bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Why are Temperature and Upward Wave Activity Flux Positively Skewed in the Polar Stratosphere?
Authors: Watt-Meyer Oliver , Kushner Paul J.
Published: October 2017

The distribution of temperatures in the wintertime polar stratosphere is significantly positively skewed, which has important implications for the characteristics of ozone chemistry and stratosphere–troposphere coupling. The typical argument for why the temperature distribution is skewed is that radiative balance sets a firm lower limit, while planetary wave driving can force much larger positive anomalies in temperature. However, the distribution of the upward Eliassen–Palm (EP) flux is also positively skewed, and this suggests that dynamics may play an important role in setting the skewness of the temperature distribution. This study explains the skewness of the upward EP flux distribution by appealing to the ideas of linear interference. In this framework, fluxes are decomposed into a linear term (LIN) that measures the coherence of the wave anomaly and the climatological wave and an additional nonlinear term (NONLIN) that depends only on the wave anomaly. It is shown that when filtered by wavenumber, there is a clear nonlinear dependence between LIN and NONLIN: the terms cancel when LIN is negative, but they reinforce each other when LIN is positive. This leads to the positive skewness of the upward wave activity flux. A toy model of wave interference is constructed, and it is shown that the westward vertical tilt of the climatological wave is the key ingredient to a positively skewed upward EP flux distribution. The causes of the skews of the LIN and NONLIN distributions themselves are shown to be related to relationships between wave phase and amplitude, and wave phase and vertical tilt, respectively.
ENSO Forecasts near the Spring Predictability Barrier and Possible Reasons for the Recently Reduced Predictability
Authors: Wang-Chun Lai Andy , Herzog Michael , Graf Hans-F.
Published: October 2017

A cross-validated statistical model has been developed to produce hindcasts for the 1980–2016 November–December–January (NDJ; assumed El Niño peak) mean Niño-3.4 sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTA). A linear combination of two parameters is sufficient to successfully predict the peak SSTA: 1) the 5°N–5°S, 130°E–180°, 5–250-m oceanic potential temperature anomalies in February and 2) the 5°N–5°S, 140°E–160°W cumulative zonal wind anomalies (ZWA), integrated from November (one year before) up to the prediction month. This model is simple but is comparable to, or even outperforms, many NOAA Climate Prediction Center’s statistical models during the boreal spring predictability barrier. In contrast to most statistical models, the predictand Niño-3.4 SSTA is not used as a predictor. The explained variance between observed and predicted NDJ Niño-3.4 SSTA at a lead time of 8 months is 57% using 5 yr for cross validation and 63% in full hindcast mode.Predictive skill is lower after 2000 when the mean climate state is more La Niña–like because of stronger equatorial easterly ZWA. Strengthened Pacific subtropical highs are observed, with weaker westerly ZWA that emerge at a later time during El Niño. The western Pacific is more recharged, with stronger upwelling over the eastern Pacific. The resulting strong zonal subsurface temperature gradient provides a high potential for Kelvin waves being triggered without strong westerly ZWA. However, the persistent easterly ZWA lead to more central Pacific–like El Niños. These are more difficult to predict because the contribution of the thermocline feedback is reduced. Overall, the authors find that the importance of the recharge state for ENSO prediction has increased after 2000, contradicting some previous studies.
On How the Middle Atmospheric Residual Circulation Responds to the Solar Cycle Close to the Solstices
Authors: Karlsson Bodil , Kuilman Maartje
Published: October 2017

During high solar activity, the atmosphere receives more energy from the sun, particularly in the form of shortwave radiation. Most notable is the effect in the middle and upper atmosphere, which in general shows a positive temperature response due to physical and chemical processes that are intensified at high solar activity. It is thus surprising that a clear solar cycle signal is absent in the summer polar mesosphere region in spite of it being illuminated around the clock. In this study, it is investigated how the circulation in the summer mesosphere is affected by changes in the solar flux using a 30-yr run from the nudged version of the Canadian Middle Atmosphere Model (CMAM30). It is found that—in July—the solar cycle signal from direct solar heating is counteracted by an enhanced residual circulation, which adiabatically cools the region at a higher rate when the solar activity is above average. The dynamical cooling is partly initiated in the Southern Hemisphere winter stratosphere.
Predictability and Prediction of Southern California Rains during Strong El Niño Events: A Focus on the Failed 2016 Winter Rains
Authors: Zhang Tao , Hoerling Martin P. , Wolter Klaus , Eischeid Jon , Cheng Linyin , Hoell Andrew , Perlwitz Judith , Quan Xiao-Wei , Barsugli Joseph
Published: October 2017

