bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Review of Clinical Trials on Effects of Oral Antioxidants on Basic Semen and Other Parameters in Idiopathic Oligoasthenoteratozoospermia
Authors: Imamovic Kumalic Senka , Pinter Bojana
Published: March 2014

Infertility affects 50 to 80 million people worldwide. Male factor is a cause of infertility in almost half of cases, mainly due to oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (OAT). With common diagnostic methods no cause can be found in approximately 30% of cases of male infertility due to OAT and these are considered idiopathic. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role in male infertility and are proved to be higher in infertile men; antioxidants could oppose their effect. The aim of this paper was to review the literature on clinical trials in the period from year 2000 to year 2013 studying the effects of various types of antioxidant supplements on basic and other sperm parameters and pregnancy rates in subfertile males with idiopathic OAT. The majority of studies were randomized and placebo controlled and confirmed beneficial effect of antioxidants on at least one of the semen parameters; the biggest effect was determined on sperm motility. In many of these trials combinations of more antioxidants were assessed. The optimal dosages of one or more antioxidants were not defined. We concluded that antioxidants play an important role in protecting semen from ROS and can improve basic sperm parameters in case of idiopathic OAT.
Which Dermatological Conditions Present to an Emergency Department in Australia?
Authors: Lai-Kwon Julia , Weiland Tracey J. , Chong Alvin H. , Jelinek George A.
Published: March 2014

Background/Objectives. There is minimal data available on the types of dermatological conditions which present to tertiary emergency departments (ED). We analysed demographic and clinical features of dermatological presentations to an Australian adult ED.Methods. The St. Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne (SVHM) ED database was searched for dermatological presentations between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2011 by keywords and ICD-10 diagnosis codes. The lists were merged, and the ICD-10 codes were grouped into 55 categories for analysis. Demographic and clinical data for these presentations were then analysed.Results. 123 345 people presented to SVHM ED during the 3-year period. 4817 (3.9%) presented for a primarily dermatological complaint. The most common conditions by ICD-10 diagnosis code were cellulitis (n=1741, 36.1%), allergy with skin involvement (n=939, 19.5%), boils/furuncles/pilonidal sinuses (n=526, 11.1%), eczema/dermatitis (n=274, 5.7%), and varicella zoster infection (n=161, 3.3%).Conclusion. The burden of dermatological disease presenting to ED is small but not insignificant. This information may assist in designing dermatological curricula for hospital clinicians and specialty training organisations as well as informing the allocation of dermatological resources to ED.
Two-Component Super AKNS Equations and Their Finite-Dimensional Integrable Super Hamiltonian System
Authors: Yu Jing , Han Jingwei
Published: March 2014

Starting from a matrix Lie superalgebra, two-component super AKNS system is constructed. By making use of monononlinearization technique of Lax pairs, we find that the obtained two-component super AKNS system is a finite-dimensional integrable super Hamiltonian system. And its Lax representation andr-matrix are also given in this paper.
Function and Evolution of the Sox Multienzyme Complex in the Marine Gammaproteobacterium Congregibacter litoralis
Authors: Spring Stefan
Published: March 2014

Core sets of sox genes were detected in several genome sequenced members of the environmental important OM60/NOR5 clade of marine gammaproteobacteria. However, emendation of media with thiosulfate did not result in stimulation of growth in two of these strains and cultures of Congregibacter litoralis DSM 17192T did not oxidize thiosulfate to sulfate in concentrations of one mmol L−1 or above. On the other hand, a significant production of sulfate was detected upon growth with the organic sulfur compounds, cysteine and glutathione. It was found that degradation of glutathione resulted in the formation of submillimolar amounts of thiosulfate in the closely related sox-negative strain Chromatocurvus halotolerans DSM 23344T. It is proposed that the Sox multienzyme complex in Congregibacter litoralis and related members of the OM60/NOR5 clade is adapted to the oxidation of submillimolar amounts of thiosulfate and nonfunctional at higher concentrations of reduced inorganic sulfur compounds. Pelagic bacteria thriving in the oxic zones of marine environments may rarely encounter amounts of thiosulfate, which would allow its utilization as electron donor for lithoautotrophic or mixotrophic growth. Consequently, in evolution the Sox multienzyme complex in some of these bacteria may have been optimized for the effective utilization of trace amounts of thiosulfate generated from the degradation of organic sulfur compounds.
Embryonic Decellularized Cardiac Scaffold Supports Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation to Produce Beating Cardiac Tissue
Authors: Chamberland Cree , Martinez-Fernandez Almudena , Beraldi Rosanna , Nelson Timothy J.
Published: March 2014

