bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Association between Baseline Kidney Function and Change in CRP: An Analysis of the Cardiovascular Health Study
Authors: Rifkin Dena E. , Katz Ronit , Fried Linda F. , Kestenbaum Bryan , Jenny Nancy Swords , Newman Anne B. , Siscovick David S. , Shlipak Michael G. , Sarnak Mark J.
Published: April 2010

Background: In cross-sectional analyses, C-reactive protein (CRP) levels are inversely related to levels of kidney function. The relationship between kidney function and subsequent changes in CRP is unknown. Methods: We studied 4,364 individuals from the Cardiovascular Health Study, a longitudinal cohort of community-dwelling older adults. Baseline eGFRcys was estimated using cystatin C. CRP was measured at baseline and after 3 and 7 years of follow-up; slopes of change in CRP were calculated. Results: The mean (SD) age of the cohort was 72 (5.2) years; mean (SD) eGFRcys was 78.9 (18.4) ml/min/1.73 m2. The median (interquartile range IQR) baseline CRP was 2.39 (1.22, 4.33) mg/l; the median (IQR) yearly change in CRP was –0.0051 (–0.020 to 0.27) mg/l/year. After adjustment for demographic characteristics and the initial level of CRP, each standard deviation lower baseline eGFR was associated with a small and non-significant yearly increase in CRP (0.032 mg/l/year; 95% CI: –0.005 to 0.070, p = 0.094). Conclusions: We did not find a relationship between eGFR and subsequent changes in CRP. The association between kidney function and CRP in cross-sectional analyses may reflect unmeasured confounding by atherosclerosis; alternatively, the burden of comorbidity and interval mortality in this population may have masked a stronger longitudinal association between kidney function and change in CRP. Further study in younger populations may clarify whether impaired kidney function leads to change in inflammation over time.
Prevention and Transplantation in Chronic Kidney Disease: What Is Achievable in Emerging Countries?
Authors: Persy Veerle P. , Remuzzi Giuseppe , Perico Norberto , Benghanem Gharbi Mohammed , Adu Dwomoa , Jha Vivekanand , Rizvi Adib , Ben Ammar Mohamed , Fongoro Sahare , De Broe Marc E.
Published: April 2010

Experts from all continents discussed the present and future of nephrology and transplantation medicine in emerging countries during a 3-day conference, supported by the World Health Organization, the International Society of Nephrology, the Transplantation Society – Global Alliance for Transplantation and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Mali. This conference was held in Bamako, Mali on December 4–6, 2008, and focused on prevention and treatment of chronic kidney disease in emerging countries. Apart from delivering high-quality medical and scientific knowledge, the meeting was mainly a call to action for emerging countries to start chronic kidney disease prevention and screening programs, develop end-stage renal disease registries and start or further elaborate transplantation programs. International as well as regional collaborations need to be stimulated and strengthened in order to allow emerging countries to acquire the information, technology, experience and skills necessary to achieve these ambitious goals.
Monochorionic Diamniotic Twin Pregnancies: Natural History and Risk Stratification
Authors: Lewi Liesbeth , Gucciardo Leonardo , Van Mieghem Tim , de Koninck Philippe , Beck Veronika , Medek Helga , Van Schoubroeck Dominique , Devlieger Roland , De Catte Luc , Deprest Jan
Published: April 2010

About 30% of monochorionic twin pregnancies are complicated by twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), isolated discordant growth, twin anemia-polycythemia sequence, congenital defects or intrauterine demise. About 15% will be eligible for invasive fetal therapy, either fetoscopic laser treatment for TTTS or fetoscopic or ultrasound-guided umbilical cord coagulation for a severe congenital defect in one twin or severe discordant growth with imminent demise of the growth-restricted twin. Ultrasound examination in the first and early second trimester can differentiate the monochorionic twins at high risk for adverse outcome from those likely to be uneventful, which may be useful for patient counselling and planning of care.
Fatal Factors of Clinical Manifestations and Laboratory Testing in Patients with Amniotic Fluid Embolism
Authors: Oi Hidekazu , Naruse Katsuhiko , Noguchi Taketoshi , Sado Toshiyuki , Kimura Satoshi , Kanayama Naohiro , Terao Toshihiko , Kobayashi Hiroshi
Published: April 2010

Aims: To identify factors leading to fatality of patients with amniotic fluid embolism (AFE). Methods: Patients who had fatal or nonfatal AFE were registered at the Hamamatsu University School of Medicine in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology from 1992 to 2006. Data collected included information about demographics and clinical characteristics. The fatal factors among these data were identified using χ2 analysis and the Mann-Whitney test. Results: One hundred and thirty-five patients met the criteria, which included fatal (n = 65) and nonfatal AFE (n = 70). Maternal full-term gestational weeks, multiparous and noncesarean sections were the risk factors for death found in this study (p < 0.01). Sialyl Tn levels (mean ± SD) in the serum of patients with fatal AFE (69.7± 126.4 U/ml) were higher compared to those with nonfatal AFE (48.3± 161.8 U/ml; p = 0.003). Each of three items (cardiac arrest, dyspnea or loss of consciousness) was more common in fatal AFE (p < 0.01). Maternal pregnancy and labor complications were not associated with the distinction between fatal and nonfatal AFE. Conclusion: Factors associated with patients with fatal AFE were identified. These included multiparity, noncesarean section at full-term and the three symptoms mentioned above. Sialyl Tn levels could be a possible prognostic fatality factor.
Naltrexone Implants Compared to Methadone: Outcomes Six Months after Prison Release
Authors: Lobmaier Philipp P. , Kunøe Nikolaj , Gossop Michael , Katevoll Tormod , Waal Helge
Published: April 2010

