bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dispute Settlement under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea: Survey for 2009
Authors: Churchill Robin
Published: December 2010

This is the sixth of a series of annual surveys reviewing dispute settlement in the law of the sea both under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and outside the framework of the Convention. The main developments during 2009 were the judgment of the International Court of Justice in the Maritime Delimitation in the Black Sea (Romania v. Ukraine) case and the commencement of three new maritime boundary cases (between Bangladesh and India, Bangladesh and Myanmar, and Croatia and Slovenia, respectively).
Revisiting the External Dimension of the Environmental Policy of the European Union: Some Challenges Ahead
Authors: del Castillo Teresa Fajardo
Published: December 2010

This article reviews the legal dimension of the EU external environmental policy and its progress as a normative green power promoting compliance with international environmental law. It discusses the changes brought about by the Lisbon Treaty and the creation of the EU External Action Service and its future possible developments.
Lisbon and Access to Justice for Environmental NGOs: A Watershed? A Case Study Using the Setting of the Total Allowable Catches under the Common Fisheries Policy
Authors: Herman Charlotte
Published: December 2010

Before the Lisbon Treaty, environmental non - governmental organisations could rarely or not satisfy the admissibility test to gain access to the European courts. This contribution examines whether the rules on locus standi under the Lisbon Treaty will facilitate their access to justice. Attention will be given to what is understood by a 'regulatory act', the EU obligations under the Aarhus Convention and whether the new perspectives within the Lisbon Treaty will allow environmental non - governmental organisations to challenge TAC Regulations.
Climate Change Law in Germany
Authors: Koch Hans-Joachim
Published: December 2010

Over the past two decades, Germany has created a sophisticated climate change legislation framework which in many instances implements international and particularly EU requirements. In some areas, Germany has played a pioneer role in shaping the development of EU law. As an environmental problem of truly global scale, climate change mitigation is heavily reliant on the achievement of international consensus. But it also requires effective, level-specific solutions to problems at all rungs of the multi-level policy hierarchy comprising the international community, the European Union and the Federal Republic of Germany with its sixteen states and numerous cities and municipalities. Much progress has therefore already been made, but efforts must be greatly intensified right across the board.
On the systematic position and taxonomic rank of the extinct myxophagan †Haplochelus (Coleoptera)
Authors: Ge Si-Qin , Friedrich Frank , Beutel Rolf G.
Published: December 2010

†Haplochelus georissoides was described as the first fossil myxophagan
beetle. We re-evaluated the systematic position based on an extensive
morphological data set. A clade †Haplochelus+Lepicerus is very strongly
supported. Both genera share a number of highly unusual apomorphies. This
lineage is more uniform than the myxophagan families Torridincolidae and
Hydroscaphidae. Therefore, we synonymize Haplochelidae. Lepiceridae (incl.
†Haplochelus) are placed as sister-group of the remaining myxophagan
families. An origin of the group in the Jurassic is likely considering the
systematic position of Myxophaga and Lepiceridae.
Introduction: Fascism in Interwar East Central and Southeastern Europe: Toward a New Transnational Research Agenda
Authors: Iordachi Constantin
Published: December 2010

This introductory essay provides a first, much needed comprehensive overview of the recent scholarship on fascism and the radical right in East Central and Southeastern Europe in local and international historiography. Its aim is to identify a new research agenda for studying fascism comparatively, potentially contributing to the fine-tuning or substantial modification of the existing explanatory paradigms. It is argued that comparative research on fascism and the radical right in these regions should be set on new theoretical and methodological foundations, as part of an effort toward greater interaction and convergence between scholarly research traditions in Eastern and Western Europe. My endeavor is based on the assumption that the study of fascist movements and regimes in East Central and Southeastern Europe is essential to the more general scholarly effort to understand radical politics in interwar Europe; without it, comparative research results remain partial and incomplete. Yet, this analytical effort does not simply mean an extension of the existing theoretical framework of generic fascism to previously uncharted regions. Regional explorations of fascism might function as a laboratory for further methodological innovation and as a field of experimentation and interaction of scholars from various disciplines and national historiographic traditions. They can potentially lead to the rejuvenation of fascist studies by renewing their thematic scope and by redirecting research from the prevailing Weberian ideal-type methodology fixated on the fascist “ideological minimum” to new comparative-historical analyses focusing on the triad ideology-movements-regimes. This novel agenda of research prompts scholars to rethink their units of analysis, and to renounce teleological comparative perspectives still prevalent in Cold War-type scholarship which takes Western Europe as a measuring stick and normatively evaluates other historical case studies only by means of negative comparisons (e.g.: what was missing, or what “went wrong” in non-Western regions). Instead of treating fascist movements and regimes in these regions as carbon copies of their more “genuine” Western counterparts, scholars should rather explore multiple laboratories for the elaboration of fascist ideology in interwar politics and the transfer of illiberal political ideas and practices over spatial or temporal borders, resulting in radical political experiments in East and West alike.
Regulating the Trade: International Peddling in Post-Soviet Russia
Authors: Mukhina Irina
Published: December 2010

