bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
International Residency Program Evaluation: Assessing the Reliability and Initial Validity of the ACGME-I Resident Survey in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Authors: Ibrahim Halah , Lindeman Brenessa , Matarelli Steven A. , Chandrasekhar Nair Satish
Published: June 2014

Background

Educators agree on the importance of assessing the quality of graduate medical education. In the United States, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) resident survey is an important part of the accreditation process, yet some studies have questioned its validity.

Objective

We assessed the reliability and acceptance of the ACGME-International (ACGME-I) resident survey in the culturally distinct, nonnative English-speaking resident population of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

Methods

A total of 158 residents in ACGME-I accredited institutions in Abu Dhabi received an online link to the ACGME-I survey. Reliability analysis was conducted using the Cronbach α. A focus group was then held with a convenience sample of 25 residents from different institutions and specialties to understand potential challenges encountered by survey participants.

Results

Completed surveys were received from 116 residents (73.4%). The 39 items in the survey demonstrated high reliability, with a Cronbach α of 0.918. Of the 5 subscales, 4 demonstrated acceptable to very good reliability, ranging from 0.72 to 0.888. The subscale “resources” had lower reliability at 0.584. Removal of a single item increased the Cronbach α to a near-acceptable score of 0.670. Focus group results indicated that the survey met standards for readability, length, and time for completion.

Conclusions

The ACGME-I resident survey demonstrates acceptable reliability and validity for measuring the perceptions of residents in an international residency program. The data derived from the survey can offer an important set of metrics for educational quality improvement in the United Arab Emirates.
Educational Conference Scheduling, Patient Discharge Time, and Resident Satisfaction
Authors: Campbell Steffanie , Campbell Matthew , Shah Chirayu , Djuricich Alexander M.
Published: June 2014

Background

Limits on resident duty hours instituted in 2003 and 2011 have compressed medical resident daily workload. Despite this compression, residents must gain competence to practice medicine without supervision.

Objective

We sought to determine whether moving the time our educational conference is scheduled affects the time when patient discharges are completed on an internal medicine teaching service.

Methods

The study was conducted at a county hospital within a large internal medicine residency program. During the 4-month study period, the morning report conference for internal medicine residents was shifted from 8:30 am to 2 pm. Patient discharge times, defined as the time the discharge order set was signed, were obtained for the service via the electronic health record. The outcomes measured were patient discharge time variation and internal medicine resident preference for conference time.

Results

Survey response rate was 82% (42 of 51). Of the residents who responded, 64% (27 of 42) preferred the 8:30 am report time, and 74% (31 of 42) felt the 8:30 am time was also better for education and timing of teaching rounds. There was no difference in discharge times for 2999 patients on the medicine teaching service, whether educational case conference morning report occurred at 8:30 am or at 2 pm.

Conclusions

Medical patient average discharge time was not influenced by time of educational conference. Factors other than the timing of educational conference appear to influence hospital discharge times on an inpatient internal medicine service.
Brand Name Statin Prescribing in a Resident Ambulatory Practice: Implications for Teaching Cost-Conscious Medicine
Authors: Ryskina Kira L. , Pesko Michael F. , Gossey J. Travis , Caesar Erica Phillips , Bishop Tara F.
Published: June 2014

Background

Several national initiatives aim to teach high-value care to residents. While there is a growing body of literature on cost impact of physicians' therapeutic decisions, few studies have assessed factors that influence residents' prescribing practices.

Objective

We studied factors associated with intensive health care utilization among internal medicine residents, using brand name statin prescribing as a proxy for higher-cost care.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of statin prescriptions by residents at an urban academic internal medicine program, using electronic health record data between July 1, 2010, and June 30, 2011.

Results

For 319 encounters by 90 residents, patients were given a brand name statin in 50% of cases. When categorized into quintiles, the bottom quintile of residents prescribed brand name statins in 2% of encounters, while the top quintile prescribed brand name statins in 98% of encounters. After adjusting for potential confounders, including patient characteristics and supervising attending, being in the primary care track was associated with lower odds (odds ratio [OR], 0.38; P  =  .02; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.16–0.86), and graduating from a medical school with an above-average hospital care intensity index was associated with higher odds of prescribing brand name statins (OR, 1.70; P  =  .049; 95% CI, 1.003–2.88).

Conclusions

We found considerable variation in brand name statin prescribing by residents. Medical school attended and residency program type were associated with resident prescribing behavior. Future interventions should raise awareness of these patterns in an effort to teach high-value, cost-conscious care to all residents.
Tropospheric aerosol scattering and absorption over central Europe: a closure study for the dry particle state
Authors: Ma N. , Birmili W. , Müller T. , Tuch T. , Cheng Y. F. , Xu W. Y. , Zhao C. S. , Wiedensohler A.
Published: June 2014

