bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clinical and Pharmacogenetic Predictors of Circulating Atorvastatin and Rosuvastatin Concentrations in Routine Clinical Care
Authors: DeGorter Marianne K. , Tirona Rommel G. , Schwarz Ute I. , Choi Yun-Hee , Dresser George K. , Suskin Neville , Myers Kathryn , Zou GuangYong , Iwuchukwu Otito , Wei Wei-Qi , Wilke Russell A. , Hegele Robert A. , Kim Richard B.
Published: July 2013

Background—

A barrier to statin therapy is myopathy associated with elevated systemic drug exposure. Our objective was to examine the association between clinical and pharmacogenetic variables and statin concentrations in patients.

Methods and Results—

In total, 299 patients taking atorvastatin or rosuvastatin were prospectively recruited at an outpatient referral center. The contribution of clinical variables and transporter gene polymorphisms to statin concentration was assessed using multiple linear regression. We observed 45-fold variation in statin concentration among patients taking the same dose. After adjustment for sex, age, body mass index, ethnicity, dose, and time from last dose,
SLCO1B1
c.521T>C (
P
<0.001) and
ABCG2
c.421C>A (
P
<0.01) were important to rosuvastatin concentration (adjusted
R
2
=0.56 for the final model). Atorvastatin concentration was associated with
SLCO1B1
c.388A>G (
P
<0.01) and c.521T>C (
P
<0.05) and 4β-hydroxycholesterol, a CYP3A activity marker (adjusted
R
2
=0.47). A second cohort of 579 patients from primary and specialty care databases were retrospectively genotyped. In this cohort, genotypes associated with statin concentration were not differently distributed among dosing groups, implying providers had not yet optimized each patient’s risk–benefit ratio. Nearly 50% of patients in routine practice taking the highest doses were predicted to have statin concentrations greater than the 90th percentile.

Conclusions—

Interindividual variability in statin exposure in patients is associated with uptake and efflux transporter polymorphisms. An algorithm incorporating genomic and clinical variables to avoid high atorvastatin and rosuvastatin levels is described; further study will determine whether this approach reduces incidence of statin myopathy.
Association Between C677T Polymorphism of Methylene Tetrahydrofolate Reductase and Congenital Heart Disease
Authors: Mamasoula Chrysovalanto , Prentice R. Reid , Pierscionek Tomasz , Pangilinan Faith , Mills James L. , Druschel Charlotte , Pass Kenneth , Russell Mark W. , Hall Darroch , Töpf Ana , Brown Danielle L. , Zelenika Diana , Bentham Jamie , Cosgrove Catherine , Bhattacharya Shoumo , Riveron Javier Granados , Setchfield Kerry , Brook J. David , Bu’Lock Frances A. , Thornborough Chris , Rahman Thahira J. , Doza Julian Palomino , Tan Huay L. , O’Sullivan John , Stuart A. Graham , Blue Gillian , Winlaw David , Postma Alex V. , Mulder Barbara J.M. , Zwinderman Aelko H. , van Engelen Klaartje , Moorman Antoon F.M. , Rauch Anita , Gewillig Marc , Breckpot Jeroen , Devriendt Koen , Lathrop G. Mark , Farrall Martin , Goodship Judith A. , Cordell Heather J. , Brody Lawrence C. , Keavney Bernard D.
Published: July 2013

Background—

Association between the C677T polymorphism of the methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (
MTHFR
) gene and congenital heart disease (CHD) is contentious.

Methods and Results—

We compared genotypes between CHD cases and controls and between mothers of CHD cases and controls. We placed our results in context by conducting meta-analyses of previously published studies. Among 5814 cases with primary genotype data and 10 056 controls, there was no evidence of association between
MTHFR
C677T genotype and CHD risk (odds ratio [OR], 0.96 [95% confidence interval, 0.87–1.07]). A random-effects meta-analysis of all studies (involving 7697 cases and 13 125 controls) suggested the presence of association (OR, 1.25 [95% confidence interval, 1.03–1.51];
P
=0.022) but with substantial heterogeneity among contributing studies (I
2
=64.4%) and evidence of publication bias. Meta-analysis of large studies only (defined by a variance of the log OR <0.05), which together contributed 83% of all cases, yielded no evidence of association (OR, 0.97 [95% confidence interval, 0.91–1.03]) without significant heterogeneity (I
2
=0). Moreover, meta-analysis of 1781 mothers of CHD cases (829 of whom were genotyped in this study) and 19 861 controls revealed no evidence of association between maternal C677T genotype and risk of CHD in offspring (OR, 1.13 [95% confidence interval, 0.87–1.47]). There was no significant association between
MTHFR
genotype and CHD risk in large studies from regions with different levels of dietary folate.