The failed Southern California (SCAL) winter rains during the 2015/16 strong El Niño came as a surprise and a disappointment. Similarities were drawn to very wet winters during several historical strong El Niño events, leading to heightened expectations that SCAL’s multiyear drought would abate in 2016. Ensembles of atmospheric model simulations and coupled model seasonal forecasts are diagnosed to determine both the potential predictability and actual prediction skill of the failed rains, with a focus on understanding the striking contrast of SCAL precipitation between the 2016 and 1998 strong El Niño events. The ensemble mean of simulations indicates that the December–February 2016 winter dryness was not a response to global boundary forcings, which instead generated a wet SCAL signal. Nor was the extreme magnitude of observed 1998 wetness entirely reconcilable with a boundary-forced signal, indicating it was not a particularly precise analog for 2016. Furthermore, model simulations indicate the SCAL 2016 wet signal was 20%–50% less intense than its simulated 1998 counterpart. Such a weaker signal was captured in November 2015 initialized seasonal forecasts, indicating dynamical model skill in predicting a less prolific 2016 rainy season and a capability to forewarn that 2016 would not likely experience the flooding rains of 1998. Analysis of ensemble spread indicates that 2016 dryness was an extreme climate event having less than 5% likelihood in the presence of 2016 global forcings, even though its probability of occurrence was 3–4 times greater in 2016 compared to 1998. Therefore, the failed seasonal rains themselves are argued to be primarily a symptom of subseasonal variability unrelated to boundary forcings whose predictability remains to be explored.
Investigating the Variability of High-Elevation Seasonal Orographic Snowfall Enhancement and Its Drivers across Sierra Nevada, California
Authors: Huning Laurie S. , Margulis Steven A.
Published: October 2017

While orographically driven snowfall is known to be important in mountainous regions, a complete understanding of orographic enhancement from the basin to the mountain range scale is often inhibited by limited distributed data and spatial and/or temporal resolutions. A novel, 90-m spatially distributed snow water equivalent (SWE) reanalysis was used to overcome these limitations. Leveraging this SWE information, the interannual variability of orographic gradients in cumulative snowfall (CS) was investigated over 14 windward (western) basins in the Sierra Nevada in California from water years 1985 to 2015. Previous studies have not provided a detailed multidecadal climatology of orographic CS gradients or compared wet-year and dry-year orographic CS patterns, distributions, and gradients across an entire mountain range. The magnitude of seasonal CS gradients range from over 15 cm SWE per 100-m elevation to under 1 cm per 100 m with a 31-yr average of 6.1 cm per 100 m below ~2500 m in the western basins. The 31-yr average CS gradients generally decrease in higher elevation zones across the western basins and become negative at the highest elevations. On average, integrated vapor transport and zonal winds at 700 hPa are larger during wet years, leading to higher orographically driven CS gradients across the Sierra Nevada than in dry years. Below ~2500 m, wet years yield greater enhancement (relative to dry years) by factors of approximately 2 and 3 in the northwestern and southwestern basins, respectively. Overall, the western Sierra Nevada experiences about twice as much orographic enhancement during wet years as in dry years below the elevation corresponding to the 31-yr average maximum CS.
An Enhanced Optical Flow Technique for Radar Nowcasting of Precipitation and Winds
Authors: Bechini Renzo , Chandrasekar V.
Published: October 2017

The atmospheric state evolution is an inherently highly complex three-dimensional problem that numerical weather prediction (NWP) models attempt to solve. Although NWP models are being successfully employed for medium- and long-range forecast, their short-duration forecast (or nowcast) capabilities are still limited because of model initialization challenges. On the lower end of the complexity scale, nowcasting by extrapolation of two-dimensional weather radar images has long been the most effective tool for nowcasting precipitation. Attempts are being made to take advantage of both approaches by blending extrapolation and numerical model forecasts. In this work a different approach is presented, relying on the additional Doppler radar wind information and a simplified modeling of basic physical processes. Instead of mixing the outputs of different forecasts as in blended approaches, the idea behind this study is to combine extrapolation and precipitation modeling in a new technique with a higher level of complexity with respect to conventional nowcasting methods, although still much simpler than NWP models. As a preliminary step, the Variational Doppler Radar Analysis System (VDRAS) is used to provide an initial analysis exploiting all the available dual-polarization and Doppler radar observations. The rainwater and wind fields are then advected using an optical flow technique that is subject to simplified physical interactions. As a result precipitation and wind nowcasting are obtained and are successively validated up to a 1-h lead time, showing potential improvement upon standard extrapolation.
Verification of Gridded Wind Forecasts in Complex Alpine Terrain: A New Wind Verification Methodology Based on the Neighborhood Approach
Authors: Skok Gregor , Hladnik Veronika
Published: October 2017

A novel wind verification methodology is presented and analyzed for six surface wind cases in the greater Alpine region as well as an idealized setup. The methodology is based on the idea of the fractions skill score, a neighborhood-based spatial verification metric frequently used for verifying precipitation. The new score avoids the problems of traditional nonspatial verification metrics (the “double penalty” problem and the failure to distinguish between a “near miss” and much poorer forecasts) and can distinguish forecasts even when the spatial displacement of wind patterns is large. Moreover, the time-averaged score value in combination with a statistical significance test enables different wind forecasts to be ranked by their performance.
The Coleman Report, 50 Years On: What Do We Know about the Role of Schools in Academic Inequality?
Authors: Hill Heather C.
Published: October 2017

