bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Proposing the Simplification of the Multilayer Urban Canopy Model: Intercomparison Study of Four Models
Authors: Ikeda Ryosaku , Kusaka Hiroyuki
Published: January 2010

The study proposes the simplification of the multilayer urban canopy model. Four types of multilayer urban canopy models—level 4, level 3, level 2, and level 1—are developed to reduce the computational load of the heat budget calculations at the wall surface. The level 4 model, which accounts for the wall directions and the vertical layer, is simplified in three ways: the level 3 model only accounts for the vertical layers, the level 2 model accounts for the wall directions, and the level 1 model accounts for neither the wall directions nor the vertical layer. From the simplification, compared to the level 4 model, the memory is reduced by 57%, 65%, and 72% for the level 3–level 1 models, respectively, when the vertical canopy layer is seven. At the same time, the CPU time is reduced by 67%, 70%, and 78% for the level 3–level 1 models. Then, each canopy model is compared with observations in Tokyo. The results show that the simulations from the four models are close to the observed ones, and the differences among the four models are very small. An additional model intercomparison study based on idealized simulations indicates that the level 3 model can be used instead of the level 4 model in any condition, whereas the level 2 and level 1 models are proposed to be used under conditions with a large sky view factor.
The Role of Entrainment in the Diurnal Cycle of Continental Convection
Authors: Del Genio Anthony D. , Wu Jingbo
Published: January 2010

In continental convective environments, general circulation models typically produce a diurnal cycle of rainfall that peaks close to the noon maximum of insolation, hours earlier than the observed peak. One possible reason is insufficient sensitivity of their cumulus parameterizations to the state of the environment due to weak entrainment. The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, run at cloud-resolving (600 and 125 m) resolution, is used to study the diurnal transition from shallow to deep convection during the monsoon break period of the Tropical Warm Pool–International Cloud Experiment. The WRF model develops a transition from shallow to deep convection in isolated events by 1430–1500 local time. The inferred entrainment rate weakens with increasing time of day as convection deepens. Several current cumulus parameterizations are tested for their ability to reproduce the WRF behavior. The Gregory parameterization, in which entrainment rate varies directly with parcel buoyancy and inversely as the square of the updraft speed, is the best predictor of the inferred WRF entrainment profiles. The Gregory scheme depends on a free parameter that represents the fraction of buoyant turbulent kinetic energy generation on the cloud scale that is consumed by the turbulent entrainment process at smaller scales. A single vertical profile of this free parameter, increasing with height above the boundary layer but constant with varying convection depth, produces entrainment rate profiles consistent with those inferred from the WRF over the buoyant depth of the convection. Parameterizations in which entrainment varies inversely with altitude or updraft speed or increases with decreasing tropospheric relative humidity do not perform as well. Entrainment rate at cloud base decreases as convection depth increases; this behavior appears to be related to an increase in vertical velocity at downdraft cold pool edges.
A Nonparametric Postprocessor for Bias Correction of Hydrometeorological and Hydrologic Ensemble Forecasts
Authors: Brown James D. , Seo Dong-Jun
Published: January 2010

This paper describes a technique for quantifying and removing biases from ensemble forecasts of hydrometeorological and hydrologic variables. The technique makes no a priori assumptions about the distributional form of the variables, which is often unknown or difficult to model parametrically. The aim is to estimate the conditional cumulative distribution function (ccdf) of the observed variable given a (possibly biased) real-time ensemble forecast. This ccdf represents the “true” probability distribution of the forecast variable, subject to sampling uncertainties. In the absence of a known distributional form, the ccdf should be estimated nonparametrically. It is noted that the probability of exceeding a threshold of the observed variable, such as flood stage, is equivalent to the expectation of an indicator variable defined for that threshold. The ccdf is then modeled through a linear combination of the indicator variables of the forecast ensemble members. The technique is based on Bayesian optimal linear estimation of indicator variables and is analogous to indicator cokriging (ICK) in geostatistics. By developing linear estimators for the conditional expectation of the observed variable at many thresholds, ICK provides a discrete approximation of the full ccdf. Since ICK minimizes the conditional error variance of the indicator variable at each threshold, it effectively minimizes the continuous ranked probability score (CRPS) when infinitely many thresholds are employed. The technique is used to bias-correct precipitation ensemble forecasts from the NCEP Global Ensemble Forecast System (GEFS) and streamflow ensemble forecasts from the National Weather Service (NWS) River Forecast Centers (RFCs). Split-sample validation results are presented for several attributes of ensemble forecast quality, including reliability and discrimination. In general, the forecast biases were substantially reduced following ICK. Overall, the technique shows significant potential for bias-correcting ensemble forecasts whose distributional form is unknown or nonparametric.
Error Analysis and Sampling Strategy Design for Using Fixed or Mobile Platforms to Estimate Ocean Flux
Authors: Zhang Yanwu , Bellingham James G. , Chao Yi
Published: January 2010