Conclusions—

The
MTHFR
C677T polymorphism, which directly influences plasma folate levels, is not associated with CHD risk. Publication biases appear to substantially contaminate the literature with regard to this genetic association.
Differential Influence of Distinct Components of Increased Blood Pressure on Cardiovascular Outcomes
Authors: Cheng Susan , Gupta Deepak K. , Claggett Brian , Sharrett A. Richey , Shah Amil M. , Skali Hicham , Takeuchi Madoka , Ni Hanyu , Solomon Scott D.
Published: July 2013

Elevation in blood pressure (BP) increases risk for all cardiovascular events. Nevertheless, the extent to which different indices of BP elevation may be associated to varying degrees with different cardiovascular outcomes remains unclear. We studied 13 340 participants (aged 54±6 years, 56% women and 27% black) of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study who were free of baseline cardiovascular disease. We used Cox proportional hazards models to compare the relative contributions of systolic BP, diastolic BP, pulse pressure, and mean arterial pressure to risk for coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, and all-cause mortality. For each multivariable-adjusted model, the largest area under the receiver-operating curve (AUC) and smallest −2 log-likelihood values were used to identify BP measures with the greatest contribution to risk prediction for each outcome. A total of 2095 coronary heart disease events, 1669 heart failure events, 771 stroke events, and 3016 deaths occurred during 18±5 years of follow-up. In multivariable analyses adjusting for traditional cardiovascular risk factors, the BP measures with the greatest risk contributions were the following: systolic BP for coronary heart disease (AUC=0.74); pulse pressure for heart failure (AUC=0.79); systolic BP for stroke (AUC=0.74); and pulse pressure for all-cause mortality (AUC=0.74). With few exceptions, results were similar in analyses stratified by age, sex, and race. Our data indicate that distinct BP components contribute variably to risk for different cardiovascular outcomes.
Drop Shapes and Fall Speeds in Rain: Two Contrasting Examples
Authors: Thurai M. , Bringi V. N. , Petersen W. A. , Gatlin P. N.
Published: July 2013

Two rain events are analyzed using two collocated 2D-video disdrometers (2DVD) and a C-band polarimetric radar at 15-km distance. Both events had moderate-to-intense rainfall rates, but the second event had an embedded convective line. For the first event, the fall speed distribution for a given drop diameter interval showed a narrow and symmetric distribution with a mode at the expected value; the second event produced a wider distribution with a significant skewness toward lower fall speeds. The “slower” drops in the second event were detected while the convective line was directly over the 2DVD site. Drop shape information from the two 2DVD instruments showed that, during the passage of the convection line, around 30%–40% of the drops did not have an axis of rotational symmetry, whereas for event 1, it was only 5%. The implications are that for event 1 the dominant mode of drop oscillation is the axisymmetric mode, and that within the convective line of event 2 other fundamental modes were frequent. The radar data for the second event were analyzed in terms of the self-consistency among the radar-measured quantities. The Kdp/Zh versus Zdr variations within the line convection were not consistent with the corresponding variation determined from the scattering calculations using the measured 1-min drop size distributions and using the “reference” drop shapes. Also found were low ρhv regions within the line convection that were considerably lower than the scattering calculations. These findings are consistent with the asymmetric oscillation modes inferred from the 2DVD measurements for event 2 (probably collision induced) within the convective line.
Catastrophe-Concept-Based Cumulus Parameterization: Correction of Systematic Errors in the Precipitation Diurnal Cycle over Land in a GCM
Authors: Chao Winston C.
Published: July 2013

The onset of cumulus convection in a grid column is a catastrophe, also known as a subcritical instability. Accordingly, in designing a cumulus parameterization scheme the onset of cumulus convection requires that a parameter crosses a critical value and the termination of cumulus convection requires that the same or a different parameter crosses a different critical value. Once begun, cumulus convection continues to exist, regardless of whether the onset criterion is still met, until the termination criterion is met. Also, the intensity of cumulus precipitation is related to how far the state is from the termination, not the onset, criterion.

The cumulus parameterization schemes currently in use in GCMs, however, treat the onset of cumulus convection as a supercritical instability; namely, convection is turned on when a parameter exceeds a critical value and is turned off when the same parameter falls below the same critical value. Also, the intensity of cumulus precipitation is related to how far this critical value has been exceeded. Among the adverse consequences of the supercritical-instability-concept-based cumulus parameterization schemes are that over relatively flat land the precipitation peak occurs around noon—4–6 h too soon—and that the amplitude of the precipitation diurnal cycle is too weak.