Achievement outcomes for U.S. children are overwhelmingly unequal along racial, ethnic, and class lines. Whether and how schools contribute to educational inequality, however, has long been the subject of debate. This article traces the debate to the Coleman Report’s publication in 1966, describing the report’s production and impact on educational research. The article then considers the field’s major findings—that schools equalize along class lines but likely stratify along racial and ethnic lines—in light of current policy debates.
Can Schools Enable Parents to Prevent Summer Learning Loss? A Text-Messaging Field Experiment to Promote Literacy Skills
Authors: Kraft Matthew A. , Monti-Nussbaum Manuel
Published: October 2017

The vast differences in summer learning activities among children present a substantial challenge to providing equal educational opportunity in the United States. Most initiatives aimed at reversing summer learning loss focus on school- or center-based programs. This study explores the potential of enabling parents to provide literacy development opportunities at home as a low-cost alternative. We conduct a randomized field trial of a summer text-messaging pilot program for parents focused on promoting literacy skills among first through fourth graders. We find positive effects on reading comprehension among third and fourth graders, with effect sizes of .21 to .29 standard deviations, but no effects for first and second graders. Texts also increased attendance at parent-teacher conferences but not at other school-related activities. Evidence to inform future efforts to reverse summer learning loss is provided by parents’ responses to a follow-up survey.
Sub-National–Cross-National Variation: Method and Analysis in Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Riedl Rachel Beatty
Published: October 2017

This article proposes four different types of research designs to highlight the conceptual, theoretical, and methodological value of an interactive sub-national cross-national approach: as a two-level interaction, as a hierarchical model, as a set of controls, and as quasi-experimental. These possibilities demonstrate the unique advantages of theorizing and empirically analyzing sub-national variation in its relation to the national superstructure. Using the example of the multi-level identities and institutions associated with religious organizations across sub-Saharan Africa, I demonstrate that the impact of religious leaders on their affiliated followers’ political orientations vary according to the interactive position of each group in their local and national context.
An Interactive Web-Based Intervention to Achieve Healthy Weight in Young Children
Authors: Wald Ellen R. , Ewing Linda J. , Moyer Stacey C. L. , Eickhoff Jens C.
Published: October 2017

This prospective, randomized, controlled trial for parents of overweight and obese 3- to 7-year-olds was performed to assess the feasibility of a program promoting healthy eating and lifestyle by targeting parents as agents of change. The intervention was composed of 6-in-person group sessions and a customized website over 12 months. The control group received customary care. The primary outcome was feasibility of the intervention to promote healthy behavior change measured by attendance. The secondary outcome was effectiveness assessed by attaining reduced body mass index (BMI) z scores, healthy behavior changes and increased parent self-efficacy. Seventy-three child-parent dyads were enrolled; 14 parents never attended any sessions. Participation in follow-up assessments did not meet the hypothesized level. Ultimate BMI z scores did not differ between control and intervention groups. Parenting skills did not improve in the intervention group. This intervention to achieve healthy lifestyle changes in children via their parents as “change agents” was unsuccessful.
Cancer information seeking and scanning: Sources and patterns
Authors: Barnes Laura LB , Khojasteh Jam J , Wheeler Denna
Published: October 2017

Objective:

This study aimed to identify predominant search patterns in a recent search for health information and a potential search for strongly needed cancer information, to identify the commonly scanned sources of information that may represent stable elements of the information fields characteristic of these patterns, and to evaluate whether search patterns are the same for cancer patients and non-patients.

Design:

Analysis of Health Information National Trends Survey 4 Cycle 2 (HINTS 4.2) data, a nationally representative survey administered by the US National Cancer Institute.

Methods:

The search patterns of individuals responding to survey questions about a recent search for health information and a hypothetical search for strongly needed cancer information were identified by cross-classifying the first source of information to be consulted in both search contexts. Using a mixed-model repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), we evaluated the relationship between search patterns and scanned sources of cancer information.

Results:

Five predominant search patterns or groups were evident: Internet–doctor (29%), Internet–Internet (25%), doctor–doctor (16%), Internet–cancer organisation (6%) and print–doctor (6%) for recent search and for the hypothetical search for strongly needed information, respectively. Patterns did not vary by presence/absence of cancer diagnosis. Information search groups differed both demographically and in the sources of information scanned. Patterns were replicated in data from two additional HINTS surveys which differed in the wording of the focal questions.

Conclusion:

Differences among the patterns in various health-related attitudes and behaviours are identified. Implications for patient engagement in shared decision-making, particularly in the presence of rapid developments in health information technology, are discussed.
Social inclusion and relationship satisfaction of patients with a severe mental illness
Authors: Koenders Jitske F , de Mooij Liselotte D , Dekker Jack M , Kikkert Martijn
Published: October 2017

Background:

Research suggests that patients with a severe mental illness (SMI) are among the most social excluded in society. However, comparisons of social network composition and relationship satisfaction between SMI patients and a control group are rare.