For estimating lateral flux in the ocean using fixed or mobile platforms, the authors present a method of analyzing the estimation error and designing the sampling strategy. When an array of moorings is used, spatial aliasing leads to an error in flux estimation. When an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is run, measurements along its course are made at different times. Such nonsynopticity in the measurements leads to an error in flux estimation. It is assumed that the temporal–spatial autocovariance function of the flux variable can be estimated from historical data or ocean models (as in this paper). Using the temporal–spatial autocovariance function of the flux variable, the mean-square error of the flux estimate by fixed or mobile platforms is derived. The method is used to understand the relative strengths of moorings and AUVs (assumed here to be able to maintain constant speed) under different scenarios of temporal and spatial variabilities. The flux estimate by moorings through trapezoidal approximation generally carries a bias that drops quadratically with the number of moorings. The authors also show that a larger number of slower AUVs may achieve a more accurate flux estimate than a smaller number of faster AUVs under the same cumulative speed, but the performance margin shrinks with the increase of the cumulative speed. Using the error analysis results, one can choose the type of platforms and optimize the sampling strategy under resource constraints. To verify the theoretical analysis, the authors run simulated surveys in synthesized ocean fields. The flux estimation errors agree very well with the analytical predictions. Using an ocean model dataset, the authors estimate the lateral heat flux across a section in Monterey Bay, California, and also compare the flux estimation errors with the analytical predictions.
Measuring aid governance in developing countries: an application to post-tsunami Aceh, Indonesia
Authors: Brassard Caroline
Published: January 2010

In contrast to the popular debate on managing international aid to achieve good governance in developing countries, this article focuses on ensuring good governance of aid processes (or good aid governance) between partners in development, to achieve national and local development objectives. Starting with the case of the reconstruction process in Aceh, Indonesia, since the December 2004 tsunami, the article draws conclusions on the aid governance challenges involved when coordinating multiple stakeholders and projects, while taking into consideration the complexities of the local political economy. Taking a critical look at the indicators of aid effectiveness developed from the Paris Declaration in 2005, the article argues for the use of a more relevant, simple and realistic set of locally generated aid governance indicators to achieve the desired development outcomes.

Points for practitioners

Partners in development need to shift their focus from aid for good governance, to ensuring good governance of aid processes (or good aid governance) in order to achieve national and local development objectives. Despite mixed evidence, current aid effectiveness frameworks such as the Paris Declaration of 2005 still implicitly suggest that good governance is a pre-requisite to development. The concept and measurement of aid governance by donors and country recipients, as partners in the design, delivery, implementation and management of aid, will vary according to local contexts. In a participatory manner, partners must develop a simple, clear and locally generated measurement framework to provide evidence on aid governance. This framework requires focusing on aid processes and outcomes in a collaborative effort between partners involved in the management and administration of aid, as well as with implementers at the local level.
The Role of Self- and Functional Congruity in Cruising Intentions
Authors: Hung Kam , Petrick James F.
Published: January 2010

This study proposes a theoretical model that integrates two streams of research, congruity and destination image, in one conceptual framework to explain travel intentions. Applying this model in the context of cruise tourism, the study investigated the influences of self-congruity and functional congruity on cruising intentions. Preliminary interviews were conducted with both cruisers and noncruisers to generate measurement items for the constructs of interest. A panel study was then used to examine the hypotheses, which were supported by the data. Both theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.
The Synoptic Problem and the Field of New Testament Introduction
Authors: Poirier John C.
Published: January 2010

The synoptic problem is an important and visible subfield within NT studies, yet, for some reason, almost every NT introduction written in the past forty or so years has passed on a defective understanding of that subfield. Two problems in particular plague these NT introductions: (1) their discussions of the synoptic problem tend to rely on a logical argument disproven almost sixty years ago, and (2) they tend to misrepresent the current state of the question by marginalizing the Farrer hypothesis, which today is the Two-Source Theory’s leading competitor.
The Eschatological Tradition behind 1 Thessalonians: Didache 16
Authors: Garrow Alan J.P.
Published: January 2010

The tradition delivered by the missionaries at the foundation of the Thessalonian church had been received as authoritative but had, at the same time, caused the new converts to grieve hopelessly over fellow believers who had died. In response to this situation Paul could not simply abrogate the founding tradition in favour of some new and more palatable ‘word of the Lord’. However, he could perhaps guide the Thessalonians towards an alternative interpretation of the authority they had already embraced. This observation enables the isolation of two distinctive properties of the founding tradition: it caused the Thessalonians’ grief, while also being open to Paul’s alternative reinterpretation. These two features, in combination with other indicators in 1 Thessalonians, provide a means of rigorously testing Didache 16 as a potential candidate for the role of the eschatological tradition behind 1 Thessalonians.
The role of oxidative DNA damage, DNA repair, GSTM1, SOD2 and OGG1 polymorphisms in individual susceptibility to Barrett’s esophagus
Authors: Kadioglu Ela , Sardas Semra , Ergun Meltem , Unal Selahattin , Karakaya Ali Esat
Published: January 2010

