bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mild Hypothermia After Intravenous Thrombolysis in Patients With Acute Stroke
Authors: Piironen Katja , Tiainen Marjaana , Mustanoja Satu , Kaukonen Kirsi-Maija , Meretoja Atte , Tatlisumak Turgut , Kaste Markku
Published: January 2014

Background and Purpose—

Hypothermia improves outcome in resuscitated patients and newborns with hypoxic brain injury. We studied the safety and feasibility of mild hypothermia in awake patients with stroke after intravenous thrombolysis.

Methods—

Patients were randomized 1:1 to mild hypothermia (35°C) or to standard stroke unit care within 6 hours of symptom onset. Hypothermia was induced with a surface-cooling device and cold saline infusions. Active cooling was restrained gradually after 12 hours at <35.5°C. The primary outcome measure was the number of patients with <36°C body temperature for >80% of the 12-hour cooling period.

Results—

We included 36 patients with a median of National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score of 9 one hour after thrombolysis. Fifteen of 18 (83%) patients achieved the primary end point. Sixteen (89%) patients reached <35.5°C in a median time of 10 hours (range, 7–16 hours) from symptom onset, spent 10.5 hours (1–17 hours) in hypothermia, and were back to normothermia in 23 hours (15–29 hours). Few serious adverse events were more common in the hypothermia group. At 3 months, 7 patients (39%) in both groups had good outcome (modified Ranking Scale, 0–2), whereas poor outcome (modified Ranking Scale, 4–6) was twice as common in the normothermia group (44% versus 22%).

Conclusions—

Mild hypothermia with a surface-cooling device in an acute stroke unit is safe and feasible in thrombolyzed, spontaneously breathing patients with stroke, despite the adverse events.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT00987922.
General Subpopulation Framework and Taming the Conflict Inside Populations
Authors: Vargas Danilo Vasconcellos , Murata Junichi , Takano Hirotaka , Delbem Alexandre Cláudio Botazzo
Published: January 2014

Structured evolutionary algorithms have been investigated for some time. However, they have been under explored especially in the field of multi-objective optimization. Despite good results, the use of complex dynamics and structures keep the understanding and adoption rate of structured evolutionary algorithms low. Here, we propose a general subpopulation framework that has the capability of integrating optimization algorithms without restrictions as well as aiding the design of structured algorithms. The proposed framework is capable of generalizing most of the structured evolutionary algorithms, such as cellular algorithms, island models, spatial predator-prey, and restricted mating based algorithms. Moreover, we propose two algorithms based on the general subpopulation framework, demonstrating that with the simple addition of a number of single-objective differential evolution algorithms for each objective, the results improve greatly, even when the combined algorithms behave poorly when evaluated alone at the tests. Most importantly, the comparison between the subpopulation algorithms and their related panmictic algorithms suggests that the competition between different strategies inside one population can have deleterious consequences for an algorithm and reveals a strong benefit of using the subpopulation framework.
The Impact of Plantations on Weather and Climate in Coastal Desert Regions
Authors: Wulfmeyer Volker , Branch Oliver , Warrach-Sagi Kirsten , Bauer Hans-Stefan , Schwitalla Thomas , Becker Klaus
Published: January 2014

Recent advances in technology permit the irrigation of dry, coastal areas, avoiding the use of fossil water and conflicts with other land use (e.g., for food production). Consequently, it becomes reasonable to consider large-scale plantations for mitigating increases in atmospheric concentrations by carbon sequestration and to study local modifications of weather and climate. This work investigates the impact of plantations in Oman and the Sonora Desert in Mexico assuming an area of about 100 km × 100 km. For this purpose, an advanced land surface–atmosphere model was adapted to the local changes of land cover and operated on the convection-permitting scale. Explicit simulations of the impact of the plantation on soil–vegetation–atmosphere feedback were performed for a duration of 1 yr. A strong modification of diurnal cycles of variables such as surface fluxes, temperature, and boundary layer depth was found. Over the plantations, the mean temperature decreased as a result of nonlinear changes of the diurnal cycle caused by less warming during the day than cooling during the night. Moreover, the plantations caused an increase in vertical instability and a modification of the horizontal flow leading to the development of convergence zones. During several isolated cases in summer, this process led to convection initiation and precipitation with an enhancement of about 30 mm in both areas, respectively. These convection-permitting simulations lend confidence that an increase in precipitation could be induced at the mesoscale by the introduction of vegetation in desert regions. Furthermore, this effect should be included in a quantitative assessment of climate engineering by afforestation.
A Method to Linearly Evaluate Rainfall Frequency–Intensity Distribution
Authors: Li Jian , Yu Rucong
Published: January 2014

