bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Delayed Branching Artery Occlusion Caused by Clip Rotation after Intracranial Aneurysm Clippings
Authors: Kim Jin Wook , Seung Won-Bae
Published: July 2018

Clip rotation after clipping is a major cause of delayed cerebral ischemia and may occur after any of several intraoperative monitoring techniques. We experienced 3 cases of clip rotation in 3 patients after clipping between March 2011 and December 2013. One of these patients has permanent motor weakness of the left upper extremity because of delayed occlusion of the right M1 lenticulostriate artery. The other two developed delayed occlusion of the frontopolar artery or of the A1 perforating artery, but did not have any neurologic deficits. Clinicians need to exercise great care not to compromise distal blood flow after clipping intracranial aneurysms. We present 3 cases in which clip rotation occurred after aneurysm clipping and progressively compromised blood flow of a nearby branching artery.
A Simple and Cheap Hospitalization Risk Assessment Tool for Use in Hemodialysis Patients
Authors: Hashmi Muhammad Nauman , Raza Hammad , Elshazly Wael , Hejaili Fayez , Al Sayyari Abdullah
Published: July 2018

Objective: To develop a simple, objective, cheap scoring tool incorporating nutritional parameters and other variables to predict hospitalization and mortality among hemodialysis patients – a tool that could be utilized in low resource countries. Methods: The following variables were scored according to severity into 0, 1, 2 or 3: BMI, functional capacity, HD vintage in years, serum albumin, serum ferritin, and the number of comorbid conditions (diabetes mellitus, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease). This tool was evaluated on our regular hemodialysis patients who were followed up for 24 months (June 2015 till July 2017). In our study population, the maximum score recorded was 12; accordingly, a score of 6 was used to differentiate between a low-risk group (score < 6) or a high-risk group (score ≥6). The 2 groups were compared (using the Chi square test) for possible differences in mortality and hospitalization rates during the follow-up period. Results: One hundred and forty adult hemodialysis patients were monitored over 2 years; 83 were males and 57 females; 59% of the patients had diabetes mellitus. Twenty-nine patients (30.7%) were found to be in the high-risk group and 111 (79.3%) in the low-risk group. The high-risk patients were almost one and a half times more likely to be hospitalized for vascular access issues than the low-risk group (p = 0.056) and 3 times more likely to be hospitalized for non-vascular access issues than the low-risk group (p = 0.0001). The mortality rate in the high-risk group was 3.1 times that in the low-risk group, but this was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Using a simple and cheap assessment tool in hemodialysis patients, we have identified patients at high risk for hospitalization rates and mortality. Video Journal Club “Cappuccino with Claudio Ronco” at http://www.karger.com/?doi=490544.
Adenine-Induced Chronic Renal Failure in Rats: A Model of Chronic Renocardiac Syndrome with Left Ventricular Diastolic Dysfunction but Preserved Ejection Fraction
Authors: Kashioulis Pavlos , Lundgren Jaana , Shubbar Emman , Nguy Lisa , Saeed Aso , Guron Cecilia Wallentin , Guron Gregor
Published: July 2018

Background/Aims: Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of death in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Rats with adenine-induced chronic renal failure (ACRF) develop severe renal insufficiency and metabolic abnormalities that closely resemble those in patients with uremia. The aim of the present study was to determine left ventricular (LV) morphology and function in rats with ACRF. Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats received either chow containing adenine or were pair-fed an identical diet without adenine (controls, C). After 9-13 weeks animals were anesthetized with isoflurane and cardiac function was assessed both by echocardiography and by LV catheterization. Results: Rats with ACRF showed increases in serum creatinine (323±107 vs. 33±5 µM, P< 0.05), mean arterial pressure (115±6 vs. 106±7 mmHg, P< 0.05) and LV weight (3.4±0.3 vs. 2.5±0.2 mg/kg, P< 0.05) vs. controls. Rats with ACRF had reduced early diastolic tissue Doppler velocities in the LV, enlarged left atrial diameter (4.8±0.8 vs. 3.5±0.4 mm, P< 0.05) and elevated LV end-diastolic pressure (15±5 vs. 8±1 mmHg, P< 0.01). Cardiac output was increased in ACRF rats (211±66 vs. 149±24 ml/min, P< 0.05) and systolic function preserved. In the LV of ACRF rats there were statistically significant (P< 0.05) increases in cardiomyocyte diameter, proliferation and apoptosis, while there was no difference between groups in fibrosis. Conclusion: Rats with ACRF develop LV hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction while systolic performance was preserved. There was an increased hypertrophy and apoptosis of cardiomyocytes in the LV of ACRF rats. The cardiac abnormalities in ACRF rats resemble those in patients with CKD in which heart failure with preserved ejection fraction is common. Hence, this experimental model is well suited for studying pathophysiological mechanisms in chronic renocardiac syndromes.
Bushenshugan Formula Attenuates the Development of Lung Cancer by Inhibiting Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition
Authors: Fan Zhirui , Xue Wenhua , Dou Mengmeng , Li Lifeng , Lu Jingli , Ma Bingjun , Deng Xiaoming , Zhang Mingzhi , Zhai Yunkai , Wang Shuling , Zhao Jie
Published: July 2018