Determination of the genetic alterations, which play a role in the etiology of Barrett’s esophagus (BE), could help identify high-risk individuals for esophageal adenocarcinoma (EA). The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of oxidative DNA damage, glutathione (GSH) concentration as oxidative stress parameters and DNA repair capacity, GSTM1, SOD1 Ala16Val and OGG1 Ser326Cys genetic polymorphisms as individual susceptibility parameters in the etiology of BE. The study groups comprised BE patients who were clinically diagnosed (n = 40) and a healthy control group (n = 40). Basal DNA damage, pyrimidine and purine base damage after H2O2 induction, H 2O2 sensitivity, DNA repair capacity, oxidized pyrimidine and purine base damage repair were evaluated in peripheral blood lymphocytes with a modified comet assay using specific endonucleases (Endo III and Fpg). Polymerase chain reaction—restriction length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP)-based assays were used for genotyping. The patient group showed elevated levels of basal DNA damage, pyrimidine base damage and H2O2 sensitivity as compared to controls (p < .05). DNA repair capacity, oxidized pyrimidine and purine base damage repair capacity, were not statistically different between patients and controls. GSH concentration was found to be significantly lower in smoking patients than in the controls (p < .05). None of the genetic variations changed the risk of having BE disease. However, patients carrying the variant OGG1 Cys allele showed elevated levels of pyrimidine base damage as compared to patients carrying the wild-type OGG1 Ser (p < .05). The results of this study point to a role of oxidative DNA damage in BE. However, DNA repair capacity, GSTM1, SOD1 Ala16Val and OGG1 Ser326Cys genetic polymorphisms appeared to play no role in the individual susceptibility to this disease.
Stop Blaming the Victim: A Meta-Analysis on Rape Myths
Authors: Suarez Eliana , Gadalla Tahany M.
Published: January 2010

Although male rape is being reported more often than before, the majority of rape victims continue to be women. Rape myths—false beliefs used mainly to shift the blame of rape from perpetrators to victims—are also prevalent in today’s society and in many ways contribute toward the pervasiveness of rape. Despite this, there has been limited consideration as to how rape prevention programs and policies can address this phenomenon, and there is no updated information on the demographic, attitudinal, or behavioral factors currently associated with rape myths. This research aimed to address this gap by examining the correlates of rape-myths acceptance (RMA) in published studies. A total of 37 studies were reviewed, and their results were combined using meta-analytic techniques. Overall, the findings indicated that men displayed a significantly higher endorsement of RMA than women. RMA was also strongly associated with hostile attitudes and behaviors toward women, thus supporting feminist premise that sexism perpetuates RMA. RMA was also found to be correlated with other “isms,” such as racism, heterosexism, classism, and ageism. These findings suggest that rape prevention programs and policies must be broadened to incorporate strategies that also address other oppressive beliefs concurrent with RMA. Indeed, a renewed awareness of how RMA shapes societal perceptions of rape victims, including perceptions of service providers, could also reduce victims’ re-victimization and enhance their coping mechanisms.
Outcomes of Parental Use of Psychological Aggression on Children: A Structural Model From Sri Lanka
Authors: de Zoysa Piyanjali , Newcombe Peter A. , Rajapakse Lalini
Published: January 2010

The objective of this study was to explore the existence and, if so, the nature of the association between parental use of psychological aggression and psychological maladjustment in a 12-year-old Sri Lankan school population. A stratified random sampling technique was used to select 1,226 children from Colombo district schools. Three instruments, validated in the Sri Lankan context, were used to collect data on children’s experience of psychological aggression, its psychological outcomes, and psychosocial correlates. The annual prevalence of psychological aggression reported by the study sample was 75%. A predictive model for psychological outcomes was examined. The experience of psychological aggression was shown to be moderately, but directly and significantly, associated with psychological maladjustment in children. This association was mediated by non—parentto-child violence—the child’s knowledge of violence between the parents, experience of teacher violence, exposure to peer violence, and violence in the child’s community. However, the child’s report of a nurturant parent—child relationship did not impact on the association between psychological aggression and psychological maladjustment. The study also indicated that greater the child’s experience of non—parent-to-child violence, the greater is his/her own level of hostility and aggression. These findings show that although many Sri Lankan parents use psychological aggression it has negative consequences for their children.
Coronary Heart Disease From a Life-Course Approach: Findings From the Health and Retirement Study, 1998-2004
Authors: Bowen Mary Elizabeth
Published: January 2010

