bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Intraseasonal Forecasting of the Asian Summer Monsoon in Four Operational and Research Models*
Authors: Fu Xiouhua , Lee June-Yi , Wang Bin , Wang Wanqiu , Vitart Frederic
Published: December 2012

The boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation (BSISO) is a dominant tropical mode with a period of 30–60 days, which offers an opportunity for intraseasonal forecasting of the Asian summer monsoon. The present study provides a preliminary, yet up-to-date, assessment of the prediction skill of the BSISO in four state-of-the-art models: the ECMWF model, the University of Hawaii (UH) model, the NCEP Climate Forecast System, version 2 (CFSv2), and version 1 for the 2008 summer (CFSv1), which is a common year of two international programs: the Year of Tropical Convection (YOTC) and Asian Monsoon Years (AMY). The mean prediction skill over the global tropics and Southeast Asia for first three models reaches about 1–2 (3) weeks for BSISO-related rainfall (850-hPa zonal wind), measured as the lead time when the spatial anomaly correlation coefficient drops to 0.5. The skill of CFSv1 is consistently lower than the other three. The strengths and weaknesses of the CFSv2, UH, and ECMWF models in forecasting the BSISO for this specific year are further revealed. The ECMWF and UH have relatively better performance for northward-propagating BSISO when the initial convection is near the equator, although they suffer from an early false BSISO onset when initial convection is in the off-equatorial monsoon trough. However, CFSv2 does not have a false onset problem when the initial convection is in monsoon trough, but it does have a problem with very slow northward propagation. After combining the forecasts of CFSv2 and UH into an equal-weighted multimodel ensemble, the resultant skill is slightly better than that of individual models. An empirical model shows a comparable skill with the dynamical models. A combined dynamical–empirical ensemble advances the intraseasonal forecast skill of BSISO-related rainfall to three weeks.
Ice Volume and Subglacial Topography for Western Canadian Glaciers from Mass Balance Fields, Thinning Rates, and a Bed Stress Model
Authors: Clarke Garry K. C. , Anslow Faron S. , Jarosch Alexander H. , Radić Valentina , Menounos Brian , Bolch Tobias , Berthier Etienne
Published: December 2012

A method is described to estimate the thickness of glacier ice using information derived from the measured ice extent, surface topography, surface mass balance, and rate of thinning or thickening of the ice column. Shear stress beneath an ice column is assumed to be simply related to ice thickness and surface slope, as for an inclined slab, but this calculation is cast as a linear optimization problem so that a smoothness regularization can be applied. Assignment of bed stress is based on the flow law for ice and a mass balance calculation but must be preceded by delineation of the ice flow drainage basin. Validation of the method is accomplished by comparing thickness estimates to the known thickness generated by a numerical ice dynamics model. Once validated, the method is used to estimate the subglacial topography for all glaciers in western Canada that lie south of 60°N. Adding the present ice volume of each glacier gives the estimated total volume as 2320 km3, equivalent to 5.8 mm of sea level rise. Taking the glaciated area as 26 590 km2 gives the average glacier thickness as 87.2 m. A detailed error analysis indicates that systematic errors are likely to increase the estimated sea level rise and when random errors are included the combined result is 6.3 ± 0.6 mm or, expressed as ice volume, 2530 ± 220 km3.
The Uneven Response of Different Snow Measures to Human-Induced Climate Warming
Authors: Pierce David W. , Cayan Daniel R.
Published: December 2012

The effect of human-induced climate warming on different snow measures in the western United States is compared by calculating the time required to achieve a statistically significant linear trend in the different measures, using time series derived from regionally downscaled global climate models. The measures examined include the water content of the spring snowpack, total cold-season snowfall, fraction of winter precipitation that falls as snow, length of the snow season, and fraction of cold-season precipitation retained in the spring snowpack, as well as temperature and precipitation. Various stakeholders may be interested in different sets of these variables. It is found that temperature and the fraction of winter precipitation that falls as snow exhibit significant trends first, followed in 5–10 years by the fraction of cold-season precipitation retained in the spring snowpack, and later still by the water content of the spring snowpack. Change in total cold-season snowfall is least detectable of all the measures, since it is strongly linked to precipitation, which has large natural variability and only a weak anthropogenic trend in the western United States. Averaging over increasingly wider areas monotonically increases the signal-to-noise ratio of the 1950–2025 linear trend from 0.15 to 0.37, depending on the snow measure.
Near-Inertial Waves in Strongly Baroclinic Currents
Authors: Whitt Daniel B. , Thomas Leif N.
Published: December 2012

