bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Factors Affecting Match Performance in Professional Australian Football
Authors: Sullivan Courtney , Bilsborough Johann C. , Cianciosi Michael , Hocking Joel , Cordy Justin T. , Coutts Aaron J.
Published: April 2014

Objectives:

To determine the physical activity measures and skill-performance characteristics that contribute to coaches’ perception of performance and player performance rank in professional Australian Football (AF).

Design:

Prospective, longitudinal.

Methods:

Physical activity profiles were assessed via microtechnology (GPS and accelerometer) from 40 professional AF players from the same team during 15 Australian Football League games. Skill-performance measure and player-rank scores (Champion Data Rank) were provided by a commercial statistical provider. The physical-performance variables, skill involvements, and individual player performance scores were expressed relative to playing time for each quarter. A stepwise multiple regression was used to examine the contribution of physical activity and skill involvements to coaches’ perception of performance and player rank in AF.

Results:

Stepwise multiple-regression analysis revealed that 42.2% of the variance in coaches’ perception of a player’s performance could be explained by the skill-performance characteristics (player rank/min, effective kicks/min, pressure points/min, handballs/min, and running bounces/min), with a small contribution from physical activity measures (accelerations/min) (adjusted R2 = .422, F6,282 = 36.054, P < .001). Multiple regression also revealed that 66.4% of the adjusted variance in player rank could be explained by total disposals/min, effective kicks/min, pressure points/min, kick clangers/min, marks/min, speed (m/min), and peak speed (adjusted R2 = .664, F7,281 = 82.289, P < .001). Increased physical activity throughout a match (speed [m/min] β – 0.097 and peak speed β – 0.116) negatively affects player rank in AF.

Conclusions:

Skill performance rather than increased physical activity is more important to coaches’ perception of performance and player rank in professional AF.
A Polymorphism in a Functional Region of the COL5A1 Gene: Association With Ultraendurance-Running Performance and Joint Range of Motion
Authors: Abrahams Shameemah , Posthumus Michael , Collins Malcolm
Published: April 2014

Purpose:

Endurance-running performance and joint range of motion (ROM) are both multifactorial phenotypes. A single-nucleotide polymorphism, rs172722 (C/T), in the COL5A1 3′-untranslated region (UTR) was shown to independently associate with both phenotypes. Two major functional forms of the COL5A1 3′-UTR have been identified and differ by 7 tightly linked polymorphisms that include rs12722 and a short tandem-repeat polymorphism (STRP rs71746744, –/AGGG). It has been proposed that STRP rs71746744 plays a role in the predicted secondary structures and mRNA stability of the 2 major forms of the COL5A1 3′-UTR, therefore implying a regulatory role. The aim of this study was to determine whether STRP rs71746744 is independently associated with running performance and prerace sit-and-reach range of motion (SR ROM) in a cohort of ultramarathon road runners.

Methods:

One hundred six (74 men and 32 women, age 22–67 y) white runners who participated in either the 2009 or 2011 Two Oceans 56-km ultramarathon were included in this cross-sectional study. Their SR ROM measurements, COL5A1 rs71746744 genotype, and overall race times were determined.

Results:

COL5A1 rs71746744 was independently associated with running performance (P = .024) and prerace sr rom (P = .020). Moreover, the AGGG/AGGG genotype was significantly overrepresented in the fastest and inflexible athletes compared with those with either the –/AGGG or –/– genotype.

Conclusions:

These findings provide further evidence for a relationship between COL5A1, running performance, and SR ROM. Further studies are needed to investigate the effect of this variant on the mechanical properties of connective tissue.
Effects of 1 Versus 2 Games a Week on Physical and Subjective Scores of Subelite Soccer Players
Authors: Rollo Ian , Impellizzeri Franco M. , Zago Matteo , Iaia F. Marcello
Published: April 2014

The physical-performance profiles of subelite male footballers were monitored during 6 wk of a competitive season. The same squad of players played either 1 (1G, n = 15) or 2 (2G, n = 15) competitive matches per week. On weeks 0, 3, and 6, 48 h postmatch, players completed countermovement jump (CMJ), 10- and 20-m sprints, the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test (YYIRT), and the Recovery-Stress Questionnaire. Both groups undertook 2 weekly training sessions. The 2G showed after 6 wk lower YYIRT (–11% to 3%, 90% CI –15.8% to –6.8%; P < .001) and CMJ performances (–18.7%, –21.6 to –15.9%; P = .007) and higher 10-m (4.4%, 1.8–6.9%; P = .007) and 20-m sprints values (4.7%, 2.9% to 6.4%; P < .001). No differences were found at 3 wk (.06 < P < .99). No changes over time (.169 < P < .611) and no differences time × group interactions (.370 < P < .550) were found for stress, recovery, and the Stress Recovery Index. In conclusion players’ ability to sprint, jump, and perform repeated intense exercise was impaired when playing 2 competitive matches a week over 6 wk.
Effects of Domestic Air Travel on Technical and Tactical Performance and Recovery in Soccer
Authors: Fowler Peter , Duffield Rob , Vaile Joanna
Published: April 2014