Objective: Guided by a life-course approach to chronic disease, this study examined the ways in which childhood deprivation (low parental education and father’s manual occupation) may be associated with coronary heart disease (CHD). Method: Multilevel modeling techniques and a nationally representative sample of Americans above age 50 from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS; N = 18,465) were used to examine childhood and CHD relationships over the course of 6 years (1998-2004). Results: Having a father with ≤8 years of education was associated with 11% higher odds of CHD, accounting for demographic characteristics, adult socioeconomic status (SES; education, income, and wealth), CHD risks (diabetes, hypertension, cigarette smoking, and obesity), and other factors (childhood health, exercise, stroke, and marital status). Discussion: Policies and programs aimed at improving the conditions of poor children and their families may effectively reduce the prevalence of CHD in later life.
Curcumin protects DNA damage in a chronically arsenic-exposed population of West Bengal
Authors: Biswas Jaydip , Sinha Dona , Mukherjee Sutapa , Roy Soumi , Siddiqi Maqsood , Roy Madhumita
Published: January 2010

Groundwater arsenic contamination has been a health hazard for West Bengal, India. Oxidative stress to DNA is recognized as an underlying mechanism of arsenic carcinogenicity. A phytochemical, curcumin, from turmeric appears to be potent antioxidant and antimutagenic agent. DNA damage prevention with curcumin could be an effective strategy to combat arsenic toxicity. This field trial in Chakdah block of West Bengal evaluated the role of curcumin against the genotoxic effects of arsenic. DNA damage in human lymphocytes was assessed by comet assay and fluorescence-activated DNA unwinding assay. Curcumin was analyzed in blood by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Arsenic induced oxidative stress and elucidation of the antagonistic role of curcumin was done by observation on reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, lipid peroxidation and protein carbonyl. Antioxidant enzymes like catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione reductase, glutathioneS-transferase, glutathione peroxidase and non-enzymatic glutathione were also analyzed. The blood samples of the endemic regions showed severe DNA damage with increased levels of ROS and lipid peroxidation. The antioxidants were found with depleted activity. Three months curcumin intervention reduced the DNA damage, retarded ROS generation and lipid peroxidation and raised the level of antioxidant activity. Thus curcumin may have some protective role against the DNA damage caused by arsenic.
Suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 gene expression and polymorphisms in systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Chan HC , Ke LY , Chang LL , Liu CC , Hung YH , Lin CH , Li RN , Tsai WC , Liu HW , Yen JH
Published: January 2010

With the aim of investigating the role of suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus, 107 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, 101 healthy controls, and 151 patients with ankylosing spondylitis were enrolled in this study. SOCS1 mRNA level was measured by the method of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. SOCS1 polymorphisms were detected by the polymerase chain reaction/restriction fragment length polymorphisms method. Systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity was evaluated with the SLEDAI. This study showed that the SOCS1 mRNA expression was significantly higher in the patients with systemic lupus erythematosus than in the healthy controls (p = 0.0014). Patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus had a higher expression of SOCS1 mRNA than the patients with inactive systemic lupus erythematosus (p = 0.035). There was no significant difference in the frequencies of the SOCS1-1478CA/del polymorphisms among the patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, healthy controls, and patients with ankylosing spondylitis. The genotype frequency of the SOCS1-1478 polymorphisms in the dominant model (CA/del+del/del versus CA/CA) was significantly decreased in the patients with thrombocytopenia compared with those without thrombocytopenia (pc = 0.035). Moreover, the allele frequency of SOCS1-1478del was also significantly lower in the patients with thrombocytopenia than in those without thrombocytopenia (p c = 0.02). In conclusion, this study demonstrated that the expression of SOCS1 mRNA was significantly increased in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Moreover, SOCS1 mRNA levels in patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus were significantly higher than those in the inactive patients. We also found that the systemic lupus erythematosus patients with thrombocytopenia have a lower frequency of SOCS1-1478del compared with patients without thrombocytopenia. Lupus (2010) 19, 696—702.
Conversion and Coercion
Authors: Luria Keith P.
Published: January 2010

This article examines the conflict between two understandings of conversion: one which saw it as a voluntaristic transformation, free from compulsion and another which claimed that coerced conversions could be valid. Rival Catholic and Protestant churches believed that true conversion resulted from an individual’s search for truth while also recognising a role for constraint in maintaining conformity. Theological traditions underpinned both views. Catholics reconciled the contradiction by equating religious orthodoxy with political fidelity to the monarchy. Minority Protestants also insisted on their loyalty, but Louis XIV’s 1680s campaign to force their conversions provoked a crisis of conscience. Two sources from western France illustrate the impact of the campaign on individual consciences. The first, a memoir by the Protestant schoolmaster Jean Migault, reveals the tortured conscience of a forced convert. The second, the personal confession of Bishop Henri de Barillon, demonstrates how a prelate reconciled conversion and coercion. Together they show that neither side thought of conscience as free. Royal policy and confessional competition ensured that consciences were constrained to conform.
Christian Conversion in Late Ming China
Authors: Hsia Ronnie Po-chia
Published: January 2010