Based on the above-mentioned concept, a new cumulus parameterization scheme was designed by taking advantage of the existing infrastructure of the relaxed Arakawa–Schubert scheme (RAS), but replacing RAS's guiding principle with the catastrophe concept. Test results using NASA's Goddard Earth Observing System GCM, version 5 (GEOS-5), show dramatic improvement in the phase and amplitude of the precipitation diurnal cycle over relatively flat land.
Sensitivity of the Position and Variability of the Eddy-Driven Jet to Different SST Profiles in an Aquaplanet General Circulation Model
Authors: Michel Clio , Rivière Gwendal
Published: July 2013

The response of the storm track and eddy-driven jet to various steady sea surface temperature (SST) forcings is analyzed using the aquaplanet configuration of the atmospheric general circulation model Action de Recherche Petite Échelle Grande Échelle Climat (ARPEGE-Climat). The SST profiles are zonally homogeneous and piecewise-linear functions of the latitude. It allows for modifying the tropical component that controls the intensity of the subtropical jet without changing the midlatitude SST front and vice versa. Sensitivities to the position, width, and intensity of the midlatitude SST front as well as to the tropical SSTs are investigated. The baroclinicity and the storm-track eddy activity both intensify for a stronger, a wider, or a more equatorward SST front. The eddy-driven jet always lies on the poleward side of the SST front and its relative distance to the front is interpreted in terms of upper-tropospheric Rossby wave breakings.

A focus is then made on the eddy-driven jet variability. The leading EOF of the vertical-average zonal-mean zonal wind is in most cases characterized by latitudinal shifting of the eddy-driven jet. For a more equatorward-shifted front, there is a more efficient positive eddy feedback. The mode has a greater persistence and explains a larger percentage of variance than for a more poleward-shifted front. However, the former case presents smaller latitudinal fluctuations than the latter because of the vicinity of the storm track to the subtropical jet. In the absence of positive eddy feedback, the pulsing of the eddy-driven jet intensity can dominate the variability such as for a high-latitude front having relatively small SSTs in the presence of an intense subtropical jet.
Terrestrial Carbon Cycle: Climate Relations in Eight CMIP5 Earth System Models
Authors: Shao Pu , Zeng Xubin , Sakaguchi Koichi , Monson Russell K. , Zeng Xiaodong
Published: July 2013

Eight Earth System Models from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) are evaluated, focusing on both the net carbon dioxide flux and its components and their relation with climatic variables (temperature, precipitation, and soil moisture) in the historical (1850–2005) and representative concentration pathway 4.5 (RCP4.5; 2006–2100) simulations. While model results differ, their median globally averaged production and respiration terms from 1976 to 2005 agree reasonably with available observation-based products. Disturbances such as land use change are roughly represented but crucial in determining whether the land is a carbon source or sink over many regions in both simulations. While carbon fluxes vary with latitude and between the two simulations, the ratio of net to gross primary production, representing the ecosystem carbon use efficiency, is less dependent on latitude and does not differ significantly in the historical and RCP4.5 simulations. The linear trend of increased land carbon fluxes (except net ecosystem production) is accelerated in the twenty-first century. The cumulative net ecosystem production by 2100 is positive (i.e., carbon sink) in all models and the tropical and boreal latitudes become major carbon sinks in most models. The temporal correlations between annual-mean carbon cycle and climate variables vary substantially (including the change of sign) among the eight models in both the historical and twenty-first-century simulations. The ranges of correlations of carbon cycle variables with precipitation and soil moisture are also quite different, reflecting the important impact of the model treatment of the hydrological cycle on the carbon cycle.
Striping in the Suomi NPP VIIRS Thermal Bands through Anisotropic Surface Reflection
Authors: Liu Quanhua , Cao Changyong , Weng Fuzhong
Published: July 2013

The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) thermal emissive band (TEB) M12 images centered at 3.7 μm were analyzed and unexpected striping was found. The striping was seen from ascending orbit (daytime) over uniform oceans and has a magnitude of ±0.5 K aligned with the VIIRS 16 detectors in a track direction of 12 km. From the ocean surface, reflected solar radiation can significantly increase the M12 radiance under certain geometric conditions in which bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) becomes important. Using the Community Radiative Transfer Model (CRTM), developed at the U.S. Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation (JCSDA), M12 band image striping over a uniform ocean was found that was caused by the difference of sensor azimuthal angles among detectors and the contamination of solar radiation. By analyzing the VIIRS M10 and M11 bands, which are two reflective bands, similar striping images over the uniform oceans were found. The M10 and M11 radiance/reflectance can be used to determine the BRDF effect on the thermal emissive band M12, and eventually be used to remove the solar radiation contamination from the M12 band. This study demonstrated that the M12 image striping is a real instrument artifact. Whether to remove the striping or to utilize the striping information fully depends on the application.
Model of the Correlation between Lidar Systems and Wind Turbines for Lidar-Assisted Control
Authors: Schlipf David , Cheng Po Wen , Mann Jakob
Published: July 2013

Investigations of lidar-assisted control to optimize the energy yield and to reduce loads of wind turbines have increased significantly in recent years. For this kind of control, it is crucial to know the correlation between the rotor effective wind speed and the wind preview provided by a nacelle- or spinner-based lidar system. If on the one hand, the assumed correlation is overestimated, then the uncorrelated frequencies of the preview will cause unnecessary control action, inducing undesired loads. On the other hand, the benefits of the lidar-assisted controller will not be fully exhausted, if correlated frequencies are filtered out. To avoid these miscalculations, this work presents a method to model the correlation between lidar systems and wind turbines using Kaimal wind spectra. The derived model accounts for different measurement configurations and spatial averaging of the lidar system, different rotor sizes, and wind evolution. The method is compared to real measurement data with promising results. In addition, examples depict how this model can be used to design an optimal controller and how the configuration of a lidar system is optimized for a given turbine to improve the correlation.
Somali Piracy and the Monsoon
Authors: Cook Duncan , Garrett Sally
Published: July 2013