This study presents a method to linearly evaluate the rainfall frequency–intensity distribution, which is an important component of climatological rainfall characteristics. To grasp and represent the key information of the rainfall frequency distribution by intensity, a two-parameter double exponential function is formulated and fitted to the hourly rainfall observation at each station. The values of the two parameters are estimated by transforming the distribution to a linear pattern. The two parameters determine the location and shape of the fitted distribution curve, and they have different modulating effects in different intensity categories, one governing the low-intensity section and the other dominating the intense rainfall. Through analysis of the estimated parameters, essential features of rainfall distribution can be obtained and assessed. The proposed method is applied to analyze the climatology and long-term variation of the late-summer rainfall in China. It is found that topography and monsoon circulation are two major factors controlling the rainfall frequency–intensity distribution. At stations with high surface altitudes and complex orography, the frequency of light rain is extremely high and the number of intense rainfall events is relatively small. In the plain areas of eastern China, especially those influenced by the main monsoon rain belt, heavy rainfall is more frequent. By tracking the displacement of the parameter pairs, the decadal changes in rainfall frequency–intensity distribution can be clearly visualized and evaluated on a plane constructed by the two parameters. The southern flooding and northern drought pattern can be attributed to the changes in light and moderate rainfall, while the intense rainfall exhibits opposite trends.
Utility of SCaMPR Satellite versus Ground-Based Quantitative Precipitation Estimates in Operational Flood Forecasting: The Effects of TRMM Data Ingest
Authors: Lee Haksu , Zhang Yu , Seo Dong-Jun , Kuligowski Robert J. , Kitzmiller David , Corby Robert
Published: January 2014

This study examines the utility of satellite-based quantitative precipitation estimates (QPEs) from the Self-Calibrating Multivariate Precipitation Retrieval (SCaMPR) algorithm for hydrologic prediction. In this work, two sets of SCaMPR QPEs, one without and the other with Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) version 6 data integrated, were used as input forcing to the lumped National Weather Service hydrologic model to retrospectively generate flow simulations for 10 Texas catchments over 2000–07. The year 2000 was used for the model spinup, 2001–04 for calibration, and 2005–07 for validation. The results were validated using observed streamflow alongside similar simulations obtained using interpolated gauge QPEs with varying gauge network densities, and still others using the operational radar–gauge multisensor product (MAPX). The focus of the evaluation was on the high-flow events. A number of factors that could impact the relative utility of SCaMPR satellite QPE and gauge-only analysis (GMOSAIC) for flood prediction were examined, namely, 1) the incremental impacts of TRMM version 6 data ingest, 2) gauge density, 3) effects of calibration approaches, and 4) basin properties. Results indicate that ground-sensor-based QPEs in a broad sense outperform SCaMPR QPEs, while SCaMPR QPEs are competitive in a minority of catchments. TRMM ingest helped substantially improve the SCaMPR QPE–based simulation results. Change in calibration forcing, that is, calibrating the model using individual QPEs rather than the MAPX (the most accurate QPE), yielded overall improvements to the simulation accuracy but did not change the relative performance of the QPEs.
The Predictability of Rainfall over the Greater Horn of Africa. Part I: Prediction of Seasonal Rainfall
Authors: Nicholson Sharon E.
Published: January 2014

The predictability of each of the three rainy seasons affecting the Horn of Africa is examined using multiple linear regression and cross validation. In contrast to most other empirical forecast models, atmospheric dynamics are emphasized. Two geographical sectors are considered: the summer rainfall region with a single rainfall peak in the boreal summer and an equatorial rainfall region with rainy seasons in both the boreal spring and the boreal autumn. These two seasons are termed the “long rains” and “short rains,” respectively, in much of East Africa. Excellent predictability is noted 5 months in advance for both regions during the boreal autumn season and 2 months in advance for the summer season in the summer rainfall region. There is also excellent predictability for the short rains of the equatorial region 2 months in advance. Two notable findings are that atmospheric variables generally provide higher forecast skill than surface variables, such as sea surface temperatures and sea level pressure, and that ENSO and the Indian Ocean dipole provide less forecast skill than atmospheric variables associated with them. As in other studies, the results show that the spring predictability barrier limits the lead time for the forecasting of spring and summer rainfall.
Eulerian and Lagrangian Correspondence of High-Frequency Radar and Surface Drifter Data: Effects of Radar Resolution and Flow Components
Authors: Rypina I. I. , Kirincich A. R. , Limeburner R. , Udovydchenkov I. A.
Published: January 2014

This study investigated the correspondence between the near-surface drifters from a mass drifter deployment near Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, and the surface current observations from a network of three high-resolution, high-frequency radars to understand the effects of the radar temporal and spatial resolution on the resulting Eulerian current velocities and Lagrangian trajectories and their predictability. The radar-based surface currents were found to be unbiased in direction but biased in magnitude with respect to drifter velocities. The radar systematically underestimated velocities by approximately 2 cm s−1 due to the smoothing effects of spatial and temporal averaging. The radar accuracy, quantified by the domain-averaged rms difference between instantaneous radar and drifter velocities, was found to be about 3.8 cm s−1. A Lagrangian comparison between the real and simulated drifters resulted in the separation distances of roughly 1 km over the course of 10 h, or an equivalent separation speed of approximately 2.8 cm s−1. The effects of the temporal and spatial radar resolution were examined by degrading the radar fields to coarser resolutions, revealing the existence of critical scales (1.5–2 km and 3 h) beyond which the ability of the radar to reproduce drifter trajectories decreased more rapidly. Finally, the importance of the different flow components present during the experiment—mean, tidal, locally wind-driven currents, and the residual velocities—was analyzed, finding that, during the study period, a combination of tidal, locally wind-driven, and mean currents were insufficient to reliably reproduce, with minimal degradation, the trajectories of real drifters. Instead, a minimum combination of the tidal and residual currents was required.
Operational Implementation of the 1D+3D-Var Assimilation Method of Radar Reflectivity Data in the AROME Model
Authors: Wattrelot Eric , Caumont Olivier , Mahfouf Jean-François
Published: January 2014