Background/Aims: BushenShugan Formula (BSF) is a traditional Chinese medicine that has therapeutic effects on middle- and late-stage lung adenocarcinoma in clinical application. It was reported that Bushen Chinese medicine suppressed the onset of pre-metastatic niches in a murine model of spontaneous lung metastasis. However, the mechanisms of BSF on human lung adenocarcinoma remain unknown. Methods: Cell proliferation was determined by CCK8 and colony formation. Cell apoptosis and cell cycle were detected by flow cytometry. Cancer stem cells properties were examined by spheroid body formation. The migration and invasion abilities were analyzed by wound healing assay and transwell invasion assay. The mRNA expressions were determined by qRT-PCR. Western blotting analysis showed the protein levels. Results: BSF was shown to inhibit the proliferation of A549 cells in time- and concentration-dependent manners. Colony formation assays also indicated the antiproliferative effect of BSF against A549 cells. Cellular mechanistic studies demonstrated that BSF arrested the cell cycle in G2/M phase and induced apoptosis. Importantly, BSF could inhibit the epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT) of A549 cells through PI3K/AKT/NF-κB pathway. Conclusions: BSF effectively inhibited tumour growth, suggesting that it is a promising anticancer treatment for further clinical development.
A Novel Mutation of SLC19A2 in a Chinese Zhuang Ethnic Family with Thiamine-Responsive Megaloblastic Anemia
Authors: Xian Xiaoying , Liao Lin , Shu Wei , Li Hongtao , Qin Yuanyuan , Yan Jie , Luo Jianming , Lin Fa-Quan
Published: July 2018

Background/Aims: Thiamine-responsive megaloblastic anemia syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder resulting from mutations in SLC19A2, and is mainly characterized by megaloblastic anemia, diabetes, and progressive sensorineural hearing loss. Methods: We study a Chinese Zhuang ethnicity family with thiamine-responsive megaloblastic anemia. The proband of the study presented with anemia and diabetes, similar to his late brother, as well as visual impairment. All clinical manifestations were corrected with thiamine (30 mg/d) supplementation for 1–3 months, except for visual impairment, which was irreversible. The presence of mutations in all exons and the flanking sequences of the SLC19A2 gene were analyzed in this family based on the proband’s and his brother’s clinical data. Computer analysis and prediction of the protein conformation of mutant THTR-1. The relative concentration of thiamine pyrophosphate in the proband’s whole blood before and after initiation of thiamine supplement was measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Results: Gene sequencing showed a homozygous mutation in exon 6 of the SLC19A2 gene (c.1409insT) in the proband. His parents and sister were diagnosed as heterozygous carriers of the c.1409insT mutation. Computer simulation showed that the mutations caused a change in protein conformation. HPLC results suggested that the relative concentration of thiamine pyrophosphate in the proband’s whole blood after thiamine supplement was significantly different (P=0.016) from that at baseline. Conclusions: This novel homozygous mutation (c.1409insT) caused the onset of thiamine-responsive megaloblastic anemia in the proband.
Elucidation of the FKBP25-60S Ribosomal Protein L7a Stress Response Signaling During Ischemic Injury
Authors: Jiang Quan , Wu Gang , Yang Lin , Lu Ya-Ping , Liu Xiu-Xiu , Han Feng , Deng Ya-Ping , Fu Xu-Chun , Liu Qi-Bing , Lu Ying-Mei
Published: July 2018

Background/Aims: Peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase FKBP25 is a member of the FK506-binding proteins family which has peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerase domain. The biological function and pathophysiologic role of FKBP25 remain elusive. Methods: The spatio-temporal changes in expression of endothelial FKBP25 upon oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) treatment were examined by Western blot and immunofluorescence. The immunoprecipitation and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) were used to address the interacting proteins with FKBP25. Results: In the present study, nuclear translocation of FKBP25 was observed following OGD in cultured endothelial cells. Intriguingly, FKBP25 nuclear translocation was further validated in peroxynitrite (ONOO-)-treated endothelial cells. Coimmunoprecipitation and FRET data indicated that FKBP25 translocated into the nucleus, in which it interacted with 60S ribosomal protein L7a, while overexpression FKBP25 protect endothelial cells against OGD injury. Conclusion: Our findings reveal that the nuclear import of FKBP25 and binding with 60S ribosomal protein L7a are protective stress responses to ischemia/nitrosaive stress injury.
Uma análise de O tambor de Günter Grass: recursos ficcionais para debater sua própria história
Authors: Kunrath Milena Hoffmann
Published: July 2018

Busca-se neste artigo analisar os recursos ficcionais utilizados pelo escritor Günter Grass em sua obra literária mais famosa, O tambor, na qual o autor recria, através do protagonista, Oskar Matzerath, sua própria história. Para tanto, o artigo coteja a obra de ficção O tambor com a autobiografia do autor alemão, juntamente com os percalços de sua trajetória pessoal.
Protagonistas de séries voltadas para a aprendizagem de alemão: uma análise da representação de falantes interculturais
Authors: Crespo Arthur Heredia , Rozenfeld Cibele Cecilio de Faria
Published: July 2018

