bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Delayed Administration of a Small Molecule Tropomyosin-Related Kinase B Ligand Promotes Recovery After Hypoxic–Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Han Jullet , Pollak Julia , Yang Tao , Siddiqui Mohammad R. , Doyle Kristian P. , Taravosh-Lahn Kereshmeh , Cekanaviciute Egle , Han Alex , Goodman Jeremy Z. , Jones Britta , Jing Deqiang , Massa Stephen M. , Longo Frank M. , Buckwalter Marion S.
Published: April 2012

Background and Purpose—

Stroke is the leading cause of long-term disability in the United States, yet no drugs are available that are proven to improve recovery. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor stimulates neurogenesis and plasticity, processes that are implicated in stroke recovery. It binds to both the tropomyosin-related kinase B and p75 neurotrophin receptors. However, brain-derived neurotrophic factor is not a feasible therapeutic agent, and no small molecule exists that can reproduce its binding to both receptors. We tested the hypothesis that a small molecule (LM22A-4) that selectively targets tropomyosin-related kinase B would promote neurogenesis and functional recovery after stroke.

Methods—

Four-month-old mice were trained on motor tasks before stroke. After stroke, functional test results were used to randomize mice into 2 equally, and severely, impaired groups. Beginning 3 days after stroke, mice received LM22A-4 or saline vehicle daily for 10 weeks.

Results—

LM22A-4 treatment significantly improved limb swing speed and accelerated the return to normal gait accuracy after stroke. LM22A-4 treatment also doubled both the number of new mature neurons and immature neurons adjacent to the stroke. Drug-induced differences were not observed in angiogenesis, dendritic arborization, axonal sprouting, glial scar formation, or neuroinflammation.

Conclusions—

A small molecule agonist of tropomyosin-related kinase B improves functional recovery from stroke and increases neurogenesis when administered beginning 3 days after stroke. These findings provide proof-of-concept that targeting of tropomyosin-related kinase B alone is capable of promoting one or more mechanisms relevant to stroke recovery. LM22A-4 or its derivatives might therefore serve as “pro-recovery” therapeutic agents for stroke.
The Cost-Effectiveness of Primary Stroke Centers for Acute Stroke Care
Authors: Guzauskas Gregory F. , Boudreau Denise M. , Villa Kathleen F. , Levine Steven R. , Veenstra David L.
Published: April 2012

Background and Purpose—

Primary stroke centers (PSC) have demonstrated improved survival in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). The objective of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of treating AIS patients in a PSC compared with a nonPSC hospital setting.

Methods—

We developed a decision analytic model to project the lifetime outcomes and costs of 2 hypothetical cohorts of 75 AIS patients. Clinical data were derived from a recent observational study comparing PSC- and nonPSC-admitted patients, clinical trials, longitudinal cohort studies, and health state preference studies. Cost data were based on Medicare reimbursement and other published sources. We used a healthcare payer perspective, and the primary outcomes were incremental life expectancy, quality-adjusted life years, and healthcare costs. We performed sensitivity and scenario analyses to evaluate uncertainty in the results.

Results—

Admission to a PSC resulted in a gain of 0.22 years of life (95% credible range [CR], 0.12–0.33) and 0.15 quality-adjusted life years (95% CR, 0.08–0.23) per patient, at a cost of $3600 (95% CR, $2400–$5000) per patient, compared with admission to a nonPSC hospital. The incremental cost/quality-adjusted life year gained was $24 000, and all probabilistic simulation results were below the $100 000/quality-adjusted life year threshold. In scenario analyses accounting for as few as 7 and as many as 500 AIS patients/year per PSC, cost-effectiveness improved as the number of AIS patients admitted per year increased.

Conclusions—

Our study indicates that care at a PSC for patients with AIS is cost-effective and improves outcomes across a wide range of possible scenarios.
Effects of Blood Pressure Lowering on Intracranial and Extracranial Bleeding in Patients on Antithrombotic Therapy
Authors: Arima Hisatomi , Anderson Craig , Omae Teruo , Woodward Mark , MacMahon Stephen , Mancia Giuseppe , Bousser Marie-Germaine , Tzourio Christophe , Rodgers Anthony , Neal Bruce , Chalmers John
Published: April 2012

Background and Purpose—

Observational studies demonstrate strong associations between blood pressure and bleeding complications of antithrombotic therapy. The objective was to determine whether blood pressure lowering reduces risks of bleeding in patients on antithrombotic therapy.

Methods—

This is a subsidiary analysis of the Perindopril Protection Against Recurrent Stroke Study (PROGRESS) trial, a randomized, placebo-controlled trial. A total of 6105 patients with cerebrovascular disease were randomly assigned to either active treatment (perindopril±indapamide) or placebo(s). The outcomes were intracranial and extracranial bleeding.