This paper presents results from radar reflectivity data assimilation experiments with the nonhydrostatic limited-area model Application of Research to Operations at Mesoscale (AROME) in an operational context. A one-dimensional (1D) Bayesian retrieval of relative humidity profiles followed by a three-dimensional variational data assimilation (3D-Var) technique is adopted. Several preprocessing procedures of raw reflectivity data are presented and the use of the nonrainy signal in the assimilation is widely discussed and illustrated. This two-step methodology allows the authors to build up a screening procedure that takes into account the evaluation of the results from the 1D Bayesian retrieval. In particular, the 1D retrieval is checked by comparing a pseudoanalyzed reflectivity to the observed reflectivity. Additionally, a physical consistency between the reflectivity innovations and the 1D relative humidity increments is imposed before assimilating relative humidity pseudo-observations with other observations. This allows the authors to counteract the difficulty of the current 3D-Var system to correct strong differences between model and observed clouds from the crude specification of background-error covariances. Assimilation experiments of radar reflectivity data in a preoperational configuration are first performed over a 1-month period. Positive impacts on short-term precipitation forecast scores are systematically found. The evaluation shows improvements on the analysis and also on objective conventional forecast scores, in particular for the model wind field up to 12 h. A case study for a specific precipitating system demonstrates the capacity of the method for improving significantly short-term forecasts of organized convection.
Fun and friends: The impact of workplace fun and constituent attachment on turnover in a hospitality context
Authors: Tews Michael J , Michel John W , Allen David G
Published: January 2014

Extending the growing body of research on fun in the workplace, this article reports on a study examinining the relationship between fun and employee turnover. Specifically, this research focused on the influence of three forms of fun on turnover – fun activities, coworker socializing and manager support for fun. With a sample of 296 servers from 20 units of a national restaurant chain in the US, coworker socializing and manager support for fun were demonstrated to be significantly related to turnover. In addition, constituent attachment was found to mediate the relationship between each of the three forms of fun and turnover. This research highlights that not all types of fun are equal and demonstrates that one of the key means through which fun influences retention is by facilitating the development of high quality work relationships.
Damage in flax/epoxy quasi-unidirectional woven laminates under quasi-static tension
Authors: Kersani Malika , Lomov Stepan V , Van Vuure Aart Willem , Bouabdallah Ahcène , Verpoest Ignaas
Published: January 2014

The damage initiation and development in flax/epoxy laminates under quasi-static tension is studied. The laminates are made of quasi-unidirectional woven prepregs in different configurations [0°]8, [0°, 90°]2S, [−45°, 45°]2S and [0°, 90°, +45°, −45°]S, and processed using an autoclave. The damage was monitored during the tensile test using acoustic emission and observed by post-mortem microscopy of the samples. The stress–strain curves illustrate the ductile behaviour of the [+45°, −45°]2S composite, whereas in the other composites a more brittle behaviour was observed. Non-linearity of the stress–strain curves is explained by the intrinsic non-linearity of flax fibres in tension. The combination of the stress–strain data and the registered acoustic emission data is used to identify the damage initiation and propagation thresholds. The damage thresholds are the lowest in the [0°]8 laminate and the highest in the [+45°, −45°]2S laminate. The observed fracture zones and damage mode are cracks inside and on the boundary of technical fibres, cracks on the boundary of tows, matrix cracking, fibre pull-out and fibre breakage. A notable feature of the damage behaviour is almost full absence of transverse matrix cracks inside tows in 90° plies, which are the major damage modes in glass- and carbon-reinforced plastics. This is attributed to the low stress concentrations in transverse direction due to the low transverse modulus of flax fibres.
Edge concealment in a combined surface mesh and scalar-field tissue model for surgical simulations
Authors: Ruthenbeck Greg S , Reynolds Karen J
Published: January 2014