Os materiais audiovisuais, como filmes e seriados, proporcionam ao professor a oportunidade de apontar exemplos de diferentes tipos de falantes da língua-alvo: tanto falantes nativos (comumente tomados como modelo) quanto interculturais (HOUSE 2007), sendo estes falantes não nativos que se apropriaram adequadamente da língua estrangeira para a comunicação. Apresentar falantes interculturais ao aluno é importante para que ele possa romper com a concepção de falante nativo ideal como modelo de aprendizagem (RAJAGOPALAN 2012); por essa razão, é imprescindível que esse tipo de personagem seja representado adequadamente em seriados e filmes. Tendo isso em vista, pretendemos analisar, neste trabalho, os seriados Erste Wege in Deutschland e Jojo sucht das Glück, no que se refere a suas protagonistas (ambas, supostamente, falantes interculturais). Foram analisados, respectivamente, dois e cinco episódios das séries, buscando refletir sobre as protagonistas com base na caracterização de falante intercultural nos estudos da área (BYRAM, GRIBKOVA E STARKEY 2002; HOUSE 2007; OLIVEIRA 2012). Os resultados apontam para uma representação artificial dessas personagens, pois elas reproduzem, de forma geral, características típicas de um falante idealizado, o qual gera imagens estereotipadas da língua-alvo.
Die audiovisuelle Übersetzung von Wortspielen am Beispiel der ecuadorianischen Webserie Enchufe.tv
Authors: Stein Timur
Published: July 2018

Die voranschreitende Internationalisierung audiovisueller Medien zieht die Notwendigkeit der Überbrückung sprachlicher Barrieren nach sich. In Deutschland, traditionell ein Synchronisationsland, werden dazu immer häufiger Untertitel herangezogen. Der vorliegende Beitrag setzt sich mit den Anwendungsmöglichkeiten dieser Form des audiovisuellen Übersetzens in Bezug auf humoristische Elemente auseinander. Dabei werden zwei theoretische Ansätze zur Übertragung des Komischen vorgestellt, die anschließend anhand des praxisnahen Beispiels dreier Sketche der ecuadorianischen Webserie Enchufe.tv auf die Probe gestellt werden. Den drei Sketchen ist gemein, dass sie sich auf Wortspiele, also auf eine Erscheinungsform des Komischen stützen, die sich der Wiedergabe in einer anderen Sprache in außergewöhnlichem Maße widersetzt. Auf diese Weise werden einerseits die Stärken der vorgestellten Methoden aufgezeigt, andererseits wird aber auch die Notwendigkeit ihrer Ausweitung auf die besonderen Eigenschaften audiovisueller Texte deutlich.
O Witz de Freud nas (re)traduções brasileiras: como traduzir chistes, chanças e trocadilhos
Authors: Bohunovsky Ruth
Published: July 2018

Este artigo se propõe a discutir algumas questões de interesse tradutológico referentes às três traduções brasileiras (1950; 1977; 2017) da obra Der Witz und seine Beziehung zum Unbewussten, de Sigmund Freud – cuja primeira publicação data de 1905. Parte-se de argumentos expostos em um debate entre o poeta e tradutor brasileiro Haroldo de Campos e o tradutor francês de Freud, Jean Laplanche, acerca das possibilidades de traduzir os chistes citados por Freud no referido livro, para identificar as diferentes estratégias adotadas pelos tradutores brasileiros. Longe de apresentar uma análise completa das diversas versões ou um cotejo exaustivo entre o original e as três (re)traduções, o que este trabalho visa é defender que elas constituem aproximações diferentes – porém todas válidas e potencialmente relevantes para o leitor-alvo – em relação a determinados aspectos da obra “original”.
Magische Momente“ im Klassenraum? Die Perspektive von Lehrkräften und Lernenden zum Einsatz von Spielfilmen in universitären und außeruniversitären Deutschprogrammen in Malaysia
Authors: Schaar Torsten , Chang Shi Wen , Gilgen Annika
Published: July 2018

Spielfilme als dominante Ausdrucksform kultureller Identität sind ein modernes, motivierendes, emotional ansprechendes und effizientes (ergänzendes) Lehr- und Lernmedium im Sprachunterricht, dass die Lernenden in „realistisch wirkende Kommunikation“ und aktuelle Landeskunde einführt sowie interkulturelle kommunikative Kompetenz entwickelt. Das Interesse der Deutschlernenden an Spielfilmen ist groß und vor allem auf das Erleben authentischer Sprache in realen Situationen, auf den Alltag und die zwischenmenschlichen Beziehungen in deutschsprachigen Ländern ausgerichtet. In der Mehrzahl der außeruniversitären DaF-Programme in Malaysia ist das Medium Film trotz aller theoretischen Einsichten seitens der Lehrenden noch immer unterrepräsentiert und beschränkt sich zumeist auf reine Unterhaltung bzw. auf die Vermittlung von landeskundlichen Aspekten. Die Ursachen liegen in der fehlenden Aus- und Fortbildung im Bereich Filmarbeit im Fremdsprachenunterricht und der sich daraus ergebenden Unsicherheit der Lehrkräfte bei der zielgerichteten Implementierung filmischer Textsorten im Unterricht. Hinzu kommen ein stark prüfungszentrierter, traditionell grammatikorientierter Unterricht sowie Zeitmangel, aber auch das Desinteresse vieler Lehrender an der aufwändigen didaktisch-methodischen Vorentlastung und Nachbereitung einer Filmvorführung. Lediglich in den BA-German Programmen werden Filme in verschiedenen Kursen zur Vermittlung von Sprache, Landeskunde, Geschichte, Literatur, Kunst und zum fremd- und eigenkulturellen Vergleich eingesetzt. Am German-Malaysian-Institute dienen deutsche Spielfilme vor allem der interkulturellen Vorbereitung künftiger Studierender ingenieurswissenschaftlicher Programme an deutschen Fachhochschulen.
The Mundane and Strategic Work in Collaborative Design
Authors: Hyysalo Virve , Hyysalo Sampsa
Published: July 2018