Regenerative medicine offers a curative approach to treating heart disease through multiple emerging therapeutic concepts. Decellularized organ scaffolds are being optimized to guide and spatially organize stem cell differentiation in efforts to rebuild functional tissues. Additionally, pluripotent stem cells offer a transformative cell source to differentiate into the full spectrum of cellular building blocks. Adult cardiac tissues have been used as extracellular scaffolds as a proof of principle; however, matching the developmental stages of embryonic scaffold with primitive cardiac progenitors may be used to optimize the differentiation and maturation of bioengineered cardiac tissues. Our novel approach uses embryo-derived decellularized hearts as scaffolds to promote embryonic stem cell differentiation. Further, we determined that agitation with 0.25% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) solution was the most effective protocol to maintain matrix integrity while eliminating endogenous cells. The scaffolds were successfully reseeded with different cellular sources derived from pluripotent stem cells to achieve beating cardiac tissues characterized by endothelial, cardiac, and smooth muscle markers. Therefore, embedding stem cells within a tissue-specific environment matched to the developmental stage of the progenitors may offer a practical solution for stem-cell-derived applications such as disease modeling, pharmaceutical safety testing, and screening of novel therapeutic targets.
Existence and Global Behavior of Positive Solutions for Some Fourth-Order Boundary Value Problems
Authors: Alsaedi Ramzi S.
Published: March 2014

We establish the existence and uniqueness of a positive solution to the following fourth-order value problem:u(4)(x)=a(x)uσ(x),x∈(0,1)with the boundary conditionsu(0)=u(1)=u'(0)=u'(1)=0, whereσ∈(-1,1)andais a nonnegative continuous function on (0, 1) that may be singular atx=0orx=1. We also give the global behavior of such a solution.
Idiopathic Non Cirrhotic Portal Hypertension and Spleno-Portal Axis Abnormalities in Patients with Severe Primary Antibody Deficiencies
Authors: Pulvirenti Federica , Pentassuglio Ilaria , Milito Cinzia , Valente Michele , De Santis Adriano , Conti Valentina , d’Amati Giulia , Riggio Oliviero , Quinti Isabella
Published: March 2014

Background and Aim. Portal hypertension has been reported in association with acquired and primary immune deficiencies without a comprehensive description of associated spleno-portal axis abnormalities. Pathological mechanisms are poorly defined.Methods. Observational, single centre study with the aim of assessing the prevalence of spleno-portal axis abnormalities in an unselected cohort of 123 patients with primary antibody deficiencies and without known causes of liver diseases regularly followed up for a mean time of 18 ± 14 years. A cumulative period of 1867 patients-year was analysed. Clinical and immunological data, abdominal ultrasounds, CT scans, and endoscopy features were included in the analysis.Results. Twenty-five percent of patients with primary antibody deficiencies had signs of portal vein enlargement but only 4% of them had portal hypertension, with portal systemic collaterals. Liver biopsies showed liver sinusoids congestive dilatation, endothelization, and micronodularity fulfilling the criteria for noncirrhotic portal hypertension. Patients with portal vein enlargement had severe clinical and immunological phenotypes.Conclusions. In primary antibody deficient patients, infections, inflammations, splenomegaly, increased blood venous flow, and lymphocyte abnormalities contribute to establishment of liver damage possibly leading to noncirrhotic portal hypertension. Patients with primary antibody deficiency should be considered a good model to give insight into the pathological mechanisms underlying noncirrhotic portal hypertension.
An Overview of Fotemustine in High-Grade Gliomas: From Single Agent to Association with Bevacizumab
Authors: Lombardi Giuseppe , Farina Patrizia , Della Puppa Alessandro , Cecchin Diego , Pambuku Ardi , Bellu Luisa , Zagonel Vittorina
Published: March 2014

Fotemustine is a third-generation nitrosourea showing efficacy in various types of tumors such as melanoma and glioma. We reviewed the most important studies on fotemustine treatment in glioma patients analyzing its pharmacological profile and its activity and safety. Fotemustine was used as single agent or in association with new targeted drugs such as bevacizumab; fotemustine was used both as first-line chemotherapy before temozolomide era and in refractory-temozolomide patients during temozolomide era. Finally, analyzing and comparing the activity and safety of fotemustine alone or in combination with bevacizumab versus other nitrosoureas such as lomustine, we may suggest that the combination treatment with bevacizumab and fotemustine may be active and tolerable in patients with high grade gliomas.
Heterogeneous Fenton-Like Catalytic Removal of Methylene Blue Dye in Water Using Magnetic Nanocomposite (MCM-41/Magnetite)
Authors: Nogueira André E. , Castro Isabela A. , Giroto Amanda S. , Magriotis Zuy M.
Published: March 2014

In this work, MCM-41, magnetite (MAG), and a composite of magnetite and MCM-41 (MCM-MAG) were synthesized by a simple route for the production of active systems in the decomposition of organic waste. The materials were characterized by N2 adsorption/desorption, X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), temperature programmed reduction (TPR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Our results indicated that the decolorization kinetics of the dyes were in the order of MCM-MAG > MCM-41 > magnetite. Mineralization of the dyes was monitored by total organic carbon (TOC) decrease. The dye solutions could be completely decolorized and effectively mineralized, with an average overall TOC removal 43% for a Fenton-like reaction time of 180 min. The degradation activity of the MCM-MAG was stable during four consecutive experiments, confirming their stability and reusability of the composite. The great advantage of this composite is that it may be easily magnetically recovered and reused.
Late Onset Combined Immunodeficiency Presenting with RecurrentPneumocystis jiroveciPneumonia
Authors: Papakonstantinou Ilias , Baraboutis Ioannis G. , Karnesis Lazaros
Published: March 2014