The current study examined the effects of short-haul air travel on competition performance and subsequent recovery. Six male professional Australian football (soccer) players were recruited to participate in the study. Data were collected from 12 matches, which included 6 home and away matches against the same 4 teams. Together with the outcome of each match, data were obtained for team technical and tactical performance indicators and individual player-movement patterns. Furthermore, sleep quantity and quality, hydration, and perceptual fatigue were measured 2 days before, the day of, and 2 days after each match. More competition points were accumulated (P > .05, d = 1.10) and fewer goals were conceded (P > .05, d = 0.93) in home than in away matches. Furthermore, more shots on goal (P > .05, d = 1.17) and corners (P > .05, d = 1.45) and fewer opposition shots on goal (P > .05, d = 1.18) and corners (P < .05, d = 2.32) occurred, alongside reduced total distance covered (P > .05, d = 1.19) and low-intensity activity (P < .05, d = 2.25) during home than during away matches. However, while oxygen saturation was significantly lower during than before and after outbound and return travel (P < .01), equivocal differences in sleep quantity and quality, hydration, and perceptual fatigue were observed before and after competition away compared with home. These results suggest that, compared with short-haul air travel, factors including situational variables, territoriality, tactics, and athlete psychological state are more important in determining match outcome. Furthermore, despite the potential for disrupted recovery patterns, return travel did not impede player recovery or perceived readiness to train.
Prediction of Injury by Limited and Asymmetrical Fundamental Movement Patterns in American Football Players
Authors: Kiesel Kyle B. , Butler Robert J. , Plisky Philip J.
Published: April 2014

Context:

Previous injury is the strongest risk factor for future injury in sports. It has been proposed that motor-control changes such as movement limitation and asymmetry associated with injury and pain may be perpetuated as part of an individual's movement strategy. Motor control of fundamental 1-×-body-weight tasks can reliably and efficiently be measured in the field.

Objective:

To determine whether the motor control of fundamental movement patterns and pattern asymmetry have a relationship with time-loss injury over the course of the preseason in professional football.

Design:

Injury-risk study.

Setting:

American professional football facilities.

Participants:

238 American professional football players.

Intervention:

To measure the motor control of 1-×-body-weight fundamental movement patterns, Functional Movement Screen scores were obtained before the start of training camp. The previously established cutoff score of ≤14 and the presence of any asymmetries on the FMS were examined using relative risk to determine if a relationship exists with time-loss injury.

Main Outcome Measure:

Time-loss musculoskeletal injury defined as any time loss from practice or competition due to musculoskeletal injury.

Results:

Players who scored ≤14 exhibited a relative risk of 1.87 (CI95 1.20–2.96). Similarly, players with at least 1 asymmetry displayed a relative risk of 1.80 (CI95 1.11–2.74). The combination of scoring below the threshold and exhibiting a movement asymmetry was highly specific for injury, with a specificity of .87 (CI95 .84–.90).

Conclusion:

The results of this study suggest that fundamental movement patterns and pattern asymmetry are identifiable risk factors for time-loss injury during the preseason in professional football players.
Which Outcome Measures Should Be Used to Determine Readiness to Play After ACL Reconstruction?
Authors: Mueller Luke M. , Bloomer Ben A. , Durall Chris J.
Published: April 2014

Clinical Scenario:

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are associated with a lengthy recovery time, decreased performance, and an increased rate of reinjury. To improve performance of the injured knee, affected athletes often undergo surgical reconstruction and rehabilitation. Determining when an athlete is ready to safely return to play (RTP), however, can be challenging for clinicians. Although various outcome measures have been recommended, their ability to predict a safe RTP is questionable.

Focused Clinical Question:

Which outcome measures should be used to determine readiness to return to play after ACL reconstruction?
Social contracts and community forestry: how can we design forest policies and tenure arrangements to generate local benefits?
Authors: Benner Jordan , Lertzman Ken , Pinkerton Evelyn W.
Published: April 2014

There is widespread debate about the best strategies to provide local benefits in forest management. We evaluate recent policy changes in British Columbia, Canada, focussing on attempts to create local benefits from public forests through a community forestry program and broad policy changes in 2003 that removed obligations of tenure holders to process timber in areas near where timber was harvested. These obligations were intended to retain benefits of milling jobs locally and were considered part of a “social contract”. We evaluate these policy changes by asking two specific questions. (1) Do community forest tenures provide more local benefits than major industrial tenures? (2) How have the policy changes of 2003 affected the patterns of fibre flow over the period to 2008? We evaluate these questions through qualitative research and a quantitative fibre flow analysis using a large time-series dataset. Community forests as a group performed better than major industrial tenures in delivering local benefits as we defined them. However, large variation among individual community forests is evident, highlighting the disparate strategies used by communities to promote local benefits. Our fibre flow analysis did not reveal major changes following 2003, suggesting that broader fibre flow trends mask more local perturbations.
A sampling design for a large area forest inventory: case Tanzania
Authors: Tomppo Erkki , Malimbwi Rogers , Katila Matti , Mäkisara Kai , Henttonen Helena M. , Chamuya Nurdin , Zahabu Eliakimu , Otieno Jared
Published: April 2014