The economic, social, and political reforms of the former Soviet Union gave rise to a flourishing international peddling trade variously termed “shuttle trading,” “a suitcase trade,” or at times “trading tourism.” Small at first in the later 1980s, by the mid-1990s the shuttle trade expanded to include millions of people and came to constitute the backbone of Russian consumer trade. Initially the government was willing to “look the other way” or even support the shuttle trade as a way to provide for the collapsing consumer market in Russia. Yet the government drastically underestimated the vast number of people that the trade would attract and subsequently the scale and longevity of the trade. By 1993 and then progressively into the 1990s, the government aimed to bring this highly problematic aspect of the emerging market under its control, both by the means of regulating private businesses and creating a more business-conducive environment and by improving border control in order to make the borders “hard”. Thus this article analyzes the shuttle trade to demonstrate the ways in which decision makers, by accumulating raw data about the scale of the trade, border crossing, and the trade's social consequences, utilized these statistics in creating regulatory measures that simultaneously attempted to shape both the border control and customs regulations and the emerging free market space of the post-Soviet Russia.
Sensory Integration Across Modalities: How Kinaesthesia Integrates with Vision in Visual Orientation Discrimination
Authors: Treisman Michel , Lages Martin
Published: December 2010

Stimuli in one modality can affect the appearance and discriminability of stimuli in another, but how they do so is not well understood. Here we propose a theory of the integration of sensory information across modalities. This is based on criterion setting theory (CST; Treisman and Williams, 1984), an extension of signal detection theory which models the setting and adjustment of decision criteria. The theory of sensory integration based on CST (CST-SI) offers an account of cross-modal effects on sensory decision-making; here we consider its application to orientation anisotropy. In this case, CST-SI postulates that the postural senses are concerned with the relations between momentary body posture and the cardinal dimensions of space, vertical and horizontal, and that they also contribute to stabilizing perception of the cardinal orientations in vision through actions on the corresponding visual decision criteria, but that they have little effect on perception of diagonal orientations. Predictions from CST-SI are tested by experimentally separating the contributions that different information sources make to stabilizing the visual criteria. It is shown that reducing relevant kinaesthetic input may increase the variance for discrimination of the visual cardinal axes but not the obliques. Predictions that shift in the location of the psychometric function would be induced by varying the distribution of the test stimuli, and that this effect would be greater for oblique than cardinal axes were confirmed. In addition, peripheral visual stimuli were shown to affect the discrimination of cardinal but not oblique orientations at the focus of vision. These results support the present account of anisotropies.
What Comes Before Psychophysics? The Problem of 'What We Perceive' and the Phenomenological Exploration of New Effects
Authors: Pinna Baingio
Published: December 2010

The psychophysical methods were developed by Fechner to find out the perceptual threshold of a stimulus, that is, the weakest stimulus that could be perceived. In spite of the strong efficiency in measuring thresholds, psychophysics does not help to define the multiplicity and complexity of possible percepts emerging from the same stimulus conditions, and accordingly, of what we perceive. In order to define what we perceive it is also necessary to define what we can perceive within the multiplicity of possible visual outcomes and how they are reciprocally organized. Usually the main experimental task is aimed at focusing on the specific attribute to be measured: what comes before psychophysics, i.e., the phenomenological exploration, is typically not fully investigated either epistemologically or phenomenally, even if it assumes a basic role in the process of scientific discovery. In this work, the importance of the traditional approach is not denied. Our main purpose is to place the two approaches side by side so that they complement each other: the phenomenological exploration complements the quantitative psychophysical measurement of the qualities that emerge through the preliminary exploration. To demonstrate the basic role played by the phenomenological exploration in complementing the psychophysical investigation we introduce three critical visual conditions, called visual gradient of perceptibility, perceptible invisibility and visual levels of perceptibility. Through these conditions several new illusions are studied and some phenomenological rules are suggested.
High-Resolution Simulation of the Electrification and Lightning of Hurricane Rita during the Period of Rapid Intensification
Authors: Fierro Alexandre O. , Reisner Jon M.
Published: December 2010