Using letters written by the Italian Jesuit missionary Niccolo Longobardo, this article explores in depth the encounter between the Christian mission and different strata of early seventeenth century Chinese society in Shangdong province. It follows Longobardo’s evangelical activities among Ming feudatory princes, Muslim mullahs, Confucian literati and leaders of secret popular religious sects. By using Jesuit records and Chinese documents of the late Ming, this article tries to analyse the attractions of Christianity for different segments of late Ming society, one that experienced a profound social, political and economic crisis. Both, the reasons for conversions and arguments against Christianity are presented in the specific social context of early seventeenth century Chinese society.
Conversion Historiography in South Asia
Authors: Županov Ines G.
Published: January 2010

Conversion as a historical process is discussed in South Asian post-independence historiography mostly following the demands of the political present. In the present article, I first try to trace a fragmentary and in-complete history of what I will call conversion historiography in and about South Asia, referring mostly to conversion to Christianity from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. Then, I discuss a particular case of religious and cultural conversion, in which the descendants of the early converts to Christianity in Goa re-appropriated conversion histories as an analytical and historiographical tool in order to reconfigure their relation with the past and the present and thus, shore up their cultural authority. In the process, they created their own communal history and historiography that fed directly into Portuguese and Catholic Orientalism. This particular historical example should help us see to what extent the act of conversion is a self-transforming work in progress, a communicational project without teleological guarantees, capable of empowering alternative historical readings.
The Christianisation of Latin Europe as Seen by Medieval Arab-Islamic Historiographers
Authors: König Daniel
Published: January 2010

The article aims at defining what Arab Muslims of the crusading period knew about the conversion of Latin Europe to Christianity through an analysis of Arabic-Islamic sources written up to the fourteenth century. Whereas Christianity seems to have interested the first generations of Muslims mainly as a theological phenomenon, the emergence of more comprehensive forms of Muslim historiography led to the creation of Arabic texts dealing with the formation of Christianity. The latter’s primary focus lay on the Christianisation of the Roman Empire. However, the premises that set the stage for the emergence of Latin–Christian Europe (Roman hegemony in the West, ‘period of migrations’, Romano-Germanic successor states) do not seem to have been fully understood until translated Latin sources were diffused in the Arabic-Islamic world. Hence, most references to the Christianisation of the post-Roman peoples of Western Europe are short and out of chronological context. Continuity is only fully acknowledged in the case of the papacy.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Authors: Kitto Lisa
Published: January 2010

Initial symptoms and diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) usually occur between 10 and 20 years of age, although younger cases are reported. The complicated nature of IBD diagnosis and treatment can interfere with physical and emotional development that normally occurs in school-age children and adolescents. The school nurse should be familiar with the diagnosis and treatment of IBD because children and adolescents that have received this diagnosis may present in schools. This article recognizes the importance of school nurse interventions and the collaboration with stakeholders that should facilitate a better quality of school life and outcomes for students with IBD. A school nurse plan of care is introduced to support actions that are useful in caring for students diagnosed with IBD.
School Nurse Resilience
Authors: Broussard Lisa , Myers Rachel
Published: January 2010

This qualitative descriptive study explored the experiences of school nurses in coastal Louisiana, who were affected by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike in 2008 and who had also been in the path of destruction caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. The purpose of the study was to describe the experiences of school nurses affected by repeated natural disasters in relation to their professional practice. The researchers conducted interviews with five school nurses, using the constant comparative method of data analysis to analyze transcripts for recurrent themes. Findings revealed a common process of developing resilience among participants. As a result of their experiences, participants described the ability to recover and adapt in the face of adversity. Various factors affected this resilience, including preparedness, support from others, both personally and professionally, and commitment to the communities in which they live.
Prevalence of Overweight and Mothers’ Perception of Weight Status of Their Children With Intellectual Disabilities in South Korea
Authors: Ha Yeongmi , Jacobson Vann Julie C. , Choi Eunsook
Published: January 2010

The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of overweight and examine relationships between weight status of children with intellectual disabilities (IDs), mothers’ perceived weight status of children, and socioeconomic status (SES). A cross-sectional study of 206 mothers of children with IDs in six special schools in Seoul, South Korea, was conducted. Data were collected through school health record abstraction and parent survey during December 2004. Relationships between measures were assessed using chi-square (χ2) with Fisher’s exact test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and logistic regression modeling while stratifying by mothers who overestimated versus underestimated their children’s weight status. Almost half (46.6%) of the children were overweight, and 72.8% of mothers accurately perceived their children’s weight status. Overweight among children with IDs in South Korea appears to be a more prevalent problem than expected. This study suggests the need for school-based weight management interventions for children with special needs.
Experiences of being diagnosed with tuberculosis among immigrants in Norway — Factors associated with diagnostic delay: A qualitative study
Authors: Sagbakken Mette , Bjune Gunnar A. , Frich Jan C.
Published: January 2010