Abstract. This work analyses optical properties of the dry tropospheric aerosol measured at the regional Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) observation site Melpitz in East Germany. For a continuous observation period between 2007 and 2010, we provide representative values of the dry-state scattering coefficient, hemispheric backscattering coefficient, absorption coefficient, single scattering albedo, and scattering Ångström exponent. Besides the direct measurement, the aerosol scattering coefficient was alternatively computed from experimental particle number size distributions using a Mie model. Within pre-defined limits, a closure could be achieved with the direct measurement. The achievement of closure implies that such calculations can be used as a high-level quality control measure for data sets involving multiple instrumentation. All dry-state optical properties show pronounced annual and diurnal variations, which are attributed to the corresponding variations in the regional emission fluxes, the intensity of secondary particle formation, and the mixing layer height. Air mass classification shows that atmospheric stability is a major factor influencing the dry aerosol properties at the GAW station. In the cold season, temperature inversions limit the volume available for atmospheric mixing, so that the dry-state aerosol optical properties near the ground proved quite sensitive to the geographical origin of the air mass. In the warm season, when the atmosphere is usually well-mixed during daytime, considerably less variability was observed for the optical properties between different air masses. This work provides, on the basis of quality-checked in situ measurements, a first step towards a climatological assessment of direct aerosol radiative forcing in the region under study.
Emissions of organic aerosol mass, black carbon, particle number, and regulated and unregulated gases from scooters and light and heavy duty vehicles with different fuels
Authors: Chirico R. , Clairotte M. , Adam T. W. , Giechaskiel B. , Heringa M. F. , Elsasser M. , Martini G. , Manfredi U. , Streibel T. , Sklorz M. , Zimmermann R. , DeCarlo P. F. , Astorga C. , Baltensperger U. , Prevot A. S. H.
Published: June 2014

Abstract. A sampling campaign with seven different types of vehicles was conducted in 2009 at the vehicle test facilities of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Ispra (Italy). The vehicles chosen were representative of some categories circulating in Europe and were fueled either with standard gasoline or diesel and some with blends of rapeseed methyl ester biodiesel. The aim of this work was to improve the knowledge about the emission factors of gas phase and particle-associated regulated and unregulated species from vehicle exhaust. Unregulated species such as black carbon (BC), primary organic aerosol (OA) content, particle number (PN), monocyclic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and a~selection of unregulated gaseous compounds, including nitrous acid (N2O), ammonia (NH3), hydrogen cyanide (HCN), formaldehyde (HCHO), acetaldehyde (CH3CHO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and methane (CH4), were measured in real time with a suite of instruments including a high-resolution aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer, a resonance enhanced multi-photon ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer, and a high resolution Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. Diesel vehicles, without particle filters, featured the highest values for particle number, followed by gasoline vehicles and scooters. The particles from diesel and gasoline vehicles were mostly made of BC with a low fraction of OA, while the particles from the scooters were mainly composed of OA. Scooters were characterized by super high emissions factors for OA, which were orders of magnitude higher than for the other vehicles. The heavy duty diesel vehicle (HDDV) featured the highest nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions, while the scooters had the highest emissions for total hydrocarbons and aromatic compounds due to the unburned and partially burned gasoline and lubricant oil mixture. Generally, vehicles fuelled with biodiesel blends showed lower emission factors of OA and total aromatics than those from the standard fuels. The scooters were the main emitters of aromatic compounds, followed by the gasoline vehicle, the diesel vehicles and the HDDV.
An introduction to the FY3 GNOS instrument and mountain-top tests
Authors: Bai W. H. , Sun Y. Q. , Du Q. F. , Yang G. L. , Yang Z. D. , Zhang P. , Bi Y. M. , Wang X. Y. , Cheng C. , Han Y.
Published: June 2014

Abstract. The FY3 (Feng-Yun-3) GNOS (GNSS Occultation Sounder) mission is a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) radio occultation mission of China for remote sensing of Earth's neutral atmosphere and the ionosphere. GNOS will use both the global positioning system (GPS) and the Beidou navigation satellite systems on the China Feng-Yun-3 (FY3) series satellites. The first FY3-C was launched at 03:07 UTC on 23 September 2013. GNOS was developed by the Center for Space Science and Applied Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CSSAR). It will provide vertical profiles of atmospheric temperature, pressure, and humidity, as well as ionospheric electron density profiles on a global basis. These data will be used for numerical weather prediction, climate research, and ionospheric research and space weather. This paper describes the FY3 GNOS mission and the GNOS instrument characteristics. It presents simulation results of the number and distribution of GNOS occultation events with the regional Beidou constellation and the full GPS constellation, under the limitation of the GNOS instrument occultation channel number. This paper presents the instrument performance as derived from analysis of measurement data in laboratory and mountain-based occultation validation experiments at Mt. Wuling in Hebei Province. The mountain-based GNSS occultation validation tests show that GNOS can acquire or track low-elevation radio signal for rising or setting occultation events. The refractivity profiles of GNOS obtained during the mountain-based experiment were compared with those from radiosondes. The results show that the refractivity profiles obtained by GNOS are consistent with those from the radiosonde. The rms of the differences between the GNOS and radiosonde refractivities is less than 3%.
Competitive interactions between methane- and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria modulate carbon and nitrogen cycling in paddy soil
Authors: Zheng Y. , Huang R. , Wang B. Z. , Bodelier P. L. E. , Jia Z. J.
Published: June 2014