We address the design issue of mundane and strategic work in collaborative design. We do so through an examination of a series of participatory design activities in building a flagship library of the future. Both strategic and mundane work are found to permeate the processes, results, and further uptake of collaborative design outcomes as internal issues of user involvement, and not just as external context or excludable routine execution, which has been the prevailing view to them in design research to date.
Some People Think There Is Neg Raising, and Some Don’t: Neg Raising Meets Ellipsis
Authors: Jacobson Pauline
Published: July 2018

The interaction of Neg raising (NR) with VP-ellipsis (VPE) shows that if NR is a rule of grammar, then the conditions on VPE must be exact syntactic identity and must be insensitive to major semantic differences between the so-called antecedent and the meaning understood at the ellipsis site. In particular, the conditions on ellipsis must be so blind to the semantics that they allow a polarity reversal between the antecedent and the understanding at the ellipsis site. But the behavior of indexicals shows quite clearly that meaning is what counts for the understanding of VPE, not form. This in turn provides new evidence against a syntactic process of NR.
Accidental Gaps and Surface-Based Phonotactic Learning: A Case Study of South Bolivian Quechua
Authors: Wilson Colin , Gallagher Gillian
Published: July 2018

The lexicon of a natural language does not contain all of the phonological structures that are grammatical. This presents a fundamental challenge to the learner, who must distinguish linguistically significant restrictions from accidental gaps ( Fischer-Jørgensen 1952 , Halle 1962 , Chomsky and Halle 1965 , Pierrehumbert 1994 , Frisch and Zawaydeh 2001 , Iverson and Salmons 2005 , Gorman 2013 , Hayes and White 2013 ). The severity of the challenge depends on the size of the lexicon ( Pierrehumbert 2001 ), the number of sounds and their frequency distribution ( Sigurd 1968 , Tambovtsev and Martindale 2007 ), and the complexity of the generalizations that learners must entertain ( Pierrehumbert 1994 , Hayes and Wilson 2008 , Kager and Pater 2012 , Jardine and Heinz 2016 ).

In this squib, we consider the problem that accidental gaps pose for learning phonotactic grammars stated on a single, surface level of representation. While the monostratal approach to phonology has considerable theoretical and computational appeal ( Ellison 1993 , Bird and Ellison 1994 , Scobbie, Coleman, and Bird 1996 , Burzio 2002 ), little previous research has investigated how purely surface-based phonotactic grammars can be learned from natural lexicons (but cf. Hayes and Wilson 2008 , Hayes and White 2013 ). The empirical basis of our study is the sound pattern of South Bolivian Quechua, with particular focus on the allophonic distribution of high and mid vowels. We show that, in characterizing the vowel distribution, a surface-based analysis must resort to generalizations of greater complexity than are needed in traditional accounts that derive outputs from underlying forms. This exacerbates the learning problem, because complex constraints are more likely to be surface-true by chance (i.e., the structures they prohibit are more likely to be accidentally absent from the lexicon). A comprehensive quantitative analysis of the Quechua lexicon and phonotactic system establishes that many accidental gaps of the relevant complexity level do indeed exist.

We propose that, to overcome this problem, surface-based phonotactic models should have two related properties: they should use distinctive features to state constraints at multiple levels of granularity, and they should select constraints of appropriate granularity by statistical comparison of observed and expected frequency distributions. The central idea is that actual gaps typically belong to statistically robust feature-based classes, whereas accidental gaps are more likely to be featurally isolated and to contain independently rare sounds. A maximum-entropy learning model that incorporates these two properties is shown to be effective at distinguishing systematic and accidental gaps in a whole-language phonotactic analysis of Quechua, outperforming minimally different models that lack features or perform nonstatistical induction.
Race and Religion: Postcolonial Formations of Power and Whiteness
Authors: Nye Malory
Published: July 2018

I have two ambitions in this paper. The first is to explore a framework for talking about the intersections between the categories of race and religion, particularly with reference to critical race and critical religion approaches. The second is to discuss how discourses on religion are a particular type of racial formation, or racialization. The premise for this discussion is the historic, colonial-era development of the contemporary categories of race and religion, and related formations such as whiteness. Both religion and race share a common colonial genealogy, and both critical studies of race and religion also stress the politically discursive ways in which the terms create social realities of inequality. Although the intersections between these terms are often discussed as the ‘racialization of religion’, in this paper I follow Meer (2013) and others by concluding that the category of religion is in itself a form of racialization.
Disfiguring Christianity
Authors: Iqbal Basit Kareem
Published: July 2018