Methods for constructing a sampling design for large area forest inventories are presented. The methods, data sets used, and the procedures are demonstrated in a real setting: constructing a sampling design for the first national forest inventory for Tanzania. The approach of the paper constructs a spatial model of forests, landscape, and land use. Sampling errors of the key parameters as well as the field measurement costs of the inventory were estimated using sampling simulation on data. Forests and land use often vary within a country or an area of interest, implying that stratified sampling is an efficient inventory design. Double sampling for stratification was taken for the statistical framework. The work was motivated by the approach used by The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in supporting nations to establish forest inventories. The approach taken deviates significantly from the traditional FAO approaches, making it possible to calculate forest resource estimates at the subnational level without increasing the costs.
PUNJARPAbet: A NEW PHONETIC ALPHABET FOR SPEECH PROCESSING IN THE PUNJABI LANGUAGE
Authors: DHANJAL SURINDER , BHATIA SATVINDER SINGH
Published: April 2014

In this paper, a new phonetic alphabet called PUNJARPAbet for speech processing in the Punjabi language has been designed. The new phonetic coding scheme PUNJARPAbet developed in this paper has been primarily designed to encode the text and speech corpora recently developed by the authors in the Punjabi language. This recently developed corpus has at least 20 special features. PUNJARPAbet is capable of coding examples related to all special features of the new corpus. PUNJARPAbet is an all upper-case coding scheme and is consistent with the all upper-case version of the famous coding scheme ARPAbet developed by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA). The new scheme is very easy to follow, and is the most suitable scheme for typing on an ordinary computer keyboard as well as an ordinary typewriter. Unlike many other schemes such as the famous International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), the PUNJARAbet is free from the laborious, irritating, and time-consuming necessities for dealing with the special symbols. It has been clearly demonstrated in this paper that PUNJARPAbet is a versatile, efficient and convenient coding scheme for not only the Punjabi language, but also any language which has sounds similar to the ones found in the Punjabi speech.
Charge exchange response functions of finite nucleus by an extended Skyrme interaction
Authors: Wen Pei-Wei , Cao Li-Gang
Published: April 2014

The charge exchange resonances in finite nucleus, such as Gamow–Teller (GT) and Spin-Dipole (SD) resonances, have been studied in a self-consistent Hartree–Fock (HF) plus random phase approximation (RPA) approach by employing an extended Skyrme interaction with spin-density dependent terms. The calculations are performed within the KDE0v1 and KDE0v1st Skyrme interactions. The peak energy of GT response function is increased by about 1.4 MeV when the spin-density dependent terms are included. For total response function of SD resonance, the spin-density dependent terms give an overall repulsive contribution to the strength. The specific effect for each multipole presents a multipole dependence.
Relations between the Roman k-domination and Roman domination numbers in graphs
Authors: Bouchou Ahmed , Blidia Mostafa , Chellali Mustapha
Published: April 2014

Let G = (V, E) be a graph and let k be a positive integer. A Roman k-dominating function ( R k-DF) on G is a function f : V(G) → {0, 1, 2} such that every vertex u for which f(u) = 0 is adjacent to at least k vertices v1, v2, …, vk with f(vi) = 2 for i = 1, 2, …, k. The weight of an R k-DF is the value f(V(G)) = ∑u∈V(G) f(u) and the minimum weight of an R k-DF on G is called the Roman k-domination number γkR(G) of G. In this paper, we present relations between γkR(G) and γR(G). Moreover, we give characterizations of some classes of graphs attaining equality in these relations. Finally, we establish a relation between γkR(G) and γR(G) for {K1,3, K1,3+e}-free graphs and we characterize all such graphs G with γkR(G) = γR(G)+t, where [Formula: see text].
The California State University Mobile Atmospheric Profiling System: A Facility for Research and Education in Boundary Layer Meteorology
Authors: Clements Craig B. , Oliphant Andrew J.
Published: April 2014

The California State University Mobile Atmospheric Profiling System (CSU-MAPS) is a shared facility between San Francisco and San José State Universities providing researchers and students state-of-the-art atmospheric profiling measurements that require fast deployments and ease of use. CSU-MAPS is intended for boundary layer field research and comprises a suite of commercially available instruments including micrometeorological sensors mounted on a 32-m extendable tower trailer, a scanning Doppler wind lidar, a microwave temperature–humidity profiler, and upper-air sounding systems. The trailer is towed using a Ford F250 4 × 4 truck equipped with surface weather instrumentation and workstations for operating the lidar and microwave profiler. The flexible design of the measurement system allows for a large range of important research projects to be tackled. To date, the system has been used in four major field experiments. During 2011, CSU-MAPS was deployed to Salt Lake City, Utah, to investigate the behavior of persistent cold-air pools that lead to weeklong periods of extremely poor air quality that frequently exceed national health standards. In 2012, CSU-MAPS was deployed to three wildfire experiments in California, Florida, and Texas. CSU-MAPS has also been used to measure carbon, water, and energy cycling between ecosystems and the atmosphere. In addition, the system has been extensively used as an educational tool. This includes an annual field trip where students from both San José and San Francisco State Universities deploy the system in a mountain valley over the period of a week and analyze the data.
The Formation of Wider and Deeper Clouds as a Result of Cold-Pool Dynamics
Authors: Schlemmer Linda , Hohenegger Cathy
Published: April 2014