Analysis of the weather and ocean conditions during recent pirate attacks in the Indian Ocean region suggests that the transition of the summer monsoon limits maritime piracy. A comparison of all known pirate attacks in the region in 2010–11 with surface observations from Socotra and the Somali jet index during the same period indicates that pirates attacking from skiffs are thwarted when winds blow in excess of 9 m s−1. The wind speeds and sea states encountered by pirates during individual attacks were reconstructed using satellite altimetry data for 2010–11. Mean daily wind speeds of up to 20 m s−1 during the two boreal summers resulted in consistently rough seas across the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean. Surface wind speeds during pirate attacks were generally low (less than 8 m s−1), and once wind speeds exceeded 9 m s−1 no successful attacks occurred. The majority (94%) of pirate attacks took place in waves of sea state 4 or less (wave heights below 2.5 m), with pirates rarely attacking after the rough seas of the summer monsoon evolved. Wind speeds and wave heights during the winter monsoon, premonsoon [March–May (MAM)], and postmonsoon [September–November (SON)] seasons were not a deterrent for pirates operating in the Indian Ocean region.
Collective Engagement in Creative Tasks
Authors: Harvey Sarah , Kou Chia-Yu
Published: July 2013

Research on group creativity has concentrated on explaining how the group context influences idea generation and has conceptualized the evaluation of creative ideas as a process of convergent decision making that takes place after ideas are generated to improve the quality of the group’s creative output. We challenge this view by exploring the situated nature of evaluations that occur throughout the creative process. We present an inductive qualitative process analysis of four U.S. healthcare policy groups tasked with producing creative output in the form of policy recommendations to a federal agency. Results show four modes of group interaction, each with a distinct form of evaluation: brainstorming without evaluation, sequential interactions in which one idea was generated and evaluated, parallel interactions in which several ideas were generated and evaluated, and iterative interactions in which the group evaluated several ideas in reference to the group’s goals. Two of the groups in our study followed an evaluation-centered sequence that began with evaluating a small set of ideas. Surprisingly, doing so did not impede the groups’ creativity. To explain this, we develop an alternative conceptualization of evaluation as a generative process that shapes and guides collective creativity.
Adolescent delinquency and diversity in behavior settings
Authors: Bernasco Wim , Bruinsma Gerben JN , Pauwels Lieven JR , Weerman Frank M
Published: July 2013

Purpose: This study aimed to test whether adolescents’ delinquency is related to the geographic, functional and social diversity of the behavior settings that they are exposed to. Methods: Data were collected in a two-wave panel study amongst 616 adolescents. In the first wave, diversity was measured using a space-time budget interview recording their activities from hour to hour during four days. Self-control, morality, peer deviance, unsupervised peer activity, and parental supervision were measured using a self-report questionnaire. Delinquency was measured using self-report questions in the second wave. Results: The findings demonstrated that setting diversity is positively related to delinquency. For geographic and functional setting diversity, a substantial part of the positive association is independent of gender, age and the other explanatory variables. Conclusions: Adolescents’ delinquency is not only affected by the overall contents of the settings that they encounter, but also by how much the content of settings varies over the course of the day.
Executive functioning: A scoping review of the occupational therapy literature / Les fonctions exécutives : une analyse de la portée de la littérature en ergothérapie
Authors: Cramm Heidi A. , Krupa Terry M. , Missiuna Cheryl A. , Lysaght Rosemary M. , Parker Kevin H.
Published: July 2013

Background.

Increasingly recognized as an important factor in the performance of complex, goal-directed tasks, executive functioning is understood in different ways across disciplines.

Purpose.

The aim was to explore the ways in which executive functioning is conceptualized, discussed, described, and implied in the occupational therapy literature.

Method.

A scoping review of the occupational therapy literature was conducted following Levac, Colquhoun, and O’Brien’s (2010) recommended methodology.

Results.

Executive functioning is described both as a set of performance component skills or processes and as the executive occupational performance inherent in complex occupations. Executive functioning is implicit in occupational performance and engagement, and some health conditions seem to be commonly associated with impaired executive functioning. Assessing executive functioning requires dynamic occupation- and performance-based assessment. Interventions targeting executive functioning are grounded in metacognitive approaches.

Conclusion.