Abstract. Pure culture studies have demonstrated that methanotrophs and ammonia oxidizers can both carry out the oxidation of methane and ammonia. However, the expected interactions resulting from these similarities are poorly understood, especially in complex, natural environments. Using DNA-based stable isotope probing and pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA and functional genes, we report on biogeochemical and molecular evidence for growth stimulation of methanotrophic communities by ammonium fertilization, and that methane modulates nitrogen cycling by competitive inhibition of nitrifying communities in a rice paddy soil. Pairwise comparison between microcosms amended with CH4, CH4+Urea, and Urea indicated that urea fertilization stimulated methane oxidation activity 6-fold during a 19-day incubation period, while ammonia oxidation activity was significantly suppressed in the presence of CH4. Pyrosequencing of the total 16S rRNA genes revealed that urea amendment resulted in rapid growth of Methylosarcina-like MOB, and nitrifying communities appeared to be partially inhibited by methane. High-throughput sequencing of the 13C-labeled DNA further revealed that methane amendment resulted in clear growth of Methylosarcina-related MOB while methane plus urea led to an equal increase in Methylosarcina and Methylobacter-related type Ia MOB, indicating the differential growth requirements of representatives of these genera. An increase in 13C assimilation by microorganisms related to methanol oxidizers clearly indicated carbon transfer from methane oxidation to other soil microbes, which was enhanced by urea addition. The active growth of type Ia methanotrops was significantly stimulated by urea amendment, and the pronounced growth of methanol-oxidizing bacteria occurred in CH4-treated microcosms only upon urea amendment. Methane addition partially inhibited the growth of Nitrosospira and Nitrosomonas in urea-amended microcosms, as well as growth of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria. These results suggest that type I methanotrophs can outcompete type II methane oxidizers in nitrogen-rich environments, rendering the interactions among methane and ammonia oxidizers more complicated than previously appreciated.
Stalagmite-inferred variability of the Asian summer monsoon during the penultimate glacial–interglacial period
Authors: Li T.-Y. , Shen C.-C. , Huang L.-J. , Jiang X.-Y. , Yang X.-L. , Mii H.-S. , Lee S.-Y. , Lo L.
Published: June 2014

Abstract. The orbital-timescale dynamics of the Quaternary Asian summer monsoons (ASM) are frequently attributed to precession-dominated northern hemispheric summer insolation. However, this long-term continuous ASM variability is inferred primarily from oxygen isotope records of stalagmites, mainly from Sanbao cave in mainland China, and may not provide a comprehensive picture of ASM evolution. A new spliced stalagmite oxygen isotope record from Yangkou cave tracks summer monsoon precipitation variation from 124 to 206 thousand years ago in Chongqing, southwest China. Our Yangkou record supports that the evolution of ASM was dominated by the North Hemisphere solar insolation on orbital timescales. When superimposed on the Sanbao record, the precipitation time series referred from Yangkou cave stalagmites supports the strong ASM periods at marine isotope stages (MIS) 6.3, 6.5, and 7.1 and weak ASM intervals at MIS 6.2, 6.4, and 7.0. This consistency confirms that ASM events affected most of mainland China. Except for the solar insolation forcing, the large amplitude of minimum δ18O values in Yangkou record during glacial period, such as MIS 6.5, could stem from the enhanced prevailing Pacific trade wind and/or continental shelf exposure in the Indo–Pacific warm pool.
The effective porosity and grain size relations in permeability functions
Authors: Urumović K. , Urumović K.
Published: June 2014

Abstract. Hydrogeological parameters of coherent and incoherent deposits are deeply dependent of their granulometric characteristics. These relations were shaped in formulas and defaultly used for calculation of hydraulic conductivity, and are valid only for uniform incoherent materials, mostly sands. In this paper, the results of analyses of permeability and specific surface area as a function of granulometric composition of various sediments – from siltey clays to very well graded gravels are presented. The effective porosity and the referential grain size are presented as fundamental granulometric parameters which express an effect of forces operating fluid movement through the saturated porous media. Suggested procedures for calculating referential grain size and determining effective (flow) porosity result with parameters that reliably determine specific surface area and permeability. These procedures ensure successful appliance of Kozeny–Carman model up to the limits of validity of Darcy's law. The value of an effective porosity in function of referential mean grain size has been calibrated within range from 1.5 μm to 6.0 mm. Reliability of these parameters application in KC model was confirmed by very high correlation between predicted and tested hydraulic conductivity – R2 = 0.99 for sandy and gravelly materials and R2 = 0.70 for clayey-siltey materials. Group representation of hydraulic conductivity (ranged from 10-12 m s-1 up to 10-2 m s-1) presents coefficient of correlation R2 = 0.97, for total sum of 175 samples of various deposits. These results present the new road to researches of porous material's effective porosity, permeability and specific surface area distribution, since these three parameters are critical conditions for successful groundwater flow modelling and contaminant transport. From the practical point of view, it is very important to be able to identify these parameters swiftly, cheaply and very accurately.
Influence of meter-scale wind-formed features on the variability of the microwave brightness temperature around Dome C in Antarctica
Authors: Picard G. , Royer A. , Arnaud L. , Fily M.
Published: June 2014