Aims:

Our aim was to compare differences in size, satisfaction and composition of the social network between patients with SMI and a control group. Potential sociodemographic and clinical risk factors in relation to social network size in SMI patients were explored.

Methods:

The sample consisted of a control group ( N = 949) and SMI patients ( N = 211) who were under treatment in Dutch mental health care institutions. In these groups, network size, relationship satisfaction, sociodemographic and clinical (patients only) characteristics were assessed.

Results:

Social network size was 2.5 times lower in SMI patients, which was also reflected in a lower relationship satisfaction. The composition of the social network of SMI patients differs from that of controls: patients’ network seems to consist of a smaller part of friends. Different risk factors were associated with the impoverishment of the social network of family, friends and acquaintances of patients with SMI.

Conclusion:

SMI patients have very small networks compared to controls. This may be a problem, given the ongoing emphasis on outpatient treatment of SMI patients and self-dependence. This outcome advocates for more attention to social isolation of SMI patients and involvement of family in the treatment and aftercare of SMI patients.
“Mourning With the Morning Bell”: An Examination of Secondary Educators’ Attitudes and Experiences in Managing the Discourse of Death in the Classroom
Authors: Case Danielle M. , Cheah Wai Hsien , Liu Min
Published: October 2017

A plethora of research exists about death and dying, particularly with regard to the prescriptive strategy on how teachers should address death in their classrooms. However, there is a gap in the literature about teachers’ perceived preparedness to discuss a student’s death in their classrooms. The following qualitative study used focus groups to explore teachers’ experiences with and beliefs about death, dying, coping, student death, and preparedness to address student death in the classroom. Data were transcribed and thematically analyzed. Themes and subthemes for all research questions are presented and explained; some themes explored include teachers’ views of death, death versus dying, initial and long-term coping, difficulties in addressing student death, the teachers’ role after a student’s death, feelings of being prepared versus unprepared to address student death in the classroom.
Harmonic stress analysis on Coffea arábica L. var. Colombia fruits in order to stimulate the selective detachment: A finite element analysis
Authors: Tinoco Hector A , Peña Fabio M
Published: October 2017

This study shows a finite element harmonic stress analysis to evaluate the stress performance at the pedicel interface of a fruit–peduncle system of Coffea arábica L. var. Colombia plants. The aim was to study detachment of fruits subjected to mechanical vibrations. A model of the coffee fruit–peduncle system is designed computationally to reproduce its topology in all ripening stages using a proposed numerical procedure. Young’s modulus, Poisson ratio, and density were adjusted using analytical models for all ripening stages. The glomerulus of three fruits in different ripening stages was proposed and these were combined in four groups. Based on a detachment model, it was verified which fruit was detached first when a chirp force signal was applied on each glomerulus. Results indicated that dynamic excitations applied in between 130 to 150 Hz detached only ripe fruits, since fruits that were in other ripening stages were not stimulated until detachment in that bandwidth.
A commitment to health equity: Reflections on why; One journey toward how
Authors: Edgoose Jennifer YC
Published: October 2017

Many health care practitioners and educators feel stymied as to how to address the pervasive and persistent problem of health care disparities between racial and ethnic groups. The closing plenary for the 37th Forum for Behavioral Science in Family Medicine held in September 2016 reminded participants of the urgent need to attend to health inequities and provided both a theoretical framework as well as some sample resources for where to begin.
Grant writing: Moving from generating ideas to applying to grants that matter
Authors: Nelson David , Ruffalo Leslie
Published: October 2017

There is an extraordinary burden placed upon the healthcare system and people as a result of health disparities that exist within the United States. If there is going to be a concerted effort to develop innovative strategies to reduce health disparities, input from the community and behavioral scientists can and should be included in this approach and narrative. Grant writing provides one vehicle to express the narrative and to provide a means to fund research and programs within clinic-based and community settings. This paper describes a four-step inquiry process to guide healthcare professionals with varying degrees of clinical and scholarship interests through the grant writing process. They include: (1) Why write grants (motivations), (2) what is the area of focus? (Interests), (3) whom should be on the project? (partnerships), and (4) what needs to happen next to move the idea forward? (actions) The complexity of psychosocial issues means that behavioral science is well suited to develop both hypotheses-driven and phenomenological research to understand bio-psycho-social health issues. Grant writing does not need to be mysterious or daunting. It can provide a means to an end, not only to fund research but also as a means to an end of health disparities.
Scandal mining: political nobodies and remediated visibility
Authors: Trottier Daniel
Published: October 2017