Results—

There were 4876 (80%) patients on antithrombotic therapy at baseline. Over a mean follow-up of 3.9 years, 119 intracranial and 123 extracranial bleeding events were observed. Among patients with and without antithrombotic therapy, active treatment lowered blood pressure by 8.9/4.0 and 9.3/3.8 mm Hg and reduced the risks of intracranial bleeding by 46% (95% CI, 7%–69%) and 70% (39%–85%), respectively. However, active treatment did not reduce the risks of extracranial bleeding significantly in either group. Among patients on antithrombotic therapy, the lowest risk of intracranial bleeding was observed in participants with the lowest follow-up systolic blood pressure levels (median, 113 mm Hg).

Conclusions—

Blood pressure lowering provides protection against intracranial bleeding among patients with cerebrovascular disease including those receiving antithrombotic therapy.

Clinical Trial Registration Information—

This trial was not registered because patients were enrolled before July 1, 2005.
No Increased Risk of Symptomatic Intracerebral Hemorrhage After Thrombolysis in Patients With European Cooperative Acute Stroke Study (ECASS) Exclusion Criteria
Authors: Cronin Carolyn A. , Shah Nikeith , Morovati Tanya , Hermann Lisa D. , Sheth Kevin N.
Published: April 2012

Background and Purpose—

The European Cooperative Acute Stroke Study (ECASS) III trial used additional exclusion criteria not present in current guidelines for thrombolytic therapy in the United States (age >80 years; National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale >25, combination of previous stroke and diabetes, aggressive measures required to control blood pressure [intravenous infusion], and oral anticoagulant treatment). We tested the hypothesis that thrombolysis is not safe in patients with 1 of the additional exclusion criteria.

Methods—

All patients treated with intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator for acute stroke at our center between June 2006 and June 2010 were identified (n=191), and stratified based on presence of each of the exclusion criteria. Primary outcomes were rate of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage and in-hospital mortality. Additionally, patients with and without symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage were analyzed for differences in baseline characteristics.

Results—

No exclusion criterion was associated with increased risk of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage. Symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage was associated with atrial fibrillation (5 of 9 [55%], versus 35 of 182 [19.2%];
P
=0.021), larger final infarct volume (mean 173 mL
3
versus 42 mL
3
;
P
=0.0002), and elevated glucose (mean 166 mg/dL versus 127 mg/dL;
P
=0.038). There was higher mortality in patients >80 years (5 of 31 [16%] versus 6 of 160 [4%];
P
=0.0186) and those with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale >25 (2 of 5 [40%] versus 7 of 159 [4.4%];
P
=0.025).

Conclusions—

In our cohort, none of the more stringent exclusion criteria from ECASS III were associated with increased risk of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage. Prospective randomized studies are needed clarify the safety and efficacy of tissue-type plasminogen activator in these patients through all treatment time windows.
Diagnosis of Tropical Biases and the MJO from Patterns in the MERRA Analysis Tendency Fields
Authors: Mapes Brian E. , Bacmeister Julio T.
Published: April 2012

The Modern-Era Reanalysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) is realistic, including its Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO), which the underlying model [Goddard Earth Observing System, version 5 (GEOS-5)] lacks. In the MERRA budgets, analysis tendencies (ATs) make evolution realistic despite model shortcomings. The ATs are the negative of physical process errors, if dynamical tendencies are accurate. Pattern resemblances between ATs and physical tendencies suggest which processes are erroneous. The authors examined patterns of tropical ATs in four dimensions and found several noteworthy features. Temperature AT profiles show that moist physics has erroneous sharp cooling at 700 hPa, a signature of misplaced melting and perhaps excessive precipitation evaporation. This excites a distinctive (fingerprint) erroneous short vertical wavelength temperature structure, perhaps a cause of the GEOS-5 too-slow convectively coupled waves. The globe’s largest AT of 200-hPa wind stems from overactive heating over the intra-Americas seas region in summer, with the same moist physics fingerprint. The erroneous heating produces a baroclinic vortex that is countered by ATs opposing its temperature and momentum fields in a thermal wind balanced sense. Lack of restraint in the deep convection scheme is also indicated in MJO composites, where the water vapor AT is anomalously positive on the leading edge, indicating a premature vapor sink. Since GEOS-5 lacks an MJO, this diagnosis suggests that the transition from shallow to deep convection (moistening to drying) is crucial in the real-world MJO. This is not news, but its diagnosis by ATs provides an objective, repeatable way to measure the effect that could be a useful guide in model development.
Some Observational Evidence for Dry Soils Supporting Enhanced Relative Humidity at the Convective Boundary Layer Top
Authors: Westra D. , Steeneveld G. J. , Holtslag A. A. M.
Published: April 2012