Abstract. Space-borne passive microwave radiometers are widely used to retrieve information in snowy regions by exploiting the high sensitivity of microwave emission to snow properties. For the Antarctic Plateau, many studies presenting retrieval algorithms or numerical simulations have assumed, explicitly or not, that the subpixel-scale heterogeneity is negligible and that the retrieved properties were representative of whole pixels. In this paper, we investigate the spatial variations of brightness temperature over a range of a few kilometers in the Dome C area. Using ground-based radiometers towed by a vehicle, we collected brightness temperature at 11, 19 and 37 GHz at horizontal and vertical polarizations along transects with meter resolution. The most remarkable observation was a series of regular undulations of the signal with a significant amplitude reaching 10 K at 37 GHz and a quasi-period of 30–50 m. In contrast, the variability at longer length scales seemed to be weak in the investigated area, and the mean brightness temperature was close to SSM/I and WindSat satellite observations for all the frequencies and polarizations. To establish a link between the snow characteristics and the microwave emission undulations, we collected detailed snow grain size and density profiles at two points where opposite extrema of brightness temperature were observed. Numerical simulations with the DMRT-ML microwave emission model revealed that the difference in density in the upper first meter explained most of the brightness temperature variations. In addition, we found that these variations of density near the surface were linked to snow hardness. Patches of hard snow – probably formed by wind compaction – were clearly visible and covered as much as 39% of the investigated area. Their brightness temperature was higher than in normal areas. This result implies that the microwave emission measured by satellites over Dome C is more complex than expected and very likely depends on the year-to-year areal proportion of the two different types of snow.
Meta-analyses and the "editorial love of controversy"
Authors: Heleno R. H.
Published: June 2014

Abstract. Meta-analyses are a most valuable tool to overcome the experimental constraints and often idiosyncratic responses typical in ecology. Nevertheless, competition for space in scientific journals increases editorial scrutiny, with editors frequently rejecting papers without outstanding novel results that challenge established paradigms. Whilst legitimate and generally healthy for the advance of science, this intrinsic "love of controversy" violates the independent accumulation of evidence required for conclusive meta-analyses, likely increasing the probability of false negatives and hindering our capacity to identify general rules in ecology.
The Relationship between Tourism and Socio-Economic Aspects of the Maasai in Ngorongoro Conservation, Tanzania
Authors: Melita Asantael Williams
Published: June 2014

Tourism Industry by its nature in the World, it is the trait that cannot be separated from the social life of the communities as it is practised on their territorial lands that they depend for their socio-economic aspects. That strong relationship has caused rapid growth of tourism activities to developing countries and led to new national and international expectations for tourism as an agent of socio-economic development. The World GDP contributions from tourism by 2013 grew to 3.1% and contribute to 101 million jobs, and in Tanzania total contribution to GDP was 12.7% where by contributed 4.9% direct and total employment contribution were 11.2% and 3.8% direct of the total employment. In Ngorongoro Conservation Area with a population of about 87,851 residents from Maasai, Datoga and Hadzabe tourism contributed to 92% of the total economy of the area where by 8% was from other sources and 48% total community economy and 29.2% direct to people and 9.7% of total employment. The findings revealed that major relationship of the tourism and socio-economic based on economic activities contributions (livestock services), Social services (education, healthy, culture and life style), resources ownerships and infrastructure developments. The paper considered community survey of 120 local residents from 4 wards of the NCA, examines whether tourism has direct relationship to the Socio-economic aspects of the residents of the area and the levels of the contributions to their development. I found that regardless a claimed little contribution to their economy; many people appreciated the social and economic changes related to the tourism of the area.
The Musical Faces of Pirate Camp in Hollywood (Part I)
Authors: Knapp Raymond
Published: June 2014

Traces the evolution of the swashbuckler musical idiom in The Pirates of Penzance and examines some musical faces of pirate camp from the early sound era. In The Pirate, the governing camp sensibility of director Minnelli manages the interplay of multiple camp sensibilities, several specifically musical. The audio and video examples referred to in this article can be found here: http://www.press.uillinois.edu/journals/mmi/media/musical_faces_of_pirate_camp/
Nanoencapsulation of Antitumor and Antituberculosis Drug Preparations with Biocompatible Polymers
Authors: Burkeev M. Zh. , Kreuter J. , Herk A. Van , Tazhbayev Y. M. , Zhaparova L. Zh. , Zhumagalieva T. S. , Zhappar N. K.
Published: June 2014

Controlled release of drugs at the locus of the targeted disease is one of the most challenging research areas in the pharmaceutical field. Nowadays novel drug delivery systems on the basis of polymers are attracting great attention since they can improve therapeutic efficiency of potent drug preparations decreasing the risk of side effects. By developing colloidal drug delivery systems such as liposomes/vesicles and polymeric nanoparticles and nanocapsules the pharmacokinetics of the drug can be changed and thus the therapeutic efficiency of the drug can be increased. Nanoparticles with their special characteristics such as small particle size, large surface area and high capacity of carrying biologically active substances offer a number of advantages compared to other colloidal drug delivery systems [1, 2].
Controlled drug release systems are constructed on the basis of natural and biocompatible synthetic polymers. Among the most promising biocompatible polymers human serum albumin (HSA), polyalkyl cyanoacrylates (PACA) and poly-D,L-lactic acid (PLA) are of great importance. Nanoparticles on their basis have been proven to be efficient in treatment of serious and long-termed diseases such as tumors, tuberculosis and bacterial infections [3-126]. Therefore this article is aimed to give a brief review on the research works devoted to the synthesis and investigation of polymeric nanoparticles and nanocapsules based on PACA, HSA and PLA for the past three decades.
Fabrication and Thermo-Mechanical Characterization of HEMA Treated UV Photo-Cured Biodegradable Chitosan Film
Authors: Dey Kamol , Alamgir Poonam , Mohol Gulshana , Parvin Shahnaz , Khan Mubarak A. , Khan Ruhul A.
Published: June 2014