This article considers the 2015 federal election in Canada as the emergence of seemingly citizen-led practices whereby candidates’ past missteps are unearthed and distributed through social and news media channels. On first pass, these resemble citizen-led engagements through digital media for potentially unmappable political goals, given the dispersed and either non-partisan or multi-partisan nature of these engagements. By bringing together journalistic accounts and social media coverage alongside current scholarship on citizenship and visibility, this case study traces the possibility of political accountability and the political weaponisation of mediated visibility through the targeted extraction of candidate details from dispersed profiles, communities and databases.
A sky full of signal: aviation media in the age of the drone
Authors: LaFlamme Marcel
Published: October 2017

Problems of control and communication endemic to powered flight have given rise to a range of media forms, which this article proposes to designate aviation media. Today, the maturation and proliferation of unmanned aircraft or drones is reconfiguring the media technologies, infrastructures, and practices on which pilots have previously relied. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork with drone pilots and other airspace users in North Dakota, a US state that has courted the unmanned aircraft industry in a bid for economic diversification, this article describes the mundane forms of media labor that underpin the operation of unmanned systems. It also shows how contemporary efforts to achieve an integrated airspace in which both manned and unmanned aircraft can fly depend on the widespread adoption of transmissive media technologies. This demand defines the current media practices of rural airspace users as impediments to progress. By highlighting the politics of aviation media at a moment when drones are becoming increasingly ubiquitous, this article reveals how changes in what it means to be a pilot hinge on shifting claims about which media matter most.
Partners’ attachment insecurity predicts greater physiological threat in anticipation of attachment-relevant interactions
Authors: Peters Brett J. , Overall Nickola C. , Girme Yuthika U. , Jamieson Jeremy P.
Published: October 2017

This study examined whether anticipating interacting with a partner higher in attachment insecurity predicted greater physiological threat in an emotion regulation context. Eighty-eight couples watched an emotionally negative film clip, prepared to discuss the video with their partner, and then engaged in a conversation. One dyad member ( regulator) was randomly assigned to express versus suppress affective displays while his/ her partner ( target) was given no additional instructions. Greater partner avoidance was associated with stronger physiological responses consistent with the experience of threat—sympathetic arousal coupled with increased vascular resistance—when regulators anticipated suppressing versus expressing affective displays. Greater partner anxiety was associated with greater physiological threat responses regardless of the emotion regulation context. Threat responses also manifested during the conversation: Regulators and targets with highly avoidant partners exhibited greater threat responses when suppressing versus expressing affective displays. Additionally, more insecure partners found the conversation more difficult. These data are the first to show that anticipating attachment-relevant interactions with more insecure partners elicit cardiovascular responses diagnostic of threat.
Preconditioning potential of purmorphamine: a hedgehog activator against ischaemic reperfusion injury in ovariectomised rat heart
Authors: Sharma Shweta , Kaur Avileen , Sharma Saurabh
Published: October 2017

Objective:

The present study was been designed to investigate the role and pharmacological potential of hedgehog in oestrogen-deficient rat heart.

Methods:

Oestrogen deficiency was produced in female Wistar rats by the surgical removal of both ovaries and these animals were used four weeks later. Isolated rat heart was subjected to 30 min ischaemia followed by 120 min of reperfusion (I/R). The heart was subjected to pharmacological preconditioning with the hedgehog agonist purmorphamine (1μM) and GDC-0449, a hedgehog antagonist, in the last episode of reperfusion before I/R. Myocardial infarction was assessed in terms of the increase in lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatinine kinase-MB (CK-MB), myeloperoxidase (MPO) level and infarct size (triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining). Immunohistochemistry analysis was done for the assessment of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α level in cardiac tissue. eNOS expression was estimated by rt-PCR.

Results:

Pharmacological preconditioning with purmorphamine significantly attenuated I/R-induced myocardial infarction, TNF-α, MPO level and release of LDH and CK-MB compared to the I/R control group. However, GDC-0449 prevented the ameliorative preconditioning effect of estradiol.

Conclusion:

It may be concluded that the hedgehog agonist purmorphamine prevents the ovariectomised heart from ischaemic reperfusion injury.
Postpartum hemorrhage from non-uterine arteries: clinical importance of their detection and the results of selective embolization
Authors: Kim Jeong-Eun , So Young Ho , Kim Byoung Jae , Kim Sun Min , Choi Young Ho , Sung Chang Kyu
Published: October 2017

Background

Identification of the source of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is important for embolization because PPH frequently originates from non-uterine arteries.

Purpose

To evaluate the clinical importance of identifying the non-uterine arteries causing the PPH and the results of their selective embolization.

Material and Methods

This retrospective study enrolled 59 patients who underwent embolization for PPH from June 2009 to July 2016. Angiographic findings and medical records were reviewed to determine whether non-uterine arteries contributed to PPH. Arteries showing extravasation or hypertrophy accompanying uterine hypervascular staining were regarded as sources of the PPH. The results of their embolization were analyzed.

