here, again using wing form, the ability of DAISY to discriminate amongst an order of magnitude more species – 49 species of closely related biting midges is examined. In so doing an attempt is made to establish a set of basic ‘benchmark’ tests of the efficacy, and weaknesses, of such an automated identification system.
Safety and Efficacy of One‐Week Triple Therapy for Eradicating Helicobacter pylori in Children
Authors: Kato Seiichi , Ritsuno Hideyo , Ohnuma Kenji , Iinuma Kazuie , Sugiyama Toshiro , Asaka Masahiro
Published: November 2010

Background.

Proton pump inhibitor‐based eradication therapy of Helicobacter pylori has been widely studied in adults, but there have been only a few reports about this therapy in children. The purpose of this study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of 1‐week triple therapy for eradication of H. pylori and ulcer healing in children.

Patients and Methods.

We prospectively studied 15 patients aged 2–17 years (5 with gastric ulcers, 8 with duodenal ulcers, and 2 with nodular gastritis alone). Three patients had H2 blocker‐resistant duodenal ulcers. Patients received 0.75 mg/kg of lansoprazole b.i.d., 25 mg/kg of amoxicillin b.i.d., and 10 mg/kg of clarithromycin b.i.d. for 7 days. No additional therapy (including antisecretory drugs) was administered to any patients following eradication therapy. Patients underwent endoscopy to obtain antral biopsies (culture, urease test and histology) and to evaluate the mucosal status, and underwent a 13C‐urea breath test before and 4–8 weeks after the completion of a 1‐week course of therapy.

Results.

All patients received the full drug regimen. Endoscopy showed complete healing of ulcers in 12 of 13 patients with peptic ulcer disease (92%). H. pylori was eradicated in 13 of 15 patients (87%). Diarrhea and/or an altered taste sensation occurred in 5 patients (33%). There were no hematological or biochemical abnormalities related to therapy.

Conclusion.

The 1‐week triple therapy was safe and effective for eradicating H. pylori. The present study showed that ulcer healing in juveniles is closely associated with eradication of H. pylori, and that no additional therapy is required when H. pylori is eradicated. A shorter course of eradication therapy than 2 weeks may be suitable for children with H. pylori infection.
Elongation habit of mesocotyls and coleoptiles in weedy rice with high emergence ability in direct-seeding on dry paddy fields
Authors: Chung Nam-Jin
Published: November 2010

Direct-seeding of rice on dry paddy soil could enable large-scale cultivation and cost-savings, but still has some problems including poor seedling establishment caused by low temperature and varied sowing depth. This research was performed to identify weedy rice genetic resources that may help to eliminate the problem of poor seedling establishment in direct-seeded rice on dry paddy soil in temperate regions. The genetic resources screened in this study were 128 genotypes consisting of 92 japonica weedy rices, 24 indica weedy rices, and 12 Korean bred cultivars. On average, weedy rice germplasm had superior abilities to emerge from greater depths than cultivated rices. Coleoptile and mesocotyl lengths were highly positively correlated with the emergence rate. Among the weedy rice germplasm, the japonica weedy rice WD-3 showed the highest level of emergence with the longest coleoptile and mesocotyl. The emergence ability of WD-3 was confirmed in both phytotron and field conditions. In the emerged plants in the field, the mesocotyl elongation increased with increasing burial depth in a logarithmic fashion, and coleoptile extension increased exponentially. The mesocotyl and coleoptile elongated to a length of seed burial depth, indicating that the mesocotyl and coleoptile of WD-3 could induce the safe development of the first leaf of the seedling at the soil surface. Therefore, the elongation habit of the mesocotyl and coleoptile of WD-3 could be one of the most important characteristics for the development of direct-seeding cultivars.
Influence of row spacing on water use and yield of rain-fed wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in a no-till system with stubble retention
Authors: Kleemann S. G. L. , Gill G. S.
Published: November 2010

A 3-year field study was undertaken to investigate the effect of row spacing on vegetative growth, grain yield and water-use efficiency of wheat. All 3 years of the study experienced 21–51% below-average rainfall for the growing season. Widening row spacing led to reduced biomass and tillers on per plant basis which could be related to the reduction in light interception by the wheat canopy in the wide rows which in turn could have reduced assimilate production. Reduction in vegetative growth in 54-cm rows translated into a significant reduction in grain yield which was strongly associated (r2 = 0.71) with the loss of spike density. The pattern of crop water use (evapotranspiration, ET) during the growing season was very similar for the three row-spacing treatments. However, there was some evidence for slightly lower ET (~5%) in 54-cm rows in two growing seasons. More importantly, there was no evidence for increased ET during the post-anthesis phase in wide rows as has been speculated by some researchers. Over the 3 years of the study, grain yield declined by 5–8% as row spacing increased from 18 to 36 cm and by a further 12–20% as row spacing increased from 36 to 54 cm. There was a consistent decline in water-use efficiency for grain (WUEG) with increasing row spacing over the 3 years. WUEG declined by 6–11% as crop spacing increased from 18 to 36 cm and declined further by 12–15% as row spacing increased to 54 cm. Lower light interception at wider row spacing could have reduced assimilate production by wheat as well as increased soil evaporation due to lower shading of the soil surface in more open canopies. Growers adopting wider row spacing on these relatively heavy textured soils are likely to experience some reduction in grain yield and WUEG. However, some growers may be prepared to accept a small yield penalty from intermediate row spacing as a trade-off for increased stubble retention and soil health.