Background:After prison release, offenders with heroin use problems are at high risk of relapse and overdose death. There is a particular need for treatments that can be initiated in prison and continued after release into the community. Methadone maintenance treatment has been shown to reduce heroin use, criminality and mortality. Naltrexone implant treatment has not previously been evaluated in prison settings. Methods:This study compares the effects of naltrexone implants and methadone treatment on heroin and other illicit drug use, and criminality among heroin-dependent inmates after release from prison. Results:Forty-six volunteers were randomly allocated to naltrexone implants or methadone before release. Intention-to-treat analyses showed reductions in both groups in frequency of use of heroin and benzodiazepines, as well as criminality, 6 months after prison release. Conclusions:Naltrexone implants may be a valuable treatment option in prison settings.
The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory II: Stability over Time? A Seven-Year Follow-Up Study of Substance Abusers in Treatment
Authors: Ravndal Edle , Vaglum Per
Published: April 2010

Measuring personality disorders among substance abusers may entail special problems related to the reliability and validity of the instruments. The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory II (MCMI-II), a well-known self-reporting instrument, was used in a prospective study of drug abusers from 21 treatment programs in Norway (n = 481) to investigate the influence of substance abuse on the reliability and stability of the MCMI personality traits at intake to treatment and after 7 years (n = 342). As regards the drug-abusing and drug-free subgroups, the MCMI-II dimensional scores were equally reliable and stable in both groups, and were not influenced by the abusing state. Using the MCMI-II in a categorical diagnostic way did not show sufficient predictive validity. The MCMI-II dimensional scores should therefore be used to measure personality disorder traits among help-seeking and former drug abusers.
Prognostic Significance of Neutropenia on Day One of Anthracycline-Based Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Operable Breast Cancer
Authors: Ishitobi Makoto , Komoike Yoshifumi , Motomura Kazuyoshi , Koyama Hiroki , Inaji Hideo
Published: April 2010

Objectives: It is currently unknown whether neutropenia during neoadjuvant chemotherapy for early breast cancer is associated with prognosis. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 103 breast cancer patients who were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy including epirubicin-based chemotherapy followed by docetaxel. The association between neutropenia due to epirubicin-based chemotherapy and distant disease-free survival (DDFS) was assessed. Results: Thirty-one patients (30%) demonstrated neutropenia during the epirubicin-based regimen. Patients without neutropenia showed a significantly (p = 0.004) lower 5-year DDFS rate (64%) than those with neutropenia (97%). In addition, multivariate analysis showed that neutropenia is an independent prognostic factor for DDFS (p = 0.02). Conclusion: Neutropenia occurring in early breast cancer patients during the initial neoadjuvant treatment is strongly associated with a better prognosis.
Expression of Angiopoietin-Like 3 Associated with Puromycin-Induced Podocyte Damage
Authors: Jia Rao , Hong Xu , Li Sun , Haichun Yang , Chuanming Hao
Published: April 2010

Angiopoietin-like 3 (ANGPTL3) is a secreted protein of the angiopoietin family and is involved in angiogenesis and lipid metabolism regulation. However, there is little data regarding the role of ANGPTL3 in kidney injury. We recently reported the glomerular distribution of ANGPTL3 in Adriamycin nephropathy in rats. In the present paper, we report expression of ANGPTL3 by murine podocytes in vitro. Puromycin-induced injury of cultured podocytes showed a time-dependent upregulation of ANGPTL3 accompanied by a time-dependent downregulation of perlecan and agrin by Western blot and RT-PCR analysis. In addition, the increased expression of ANGPTL3 following gene transfection upregulated the expression of perlecan and agrin in podocytes. Double immunolabeling demonstrated colocalization of perlecan and ANGPTL3 on podocytes following pcDNA3.1-ANGPTL3 transfection. To explore how ANGPTL3 transfection modulates the effect of puromycin on podocytes, we compared cell adhesion in untreated podocytes and ANGPTL3-transfected podocytes. ANGPTL3 gene transfection significantly ameliorated puromycin-induced podocyte detachment. In conclusion, ANGPTL3 expression is upregulated in puromycin-induced podocyte damage and is associated with the reduction of perlecan and agrin expression.
Epoetin Delta as an Antifibrotic Agent in the Remnant Kidney Rat: A Possible Role for Transforming Growth Factor Beta and Hepatocyte Growth Factor
Authors: De Beuf Annelies , D’Haese Patrick C. , Verhulst Anja
Published: April 2010