Executive functioning is a complex construct that is conceptualized with considerable variance within the occupational therapy literature, creating barriers to effective service delivery.
Adolescent Virtual Time Spent Socializing With Peers, Substance Use, and Delinquency
Authors: Meldrum Ryan C. , Clark Jim
Published: July 2013

This study tests Osgood, Wilson, O’Malley, Bachman, and Johnston’s extension of the routine activity theory of individual deviant behavior by considering adolescent time spent socializing with peers in virtual settings in relation to estimates of delinquency and substance use. The growth in digital communication has significantly changed the ways that youth commonly communicate with one another, and such changes may therefore provide a specification of newly emerging situational inducements that precipitate antisocial behavior during adolescence. Using data from a school-based survey of adolescents, the analyses reveal that the amount of virtual time adolescents spend socializing with peers is positively related to the frequency of alcohol use, marijuana use, and a variety index of delinquent behavior. Less support was found for an association between virtual time spent with peers and individually separated property/violent offending behaviors. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Challenges in assessing depressive symptoms in Fiji: A psychometric evaluation of the CES-D
Authors: Opoliner April , Blacker Deborah , Fitzmaurice Garrett , Becker Anne
Published: July 2013

Background and Aim:

The CES-D is a commonly used self-report assessment for depressive symptomatology. However, its psychometric properties have not been evaluated in Fiji. This study aims to evaluate the reliability and validity of English language and Fijian vernacular versions in ethnic Fijian adolescent schoolgirls.

Methods:

As part of the HEALTHY Fiji study, ethnic Fijian female adolescents ( N = 523) completed the CES-D. Participants selected to respond in English or the local vernacular. Reliability (internal consistency, item-total score correlation, and test-retest estimates), validity (associations with other proxies for depression) and factor structure were assessed. Evaluations considered differences between language versions.

Results:

In this sample, the CES-D had a Cronbach’s α of 0.81 and item-total score correlation coefficients ranged between 0.2 and 0.63. One week test-retest reliability (ICC(2)) was 0.57. CES-D scores were higher among individuals who endorsed feelings of depression and suicidality compared to those who did not. ROC analyses of the CES-D versus binary depression and suicidality variables produced AUCs around 0.70 and did not support a discrete cut-off for significant disturbance. Findings were similar across the two language groups.

Conclusions:

The CES-D has acceptable reliability and validity among ethnic Fijian female adolescents in English and in the Fijian vernacular language. Findings support its utility as a dimensional measure for depressive symptomatology in this study population. Further examination of its clinical utility for case finding for depression in Fijian school-based and community populations is warranted.
More equal societies have less mental illness: What should therapists do on Monday morning?
Authors: Wright Duncan
Published: July 2013

Background:

Therapists seeing poor clients may ask if countries with greater income equality have less mental illness. If so, how should therapists respond?

Material:

A review of epidemiological studies, theories of inequality and democratic reform movements in psychiatry and psychology leads to four arguments.

Discussion:

(1) Increasing income equality improves the health of societies. (2) An elite opposes greater equality, partly by persuading the majority to consent to the existing order. (3) Therapists may inadvertently help in this persuasive effort. (4) However, therapists in democratic traditions create systems of care that support movements for greater income equality.
Health service utilization by patients with common mental disorder identified by the Self-Reporting Questionnaire in a primary care setting in Zomba, Malawi: A descriptive study
Authors: Udedi Michael , Swartz Leslie , Stewart Robert C , Kauye Felix
Published: July 2013

Background:

There has been no study carried out to assess health service utilization by people with common mental disorder (CMD) in Malawi.

Aim:

The aim of the study was to evaluate health service utilization patterns of patients with CMD in primary health care (PHC) clinics.

Methods:

The study was conducted in two PHC clinics in one of the 28 districts in Malawi. Face-to-face interviews with the Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) were conducted in a sample of 323 PHC attendees aged 18 years and older who attended the PHC clinics for any reason.

Results:

The prevalence of probable CMD in the sample was 20.1%. People with probable CMD had a higher mean number of health facility visits in the previous three months compared to those without probable CMD (1.6 vs 1.19, p = .02).

Conclusion:

The study reveals high utilization of health services for people with CMD in the PHC setting. There is a need for PHC workers to improve skills in diagnosing patients with CMD to make PHC services more effective by reducing re-attendance and improving patient outcomes.
Black Consciousness in Dialogue in South Africa: Steve Biko, Richard Turner and the ‘Durban moment’, 1970–1974
Authors: Macqueen Ian
Published: July 2013

This article examines a progressive moment under apartheid referred to retrospectively as ‘the Durban moment’ by activists. By exploring the friendship of assassinated activists Stephen Bantu Biko and Richard Turner, the paper calls for a nuanced assessment of the rich context of the emergence of Black Consciousness under apartheid, and shows how the rigid racial and ethnic categories imposed by the state could be challenged by creative and resourceful intellectuals. The paper draws on interviews, writings produced at the time, court transcripts and the secondary literature to argue that Black Consciousness was intimately linked on many levels to this progressive ‘moment’ in South Africa under apartheid, which has resonances for activists still today.
Assessing Decoding Ability
Authors: Morlini Isabella , Stella Giacomo , Scorza Maristella
Published: July 2013