Chitosan was extracted from dried prawn shell via chitin and was characterized by Fourier Transformed Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy. Thin film of chitosan was prepared by solution casting using a 2% chitosan solution. Chitosan was dissolved in 2% acetic acid. Mechanical properties like tensile strength (TS) and elongation at break (Eb%) of chitosan film were studied. Eight formulations (M1: 5% HEMA to M8: 40% HEMA) were developed with 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) monomer in methanol (MeOH) along with photoinitiator Darocur-4043 (2%). The film was soaked in those formulations for 1 min and cured under UV radiation at different radiation intensities for the improvement of physico-mechanical properties of the film. The cured films were then subjected to various characterization tests like TS, Eb%, water absorption, FTIR spectroscopy, polymer loading (PL), differential thermal analysis (DTA), and thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA). The M6 formulation containing 30% HEMA in MeOH solution showed the best performance at 20th UV pass. The highest TS, Eb% and PL were found to be 31 MPa, 71.25% and 26.38%, respectively, for the same formulation at 20th UV pass. The DTA/TGA study showed that the film with M6 formulation at 20th UV pass was thermally more stable than non-radiated chitosan film. The FTIR analysis revealed the crosslinking between HEMA and chitosan.
Fabrication of Hollow Microspheres Using Single Step Electrospraying Process
Authors: Ramamurthy Praveen C. , Khadija K. K. , Ranjith K. , Mishra Sumeet R.
Published: June 2014

In this study, a single step method for large scale fabrication of hollow microspheres with a narrow size distribution is presented. PolyBenzoThiadiazole (PolyBT), a conducting polymer, was electrosprayed at high voltage to obtain microspheres. Hollow spheres of size ranging from 4.1 to 7.3 µm were observed through scanning electron microscope images, without any chemical degradation as shown by FTIR studies. In addition, these microspheres demonstrated a change in optical and hydrophobic properties as exhibited by the UV-visible and contact angle measurements. Thus providing interesting opportunities for use in biomedical applications, sensors as well as optoelectronic devices.
Modification of Nanocrystalline Cellulose for Bioactive Loaded Films
Authors: Criado Paula , Fraschini Carole , Salmieri Stéphane , Lacroix Monique
Published: June 2014

Despite the use of petrochemical derived packaging, many problems such as browning and food spoilage still happen in food after harvesting. There is an increasing consumers concern for food shelf life to be extended as much as possible along with a big interest in green and bioactive materials, that could be used in direct contact with aliments. In order to reach public demand, biopolymers coming from natural sources such as plants or animals have been used to replace synthetic materials. Even though natural polymers are biodegradable, they do not reach regulations required with respect to mechanical properties in commercial applications. However, the mechanical properties can be improved when reinforced with nanoparticles. Several reinforcing nanoparticules such as clays, silica or silver have been used for industrial applications, but cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are a better choice for food industry due to their biodegradable and biocompatible nature as well as their outstanding potential in improving mechanical and barrier properties of nanocomposites. CNCs consist of anhydroglucopyranose units (AGU) linked together and several functional hydroxyl groups found on its surface. Modifications of the CNC surface chemistry can give to cellulose new functionalities that open the way to the development of new bioactive reinforcement in food packaging. The present review will be focused on covalent and non covalent modifications that can be achieved on surface CNC with the aim of adding functionalities to be applied for food industry.
Diagnostically relevant facial gestalt information from ordinary photos
Authors: Ferry Quentin , Steinberg Julia , Webber Caleb , FitzPatrick David R , Ponting Chris P , Zisserman Andrew , Nellåker Christoffer
Published: June 2014

Craniofacial characteristics are highly informative for clinical geneticists when diagnosing genetic diseases. As a first step towards the high-throughput diagnosis of ultra-rare developmental diseases we introduce an automatic approach that implements recent developments in computer vision. This algorithm extracts phenotypic information from ordinary non-clinical photographs and, using machine learning, models human facial dysmorphisms in a multidimensional 'Clinical Face Phenotype Space'. The space locates patients in the context of known syndromes and thereby facilitates the generation of diagnostic hypotheses. Consequently, the approach will aid clinicians by greatly narrowing (by 27.6-fold) the search space of potential diagnoses for patients with suspected developmental disorders. Furthermore, this Clinical Face Phenotype Space allows the clustering of patients by phenotype even when no known syndrome diagnosis exists, thereby aiding disease identification. We demonstrate that this approach provides a novel method for inferring causative genetic variants from clinical sequencing data through functional genetic pathway comparisons.
Does Income Smoothing Improve Earnings Informativeness? – A Comparison between the US and China Markets
Authors: Agnes Cheng C. S. , Li Shuo
Published: June 2014