Background/Aims:Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) may have therapeutic benefits beyond ameliorating anemia. Although ESAs have renoprotective effects in acute/chronic renal injury models, their effects on blood pressure could also worsen chronic renal failure (CRF). The development of human cell-derived erythropoietin analogue epoetin delta prompted us (1) to investigate whether in a 5/6th nephrectomy-induced CRF rat model, epoetin delta-mediated renoprotective effects occur independently of its hematopoietic effects and (2) to unravel the involvement of particular factors herein. Methods: After induction of CRF in Wistar rats, epoetin delta was administered for 8 weeks at different doses: 0 IU/kg (uremic control); 48, 100 or 300 IU/kg 1×/week, and 16 or 100 IU/kg 3×/week. During this period hematopoietic and renal functional parameters as well as systolic blood pressure (SBP) were monitored. Results: After 8 weeks, control CRF rats showed reduced hematocrit (Hct)/hemoglobin (Hb) levels and increased SBP. Epoetin delta dose-dependently attenuated the reduction in Hct/Hb. Furthermore, epoetin delta treatment resulted in reduced deterioration of renal function in CRF rats after 8 weeks which was accompanied by decreased collagen deposition, renal fibrosis and interstitial macrophage infiltration. Remarkably, these renoprotective effects did not show the same dose dependency as compared to that seen for the hematopoietic response and were also seen at subhematopoietic doses. Interestingly, epoetin delta treatment resulted in a dose-dependent decrease of profibrotic (TGF-β) and proapoptotic (Bcl-2-associated X protein) genes together with a significant dose-dependent increase of antifibrotic (hepatocyte growth factor) and antiapoptotic (Bcl-2) genes. Epoetin delta treatment had no effect on VEGF expression. Conclusion: Epoetin delta treatment could delay the progression of CRF through antiapoptotic and antifibrotic mechanisms. This protective action of epoetin delta on the kidney probably is not directly related to its hematopoietic effects.
Role of TGF-β1 in Bone Matrix Production in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells Induced by a High-Phosphate Environment
Authors: Wang Ningning , Wang Xiaoyun , Xing Changying , Sun Bin , Yu Xiangbao , Hu Jianming , Liu Jia , Zeng Ming , Xiong Mingxia , Zhou Shuqin , Yang Junwei
Published: April 2010

Aims: We demonstrated a relationship between transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and production of bone matrix in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) induced by a high-phosphate environment. Methods: Rat VSMCs were incubated in a high-phosphate (2.5 or 3.5 mM) or TGF-β1 (2 or 5 ng/ml) environment. TGF-β1 monoclonal neutralization antibody (50 µg/ml) was added to inhibit the TGF-β1 signal in high-phosphate medium. Production of TGF-β1 was analyzed by Western blot and real-time PCR. Core binding factor a1 (Cbfa1), osteopontin (OP), collagen type I (Col I) and osteocalcin (OC) was investigated by Western blot and immunofluorescence staining. Mineral deposition was assessed by von Kossa staining and o-cresolphthalein complexone method. Results: VSMCs transformation induced by high phosphate occurs via an autocrine loop of TGF-β1. First, high phosphate stimulated the production of TGF-β1 in VSMCs. Second, TGF-β1 could induce increased expression of osteoblast-specific transcription factor Cbfa1 and osteogenic molecule in VSMCs. Third, the TGF-β1 neutralization antibody largely attenuated the upregulation of Cbfa1 and bone matrix in high-phosphate-stimulated cells. However, neutralization of TGF-β1 could not inhibit high-phosphate-induced VSMCs calcification, indicating that TGF-β1 was not necessary for the deposition of calcium. Conclusion: TGF-β1 plays a crucial role in bone matrix production but not calcium deposition in VSMCs induced by a high-phosphate environment, and the blockade of TGF-β1 signaling may thus be a therapeutic strategy for use with vascular disease in a high-phosphate environment.
Characterizing the Spatial Patterns of Global Fertilizer Application and Manure Production
Authors: Potter Philip , Ramankutty Navin , Bennett Elena M. , Donner Simon D.
Published: April 2010

Agriculture has had a tremendous impact on soil nutrients around the world. In some regions, soil nutrients are depleted because of low initial soil fertility or excessive nutrient removals through intense land use relative to nutrient additions. In other regions, application of chemical fertilizers and manure has led to an accumulation of nutrients and subsequent water quality problems. Understanding the current level and spatial patterns of fertilizer and manure inputs would greatly improve the ability to identify areas that might be sensitive to aquatic eutrophication or to nutrient depletion. The authors calculated spatially explicit fertilizer inputs of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) by fusing national-level statistics on fertilizer use with global maps of harvested area for 175 crops. They also calculated spatially explicit manure inputs of N and P by fusing global maps of animal density and international data on manure production and nutrient content. Significantly higher application rates were found for both fertilizers and manures in the Northern Hemisphere, with maxima centered on areas with intensive cropland and high densities of livestock. Furthermore, nutrient use is confined to a few major hot spots, with approximately 10% of the treated land receiving over 50% of the use of both fertilizers and manures. The authors’ new spatial disaggregation of the rich International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA) fertilizer-use dataset will provide new and interesting avenues to explore the impact of anthropogenic activity on ecosystems at the global scale and may also have implications for policies designed to improve soil quality or reduce nutrient runoff.
On the Enhanced Temporal Coherency of Radar Observations in Precipitation
Authors: Jameson A. R. , Kostinski A. B.
Published: April 2010