This article describes a new approach for producing highly realistic visualizations that are interactively cuttable by utilizing the programmability of the graphics rendering pipeline. It combines interactively changing scalar-field derived mesh geometry with static mesh geometry that contains additional lighting terms created offline using three-dimensional modeling software packages. This improves visual realism of surgical simulations whilst enabling more efficient surface representations for interactive areas of the same model, in this case the newly formed surface created when interactively cutting a model. The boundary between the interactively cut surface (generated from the scalar field), and the remaining surface triangles of the static model, is jagged and unrealistic when un-enhanced. Here we describe a method for blending the two models using a simple bleeding effect along the cut edge. This allows the cut edge and the internal cut surface to blend and thereby conceals unrealistic and distracting jagged cut edges. The bloodied edge is more realistic than an unmodified hard edge, which improves the quality of the simulation overall. Moreover, as the available processing power increases the resolution that can be achieved will increase and should allow this method to be extended for slice cutting simulation.
Governing Heterogeneous Populations: ‘Separate and Unequal’ in Israel
Authors: Shoshana Avi , Samimian-Darash Limor
Published: January 2014

Drawing on the Israeli ‘Immanuel Affair’ (also called the ‘Israeli Brown Affair’), we examine the complex relationship between governmentality and population compositions. In the town of Immanuel, the State attempted to establish a homogeneous population of ultra-orthodox Jews by opening it to unrestricted settlement. Rather than homogeneity however, this strategy produced a divided community, whose Ashkenazi and Mizrahi residents barely interact, and the State responded by withdrawing from its governance. Contrary to the perception prevalent in the literature on governmentality, which refers to the governed population as a homogeneous body, this case invites inquiry into forms of governing in multi-population situations whose radical heterogeneity resists the State’s homogenization attempts. We argue that examining governmentality through management of events (or Foucault’s notion of ‘the milieu’) – like the Immanuel Affair – allows for greater appreciation of the interaction between complex governance mechanisms and heterogenic populations.
Reimagining Englishness: ‘Race’, Class, Progressive English Identities and Disrupted English Communities
Authors: Leddy-Owen Charles
Published: January 2014

This article explores suggestions made by the contemporary mainstream left in England that reinvigorated English national identities could be an important resource for constructing a progressive sense of social solidarity and community in England. Analysis of semi-structured qualitative interviews undertaken in a South London area finds that English identifiers do associate Englishness with a sense of social cooperation and community. However, for most participants, the expectations they have of Englishness are experienced as disrupted. Focusing on white participants’ accounts, the article demonstrates how such disruptions are crucially related to the discourses of ‘race’ and class that seem to underpin English identities and thus severely if not fatally undermine the progressive potential of English nationalism.
Electromagnetic shielding effectiveness of polyester fabrics with polyaniline deposition
Authors: Engin Fatma Zehra , Usta Ismail
Published: January 2014

In this study, conductive fabrics were developed by polymerizing aniline onto polyester (PET) woven fabrics. The fabric treatment was carried out by the chemical polymerization method at 0.5 M, 0.8 M and 1.2 M aniline concentrations. Hydrochloric acid as acidic medium and ammonium persulfate as oxidant were employed during the polymerization process. The polyaniline (PANI)-treated PET fabric structures were fully characterized and evaluated in terms of their electromagnetic shielding effectiveness, absorption and reflection characteristics, and tensile properties. Additionally, the fabrics were examined by scanning electron microscopy for their surface morphology and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy for their chemical functionality. The electromagnetic shielding effectiveness and absorption and reflection characteristics were determined using a network analyzer with a frequency range from 15 MHz to 3000 MHz. The electrical characteristics were measured by the two-end method. It was concluded that the tensile strength values of the treated fabrics were enhanced when the amount of monomer in the concentrations increased as compared to the untreated fabrics. It is interesting to note that 1.2 M treated fabric had the lowest tensile strength values as compared to the other treated fabrics. It was also found that a 0.5 M concentration of PANI-treated fabric had the lowest surface resistivity since it showed the highest conductivity value. Another important finding is that the 0.8 M aniline-treated fabric had the highest shielding effectiveness.
Understanding the influence of fiber length on the High Volume Instrument™ measurement of cotton fiber strength
Authors: Naylor Geoffrey RS , Delhom Christopher D , Cui Xiaoliang , Gourlot Jean-Paul , Rodgers James
Published: January 2014

An earlier study confirmed the influence of cotton fiber length characteristics on the High Volume Instrument™ (HVI) strength measurement and devised a quantitative correction factor to compensate for the effect. The current paper investigated the validity of two important assumptions utilized in the previous study. Firstly, single fiber testing confirmed that the particular sample preparation method used to generate samples of different fiber length characteristics from a common cotton sliver did not introduce any inherent damage to the fibers (and so this could not be the explanation for the observed trend in measured fiber strength as a function of fiber length). Secondly, the positioning of the jaws relative to the beard in the HVI strength measurement was explored. This positioning was found to be quite variable for replicate measurements on the same cotton being a function of the size of each individual beard. The average positioning between the different samples was found to be similar and this validated the assumption and approach used previously for deriving the correction factor for that particular sample set. Characterizing the position of the jaws was extended using a wider range of cotton samples. The HVI positioning algorithm appears to not simply be a function of the size of the beard (i.e. the ‘amount’ parameter), but is also dependent on fiber length characteristics. It was also observed that the reported HVI elongation values displayed both a significant bias due to fiber length and also a dependence on the size of individual beards tested.
Effect of impactor shapes and yarn frictional effects on plain woven fabric puncture simulation
Authors: Yahya Mohamad Faizul , Ghani Suzaini Abdul , Salleh Jamil
Published: January 2014