Aims: The aim of this paper is to explore experiences of being diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) among immigrants in Norway, with a view to factors associated with diagnostic delay. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted among 22 participants diagnosed with TB who originated from Somalia or Ethiopia. Results: One-third of the participants reported less than 2 months from onset of symptoms to treatment were initiated. The factors associated with little delay included a medical history that gave suspicion of TB, presenting with typical TB symptoms, or being screened for TB at arrival. Two-thirds of the participants told about extensive diagnostic processes. Persistent cough not accompanied by symptoms such as: weight loss and weakness; mild, diffuse, atypical, and/or intermittent symptoms; and a sense of not being a likely victim of TB could delay patients’ first initiative to seek help. Participants experienced that the diagnostic process in the health services could endure for months, even years. The diagnosis could be difficult to confirm, but health professionals appeared to have difficulties with associating their symptoms with TB. This resulted in delays in initiating diagnostic tests for TB, especially in cases of extra-pulmonary TB. Conclusions: Public health efforts to increase awareness about TB transmission, its diversity in manifestations, and its progression from latent to active disease, may decrease patient delay. An increased awareness among health professionals about typical and atypical symptoms of TB, aspects of the patient’s history, and being aware and sensitive to patients’ own interpretation of symptoms may reduce diagnostic delay in the health services.
Comparison of socioeconomic differences in self-perceived health in Estonia and Finland
Authors: Pärna Kersti , Ringmets Inge
Published: January 2010

Aim: To compare self-perceived health in relation to socioeconomic factors in Estonia and Finland. Methods: This study was based on the 25—69 year old adult population of the European Social Survey, conducted in Estonia and in Finland in 2006. Self-perceived health was rated on the five-point scale as very good, good, fair, poor, and very poor. The socioeconomic position was measured by the level of education, economic activity, and self-rated financial situation. Logistic regression analysis was applied to assess the association between self-perceived health and the socioeconomic factors. Results: The prevalence of less-than-good health was significantly higher in Estonia than in Finland. Significant associations with less-than-good self-perceived health were found for less educated, economically non-active respondents with poorer self-rated financial situation in both countries. After adjustment, economic non-activity among women and self-rated financial situation among men appeared not to be associated with less-than-good self-perceived health in Finland. Conclusions: Self-perceived health was poorer in Estonia than in Finland, but Estonia shares with Finland a similar socioeconomic pattern of health. Further research is needed to monitor socioeconomic variations in health behaviour and mortality in both countries.
Tackling healthcare associated infections: an exploratory study of cleaners’ perceptions of their role
Authors: Clynes Mary P. , Hourican Susan , Kilcullen Nora , Lawrence Stephanie , MacDermott Siobhan , O'Neill Colleen , Raftery Sara , Stan Sabina
Published: January 2010

Good hospital hygiene is integral to the prevention of healthcare associated infections (HCAI). Clinical evidence suggests a link between poor environmental hygiene and healthcare associated infections. A qualitative design, using focus group interviews, was used to explore cleaners’ perceptions of their role in the prevention of HCAI. Focus group interviews were conducted with cleaners in two large hospitals in the Republic of Ireland. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis and four themes emerged. These were supervision and communication; roles and task allocations; workload and staffing levels; and education. Findings suggest that cleaners feel they have a role in the prevention of HCAI. However, this role is often undervalued due to the perceived low status of cleaners. Problems of communication in the workplace frequently interfere with work organisation. Furthermore, blurring of role boundaries between cleaners and healthcare assistants can create additional difficulties.
Going Beyond Information Given: How Approach Versus Avoidance Cues Influence Access to Higher Order Information
Authors: Kuschel Stefanie , Förster Jens , Denzler Markus
Published: January 2010

Three experiments examine the hypothesis that subtle cues of approach orientation facilitate access to higher order information, whereas subtle cues of avoidance orientation impede it. To test these predictions, in two studies, a backward-masking paradigm thought to measure access to higher order information at early perceptual stages was used, and arm positions of arm flexion versus arm extension were unobtrusively manipulated to induce interoceptive approach or avoidance situations. In a third study, using a procedural priming paradigm, exteroceptive cues associated with benign versus danger situations were manipulated and metaphor understanding served as a dependent variable. As predicted, although the diverse manipulations did not elicit different mood states, interoceptive and exteroceptive approach cues enhanced going beyond the information given, whereas avoidance cues impaired it. Implications are discussed.
Personal Philosophy and Personnel Achievement: Belief in Free Will Predicts Better Job Performance
Authors: Stillman Tyler F. , Baumeister Roy F. , Vohs Kathleen D. , Lambert Nathaniel M. , Fincham Frank D. , Brewer Lauren E.
Published: January 2010