Tucker and Zarowin (2006) examine the impact of income smoothing on earnings informativeness, as proxied by the future earnings response coefficient (FERC). In this paper, we replicate Tucker and Zarowin (2006) and compare the results between the US and China markets. Specifically, using a sample of US firms from 2003 to 2008, we first find results consistent with Tucker and Zarowin (2006) that income smoothing improves FERC. However, our analysis for the China market over the same sample period indicates that income smoothing has little impact on FERC. Within the China market, we further find that income smoothing does not affect FERC for state-owned enterprises (SOEs) but weakly affects FERC for non-state-owned enterprises (non-SOEs). We argue that the market-level differences in information environment partly account for the differential impacts of income smoothing on FERC.
The Role of Accounting Accruals in Chinese Firms
Authors: Kraft Pepa
Published: June 2014

Cheng and Li (2013) investigate whether income smoothing improves earnings informativeness for Chinese firms by replicating the research design of Tucker and Zarowin (2006). The results suggest that the relation still holds for a more recent sample of US firms but the relation is different for Chinese firms. These results are interesting, and the authors argue that the poorer information environment in China is a possible culprit for the different results. This discussion raises the issue of what role accruals play in Chinese accounting. I replicate the study by Dechow (1994) in the Chinese market and find evidence consistent with the prediction that earnings exhibit less short-term noise than cash flows and greater associations with stock prices as the performance benchmark. These findings are indicative of accruals playing a similar role for Chinese firms as for US firms but also draw attention to some unresolved questions and areas for future research.
Origins of the ghiyār
Authors: Yarbrough Luke
Published: June 2014

This study examines a recent claim that it was the Umayyad caliph ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz (d. 101/720) who instituted the requirement that non-Muslims living under Muslim rule adopt distinctive dress and behavior (ghiyār). After showing that the evidence for the origins of the ghiyār is neither as unanimous nor as consistent as was suggested, it is argued that the ghiyār cannot be securely attributed to ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz and that the problem of its origins therefore remains in question.
Tamil Love Poetry: The Five Hundred Short Poems of the Aiṅkurunūru. By Martha Ann Selby
Authors: Pechilis Karen
Published: June 2014

Tamil Love Poetry: The Five Hundred Short Poems of the Aiṅkurunūru. By Martha Ann Selby. Translations from the Asian Classics. New York: Columbia University Press, 2011. Pp. 195 + xii. $84.50 cloth; $27.50 (paper).
Ctesias’ World. Classica et Orientalia, vol. 1. Edited by Josef Wieshöfer; Robert Rollinger; and Giovanni Lanfranchi
Authors: Burstein Stanley M.
Published: June 2014

Ctesias’ World. Classica et Orientalia, vol. 1. Edited by Josef Wieshöfer; Robert Rollinger; and Giovanni Lanfranchi. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2011. Pp. 546, illus. €88.
Pilgrimage, Politics, and Pestilence: The Haj from the Indian Subcontinent 1860–1920. By Saurabh Mishra
Authors: Metcalf Barbara D.
Published: June 2014

Pilgrimage, Politics, and Pestilence: The Haj from the Indian Subcontinent 1860–1920. By Saurabh Mishra. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2011. Pp. ix +177. $55.
Late Mamlūk Military Equipment. By David Nicolle
Authors: Guo Li
Published: June 2014

Late Mamlūk Military Equipment. By David Nicolle. Travaux et études de la mission archéologique syro-française, Citadelle de Damas, vol. 3. Damascus: Institut Français du Proche-Orient, 2011. Pp. 396. €45.
Wavelength‐Selective Uncaging of Oligonucleotides
Authors: Rodrigues‐Correia Alexandre , Seyfried Patrick , Heckel Alexander
Published: June 2014

Caged compounds are light‐sensitive molecules with temporarily inactivated biological function. The active compound is released upon irradiation, in which exact spatial and temporal control is accomplished. Beyond this inherently irreversible concept of triggering, the idea of multi‐wavelength uncaging provides experiments with more complexity. This unit describes the syntheses of protected nucleoside phosphoramidites of caged dTNpHP [pHP = (p‐hydroxyphenacyl)], dTDEACM {DEACM = [(7‐diethylaminocoumarin‐4‐yl)methyl]} or a dCNDBF {NDBF = [1‐(3‐nitrodibenzofuran‐1‐yl)ethyl]} modification on the nucleobase, their incorporation in oligonucleotides, characterization, and their wavelength‐selective uncaging up to four levels. Curr. Protoc. Nucleic Acid Chem. 57:6.11.1‐6.11.32. © 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
An In Vitro Selection Protocol for Threose Nucleic Acid (TNA) Using DNA Display
Authors: Dunn Matthew R. , Chaput John C.
Published: June 2014