In this paper, a high-resolution simulation establishing relationships between lightning and eyewall convection during the rapid intensification phase of Rita will be highlighted. The simulation is an attempt to relate simulated lightning activity within strong convective events (CEs) found within the eyewall and general storm properties for a case from which high-fidelity lightning observations are available. Specifically, the analysis focuses on two electrically active eyewall CEs that had properties similar to events observed by the Los Alamos Sferic Array. The numerically simulated CEs were characterized by updraft speeds exceeding 10 m s−1, a relatively more frequent flash rate confined in a layer between 10 and 14 km, and a propagation speed that was about 10 m s−1 less than of the local azimuthal flow in the eyewall. Within an hour of the first CE, the simulated minimum surface pressure dropped by approximately 5 mb. Concurrent with the pulse of vertical motions was a large uptake in lightning activity. This modeled relationship between enhanced vertical motions, a noticeable pressure drop, and heightened lightning activity suggests the utility of using lightning to remotely diagnose future changes in intensity of some tropical cyclones. Furthermore, given that the model can relate lightning activity to latent heat release, this functional relationship, once validated against a derived field produced by dual-Doppler radar data, could be used in the future to initialize eyewall convection via the introduction of latent heat and/or water vapor into a hurricane model.
Climatic Controls on the Snowmelt Hydrology of the Northern Rocky Mountains
Authors: Pederson Gregory T. , Gray Stephen T. , Ault Toby , Marsh Wendy , Fagre Daniel B. , Bunn Andrew G. , Woodhouse Connie A. , Graumlich Lisa J.
Published: December 2010

The northern Rocky Mountains (NRMs) are a critical headwaters region with the majority of water resources originating from mountain snowpack. Observations showing declines in western U.S. snowpack have implications for water resources and biophysical processes in high-mountain environments. This study investigates oceanic and atmospheric controls underlying changes in timing, variability, and trends documented across the entire hydroclimatic-monitoring system within critical NRM watersheds. Analyses were conducted using records from 25 snow telemetry (SNOTEL) stations, 148 1 April snow course records, stream gauge records from 14 relatively unimpaired rivers, and 37 valley meteorological stations. Over the past four decades, midelevation SNOTEL records show a tendency toward decreased snowpack with peak snow water equivalent (SWE) arriving and melting out earlier. Temperature records show significant seasonal and annual decreases in the number of frost days (days ≤0°C) and changes in spring minimum temperatures that correspond with atmospheric circulation changes and surface–albedo feedbacks in March and April. Warmer spring temperatures coupled with increases in mean and variance of spring precipitation correspond strongly to earlier snowmeltout, an increased number of snow-free days, and observed changes in streamflow timing and discharge. The majority of the variability in peak and total annual snowpack and streamflow, however, is explained by season-dependent interannual-to-interdecadal changes in atmospheric circulation associated with Pacific Ocean sea surface temperatures. Over recent decades, increased spring precipitation appears to be buffering NRM total annual streamflow from what would otherwise be greater snow-related declines in hydrologic yield. Results have important implications for ecosystems, water resources, and long-lead-forecasting capabilities.
Characteristics of 3–4- and 6–8-Day Period Disturbances Observed over the Tropical Indian Ocean
Authors: Yasunaga Kazuaki , Yoneyama Kunio , Moteki Qoosaku , Fujita Mikiko , Takayabu Yukari N. , Suzuki Junko , Ushiyama Tomoki , Mapes Brian
Published: December 2010

A field observational campaign [i.e., the Mirai Indian Ocean cruise for the Study of the MJO-convection Onset (MISMO)] was conducted over the central equatorial Indian Ocean in October–December 2006. During MISMO, large-scale organized convection associated with a weak Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) broke out, and some other notable variations were observed.

Water vapor and precipitation data show a prominent 3–4-day-period cycle associated with meridional wind υ variations. Filtered υ anomalies at midlevels in reanalysis data [i.e., the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) Climate Data Assimilation System (JCDAS)] show westward phase velocities, and the structure is consistent with mixed Rossby–gravity waves. Estimated equivalent depths are a few tens of meters, typical of convectively coupled waves. In the more rainy part of MISMO (16–26 November), the 3–4-day waves were coherent through the lower and midtroposphere, while in the less active early November period midlevel υ fluctuations appear less connected to those at the surface.

SST diurnal variations were enhanced in light-wind and clear conditions. These coincided with westerly anomalies in prominent 6–8-day zonal wind variations with a deep nearly barotropic structure through the troposphere. Westward propagation and structure of time-filtered winds suggest n = 1 equatorial Rossby waves, but with estimated equivalent depth greater than is common for convectively coupled waves, although sheared background flow complicates the estimation somewhat.

An ensemble reanalysis [i.e., the AGCM for the Earth Simulator (AFES) Local Ensemble Transform Kalman Filter (LETKF) Experimental Reanalysis (ALERA)] shows enhanced spread among the ensemble members in the zonal confluence phase of these deep Rossby waves, suggesting that assimilating them excites rapidly growing differences among ensemble members.
Alcohol Intoxication Among Dutch Adolescents: Acute Medical Complications in the Years 2000-2010
Authors: Bouthoorn Selma H. , van der Ploeg Tjeerd , van Erkel Nina E. , van der Lely Nico
Published: December 2010