Tools for assessing decoding skill in students attending elementary grades are of fundamental importance for guaranteeing an early identification of reading disabled students and reducing both the primary negative effects (on learning) and the secondary negative effects (on the development of the personality) of this disability. This article presents results obtained by administering existing standardized tests of reading and a new screening procedure to about 1,500 students in the elementary grades in Italy. It is found that variables measuring speed and accuracy in all administered reading tests are not Gaussian, and therefore the threshold values used for classifying a student as a normal decoder or as an impaired decoder must be estimated on the basis of the empirical distribution of these variables rather than by using the percentiles of the normal distribution. It is also found that the decoding speed and the decoding accuracy can be measured in either a 1-minute procedure or in much longer standardized tests. The screening procedure and the tests administered are found to be equivalent insofar as they carry the same information. Finally, it is found that speed and accuracy act as complementary effects in the measurement of decoding ability. On the basis of this last finding, the study introduces a new composite indicator aimed at determining the student’s performance, which combines speed and accuracy in the measurement of decoding ability.
Can the FIFA World Cup Football (Soccer) Tournament Be Associated with an Increase in Domestic Abuse?
Authors: Kirby Stuart , Francis Brian , O’Flaherty Rosalie
Published: July 2013

Objectives:

This study aims to establish whether empirical evidence exists to support the anecdotal view that the Fédération Internationale de Football Association world cup football (soccer) tournament can be associated with a rise in reported domestic abuse incidents, when viewed remotely via television.

Method:

A quantitative analysis, using Poisson and negative binomial regression models looked at monthly and daily domestic abuse incidents reported to a police force in the North West of England across three separate tournaments (2002, 2006, and 2010).

Results:

The study found two statistically significant trends. First, a match day trend showed the risk of domestic abuse rose by 26 percent when the English national team won or drew, and a 38 percent increase when the national team lost. Second, a tournament trend was apparent, as reported domestic abuse incidents increased in frequency with each new tournament.

Conclusion:

Although this is a relatively small study, it has significant ramifications due to the global nature of televised football (soccer) tournaments. If replicated, it presents significant opportunities to identify and reduce incidents of domestic abuse associated with televised soccer games.
Proximal Adolescent Outcomes of Gang Membership in England and Wales
Authors: Ariza Juan José Medina , Cebulla Andreas , Aldridge Judith , Shute Jon , Ross Andy
Published: July 2013

Objectives:

This article aims to apply a “turning points” framework for understanding the developmental impacts of gang membership in a British sample of young people. The study explores the proximal impact of gang membership on offending, victimization, and a number of attitudinal and experiential outcomes that have been theorized to mediate the relationship between gang membership and offending.

Method:

The authors used data from the Offending Crime and Justice Survey, a rotating panel representative of young people in England and Wales that measured gang membership using the Eurogang definition. The effects of gang membership onset were tested using a propensity score analysis approach.

Results:

As previously reported with American data, gang onset has an impact on offending, antisocial behavior, drug use, commitment to deviant peers, and neutralization techniques. In addition, gang membership increases the probability of unwanted police contact, even adjusting for offending through a “double robust” procedure.

Conclusion:

Despite differences in social context, history of gangs and level of violence, we encounter more similarities than differences regarding consequences of gang membership. The impact on unwanted police contact deserves further research and policy attention.
Religion and the Sources of Public Opposition to Abortion in Britain: The Role of ‘Belonging’, ‘Behaving’ and ‘Believing’
Authors: Clements Ben
Published: July 2013

This article examines the relationship between religious factors and opposition to abortion in Britain. It provides a detailed analysis of public opposition towards abortion undertaken for different reasons, as well as general views on whether abortion is justified or not. It assesses the relative influence of religious faith using the multi-dimensional ‘belonging, behaving and believing’ framework for micro-level analysis, as well as the impact of personal salience. It also accounts for the impact of socio-demographic factors and political partisanship. It uses data from two nationally representative social surveys and multivariate estimation techniques. The main finding is that opposition to abortion is not solely based on differences in faith or denominational affiliation but that greater religious involvement or commitment, as measured by attendance at services and personal salience, and more traditionalist beliefs underpin opposition. These findings generally hold across surveys, different estimation techniques and different specifications of the dependent variable.
Exploring reuse of industrial wastewater from exhaust dyebaths by solar-based photo-Fenton treatment
Authors: Sanz JF , Monllor P , Vicente R , Amat AM , Arques A , Bonet M
Published: July 2013

The aim of the research under discussion in the present paper is to study the decolorization and mineralization of textile industrial wastewaters from exhaust dyebaths by means of a solar photo-Fenton treatment. The exhaust dyebaths were grouped according to the fibers and dyeing recipes used, so as to verify the effectiveness of the photo-Fenton treatment on each dyeing process separately. Next, the results previously achieved were compared to those obtained by mixing all the exhaust baths together, as is common practice when treating the industrial textile effluents from dyeing and finishing procedures.