An analysis and physical interpretation of near-inertial waves (NIWs) propagating perpendicular to a steady, two-dimensional, strongly baroclinic, geostrophic current are presented. The analysis is appropriate for geostrophic currents with order-one Richardson numbers such as those associated with fronts experiencing strong, wintertime atmospheric forcing. This work highlights the underlying physics behind the properties of the NIWs using parcel arguments and the principles of conservation of density and absolute momentum. Baroclinicity introduces lateral gradients in density and vertical gradients in absolute momentum that significantly modify the dispersion and polarization relations and propagation of NIWs relative to classical internal wave theory. In particular, oscillations at the minimum frequency are not horizontal but, instead, are slanted along isopycnals. Furthermore, the polarization of the horizontal velocity is not necessarily circular at the minimum frequency and the spiraling of the wave’s velocity vector with time and depth can be in the opposite direction from that predicted by classical theory. Ray tracing and numerical solutions illustrate the trapping and amplification of NIWs in regions of strong baroclinicity where the wave frequency is lower than the effective Coriolis frequency. The largest amplification is found at slantwise critical layers that align with the tilted isopycnals of the current. Such slantwise critical layers are seen in wintertime observations of the Gulf Stream and, consistent with the theory, coincide with regions of intensified ageostrophic shear characterized by a banded structure that is spatially coherent along isopycnals.
Press-Public Collaboration as Infrastructure
Authors: Ananny Mike
Published: December 2012

Understanding and evaluating systems for open collaboration depends, in part, on appreciating their normative and institutional contexts. In this article, I examine press-public collaboration by tracing how and why news organizations both distance themselves from and depend on networked actors outside the newsroom to achieve professional and organizational goals. I situate contemporary press-public networks within infrastructure scholarship, review their relationship to models of the public sphere, and trace the motivations and assumptions embedded within news organizations’ application programming interfaces, software toolkits that let those outside the newsroom access and repurpose journalistic data.
Islands of Prestige, Gated Ghettos, and Nonurban Lifestyles in Puerto Rico
Authors: Dinzey-Flores Zaire
Published: December 2012

Gates have become ubiquitous in Latin America in commercial locales, residential buildings, government buildings, schools, prisons, gas stations, parking lots, and churches. Residential gates, specifically, have created a new type of physical imagery that rearranges relations between communities and forces city navigators to recalculate their socio-spatial orientations. The gated communities of the rich and the poor in modern Puerto Rico signal an extreme segregation of lifestyles that has robbed city life of the spontaneous and diverse contacts that it once provided. Gated housing means exclusion and division, concretizing and formalizing inequality.

La rejas son ubicuas en la América Latina en los locales comerciales y residenciales, edificios, sedes gubernamentales, escuelas, reclusorios, gasolineras, estacionamientos, e iglesias. Específicamente, los accesos controlados residenciales han creado una nueva imagen física que cambia las relaciones entre comunidades y obliga a los navegantes urbanos a recalcular sus orientaciones socio-espaciales. Las comunidades cerradas de los ricos y los pobres en el Puerto Rico moderno señalan una segregación extrema de modos de vivir que le ha quitado a la ciudad los contactos espontáneos y diversos que antes se brindaban. La vivienda cerrada quiere decir exclusión y división, concretizando y formalizando la desigualdad.
The Urbanization of the Countryside
Authors: Wilson Japhy
Published: December 2012

The Plan Puebla Panamá (PPP) is a development program for the modernization of southern Mexico and Central America through the construction of transnational urban networks. The implementation of the PPP in Chiapas provides a significant example of the relationship between depoliticization and planned urbanization in the context of contemporary neoliberal governance. The production of space embodied in the PPP advances the consolidation of capitalist social relations and the extension of state power while representing this process as a pragmatic response to economic necessity in the interest of the common good. This project, however, is undermined by the constitutive antagonisms of neoliberal urbanization, as demonstrated by multiple place-based resistances and the ongoing development of the Zapatista autonomous territories.

El Plan Puebla Panamá (PPP) es un programa de desarrollo para la modernización de la región sureña de México y Centro América por medio de la construcción de redes urbanas trasnacionales. La implementación del PPP en Chiapas proporciona un ejemplo significante en la relación entre la despolitización y planificación urbana en el contexto de la gobernabilidad neoliberal contemporánea. La producción del espacio personificado en la PPP avanza la consolidación de relaciones sociales capitalistas y la extensión del poder del estado, mientras se representa este proceso como respuesta pragmática a la necesidad económica y el interés del bien común. Sin embargo, este proyecto se socava por los antagonismos constitutivos de la urbanización neoliberal, demostrado por la resistencia localizada y el desarrollo actual de territorios autónomos zapatistas.
The State of Ambiguity of the Communist Civic Center in Three Romanian Secondary Cities
Authors: Răuţă Alexander
Published: December 2012

The article proposes a revaluation of a type of public space constituted in communist Romania. New county capitals’ central squares, constituted between 1965 and 1989, are rightfully considered as a fertile source for architectural icons of the period, as well as embodiments of totalitarian power. Yet, the present research, based on case studies, brings evidence that they not only constituted quite diverse answers to a homogenizing ambition, but also that political tension around these civic centers ended up providing often disarticulated results. Such results testify today more convincingly about the weaknesses of the communist system than about its aims to provide unity samples of leadership for people.
Sidewalk Narratives, Tenement Narratives
Authors: Rowan Jamin Creed
Published: December 2012