This study investigates how precipitation-driven cold pools aid the formation of wider clouds that are essential for a transition from shallow to deep convection. In connection with a temperature depression and a depletion of moisture inside developing cold pools, an accumulation of moisture in moist patches around the cold pools is observed. Convective clouds are formed on top of these moist patches. Larger moist patches form with time supporting more and larger clouds. Moreover, enhanced vertical lifting along the leading edges of the gravity current triggered by the cold pool is found. The interplay of moisture aggregation and lifting eventually promotes the formation of wider clouds that are less affected by entrainment and become deeper. These mechanisms are corroborated in a series of cloud-resolving model simulations representing different atmospheric environments. A positive feedback is observed in that, in an atmosphere in which cloud and rain formation is facilitated, stronger downdrafts will form. These stronger downdrafts lead to a stronger modification of the moisture field, which in turn favors further cloud development. This effect is not only observed in the transition phase but also active in prolonging the peak time of precipitation in the later stages of the diurnal cycle. These findings are used to propose a simple way for incorporating the effect of cold pools on cloud sizes and thereby entrainment rate into parameterization schemes for convection. Comparison of this parameterization to the cloud-resolving modeling output gives promising results.
The Structure and Evolution of Heat Waves in Southeastern Australia
Authors: Parker Teresa J. , Berry Gareth J. , Reeder Michael J.
Published: April 2014

The underlying large-scale dynamical processes responsible for the development of heat waves in Victoria, southeastern Australia, in summer are presented here. Heat waves are defined as periods of at least three days and two nights for which daily maximum and minimum temperatures exceed the 90th percentile for a particular location and month, using a station daily temperature dataset. Composites of upper-level potential vorticity anomalies from the Interim ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-Interim) reveal that heat waves in southeastern Australia are associated with propagating Rossby waves, which grow in amplitude and eventually overturn. The process of overturning generates an upper-level anticyclone over southern Australia and an upper-level trough to the northeast, with maximum amplitudes near the tropopause. The northerly flow associated with the circulation around the surface anticyclone advects hot air from the continental interior over the southeast of Australia, leading to extreme surface temperatures. Composite rainfall shows that precipitation is enhanced in the vicinity of the upper-level trough over northeastern Australia, consistent with adiabatically forced vertical motion, destabilization of the atmosphere, and modified moisture fluxes. Heat waves in the southeast are frequently accompanied by heavy rainfall over the northeast of the continent and adjacent ocean.
Uncertainty in Future High Flows in Qiantang River Basin, China
Authors: Tian Ye , Xu Yue-Ping , Booij Martijn J. , Wang Guoqing
Published: April 2014

Uncertainties in high flows originating from greenhouse gas emissions scenarios, hydrological model structures, and their parameters for the Jinhua River basin, China, were assessed. The baseline (1961–90) and future (2011–40) climates for A1B, A2, and B2 scenarios were downscaled from the general circulation model (GCM) using the Providing Regional Climates for Impacts Studies (PRECIS) regional climate model with a spatial resolution of 50 km × 50 km. Bias-correction methods were applied to the PRECIS-derived temperature and precipitation. The bias-corrected precipitation and temperature were used as inputs for three hydrological models [modèle du Génie Rural à 4 paramètres Journalier (GR4J), Hydrologiska Byråns Vattenbalansavdelning (HBV), and Xinanjiang] to simulate high flows. The parameter uncertainty was considered and quantified in the hydrological model calibration by means of the generalized likelihood uncertainty estimation (GLUE) method for each hydrological model for the three emissions scenarios. It was found that, compared with the high flows in the baseline period, the high flows in the future tended to decrease under scenarios A1B, A2, and B2. The largest uncertainty was observed in HBV, and GR4J had the smallest uncertainty. It was found that the major source of uncertainty in this study was from parameters, followed by the uncertainties from the hydrological model structure, and the emissions scenarios have the smallest uncertainty contribution to high flows in this study.
The Regional Influence of an Intense Sierra Barrier Jet and Landfalling Atmospheric River on Orographic Precipitation in Northern California: A Case Study
Authors: Neiman Paul J. , Ralph F. Martin , Moore Benjamin J. , Zamora Robert J.
Published: April 2014