After their neutralization and filtration, photo-Fenton-treated exhaust dyebaths and mixtures were reused to prepare laboratory dyeing samples. These techniques on the reuse of wastewaters were tested on several fibers by using the same dyeing procedure that was originally applied, as well as in different dyeing processes and for most fiber types. The results achieved showed that the reutilization of the aforementioned effluents, either in new exhaust dyebaths or in some other textile industrial operations, was of some considerable importance. Water consumption would be significantly reduced as well as the wastewater levies for the firms. Furthermore, the contaminating effect of the industrial effluents to be dealt with would be also diminished, reaping environmental and economic benefits.
Career patterns for IT engineering graduates
Authors: Holth Line , Almasri Abdullah , Gonäs Lena
Published: July 2013

Women constitute a clear minority in the field of information and communications technology (ICT) in higher education as well as in the job market. At the same time, this field is expected to have a shortage of qualified people in the future. Do women and men engineering graduates have the same career opportunities? This article problematizes the relationship between higher education in engineering and opportunities on the job market. The results show that men reach higher positions to a greater extent than women, and that women remain in low-qualification jobs to a greater extent than men.
The politics of Nation Branding
Authors: Varga Somogy
Published: July 2013

Nation Branding is broadly conceived of as an apolitical marketing strategy that targets external markets to establish and communicate a specific image of national identity. However, in this article it is argued that Nation Branding displays characteristics that make it constructive to analyse in terms of an implicit cultural policy. The main point is that Nation Branding is essentially an inner-oriented, cultural- political measure that targets the citizens of the national state, characterized by conservative, transformative and transferring political agendas. On the background of an analysis of these characteristics, it will be argued that Nation Branding may work in a self-defeating manner and endanger democratic processes.
Effects of intraoperative external head cooling on short-term cognitive function in patients after coronary artery bypass graft surgery
Authors: Sirvinskas E , Usas E , Mankute A , Raliene L , Jakuska P , Lenkutis T , Benetis R
Published: July 2013

The aim of study was to assess the effects of an intraoperative external head-cooling technique on cognitive dysfunction in the early postoperative period (at the 10th day) in patients after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Patients in Group H (n=25) were cooled with CPB and the intraoperative, external head-cooling technique, patients in Group C (n=25) were cooled only with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) to achieve mild hypothermia (33 – 34°C). Cognitive function was analyzed before the operation and after the surgery using the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Modified Visual Reproduction Test from the Wechsler Memory Scale, Trail Making (A/B), WAIS - Digit Span (WDS) and WAIS Digit Symbol Substitution Test (WDSST). The incidence of cognitive impairment at the 10th day after the surgery was 36% (n=9) in Group H and 64% (n=16) in Group C (p=0.048). The temperature during the aortic cross-clamp period was associated with a lower rate of cognitive dysfunction (p=0.05, r2=0.09). The intraoperative, external head-cooling technique during the aortic cross-clamp period has a neuroprotective effect and leads to less short-term cognitive function impairment after CABG surgery.
Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging combined with T2-weighted images in the detection of small breast cancer: a single-center multi-observer study
Authors: Wu Lian-Ming , Chen Jie , Hu Jiani , Gu Hai-Yan , Xu Jian-Rong , Hua Jia
Published: July 2013

Background

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide. However, it remains a difficult diagnosis problem to differentiate between benign and malignant breast lesions, especially in small early breast lesions.

Purpose

To assess the diagnostic value of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) combined with T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) for small breast cancer characterization.

Material and Methods

Fifty-eight patients (65 lesions) with a lesion <2 cm in diameter underwent 3.0 Tesla breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) including DWI and histological analysis. Three observers with varying experience levels reviewed MRI. The probability of breast cancer in each lesion on MR images was recorded with a 5-point scale. Areas under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUCs) were compared by using the Z test; sensitivity and specificity were determined with the Z test after adjusting for data clustering.

Results

AUC of T2WI and DWI (Observer 1, 0.95; Observer 2, 0.91; Observer 3, 0.83) was greater than that of T2WI (Observer 1, 0.80; Observer 2, 0.74; Observer 3, 0.70) for all observers ( P < 0.0001 in all comparisons). Sensitivity of T2WI and DWI (Observer 1, 90%; Observer 2, 93%; and Observer 3, 86%) was greater than that of T2WI alone (Observer 1, 76%; Observer 2, 83%; Observer 3, 79%) for all observers ( P < 0.0001 in all comparisons). Specificity of T2WI and DWI was greater than that of T2WI alone for observer 1 (89% vs. 72%, P < 0.01) and observer 2 (94% vs. 78%, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

DWI combined with T2WI can improve the diagnostic performance of MRI in small breast cancer characterization. It should be considered selectively in the preoperative evaluation of patients with small lesions of the breast.
Volumetric breast composition analysis: reproducibility of breast percent density and fibroglandular tissue volume measurements in serial mammograms
Authors: Engelken Florian , Singh Jasmin-Maya , Fallenberg Eva-Maria , Bick Ulrich , Böttcher Joachim , Renz Diane Miriam
Published: July 2013

Background

Volumetric breast composition analysis represents a useful tool for assessing changes in breast composition over time. However, no data exist on the reproducibility of this method in serial mammograms.