In this work, the authors present observations of enhanced temporal coherency beyond that expected using the observations of the standard deviation of the Doppler velocities and the assumption of a family of exponentially decaying autocorrelation functions. The purpose of this paper is to interpret these observations by developing the complex amplitude autocorrelation function when both incoherent and coherent backscatter are present. Using this expression, it is then shown that when coherent scatter is present, the temporal coherency increases as observed. Data are analyzed in snow and in rain. The results agree with the theoretical expectations, and the authors interpret this agreement as an indication that coherent scatter is the likely explanation for the observed enhanced temporal coherency. This finding does not affect decorrelation times measured using time series. However, when the time series is not available (as in theoretical studies), the times to decorrelation are often computed based upon the assumptions that the autocorrelation function is a member of the family of exponentially decaying autocorrelation functions and that the signal decorrelation is due solely to the Doppler velocity fluctuations associated with incoherent scatter. Such an approach, at times, may significantly underestimate the true required times to decorrelation thus leading to overestimates of statistical reliability of parameters.
The Role of the Middle Atmosphere in Simulations of the Troposphere during Northern Hemisphere Winter: Differences between High- and Low-Top Models
Authors: Sassi Fabrizio , Garcia R. R. , Marsh D. , Hoppel K. W.
Published: April 2010

This paper compares present-day simulations made with two state-of-the-art climate models: a conventional model specifically designed to represent the tropospheric climate, which has a poorly resolved middle atmosphere, and a configuration that is built on the same physics and numerical algorithms but represents realistically the middle atmosphere and lower thermosphere. The atmospheric behavior is found to be different between the two model configurations, and it is shown that the differences in the two simulations can be attributed to differences in the behavior of the zonal mean state of the stratosphere, where reflection of quasi-stationary resolved planetary waves from the lid of the low-top model is prominent; the more realistic physics in the high-top model is not relevant. It is also shown that downward propagation of zonal wind anomalies during weak stratospheric vortex events is substantially different in the two model configurations. These findings extend earlier results that a poorly resolved stratosphere can influence simulations throughout the troposphere.
Spatial Pattern and Zonal Shift of the North Atlantic Oscillation. Part II: Numerical Experiments
Authors: Luo Dehai , Zhong Linhao , Ren Rongcai , Wang Chunzai
Published: April 2010

In this part, the spatial evolution of an initial dipole anomaly in a prescribed jet is at first investigated by numerically solving linear and nonlinear models without forcing in order to examine how the spatial pattern of a dipole anomaly depends on the meridional distribution of a specified jet. It is shown that in a linear experiment an initial symmetric dipole anomaly in the meridional direction can evolve into a northeast–southwest (NE–SW) or northwest–southeast (NW–SE) tilted dipole structure if the core of this jet is in higher latitudes (the north) or in lower latitudes (the south). This is in agreement with the result predicted by the linear Rossby wave theory in slowly varying media. The conclusion also holds for the nonlinear and unforced experiment.

North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) events are then reproduced in a fully nonlinear barotropic model with a wavemaker that mimics the Atlantic storm-track eddy activity. In the absence of topography the spatial tilting of the eddy-driven NAO pattern is found to be independent of the NAO phase. The eddy-driven NAO pattern for the positive (negative) phase can exhibit a NE–SW (NW–SE) tilting only when the core of a prescribed jet prior to the NAO is confined in the higher latitude (lower latitude) region. However, in the presence of the wavenumber-2 topography (two oceans and continents) in the Northern Hemisphere the spatial tilting of the eddy-driven NAO dipole anomaly can be dependent on the NAO phase. Even when the specified basic flow prior to the NAO is uniform, the eddy-driven positive (negative) NAO phase dipole anomaly can also show a NE–SW (NW–SE) tilting because the northward (southward) shift of the excited westerly jet can occur in the presence of topography. In addition, it is found that when the wavemaker is closer to the position of the initial NAO, the eddy-driven positive (negative) NAO phase pattern can display a whole eastward shift and a more distinct NE–SW (NW–SE) tilting. This thus explains why the first empirical orthogonal function of the NAO pattern observed during 1998–2007 exhibits a more pronounced NE–SW tilting than during 1978–97. It appears that the latitudinal shift of the jet, the large-scale topography, and the zonal position of the Atlantic storm-track eddy activity are three important factors for controlling the spatial tilting and zonal shift of eddy-driven NAO dipole anomalies.
Spatial Pattern and Zonal Shift of the North Atlantic Oscillation. Part I: A Dynamical Interpretation
Authors: Luo Dehai , Zhu Zhihui , Ren Rongcai , Zhong Linhao , Wang Chunzai
Published: April 2010