This essay argues that the settlement movement was inextricably bound up with the life and death of urban renewal. It traces the origins and development of the urban narratives that motivated and sustained settlement workers’ complex involvement in the physical and figurative processes of remaking the neighborhoods in which they lived. More specifically, the essay examines several settlement leaders’ deployment of a “sidewalk narrative” and “tenement narrative” to both advocate slum clearance and public housing and to unravel the logic of urban renewal. When we assess settlement leaders’ roles in shaping the narratives underpinning urban renewal, we become less concerned with blaming them for redevelopment’s social injuries or in excusing them because of their good intentions.
Local Meets Global
Authors: Spodek Howard
Published: December 2012

Urban theorists assert that cities need to be understood not only in terms of their internal systems but also in terms of their national and global connections. This study provides an analysis of these global connections for the city of Ahmedabad, India, through the twentieth century and into the twenty-first. It highlights three “events” and discusses their international ramifications: the arrival of Gandhi in 1915; the increasingly global reach of local manufacturing and cultural institutions; and the international censure of the Hindu–Muslim violence in the city, especially in 2002. It closes with a plea to urban historians to heed the arguments of the theoreticians and consider fully the significance of global connections in the study of individual urban histories.
Real-time on line tuning of fuzzy controller for two-link rigid–flexible robot manipulators
Authors: Marwan A , Farrukh Nagi , Sahari KSM , Hanim S
Published: December 2012

In this paper, an online time self-tuning multi-input–multi-output (MIMO) fuzzy bang-bang controller (FBBC) is proposed for the control of two-link rigid and flexible robot manipulators. Two-link rigid and flexible robot manipulators are highly non-linear plants. The fuzzy control is based on the Takagi–Sugeno-type architecture fuzzy model combined with online self-tuning so that both the desired transient and steady-state responses can be achieved. The proposed FBBC is different from a fuzzy logic controller (FLC) in that it has a bi-level output like a relay but with fuzzy inputs. The online self-tuning is based on the gradient of steepest descent tuning method, which tunes the FBBC’s input and output gains. The controller operation is demonstrated and compared with a classic FLC and sliding mode controller (SMC) by simulation to highlight its tracking ability and the manipulator’s positioning control with rigid and flexible robot types. Based on the simulation results, the proposed controller with this tuning strategy was found to be superior at different operating conditions.
The Toxicity and Pathology of Selected Dietary Herbal Medicines
Authors: Dunnick June K. , Nyska Abraham
Published: December 2012

Toxicity studies were conducted by the National Toxicology Program (NTP) to provide information on the potential for toxicity from long-term use of commonly used herbal medicines. Here, we review the findings from these NTP toxicology/carcinogenesis 2-year rodent studies of 7 commonly used herbs. In these studies, the individual herb or herbal product was administered to F344/N rats and B6C3F1 mice by oral administration for up to 2 years. The spectrum of carcinogenic responses ranged from no or equivocal evidence for carcinogenic activity (ginseng, milk thistle, and turmeric oleoresin) to a liver tumor response (ginkgo, goldenseal, kava), thyroid tumor response (ginkgo), or an intestinal tumor response ( Aloe vera whole leaf nondecolorized extract). Different mechanisms may be involved in the occurrence of liver (ginkgo, goldenseal, and kava kava) and gastrointestinal toxicity (turmeric oleoresin and Aloe vera whole leaf nondecolorized extract), while the toxic lesion is the same. The results from these hazard identification toxicity/carcinogenesis studies along with those from ongoing National Institute of Health clinical trials of herbal medicines provide more complete information on the risks and benefits from herbal medicine use in the general population.
Hepatocellular Carcinomas in B6C3F1 Mice Treated with Ginkgo biloba Extract for Two Years Differ from Spontaneous Liver Tumors in Cancer Gene Mutations and Genomic Pathways
Authors: Hoenerhoff Mark J. , Pandiri Arun R. , Snyder Stephanie A. , Hong Hue-Hua L. , Ton Thai-Vu , Peddada Shyamal , Shockley Keith , Witt Kristine , Chan Po , Rider Cynthia , Kooistra Linda , Nyska Abraham , Sills Robert C.
Published: December 2012

Ginkgo biloba leaf extract (GBE) has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine and today is used as an herbal supplement touted for improving neural function and for its antioxidant and anticancer effects. Herbal supplements have the potential for consumption over extended periods of time, with a general lack of sufficient data on long-term carcinogenicity risk. Exposure of B6C3F1 mice to GBE in the 2-year National Toxicology Program carcinogenicity bioassay resulted in a dose-dependent increase in hepatocellular tumors, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We show that the mechanism of hepatocarcinogenesis in GBE exposed animals is complex, involving alterations in H-ras and Ctnnb1 mutation spectra, WNT pathway dysregulation, and significantly altered gene expression associated with oncogenesis, HCC development, and chronic xenobiotic and oxidative stress compared to spontaneous HCC. This study provides a molecular context for the genetic changes associated with hepatocarcinogenesis in GBE exposed mice and illustrates the marked differences between these tumors and those arising spontaneously in the B6C3F1 mouse. The molecular changes observed in HCC from GBE-treated animals may be of relevance to those seen in human HCC and other types of cancer, and provide important data on potential mechanisms of GBE hepatocarcinogenesis.
Condylomatous Genital Lesions in Cynomolgus Macaques from Mauritius
Authors: Harari Ariana , Wood Charles E. , Van Doorslaer Koenraad , Chen Zigui , Domaingue Marie Claire , Elmore David , Koenig Patricia , Wagner Janice D. , Jennings Ryan N. , Burk Robert D.
Published: December 2012