Research in modeling and simulation of woven fabrics has been quite intensive in the past decade. The simulation studies presented confined consideration of crimp and extension roles in the damage deformation process, in particular tensile and puncture. Most simulation works are struggling to relate internal yarn interactions with respective damage modes due to the unit cell approach. Hence, in the present study, an alternative finite element analysis approach was proposed to model yarn crimp and extension response during puncture based on the validated uniaxial tensile and puncture models. Puncture stress–strain, post-impact kinetic energy and damage evolution of full-scale woven fabrics models were evaluated with two impactor shapes and three friction levels. The results show that puncture damage behavior is the critical dependent of the magnitude of impactor shapes and yarn frictional contacts. Good comparisons with the experimental and previous studies demonstrate the approach’s suitability for modeling textile in composites.
Ideologies of Attachment in the Story of Naboth's Vineyard
Authors: Russell Stephen C.
Published: January 2014

According to 1 Kings 21:1–16, Ahab sought to purchase the vineyard of Naboth, which adjoined the royal estate in Jezreel. Although Ahab offered a fair price or replacement land, Naboth declined: “Yahweh forbid that I should sell you the inheritance of my ancestors!” Commentators explain the force of Naboth's reply by comparing attitudes toward land in one of two complexes of biblical literature. According to the Deuteronomistic History, the land was a divine gift allotted by Yahweh to individual clans, and according to the Holiness Code, land could not permanently be sold outside the family. In this context, Naboth's reply seems appropriate. These approaches, however, tend to overstate the case by proposing an overly narrow framework for understanding land rights in the story. They make unwarranted assumptions about the relationships between biblical texts, and they are inconsistent with the narrative logic of the episode. I argue that Naboth's refusal is better understood within the context of a much broader theme in ancient Israelite tribal life—what anthropologist Parker Shipton has called in another context “ideologies of attachment,” connecting households, ancestors, and land. An examination of this theme in a wide variety of biblical literature and in the archaeological record offers a more robust framework within which to appreciate the rhetorical force of Naboth's refusal.
Long‐Term Oral Nutrition Supplementation Improves Outcomes in Malnourished Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease on Hemodialysis
Authors: Sezer Siren , Bal Zeynep , Tutal Emre , Uyar Mehtap Erkmen , Acar Nurhan Ozdemir
Published: January 2014

Background: There is no consensus on the type, time of initiation, or duration of use of enteral nutrition in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). This study aimed to compare the effects of a renal‐specific oral nutrition supplement (RS‐ONS) and a standard recommended nutrition regime on biochemical and nutrition markers in malnourished patients with CKD on hemodialysis. Methods: Sixty‐two malnourished patients with CKD, divided into experimental (RS‐ONS; n = 32; mean [SD] age, 62.0 [11.3] years; 55.2% female) and control (CON; n = 30; mean [SD] age, 57.2 [12.3] years; 31% female) groups, were evaluated for anthropometric, biochemical, and inflammatory parameters. Results: Mean (SD) serum albumin levels were significantly increased in the RS‐ONS group from 3.5 (0.3) g/dL at baseline to 3.7 (0.2) g/dL at 6 months (P = .028). Significantly fewer patients had serum albumin levels of <3.5 g/dL after month 6. Dry weight of patients significantly increased in the RS‐ONS but decreased in the CON groups (P < .001 for each). Percent change from baseline revealed negative results for bioelectrical impedance analysis (P < .001) in the CON group. Malnutrition inflammation score at 6 months (P = .006) and erythropoietin (EPO) dose requirements were higher in the CON group (P = .012). Conclusions: Our findings indicate that consuming RS‐ONS improves serum albumin and anthropometric measures, as well as reduces EPO dose, in patients with CKD.
Heptanol Application to the Mouse Round Window: A Model for Studying Cochlear Lateral Wall Regeneration
Authors: Stevens Shawn M. , Xing Yazhi , Hensley Christopher T. , Zhu Juhong , Dubno Judy R. , Lang Hainan
Published: January 2014

Objective

Identify cells supporting cochlear lateral wall regeneration.

Study Design

Prospective controlled trial.

Setting

Laboratory. Human presbyacusis occurs, in part, secondary to age‐related degeneration of cochlear lateral wall structures such as the stria vascularis and spiral ligament fibrocytes. This degeneration is likely linked to the diminished regenerative capacity of lateral wall cells with age. While lateral wall regeneration is known to occur after an acute insult, this process remains poorly understood and the cells capable of self‐replication unidentified. We hypothesized that spiral ligament fibrocytes constitute these proliferative cells.

Subjects and Methods

To test the hypothesis, an acute ototoxic insult was created in 65 normal‐hearing, young adult mice via cochlear exposure to heptanol. Sacrifice occurred at 1 to 60 days posttreatment. Auditory brainstem responses, 5‐ethynyl‐2′−deoxyuridine assay, and immunostaining were used to assess regeneration.