This paper presents a possible dynamical explanation for why the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) pattern exhibits an eastward shift from the period 1958–77 (P1) to the period 1978–97 (P2) or 1998–2007 (P3). First, the empirical orthogonal function analysis of winter mean geopotential heights during P1, P2, and P3 reveals that the NAO dipole anomaly exhibits a northwest–southeast (NW–SE) tilting during P1 but a northeast–southwest (NE–SW) tilting during P2 and P3. The NAO pattern, especially its northern center, undergoes a more pronounced eastward shift from P1 to P2. The composite calculation of NAO events during P1 and P2 also indicates that the negative (positive) NAO phase dipole anomaly can indeed exhibit such a NW–SE (NE–SW) tilting. Second, a linear Rossby wave formula derived in a slowly varying basic flow with a meridional shear is used to qualitatively show that the zonal phase speed of the NAO dipole anomaly is larger (smaller) in higher latitudes and smaller (larger) in lower latitudes during the life cycle of the positive (negative) NAO phases because the core of the Atlantic jet is shifted to the north (south). Such a phase speed distribution tends to cause the different movement speeds of the NAO dipole anomaly at different latitudes, thus resulting in the different spatial tilting of the NAO dipole anomaly depending on the phase of the NAO. The zonal displacement of the northern center of the NAO pattern appears to be more pronounced because the change of the mean flow between two phases of the NAO is more distinct in higher latitudes than in lower latitudes.

In addition, a weakly nonlinear analytical solution, based on the assumption of the scale separation between the NAO anomaly and transient synoptic-scale waves, is used to demonstrate that an eastward shift of the Atlantic storm-track eddy activity that is associated with the eastward extension of the Atlantic jet stream is a possible cause of the whole eastward shift of the center of action of the NAO pattern during P2/P3.
Vertical Velocity Statistics in Fair-Weather Cumuli at the ARM TWP Nauru Climate Research Facility
Authors: Kollias Pavlos , Albrecht Bruce
Published: April 2010

Fair-weather cumuli are fundamental in regulating the vertical structure of water vapor and entropy in the lowest 2–3 km of the earth’s atmosphere over vast areas of the oceans. In this study, a long record of profiling cloud radar observations at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program (ARM) Climate Research Facility (ACRF) at Nauru Island is used to investigate cloud vertical air motion statistics over an 8-yr observing period. Appropriate processing of the observed low radar reflectivities provides radar volume samples that contain only small cloud droplets; thus, the Doppler velocities are used as air motion tracers. The technique is applied to shallow boundary layer clouds (less than 1000 m thick) during the 1999–2007 period when radar data are available. Using the boundary layer winds from the soundings obtained at the Nauru ACRF, the fair-weather cumuli fields are classified in easterly and westerly boundary layer wind regimes. This distinction is necessary to separate marine-forced (westerlies) from land-forced (easterlies) shallow clouds because of a well-studied island effect at the Nauru ACRF. The two regimes exhibit large diurnal differences in cloud fraction and cloud dynamics as manifested by the analysis of the hourly averaged vertical air motion statistics. The fair-weather cumuli fields associated with easterlies exhibit a strong diurnal cycle in cloud fraction and updraft strength and fraction, indicating a strong influence of land-forced clouds. In contrast over the fair-weather cumuli with oceanic origin, land-forced clouds are characterized by uniform diurnal cloudiness and persistent updrafts at the cloud-base level. This study provides a unique observational dataset appropriate for testing fair-weather cumulus mass flux and turbulence parameterizations in numerical models.
Diagnosis of Zonal Mean Relative Humidity Changes in a Warmer Climate
Authors: Wright Jonathon S. , Sobel Adam , Galewsky Joseph
Published: April 2010

The zonal mean relative humidity response to a doubling of CO2 in a climate model is examined using a global climate model and an offline tracer transport model. Offline tracer transport model simulations are driven by the output from two configurations of the climate model, one with 1979 concentrations of atmospheric greenhouse gases and one with doubled CO2. A set of last saturation tracers is applied within the tracer transport model to diagnose the dynamics responsible for features in the water vapor field. Two different methods are used to differentiate the effects of circulation and transport shifts from spatially inhomogeneous temperature changes. The first of these uses the tracer transport model and is achieved by decoupling the input temperature and circulation fields; the second uses the reconstruction of humidity from the last saturation tracers and is achieved by decoupling the tracer concentrations from their saturation specific humidities. The responses of the tropical and subtropical relative humidities are found to be largely dependent on circulation and transport changes, particularly a poleward expansion of the Hadley cell, a deepening of the height of convective detrainment, a poleward shift of the extratropical jets, and an increase in the height of the tropopause. The last saturation tracers are used to illustrate the influence of changes in transport pathways within the GCM on the zonal mean relative humidity, particularly in the tropical upper troposphere and subtropical dry zones. Relative humidity changes near the extratropical tropopause and in the lower troposphere are largely dependent on changes in the distribution and gradients of temperature. Increases in relative humidity near the extratropical tropopause in both hemispheres are coincident with increases in the occurrence of local saturation and high cloud cover.
Radiation and Dissipation of Internal Waves Generated by Geostrophic Motions Impinging on Small-Scale Topography: Application to the Southern Ocean
Authors: Nikurashin Maxim , Ferrari Raffaele
Published: April 2010