Genital condyloma-like lesions were observed on male and female cynomolgus macaque monkeys ( Macaca fascicularis) originating from the island of Mauritius. Cytobrush and/or biopsy samples were obtained from lesions of 57 affected macaques. Primary histologic features included eosinophilic, neutrophilic, and lymphoplasmacytic penile and vulvar inflammation, epidermal hyperplasia with acanthosis, and increased collagenous stroma. Polymerase chain reaction–based assays to amplify viral DNA revealed the presence of macaque lymphocryptovirus (LCV) DNA but not papillomavirus or poxvirus DNA. Subsequent DNA analyses of 3 genomic regions of LCV identified isolates associated with lesions in 19/25 (76%) biopsies and 19/57 (33%) cytology samples. Variable immunolabeling for proteins related to the human LCV Epstein Barr Virus was observed within intralesional plasma cells, stromal cells, and epithelial cells. Further work is needed to characterize the epidemiologic features of these lesions and their association with LCV infection in Mauritian-origin macaques.
ECMO cannula review
Authors: Kohler K , Valchanov K , Nias G , Vuylsteke A
Published: December 2012

This paper reviews the basic fluid dynamics underlying extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) cannula design. General cannula features and their effect on flow are discussed and the specific requirements of different ECMO circuits are explained. The current commercially available cannula options for veno-arterial and veno-venous circuits are reviewed and the main characteristics presented.
Soybean oil: a potentially new intravascular perfusate
Authors: Armbruster M , Grimley E , Rodriguez J , Nacionales D , Efron P , Moldawer L , Papadopoulos K , Ungaro R , Cuenca A , Simpkins C
Published: December 2012

Background:

Given that micelles of lipids are colloids, the hypothesis was generated that the rapid administration of large volumes of soybean oil micelles would be an effective perfusion fluid. We also hypothesized that oxygen loading would be enhanced due to the greater solubility of oxygen in lipids compared to water.

Methods:

A 100% lethal mouse model of blood loss was used to compare the ability of soybean oil micelles to that of Ringer’s lactate, blood and other fluids, with respect to raising and maintaining the blood pressure for one hour. Oxygen on- and off-loading of various concentrations of soybean oil micelles was determined using mass spectroscopy. Nitric oxide uptake by micelles was also determined in a similar fashion.

Results:

A 20% soybean oil emulsion was superior to Ringer’s lactate in raising and maintaining blood pressure. A 20% soybean oil emulsion with 5% albumin added was superior to shed blood as well as solutions comprised of 5% albumin added to either normal saline or Ringer’s lactate. There was a linear relationship between oxygen content and micelle concentration between 10% and 30%. Off-loading of oxygen from the micelles was nearly as fast as off-loading from water. Nitric oxide also loaded preferentially onto soybean oil micelles.

Conclusions:

(1) Soybean oil emulsions were superior to other fluids in restoring and maintaining the blood pressure; (2) oxygen-carrying ability of soybean oil micelles exceeds that of water and follows Henry’s law between 10% and 30% w/v oil content; (3) nitric oxide was carried by the micelles; (4) animals receiving soybean oil micelles did not exhibit fat embolization; (5) colloids comprised of soybean oil-containing micelles may be used to replace blood loss and may be used to deliver oxygen and other potentially therapeutic gases such as nitric oxide to tissues.
Is patient satisfaction and perceived service quality with musculoskeletal rehabilitation determined by patient experiences?
Authors: Medina-Mirapeix Francesc , Jimeno-Serrano Francisco J , Escolar-Reina Pilar , Del Baño-Aledo M Elena
Published: December 2012

Objective:

To assess the relationships between patient experiences and two overall evaluations – satisfaction and service quality – in outpatient rehabilitation settings.

Design:

A cross-sectional, self-reported survey carried out in the year 2009.

Setting:

Three outpatient rehabilitation units belonging to Spanish hospitals located in Barcelona, Madrid and Seville.

Subjects:

Four hundred and sixty-five outpatients (response rate 90%) mean age 39.4 (SD = 11.9) years.

Main measures:

Self-reported experiences on aspects of care, participants’ perception of service quality, satisfaction with care, socio-demographic and health characteristics.

Results:

Satisfaction and service quality were highly correlated (rho = 0.72, P< 0.001). Two multivariate logistic regression models using satisfaction and service quality (with adjusted R2 31.5% and 37.1%, respectively) indicated that patients’ experiences and global rating of health improvement have more effect on those evaluations than socio-demographic characteristics. Mean satisfaction was 8.9 (SD = 1.2), and 88% of respondents described high service quality. However, nearly 25% of the respondents who reported high-quality evaluations also indicated a problem score of more than 50% in almost all aspects of care studied.