Do philosophic views affect job performance? The authors found that possessing a belief in free will predicted better career attitudes and actual job performance. The effect of free will beliefs on job performance indicators were over and above well-established predictors such as conscientiousness, locus of control, and Protestant work ethic. In Study 1, stronger belief in free will corresponded to more positive attitudes about expected career success. In Study 2, job performance was evaluated objectively and independently by a supervisor. Results indicated that employees who espoused free will beliefs were given better work performance evaluations than those who disbelieve in free will, presumably because belief in free will facilitates exerting control over one’s actions.
The Circumplex Structure of Affective Social Behavior
Authors: Carney Dana R. , Colvin C. Randall
Published: January 2010

The authors extended the circumplex structure of emotion to naturally unfolding affective social behaviors. The emotion circumplex describes the circular spacing of emotions and has been harvested from covariation patterns among emotion words, self-reported emotional experience, and judgments of posed facial expression. The distance between emotions is a function of two orthogonal dimensions referred to as valence and arousal. In the present study, 79 participants' 19 affective social behaviors were coded in each of four dyadic social interactions. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that affective social behaviors exhibited a circular ordering consistent with a circumplex model. Multidimensional scaling provided evidence for the hypothesized two-dimensional valence and arousal factors. Correlations between circumplex factor scores and two personality measures provided validity evidence for the factors. This research is the first to show that naturally occurring affective social behavior conforms to a circumplex structure.
Captured by True Crime: Why Are Women Drawn to Tales of Rape, Murder, and Serial Killers?
Authors: Vicary Amanda M. , Fraley R. Chris
Published: January 2010

The true crime genre, which consists of nonfiction books based on gruesome topics such as rape and murder, has amassed an extensive audience. Many people might assume that men, being the more aggressive sex, would be most likely to find such gory topics interesting. But a perusal of published reader reviews suggests that women enjoy these kinds of books more so than do men. The purpose of this research was to shed light on this apparent paradox. In Studies 1 and 2, the authors conducted a study of reader reviews and a study of book choices that demonstrated that, in fact, women are more drawn to true crime stories whereas men are more attracted to other violent genres. In Studies 3 to 5, the authors manipulated various characteristics of true crime stories to determine which features women find appealing. The authors discuss the findings in light of contemporary evolutionary perspectives on aggression and murder.
Birth Cohort Increases in Narcissistic Personality Traits Among American College Students, 1982–2009
Authors: Twenge Jean M. , Foster Joshua D.
Published: January 2010

Previous research produced conflicting results on whether narcissistic personality traits have increased among American college students over the generations. Confounding by campus may explain the discrepancy. Study 1 updates a nationwide meta-analysis of college students' scores on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) and controls for campus ( k = 107; N = 49,818). In Study 2, the authors examine NPI scores among the students on one university campus, the University of South Alabama, between 1994 and 2009 ( N = 4,152). Both studies demonstrate significant increases in narcissism over time (Study 1  d = .37, 1982–2008, when campus is controlled; Study 2  d = .37, 1994–2009). These results support a generational differences model of individual personality traits reflecting changes in culture.
Analysis of novel sph (spherocytosis) alleles in mice reveals allele-specific loss of band 3 and adducin in α-spectrin–deficient red cells
Authors: Robledo Raymond F. , Lambert Amy J. , Birkenmeier Connie S. , Cirlan Marius V. , Cirlan Andreea Flavia M. , Campagna Dean R. , Lux Samuel E. , Peters Luanne L.
Published: January 2010

Five spontaneous, allelic mutations in the α-spectrin gene, Spna1, have been identified in mice (spherocytosis [sph], sph1J, sph2J, sph2BC, sphDem). All cause severe hemolytic anemia. Here, analysis of 3 new alleles reveals previously unknown consequences of red blood cell (RBC) spectrin deficiency. In sph3J, a missense mutation (H2012Y) in repeat 19 introduces a cryptic splice site resulting in premature termination of translation. In sphIhj, a premature stop codon occurs (Q1853Stop) in repeat 18. Both mutations result in markedly reduced RBC membrane spectrin content, decreased band 3, and absent β-adducin. Reevaluation of available, previously described sph alleles reveals band 3 and adducin deficiency as well. In sph4J, a missense mutation occurs in the C-terminal EF hand domain (C2384Y). Notably, an equally severe hemolytic anemia occurs despite minimally decreased membrane spectrin with normal band 3 levels and present, although reduced, β-adducin. The severity of anemia in sph4J indicates that the highly conserved cysteine residue at the C-terminus of α-spectrin participates in interactions critical to membrane stability. The data reinforce the notion that a membrane bridge in addition to the classic protein 4.1-p55-glycophorin C linkage exists at the RBC junctional complex that involves interactions between spectrin, adducin, and band 3.
A benchmark for statistical microarray data analysis that preserves actual biological and technical variance
Authors: De Hertogh Benoît , De Meulder Bertrand , Berger Fabrice , Pierre Michael , Bareke Eric , Gaigneaux Anthoula , Depiereux Eric
Published: January 2010

Background

Recent reanalysis of spike-in datasets underscored the need for new and more accurate benchmark datasets for statistical microarray analysis. We present here a fresh method using biologically-relevant data to evaluate the performance of statistical methods.