Results

Of 59 patients, 19 (32.2%) underwent embolization of non-uterine arteries. These arteries were ovarian (n = 7), vaginal (n = 5), round ligament (n = 5), inferior epigastric (n = 3), cervical (n = 2), internal pudendal (n = 2), vesical (n = 1), and rectal (n = 1) arteries. The embolic materials used included n-butyl cyanoacrylate (n = 9), gelatin sponge particles (n = 8), gelatin sponge particles with microcoils (n = 1), and polyvinyl alcohol particles (n = 1). In 13 patients, bilateral uterine arterial embolization was performed. Re-embolization was performed in two patients with persistent bleeding. Hemostasis was achieved in 17 (89.5%) patients. Two patients underwent immediate hysterectomy due to persistent bleeding. One patient experienced a major complication due to pelvic organ ischemia. One patient underwent delayed hysterectomy for uterine infarction four months later.

Conclusion

Non-uterine arteries are major sources of PPH. Detection and selective embolization are important for successful hemostasis.
Feline Infectious Peritonitis: Immunohistochemical Features of Ocular Inflammation and the Distribution of Viral Antigens in Structures of the Eye
Authors: Ziółkowska Natalia , Paździor-Czapula Katarzyna , Lewczuk Bogdan , Mikulska-Skupień Elżbieta , Przybylska-Gornowicz Barbara , Kwiecińska Kamila , Ziółkowski Hubert
Published: October 2017

Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a serious, widely distributed systemic disease caused by feline coronavirus (FCoV), in which ocular disease is common. However, questions remain about the patterns of ocular inflammation and the distribution of viral antigen in the eyes of cats with FIP. This study characterized the ocular lesions of FIP including the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein and proliferating cell nuclear antigen by Müller cells in the retina in cases of FIP and to what extent macrophages are involved in ocular inflammation in FIP. Immunohistochemistry for FCoV, CD3, CD79a, glial fibrillary acidic protein, calprotectin, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen was performed on paraffin sections from 15 naturally occurring cases of FIP and from controls. Glial fibrillary acidic protein expression was increased in the retina in cases of FIP. Müller cell proliferation was present within lesions of retinal detachment. Macrophages were present in FIP-associated ocular lesions, but they were the most numerous inflammatory cells only within granulomas (2/15 cats, 13%). In cases of severe inflammation of the ciliary body with damage to blood vessel walls and ciliary epithelium (3/15, 20%), some macrophages expressed FCoV antigens, and immunolabeling for calprotectin on consecutive sections suggested that these FCoV-positive macrophages were likely to be recently derived from blood. In cases of severe and massive inflammation of most ocular structures (4/15, 26%), B cells and plasma cells predominated over T cells and macrophages. These results indicate that gliosis can be present in FIP-affected retinas and suggest that breakdown of the blood–ocular barrier can allow FCoV-bearing macrophages to access the eye.
Assessment of the capabilities of FireFOAM to model large-scale fires in a well-confined and mechanically ventilated multi-compartment structure
Authors: Le Duy , Labahn Jeffrey , Beji Tarek , Devaud Cecile B , Weckman Elizabeth J , Bounagui Abderrazzaq
Published: October 2017

This article presents a large eddy simulation study of a pool fire in a well-confined and mechanically ventilated multi-room configuration. The capabilities of FireFOAM are assessed by comparing the numerical results to a well-documented set of experimental data available from Propagation d’un Incendie pour des Scénarios Multi-locaux Elémentaires. The eddy dissipation concept, finite volume discrete ordinate method, and one k-equation model are used for combustion, thermal radiation, and sub-grid scale closure, respectively. The main boundary conditions are imposed based on the experimental profiles. A detailed comparison is made with available experimental data. Good agreement between the large eddy simulation results and experimental values is achieved for temperatures, velocity, CO2 volume concentrations, and pressures for most compartments. There are some noticeable underpredictions of temperature in the outlet room. Overall, FireFOAM is shown to have good predictive capabilities for the present confined large-scale fire scenario.
Clawback Provisions
Authors: Bloom Robert
Published: October 2017

This article provides an overview on “clawbacks” as many public companies include them in their compensation policies, such as stock options, restricted stock, and other incentive performance plans. The rationale and nature of this provision and its implications for accountability and management are considered. Academic research on the impact of clawbacks is reviewed. Dodd-Frank Act provisions and Securities and Exchange Commission actions on clawbacks are discussed.
Tax Increment Financing: A Propensity Score Approach
Authors: Yadavalli Anita , Landers Jim
Published: October 2017

This study examines the effect of tax increment financing (TIF) on economic growth in Indiana. TIF areas are designated with the intent of spurring economic development characterized primarily by growth in assessed value and in employment within the TIF area. We examined property-level data from 2004 to 2013 and found that the average property in a TIF area may display higher assessed values than the average property in a similarly situated non-TIF area. While both TIF and non-TIF properties tended to grow over time, the average property in a TIF area may grow by slightly more than its non-TIF counterpart. We also found that TIF does not statistically significantly affect employment or employment growth over time. While there does not appear to be a multiplicative effect of the presence of enterprise zones and TIF on employment, TIF works with property tax abatements in incentivizing job creation. Our analysis of the effect of TIF on economic development outcomes informs policy makers of the likelihood that a given area will adopt TIF in the context of the “but-for” question.
Optimisation methodology for lightweight gears to be produced by additive manufacturing techniques
Authors: Mura Andrea , Curà Francesca , Pasculli Luca
Published: October 2017