A 915-MHz wind profiler, a GPS receiver, and surface meteorological sites in and near California’s northern Central Valley (CV) provide the observational anchor for a case study on 23–25 October 2010. The study highlights key orographic influences on precipitation distributions and intensities across northern California during a landfalling atmospheric river (AR) and an associated Sierra barrier jet (SBJ). A detailed wind profiler/GPS analysis documents an intense AR overriding a shallow SBJ at ~750 m MSL, resulting in record early season precipitation. The SBJ diverts shallow, pre-cold-frontal, incoming water vapor within the AR poleward from the San Francisco Bay gap to the northern CV. The SBJ ultimately decays following the passage of the AR and trailing polar cold front aloft. A statistical analysis of orographic forcing reveals that both the AR and SBJ are crucial factors in determining the amount and spatial distribution of precipitation in the northern Sierra Nevada and in the Shasta–Trinity region at the northern terminus of the CV. As the AR and SBJ flow ascends the steep and tall terrain of the northern Sierra and Shasta–Trinity region, respectively, the precipitation becomes enhanced. Vertical profiles of the linear correlation coefficient quantify the orographic linkage between hourly upslope water vapor flux profiles and hourly rain rate. The altitude of maximum correlation (i.e., orographic controlling layer) is lower for the shallow SBJ than for the deeper AR (i.e., 0.90 versus 1.15 km MSL, respectively). This case study expands the understanding of orographic precipitation enhancement from coastal California to its interior. It also quantifies the connection between dry antecedent soils and reduced flood potential.
Geostrophic Turbulence in the Frequency–Wavenumber Domain: Eddy-Driven Low-Frequency Variability*
Authors: Arbic Brian K. , Müller Malte , Richman James G. , Shriver Jay F. , Morten Andrew J. , Scott Robert B. , Sérazin Guillaume , Penduff Thierry
Published: April 2014

Motivated by the potential of oceanic mesoscale eddies to drive intrinsic low-frequency variability, this paper examines geostrophic turbulence in the frequency–wavenumber domain. Frequency–wavenumber spectra, spectral fluxes, and spectral transfers are computed from an idealized two-layer quasigeostrophic (QG) turbulence model, a realistic high-resolution global ocean general circulation model, and gridded satellite altimeter products. In the idealized QG model, energy in low wavenumbers, arising from nonlinear interactions via the well-known inverse cascade, is associated with energy in low frequencies and vice versa, although not in a simple way. The range of frequencies that are highly energized and engaged in nonlinear transfer is much greater than the range of highly energized and engaged wavenumbers. Low-frequency, low-wavenumber energy is maintained primarily by nonlinearities in the QG model, with forcing and friction playing important but secondary roles. In the high-resolution ocean model, nonlinearities also generally drive kinetic energy to low frequencies as well as to low wavenumbers. Implications for the maintenance of low-frequency oceanic variability are discussed. The cascade of surface kinetic energy to low frequencies that predominates in idealized and realistic models is seen in some regions of the gridded altimeter product, but not in others. Exercises conducted with the general circulation model suggest that the spatial and temporal filtering inherent in the construction of gridded satellite altimeter maps may contribute to the discrepancies between the direction of the frequency cascade in models versus gridded altimeter maps seen in some regions. Of course, another potential reason for the discrepancy is missing physics in the models utilized here.
Some Considerations for the Use of High-Resolution Mobile Radar Data in Tornado Intensity Determination
Authors: Snyder Jeffrey C. , Bluestein Howard B.
Published: April 2014

The increasing number of mobile Doppler radars used in field campaigns across the central United States has led to an increasing number of high-resolution radar datasets of strong tornadoes. There are more than a few instances in which the radar-measured radial velocities substantially exceed the estimated wind speeds associated with the enhanced Fujita (EF) scale rating assigned to a particular tornado. It is imperative, however, to understand what the radar data represent if one wants to compare radar observations to damage-based EF-scale estimates. A violent tornado observed by the rapid-scan, X-band, polarimetric mobile radar (RaXPol) on 31 May 2013 contained radar-relative radial velocities exceeding 135 m s−1 in rural areas essentially devoid of structures from which damage ratings can be made. This case, along with others, serves as an excellent example of some of the complications that arise when comparing radar-estimated velocities with the criteria established in the EF scale. In addition, it is shown that data from polarimetric radars should reduce the variance of radar-relative radial velocity estimates within the debris field compared to data from single-polarization radars. Polarimetric radars can also be used to retrieve differential velocity, large magnitudes of which are spatially associated with large spectrum widths inside the polarimetric tornado debris signature in several datasets of intense tornadoes sampled by RaXPol.
On Seeing Monkeys, Cows, and Beggars
Authors: Saldanha Kennedy , Klopfer Lisa
Published: April 2014

Through collaborative writing, the authors reflect on ethnographic engagement and critique “research tourism,” that is, drop-in, quick-fix “fieldwork” in developing countries. We position ourselves not as researchers vis-à-vis researched, but as two scholars set between researchers and researched, sometimes in the role of researcher but also stepping inside the binary to limn the gap. Through a dialogue across disciplines and a co-labor of writing, we inquire into the negotiation of research relationships in local contexts and how those relationships are conveyed in the academy. Using collaborative writing as our method of inquiry, we gather insights about our own roles and the unspoken relationships and expectations of researchers and researched in countries such as India. This allows us to introduce a multi-dimensional perspective on experiences that are usually represented from the single point of view of the researcher. This article begins in the middle of things because that is where we are.
My Imaginary Friend
Authors: Tamas Sophie
Published: April 2014