The tendency of the relative humidity at the top of a clear convective boundary layer (RHtop) is studied as an indicator of cloud formation over a semiarid region within the conceptual framework introduced by Ek and Holtslag. Typically the tendency of RHtop increases if the evaporative fraction at the land surface increases, which supports boundary layer moistening but only when boundary layer growth is limited by atmospheric factors. This regime was supported by Cabauw observations in the original study. Here, new observational evidence that the tendency of RHtop can also increase as the surface becomes more dry, as is consistent with another regime of the conceptual framework, is provided. The observations used are from the African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses (AMMA) intensive observational campaign near Niamey, Niger, 20–25 June 2006. In addition, the authors evaluate whether various versions of the Weather Research and Forecasting single-column model confirm the different regimes of the conceptual framework for a typical day in the AMMA campaign. It appears that the model confirms that dryer soils can support cloud formation.
Global Distribution of Extreme Precipitation and High-Impact Landslides in 2010 Relative to Previous Years
Authors: Kirschbaum Dalia , Adler Robert , Adler David , Peters-Lidard Christa , Huffman George
Published: April 2012

It is well known that extreme or prolonged rainfall is the dominant trigger of landslides worldwide. While research has evaluated the spatiotemporal distribution of extreme rainfall and landslides at local or regional scales using in situ data, few studies have mapped rainfall-triggered landslide distribution globally because of the dearth of landslide data and consistent precipitation information. This study uses a newly developed global landslide catalog (GLC) and a 13-yr satellite-based precipitation record from Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) data. For the first time, these two unique products provide the foundation to quantitatively evaluate the co-occurrence of precipitation and rainfall-triggered landslides globally. Evaluation of the GLC indicates that 2010 had a large number of high-impact landslide events relative to previous years. This study considers how variations in extreme and prolonged satellite-based rainfall are related to the distribution of landslides over the same time scales for three active landslide areas: Central America, the Himalayan arc, and central eastern China. Several test statistics confirm that TRMM rainfall generally scales with the observed increase in landslide reports and fatal events for 2010 and previous years over each region. These findings suggest that the co-occurrence of satellite precipitation and landslide reports may serve as a valuable indicator for characterizing the spatiotemporal distribution of landslide-prone areas in order to establish a global rainfall-triggered landslide climatology. This study characterizes the variability of satellite precipitation data and reported landslide activity at the global scale in order to improve landslide cataloging and attempt to quantify landslide triggering at daily, monthly, and yearly time scales.
Evaluation of the Added Value of Regional Ensemble Forecasts on Global Ensemble Forecasts
Authors: Wang Yong , Tascu Simona , Weidle Florian , Schmeisser Karin
Published: April 2012

The regional single-model-based Aire Limitée Adaptation Dynamique Développement International–Limited Area Ensemble Forecasting (ALADIN-LAEF) ensemble prediction system (EPS) is evaluated and compared with the global ECMWF-EPS to investigate the added value of regional to global EPS models. ALADIN-LAEF consists of 16 perturbed members at 18-km horizontal resolution, while ECMWF-EPS includes 50 perturbed members at 50-km horizontal resolution. In ALADIN-LAEF, the atmospheric initial condition uncertainty is quantified by using blending, which combines large-scale uncertainty generated by the ECMWF-EPS singular-vector approach with small-scale perturbations resolved by the ALADIN breeding technique. The surface initial condition perturbations are generated by use of the noncycling surface breeding (NCSB) technique, and different physics schemes are employed for different forecast members to account for model uncertainties. The verification and comparison have been carried out for a 2-month period during summer 2007 over central Europe. The results show a quite favorable level of performance for ALADIN-LAEF compared to ECMWF-EPS for surface weather variables. ALADIN-LAEF adds more value to precipitation forecasts and has greater skill for 10-m wind and mean sea level pressure results than does ECMWF-EPS. For 2-m temperature, ALADIN-LAEF forecasts have larger spread, are statistically more consistent, but also have less skill than ECMWF-EPS due to the strong cold bias in the ALADIN forecasts. For the upper-air weather parameters, the forecast of ALADIN-LAEF has a larger spread, but the forecast skill of ALADIN-LAEF is from neutral to slightly inferior compared to ECMWF-EPS. It may be concluded that a regional single-model-based EPS with fewer ensemble members could provide more added value in terms of greater skill for near-surface weather variables than the global EPS with larger ensemble size, whereas it may have limitations when applied to upper-air weather variables.
From Slave Revolt to a Blood Pact with Satan: The Evangelical Rewriting of Haitian History
Authors: McAlister Elizabeth
Published: April 2012

Enslaved Africans and Creoles in the French colony of Saint-Domingue are said to have gathered at a nighttime meeting at a place called Bois Caïman in what was both political rally and religious ceremony, weeks before the Haitian Revolution in 1791. The slave ceremony is known in Haitian history as a religio-political event and used frequently as a source of inspiration by nationalists, but in the 1990s, neo-evangelicals rewrote the story of the famous ceremony as a “blood pact with Satan.” This essay traces the social links and biblical logics that gave rise first to the historical record, and then to the neo-evangelical rewriting of this iconic moment. It argues that the confluence of the bicentennial of the Haitian Revolution with the political contest around President Aristide’s policies, the growth of the neo-evangelical Spiritual Mapping movement, and of the Internet, produced a new form of mythmaking, in which neo-evangelicals re-signified key symbols of the event—an oath to a divine force, blood sacrifice, a tree, and group unity—from the mythical grammar of Haitian nationalism to that of neo-evangelical Christianity. In the many ironies of this clash between the political afterlife of a slave uprising with the political afterlife of biblical scripture, Haiti becomes a nation held in captivity, and Satan becomes the colonial power who must be overthrown.