Recent estimates from observations and inverse models indicate that turbulent mixing associated with internal wave breaking is enhanced above rough topography in the Southern Ocean. In most regions of the ocean, abyssal mixing has been primarily associated with radiation and breaking of internal tides. In this study, it is shown that abyssal mixing in the Southern Ocean can be sustained by internal waves generated by geostrophic motions that dominate abyssal flows in this region. Theory and fully nonlinear numerical simulations are used to estimate the internal wave radiation and dissipation from lowered acoustic Doppler current profiler (LADCP), CTD, and topography data from two regions in the Southern Ocean: Drake Passage and the southeast Pacific. The results show that radiation and dissipation of internal waves generated by geostrophic motions reproduce the magnitude and distribution of dissipation previously inferred from finescale measurements in the region, suggesting that it is one of the primary drivers of abyssal mixing in the Southern Ocean.
Chaotic Advection in an Archipelago*
Authors: Rypina Irina I. , Pratt Lawrence J. , Pullen Julie , Levin Julia , Gordon Arnold L.
Published: April 2010

Techniques from dynamical systems theory have been applied to study horizontal stirring of fluid in the Philippine Archipelago. The authors’ analysis is based on velocity fields produced by two high-resolution (3 and 6 km) numerical models. Particular attention is paid to identifying robust surface flow patterns and associating them with dominant Lagrangian coherent structures (LCSs). A recurrent wind-driven dipole in the lee of the coastline is considered in detail. The associated LCSs form a template for stirring, exchange, and biological transport in and around the dipole. Chaotic advection is argued to provide a relevant framework for interpreting mesoscale horizontal stirring processes in an archipelago as a whole. Implications for the formation of filaments, the production of tracer variance, and the scale at which stirring leads to mixing are discussed in connection with an observed temperature record.
Status of the TRMM 2A12 Land Precipitation Algorithm
Authors: Gopalan Kaushik , Wang Nai-Yu , Ferraro Ralph , Liu Chuntao
Published: April 2010

This paper describes improvements to the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager (TMI) land rainfall algorithm in version 7 (v7) of the TRMM data products. The correlations between rain rates and TMI 85-GHz brightness temperatures (Tb) for convective and stratiform rain are generated using 7 years of collocated TMI and TRMM precipitation radar (PR) data. The TMI algorithm for estimating the convective ratio of rainfall is also modified. This paper highlights both the improvements in the v7 algorithm and the continuing problems with the land rainfall retrievals. It is demonstrated that the proposed changes to the algorithm significantly lower the overestimation by TMI globally and over large sections of central Africa and South America. Also highlighted are the problems with the 2A12 land algorithm that have not been addressed in the version 7 algorithm, such as large regional and seasonal dependence of biases in the TMI rain estimates, and potential changes to the algorithm to resolve these problems are discussed.
Politics, violence and war in Kāmandaka’s Nītisāra
Authors: Singh Upinder
Published: April 2010

Arguing for a need to move beyond the dominant concerns of the historiography of early medieval India, this article emphasises the importance of historicising and incorporating the ideas of political theorists into the historical construct of the polity of this period. Its focus is a close textual analysis of Kāmandaka’s Nītisāra, an influential political treatise composed at the advent of the early medieval, which offers a graphic morphology of the monarchical power politics of its time, one that was rooted in the genre and scholarly tradition within which the text situated itself, the historical context in which it was produced and the ideas and perspectives of its author. The text maps a political world and reveals a political theorist’s engagement with the problems of the limits and control of monarchical power and violence. In crucial respects, the Nītisāra’s arguments on these issues are significantly different from those of its more famous predecessor, the Arthaśāstra. While the Arthaśāstra reflects a model of an arrogant, absolutist state, the Nītisāra represents a later, less exultant reflection on political power, one in which non-violence has significantly tempered the discussion of violence, especially with regard to punishment, the royal hunt and war.
Social Reliability in Qualitative Team Research
Authors: Sanders Carrie B. , Cuneo Carl J.
Published: April 2010

Much of the attention in team-based qualitative research has been on reflexivity, subjectivity, and emotionality in the relationships between researchers and subjects during data collection and analysis. There has been less emphasis on the relationships among researchers, especially the social dynamics of inter-coder agreement in what we call in this article ‘social reliability’. We explore three aspects of social reliability during team coding: explicit team knowledge, implicit team suppositions and assumptions, and explicit and implicit emotionality. Inter-coder reliability is not merely a methodological and scientific issue, but also a social one. Researchers ignore it at their peril. We suggest that researchers should endeavour to develop ways of explicitly recognizing and incorporating social reliability into their projects in order to enrich our understanding of research subjects.
Revisiting the Total Institution: Performative Regulation in the Reinventive Institution
Authors: Scott Susie
Published: April 2010