This essay reads Anidjar’s “critique of Christianity” to confront the history of Western rhetoric, in its separation of figure from referent. He reads blood as catachrestic—catachresis not as abuse of language but its actualization. From the perspective of the tropological system, one might track the different meanings of blood (metaphorical, metonymic, symbolic) of historical Christianity. But from the asymmetrical perspective of catachresis, blood maps out the divisive activity of Christianity, even in its institution of the propriety of figure.Bloodthus does not deliver a revolutionary program somehow “against” Christianity so much as demonstrate its impropriety. In so doingBloodpartakes of the temporality of besiegement expressed in the Darwish poem with which the essay opens, where the possibility of escape is neither relinquished nor celebrated but endured. A postscript takes up Anidjar’s reading ofMoses and Monotheismin order to raise the question of Islam.
An extinct hummingbird species that never was: a cautionary tale about sampling issues in molecular phylogenetics
Authors: PÉREZ-EMÁN JORGE L. , FERREIRA JHONIEL PERDIGÓN , GUTIÉRREZ-PINTO NATALIA , CUERVO ANDRÉS M. , CÉSPEDES LAURA N. , WITT CHRISTOPHER C. , CADENA CARLOS DANIEL
Published: July 2018

The selection of species and individuals for molecular analyses critically affects inferences in various fields of systematic biology including phylogenetics, phylogeography, and species delimitation. Especially in areas like the Neotropical region where molecular analyses have recovered substantial within-species divergence and unexpected affinities of populations (Turchetto-Zolet et al. 2013), biases resulting from incomplete taxonomic or geographic sampling may compromise the understanding of phylogenetic relationships (Avendaño et al. 2017). Here we describe a case in which assessments of the validity of a potentially extinct species of Neotropical bird were likely compromised because within-species variation was not accounted for in phylogenetic analyses evaluating the alternative hypothesis that the only known specimen may represent a hybrid.
Multi-locus phylogeny of southern African Acontias aurantiacus (Peters) subspecies (Scincidae: Acontinae) confirms the presence of three genetically, geographically and morphologically discrete taxa
Authors: PIETERSEN DARREN W. , SCHOLTZ CLARKE H. , BASTOS ARMANDA D.S.
Published: July 2018

Acontias aurantiacus (Peters) presently consists of five subspecies that are largely restricted to the coastal regions and offshore islands of Mozambique and northern South Africa, with subspecies being defined on the basis of morphological differences and/or parapatric distributions. In this study one nuclear (RAG1) and two mitochondrial (cyt b and 16S) genes of 30 individuals sampled from four Mozambican and five South African localities were used to assess the taxonomic relationships of three mainland A. aurantiacus subspecies. Our analyses suggest that A. aurantiacus is a species complex that is sister to A. bicolor (Hewitt), A. cregoi (Boulenger) and A. rieppeli (Sternfeld). Our molecular results support other lines of evidence (consistent morphological differences and parapatric distributions between the subspecies) in suggesting that each of these subspecies are taxonomically distinct. In light of this, and supported by the genetic distances between these subspecies which exceed those of other recognised Acontias species, we propose elevating A. fitzsimonsi (Broadley) and A. parietalis (Broadley) to specific status. Our results further suggest that the melanistic and typically-coloured forms of each taxon are nested within the same clades, supporting previous contentions that melanistic individuals are not cryptic taxa.
Ambient Factors Controlling the Wintertime Precipitation Distribution Across Mountain Ranges in the Interior Western United States. Part I: Insights from Regional Climate Simulations
Authors: Jing Xiaoqin , Geerts Bart , Wang Yonggang , Liu Changhai
Published: July 2018

This study analyzes the control of upstream conditions on the distribution of wintertime precipitation across mountain ranges in the interior western United States using 10 winters of high-resolution regional climate model data. Three mountain ranges, the Wind River Range, the Park Range, and the Teton Range, are selected to explore the statistical relations between the precipitation distribution and upstream wind, stability, and cloud conditions. A 4-km-resolution simulation is used for the former two ranges, and a 1.33-km-resolution simulation driven by the 4-km-resolution simulation is used for the Teton Range, which is smaller and steeper. Across all three mountain ranges, the dominant factor controlling precipitation is the mountain-normal low-level wind speed. Statistically, stronger wind results in heavier precipitation and a lower upwind precipitation fraction. The low-level wind generally veers with height during precipitation events, but the amount of veering does not unambiguously affect the precipitation distribution or intensity. The more the terrain blocks the upstream flow, the more the precipitation shifts toward the upstream side of the mountain and the weaker the overall precipitation rate is. A higher cloud-base temperature and a lower cloud-base height typically are associated with heavier precipitation. Deeper clouds tend to produce heavier precipitation and a slightly lower windward/leeward contrast. Convective precipitation proportionally falls more on the lee slopes than stratiform precipitation. The upstream and macroscale cloud conditions identified herein predict both the mean precipitation rate and the upwind precipitation fraction very well for the three ranges studied here.
A Two-Dimensional Dynamical Model for the Subseasonal Variability of the Asian Monsoon Anticyclone
Authors: Amemiya Arata , Sato Kaoru
Published: July 2018