Late onset combined immunodeficiency (LOCID) is a recently described variant of common variable immunodeficiency (CVID), involving adult patients presenting with opportunistic infections and/or low CD4+ lymphocyte counts. A 36-year-old male with unremarkable past medical history presented with fever, respiratory failure, and lymphocytopenia. He was found to havePneumocystis jirovecipneumonia (PJP), subsequently complicated by recurrent hospital-acquiredPseudomonas aeruginosapneumonia and immune reconstitution phenomena, attributed to restoration of immunoglobulin levels. Clinicians should be aware of LOCID, which could be confused with HIV infection/AIDS or idiopathic CD4 lymphocytopenia. In the English bibliography there is only one case report, where PJP was the initial presentation of CVID (that case would probably be classified as LOCID). Phenomena of immune reconstitution are described in various settings, including primary immunodeficiency, manifesting as temporary clinical and radiologic deterioration and leading to misperceptions of therapeutic failure and/or presence of alternative/additional diagnoses.
Clinical Practice Guidelines in Psychiatry: More Confusion Than Clarity? A Critical Review and Recommendation of a Unified Guideline
Authors: Saddichha Sahoo , Chaturvedi Santosh K.
Published: March 2014

The discipline of psychiatry has a plethora of guidelines, designed to serve the needs of the clinician. Yet, even a cursory glance is enough to discern the differences between the various guidelines. This paper reviews the current standard guidelines being followed across the world and proposes a unified guideline on the backbone of current evidence and practice being followed. The algorithm for pharmacological and psychosocial treatment for bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and schizophrenia is formulated after cross-comparison across four different guidelines and recent meta-analytical evidence. For every disorder, guidelines have different suggestions. Hence, based on the current status of evidence, algorithms have been combined to form a unified guideline for management. Clinical practice guidelines form the basis of standard clinical practice for all disciplines of medicine, including psychiatry. Yet, they are often not read or followed because of poor quality or because of barriers to implementation due to either lack of agreement or ambiguity. A unified guideline can go a long way in helping clear some of the confusion that has crept in due to the use of different guidelines across the world.
AP Deployment Research Based on Physical Distance and Channel Isolation
Authors: Yan Dangui , Zhang Chengchang , Liao Honghua , Yang Lisheng , Li Ping , Yang Guogang
Published: March 2014

Aiming at the problem of inefficiency of wireless local area networks (WLAN) access point (AP) deployment in urban environment, a new algorithm for AP deployment based on physical distance and channel isolation (DPDCI) is proposed. First, it detects the position information of deployed APs and then calculates the interference penalty factor combined with physical distance and channel isolation, and finally gets the optimal location and channel of the new AP through the genetic algorithm. Comparing with NOOCA algorithm and NOFA-2 algorithm, the results of numerical simulation show that the new algorithm can minimize the mutual interference between basic service sets (BSS), can ensure the maximum of throughput based on quality of service (QoS) in BSS, and can effectively improve the system performance.
Ecological Effects of Roads on the Plant Diversity of Coastal Wetland in the Yellow River Delta
Authors: Li Yunzhao , Yu Junbao , Ning Kai , Du Siyao , Han Guangxuan , Qu Fanzhu , Wang Guangmei , Fu Yuqin , Zhan Chao
Published: March 2014

The 26 sample sites in 7 study plots adjacent to asphalt road and earth road in coastal wetland in the Yellow River Delta were selected to quantify plant diversity using quadrat sampling method in plant bloom phase of July and August 2012. The indice ofβTand Jaccard’s coefficient were applied to evaluate the species diversity. The results showed that the plant diversities and alien plants were high in the range of 0–20 m to the road verge. There were more exotics and halophytes in plots of asphalt roadside than that of earth roadside. However, proportion of halophytes in habitats of asphalt roadsides was lower than that of earth roadside. By comparingβ-diversity, there were more common species in the asphalt roadsides than that in the earth roadsides. The similarity of plant communities in studied plots of asphalt roadsides and earth roadsides increased with increasing the distance to road verge. The effect range of roads for plant diversity in study region was about 20 m to road verge. Our results indicate that the construction and maintenance of roads in wetland could increase the plant species diversities of communities and risk of alien species invasion.
Medical and Nursing Students Perceived Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices concerning Human Immunodeficiency Virus
Authors: Lui Paraniala S. C. , Sarangapany Jeganathan , Begley Kim , Coote Katherine , Kishore Kamal
Published: March 2014

Objective. To assess medical and nursing students’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Fiji. Methods. A cross-sectional study of 275 medical and 252 nursing students that participated in a questionnaire survey on HIV KAP. Data was analysed according to their gender, program of study, and academic year. Results. The mean HIV knowledge (HK) and attitude scores were 16.0 and 41.3, respectively. Mean HK score was significantly higher in males compared to females. Significant positive correlations were found between HK and academic year for medical (R=0.459) and nursing (R=0.342) students and between HK and attitude scores (R=0.196). The majority of students indicated fear in contracting HIV through clinical practice and felt that health care workers have the right to know a patients HIV status for their own safety. The majority would wear gloves to touch a patient if suspected of HIV. Conclusions. The study found a high level of HIV knowledge and positive attitude towards HIV patients. However, respondents also displayed negative attitudes and unacceptable practices probably due to fear. Training institutions need to ensure that students gain accurate knowledge on HIV especially on transmission routes to allay the fear of caring for HIV-infected patients.
Parathyroid Hormone and Heart Rate Variability in Haemodialysis Patients
Authors: Poulikakos Dimitrios , Malik Marek , Banerjee Debasish
Published: March 2014