Conclusions:

Satisfaction and service quality provide a poor indicator of patients’ experiences. Both are two proxies but distinct constructs in rehabilitation care. Besides, not all problems encountered by patients are equally important to them.
Follow-up home visits with registered dietitians have a positive effect on the functional and nutritional status of geriatric medical patients after discharge: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Beck Anne Marie , Kjær Stine , Hansen Birthe Stenbæk , Storm Rikke Lunau , Thal-Jantzen Kirsten , Bitz Christian
Published: December 2012

Objective:

To assess the additional benefits of individualized nutritional counselling by a registered dietitian in geriatric patients’ home after discharge from hospital, in relation to risk of re-admissions, functional status, nutritional status, use of social services and mortality.

Design:

Twelve-week single-blind randomized controlled study.

Setting and subjects:

Geriatric medical patients (65+ years) at nutritional risk.

Interventions:

Participants were randomly allocated to receive a visit in their homes, either three individualized nutritional counselling by a registered dietitian complemented with three follow-up visits by general practitioners or three follow-up visits by general practitioners alone.

Main measures:

Primary outcome was risk of re-admissions. Secondary outcomes were functional status (hand grip strength, chair stand, mobility, disability and tiredness in daily activities, rehabilitation capacity), nutritional status (weight, BMI, energy and protein intake), need of social services (home care, home nursing, meals-on-wheels) and mortality.

Results:

One hundred and fifty-two patients were included; 132 (87%) completed the first and 124 (82%) the second data collection after 12 weeks. Ten per cent of the participants had three contacts with their general practitioner, while compliance with the dietetic intervention was almost 100%. Odds ratio for re-admission and mortality after 26 weeks was 1.62 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.85 to 3.10) and 0.60 (95% CI 0.17 to 2.13). The intervention had a positive effect on functional status (i.e. mobility, P = 0.029), and nutritional status (i.e. weight, P = 0.035; energy intake, P < 0.001; protein intake, P = 0.001) and the use of meals-on wheels was reduced ( P = 0.084).

Conclusion:

Follow-up home visits with registered dietitians have a positive effect on the functional and nutritional status of geriatric medical patients after discharge.
Optical remote sensing of forest leaf area index and biomass
Authors: Song Conghe
Published: December 2012

Forests are the most complex terrestrial ecosystem on Earth’s land surface, providing vital goods and services upon which the welfare of humanity depends. The quantification of leaves and biomass in forests is critical for understanding the ecological role of forests in the terrestrial ecosystem. Great effort has been dedicated to the mapping of leaf area and biomass using remotely sensed data. This review focuses on the use of optical remote sensing in mapping leaf area index (LAI) and aboveground biomass for forests. Significant progress has been made in mapping LAI in the past few decades. Mapping of LAI started with location-specific empirical approaches and evolved to semi-empirical and biophysical approaches, which can be applied globally. Although there are some biases in the current LAI products, it can be expected that better-quality LAI products will be delivered in the future. At present, mapping biomass remains predominantly empirical because there is no direct physical relationship between reflected energy in visible, near or mid infrared wavelengths and biomass. Mapping biomass relies on the explicit or implicit mapping of forest structural parameters that are related to biomass allometrically. Although optical images have been successfully used in mapping biomass in low biomass areas, it remains a challenge to map biomass in forested areas with high biomass density due to signal saturation.
Strategic Orientation and Social Enterprise Performance
Authors: Liu Gordon , Takeda Sachiko , Ko Wai-Wai
Published: December 2012

Even though previous research indicates that an organization’s pursuit of strategic orientation (SO) has positive effects on its performance, we have deepened and expanded our understanding of how this concept can also be applied to social enterprises (SEs). Using data collected from British and Japanese social enterprises, we examined the mediating roles of market effectiveness and consumer satisfaction in both the social and commercial domains with regard to SO effects on performance, as well as how performance in one aspect of practice positively moderates the impact of SO behavior in another. The results contribute to the development of a theory for understanding the concept of SO associated with social enterprise performance. More generally, this article contributes to the ongoing efforts to understand the strategic management aspect of social enterprises.
Tread braking of railway wheels – temperatures generated by a metro train
Authors: Teimourimanesh Shahab , Vernersson Tore , Lundén Roger , Blennow Fredrik , Meinel Markus
Published: December 2012

Tread braking of railway wheels results in the kinetic energy of the train being dissipated into the wheel and blocks in the form of heat. This heat is further conducted into adjacent structures, notably the cold rail, and also transferred into the surroundings by convection and radiation. Heat partitioning between wheel and block is, for short time periods, controlled by local thermal interactions at the contact point and by the conductive properties of the bodies. However, for a metro train that performs longer periods of intermittent braking (or for drag braking) convective and radiation cooling properties of the components come into play. In the present study, results from brake rig tests and from in-field testing of a metro train are presented and used to calibrate a simulation model. It is found that the cooling level of the wheels of the metro train is substantially lower than for the wheels of a freight wagon. Moreover, it is found that the first axle on the metro train is exposed to higher cooling levels than the remaining axles. In a numerical example, temperatures of tread braked wheels are calculated using the new findings for a metro train, and the results obtained are compared with wheel temperatures as calculated assuming freight wagon conditions.
Effect of oil droplet deformation on its deposited characteristics in an aeroengine bearing chamber
Authors: Chen B , Chen GD , Sun HC , Zhang YH
Published: December 2012