This article revisits the concept of the total institution (TI), critically assessing the extent to which it has changed from being repressively coercive to relatively voluntaristic. I propose two new concepts, the ‘Reinventive Institution’ (RI) and ‘performative regulation’, to take the debate forward. The model of the TI outlined in Goffman’s Asylums has been (mis-)interpreted as rendering its inmates powerless, but they also demonstrated agency through gestures of resistance. Conversely, RIs, which members elect to join for purposes of self-improvement, appear to celebrate the subject’s autonomy but suggest a unique form of social control based on mutual surveillance. This performative regulation is enacted through the interaction order, as members actively produce, negotiate and legitimate the exercise of power.
Consuming Chavs: The Ambiguous Politics of Gay Chavinism
Authors: Brewis Joanna , Jack Gavin
Published: April 2010

Paul Johnson’s (2008) article ‘Rude Boys’, published in an earlier issue of Sociology , scrutinizes critically the commodification of the male chav for consumption by middle-class homosexual men. This phenomenon, which Andrew Fraser (2005) calls ‘chavinism’, takes a number of different forms: pornography, sex lines, club nights etc. In part as a response to Johnson’s arguments concerning the ways in which chavinism ‘further devalue[s] the individuals and groups’ it depicts, creating a form of ‘symbolic violence’ (2008: 67), our article speculates further on the ambiguous implications of this minority consumer culture. To do this, we develop Connell’s (1992, 2002; Connell and Messerschmidt, 2005) concept of ‘hegemonic masculinity’ to discuss what gay chavinism might mean for ‘hegemonic homosexuality’.
Healthworlds: Conceptualizing Landscapes of Health and Healing
Authors: Germond Paul , Cochrane James R.
Published: April 2010

People think about health and illness in multifaceted ways, evidencing a conceptual complexity that corresponds to equally complex behaviours in relation to a diversity of healing practices. Stimulated by fieldwork in Lesotho and elsewhere, and engaging principally with Jürgen Habermas, we set out to introduce, explain and develop a conceptual innovation: healthworld. We argue that this notion describes and provides a key analytical tool for the field of health in its social context; a tool that can explain the empirical complexity of health beliefs (importantly, including religion) and behaviours, thereby illuminating possibilities for improving health practice and outcomes. Framed in relation to Habermas’s notion of lifeworld, the healthworld is identified as a distinctive ‘region’ of the lifeworld defined by a particular telos — that of comprehensive well-being, a lifeworld without dysfunction.
The Case for ‘Everyday Politics’: Evaluating Neo-tribal Theory as a Way to Understand Alternative Forms of Political Participation, Using Electronic Dance Music Culture as an Example
Authors: Riley Sarah C.E. , Griffin Christine , Morey Yvette
Published: April 2010

This article argues that youth cultural leisure and consumption practices have the potential to be sites for alternative political participation, an ‘everyday politics’ that involves a personalizing of politics and an ‘aloof ’ stance regarding official institutions. Drawing on the work of Harris (2001) and Maffesoli (1996), the article outlines the lenses that make up ‘everyday politics’, namely ‘sociality and proxemics’, ‘solidarity and belonging’, ‘hedonism’, ‘vitality and puissance’, and ‘sovereignty over one’s own existence’; empirically examining these lenses using qualitative data from a project on participating in electronic dance culture (clubbing, raving, partying). The article suggests that everyday politics is a useful concept in understanding alternative forms of political activism and calls for broader definitions of political participation, including those that do not have a social change agenda. The need for future work in theorizing and empirically examining how everyday and traditional political activities interact is highlighted.
Experiencing Food Allergy and Food Intolerance
Authors: Nettleton Sarah , Woods Brian , Burrows Roger , Kerr Anne
Published: April 2010

This article offers an analysis of 28 lay accounts of the experience of living with either food allergy or food intolerance in England. We structure the presentation of our data in terms of Mike Bury’s three types of narrative form — contingent, moral and core. We suggest that people with food allergies at risk of acute, severe and potentially fatal symptoms on exposure to allergens find their condition to be less socially problematic than do those who suffer intolerances to certain foods, which can result in chronic, but not life-threatening, symptoms. Drawing on the extant literatures on the sociology of food and eating we propose a conceptualization in relation to notions of identity, anomie and communality that attempts to make sense of this finding.
The Right to Rights?
Authors: Bloch Alice
Published: April 2010

This article examines the disjuncture between the theory of international refugee protection, human rights and citizenship rights and their practice. Drawing on data from a sub-sample of 500 Zimbabwean migrants taken from a larger survey of 1000 Zimbabweans in South Africa and the UK, it explores the labour market and transnational lives of undocumented migrants and compares them with migrants with other immigration statuses. The article demonstrates that while the protection and rights frameworks exist, in reality undocumented migrants cannot access protection and/or rights.
Mentoring and research supervision in music education: Perspectives of Chinese postgraduate students
Authors: Leong Samuel
Published: April 2010

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimated that the number of students studying outside their own country would be over 20 million by 2030. Chinese students have increasingly formed a large percentage of international students at universities across the English-speaking world, and the Chinese demand for transnational education is estimated to grow by 15 percent annually (CEDA, 2005). This paper reviews the literature and examines the key issues underpinning good practices in postgraduate supervision. In the context of music education, it emphasizes the importance of mentoring in postgraduate supervision supported by the perspectives of Chinese students surveyed regarding the roles and relationships between postgraduate supervisor and supervisee. The implications for research supervisors of Chinese students are discussed with recommendations for good mentoring practice in the field of music education.
Music teachers’ action research and the development of Big K knowledge
Authors: Cain Tim
Published: April 2010