The Asian monsoon anticyclone, which develops in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere during boreal summer, exhibits significant subseasonal variability with a characteristic spatial structure. The dynamics of this variability is investigated using a nonlinear β-plane shallow-water model. The equivalent depth is estimated using reanalysis data to relate the three-dimensional dynamics in isentropic coordinates to the shallow-water model. Composite analysis reveals the resemblance of the horizontal structures between the Montgomery streamfunction and thickness on the 360-K level. However, the coefficients of the linear regressions between those two variables are strongly dependent on latitude. The estimated equivalent depths of the northern region are more than 2 times greater than those of the southern region. This is attributable to the background thermal structure around the tropopause. Based on this, a latitude-dependent mean depth is incorporated into the shallow-water model to numerically investigate responses to a steady localized forcing in the subtropics. With the inclusion of the latitudinal dependence of the mean depth, the vortex shedding state is able to have a longitudinally confined structure, which differs from the conventional case of constant mean depth. The spatial structure of this numerical solution corresponds to the observed structure, in which low-PV air is largely confined to finite longitudes within the Asian monsoon anticyclone. This suggests the possible role of dynamical instability and the interaction with the subtropical jet in determining the characteristic structure of the Asian monsoon anticyclone.
Propagation of North Atlantic Deep Water Anomalies
Authors: Nieves David , Spall Michael
Published: July 2018

We present a simplified theory using reduced-gravity equations for North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) and its variation driven by high-latitude deep-water formation. The theory approximates layer thickness on the eastern boundary with domain-averaged layer thickness and, in tandem with a mass conservation argument, retains fundamental physics for cross-equatorial flows on interannual and longer forcing time scales. Layer thickness anomalies are driven by a time-dependent northern boundary condition that imposes a southward volume flux representative of a variable source of NADW and damped by diapycnal mixing throughout the basin. Moreover, an outflowing southern boundary condition imposes a southward volume flux that generally differs from the volume flux at the northern boundary, giving rise to temporal storage of NADW within the Atlantic basin. Closed form analytic solutions for the amplitude and phase are provided when the variable source of NADW is sinusoidal. We provide a nondimensional analysis that demonstrates that solution behavior is primarily controlled by two parameters that characterize the meridional extent of the southern basin and the width of the basin relative to the equatorial deformation radius. Similar scaling applied to the time-lagged equations of Johnson and Marshall provides a clear connection to their results. Numerical simulations of reduced-gravity equations agree with analytic predictions in linear, turbulent, and diabatic regimes. The theory introduces a simple analytic framework for studying idealized buoyancy- and wind-driven cross-equatorial flows on interannual and longer time scales.
Compensatory advantage in educational transitions
Authors: Bernardi Fabrizio , Triventi Moris
Published: July 2018

In this article, first, we present new evidence on a specific type of compensatory advantage (CA) mechanism in educational transitions and attainment, whereby students from socio-economically advantaged families compensate the negative event of achieving poor grades by ignoring them and disproportionally moving on to the next level of education. Using two independent data sources, we focus on the attainment of an upper secondary degree and the transition from high school to university in Italy, investigating the role of parental education and social class in compensating for an early poor academic performance. Second, we develop a simulated scenario analysis to assess how much of the observed social background inequality is due to the educational outcomes of poorly performing students from high social backgrounds. The results are consistent with the notion that a CA mechanism is in place and show that the advantage of individuals with higher backgrounds over those from lower backgrounds is much larger among students with bad marks in earlier school stages. We estimate that at least one-third of the observed social background inequality in educational transitions in Italy can be attributed to the CA mechanism. This result is consistent across different outcomes, samples and birth cohorts, and is robust to a number of sensitivity checks.
Inf(l)ecting mind/body dialectics: Self-emancipation through insubordiNation in Chika Unigwe’s Night Dancer
Authors: Cruz-Gutiérrez Cristina
Published: July 2018

As one of the most prominent voices of the so-called third generation of Nigerian authors, Chika Unigwe has engaged in the representation of female characters who embody alternative forms of feminism(s) in Nigeria and its diaspora. This article explores Unigwe’s novel Night Dancer (2012) as a distinctive third-generation novel advocating self-emancipation through the appropriation and reversal of patriarchal nationalist discourses which objectify and sexualize female bodies. The evolution of Ezi, Night Dancer’s main character, is examined in relation to Unigwe’s discussion of a lack of solidarity between women and the significance of intergenerational teaching. Against this background, I argue that the novel depicts Unigwe’s rejection of the mind/body dichotomy by relating it to Ezi’s commodification of her body, and to her engagement with and refusal of intergenerational discourses inscribing female bodies within epistemological nationalist discourses.
Mechanical characterization of polylactic acid reinforced bagasse/basalt hybrid fiber composites
Authors: King Francis L , Arul Jeya Kumar A , Vijayaragahavan Srinivasan
Published: July 2018

This paper focuses on the mechanical behavior of Polylatic acid reinforced Basalt and Bagasse fibers. The most important aspect in formulating this hybrid composite with better mechanical properties is the optimization of interfacial bonding between the reinforcing bagasse fiber and basalt fiber and polymer matrix. The composite of different weight proportion of the materials is compounded using twin screw extruder. The specimens were prepared by injection molding and subjected to various mechanical testing under tensile, flexural, and impact loads. It was found that 84 wt% of polylactic acid, 12 wt% of Basalt fiber and 4 wt% of Bagasse fiber composite exhibits better mechanical properties compared to other composites taken for study in this research. The better tensile, flexural, and impact strength of 52.8 MPa, 82.2 MPa, and 3.39 KJ/m2 were observed. The results show that the fiber content in weight percentage is playing a major than the fiber length on the improvement of tensile, flexural, and impact properties. The mechanical behavior obtained through experiments witnessed that Bagasse/Basalt fiber reinforcement in polylactic acid composites can be used as medium-load applications because of its low cost and ease of decomposability. The scanning electron microscope photography of the tested specimens shows better interfacial bonding between matrix and fibers. Also, the water absorption test indicates increase in fiber content increases the water absorption rate, reveals good degradation property of the composite. Additionally, the use of Bagasse fiber promotes the degradation of the material after its life time.
Material models and finite analysis of additively printed polymer composites
Authors: Ryu Jong Eun , Salcedo Eduardo , Lee Hyeok Jong , Jang Sung Jun , Jang Eun Young , Yassi Hamad Al , Baek Dongcheon , Choi Daniel , Lee Euntaek
Published: July 2018