The efficient designs of lubrication and heat transfer in an aeroengine bearing chamber require a better understanding of the complex air/oil two-phase flow in the chamber, which contains oil droplet deformation and motion, as well as droplet/wall interactions including wall impingement and deposition behavior. A modified droplet deformation model is proposed to describe the effect of deformation on the motion, and then a splash critical criterion also is established by means of energy conservation to estimate the impingement conditions of droplets. Using the above knowledge, in combination with a secondary droplet characteristic model predicting the outcome of droplet impact with wall, the droplet deformation, motion, and the associated transfer of mass and momentum are calculated in an aeroengine bearing chamber, and the effects of air mass flow rates and shaft speeds are subsequently discussed. This article may contribute to providing initial conditions to study further film flow behavior on the chamber housing.
Mixed H∞/H2 gain-scheduled control for spacecraft rendezvous in elliptical orbits
Authors: Ma Lichao , Meng Xiuyun , Liu Zaozhen , Du Lifu
Published: December 2012

A mixed H∞/ H2 gain-scheduled state-feedback control method is developed for trajectory tracking of spacecraft rendezvous in elliptical orbits. Since the tracking accuracy is vulnerable to exogenous disturbances, the mixed H∞/ H2 control, which takes into consideration both worst-case disturbance-attenuation performance and tracking performance, is particularly attractive for trajectory tracking of spacecraft rendezvous. Owing to the fact that the dynamic model for elliptical-orbit rendezvous is time varying, the feedback gain matrix is formulated as a matrix fraction of parameter-dependent matrix. Parameter-dependent Lyapunov functions are adopted to reduce conservatism caused by fixed quadratic Lyapunov matrices, and slack matrices are introduced to avoid setting a common Lyapunov matrix for different performances. Then, the desired controller can be obtained through a convex optimization with linear matrix inequality constraints. Computer simulations show that the proposed method can (a) handle trajectory tracking of elliptical-orbit rendezvous effectively; (b) provide a balanced performance between disturbance-attenuation performance and tracking performance; and (c) yield results that are less conservative than those obtained through conventional methods.
Meta-synthesis information fusion for hybrid diagnostics of space avionics
Authors: Xu Jiuping , Zheng Huan , Xu Lei
Published: December 2012

This article describes meta-synthesis information fusion as a novel mode in integrated avionic management systems. With deeper space explorations, avionic health management systems require more perfectly integrated data and information because of the increased spacecraft functionality and the complex software. Meta-synthesis information fusion allows for a more accurate picture of the state of the avionics and therefore allows for better decision making. This study uses a meta-synthesis information fusion application for the hybrid diagnostics, which is a very important part of integrated health management systems. For the meta-synthesis information fusion, specific approaches such as probability theory, neural networks and the Dempster–Shafer evidence theory are used to construct the hybrid diagnostics model. Through this novel meta-synthesis information fusion mode, efficiency as a whole, from input to output is realized and dynamic, real-time diagnostics is achieved. A numerical example is given, which demonstrates the application of the hybrid diagnostics to a radar indicator. By analyzing the feasibility and the pragmatic utility of the hybrid diagnostics meta-synthesis information fusion, the advantages of this mode are shown.
Comparison of a broad-based screen versus disorder-specific screen in detecting young children with an autism spectrum disorder
Authors: Wiggins Lisa D , Piazza Vivian , Robins Diana L
Published: December 2012

The goals of our study were to (a) compare agreement between autism spectrum disorder diagnosis and outcome of the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers and Parents Evaluation of Developmental Status in a sample of toddlers and (b) examine specific concerns noted for toddlers who screened negative on the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers or Parents Evaluation of Developmental Status but were later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Participants were administered the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers and Parents Evaluation of Developmental Status during well-child visits. Families were invited for a clinical evaluation if autism spectrum disorder symptoms were noted on the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers and Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers Follow-Up Interview or if autism spectrum disorder concerns were noted by the pediatrician. Fifty-two children completed the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Parents Evaluation of Developmental Status, and a clinical evaluation, and 30 of these children were diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers results showed higher agreement with autism spectrum disorder diagnosis than any individual Parents Evaluation of Developmental Status screen result, although the latter detected many children with other developmental concerns. Children who screened negative on the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers or Parents Evaluation of Developmental Status but were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder had concerns noted in sensory response and proto-declarative pointing that can be considered in the context of screen results. In sum, our findings support universal autism spectrum disorder–specific screening in addition to general developmental screening and offer considerations to encourage early identification of toddlers with autism spectrum disorder.
Illness attribution of patients with medically unexplained physical symptoms in China
Authors: Fritzsche Kurt , Anselm Kathrin , Fritz Miriam , Wirsching Michael , Xudong Zhao , Schaefert Rainer
Published: December 2012