Un groupe d’esclaves africains et créoles se seraient réunis une nuit à Bois Caïman, dans la colonie française de Saint-Domingue. L’évènement qui eut lieu quelques semaines avant la révolution haïtienne de 1791 fut décrit à la fois comme un rassemblement politique et une cérémonie religieuse. Cette cérémonie organisée par des esclaves constitue un évènement politico-religieux important dans l’histoire haïtienne, une source d’inspiration fréquente pour les nationalistes. Dans les années 1990, cependant, un groupe néo évangélique réécrivit l’histoire de cette fameuse cérémonie qualifiée de “pacte sanguinaire avec Satan.” L’essai retrace donc les liens sociaux et les logiques bibliques qui ont conduit les néo évangéliques à réécrire ce moment iconique. L’essai soutient que la confluence des révoltes en réaction à la politique du Président Aristide lors du bicentenaire de la révolution haïtienne ainsi que la montée du mouvement néo évangélique, Cartographie Spirituelle, et celle de l’Internet participèrent à créer de nouveaux mythes: les néo évangéliques donnèrent un sens nouveau aux symboles clés de l’évènement —un serment à une force divine, un sacrifice sanglant, un arbre et l’union du groupe— de la grammaire mythique du nationalisme haïtien à celle de la chrétienté néo évangélique. A travers les nombreuses ironies de la confrontation entre l’héritage politique d’un soulèvement d’esclaves et l’héritage politique des Saintes Ecritures, Haïti devient une nation tenue en captivité, et Satan, le pouvoir colonial qu’il faut renverser.
Le « vide spirituel paradoxal » en salle de naissance
Authors:   Groupe SPIN, Bélanger-Lévesque Marie-Noëlle , Dumas Marc , Berthiaume Maryse , Pasquier Jean-Charles
Published: April 2012

Cet article explore ce que nous entendons par « vide spirituel paradoxal » en salle de naissance québécoise : s’il semble évident que la naissance est une expérience humaine intense qui a été longtemps entourée par une dimension spirituelle, cette dernière demeure largement inexplorée en contexte contemporain. Nous préciserons d’abord notre hypothèse de travail : 1) en définissant son aspect paradoxal émergeant du contexte médical actuel ; 2) en cherchant à mieux saisir le terme spirituel pour qu’il reflète la présente originalité du contexte religieux et spirituel ; et 3) en illustrant le vide par le silence de la littérature à ce propos. Nous toucherons ensuite à l’aspect terrain des recherches entreprises par le groupe interdisciplinaire SPIritualité et Naissance (groupe SPIN) sur la spiritualité des parents lors de la naissance de leur enfant, ayant mené à ce jour à : 1) une rencontre multidisciplinaire d’experts (médecine, théologie, parents) analysée avec deux grilles (Galek et al., 2005 ; Hall, 2001) ; et 2) une première catégorisation des types d’expériences spirituelles pouvant être vécues par les parents lors de la naissance. Nous conclurons par un cahier de charges qui devraient réduire les résistances rencontrées par le milieu médical au sujet du projet SPIN et sur les suites du projet.

This article explores what we have called the “paradoxical spiritual void” in the delivery rooms of Quebec. If it seems evident that birth is an intense human experience that has had a spiritual dimension for a very long time, this dimension remains largely unexplored in the contemporary context. First, we set out our working hypothesis: 1) by defining its paradoxical aspect emerging from the actual medical context; 2) by trying to get a better grasp of the term spiritual so as to make it reflect the originality of the actual religious and spiritual context; and 3) by illustrating the void by way of the silence of literature on the topic. Then, we enlarge on the practical aspects of the research conducted by the multidisciplinary group SPIrituality and Birth (in French: SPIN) on the spirituality of parents during the birth of their child, which has so far led to: 1) a multidisciplinary meeting of experts (medical, theological, parental) using two analytical frameworks (Galek et al., 2005; Hall, 2001); and 2) a first categorization of types of spiritual experience that can be lived by parents during birth. We conclude by specifying measures that should reduce the resistance met by the medical world concerning the SPIN project and its future developments.
Josephus on Children and Childhood
Authors: Reinhartz Adele , Shier Kim
Published: April 2012

Although Josephus is not overly interested in the topic of children and childhood, his writings do provide some evidence for the ways in which his perceptions of famous children, as well as parent–child relationships, were influenced by or similar to those evident in Greco-Roman literature of his era, as well as the ways in which the Jewish treatment of children, as described by Josephus, became part of his apologetic endeavors.