Objective: To investigate acute medical complications of alcohol intoxication among adolescents presenting to Reinier de Graaf Hospital, a major nonacademic hospital in Delft, the Netherlands. Methods: The frequency of reduced consciousness, hypothermia, electrolyte disturbances, hypoglycemia, and acidosis along with alcohol intoxication was retrospectively studied in the medical records of patients aged 11 to 17 years admitted between January 1, 2000, and April 30, 2010. Results: Reduced consciousness (45%) and hypothermia (43.1%) were the most common clinical findings. More boys than girls experienced hypothermia ( P = .028), probably because of the higher blood alcohol concentration level ( P = .026), which was associated with lower temperature (Pearson’s r = -.37; P < .001). The most frequent electrolyte disturbance was hyperchloremia (31.1%), followed by low bicarbonate (22%), hypokalemia (11.9%), and hypernatremia (7.7%). Strikingly, none of the patients in this study suffered hypoglycemia. On the contrary, 13.6% of the patients were slightly hyperglycemic. Mild acidosis, both metabolic and respiratory, was observed among 28.8% of the patients, although the metabolic component predominated. Conclusions: Acute medical complications because of alcohol intoxication appeared to be mild, and most remarkably none of the patients experienced hypoglycemia.
Positioning Change Recipients’ Attitudes Toward Change in the Organizational Change Literature
Authors: Bouckenooghe Dave
Published: December 2010

This article reviews the literature on attitudes toward change. This narrative review of 58 journal articles published between 1993 and 2007 indicates that there is a need for a more complete typology of attitudes toward change that also fully captures the core essence of this concept. By means of content analysis we first examined the conceptual overlap between the eight attitude-related constructs included in this review and the working definition of attitudes toward change. Second, the concept “attitudes toward change” was described along four major theoretical lenses: (a) nature of change, (b) level of change, (c) positive—negative view on change, and (d) research perspective. This conceptual review not only summarizes the current state of research but also offers a more complete typology of attitudes toward change, and highlights directions for possible future inquiry.
Transforming the A. K. Rice Institute: From Club to Organization
Authors: Noumair Debra A. , Winderman Barbara B. , Warner Burke W.
Published: December 2010

Initiating organization change is not nearly as challenging as sustaining and ensuring that organization change will last. This article is a historical account of the transformation of the A. K. Rice Institute from club to organization and how the challenges associated with sustaining the change were powerful enough to undermine, if not completely undo, the transformation. The transformation involved shifting the institute from having two primary missions, membership and education, to having one primary mission, education. The case is written from the perspectives of the change leader, external consultant, and past member of the board who served informally in the role of internal consultant. Collectively, the authors represent group relations and organization development traditions, and the article provides an opportunity to consider the integration, and lack thereof, of these traditions in service of organization transformation. Moreover, the post hoc analysis makes explicit lessons learned from the authors in their differentiated roles.
Study on damping capacity of graphite particle—reinforced AZ31 magnesium matrix composites
Authors: Yaobo Hu  , Juan Deng  , Fusheng Pan  , Dingfei Zhang  , Yu'an Chen  , Jingfeng Wang
Published: December 2010

The damping capacities of 1%, 5%, and 9% (by mass) graphite particle—reinforced AZ31 magnesium matrix (Grp/AZ31) composites and unreinforced AZ31 magnesium alloy in as-annealed and 5% Grp/AZ31 composites in the different treatment states, which included as-cast, as-quenched, as-annealed, and as-extruded ones, were investigated. The composites were synthesized by semi-continuous stir casting process. The damping capacity was respectively tested on a dynamic mechanical thermal analyzer, at a frequency of 1 Hz, at room temperature, and in a strain range of 10-6—10-2. The results show that the damping mechanics of composites can be mainly interpreted by G—L dislocation pinning theory. The addition of graphite leads to the increase of dislocation density and will be beneficial to the damping properties of Grp/AZ31 composites. The dislocation loops are pinned down by the strong pinning point precipitate after being annealed and the effective length of dislocation becomes shorter because of the grain refinement after being quenched and extruded, which leads to the decrease of damping capacity of the composites after treatments. Moreover, there is an obvious damping—strain peak in as-extruded Grp/AZ31 composites.
Dry sliding wear behavior of Saffil fiber-reinforced Mg-10Gd-3Y-0.5Zr magnesium alloy-based composites
Authors: Bin Hu  , Liming Peng  , Wenjiang Ding
Published: December 2010

Dry sliding wear behavior of the creep-resistant magnesium alloy Mg-10Gd-3Y-0.5Zr and its composites have been investigated in this study. Magnesium matrix composites are prepared by squeezing casting infiltration of Mg alloy into Saffil preforms. Wear tests are conducted using ball-on-flat sliding wear set up under a sliding velocity range of 1-15 cm/s and at an applied load range of 1-8 N for a constant sliding distance of 150 m. According to results, mechanical and wear-resistance properties of magnesium alloy improved by introducing Saffil fibers, and the alumina binder composite has a higher strength and lower wear rate than silica binder composite. The wear rates of the matrix alloy, composites and their counter-face balls increase with increasing applied load. The increment of sliding velocities decreases the wear rate of the matrix alloy under the tested sliding velocities. A critical threshold of sliding velocity for the wear rate of both composites and their counter-faces is about 9 cm/s. Abrasion and plastic deformation are considered to be the dominant mechanism for the matrix alloy in tested conditions, and for both composites under low sliding velocity (<10 cm/s) and at low applied loads (1-5 N). Delamination is the wear mechanism of the silica binder composites at a high applied load (8 N). Adhesion and oxidation are the controlling wear mechanism of matrix alloy and composites under a sliding velocity of 15 cm/s.
Some properties of particleboard panels treated with extractives ofCerbera odollamtree
Authors: Hashim Rokiah , Mohd Hazim Mohd Amini  , Sulaiman Othman , Hiziroglu Salim , Kawamura Fumio , Wahab Razak , Abood Faizah
Published: December 2010