Results

Posttreatment hearing thresholds were elevated in nearly all treated mice. Selective fibrocyte apoptosis and strial injury were observed at the time of peak hearing loss around 1 to 7 days posttreatment. Cellular proliferation was detected in the region of type II fibrocytes during this time. Hearing thresholds plateaued at 7 days posttreatment followed by a significant recovery of both hearing and morphologic appearance. Permanent outer hair cell degeneration was observed.

Conclusions

Heptanol application to the round window of young adult mice is a rapid, selective, and reliable technique for investigating proliferation in the cochlear lateral wall. The data indirectly showed that spiral ligament fibrocytes may be the proliferative cells of the cochlear lateral wall. Further studies of this process are needed.
Total Laryngeal Transplant Explanted: 14 Years of Lessons Learned
Authors: Lorenz Robert R. , Strome Marshall
Published: January 2014

In 1998, the first successful total laryngeal transplant was performed. Outstanding voice quality and swallowing function were achieved, and over the subsequent 14 years, much was learned about tolerance of a transplanted larynx. After approximately a decade, a slowly progressive, chronic rejection process gradually rendered the organ nonfunctional, and the patient and his providers deemed him appropriate for explantation. This is a report of the clinical indications and outcome surrounding the explantation of the first successful total laryngeal transplant.
A Frailty Index Identifies Patients at High Risk of Mortality after Tracheostomy
Authors: Johnson Matthew S. , Bailey Travis L. , Schmid Kendra K. , Lydiatt William M. , Johanning Jason M.
Published: January 2014

Objective

To evaluate the utility of a modified frailty index as an indicator of postoperative mortality in patients undergoing tracheostomy.

Study Design

Case series with chart review.

Setting

Tertiary care veterans hospital.

Subjects and Methods

A chart review was conducted of consecutive tracheostomies performed between April 2007 and September 2012. A modified frailty index consisting of 11 items based on the Revised Minimum Data Set Mortality Rating Index (MMRI‐R) was retrospectively applied using the patient's status immediately prior to tracheostomy. The resultant 6‐month calculated mortality risk was compared with both the Veterans Health Administration Surgical Quality Improvement Program's (VASQIP) 30‐day calculated mortality and actual mortality.

Results

One hundred consecutive tracheostomies were analyzed. No patients were excluded. Sixty‐nine patients died within the study period, with 1‐, 6‐, and 12‐month mortality rates of 25%, 43%, and 59%, respectively. The average calculated 6‐month mortality risk using the modified frailty index was 40.5% for nonsurvivors compared with 25.4% for survivors (P =. 001). Both the VASQIP calculator and modified frailty index differentiated mortality risks between patients without head and neck cancer who survived less than 6 months versus those who survived longer than 6 months (P =. 006 and. 01). However, neither the VASQIP nor the modified frailty index differentiated mortality risks for head and neck cancer patients who survived less than 6 months versus greater than 6 months (P =. 94 and. 26).

Conclusion

A modified frailty index identifies patients without head and neck cancer at high risk of postoperative mortality after tracheostomy.
Covering whoever is eligible? An exploratory study on the eligibility of the Urban Minimum Living Standard Guarantee in China
Authors: Lei Jie
Published: January 2014

This article puts the policy goal of the Urban Minimum Living Standard Guarantee (UMLSG) in China into question and it aims to expose the assertion ‘covering whoever is eligible’ as a myth. An exploratory study of the implementation of the UMLSG eligibility criteria was launched in Guangzhou. Interviews were conducted with twenty-five poor people and local bureaucrats. In addition to people’s meeting the income requirement, it was discovered that there were three unwritten principles flexibly used by local bureaucrats in assessment: the ability to work, the family unit and clientelism. The prevalence of street-level bureaucracy in the UMLSG administration not only hampered state resources from reaching the families living in urban poverty, but also seriously contradicted the reformulated ideologies and undermined the party’s legitimacy. The findings of this study suggest that variations in UMLSG eligibility, which are causing a serious problem of under-coverage, should attract immediate attention from both officials and academics.
Macromarketing Issues on the Sidewalk
Authors: Guillard Valérie , Roux Dominique
Published: January 2014

The aim of this research is to show that though French public policy advocates sustainable development, it unwittingly deters non-institutionalized sustainable practices. To illustrate this paradox, this research focuses on bulky item collection and the urban gleaning to which it gives rise. A qualitative study shows that urban gleaning comes into conflict with the hygiene norm that pre-exists concerns about sustainability. To ease these tensions and authorize themselves to glean, gleaners draw on a repertoire of justifications around sustainability that condemns waste and attributes altruistic intentions to disposers. In turn, to put their items out on the sidewalk, disposers must negotiate tensions in relation both to the hygiene norm (not polluting public space) and to the sustainability norm (not throwing away items that could still be used by other people). To justify their act, disposers construct an image of gleaners, to whom they can “pass on” their possessions. This double process appears to create a new form of sustainable circulation through which objects are redistributed and which has important implications for macromarketing.
Investigating the Portrayal and Influence of Sustainability Claims in an Environmental Advertising Context
Authors: Cummins Shannon , Reilly Timothy M. , Carlson Les , Grove Stephen J. , Dorsch Michael J.
Published: January 2014