Purpose

To assess the reproducibility of two volumetric breast composition parameters, breast percent density (PD) and fibroglandular tissue volume (FTV), in consecutive mammograms.

Material and Methods

Volumetric breast composition analysis to determine PD and FTV was performed in two consecutive unilateral mammograms of 211 patients. All mammograms were obtained on the same digital mammography unit within a maximum interval of 24 months. Volumetric data for analysis for both examinations were available for 174 patients. Thirty-two patients had successful volumetric analysis of additional consecutive examinations on a second digital mammography unit. Inter-examination correlation of measurements and absolute differences were analyzed. Bland-Altman analysis was performed to compare readings from different mammography units.

Results

Mean FTV remained constant over the study period. A reduction in PD of 0.5% and a mean increase in breast volume (BV) of 3% were observed. FTV measurements obtained on the same mammography unit were significantly more reproducible than PD measurements (Pearson correlation coefficients of 0.947 and 0.920, respectively; P < 0.05). A 15% difference between mean absolute volume measurements (FTV and BV) obtained on different mammography units was observed ( P ≤ 0.001), while mean PD was close to the expected value.

Conclusion

Volumetric breast composition analysis is highly reproducible in serial mammograms in normal women. FTV is a more reproducible parameter than PD, indicating that absolute quantification of breast parenchyma may be preferable to the measurement of relative parameters such as PD. However, a disadvantage of using FTV is that it is susceptible to systematic differences when measurements are obtained on different imaging platforms.
Subnivean Arctic and sub-Arctic net ecosystem exchange (NEE)
Authors: Luus Kristina A. , Lin John C. , Kelly Richard E.J. , Duguay Claude R.
Published: July 2013

In the Arctic and sub-Arctic, up to half of annual net ecosystem exchange (NEE) occurs during the snow season. Subnivean soil respiration can persist at a greater rate when the overlying snowpack has a lower thermal conductivity, and the rate of photosynthetic uptake at the start and end of the snow season can be diminished by fractional snow cover. Although recent studies have indicated that uncertainty in model estimates of NEE can be reduced by representing the influence of a modeled snowpack on soil respiration, models of NEE have not represented the influence of snowpack dynamics on processes such as subnivean photosynthesis or CO2 diffusivity, and have not used remote sensing observations to characterize snow season processes. We therefore: (1) review snow season processes and their effects on NEE; (2) assess the suitability of cryospheric remote sensing approaches for models of NEE; and (3) suggest strategies for representing snow season processes in models of NEE. Strategies include: using observations of fractional snow cover in spring and fall to restrict estimates of photosynthetic uptake; combining observations of snow accumulation and soil freeze/thaw with observations of air temperature to generate more realistic estimates of soil temperature and soil respiration; and using observations of depth to estimate the influence of snow accumulation and tree wells on soil respiration. Including remote sensing observations of snow properties in models of NEE could reduce uncertainty in snow season estimates of NEE, resulting in a better understanding of the northern carbon cycle and how it is responding to climate-driven changes in the interconnected biospheric, atmospheric and cryospheric systems.
Risk assessment of simultaneous debris flows in mountain townships
Authors: Cui Peng , Zou Qiang , Xiang Ling-zhi , Zeng Chao
Published: July 2013

Many mountain towns in China are located on the joint alluvial fans of multiple and adjacent past debris flows, making them vulnerable to large, multiple, and simultaneous debris flows during heavy rainfall. Without emergency management planning, such flows, often appearing with interconnecting and chain-reaction processes, can lead to extensive loss of life and property. In the Wenchuan earthquake-affected area, such disasters are common. We analyzed the compound effects of simultaneous debris flow events, and proposed three quantitative methods of debris risk assessment based on kinetic energy, flow depth, and inundation depth. Validated using a field study of actual debris flow disasters, these analyses are useful in determining the type, quantity, distribution, economic worth, and susceptibility of hazard-affected objects in a region. Subsequently, we established a method to determine the vulnerability of different hazard-affected objects, particularly concerning the susceptibility indexes of buildings or structures. By analyzing the elements underlying hazard formation conditions, damage potential, and the socio-economic conditions of mountain townships, we proposed a systematic and quantitative method for risk analysis of mountain townships. Finally, the proposed method was applied to a case study of Qingping Township, which was affected by 21 simultaneous debris flows triggered by a 50-year return period precipitation event. The proposed method analyzed the superposition and chain-reaction effects of disasters and divided the affected area of the township into three risk zones. The analysis indicated that the calculated risk zones coincide with the actual distribution and severity of damage in the debris flow event, which suggests that the risk assessment is consistent with results from the actual disaster.