Threose nucleic acid (TNA) is an unnatural genetic polymer composed of repeating threofuranosyl sugars linked by 2′ and 3′ phosphodiester bonds. TNA is capable of forming antiparallel Watson‐Crick duplex structures in a self‐pairing mode, and can also cross‐pair opposite complementary strands of DNA and RNA. The solution NMR structure of a self‐complementary TNA duplex reveals that TNA adopts an A‐form helical structure, which explains its ability to exchange genetic information with natural genetic polymers. In a recent advance, a TNA aptamer was evolved from a pool of random sequences using an engineered polymerase that can copy DNA sequences into TNA. This unit details the steps required to evolve functional TNA molecules in the laboratory using a method called DNA display. Using this approach, TNA molecules are physically linked to their encoding double‐stranded DNA template. By linking TNA phenotype with DNA genotype, one can select for TNA molecules with a desired function and recover their encoding genetic information by PCR amplification. Each round of selection requires ∼3 days to complete and multiple rounds of selection and amplification are required to generate functional TNA molecules. Curr. Protoc. Nucleic Acid Chem. 57:9.8.1‐9.8.19. © 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Impacts of typhoon megi (2010) on the South China Sea
Authors: Ko Dong Shan , Chao Shenn‐Yu , Wu Chun‐Chieh , Lin I‐I
Published: June 2014

In October 2010, typhoon Megi induced a profound cold wake of size 800 km by 500 km with sea surface temperature cooling of 8°C in the South China Sea (SCS). More interestingly, the cold wake shifted from the often rightward bias to both sides of the typhoon track and moved to left in a few days. Using satellite data, in situ measurements and numerical modeling based on the East Asian Seas Nowcast/Forecast System (EASNFS), we performed detailed investigations. To obtain realistic typhoon‐strength atmospheric forcing, the EASNFS applied typhoon‐resolving Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model wind field blended with global weather forecast winds from the U.S. Navy Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction System (NOGAPS). In addition to the already known impacts from the slow typhoon translation speed and shallow pre‐exiting ocean thermocline, we found the importance of the unique geographical setting of the SCS and the NE monsoon. As the event happened in late October, NE monsoon already started and contributed to the southwestward ambient surface current. Together with the topographicβ effect, the cold wake shifted westward to the left of Megi's track. It was also found that Megi expelled waters away from the SCS and manifested as a gush of internal Kelvin wave exporting waters through the Luzon Strait. The consequential sea level depression lasted and presented a favorable condition for cold dome development. Fission of the north‐south elongated cold dome resulted afterward and produced two cold eddies that dissipated slowly thereafter.
Climate impacts of changing aerosol emissions since 1996
Authors: Kühn T. , Partanen A.‐I. , Laakso A. , Lu Z. , Bergman T. , Mikkonen S. , Kokkola H. , Korhonen H. , Räisänen P. , Streets D. G. , Romakkaniemi S. , Laaksonen A.
Published: June 2014

Increases in Asian aerosol emissions have been suggested as one possible reason for the hiatus in global temperature increase during the past 15 years. We study the effect of sulphur and black carbon (BC) emission changes between 1996 and 2010 on the global energy balance. We find that the increased Asian emissions have had very little regional or global effects, while the emission reductions in Europe and the U.S. have caused a positive radiative forcing. In our simulations, the global‐mean aerosol direct radiative effect changes by 0.06 W/m2 during 1996 to 2010, while the effective radiative forcing (ERF) is 0.42 W/m2. The rather large ERF arises mainly from changes in cloudiness, especially in Europe. In Asia, the BC warming due to sunlight absorption has largely offset the cooling caused by sulphate aerosols. Asian BC concentrations have increased by a nearly constant fraction at all altitudes, and thus, they warm the atmosphere also in cloudy conditions.
Evidence of Arctic sea ice thinning from direct observations
Authors: Renner Angelika H. H. , Gerland Sebastian , Haas Christian , Spreen Gunnar , Beckers Justin F. , Hansen Edmond , Nicolaus Marcel , Goodwin Harvey
Published: June 2014

The Arctic sea ice cover is rapidly shrinking, but a direct, longer‐term assessment of the ice thinning remains challenging. A new time series constructed from in situ measurements of sea ice thickness at the end of the melt season in Fram Strait shows a thinning by over 50% during 2003–2012. The modal and mean ice thickness along 79°N decreased at a rate of 0.3 and 0.2 m yr−1, respectively, with long‐term averages of 2.5 and 3 m. Airborne observations reveal an east‐west thickness gradient across the strait in spring but not in summer due to advection from more different source regions. There is no clear relationship between interannual ice thickness variability and the source regions of the ice. The observed thinning is therefore likely a result of Arctic‐wide reduction in ice thickness with a potential shift in exported ice types playing a minor role.
Magnetopause structure favorable for radiation belt electron loss
Authors: Kim Kyung‐Chan , Lee Dae‐Young
Published: June 2014