The ability of consumer judges to identify sustainable messages in environmental advertising and the effect of these messages is explored. A content analysis provides insight into these judges’ perceptions of the depth of environmental advertising messages. An experiment investigates the influence of sustainable messages and includes collection of cognitive response data to evaluate the cognitive dimension of sustainability messages. Content analysis results suggest that sustainability messages may influence how environmental advertisements are perceived. These findings are supported by the cognitive response data, which shows cognitive differences across advertisements, and the experimental manipulation that suggests sustainable ads may be more involving to consumers.
Meta-analysis of contrast-enhanced ultrasound for the differentiation of benign and malignant breast lesions
Authors: Hu Qiao , Wang Xiao Yan , Zhu Shang Yong , Kang Li Ke , Xiao Yan Ju , Zheng Hong Yu
Published: January 2014

Background

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is a non-invasive method for the assessment of breast lesions. The accuracy of CEUS in diagnosing of breast cancer has never been systematically assessed.

Purpose

To determine the overall performance of CEUS in the differentiation of benign and malignant breast lesions using meta-analysis.

Material and Methods

PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and article references published before October 2012 were searched. Published studies that used histopathologic results as golden reference to assess the diagnostic performance of CEUS in patients suspected of having breast cancer and the data necessary to calculate the diagnostic results were included. The qualities of eligible studies for final meta-analysis were assessed by using the quality assessment of diagnostic studies (QUADAS) instrument. Sensitivity, specificity, summary receiver-operating characteristic (sROC) curves, and area under the curve were calculated to examine the diagnostic performance of CEUS.

Results

Of 16 eligible studies, 957 breast lesions were included in the original meta-analysis, among which heterogeneity arising from factors other than threshold effect was explored. Meta-regression analysis confirmed the contrast agent was the most significant factor cause of heterogeneity ( P = 0.0012, relative diagnostic odds ratio [DOR] = 7.06). The use of perfluoro containing microbubbles (Sonovue or Optison) significantly increased the diagnostic precision compared with Levovist. The pooled weighted estimates of sensitivity and specificity for CEUS in the diagnosis of breast lesions were 0.86 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.83, 0.89) and 0.79 (95% CI, 0.75, 0.83), respectively.

Conclusion

CEUS has good sensitivity and specificity in the characterization of breast lesions and can potentially help to select suspicious breast mass for surgery.
Rheological models for modeling the viscoelastic behavior in liquid composite molding processes (LCM) review
Authors: Abdellaoui Hind , Echaabi Jamal
Published: January 2014

In recent years, a crucial interest has focused on closed mold composites manufacturing technologies. Mainly due to the ability to handle the harmful emissions of hazardous gases and the ability to produce parts with complex geometry. The liquid composite molding term includes a list of manufacturing composite varieties, such as resin transfer molding, vacuum assisted resin transfer molding, compression resin transfer molding. All liquid composite molding varieties involve compressive strain reinforcement before and in many cases during mold filling. The compressive strain reinforcement response is generally considered as non-linear elastic for the modeling. The viscoelastic stress relaxation is thus taken into account. A better understanding of the compressibility phenomenon helps to improve control of implementation process of parts and tooling design. The quality of the parts can also be improved through a better understanding of the stresses acting in composite products. In this paper, we present a detailed review of the most important models that have focused on the compression and relaxation of fiber reinforcements. In the order of succession, we first present the models giving a non-linear elastic behavior for fibrous reinforcements, then the models considering the reinforcements as viscoelastic materials.
Continuous unidirectional palmyra palm leaf stalk fiber/glass—polyester composites: static and dynamic mechanical properties
Authors: Shanmugam D , Thiruchitrambalam M , Thirumurugan Rama
Published: January 2014

Various chemical treatments such as mercerization (alkali treatment), permanganate treatment, and benzoyl chloride treatment were performed on palmyra palm leaf stalk fibers. Composites were fabricated by hand layup method followed by compression molding process using unsaturated polyester as matrix. Two types of composites were fabricated, one by using treated continuous palmyra palm leaf stalk fibers and other by hybridizing nonwoven glass fiber mat and alkali treated continuous palmyra palm leaf stalk fibers with bilayer arrangement. In both the cases palmyra palm leaf stalk fiber is laid unidirectionally for composite fabrication. The composites were tested for its tensile, flexural, impact, and dynamic mechanical properties. There was an increase of 33% in tensile, 55% in flexural, and 50% in impact strength for benzoyl, permanganate, and alkali treated composites, respectively, compared to untreated fiber composites. But all the treated fiber composites did not show much variation in properties. Hybridization resulted in 54, 36, and 58% improvement in tensile, flexural, and impact properties, respectively, in comparison to unhybridized treated unidirectional palmyra palm leaf stalk fiber composites. Reinforcement of alkali treated fibers and hybridization of glass fibers enhanced the loss and storage modulus of the composites, increased glass transition temperature (Tg), and also reduced the tan δ peak. A positive shift in tan δ was also evident for all the composites.
Impacts of Federal and State Hazard Mitigation Policies on Local Land Use Policy
Authors: Berke Philip R. , Lyles Ward , Smith Gavin
Published: January 2014