Background: Depressed heart rate variability (HRV) reflects abnormal cardiac autonomic regulation and has been linked with increased cardiovascular risk and sudden cardiac death. High parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels have also been associated with an increased risk of sudden cardiac death in haemodialysis (HD) patients. Our aim was to investigate the association between HRV indices and PTH in HD patients. Methods: Continuous intradialytic electrocardiograms were repeated in stable HD patients 5 times every 2 weeks. The absolute values of high-frequency (HF) and low-frequency (LF) HRV components were calculated every 5 min and averaged during the first and last hour of each recording (distinguished by subscripts F and L, respectively). Pre-HD PTH, corrected calcium, and phosphate levels were measured before the first recording. Results: Data were analysed for 75 subjects aged 60 ± 15, 32% females, 37% diabetics. Baseline biochemical parameters were PTH 44 ± 32 pmol/l, calcium 2.3 ± 0.2 mmol/l, and phosphate 1.6 ± 0.4 mmol/l. All HRV indices showed intra-subject stability over the 5 recordings. Diabetics had lower LFL compared to non-diabetics (-5.5 ± 0.5 vs. -5.2 ± 0.5 after logarithmic transformation, p = 0.012). In non-diabetics, PTH correlated negatively with LFL and HFL (LFL r = -0.340, p = 0.020, HFL r = -0.325, p = 0.026) and phosphate correlated negatively with LFF (r = -0.427, p = 0.003), HFF (r = -0.442, p = 0.002) and HFL (r = -0.307, p = 0.040). Conclusion: High PTH and phosphate are associated with depressed HRV in non-diabetic dialysis patients. Prospective studies are needed to evaluate the role of mineral abnormalities in autonomic imbalance and arrhythmic risk in HD patients.
Toward Unified Hybrid Simulation Techniques for Spiking Neural Networks
Authors: D'Haene Michiel , Hermans Michiel , Schrauwen Benjamin
Published: March 2014

In the field of neural network simulation techniques, the common conception is that spiking neural network simulators can be divided in two categories: time-step-based and event-driven methods. In this letter, we look at state-of-the art simulation techniques in both categories and show that a clear distinction between both methods is increasingly difficult to define. In an attempt to improve the weak points of each simulation method, ideas of the alternative method are, sometimes unknowingly, incorporated in the simulation engine. Clearly the ideal simulation method is a mix of both methods. We formulate the key properties of such an efficient and generally applicable hybrid approach.
Direct Learning of Sparse Changes in Markov Networks by Density Ratio Estimation
Authors: Liu Song , Quinn John A. , Gutmann Michael U. , Suzuki Taiji , Sugiyama Masashi
Published: March 2014

We propose a new method for detecting changes in Markov network structure between two sets of samples. Instead of naively fitting two Markov network models separately to the two data sets and figuring out their difference, we directly learn the network structure change by estimating the ratio of Markov network models. This density-ratio formulation naturally allows us to introduce sparsity in the network structure change, which highly contributes to enhancing interpretability. Furthermore, computation of the normalization term, a critical bottleneck of the naive approach, can be remarkably mitigated. We also give the dual formulation of the optimization problem, which further reduces the computation cost for large-scale Markov networks. Through experiments, we demonstrate the usefulness of our method.
Neural Decoding with Kernel-Based Metric Learning
Authors: Brockmeier Austin J. , Choi John S. , Kriminger Evan G. , Francis Joseph T. , Principe Jose C.
Published: March 2014

In studies of the nervous system, the choice of metric for the neural responses is a pivotal assumption. For instance, a well-suited distance metric enables us to gauge the similarity of neural responses to various stimuli and assess the variability of responses to a repeated stimulus—exploratory steps in understanding how the stimuli are encoded neurally. Here we introduce an approach where the metric is tuned for a particular neural decoding task. Neural spike train metrics have been used to quantify the information content carried by the timing of action potentials. While a number of metrics for individual neurons exist, a method to optimally combine single-neuron metrics into multineuron, or population-based, metrics is lacking. We pose the problem of optimizing multineuron metrics and other metrics using centered alignment, a kernel-based dependence measure. The approach is demonstrated on invasively recorded neural data consisting of both spike trains and local field potentials. The experimental paradigm consists of decoding the location of tactile stimulation on the forepaws of anesthetized rats. We show that the optimized metrics highlight the distinguishing dimensions of the neural response, significantly increase the decoding accuracy, and improve nonlinear dimensionality reduction methods for exploratory neural analysis.
A revision of the lysianassid genus Waldeckia with the description of four new species (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Lysianassidae, Waldeckiinae subfam. nov.)
Authors: LOWRY J. K. , KILGALLEN N. M.
Published: March 2014