I have a problem with collaborative writing; the words themselves put me on edge. This piece follows the line of that affect down and through identity, agency, power, intimacy, responsibility, representation, and the creative process. It leaves a trail of words like breadcrumbs. From outer space, perhaps they trace the shape of the other, my lover, my imaginary friend, a cipher saying something about someone I might be.
Deleuze and Collaborative Writing
Authors: Wyatt Jonathan , Gale Ken , Gannon Susanne , Davies Bronwyn , Denzin Norman K. , St. Pierre Elizabeth Adams
Published: April 2014

In this article, the authors respond to Deleuze and Collaborative Writing: An Immanent Plane of Composition. The book’s authors (Jonathan, Ken, Susanne, and Bronwyn) and two discussants (Elizabeth St. Pierre and Norman Denzin) consider questions such as the following: What does this book open up? How might it help us to think differently (e.g. about inquiry, about collaboration, about the ethics of reading and writing in such an assemblage)? And how does it contribute to the growing literature on collaborative writing as method of inquiry?
Friction stir welding of PM2000 ODS alloy
Authors: Dawson K. , Cater S. , Tatlock G. J. , Stanhope C.
Published: April 2014

Friction stir welding has been used to join sheets of a ferritic, oxide dispersion strengthened alloy, PM2000. A stepped spiral probe, polycrystalline cubic boron nitride tool, with a shoulder diameter of 25 mm, was used to weld 4 mm thick plate in a butt joint configuration. The thermomechanically affected zone underwent dynamic recrystallisation during welding; the resultant microstructure consisted of equiaxed ferritic grains containing a dispersion of yttrium aluminium oxides. Microindentation measurements revealed a significant reduction in hardness within the weld zone, when compared to the parent material. The welding process induced an overall coarsening of the yttrium aluminium oxide particles and depletion in their number density. However, the precipitation of secondary phase particles, likely to be oxides, which took place during the welding process, is indicative that an element of mechanical alloying occurs during the welding process. Annealing the welds for 1 h at 1380°C produced a massive recrystallised grain structure in the weld zone and a uniform hardness across the parent and weld was achieved. Transmission electron microscopy showed that, subsequent to annealing, particles were coarser in the weld zone (33 nm mean diameter) than in the parent alloy (24 nm mean diameter). However, electron diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy confirm that the dominant oxide phase, YAlO3 perovskite (YAP), was the same in both regions. Oxide particle size and number densities were not uniform throughout the weld. Focused ion beam prepared surfaces revealed particles within the size range of 50–600 nm diameter in material beneath the tool shoulder/workpiece contact area; the average size of dispersoids in this region was 130 nm.
Microstructure and mechanical properties of ODS Fe14Cr model alloy processed by equal channel angular pressing
Authors: Auger M. A. , Leguey T. , de Castro V. , Monge M. A. , Pareja R.
Published: April 2014

A nanograin sized model oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) ferritic steel with nominal composition Fe–14Cr–0·3Y2O3 (wt-) was produced by mechanical alloying and consolidated by hot isostatic pressing. The alloy was submitted to severe plastic deformation by equal channel angular pressing (ECAP). Microstructural and mechanical characterisation was performed before and after ECAP. It was found that ECAP decreases and homogenises grain size without altering the nanoparticle dispersion, in addition to enhancing ductility and shifting the strength drop at high temperatures.
Microstructural and mechanical characterisation of ODS ferritic alloys produced by mechanical alloying and spark plasma sintering
Authors: Hernández-Mayoral M. , Serrano M. , Oñorbe E. , García-Junceda A. , Hilger I. , Kloeden B. , Weissgaerber T. , Ulbricht A. , Bergner F. , Radiguet B. , Etienne A. , Shariq A. , Dewhurst C. D.
Published: April 2014

Powders with nominal composition Fe–14Cr–2W–0·4Ti were mechanically alloyed (MA) with Y2O3 in a planetary ball mill at two different rotational speeds. Consolidation of the as milled powders was performed by spark plasma sintering (SPS). As milled powders showed a highly deformed microstructure with elongated nanometre grains and, depending upon the rotational speed, different stages of the nanocluster evolution were observed to be produced. In the case of consolidated materials, grain growth occurred during the SPS process and it was possible to observe the influence of the MA parameters, with larger and more homogeneously distributed grains at the higher rotational speed. Additionally, Ti was observed to be incorporated to the nanoclusters after SPS, indicating a further step in their evolution during consolidation. The mechanical behaviour of the SPS compacts was evaluated by tensile and small punch testing also showing the influence of the MA parameters in the material behaviour.
Microstructural and properties evaluation of M2 high speed steel after inoculating addition of powder W and WC
Authors: Chaus A. S.
Published: April 2014