Magnetopause shadowing is regarded as one of the major reasons for the loss of relativistic radiation belt electrons, although this has not yet been fully validated by observations. Previous simulations on this process assumed that all of the electrons encountering the magnetopause are simply lost into the magnetosheath just as ring current ions can be and did not examine details of the particle dynamics across and inside the magnetopause which has a finite thickness. In this paper, we perform test particle orbit calculations based on a simplified one‐dimensional magnetopause model to demonstrate specifically how relativistic electrons arriving at the prenoon side of the magnetopause can be lost. The calculation results indicate that the loss process is determined by two factors: (i) a gradient of the magnetic field magnitude, B, along the magnetopause and (ii) a component of the magnetic field normal to the magnetopause. First, without a normal component of the magnetic field as in a tangential discontinuity, electrons can cross the magnetopause by the magnetic gradient drift motion due to the existence of B‐gradient along the magnetopause. The minimum kinetic energies for loss decrease with increasing B‐gradient along the magnetopause induced by the enhanced solar wind dynamic pressure. However, this process is not too strong in the sense that electrons have to drift rather a long distance along the magnetopause before entering the magnetosheath unless the B‐gradient along the magnetopause is unusually strong, or the particle energy is very high like above 3 MeV. In contrast, if a normal component of the magnetic field exists inside the magnetopause, as in a rotational discontinuity, electrons can cross the magnetopause far more easily along the guided field line inside the magnetopause. This is effective for even a very small magnitude of normal component field such as somewhat less than 1 nT regardless of its direction and for a rather low energy of particles such as 0.5 MeV. Also, the loss occurs over more than half of the pitch angle domain, i.e., in the range between ~80° and 180° or 0° and ~100°, depending on the direction of normal component. Therefore, we suggest that radiation belt electron loss by the magnetopause shadowing process can be substantial (or can be effective) when a substantial area of the magnetopause is given a finite normal magnetic field component as well as B‐gradient along the magnetopause.
Statistical characteristics of EMIC wave‐driven relativistic electron precipitation with observations of POES satellites: Revisit
Authors: Wang Zhenzhen , Yuan Zhigang , Li Ming , Li Huimin , Wang Dedong , Li Haimeng , Huang Shiyong , Qiao Zheng
Published: June 2014

Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves play an important role in the magnetospheric dynamics and can scatter relativistic electrons in the outer radiation belt into the loss cone leading to the rapid loss of relativistic electrons. In this paper, we present characteristics of EMIC wave‐driven relativistic electron precipitation (REP) with observations of six Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellites (POES). Based on the simultaneity between spikes in the P1 0° (Ep = 30 keV–80 keV) and P6 0° (Ee > 1 MeV) channels, in comparison with the criterion of Carson et al. (2013), we improve the algorithm and make it stricter. A total of 436,286 individual half orbits between 1998 and 2010 are inspected by this algorithm. The majority of selected events are observed at L values within the outer radiation belt (3 < L < 7) and more common in 1800–2200 magnetic local time. The distribution of normalized events follows the location of plasmapause contracting toward lower L value with the decrease of the Dst index, implying a strong link between detected events and the plasmapause. The cluster of normalized events moves to later afternoon sector where the peak occurrence of plasmaspheric plumes is located during geomagnetic storms. It is suggested that there is a connection between plasmaspheric plumes and detected events. Corresponding to the peak of event occurrence in 2003, solar wind dynamic pressure has a same peak. In addition, the minimum values of them are coincident. These results indicate that the increase of the solar wind dynamic pressure enhances the likelihood of EMIC wave‐driven relativistic electron precipitation.
The effects of solar wind velocity distributions on the refilling of the lunar wake: ARTEMIS observations and comparisons to one‐dimensional theory
Authors: Halekas J. S. , Poppe A. R. , McFadden J. P.
Published: June 2014

The lunar plasma wake refills from all directions, with processes operating both parallel and perpendicular to the magnetic field. The resulting wake structure depends sensitively on the properties of the flowing plasma, including the form of the ion and electron velocity distributions. In this manuscript, we discuss theoretical approximations for the refilling of the lunar wake along the magnetic field. While an often‐used treatment for the parallel refilling assumes cold ions, one can derive solutions for arbitrary ion velocity distributions. Similarly, though the most tractable theory utilizes Maxwellian electrons, one can derive solutions for other types of distributions. We discuss the theoretical framework for various one‐dimensional solutions, spanning the full range from cold‐ion theories to gas‐dynamic solutions, and utilizing both Maxwellian and kappa electron distributions. We compare these solutions to ARTEMIS observations of the lunar wake, for time periods with appropriate plasma parameters. We also present cases that reveal the inherent limitations of one‐dimensional approximations, including those related to electron anisotropies and those related to perpendicular processes associated with both fluid flow and ion gyro‐motion.
Co‐deposited Cu(I) Complex for Tri‐layered Yellow and White Organic Light‐Emitting Diodes
Authors: Liu Xiaochen , Zhang Tao , Ni Tianchi , Jiang Nan , Liu Zhiwei , Bian Zuqiang , Lu Zhenghong , Huang Chunhui
Published: June 2014

Four compounds 4‐[3,6‐di(carbazol‐9‐yl)carbazol‐9‐yl]isoquinoline (TCIQ), 3‐[3,6‐di(carbazol‐9‐yl)carbazol‐9‐yl]pyridine (TCPy), 4‐(carbazol‐9‐yl)isoquinoline (4CIQ), and 3‐(carbazol‐9‐yl)pyridine (CPy) containing pyridyl or isoquinolyl were designed and synthesized to co‐deposition with copper iodide (CuI) to form luminescent Cu(I) complex doped film in situ, which could be utilized as the emissive layer in organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs). It is found that simple tri‐layered yellow and white OLEDs can be achieved by co‐depositing CuI and TCIQ with tuning ratios. The compound TCIQ serves a dual role as both a ligand for forming the emissive Cu(I) complex and as a host matrix for the formed emitter in yellow OLEDs, and a third role as a blue emitter in white OLEDs.