Waldeckia Chevreux is a genus of scavenging lysianassoid amphipods with distribution records from Antarctica, Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Vietnam, China and Japan. The genus is revised and diagnosed against all other genera of the Lysianassidae and the subfamily Waldeckiinae is established. All known species are redescribed and a key is provided. Three new species of Waldeckia (W. dempseyae sp. nov., W. tangaroa sp. nov., W. warreen sp. nov.) are described from Australian waters, and one (W. selayarensis sp. nov.) from Indonesia and Australia. Waldeckia crenulata Pirlot, 1936, from the Philippines and Indonesia, is described in detail for the first time. Waldeckia chevreuxi Stebbing, 1910 is placed in the synonymy of W. nitens, and W. elephas is placed in the synonymy of W. nudum. Orchomene orchospina Hirayama, 1986 and O. tomiokaensis Hirayama, 1986 are transferred to Waldeckia. Waldeckia scrupulosa Mateus & Mateus, 1986 cannot be placed in a genus based on the original description. This revision brings the number of species in the genus to 14.
An updated and annotated checklist of the Dolichodoridae
(Nematoda: Tylenchoidea) of Iran
Authors: GHADERI REZA , KAREGAR AKBAR , NIKNAM GHOLAMREZA
Published: March 2014

The list of plant parasitic nematodes of the family Dolichodoridae, known from Iran, is updated. 81 species belonging to 13 genera and three subfamilies are included in the list. Data for 29 species are added, of which seven species viz. Neodolichorhynchus phaseoli, Pratylenchoides crenicauda, P. erzurumensis, P. utahensis, Scutylenchus paniculoides, Trophurus impar and Tylenchorhynchus variannus are new records for the Iranian nematofauna. The list of species, further information on their morphometrics, references, referring to full or partial descriptions, associated plants, geographical distribution and some taxonomic remarks are provided. More detailed studies on some doubtful populations are proposed. The information on the taxonomic position of species in different classification schemes, as well as, the tendency of the species to certain climatic condition or ecological niche are provided. Challenges on the reliable identification of this group of nematodes in Iran are discussed and finally, suggestions were proposed for future studies.
A new species of Euchalcia Hübner, [1821] from Kazakhstan
(Lepidoptera, Noctuidae)
Authors: VOLYNKIN ANTON V. , TITOV SERGEY V. , IVANOVA MARIA S.
Published: March 2014

The Holarctic genus Euchalcia Hübner, [1821] belongs to the tribe Plusiini of the subfamily Plusiinae. The genus is one of the largest in the Plusiinae, comprising about 54 described species. The systematics of Eurasian and North African members of the genus was recently revised (Ronkay et al. 2008). In June 2013, in the course of faunistic studies on Noctuidae of the Tarbagatai Mts. (East Kazakhstan), a long series of an undescribed species of the genus was collected. Two additional specimens from the Dzhungarsky Alatau Mts. (South-East Kazakhstan) were found in the collection of the Siberian Zoological Museum (Novosibirsk). The species is described herein as new. It belongs to the E. inconspicua group within the E. inconspicua species-complex (Ronkay et al. 2008). The E. inconspicua group comprises two described species only: E. inconspicua (Graeser, 1892) and E. anthea L. Ronkay, G. Ronkay & Behounek, 2008. The new species is the northernmost member of the group. Institutional acronyms are as follows: AVB—coll. A.V. Volynkin, Barnaul, Russia; MČK—coll. M. Černila, Kamnik, Slovenia; NHMW—Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria; STP—coll. S.V. Titov, Pavlodar, Kazakhstan; SZMN—Siberian Zoological Museum of the Institute of Animal Systematic and Ecology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Novosibirsk, Russia), ZISP—Zoological Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia.
The Dual Wavelength Ratio Knee: A Signature of Multiple Scattering in Airborne Ku–Ka Observations
Authors: Battaglia Alessandro , Tanelli Simone , Heymsfield Gerald M. , Tian Lin
Published: March 2014

Deep convective systems observed by the High Altitude Imaging Wind and Rain Airborne Profiler (HIWRAP) radar during the 2011 Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E) field campaign in Oklahoma provide the first evidence of multiple-scattering effects simultaneously at Ku and Ka band. One feature is novel and noteworthy: often, in correspondence to shafts with strong convection and when moving from the top of the cloud downward, the dual wavelength ratio (DWR) first increases as usual in Ku–Ka-band observations, but then it reaches a maximum and after that point it steadily decreases all the way to the surface, forming what will be hereinafter referred to as a knee. This DWR knee cannot be reproduced by single-scattering theory under almost any plausible cloud microphysical profile. On the other hand, it is explained straightforwardly with the help of multiple-scattering theory when simulations involving hail-bearing convective cores with large horizontal extents are performed. The DWR reduction in the lower troposphere (i.e., DWR increasing with altitude) is interpreted as the result of multiple-scattering pulse stretching caused by the highly diffusive hail layer positioned high up in the atmosphere, with Ka multiple scattering typically exceeding that occurring in the Ku channel. Since the effects of multiple scattering increase with increasing footprint size, if multiple-scattering effects are present in the aircraft measurements, they are likely to be more pronounced in the spaceborne dual-frequency Ku–Ka radar observations, envisaged for the NASA–Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission, launched in February 2014. This notional study supports the idea that DWR knees will be observed by the GPM radar when overflying high-density ice shafts embedded in large convective systems and suggests that their explanation must not be sought in differential attenuation or differential Mie effects but via multiple-scattering effects.
Wind Speed Control of Tropical Orographic Convection
Authors: Nugent Alison D. , Smith Ronald B. , Minder Justin R.
Published: March 2014