Bien que Josèphe n’est pas trop intéressé à la question des enfants et l’enfance, ses écrits fournissent des preuves de la façon dont ses perceptions des enfants célèbres, ainsi que les relations parent-enfant, ont été influencées par ou similaires à celles évidentes dans la littérature gréco-romaine de son époque, ainsi que les façons dont le traitement des enfants juifs, comme décrit par Josèphe, est devenu une partie de ses efforts apologétiques.
Treatment of Not-Administered Items on Individually Administered Intelligence Tests
Authors: He Wei , Wolfe Edward W.
Published: April 2012

In administration of individually administered intelligence tests, items are commonly presented in a sequence of increasing difficulty, and test administration is terminated after a predetermined number of incorrect answers. This practice produces stochastically censored data, a form of nonignorable missing data. By manipulating four factors (i.e., treatment of nonresponses, ability estimation method, test length, and stopping rule), this study investigated how accurately ability parameters are recovered under these conditions. The results suggest that there might be a complex interaction among these manipulated factors with respect to parameter estimation bias. The worst estimates occur when nonadministered items are treated as incorrect. Treating nonadministered items as not presented or fractionally correct appears to produce more accurate ability estimates. Among the ability estimation methods examined in this study, the Expected A Posterior and Maximum A posteriori methods tend to produce less estimation error in the presence of censored data. The differences in missing data treatment methods tend to have greater impact on ability estimate under maximum likelihood estimation than Bayesian methods.
Public Open Space and Walking
Authors: Koohsari Mohammad Javad , Karakiewicz Justyna Anna , Kaczynski Andrew T.
Published: April 2012

This study examined how proximity and attractiveness of public open spaces (POSs), perceptions of the surrounding built environment, and street configuration were associated with walking to and within POSs. Residents from three neighborhoods in Melbourne ( N = 335) completed a questionnaire about walking and perceptions of their neighborhood, and geographic information systems and space syntax measures were used to assess proximity of POSs and street configuration. Proximity and attractiveness of POSs were not associated with POS-related walking. However, several perceptual qualities of the built environment, including safety from crime and traffic and aesthetics, were associated with greater walking. As well, persons living in areas with the most integrated street configurations reported less POS-related walking. Neighborhood perceptions and street configuration are key urban design issues to consider in promoting residents’ use of POS for walking.
Describing and Accounting for the Trends in US Protest Policing, 1960−1995
Authors: Rafail Patrick , Soule Sarah A. , McCarthy John D.
Published: April 2012

Numerous scholars have observed a decline in more coercive police tactics used to control demonstrations since the 1960s in North America and Western Europe. Such claims, however, are largely based on rather unsystematic observation, and almost no research directly examines the evolution of protest policing during this entire period. To address this gap, the authors use semiparametric logistic regression to examine reported police presence, the use of arrests, and the use of force at 15,965 US protests occurring between 1960 and 1995. The results confirm that while there has been an absolute decline in more repressive policing behavior, the transitional process was not a monotonic, linear process. The authors also investigate the different evolutionary patterns of each type of protest policing. The authors further demonstrate that African American initiated events, government targets, social movement organization presence, protest forms, the use of force, and arrests have variable impacts on police responses over time.
Tolerating Mistakes
Authors: Nalepa Monika
Published: April 2012

How do perceptions of procedural fairness shape the preferences that citizens have for transitional justice (TJ) in postauthoritarian countries? This article uses original opinion poll data collected in Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic to investigate this question. It shows that differences in the demand for TJ are explained by how citizens perceive whether the TJ process commits errors—that is, whether the innocent are condemned (falsely convicted) or the guilty are exonerated (falsely acquitted). This is so even after accounting for threat perceptions of former autocrats and voting behavior. After comparing the ways in which citizens’ perceptions of errors in the TJ process shape their demand for lustration in the three postcommunist countries, the author discusses the implications of these findings for scholars of democratic consolidation, social psychologists, and policy makers designing TJ systems.
Analysis of Fatal Police Shootings
Authors: Kesic Dragana , Thomas Stuart D. M. , Ogloff James R. P.
Published: April 2012

Police use of lethal force occurs rarely and is legally permissible when used appropriately. When police use fatal force, their behavior is highly scrutinized by the legal system and the public. The present study analyzed factors characteristic of 45 coronial investigations of police engagements that culminated in civilian fatalities between 1980 and 2008 in Victoria, Australia. Findings suggest that fatalities commonly occurred at arrest during unplanned police operation, and the majority of incidents were of short duration. The majority of the decedents were armed, acted aggressively, resisted arrest, and escalated the incident. A third of the incidents met the criteria for possible suicide by police. Differences in mental health, incident, and police response characteristics were found between those who met these criteria and those who did not. The findings and their implications for law enforcement, the public, and the mental health system are presented and discussed.
A Failure to Deliver
Authors: Hanley Anne G.
Published: April 2012