There are urgent needs to characterize and model the mechanical property of additively manufactured composite materials, known as the digital materials, for the computational design and simulation. In this study, most utilized digital material samples, which are the mixture of base polymers, Tango Black+ and Vero White+, by PolyJet (Stratasys) are chosen. Four polynomial models (Neo Hookean model, and two-, three-, and five-parameter Mooney–Rivlin models) are used to fit mechanical tensile test results up to 30% of strain. The material models were adopted in the finite element analysis simulating the tensile test to validate their accuracy. The simulation results based on the two-parameter Mooney–Rivlin model predict the stress at 30% strain with small errors (8.2, 10.5, 0.9, 5.0, and 8.0 for Tango Black+, DM40, DM50, DM60, and DM70, respectively). Additionally, scanning electron microscopy was utilized to analyze the fracture surface of the base materials (Tango Black+ and Vero White+) and the digital materials.
Does Violent Secessionism Work?
Authors: Griffiths Ryan D. , Wasser Louis M.
Published: July 2018

Recent research suggests that the strategic use of violence may increase a group’s chance of gaining independence. We investigate this topic using comprehensive data on all secessionist movements between 1900 and 2006 and an original data set on the institutional and extrainstitutional methods that secessionists have used from 1946 to 2011. Our analysis yields several important findings. First, strategy depends on context. Not all secessionist movements are the same, and many have legal and/or institutional routes to independence that shape the methods that they employ. Second, no secessionist movement challenging a contiguous state has won its sovereignty without using institutional methods, either exclusively or in combination with extrainstitutional methods. Finally, we identify four successful combinations of secessionist methods and discuss how these movements develop in relation to their strategic setting. Overall, we find no evidence that violence helps a secessionist movement to gain independence.
Harm–benefit analysis – what is the added value? A review of alternative strategies for weighing harms and benefits as part of the assessment of animal research
Authors: Grimm Herwig , Olsson I Anna S , Sandøe Peter
Published: July 2018

Animal experiments are widely required to comply with the 3Rs, to minimise harm to the animals and to serve certain purposes in order to be ethically acceptable. Recently, however, there has been a drift towards adding a so-called harm–benefit analysis as an additional requirement in assessing experiments. According to this, an experiment should only be allowed if there is a positive balance when the expected harm is weighed against the expected benefits. This paper aims to assess the added value of this requirement. Two models, the discourse model and the metric model, are presented. According to the former, the weighing of harms and benefits must be conducted by a committee in which different stakeholders engage in a dialogue. Research into how this works in practice, however, shows that in the absence of an explicit and clearly defined methodology, there are issues about transparency, consistency and fairness. According to the metric model, on the other hand, several dimensions of harms and benefits are defined beforehand and integrated in an explicit weighing scheme. This model, however, has the problem that it makes no real room for ethical deliberation of the sort committees undertake, and it has therefore been criticised for being too technocratic. Also, it is unclear who is to be held accountable for built-in ethical assumptions. Ultimately, we argue that the two models are not mutually exclusive and may be combined to make the most of their advantages while reducing the disadvantages of how harm–benefit analysis in typically undertaken.
Prison Research: Challenges in Securing Permission and Data Collection
Authors: Sivakumar Vineetha
Published: July 2018

This article is developed from the contents from one of the chapters the researcher has written as part of her PhD thesis. It discusses various methodological challenges the researcher had to face during the phase of data collection in the prisons of Kerala, India, and the strategies adopted to overcome these challenges. This article is intended as a guide for researchers who want to conduct a qualitative enquiry in prisons in the future.
A Person-Centered Analysis of Motivation for Physical Activity and Perceived Neighborhood Environment in Residents of Assisted Living Facilities
Authors: Park Saengryeol , Ntoumanis Nikos , Fenton Sally A. M. , Stenling Andreas , Veldhuijzen van Zanten Jet J. C. S. , Thøgersen-Ntoumani Cecilie
Published: July 2018

This study sought to identify profiles of individual, social, and perceived neighborhood environmental correlates of physical activity (PA) and to explore differences between the identified profiles in PA. Residents of assisted living facilities ( N = 87, M age = 77.57 years) were recruited for the cross-sectional study. Participants reported their perceived support from important others for PA, basic psychological need satisfaction and motivation for PA, and perceived neighborhood environment around the assisted living facilities. Engagement in light PA and moderate-to-vigorous PA was measured by accelerometers over 1 week. We identified three profiles using latent profile analysis: ‘low self-determined and minimally supported', ‘moderately self-determined and supported', and ‘highly self-determined and supported'. Results showed participants in the highly self-determined and supported profile engaged in higher levels of light PA and moderate-to-vigorous PA than participants from other profiles. Findings showed perceptions of the neighborhood environment should be taken into account with motivation regarding PA.
The Impact of Tax and Expenditure Limitations on Municipal Revenue Volatility
Authors: Staley Tucker C.
Published: July 2018