This study compares observations from the Dominica Experiment (DOMEX) field campaign with 3D and 2D Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF) simulations to understand how ambient upstream wind speed controls the transition from thermally to mechanically forced moist orographic convection. The environment is a conditionally unstable, tropical atmosphere with shallow trade wind cumulus clouds. Three flow indices are defined to quantify the convective transition: horizontal divergence aloft, cloud location, and island surface temperature. As wind speed increases, horizontal airflow divergence from plume detrainment above the mountain changes to convergence associated with plunging flow, convective clouds relocate from the leeward to the windward side of the mountain as mechanically triggered convection takes over, and the daytime mountaintop temperature decreases because of increased ventilation and cloud shading. Possible mechanisms by which wind speed controls island precipitation are also discussed. The result is a clearer understanding of orographic convection in the tropics.
Atmospheric Predictability: Why Butterflies Are Not of Practical Importance
Authors: Durran Dale R. , Gingrich Mark
Published: March 2014

The spectral turbulence model of Lorenz, as modified for surface quasigeostrophic dynamics by Rotunno and Snyder, is further modified to more smoothly approach nonlinear saturation. This model is used to investigate error growth starting from different distributions of the initial error. Consistent with an often overlooked finding by Lorenz, the loss of predictability generated by initial errors of small but fixed absolute magnitude is essentially independent of their spatial scale when the background saturation kinetic energy spectrum is proportional to the −5/3 power of the wavenumber. Thus, because the background kinetic energy increases with scale, very small relative errors at long wavelengths have similar impacts on perturbation error growth as large relative errors at short wavelengths. To the extent that this model applies to practical meteorological forecasts, the influence of initial perturbations generated by butterflies would be swamped by unavoidable tiny relative errors in the large scales.

The rough applicability of the authors’ modified spectral turbulence model to the atmosphere over scales ranging between 10 and 1000 km is supported by the good estimate that it provides for the ensemble error growth in state-of-the-art ensemble mesoscale model simulations of two winter storms. The initial-error spectrum for the ensemble perturbations in these cases has maximum power at the longest wavelengths. The dominance of large-scale errors in the ensemble suggests that mesoscale weather forecasts may often be limited by errors arising from the large scales instead of being produced solely through an upscale cascade from the smallest scales.
Prediction of Eastern and Central Pacific ENSO Events and Their Impacts on East Asian Climate by the NCEP Climate Forecast System
Authors: Yang Song , Jiang Xingwen
Published: March 2014

The eastern Pacific (EP) El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the central Pacific (CP) ENSO exert different influences on climate. In this study, the authors analyze the hindcasts of the NCEP Climate Forecast System, version 2 (CFSv2), and assess the skills of predicting the two types of ENSO and their impacts on East Asian climate. The possible causes of different prediction skills for different types of ENSO are also discussed.

CFSv2 captures the spatial patterns of sea surface temperature (SST) related to the two types of ENSO and their different climate impacts several months in advance. The dynamical prediction of the two types of ENSO by the model, whose skill is season dependent, is better than the prediction based on the persistency of observed ENSO-related SST, especially for summer and fall. CFSv2 performs well in predicting EP ENSO and its impacts on the East Asian winter monsoon and on the Southeast Asian monsoon during its decaying summer. However, for both EP ENSO and CP ENSO, the model overestimates the extent of the anomalous anticyclone over the western North Pacific Ocean from the developing autumn to the next spring but underestimates the magnitude of climate anomalies in general. It fails to simulate the SST pattern and climate impact of CP ENSO during its developing summer. The model’s deficiency in predicting CP ENSO may be linked to a warm bias in the eastern Pacific. However, errors in simulating the climate impacts of the two types of ENSO should not be solely ascribed to the bias in SST simulation.
Messages of allegiance and defiance: the murals of Gaza
Authors: Rolston Bill
Published: March 2014

Behind the iron grip which Israel maintains on the Gaza Strip, there exists a vibrant tradition of painting murals and graffiti on outdoor walls. The origins and contemporary form of this tradition are considered in this article. The painting of murals and graffiti in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip has its roots in the first intifada which began in 1987. As part of the resistance to Israeli occupation and repression, young people, at great personal risk, mobilised popular support through their clandestine artwork. The second intifada, beginning in 2000, saw the rise of Hamas as a force to be reckoned with, not least in terms of the increasing sophistication of its murals and graffiti, which paid special attention to calligraphy. Finally, with the departure of Israeli soldiers and settlers in 2005 and the takeover of Hamas in the Gaza Strip in 2007 this organisation came to dominate the walls. Murals in Gaza today cover a number of themes: Israeli oppression, Palestinian resistance, martyrs, prisoners and Palestinian aspirations – in particular, freedom and statehood, and the right to return.
On ‘lived theory’: an interview with A. Sivanandan
Authors: Gordon Avery F.
Published: March 2014