This study investigated certain aspects of physical and mechanical properties and resistance against biological deterioration of particleboard panels treated with extractives from different parts of Cerbera odollam trees. Particles of rubber-wood ( Hevea brasiliensis) treated with extracts of leaf, fruit, wood, bark, flower, and seed of Cerbera odollam were used to manufacture panels in laboratory conditions. Two types of adhesive, namely melamine urea formaldehyde and phenol resorcinol formaldehyde were used as binder for the panels. Treated panels had higher resistance against powder post beetle in laboratory as well as field exposures. Both thickness swelling and internal bond strength values of treated samples satisfied requirements for P4 Type particleboards stated in European Standards (EN 312). It appears that such extractives possess potential to enhance resistance of particleboard against insect damage in tropical countries.
Interfacial reaction mechanisms of 3D SiO2f/Si3N4 composites prepared by perhydropolysilazane
Authors: Gong Jin Qi
Published: December 2010

Three-dimensional quartz fiber-reinforced silicon nitride composites were prepared by perhydropolysilazane (PHPS) infiltration and pyrolysis method, and the microstructures and interfacial reaction mechanisms were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, solid-state 29Si MAS NMR spectrometer, field emission scanning electron microscope, and high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM). Strong interfacial adhesion was observed for the composites due to the formation of silicon oxynitrides in the fiber/matrix interfaces. HRTEM images of the composites after thermal treatment at 1873 K showed α-cristobalite, α-Si3N4, and amorphous silicon oxynitrides, corresponding to crystallized quartz fibers, crystallized silicon nitride matrix, and noncrystalline interfacial phases. The interfacial reactions resulted from the silicon hydroxyl groups on the surfaces of quartz fibers and the active radicals in PHPS during infiltration and high-temperature pyrolysis.
Evidence-Based Practice Among Nurses in Italy
Authors: Filippini Alberico , Sessa Alessandra , Giuseppe Gabriella Di , Angelillo Italo F.
Published: December 2010

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a random sample of 449 nurses in Italy, using a self-administered questionnaire to assess knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding evidence-based practice (EBP). A significantly higher level of knowledge was observed among nurses who (a) did not work in medical and surgical wards; (b) believed that the evaluation of the efficacy of the health interventions is needed in their activity; (c) believed that the clinical experience must be combined with the evidence; (d) attended a course about EBP in the last year; and (e) received information from courses and scientific journals. The perceived importance of the application of guidelines and protocols was significantly higher among nurses who (a) worked in medical wards; (b) agreed that the guidelines are useful in identifying and selecting interventions; (c) believed that the evaluation of the efficacy of the health interventions is needed in their activity; (d) believed that the clinical experience must be combined with the evidence; (e) attended a course about EBP in the last year; and (f) received information from courses and scientific journals. Nurses were more likely to have modified their practice in the last year if they attended a course about EBP in the last year and if they often/always read scientific journals and guidelines. While these data were cross-sectional and the response rate was only 49%, the results suggest that continuing education programs are needed for improving nurses’ knowledge and practice of EBP among nurses in Italy.
The Use of One- Versus Two-Tailed Tests to Evaluate Prevention Programs
Authors: Ringwalt Chris , Paschall M.J. , Gorman Dennis , Derzon James , Kinlaw Alan
Published: December 2010

Investigators have used both one- and two-tailed tests to determine the significance of findings yielded by program evaluations. While the literature that addresses the appropriate use of each type of significance test should be used is historically inconsistent, almost all authorities now agree that one-tailed tests are rarely (if ever) appropriate. A review of 85 published evaluations of school-based drug prevention curricula specified on the National Registry of Effective Programs and Practices revealed that 20% employed one-tailed tests and, within this subgroup, an additional 4% also employed two-tailed tests. The majority of publications either did not specify the type of statistical test employed or used some other criterion such as effect sizes or confidence intervals. Evaluators reported that they used one-tailed tests either because they stipulated the direction of expected findings in advance, or because prior evaluations of similar programs had yielded no negative results. The authors conclude that one-tailed tests should never be used because they introduce greater potential for Type I errors and create an uneven playing field when outcomes are compared across programs. The authors also conclude that the traditional threshold of significance that places α at .05 is arbitrary and obsolete, and that evaluators should consistently report the exact p values they find.
Sensorineural hearing loss with delayed onset of vertigo
Authors: Langman Alan W. , Lindeman Roger C.
Published: December 2010