The illness behavior of patients with medically unexplained physical symptoms (MUS) depends largely on what the patient believes to be the cause of the symptoms. Little data are available on the illness attributions of patients with MUS in China. This cross-sectional study investigated the illness attributions of 96 patients with MUS in the outpatient departments of Psychosomatic Medicine, biomedicine (Neurology, Gynecology), and Traditional Chinese Medicine in Shanghai. Patients completed the Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ) for illness attribution, the Screening Questionnaire for Somatoform Symptoms, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale for emotional distress, and questionnaires on clinical and sociodemographic data. The physicians also filled out a questionnaire regarding the cause of the illness (IPQ). In contrast to previous research, both physicians and patients from all three areas of medicine most frequently reported “psychological attributions.” The concordance between the physicians’ and the patients’ illness attributions was low. Emotional distress was an important predictor of psychological attributions. Further research should include large-scale studies among patients from different regions of China and qualitative studies to deepen our understanding of cultural influences on illness attribution.
Manchester, capital of the nineteenth century
Authors: Wolff Janet
Published: December 2012

This essay accepts David Frisby’s invitation to take seriously the method of sociological impressionism employed by Georg Simmel, and the related strategies of Walter Benjamin (sequences of quotations, selection of key aspects of modernity – dialectical images). To that end, it proposes Manchester, instead of Paris, as the ‘capital of the nineteenth century’, through the presentation of examples of its paradigmatic figures and events: the 1857 exhibition, the collector and the art dealer, the discovery of a synthetic colour, a certain historic desk, and the warehouse and the mill. Through this writing strategy, the ‘fragments of modernity’ take on a rather different aspect.
Nebivolol treatment improves resistant arterial function and reduces ventricular hypertrophy and angiotensin II in spontaneously hypertension rats
Authors: Wang Yan , Zhang Ming Sheng , Liu Yu
Published: December 2012

Objective:

The objective of this article is to assess the effects of nebivolol on resistant vascular reactivity, ventricular hypertrophy and the renin–angiotensin system in spontaneously hypertension rats (SHR).

Methods:

Rats were divided into: SHR treated with nebivolol (8 mg/kg, i.g.)/atenolol(80 mg/kg, i.g.); SHR control group; normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) control group. Vascular responses to KCl, noradrenaline (NA), endothelin-1 (ET-1), angiotensin II (Ang II), acetylcholine (ACh) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) were tested on the femoral and renal artery. Left ventricle weight/body weight ratio (LVW/BW) was measured. Ang II and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity in plasma and the left ventricle were determined. Plasma renin activity (PRA) was quantified.

Results:

Systolic blood pressure was decreased after nebivolol treatment in SHR. Compared with WKY, the contractions to KCl, NA, Ang II and ET-1 were increased in SHR while the relaxation to ACh was impaired. LVW/BW was higher in SHR. Levels of Ang II and ACE activity in plasma and the left ventricle were increased in SHR, but PRA was similar in these groups. Compared with atenolol, nebivolol markedly improved resistant vascular reactivity and decreased LVW/BW and Ang II. But nebivolol had no influence on ACE activity and PRA in SHR.

Conclusion:

Nebivolol treatment improved resistant arterial reactivity and reduced left ventricular hypertrophy and Ang II in SHR.
Parameterised LED current regulator for pulse width modulation switch delay for accurate colour mixing in multi-LED light sources
Authors: Wu C-C , Hu N-C , Chen J-N , Chang H-I
Published: December 2012

Multi-LED colour mixing light sources are increasingly being used in lighting. The method used to set the dimming signal needs to accurately achieve and sustain the desired colour temperature and high colour rendering index (CRI). A pulse width modulation (PWM) signal is always used in LED colour mixing. But the PWM switch state creates a time delay in the multi-LED current regulator, resulting in a colour difference. A modified PWM signal to accurately maintain the desired colour temperature and a high CRI is derived from a parameterised LED current regulator switch state, using curve fitting. The modified PWM signal can be calculated from reconstructed coefficients of the illuminant spectrum.
Tolerance of discomfort glare from a large area source for work on a visual display
Authors: Rodriquez RG , Pattini A
Published: December 2012

A large variability in response is usually found when assessing discomfort glare by semantic differential scaling. This issue may be addressed by considering the individual’s tolerance to glare, so we designed an experiment to describe the differences in glare sensation vote caused by a simulated window while glare-sensitive and glare-insensitive subjects performed a computer task. The luminance and size of the window had the same statistically significant effect on glare sensation for both groups. However, when occasionally looking directly at the glare source, glare-sensitive people experienced more glare than insensitive persons with a relative risk of being disturbed that varied from 2.70 to 6.75. Our data suggest that the glare threshold should be redefined to consider glare tolerance to achieve a glare-free, inclusive visual environment.
Improving daylighting in existing classrooms using laser cut panels
Authors: Labib Rania
Published: December 2012