For a panel discussion on the work of the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) and Race & Class, at the Historical Materialism Conference 2013, Avery Gordon talked to A. Sivanandan as to what had guided his politics, thinking and writing on Black struggle, racism and globalism, over the last forty years.1 He describes how the IRR reoriented itself to relate to subject people’s experiences, how new theory was developed by him and IRR to speak, not to other theories, but to ongoing struggles for equality, and the importance of being flexible and addressing racism as it changes with larger societal changes.
An evaluation of the effectiveness of recruitment methods: The staying well after depression randomized controlled trial
Authors: Krusche Adele , Rudolf von Rohr Isabelle , Muse Kate , Duggan Danielle , Crane Catherine , Williams J Mark G
Published: March 2014

Background

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are widely accepted as being the most efficient way of investigating the efficacy of psychological therapies. However, researchers conducting RCTs commonly report difficulties in recruiting an adequate sample within planned timescales. In an effort to overcome recruitment difficulties, researchers often are forced to expand their recruitment criteria or extend the recruitment phase, thus increasing costs and delaying publication of results. Research investigating the effectiveness of recruitment strategies is limited, and trials often fail to report sufficient details about the recruitment sources and resources utilized.

Purpose

We examined the efficacy of strategies implemented during the Staying Well after Depression RCT in Oxford to recruit participants with a history of recurrent depression.

Methods

We describe eight recruitment methods utilized and two further sources not initiated by the research team and examine their efficacy in terms of (1) the return, including the number of potential participants who contacted the trial and the number who were randomized into the trial; (2) cost-effectiveness, comprising direct financial cost and manpower for initial contacts and randomized participants; and (3) comparison of sociodemographic characteristics of individuals recruited from different sources.

Results

Poster advertising, web-based advertising, and mental health worker referrals were the cheapest methods per randomized participant; however, the ratio of randomized participants to initial contacts differed markedly per source. Advertising online, via posters, and on a local radio station were the most cost-effective recruitment methods for soliciting participants who subsequently were randomized into the trial. Advertising across many sources (saturation) was found to be important.

Limitations

It may not be feasible to employ all the recruitment methods used in this trial to obtain participation from other populations, such as those currently unwell, or in other geographical locations. Recruitment source was unavailable for participants who could not be reached after the initial contact. Thus, it is possible that the efficiency of certain methods of recruitment was poorer than estimated. Efficacy and costs of other recruitment initiatives, such as providing travel expenses to the in-person eligibility assessment and making follow-up telephone calls to candidates who contacted the recruitment team but could not be screened promptly, were not analysed.

Conclusion

Website advertising resulted in the highest number of randomized participants and was the second cheapest method of recruiting. Future research should evaluate the effectiveness of recruitment strategies for other samples to contribute to a comprehensive base of knowledge for future RCTs.
The modified accelerated Bregman method for regularized basis pursuit problem
Authors: Xie Yajun , Ke Yifen , Ma Changfeng
Published: March 2014

In this paper, a modified accelerated Bregman method (MABM) for solving the regularized basis pursuit problem is considered and analyzed in detail. This idea is based on the fact that the linearized Bregman method (LBM) proposed by Osher et al. (Multiscale Model. Simul. 4(2):460-489, 2005) is equivalent to a gradient descent method applied to a certain dual formulation which converges to the solution of the regularized basis pursuit problem. The proposed method is based on an extrapolation technique which is used in accelerated proximal gradient methods presented by Nesterov (Dokl. Akad. Nauk SSSR 269:543-547, 1983). It is verified that the modified accelerated Bregman method (MABM) is equivalent to the corresponding accelerated augmented Lagrangian method (AALM). The theoretical results confirm that the method has a rapid convergence rate of

O
(
1
/

(
k
+
1
)

2

)

.
Precise asymptotics in the law of the iterated logarithm for "Equation missing" statistic
Authors: Pang Tian-Xiao , Lin Zheng-Yan , Hwang Kyo-Shin
Published: March 2014

Let

{
X
,

X
n

,
n
≥
1
}

be a sequence of i.i.d. random variables which is in the domain of attraction of the normal law with zero mean and possibly infinite variance,

Q
(
n
)
=
R
(
n
)
/
S
(
n
)

be the rescaled range statistic, where

R
(
n
)
=

max

1
≤
k
≤
n

{

∑

j
=
1

k

(

X
j

−

X
¯

n

)
}
−

min

1
≤
k
≤
n

{

∑

j
=
1

k

(

X
j

−

X
¯

n

)
}

,

S
2

(
n
)
=

∑

j
=
1

n

(

X
j

−

X
¯

n

)

2

/
n

and

X
¯

n

=

∑

j
=
1

n

X
j

/
n

. Then two precise asymptotics related to probability convergence for

Q
(
n
)

statistic are established under some mild conditions in this paper. Moreover, the precise asymptotics related to almost surely convergence for

Q
(
n
)

statistic is also considered under some mild conditions.