Sensorineural hearing loss with delayed onset of vertigo is a syndrome in which episodic vertigo arises in a person who has preexisting unilateral severe‐to‐profound sensorineural hearing loss. This syndrome has an ipsilateral form in which the vertigo arises from the poorer hearing ear and a contralateral form in which the aural symptoms arise from the better hearing ear. The existence of this syndrome has only been noted within the past two decades. This report details our clinical experience with 17 persons with the ipsilateral form of this disorder. The onset of the vertigo after the occurrence of the hearing loss was quite variable. It ranged from 1 to 60 years after the development of the hearing loss. The hearing loss occurred for several reasons. Most patients had hearing loss due to an unknown cause. The development of the vertigo and the timing of the onset of the vertigo were not related to the cause of the hearing loss. Bithermal caloric testing identified the offending labyrinth in most patients who underwent ablative vestibular surgery. Ablative vestibular surgery was performed in 13 of the 17 persons in this study because of disabling symptoms. In all 13 cases, the episodic vertigo was eliminated. Surgical treatment for sensorineural hearing loss with delayed‐onset vertigo, as with all surgery for vertigo, should be based on the severity of the afflicted person's symptoms.
Long‐term model of induced canine phonation
Authors: Paniello Randal C. , Dahm J. David
Published: December 2010

Experimental induced phonation in the dog has been used in short‐term studies by several investigators and has proved quite useful in laryngeal research. In this study a long‐term canine phonation model is described that uses permanently implanted electrodes on the superior and recurrent laryngeal nerves. A serial induced phonation model has not been previously reported and is needed for laryngeal research in which voice results are a primary end point. Inexpensive, reliable, nontoxic electrodes were designed and fabricated. The laryngeal nerves were found to be quite susceptible to injury, necessitating a series of changes in electrode design. Electrode durability and laryngeal nerve viability improved with each design modification; the final design gave a recurrent laryngeal nerve viability rate of 100% at 6 weeks, 83% at 9 weeks, and 73% at 12 weeks. Induced phonation was successfully produced on a repeated basis by stimulating the recurrent laryngeal nerves while passing air through the larynx, in 22 (95.6%) of 23 animals. Stimulation of the superior laryngeal nerves increased vocal fold length and tension but was not required for phonation. Technical aspects of chronic implantation and stimulation of the laryngeal nerves are discussed. The development and successful long‐term implantation of electrodes on the laryngeal nerves and their use in repeated induced phonation have not been reported previously.
Sarthran Preserves Cochlear Microcirculation and Reduces Temporary Threshold Shifts after Noise Exposure
Authors: Goldwyn Benzion , Khan Mumtaz J. , Shivapuja Bhagyalakshmi G. , Seidman Michael D. , Quirk Wayne S.
Published: December 2010

The cause of noise‐induced hearing loss remains unclear despite years of both epidemiologic and experimental investigation. Among the many possible pathophysiologic mechanisms that may contribute to noise‐induced temporary or permanent threshold shifts are insufficiencies in cochlear blood flow. Although the literature is inconsistent, several histologic and physiologic studies demonstrate signs of reduced circulation in the cochlea after noise exposure. Recent studies using computer‐enhanced intravital microscopy complement these earlier findings. Evidence suggests that these microcirculatory events are mediated in part by several circulating factors, including the potent vasoactive peptide angiotensin. This study investigated this possibility by pretreating with the angiotensin receptor antagonist sarthran during noise exposure and examining both cochlear microcirculation and auditory sensitivity. The results of these experiments show noise‐induced ischemia in the lateral wall of the cochlea and temporary threshold shifts. Treatment with sarthran prevented this noise‐induced microcirculatory ischemia and preserved auditory sensitivity at the low frequencies tested. These findings support a role for the angiotensinergic system during noise exposure and suggest that preservation of cochlear blood flow is functionally related to auditory sensitivity. (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1998;118:576–83.)
Intratympanic Gentamicin Treatment for Meniere's Disease
Authors: Mcfeely William J. , Singleton George T. , Rodriguez Francisco J. , Antonelli Patrick J.
Published: December 2010

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a modified intratympanic gentamicin technique in patients with intractable unilateral or bilateral Meniere's disease.

METHODS

A retrospective review of 25 consecutive patients who underwent gentamicin treatment for Meniere's disease was conducted between 1992 and 1996. Two separate delivery systems were used during this study, with the last 13 subjects undergoing placement of the new system (flanged polyethylene tubing).