In this work, a new design procedure to optimise lightweight gears is presented. Lightweight gears find application in all industrial fields where the weight of the structure is a key factor. Thanks to the new additive manufacturing techniques, it is possible to better distribute the wheel material and therefore increase gear performance. The proposed procedure acts on the material distribution in order to enhance wheel dynamic performance and reduce weight. The new design procedure has been applied to a real airplane gear in order to evaluate if the optimisation procedure can be useful to improve wheel performance. Results show improved performance of the optimised wheel respect to the reference wheel. The optimised wheel geometry is supposed to be manufactured by additive manufacturing techniques.
Effect of flow-forming parameters on surface quality, geometrical precision and mechanical properties of titanium tube
Authors: Ebrahimi Mahmoud , Tabei Kamal Hamed , Naseri Reza , Djavanroodi Faramarz
Published: October 2017

In this study, the flow-forming process for fabricating seamless thin-wall tubes is experimentally investigated on a commercially pure titanium sample. For this purpose, the influence of three processing parameters including feed rate, mandrel revolution, and thickness reduction is studied on the surface quality and geometrical accuracy of flow-formed tube. It is found that the feed rate increment results in more longitudinal displacement of the roller on the tube sample. This intern results in, more area of the material to be in contact with the roller during the tube revolution; hence, higher tube surface roughness. Also, surface finish and dimensional precision of spun tube are lessened by increment of the mandrel revolution due to the intensification of machine vibration. Additionally, increased reduction of wall thickness leads to the enlargement of diametral growth and the loss of roundness. Also, it will increase the resistance of the material flow, which results in the wave creation at the tube surface, thereby decreasing the surface quality of the spun sample.
Design strategies and numerical simulation of highly loaded aspirated compressor blades
Authors: Cao Zhiyuan , Liu Bo , Zhang Ting , Xu Yibing
Published: October 2017

Boundary layer suction can effectively eliminate flow separations and increase aerodynamic loading of axial compressors. The design methodology of highly loaded aspirated compressor blades was developed and illustrated in this study. In this work, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) methods were first validated with existing data and then used to develop the design strategy of aspirated compressor blades. Design strategies for higher blade performances, including higher loading, larger stall margin and larger blade thickness near the suction slot of aspirated blades, were investigated through analyzing a series of highly loaded aspirated cascades with diffusion factors (DF) around 0.71. Results showed that the design methodology proposed in this paper was appropriate for designing highly loaded aspirated compressor blades. Under the condition of no boundary layer suction (BLS), severe flow separations of highly loaded blades were tailored at the aft part of suction surface by adopting the “ski-slope” velocity distribution, which almost remained unchanged within a large incidence range. The “ski-slope” velocity distribution was appropriate for removing flow separations and beneficial for obtaining thicker blade. High loading of aspirated blade was achieved by the postpositional suction peak and minimum velocity distribution on pressure surface. The stall margin of highly loaded aspirated cascades could be enlarged by designing the velocity distribution upstream of the suction slot and by selecting suction peak position and solidity. A three-dimensional (3D) highly loaded aspirated cascade was designed based on a two-dimensional (2D) cascade. Both the trailing edge separation and corner separation of the 3D highly loaded aspirated cascade were eliminated successfully with coupled suction surface and endwall suction.
Reflection: A Socratic approach
Authors: Van Seggelen – Damen Inge C. M. , Van Hezewijk René , Helsdingen Anne S. , Wopereis Iwan G. J. H.
Published: October 2017

Reflection is a fuzzy concept. In this article we reveal the paradoxes involved in studying the nature of reflection. Whereas some scholars emphasize its discursive nature, we go further and underline its resemblance to the self-biased dialogue Socrates had with the slave in Plato’s Meno. The individual and internal nature of the reflection process creates difficulty for studying it validly and reliably. We focus on methodological issues and use Hans Linschoten’s view of coupled systems to identify, analyze, and interpret empirical research on reflection. We argue that researchers and research participants can take on roles in several possible system couplings. Depending on who controls the manipulation of the stimulus, who controls the measuring instrument, who interprets the measurement and the response, different types of research questions can be answered. We conclude that reflection may be validly studied by combining different couplings of experimenter, manipulation, stimulus, participant, measurement, and response.
Modulatory Effects of Positive Mood on Cognition: Lessons From Attention and Error Monitoring
Authors: Pourtois Gilles , Vanlessen Naomi , Bakic Jasmina , Paul Katharina
Published: October 2017