Municipalities in imperial Brazil were required by law to provide a substantial range of public services to their communities, yet the structure of the tax code allocated meager fiscal resources to finance the full complement of these services. Municipal financial ledgers for four municipalities in the province of São Paulo confirm that local governments operated with a perennial shortage of funds, which constrained the provision of public services and infrastructure. Municipal councils paid for the immediate needs of urban life out of their limited resources and used a form of official begging to procure funds from the provincial legislature to pay for major expenses. These requests were required by law but did not always result in the needed funding. The legal framework in which municipalities functioned during the Brazilian empire, therefore, was one of institutionalized subordination and financial penury that compromised their ability to provide government services to municipal residents.
The Art Market, Arts Funding, and Sweat Equity
Authors: Shkuda Aaron
Published: April 2012

While significant scholarly attention has been paid to retail in gentrified neighborhoods, the origins of this specific form of urban commerce are less clear. The history of New York’s SoHo neighborhood provides a way to explain how and why art galleries, boutiques, and restaurants have come to define the retail landscape of gentrification. It also can help scholars answer two important questions about the arts and city life: how do artists and art galleries spark retail growth? Furthermore, outside of the economic activity created by the sale of art, how do they inspire economic development and gentrification? In the case of SoHo, the art market, government arts funding, and the sweat equity of artists were of central importance in drawing visitors into the neighborhood. These artistic tourists eventually became the customer base for area retail, shaping its distinctive commercial landscape.
Central Presbycusis
Authors: Gates George A.
Published: April 2012

Age‐related dysfunction of the central auditory system (central presbycusis) is common but rarely looked for by those who provide aural rehabilitation. Patients who complain of difficulty hearing in noise—the key symptom of central presbycusis—are generally disadvantaged with conventional rehabilitation. This symptom should be documented with commercially available speech‐in‐noise tests, which use materials that are uncomplicated to administer. Those patients who perform poorly on such tests should have a customized rehabilitation program aimed at optimizing their remaining communication abilities. Otolaryngologists who provide auditory rehabilitation may wish to consider expanding their practices to meet the communication needs of older patients with central presbycusis. Central presbycusis is an emerging area for basic and clinical research in auditory neurotology, particularly in the relation of cognitive dysfunction to impaired auditory processing.
From hydroimperialism to hydrocapitalism: ‘French’ hydraulics in France, North Africa, and beyond
Authors: Pritchard Sara B.
Published: April 2012

This article examines hydroimperialism and the subsequent emergence of hydrocapitalism in 19th- and 20th-century France and beyond. As the terms themselves suggest, both forms of ‘hydropower’ illustrate the fundamental connection between water, its management, and colonial or neocolonial relations in the modern era. The article develops the concepts of hydroimperialism and hydrocapitalism both historically and analytically. It examines some of the historical processes that fostered and shaped French hydroimperialism during the colonial era, with French North Africa serving as the empirical example. It also explores how French political and technical elites basically advocated hydroimperialism, often from France to its North African empire, but also from the colonies to the metropole. Obscuring these earlier mobilities and exchanges, French water specialists in the late 20th century have pushed for the export of their hydraulic expertise ‘globally’. Finally, although this study of hydroimperialism and hydrocapitalism is based on historical sources and methods, and their particular forms are thus situated in France, French North Africa, and parts of the global South, these concepts are analytically flexible. They facilitate historical comparisons while also helping to theorize the mutual constitution of science and technology, environmental management, and power in the modern world.
Getting off the ground
Authors: Graham Stephen , Hewitt Lucy
Published: April 2012

This article contends that critical urban research is characterized by horizontalism. It argues that the swathe of recent urban writings have neglected the vertical qualities of contemporary urbanization. The article’s introductory section elaborates this argument in detail. The paper then elucidates three areas where vertically oriented research is emerging. These encompass: the links between Google Earth and urbanism; the connections between social secession and ascension through buildings, walkways and personalized air travel; and the links between verticalized surveillance and urban burrowing.
Undergraduate teaching and learning in physical geography
Authors: Day Terence
Published: April 2012