RESULTS

Follow‐up averaged 23 months. Absence of vertigo spells was reported in 88%, and substantial control was achieved in 12%. Four of five patients with bilateral disease achieved complete control. Results for the two delivery systems were not significantly different. Absence of ice‐water caloric response was seen in 75% (15 of 20) patients. Clinically significant sensorineural hearing loss occurred in 5 (20%) of 25 ears. Nonserviceable hearing developed in only two (8%) patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results support the previously reported efficacy and relative safety of gentamicin infusion therapy for intractable Meniere's disease. Polyethylene tubing may be more advantageous than T‐tube delivery because of anatomic concerns in certain patients. (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1998;118:589–96.)
Heat Shock Protein and p53 Expression in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Gandour‐Edwards Regina , Trock Bruce J. , Gumerlock Paul , Donald Paul J.
Published: December 2010

BACKGROUND

Heat shock proteins have been associated with the mutant form of the tumor suppressor gene, TP53, and with resistance to cancer chemotherapy.

METHODS

Archival tissues from 50 patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma who received primary surgical resection were examined for p53, HSP27, and HSP70 by immunohistochemistry and correlated with tumor stage, grade, and 5‐year survival (alive or deceased).

RESULTS

Both heat shock proteins were strongly expressed in normal mucosa and in small (T1 and T2) tumors. Thirty (60%) of tumors were positive for p53, 43 (86%) for HSP27, and 34 (68%) for HSP70, with no association between p53 and heat shock protein expression. Twenty‐five patients were alive (4 with disease), and 25 patients were deceased (9 from other causes). p53 Protein overexpression correlated with low‐grade tumors. Only primary tumor site (i.e., oral cavity > larynx > oropharynx/base of tongue) and N stage were significantly associated with survival.

CONCLUSIONS

Heat shock proteins are expressed in normal upper respiratory tract squamous mucosa, and their role in carcinoma remains unclear. None of the markers, p53, HSP27, or HSP70, demonstrated prognostic significance for 5‐year survival. We confirm the recognized association of cervical lymph node metastases with decreased survival. (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1998;118:610–5.)
Differential flatness-based robust control of mobile robots in the presence of slip
Authors: Ryu Ji-Chul , Agrawal Sunil K.
Published: December 2010

Slip between the ground and wheel often cannot be avoided in most applications of mobile robots. However, a majority of controllers developed so far make a no-slip assumption with non-holonomic constraints. To achieve desired performance in the presence of slip, controllers that are robust to slip are required. In this paper, we discuss robust trajectory-tracking control for a differentially driven two-wheeled mobile robot. The structure of a differential flatness controller, which has shown distinctive advantages providing an integrated framework for planning and control, is extended to account for slip disturbances. It is shown that the differential flatness framework can be extended to develop a robust controller based on a dynamic as well as a kinematic model with slip. Simulation results for both kinematic and dynamic controllers are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the robust controllers. Experiments with the kinematic controller which is suited to typical laboratory and field mobile robots were conducted to validate the proposed robust controller. The simulation and experimental results show that the proposed robust controllers are effective in the presence of slip.
Design of an active one-degree-of-freedom lower-limb exoskeleton with inertia compensation
Authors: Aguirre-Ollinger Gabriel , Colgate J. Edward , Peshkin Michael A. , Goswami Ambarish
Published: December 2010

Limited research has been done on exoskeletons to enable faster movements of the lower extremities. An exoskeleton’s mechanism can actually hinder agility by adding weight, inertia and friction to the legs; compensating inertia through control is particularly difficult due to instability issues. The added inertia will reduce the natural frequency of the legs, probably leading to lower step frequency during walking. We present a control method that produces an approximate compensation of an exoskeleton’s inertia. The aim is making the natural frequency of the exoskeleton-assisted leg larger than that of the unaided leg. The method uses admittance control to compensate for the weight and friction of the exoskeleton. Inertia compensation is emulated by adding a feedback loop consisting of low-pass filtered acceleration multiplied by a negative gain. This gain simulates negative inertia in the low-frequency range. We tested the controller on a statically supported, single-degree-of-freedom exoskeleton that assists swing movements of the leg. Subjects performed movement sequences, first unassisted and then using the exoskeleton, in the context of a computer-based task resembling a race. With zero inertia compensation, the steady-state frequency of the leg swing was consistently reduced. Adding inertia compensation enabled subjects to recover their normal frequency of swing.
The LittleDog robot
Authors: Murphy Michael P. , Saunders Aaron , Moreira Cassie , Rizzi Alfred A. , Raibert Marc
Published: December 2010

LittleDog is a small four-legged robot designed for research on legged locomotion. The LittleDog platform was designed by Boston Dynamics with funding from DARPA to enable rapid advances in the state of the art of rough-terrain locomotion algorithms. In addition to providing a fleet of 12 robots with baseline software and development tools, LittleDog served as a cross-team common platform that allowed direct comparison of results across multiple research teams. Here we report the details of this robotic system.
Bounding on rough terrain with the LittleDog robot
Authors: Shkolnik Alexander , Levashov Michael , Manchester Ian R. , Tedrake Russ
Published: December 2010