The importance of positive mood for health and well-being is a truism. However, we still lack clear understanding of the nature and range of modulatory effects created by positive mood on cognition in humans. Here, we briefly review two recent research lines that have attempted to address this question systematically. Specifically, research on attention has explored the boundaries of the so-called broadening of attention with positive mood. Likewise, effects of positive mood on error monitoring have been scrutinized lately. The new empirical findings gathered in these two separate research domains concur on the assumption that positive mood is not merely adding noise to cognition. Instead, this mood state seems to provide the organism with meaningful (internal) information, which allows for timely and flexible exploration of new opportunities in the (external) environment and alters the motivational significance of negative events, such as response errors, in a rather flexible way. As such, these new findings provide information about the existence of complex interaction effects between positive mood and cognition and may help, in turn, to better appraise the actual role and function of this protective mood state for health and cognition.
Comparative Studies of the Influence of Elevated Serum Lipid Levels on the Pharmacokinetics of Diazepam in rabbits and humans
Authors: Wichliński Lesław M. , Sieradzki Edmund
Published: October 2017

The influence of elevated serum lipids on the pharmacokinetics of diazepam was investigated in rabbits. The results obtained were then compared with similar results of experiments carried out in humans. The changes in the pharmacokinetics of diazepam due to elevated lipid levels have similar characteristics in animals and humans. Elevated serum lipid levels cause a decrease in diazepam serum concentration.
Possible Hepatotoxicity with Rosaramicin — A New Antibiotic Related to Erythromycin
Authors: Foster Thomas S. , Raehl Cynthia L. , Cascio Frank S. , Parker Chester L.
Published: October 2017

We report the case of a possible hepatotoxic reaction in a patient receiving the investigational macrolide antibiotic, rosaramicin. The patient presented with complaints attributable to an acute cholestatic reaction with a maculopapular skin rash. Serum enzymes indicative of hepatic function were initially markedly elevated but returned to normal after withdrawal of the drug. Because of the close chemical structural similarity of rosaramicin to other macrolide antibiotics known to produce similar hepatotoxic reactions, careful surveillance of patients receiving this drug is suggested.
Extravasation: A Hazard of Intravenous Therapy
Authors: MacCara Mary E.
Published: October 2017

Tissue damage due to extravasation does not occur frequently, but the consequences can be severe. Certain factors are important in determining the likelihood of extravasation injury. These include the age, state of consciousness, and venous circulation of the patient and the type, location, and placement of the intravenous cannula. Extravasation injury is induced most frequently by drugs that have high osmolalities, vesicant properties, or the ability to induce ischemia. Treatment includes elevation of the extremity, application of heat or cold, and the administration of an appropriate antidote. Prevention of extravasation injury requires recognition of potentially hazardous drugs and good technique in administering drugs intravenously.
Pharmacists' Dispensing Accuracy in a High-Volume Outpatient Pharmacy Service: Focus on Risk Management
Authors: Guernsey Brock G. , Ingrim Naomi B. , Hokanson James A. , Doutré William H. , Bryant Stephen G. , Blair Charles W. , Galvan Eustacio
Published: October 2017

A 12-day peer-review audit was performed in the outpatient pharmacy of a large teaching hospital. The audit process was not masked, that is, the pharmacists were aware of the peer-review evaluation. During the 12-day period, 9394 prescription forms and their corresponding pharmaceutical products were examined manually before being delivered to the patient. A total of 1165 (12.4 percent) dispensing errors were detected, with 141 (1.5 percent) of these considered potentially serious. Seventy-six prescriptions contained two errors and four prescriptions contained three. A linear relationship (r2 = 0.78; P < 0.001) existed between the number of potentially serious errors and the total number of prescriptions filled. There were no statistically significant differences in the dispensing-error rate for the eight pharmacists audited. There was a trend for the number of pharmacist-hours containing at least one potentially serious dispensing error to increase as the prescription-filling rate accelerated.

Outpatient pharmacies with high volumes should set a limit to the number of prescriptions filled by their pharmacists and should experiment with quality assurance systems to reduce dispensing errors and subsequent legal liabilities.
Comparison of Effects of Two Dosage Regimens of Phenylpropanolamine on Blood Pressure and Plasma Levels in Normal Subjects under Steady-State Conditions
Authors: Saltzman Marcus B. , Dolan Margaret M. , Doyne Nancy
Published: October 2017

Plasma levels and blood pressure responses to two dosage regimens of phenylpropanolamine (PPA)—25-mg, immediate-release tablets three times per day and a 75-mg, controlled-release capsule once per day—were compared in 14 normal subjects. To obtain steady-state conditions, subjects were given the test materials for four-day periods, and blood pressure and plasma PPA levels were measured on day 4. The dosage forms were equally bioavailable, based on a 95-percent confidence coefficient, and neither produced hypertensive effects. The highest diastolic pressure was 96 mm Hg three hours after a 25-mg dose. Mean PPA plasma levels showed no correlation with mean blood pressure readings at any point during a 12-hour test period. These data show that, in these subjects, a daily dosage of PPA 75 mg, either in divided doses of 25 mg each or in a dependable controlled-release formula, produces no indication of pressor effects.