Stable revenue flows are paramount for policy makers at all levels of government in order to effectively and efficiently provide goods and services to constituents. This work examines the relationship between tax and expenditure limitations (TELs) and municipal revenue volatility. The current literature suggests that more stringently binding TELs at the state level are associated with greater levels of revenue volatility. This work tests whether this finding extends to the local level of government as well. Examining ninety-nine municipalities over eight years (2004–2011), this work provides evidence that the stringency level of TELs is associated with reduced fluctuations in municipal revenue streams.
The skin of the map: Viewing cartography through tactile empathy
Authors: Rossetto Tania
Published: July 2018

Within the existing body of geographical work on touch, the haptic and the surficial, as well as within the emerging field of haptic media studies, cartography has not yet been specifically considered. Moving beyond a technical examination of special tactile map products, this article explores the tactile, haptic and surficial qualities of everyday cartographic experiences in digital, non-digital and mixed formats. These qualities are researched through a phenomenological-aesthetic lens, a sensuous disposition and a creative sensibility, thus enacting what could be described as ‘non-representational cartography’. Drawing from multisensory visual ethnography, this paper explores the perspective of ‘tactile empathy’ through photographic/video recordings based on the matching of seen and experienced touch described by neuroscientists. Some personal ‘map stories’ generate a possible agenda for the study of haptic cartographies, which includes: representations of cartographic tactility; 3D sensations; cartographic surfaces; the spatialities of maps; gestures, or maps as a touch space. This article is complemented by a photo essay available in the Society and Space open website at the URL http://societyandspace.org/2018/06/13/haptic-cartographies-a-photo-essay/
Flow-metabolism uncoupling in patients with asymptomatic unilateral carotid artery stenosis assessed by multi-modal magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: Göttler Jens , Kaczmarz Stephan , Kallmayer Michael , Wustrow Isabel , Eckstein Hans-Henning , Zimmer Claus , Sorg Christian , Preibisch Christine , Hyder Fahmeed
Published: July 2018

Oxygen extraction (OEF), oxidative metabolism (CMRO2), and blood flow (CBF) in the brain, as well as the coupling between CMRO2 and CBF due to cerebral autoregulation are fundamental to brain's health. We used a clinically feasible MRI protocol to assess impairments of these parameters in the perfusion territories of stenosed carotid arteries. Twenty-nine patients with unilateral high-grade carotid stenosis and thirty age-matched healthy controls underwent multi-modal MRI scans. Pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL) yielded absolute CBF, whereas multi-parametric quantitative blood oxygenation level dependent (mqBOLD) modeling allowed imaging of relative OEF and CMRO2. Both CBF and CMRO2 were significantly reduced in the stenosed territory compared to the contralateral side, while OEF was evenly distributed across both hemispheres similarly in patients and controls. The CMRO2-CBF coupling was significantly different between both hemispheres in patients, i.e. significant interhemispheric flow-metabolism uncoupling was observed in patients compared to controls. Given that CBF and CMRO2 are intimately linked to brain function in health and disease, the proposed easily applicable MRI protocol of pCASL and mqBOLD imaging might serve as a valuable tool for early diagnosis of potentially harmful cerebral hemodynamic and metabolic states with the final aim to select clinically asymptomatic patients who would benefit from carotid revascularization therapy.
Elastography and diffusion-weighted MRI in patients with testicular microlithiasis, normal testicular tissue, and testicular cancer: an observational study
Authors: Pedersen Malene Roland , Sloth Osther Palle Jørn , Nissen Henrik Dahl , Vedsted Peter , Møller Henrik , Rafaelsen Søren Rafael
Published: July 2018

Background

Ultrasound elastography is increasingly available in clinical practice. Recent studies showed higher velocity stiffness in testicular tumors compared to normal testicles.

Purpose

To evaluate ultrasound elastography in combination with the apparent diffusion coefficient measurements in diffusion weighted (DW) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in testicles. DW can be a useful tool in evaluating testicular malignancies. However, the relationship between velocity stiffness and MRI diffusion is not well established.

Material and Methods

We prospectively included 132 patients with testicular microlithiasis (n = 53), or normal testicular tissue (n = 53), or suspected for testicular cancer (n = 26). All 132 patients underwent ultrasonography including shear wave elastography and MRI diffusion coefficient examination of the scrotum.

Results

No clinically relevant difference in velocity stiffness was found between normal and testicles with microlithiasis. There was a significant difference in stiffness between patients with testicular microlithiasis (0.78 m/s), normal testicular tissue (0.77 m/s), and patients with testicular cancer (1.95 m/s) ( P ≤ 0.001). Similarly, there was a statistically significant difference in MRI diffusion values between patients with testicular microlithiasis (0.978 × 10−3 mm2 s−1), normal testicular tissue (0.929 × 10−3 mm2 s−1), and testicular cancers (0.743 × 10−3 mm2 s−1) ( P < 0.01).

Conclusion

Patients with testicular microlithiasis had no malignant characteristics measured with shear wave elastography or MRI diffusion. MRI diffusion and elastography may be useful to preoperatively differentiate benign from malignant testicular lesions.