Although action research is widely acknowledged to have benefits in terms of improving practice and professional development, its ability to generate new knowledge, and hence its status as research, is debatable. Indeed, there are questions as to whether it can be called ‘proper’ research. This article draws on the Southampton Music Action Research Project, 2007—08, to examine how seven secondary school music teachers undertook practitioner research projects in England, and what knowledge their projects generated. It finds that this knowledge included experiential, presentational, propositional and practical knowing. Although such knowledge is positioned as ‘Little K’ knowledge, the reception accorded to it by other teachers suggests that knowledge, generated by teachers’ action research, might sometimes have potential to be accepted as ‘Big K’ knowledge.
The Cataloging Cultural Objects experience: Codifying practice for the cultural heritage community
Authors: Coburn Erin , Lanzi Elisa , O'Keefe Elizabeth , Stein Regine , Whiteside Ann
Published: April 2010

A body of cataloguing practice has coalesced around Cataloguing Cultural Objects: a Guide to Describing Cultural Works and Their Images (CCO) since its publication in 2003. CCO is a manual for describing, documenting, and cataloguing cultural works and their visual surrogates. The primary focus of CCO is art and architecture, including but not limited to paintings, sculpture, prints, manuscripts, photographs, built works, installations, and other visual media. CCO also covers many other types of cultural works, including archaeological sites, artifacts, and functional objects from the realm of material culture. This paper examines the influence of CCO and its implementation in cataloguing settings for the museum and image library community. In drawing together three diverse scenarios, the authors have identified common strategies for particular challenges in each one. The showcase projects include: (1) the development of a de facto standard for contributing cultural and natural history collections to union catalogues and digital repositories by harmonizing the CDWA Lite and museumdat XML schemas; (2) the use of CCO in the Society of Architectural Historians Architecture Resources Archive (SAHARA) project, a shared online archive of photographs that document architecture and cultural landscapes worldwide — the SAHARA project developed a cataloguing template for use by scholars and librarians; and (3) the application of CCO alongside other guidelines in records for cultural works in library settings. Emerging CCO cataloguing practice has resulted in a significant body of records from the museum and image library communities headed for LAM (library/ archive/museum) integrated access environments. The authors comment on how cataloguing decision-making (e.g. differing concepts about a ‘work’) may impact the convergence of records in these environments.
Content development in an indigenous digital library: A case study in community participation
Authors: Greyling Elizabeth , Zulu Sipho
Published: April 2010

Africa and African libraries and information centres are poorly equipped to make a meaningful contribution to the current global digital knowledge economy. Low local content on the Web retards buy-in from local communities into digital resources and inhibits development of digital skills. A library with content of local relevance will encourage communities to make use of library services, especially if they are empowered to participate in development of the content. Public libraries serving ethnic communities whose histories are locked up in written, pictorial and oral traditions are well positioned to provide a platform for public engagement in the collecting and disseminating of indigenous knowledge in the communities they serve. This paper presents a case study in community participation in developing content for a digital library of local indigenous knowledge. Description of the programme highlights interaction between the library, the community and the technology used. Implementation challenges, results and lessons learnt are discussed and benefits to the community pointed out. In providing an online, contextually-based information service to local communities, public libraries in Africa will ensure future-oriented access to cultural heritage resources through 21st century information communication technologies (ICTs). The potential to reduce the digital divide will be enhanced and African communities will be introduced to the global information society.
Interactive open access publishing and public peer review: The effectiveness of transparency and self-regulation in scientific quality assurance
Authors: Pöschl Ulrich
Published: April 2010

The traditional forms of scientific publishing and peer review do not live up to the demands of efficient communication and quality assurance in today’s highly diverse and rapidly evolving world of science. They need to be complemented by interactive and transparent forms of review, publication, and discussion that are open to the scientific community and to the public. The advantages of open access, public peer review and interactive discussion can be efficiently and flexibly combined with the strengths of traditional publishing and peer review. Since 2001 the benefits and viability of this approach are clearly demonstrated by the highly successful interactive open access journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP, www.atmoschem-phys.net) and a growing number of sister journals launched by the publisher Copernicus (www.copernicus.org) and the European Geosciences Union (EGU, www.egu.eu). These journals are practicing a two-stage process of publication and peer review combined with interactive public discussion, which effectively resolves the dilemma between rapid scientific exchange and thorough quality assurance. The same or similar concepts have recently also been adopted in other disciplines, including the life sciences and economics. Note, however, that alternative approaches where interactive commenting and public discussion are not fully integrated with formal peer review by designated referees tend to be less successful. The principles, key aspects and achievements of interactive open access publishing (top quality and impact, efficient self-regulation and low rejection rates, little waste and low cost) are outlined and discussed. Further information is available on the internet: www.atmospheric-chemistry-and-physics.net/general_information/ public_relations.html