Results

Our novel method ranks the probesets from a dataset composed of publicly-available biological microarray data and extracts subset matrices with precise information/noise ratios. Our method can be used to determine the capability of different methods to better estimate variance for a given number of replicates. The mean-variance and mean-fold change relationships of the matrices revealed a closer approximation of biological reality.

Conclusions

Performance analysis refined the results from benchmarks published previously.

We show that the Shrinkage t test (close to Limma) was the best of the methods tested, except when two replicates were examined, where the Regularized t test and the Window t test performed slightly better.

Availability

The R scripts used for the analysis are available at http://urbm-cluster.urbm.fundp.ac.be/~bdemeulder/.
Fast multi-core based multimodal registration of 2D cross-sections and 3D datasets
Authors: Scharfe Michael , Pielot Rainer , Schreiber Falk
Published: January 2010

Background

Solving bioinformatics tasks often requires extensive computational power. Recent trends in processor architecture combine multiple cores into a single chip to improve overall performance. The Cell Broadband Engine (CBE), a heterogeneous multi-core processor, provides power-efficient and cost-effective high-performance computing. One application area is image analysis and visualisation, in particular registration of 2D cross-sections into 3D image datasets. Such techniques can be used to put different image modalities into spatial correspondence, for example, 2D images of histological cuts into morphological 3D frameworks.

Results

We evaluate the CBE-driven PlayStation 3 as a high performance, cost-effective computing platform by adapting a multimodal alignment procedure to several characteristic hardware properties. The optimisations are based on partitioning, vectorisation, branch reducing and loop unrolling techniques with special attention to 32-bit multiplies and limited local storage on the computing units. We show how a typical image analysis and visualisation problem, the multimodal registration of 2D cross-sections and 3D datasets, benefits from the multi-core based implementation of the alignment algorithm. We discuss several CBE-based optimisation methods and compare our results to standard solutions. More information and the source code are available from http://cbe.ipk-gatersleben.de.

Conclusions

The results demonstrate that the CBE processor in a PlayStation 3 accelerates computational intensive multimodal registration, which is of great importance in biological/medical image processing. The PlayStation 3 as a low cost CBE-based platform offers an efficient option to conventional hardware to solve computational problems in image processing and bioinformatics.
Identification of a Rice stripe necrosis virus resistance locus and yield component QTLs using Oryza sativa × O. glaberrima introgression lines
Authors: Gutiérrez Andrés Gonzalo , Carabalí Silvio James , Giraldo Olga Ximena , Martínez César Pompilio , Correa Fernando , Prado Gustavo , Tohme Joe , Lorieux Mathias
Published: January 2010

Background

Developing new population types based on interspecific introgressions has been suggested by several authors to facilitate the discovery of novel allelic sources for traits of agronomic importance. Chromosome segment substitution lines from interspecific crosses represent a powerful and useful genetic resource for QTL detection and breeding programs.

Results

We built a set of 64 chromosome segment substitution lines carrying contiguous chromosomal segments of African rice Oryza glaberrima MG12 (acc. IRGC103544) in the genetic background of Oryza sativa ssp. tropical japonica (cv. Caiapó). Well-distributed simple-sequence repeats markers were used to characterize the introgression events. Average size of the substituted chromosomal segments in the substitution lines was about 10 cM and covered the whole donor genome, except for small regions on chromosome 2 and 4. Proportions of recurrent and donor genome in the substitution lines were 87.59% and 7.64%, respectively. The remaining 4.78% corresponded to heterozygotes and missing data. Strong segregation distortion was found on chromosomes 3 and 6, indicating the presence of interspecific sterility genes. To illustrate the advantages and the power of quantitative trait loci (QTL) detection using substitution lines, a QTL detection was performed for scored traits. Transgressive segregation was observed for several traits measured in the population. Fourteen QTLs for plant height, tiller number per plant, panicle length, sterility percentage, 1000-grain weight and grain yield were located on chromosomes 1, 3, 4, 6 and 9. Furthermore, a highly significant QTL controlling resistance to the Rice stripe necrosis virus was located between SSR markers RM202-RM26406 (44.5-44.8 cM) on chromosome 11.

Conclusions

Development and phenotyping of CSSL libraries with entire genome coverage represents a useful strategy for QTL discovery. Mapping of the RSNV locus represents the first identification of a genetic factor underlying resistance to this virus. This population is a powerful breeding tool. It also helps in overcoming hybrid sterility barriers between species of rice.