A motion planning algorithm is described for bounding over rough terrain with the LittleDog robot. Unlike walking gaits, bounding is highly dynamic and cannot be planned with quasi-steady approximations. LittleDog is modeled as a planar five-link system, with a 16-dimensional state space; computing a plan over rough terrain in this high-dimensional state space that respects the kinodynamic constraints due to underactuation and motor limits is extremely challenging. Rapidly Exploring Random Trees (RRTs) are known for fast kinematic path planning in high-dimensional configuration spaces in the presence of obstacles, but search efficiency degrades rapidly with the addition of challenging dynamics. A computationally tractable planner for bounding was developed by modifying the RRT algorithm by using: (1) motion primitives to reduce the dimensionality of the problem; (2) Reachability Guidance, which dynamically changes the sampling distribution and distance metric to address differential constraints and discontinuous motion primitive dynamics; and (3) sampling with a Voronoi bias in a lower-dimensional “task space” for bounding. Short trajectories were demonstrated to work on the robot, however open-loop bounding is inherently unstable. A feedback controller based on transverse linearization was implemented, and shown in simulation to stabilize perturbations in the presence of noise and time delays.
Prognostic Factors for Cutaneous and Subcutaneous Soft Tissue Sarcomas in Dogs
Authors: Dennis M. M. , McSporran K. D. , Bacon N. J. , Schulman F. Y. , Foster R. A. , Powers B. E.
Published: December 2010

Soft tissue sarcomas (STSs) develop from mesenchymal cells of soft tissues, and they commonly occur in the skin and subcutis of the dog. Although phenotypically diverse with frequently controversial histogenesis, STSs are considered as a group because they have similar features microscopically and clinically. Following resection, local recurrence rates are low in general but vary according to histologic grade and completeness of surgical margins. Complete margins predict nonrecurrence. Even most grade I STSs with “close” margins will not recur, but propensity for recurrence increases with grade. The frequency of metastasis has not been accurately estimated, but it is believed to be rare for grade I STSs and most likely to occur with grade III STSs. However, metastasis does not necessarily equate with poor survival. High mitotic index is prognostic for reduced survival time. Further research is needed to determine more precise estimates for recurrence rates and survival as related to completeness of surgical margins and to delineate potential differences in metastatic rate and median survival time between grades. Other potential indicators of prognosis that presently require further investigation include histologic type, tumor dimension, location, invasiveness, stage, markers of cellular proliferation, and cytogenetic profiles. Common issues limiting prognostic factor evaluation include biases from retrospective studies, small sample sizes, poor verification of metastasis, inconsistent STS classification and use of nomenclature, difficulties in differentiating STS phenotype, and diversity of the study population (stage of disease and treatment status).
Prognostic Markers for Myeloid Neoplasms
Authors: Juopperi T. A. , Bienzle D. , Bernreuter D. C. , Vernau W. , Thrall M. A. , McManus P. M.
Published: December 2010

Myeloid neoplasms include cancers associated with both rapid (acute myeloid leukemias) and gradual (myelodysplastic syndromes and myeloproliferative neoplasms) disease progression. Percentage of blast cells in marrow is used to separate acute (rapid) from chronic (gradual) and is the most consistently applied prognostic marker in veterinary medicine. However, since there is marked variation in tumor progression within groups, there is a need for more complex schemes to stratify animals into specific risk groups. In people with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), pretreatment karyotyping and molecular genetic analysis have greater utility as prognostic markers than morphologic and immunologic phenotypes. Karyotyping is not available as a prognostic marker for AML in dogs and cats, but progress in molecular genetics has created optimism about the eventual ability of veterinarians to discern conditions potentially responsive to medical intervention. In people with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), detailed prognostic scoring systems have been devised that use various combinations of blast cell percentage, hematocrit, platelet counts, unilineal versus multilineal cytopenias and dysplasia, karyotype, gender, age, immunophenotype, transfusion dependence, and colony-forming assays. Predictors of outcome for animals with MDS have been limited to blast cell percentage, anemia versus multilineal cytopenias, and morphologic phenotype. Prognostic markers for myeloproliferative neoplasms (eg, polycythemia vera, essential thrombocythemia) include clinical and hematological factors and in people also include cytogenetics and molecular genetics. Validation of prognostic markers for myeloid neoplasms in animals has been thwarted by the lack of a large case series that requires cooperation across institutions and veterinary specialties. Future progress requires overcoming these barriers.
Introduction: Anarchism and World Politics
Authors: Prichard Alex
Published: December 2010

In July 2010 a conference was convened at the University of Bristol on the theme of ‘Anarchism and World Politics’. This short article introduces and contextualises the five papers selected for publication from the 16 presented at that conference alongside the commissioned contribution from Professor Richard Falk. The aim here is to set out some of the broad concerns of anarchist scholarship and practice, to demonstrate the pertinence of anarchist thinking to International Relations (IR) and a not inconsiderable tradition of thinking about world politics from an anarchist perspective.