Melt treatment methods that involve the addition of small amounts of surface-active or/and inoculating elements have permitted the development of improved high speed steels (HSSs) with greater carbide control. In this work, addition of powdered W and WC into the melt was used to improve the as cast microstructure of AISI M2 HSS and, as consequence, its properties after full heat treatment. Under the action of inoculants, there was a refinement of the primary grains of the matrix and a transition from a columnar dendritic mode of solidification (typically found in uninoculated AISI M2) to a predominantly equiaxed morphology in the inoculated steels. SEM and EDS confirmed that the inoculation favoured the formation of the M6C eutectic at the expense of the M2C and MC variants, which prevailed in the as cast microstructure of the uninoculated steel. The relationship between microstructure and the properties is discussed.
Knocking down CDK4 mediates the elevation of let-7c suppressing cell growth in nasopharyngeal carcinoma
Authors: Liu Zhen , Long Xiaobin , Chao Cheng , Yan Chen , Wu Qiangyun , Hua Shengni , Zhang Yajie , Wu Aibing , Fang Weiyi
Published: April 2014

Background

CDK4 is a protein kinase in the CDK family important for G1/S phase cell cycle progression. However, the roles and molecular mechanisms of CDK4 triggering nasopharynx carcinogenesis are still unclear.

Methods

Lentiviral-vector mediated shRNA was used to suppress CDK4 expression and examine its molecular mechanisms. Using immunohistochemistry, we analyzed CDK4 protein expression in clinicopathologically characterized nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cases and nasopharyngeal tissues (NPs). Survival curves were plotted by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log-rank test.

Results

In this investigation, we knocked down CDK4 expression and observed that NPC cell growth and cell cycle progression were significantly blocked by suppressing expression of CCND1, CDK6, and E2F1 as well as elevated p21 expression. Further, we found that reduced CDK4 expression elevated the expression of let-7c, a tumor-suppressive miRNA modulated by E2F1. We found that let-7c was markedly downregulated in NPC tissues compared to NPs and suppressed cell growth and cell cycle progression by modulating p15/p16/CDK4/E2F1 pathway. Finally, CDK4 protein was observed to be overexpressed in NPC tissues and could be considered an unfavorable prognosis factor for NPC patients although its independent prognostic value did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.087).

Conclusions

Our results demonstrated that overexpressed CDK4 is an unfavorable prognostic factor which suppresses the expression of tumor suppressive-factor let-7c through p21/CCND1/CDK6/E2F1 signaling, and inhibits cell proliferation by p15/p16/CDK4/E2F1 feedback signaling in NPC.
Approaches to ascertaining comorbidity information: validation of routine hospital episode data with clinician-based case note review
Authors: Soo Martin , Robertson Lynn M , Ali Tariq , Clark Laura E , Fluck Nicholas , Johnston Marjorie , Marks Angharad , Prescott Gordon J , Smith William Cairns S , Black Corri
Published: April 2014

Background

In clinical practice, research, and increasingly health surveillance, planning and costing, there is a need for high quality information to determine comorbidity information about patients. Electronic, routinely collected healthcare data is capturing increasing amounts of clinical information as part of routine care. The aim of this study was to assess the validity of routine hospital administrative data to determine comorbidity, as compared with clinician-based case note review, in a large cohort of patients with chronic kidney disease.

Methods

A validation study using record linkage. Routine hospital administrative data were compared with clinician-based case note review comorbidity data in a cohort of 3219 patients with chronic kidney disease. To assess agreement, we calculated prevalence, kappa statistic, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value. Subgroup analyses were also performed.

Results

Median age at index date was 76.3 years, 44% were male, 67% had stage 3 chronic kidney disease and 31% had at least three comorbidities. For most comorbidities, we found a higher prevalence recorded from case notes compared with administrative data. The best agreement was found for cerebrovascular disease (κ = 0.80) ischaemic heart disease (κ = 0.63) and diabetes (κ = 0.65). Hypertension, peripheral vascular disease and dementia showed only fair agreement (κ = 0.28, 0.39, 0.38 respectively) and smoking status was found to be poorly recorded in administrative data. The patterns of prevalence across subgroups were as expected and for most comorbidities, agreement between case note and administrative data was similar. Agreement was less, however, in older ages and for those with three or more comorbidities for some conditions.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates that hospital administrative comorbidity data compared moderately well with case note review data for cerebrovascular disease, ischaemic heart disease and diabetes, however there was significant under-recording of some other comorbid conditions, and particularly common risk factors.
Continuous endotracheal tube cuff pressure control system protects against ventilator-associated pneumonia
Authors: Lorente Leonardo , Lecuona María , Jiménez Alejandro , Lorenzo Lisset , Roca Isabel , Cabrera Judith , Llanos Celina , Mora María L
Published: April 2014

Introduction

The use of a system for continuous control of endotracheal tube cuff pressure reduced the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in one randomized controlled trial (RCT) with 112 patients but not in another RCT with 142 patients. In several guidelines on the prevention of VAP, the use of a system for continuous or intermittent control of endotracheal cuff pressure is not reviewed. The objective of this study was to compare the incidence of VAP in a large sample of patients (n = 284) treated with either continuous or intermittent control of endotracheal tube cuff pressure.

Methods

We performed a prospective observational study of patients undergoing mechanical ventilation during more than 48 hours in an intensive care unit (ICU) using either continuous or intermittent endotracheal tube cuff pressure control. Multivariate logistic regression analysis (MLRA) and Cox proportional hazard regression analysis were used to predict VAP. The magnitude of the effect was expressed as odds ratio (OR) or hazard ratio (HR), respectively, and 95% confidence interval (CI).