Despite emergence of federal policy experiments, knowledge about the influence of federal policies on local land use policy is almost nonexistent. We examine the effects of a federal mandate and a federal incentive program on adoption of land use policies in local hazard mitigation plans. Comparative statistics were used to determine adoption rates by federal and state programs, followed by Poisson regressions to explain degree of adoption under the federal policies controlling for state policies and local contexts. We found that federal policies do not make a difference in local land use actions, but state policy exerts a strong influence.
Material modelling considering the pressure dependence and the volume change for plastics with applications to the interior parts of a vehicle
Authors: Kim Dae-Young , Kim Youngwan , Kim Heon Young
Published: January 2014

The nature of the contact between the occupants and the interior structure of a vehicle following a collision is the primary cause of injury in car accidents. The interior parts of vehicles are typically made from various kinds of plastic. The deformation and failure of these materials largely determine the injury risk to the occupants. Among the various materials used to fabricate the interior parts of vehicles, plastics exhibit softening, dilatational, pressure-dependent and anisotropic characteristics, which should be considered in the design of the interior parts of those vehicles. However, it is difficult to describe the mechanical behaviour of plastics because classical models (e.g. the piecewise-linear plasticity model) using the isotropic yield criterion and the hardening rule are typically applied. Therefore, the objective of this study was to advance the numerical modelling technique for the interior materials of a vehicle and to suggest the test process for obtaining the material parameters. This paper compares the various material models that can be applied to plastics and describes a phenomenological model that includes a variable Poisson’s ratio, damage and stress–strain characteristics which are dependent on the rate of change in the applied load. Several tests were carried out to evaluate the mechanical characteristics of plastics and to obtain the parameters of the phenomenological material model. Free-motion headform impact in a pillar trim was analysed to compare the differences between the classical model and the phenomenological model.
The Use of Incentive Compensation Among Board Members in Family Firms
Authors: Muñoz-Bullón Fernando , Sánchez-Bueno María J.
Published: January 2014

Although previous literature has focused on managerial compensation differences between family and non-family firms, the examination of differences in the compensation structure of family directors versus their non-family counterparts within family firms has received much less attention. We analyze several contingencies related to directors’ kinship ties to the owning family that may influence directors’ total compensation levels and their incentive compensation in family firms. The empirical evidence is provided by a sample of publicly listed family firms from the United States. Our results show that family-member directors receive a lower share of variable pay and a lower level of total compensation than non-family directors within the same firm. In addition, a high family ownership concentration and a large proportion of family members on the board impact negatively on the use of incentive compensation among board members with kinship ties to the owning family.
Glyphosate Commercial Formulation Causes Cytotoxicity, Oxidative Effects, and Apoptosis on Human Cells
Authors: Chaufan Gabriela , Coalova Isis , Molina María del Carmen Ríos de
Published: January 2014

In the present study, the effects on oxidative balance and cellular end points of glyphosate, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), and a glyphosate formulation (G formulation) were examined in HepG2 cell line, at dilution levels far below agricultural recommendations. Our results show that G formulation had toxic effects while no effects were found with acid glyphosate and AMPA treatments. Glyphosate formulation exposure produced an increase in reactive oxygen species, nitrotyrosine formation, superoxide dismutase activity, and glutathione (GSH) levels, while no effects were observed for catalase and GSH-S-transferase activities. Also, G formulation triggered caspase 3/7 activation and hence induced apoptosis pathway in this cell line. Aminomethylphosphonic acid exposure produced an increase in GSH levels while no differences were observed in other antioxidant parameters. No effects were observed when the cells were exposed to acid glyphosate. These results confirm that G formulations have adjuvants working together with the active ingredient and causing toxic effects that are not seen with acid glyphosate.
Finite element simulation of phase difference effects on fretting fatigue crack nucleation behaviour
Authors: Hojjati-Talemi Reza , Wahab Magd Abdel , De Baets Patrick
Published: January 2014

Fretting fatigue is a mechanical failure process, which consists of two complex failure mechanisms. Fretting is caused by small relative movement between connected parts and fatigue is due to alternating bulk load. Fretting fatigue is highly non-linear and subjected to non-proportional loading condition. The multiaxial nature of stress at contact interface can be highly influenced by different phase difference between axial, tangential and contact load. In this study, the effect of different phase difference between axial and tangential load on fretting fatigue behaviour is investigated. Moreover, by applying cyclic contact load instead of constant contact load, its effect on fretting fatigue response and crack initiation lifetime is investigated. It was found that the phase difference affects the maximum location of dissipated energy along with fretting fatigue crack initiation lifetime.