Like other disciplines, physical geography has seen substantial recent interest in research on ways to improve undergraduate teaching and learning. Most of this research has taken place in a constructivist framework in which students construct knowledge in ways that are meaningful to them. Constructivist theory forms the basis for a wide range of active learning approaches, such as inquiry-based learning and problem-based learning. These approaches are inductive in that students build theory and generalizations from case studies rather than more traditional approaches in which the students learn the theory and then study some examples. Students are typically more engaged in their active learning than they are in traditional approaches, but the impacts of the newer approaches on student learning are unclear. Experiential and service learning, together with fieldwork, offer considerable organizational challenges, but the learning rewards are clear and unchallenged. Attempts to replace fieldwork with virtual field trips have met with resistance, but there has been little research on the ways that virtual fieldwork could be improved. Introductory physical geography textbooks have failed to keep up with changes in teaching the subject, although there have been some recent innovations that offer promise. Animations in particular seem to engage students, although there is no evidence that they enhance the learning of physical geography. The nature of the relationship between research and teaching continues to fascinate, yet eludes clarification. The scholarship of teaching and learning physical geography offers challenges and opportunities for new and experienced faculty who have not previously published in this field.
Cooperative control of regenerative braking and hydraulic braking of an electrified passenger car
Authors: Zhang Junzhi , Lv Chen , Gou Jinfang , Kong Decong
Published: April 2012

With the aims of regeneration efficiency and brake comfort, three different control strategies, namely the maximum-regeneration-efficiency strategy, the good-pedal-feel strategy and the coordination strategy for regenerative braking of an electrified passenger car are researched in this paper. The models of the main components related to the regenerative brake and the frictional blending brake of the electric passenger car are built in MATLAB/Simulink. The control effects and regeneration efficiencies of the control strategies in a typical deceleration process are simulated and analysed. Road tests under normal deceleration braking and an ECE driving cycle are carried out. The simulation and road test results show that the maximum-regeneration-efficiency strategy, which causes issues on brake comfort and safety, could hardly be utilized in the regenerative braking system adopted. The good-pedal-feel strategy and coordination strategy are advantageous over the first strategy with respect to the brake comfort and regeneration efficiency. The fuel economy enhanced by the regenerative braking system developed is more than 25% under the ECE driving cycle.
Advanced heterogeneous diesel combustion with ultra-low engine emissions and low fuel consumption levels
Authors: Wagner Uwe , Spicher Ulrich
Published: April 2012

Increasingly stringent emissions regulations, limited reserves of fossil fuels and CO2-related climate effects have led to the demand for new and diversified engine and vehicle technologies. Compression ignition combustion processes currently offer the highest thermal efficiencies and therefore low specific fuel consumption. Nevertheless, conventional diesel engines face challenges in decreasing NO x and particulate emissions if they are to meet ever more stringent emission regulations. An overview of advanced Diesel technologies and possible ways to address these challenges will be presented in this paper. A recently developed combustion process will be highlighted in detail to demonstrate the emission reduction potential of heterogeneous diesel combustion while maintaining a high thermal efficiency. This combustion process is based on the spatial separation of the different part injections performed during one cycle and offers major advantages in terms of oxygen use, increased exhaust gas recirculation tolerance and significantly lower levels of pollutant formation. This injection strategy is realized by integrating a second injector into the cylinder head of a single cylinder research engine. This second injector is used for the pilot injection and the centrally placed standard injector is used for the main injection. This configuration allows the pilot and main fuels to be injected into different areas of the cylinder. Additionally, the flexible configuration of the proposed injection system allows easy implementation of alternative combustion processes such as homogeneous or partially premixed combustion.
The applications of an importance sampling method to reliability analysis of the inside flap of an aircraft
Authors: Tang Zhangchun , Lu Zhenzhou , Feng Jun , Wang Bintuan
Published: April 2012

Based on the cross-entropy method and modified Metropolis–Hastings algorithm, an efficient importance sampling method is proposed to perform reliability analysis for the inside flap of an aircraft. In the proposed method, the cross-entropy method is utilized to estimate the optimal importance sampling probability density function. The derivation shows that the distribution parameters of the optimal importance sampling probability density function can be estimated by the failure sample points generated according to the original probability density function. The crude Monte Carlo method can be employed to simulate the failure sample points but its computational cost is prohibitive. In order to circumvent the difficulties, the modified Metropolis–Hasting algorithm is employed to generate failure sample points distributed as the original probability density function. After the distribution parameters of the optimal importance sampling probability density function have been obtained, the importance sampling probability density function can be constructed, then the proposed importance sampling method combined with the quasi-Monte Carlo simulation can be utilized to perform the reliability analysis. Meanwhile, the confidence interval and its length for the results have also been derived. Various numerical examples demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the presented importance sampling method. Finally, the reliability analysis and sensitivity analysis of an inside flap are solved by the proposed importance sampling method.
Numerical investigation of the application of high temperature air combustion in an industrial furnace
Authors: Aminian Javad , Shahhosseini Shahrokh , Bayat Mahmoud
Published: April 2012