MSC:60F15, 60G50.
Beyond genomic variation - comparison and functional annotation of three Brassica rapagenomes: a turnip, a rapid cycling and a Chinese cabbage
Authors: Lin Ke , Zhang Ningwen , Severing Edouard I , Nijveen Harm , Cheng Feng , Visser Richard GF , Wang Xiaowu , de Ridder Dick , Bonnema Guusje
Published: March 2014

Background

Brassica rapa is an economically important crop species. During its long breeding history, a large number of morphotypes have been generated, including leafy vegetables such as Chinese cabbage and pakchoi, turnip tuber crops and oil crops.

Results

To investigate the genetic variation underlying this morphological variation, we re-sequenced, assembled and annotated the genomes of two B. rapa subspecies, turnip crops (turnip) and a rapid cycling. We then analysed the two resulting genomes together with the Chinese cabbage Chiifu reference genome to obtain an impression of the B. rapa pan-genome. The number of genes with protein-coding changes between the three genotypes was lower than that among different accessions of Arabidopsis thaliana, which can be explained by the smaller effective population size of B. rapa due to its domestication. Based on orthology to a number of non-brassica species, we estimated the date of divergence among the three B. rapa morphotypes at approximately 250,000 YA, far predating Brassica domestication (5,000-10,000 YA).

Conclusions

By analysing genes unique to turnip we found evidence for copy number differences in peroxidases, pointing to a role for the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway in the generation of morphological variation. The estimated date of divergence among three B. rapa morphotypes implies that prior to domestication there was already considerably divergence among B. rapa genotypes. Our study thus provides two new B. rapa reference genomes, delivers a set of computer tools to analyse the resulting pan-genome and uses these to shed light on genetic drivers behind the rich morphological variation found in B. rapa.
Epidemiologic characterization of 30 confirmed cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus in Hangzhou, China
Authors: Ding Hua , Xie Li , Sun Zhou , Kao Qing-Jun , Huang Ren-Jie , Yang Xu-Hui , Huang Chun-ping , Wen Yuan-Yuan , Pan Jing-Cao , Pu Xiao-Ying , Jin Tao , Zhou Xiao-Hong , Zheng Lin , Li Jian , Wang Feng-Juan
Published: March 2014

Background

We examined the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of 30 cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus in Hangzhou and investigated their external environments to provide evidence for contact tracing and disease prevention and control.

Methods

The cases confirmed from April 1 through May 1, 2013 were studied. Field epidemiologic surveys were conducted to collect the clinical and epidemiologic data. Case-related and environmental specimens were collected for etiologic detection.

Results

Thirty cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus were confirmed in Hangzhou from April 1 through May 1, 2013, including one pregnant woman and three deaths. The median age of the patients was 62 years (range: 38–86 years). Twenty-three of the patients were men (76.67%). The median duration between disease onset and occurrence of respiratory failure and confirmed diagnosis was 5 and 6 days, respectively. Maximum medical observation of 666 close contacts of the patients revealed no irregularity. Of 314 external environmental specimens, the overall positive detection rate of H7N9 nucleic acid was 28.98%. Eight districts of Hangzhou city had positive detections in the external environments, the highest rate being in Yuhang District (78.13%). Statistical analysis of the specimen collection locations indicates a significant difference between the case-linked locations and the non-case locations (χ

2

 = 16.563, p < 0.05) in terms of H7N9 viral nucleic acid detection rate. No epidemiologic link has been found among the 30 cases.

Conclusions

Most of the infected were retired individuals aged 60 years or older. Men made the majority. The cases are sporadic at present, with no evidence of human-to-human transmission. Exposures to poultry and live poultry markets may be important sources of infection.
Evacuation planning in the Auckland Volcanic Field, New Zealand: a spatio-temporal approach for emergency management and transportation network decisions
Authors: Tomsen Erik , Lindsay Jan M , Gahegan Mark , Wilson Thomas M , Blake Daniel M
Published: March 2014

Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand (pop. 1.5 million) and is situated atop an active monogenetic volcanic field. When volcanic activity next occurs, the most effective means of protecting the people who reside and work in the region will be to evacuate the danger zone prior to the eruption. This study investigates the evacuation demand throughout the Auckland Volcanic Field and the capacity of the transportation network to fulfil such a demand. Diurnal movements of the population are assessed and, due to the seemingly random pattern of eruptions in the past, a non-specific approach is adopted to determine spatial vulnerabilities at a micro-scale (neighbourhoods). We achieve this through the calculation of population-, household- and car-to-exit capacity ratios. Following an analysis of transportation hub functionality and the susceptibility of motorway bridges to a new eruption, modelling using dynamic route and traffic assignment was undertaken to determine various evacuation attributes at a macro-scale and forecast total network clearance times. Evacuation demand was found to be highly correlated to diurnal population movements and neighbourhood boundary types, a trend that was also evident in the evacuation capacity ratio results. Elevated population to evacuation capacity ratios occur during the day in and around the central city, and at night in many of the outlying suburbs. Low-mobility populations generally have better than average access to public transportation. Macro-scale vulnerability was far more contingent upon the destination of evacuees, with favourable results for evacuation within the region as opposed to outside the region. Clearance times for intra-regional evacuation ranged from one to nine hours, whereas those for inter-regional evacuation were found to be so high, that the results were unrealistic. Therefore, we conclude that, from a mobility standpoint, there is considerable merit to intra-regional evacuation.