Results

We found a lower incidence of VAP with the continuous (n = 150) than with the intermittent (n = 134) pressure control system (22.0% versus 11.2%; p = 0.02). MLRA showed that the continuous pressure control system (OR = 0.45; 95% CI = 0.22-0.89; p = 0.02) and the use of an endotracheal tube incorporating a lumen for subglottic secretion drainage (SSD) (OR = 0.39; 95% CI = 0.19-0.84; p = 0.02) were protective factors against VAP. Cox regression analysis showed that the continuous pressure control system (HR = 0.45; 95% CI = 0.24-0.84; p = 0.01) and the use of an endotracheal tube incorporating a lumen for SSD (HR = 0.29; 95% CI = 0.15-0.56; p < 0.001) were protective factors against VAP. However, the interaction between type of endotracheal cuff pressure control system (continuous or intermittent) and endotracheal tube (with or without SSD) was not statistically significant in MLRA (OR = 0.41; 95% CI = 0.07-2.37; p = 0.32) or in Cox analysis (HR = 0.35; 95% CI = 0.06-1.84; p = 0.21).

Conclusions

The use of a continuous endotracheal cuff pressure control system and/or an endotracheal tube with a lumen for SSD could help to prevent VAP in patients requiring more than 48 hours of mechanical ventilation.
Autofocus Imaging: Image reconstruction based on inverse scattering theory
Authors: Behura Jyoti , Wapenaar Kees , Snieder Roel
Published: April 2014

Conventional imaging algorithms assume single scattering and therefore cannot image multiply scattered waves correctly. The multiply scattered events in the data are imaged at incorrect locations resulting in spurious subsurface structures and erroneous interpretation. This drawback of current migration/imaging algorithms is especially problematic for regions where illumination is poor (e.g., subsalt), in which the spurious events can mask true structure. Here we discuss an imaging technique that not only images primaries but also internal multiples accurately. Using only surface-reflection data and direct-arrivals, we generate the up- and down-going wavefields at every image point in the subsurface. An imaging condition is applied to these up- and down-going wavefields directly to generate the image. Because the above algorithm is based on inverse-scattering theory, the reconstructed wavefields are accurate and contain multiply scattered energy in addition to the primary event. As corroborated by our synthetic examples, imaging of these multiply scattered energy helps eliminate spurious reflectors in the image. Other advantages of this imaging algorithm over existing imaging algorithms include more accurate amplitudes, target-oriented imaging, and a highly parallelizable algorithm.
Two Bayesian Algorithms for the Estimation of Earthquake Parameters
Authors: Wang J. P. , Brant Logan
Published: April 2014

The purpose of the Bayesian approach is to integrate multiple sources of information into one final best-estimate with a unique algorithm, and a few applications have been developed for a variety of studies. This technical note provides two Bayesian algorithms for earthquake studies: the development of earthquake source-to-site distance distributions and the smoothing of earthquake rates in a region. In addition to the derivations, this note also provides demonstrations on the basis of real earthquake data to provide a better explanation of the two Bayesian algorithms proposed.
Experimental Evaluation of the Seismic Response of a Rooftop-Mounted Cooling Tower
Authors: Astroza Rodrigo , Pantoli Elide , Selva Francesco , Restrepo José I. , Hutchinson Tara C. , Conte Joel P.
Published: April 2014

This paper examines the seismic response of a cooling tower supported on four isolation/restraint (I/R) mounts. The tower was mounted on the roof of a five-story reinforced concrete building built at full-scale and tested on the large outdoor unidirectional shake table at the University of California, San Diego. The building was tested in two phases: (1) base-isolated and (2) fixed-base. In each phase, the building was subjected to six earthquake input ground motions reproduced by the shake table. In this paper, the measured response of the cooling tower and its supporting system are analyzed and compared to current code provisions.
North Torrey Pines Bridge Seismic Retrofit: Part I, Seismic Hazard and Geotechnical Design
Authors: Gingery James R. , Franke Kevin W. , Meneses Jorge F. , Zafir Zia
Published: April 2014

This paper and its companion ( Johnson et al. 2015 ) summarize the design assumptions, processes, and analytical methods that were employed in the seismic retrofit of an historic bridge. The North Torrey Pines Road Bridge in Del Mar, California, was built in 1933 and is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. The bridge had been classified as structurally and seismically deficient and functionally obsolete. A seismic retrofit project was performed to improve the seismic performance of the bridge while preserving its aesthetic and historic character. This paper describes the geotechnical and seismic hazard aspects of the retrofit project, which included deterministic and probabilistic seismic hazard analysis, earthquake time-history development, site-response analyses, evaluation of liquefaction triggering and its consequences, seismic slope displacement evaluations, and soil-structure interaction analyses. Geotechnical retrofit measures, including ground improvement and new abutment foundations, were developed and tailored to improving seismic performance to levels that were compatible with the seismic design criteria. The information presented in these two papers provides a case history that can serve as a point of reference for practicing engineers facing similar challenges.