Numerical simulation of turbulent combustion in the radiation section of an industrial steam cracking furnace is carried out in classical premixed and newly developed high temperature air combustion (HiTAC) regimes. The eddy dissipation concept coupled with the detailed KEE-58 mechanism is employed to resolve turbulence–chemistry interaction and combustion chemistry. Three simulations with highly preheated atmospheric air (19%wt oxygen) and diluted fuel are performed to study the attractive features of the so-called HiTAC regime. It is shown that when the inlet air temperature increases to 1100 K, fuel dilution can provide favorable characteristics of the high temperature air combustion. In this temperature, combustion continues even under extremely fuel-lean conditions such as 1.5%wt of methane in the reactants. Calculation of the Damköhler number determined that a finite-rate reaction zone is volumetrically extended throughout the furnace. Computation of NO x emission from different chemical routes revealed that 80% reduction of NO x formation in fuel-diluted high temperature air combustion regimes could be achieved compared to the normal firing condition. Moreover, the results implied that the emission of NO x in normal firing and high temperature air combustion conditions was mainly attributed to thermal/prompt and prompt/NNH mechanisms, respectively.
A study on cycle fuel injection quantity variation for a diesel engine combination electronic unit pump system
Authors: Fan Liyun , Tian Bingqi , Yao Chong , Li Wenhui , Ma Xiuzhen
Published: April 2012

A new fuel injection equipment, combination electronic unit pump was developed to make diesel engines compliant with China’s new laws on emissions. Combination electronic unit pump system is a complex assembly constituting of mechanical, hydraulic, and electrical magnetic components. Combination electronic unit pump system includes several electronic unit pumps and mechanical injectors. Cycle fuel injection quantity variation influences product performance and defines its quality of qualification. A numerical model of the combination electronic unit pump system was developed in AMESim environment to create a design tool for engine application and system optimization. Simulated results obtained from this numerical model were validated through experimental tests conducted under the conditions same as numerical model. The results are quite encouraging and consistent with model predictions. Influences of parameters, including variations in supply fuel pressure, cam velocity, plunger-matching clearance, peak control current, anchor residual clearance, valve-matching clearance, valve lift, injector opening pressure, nozzle-flow coefficient, and injector needle lift, on cycle fuel injection quantity variation were analyzed in AMESim simulation environment and verified through experiments. The quantitative percentage indexes of the influence of injector characteristic, valve characteristic, plunger characteristic, and low-pressure supply fuel characteristic parameters on cycle fuel injection quantity variation range from 44% to 34%, 20% to 35%, 32% to 19%, and 4% to 12%, respectively, at a cam rotational speed of 500–1300 r/min.
Which individuals make dropout informative?
Authors: Geskus Ronald B
Published: April 2012

Summary

Markers are internal host factors that measure the current disease or recovery status of an individual. Individuals with more advanced disease progression are more likely to drop out, e.g. because they die. Marker data after dropout are missing. Such missingness is certainly not completely at random. A mixed effects model can be used if missingness of the marker data depends on measured marker values only (missing at random). If missingness is not at random, such models yield biased results. We describe various approaches that jointly model the marker development and dropout risk and may eliminate bias. One example of such a model is a random effects selection model. Based on a real data set with frequent follow-up, we compare results from a random effects model and a random effects selection model. Results are remarkably similar. In a simulation study, we investigate how the bias in the parameter estimates from a random effects model depends on the frequency of measurements and the time between the last measurement and the dropout or censoring time. Results from the simulation study confirm that the bias is small if follow-up is frequent.
Prospective surveillance of multivariate spatial disease data
Authors: Corberán-Vallet A
Published: April 2012

Surveillance systems are often focused on more than one disease within a predefined area. On those occasions when outbreaks of disease are likely to be correlated, the use of multivariate surveillance techniques integrating information from multiple diseases allows us to improve the sensitivity and timeliness of outbreak detection. In this article, we present an extension of the surveillance conditional predictive ordinate to monitor multivariate spatial disease data. The proposed surveillance technique, which is defined for each small area and time period as the conditional predictive distribution of those counts of disease higher than expected given the data observed up to the previous time period, alerts us to both small areas of increased disease incidence and the diseases causing the alarm within each area. We investigate its performance within the framework of Bayesian hierarchical Poisson models using a simulation study. An application to diseases of the respiratory system in South Carolina is finally presented.
An Approach to KM Implementation in Indian Manufacturing and Service Sector Organizations: An Exploratory Study
Authors: Chawla Deepak , Joshi Himanshu
Published: April 2012

There is a growing concern among researchers, decision makers and management practitioners about the right approach to implement Knowledge Management (KM). Although it is difficult to classify an approach as most appropriate, adopting one makes implementation easier. Therefore, to get an understanding of approaches being used by manufacturing and services organizations, a literature survey along with a focus group discussion (FGD) and 10 unstructured personal interviews was conducted. Convenience sampling was used to select the respondents. The present study’s contribution is two-fold. First, it attempts to get a comparative picture of the KM approaches adopted by manufacturing and services organizations, and second, it provides a framework for KM implementation. The results show that KM is more mature in service organizations and there are differences on various KM dimensions which need to be validated through a conclusive study. With knowledge emerging as a key differentiator, the findings hold great relevance for Indian manufacturing and service organizations to help them facilitate their KM journey.