Proper daylighting design in interior spaces reduces the energy costs of electric lighting and air conditioning. Daylighting directly affects human well-being and productivity. The benefits of daylighting have attracted increased attention, and architects and designers are now considering daylighting when designing new buildings. However, many existing buildings were not designed considering daylight, resulting in them being poorly lit and consuming considerable energy for lighting and cooling. Therefore, it is essential to explore the possibility of improving daylighting design in existing buildings by developing guidelines to transform them into energy-efficient and productive environments. This paper investigates the integration of laser cut panels in school buildings to improve their daylighting. The data are used to determine the best configuration when integrating laser cut panels into existing daylighting systems and to provide appropriate recommendations.
Gram negative bacteraemia – are they preventable and what will E. coli surveillance add?
Authors: Enoch David A , Mlangeni Dennis A , Ekundayo James , Aliyu Muktar , Sismey Andrew W , Aliyu Sani H , Karas Andreas
Published: December 2012

The Department of Health in England introduced mandatory reporting of Escherichia coli bacteraemia in June 2011. We sought to determine the preventability of Gram negative bacteraemias and the efficacy of using E. coli bacteraemia as a surveillance tool. A six-month prospective study evaluated the preventability of Gram negative bacteraemias. Two investigators independently classified bacteraemias as preventable or not preventable. There were 141 bacteraemias (122 episodes) in 118 patients in the study period. E. coli was the most frequently isolated organism. Thirty five episodes (28.7%) were community onset, 24 (19.7%) hospital onset and 63 (51.6%) were healthcare-associated. Three bacteraemias (2.5%) were thought to be probably preventable and 21(17.2%) were thought to be possibly preventable. Factors associated with preventability by multivariable analysis included presence of a urinary catheter or central venous catheter and dependent functional state. A significant number of Gram negative bacteraemias were thought to be preventable, especially in patients with urinary catheters and central venous catheters. Surveillance of E. coli bacteraemias is an insensitive and non-specific method for identifying preventable Gram negative bacteraemias. We propose that targeted surveillance of patients with urinary catheters and central venous catheters in situ could help reduce infections.
Sustainable healthcare waste management: a qualitative investigation of its feasibility within a county in the south west of England
Authors: Nichols Andrew , Grose Jane , Bennallick Maria , Richardson Janet
Published: December 2012

This paper aims to investigate the possibility of safely and lawfully employing a sustainable reduce, reuse, recycle philosophy in the management of waste within healthcare settings. Climate change presents significant threats to our wellbeing on a global scale and provides a new challenge for healthcare organisations. As the United Kingdom’s biggest public sector employer, the National Health Service has enormous power to mitigate the impact of climate change by implementing sustainable practices. One area in which sustainable practices could be employed is within healthcare waste management. The investigation used a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews with 20 participants responsible for the safe management of healthcare waste in an English county.

Interviews indicated that topics such as knowledge, the environment, finance and legislation influence attitudes and behaviour in healthcare waste management. Participants were clear that from financial and environmental perspectives an aim to reduce, reuse and recycle waste in health care was desirable. Attempts to implement sustainable healthcare waste management practices, informed by a sustainable waste management philosophy are desirable both financially and environmentally. Research is needed to explore behaviour, attitudes, learning, knowledge and the role of the environment in healthcare waste management.
Retrospective Analysis of the Survivability of Absorbable Versus Nonabsorbable Subtalar Joint Arthroereisis Implants
Authors: Baker Jeffrey R. , Klein Erin E. , Weil Lowell , Weil Lowell Scott , Knight Jessica M.
Published: December 2012

Subtalar joint arthroereisis is a surgical modality that has been shown to be an effective procedure for flexible flatfoot in both pediatric and adult populations. Despite advances in understanding its mechanics and function, complication and implant removal rates remain as high as 30% to 40%. Analysis was performed to determine the survivability of 2 subtalar joint arthroereisis implants, absorbable and nonabsorbable, used alone and in combination with other procedures in both the adult and pediatric populations. The 95 total arthroereisis procedures were analyzed in several major categories: absorbable implants versus nonabsorbable implants and adult versus pediatric patients. Each major group was then further subdivided to create further subgroups: absorbable isolated procedures, absorbable combined procedures, nonabsorbable isolated procedures, and nonabsorbable combined procedures. The overall survival rates were 83% for absorbable implants and 81% for nonabsorbable implants. A total of 11 (17%) absorbable implants and 6 (19%) nonabsorbable implants were removed, respectively, at an average of 9 months and 23 months postoperatively. When used alone and in combination with other procedures, 36% and 13% of absorbable implants and 18% and 19% of nonabsorbable implants, respectively, were removed. When comparing adult versus pediatric populations, the overall survival rates of the absorbable and nonabsorbable implants were 81% for absorbable implants and 79% for nonabsorbable implants in the adult population and 85% for absorbable implants and 100% for nonabsorbable implants in the pediatric population.

Level of Evidence: Therapeutic, Level III; Retrospective comparative series