bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Analysis of the Diagnostic Value of Plasma Endothelin for Diabetic Retinopathy Using the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve
Authors: Zhu Hong , Shi Cai-Hong
Published: September 2007

Aim: To investigate the diagnostic efficacy and clinical application value of plasma endothelin-1 for diabetic retinopathy using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Methods: This was a prospective investigational study. Funduscopy and fundus fluorescein angiography were used as gold standards for the diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy. Plasma endothelin-1 was measured in 96 diabetic patients with retinopathy (the case group) and 144 diabetic patients without retinopathy (the control group). Enumerative data were listed in a fourfold table. The measurement data were analyzed by Student’s t test and evaluated by cross-table analysis and ROC curve analysis. Results: (1) The plasma endothelin-1 concentration was higher in the case group than the control group (p = 0.002 < 0.01). (2) If the plasma endothelin-1 level of 162 pg/ml was adopted as the threshold for clinical diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy, the diagnostic sensitivity was 71.2%, diagnostic specificity 58% and diagnostic accuracy 66%. The positive predictive value was 69.81% and the negative predictive value 59.46%, and the positive likelihood ratio was 1.69 and the negative likelihood ratio 0.50. (3) When plasma endothelin-1 was used as a diagnostic criterion for diabetic retinopathy, the area under the ROC curve was 0.737. Conclusions: Plasma endothelin-1 plays an important role in the development and progression of diabetic retinopathy. When 162 pg/ml of plasma endothelin-1 was adopted as the diagnostic threshold, the diagnostic accuracy was medium; hence, the plasma endothelin-1 level can be used as the first step for diabetic retinopathy screening.
Diabetic Retinopathy and IGF-1 Gene Polymorphic Cytosine-Adenine Repeats in a Southern Indian Cohort
Authors: Uthra Satagopan , Raman Rajiv , Mukesh Bickol N. , Rajkumar Samuel A. , Kumari R. Padmaja , Agarwal Swati , Paul Pradeep G. , Lakshmipathy Praveena , Gnanamoorthy Perumal , Sharma Tarun , McCarty Catherine A. , Kumaramanickavel Govindasamy
Published: September 2007

Background/Aims: Growth factors have been implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy (DR). IGF-1 is known to trigger a critical cascade of molecular events that initiate retinal angiogenesis. Increased vitreous IGF-1 levels have been correlated with the severity of ischemia-associated diabetic retinal neovascularization. In the present study, a cytosine-adenine (CA)n repeat in the promoter of the IGF-1 gene is studied for association with DR. Methods: A total of 127 patients with retinopathy (cases: DR+) and 81 patients without retinopathy (controls: DR–) who had type 2 diabetes were recruited for the study. Patients underwent detailed clinical examination and DR was graded based on stereoscopic digital fundus photographs. Frequencies of alleles and genotypes between the two groups were analyzed for significance using relevant statistical tests. (CA)17 and (CA)18 repeats were the more frequent alleles. Results: The frequency of the 18-repeat genotype was significantly higher in DR+ patients when compared to DR– patients and found to confer a 2.4 times (95% CI: 1.2–5.0) and 2.8 times (95% CI: 1.1–7.5) higher risk for developing DR and proliferative DR, respectively, when compared to <18-repeat genotypes. Conclusions: Our study suggests that the 18-repeat genotype is a susceptibility genotype for DR and its clinical severity in a Southern Indian cohort.
Effect of Ciclesonide Treatment on Allergen-Induced Changes in T Cell Regulation in Asthma
Authors: Heijink Irene H. , Kauffman Henk F. , Vellenga Edo , Veltman-Starkenburg Christa A. , Postma Dirkje S. , de Monchy Jan G.R.
Published: September 2007

Background: The allergen-induced release of CCL17/thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) may be crucial in asthmatic airway inflammation by recruitment of Th2 cells. In addition, it might lead to aberrant Th2 cell activity through impairment of β2-adrenergic receptor (β2-AR) control. We questioned how chemokine patterns change upon allergen challenge and whether treatment with the inhaled steroid ciclesonide can reduce chemokine release and subsequently prevent allergen-induced changes in Th2 cell regulation and migration. Methods: Asthma patients were double-blindly treated with placebo or 80 µg ciclesonide for 7 days. We studied allergen-induced changes in sputum chemokines, migration of peripheral blood T cells and control of β2-agonist fenoterol over T cell migration and α-CD3/α-CD28-induced cytokine production. Results: Treatment with 80 µg ciclesonide significantly diminished the late asthmatic response. The late asthmatic response was associated with increased sputum levels of CCL17 and CCL4 (but none of the other chemokines measured) and loss of β2-AR control over T cell migration and Th2-type cytokine production. Although ciclesonide treatment did not prevent chemokine release nor altered β2-AR function in circulating T cells, it exerted an inhibitory effect on TARC-induced T cell migration and α-CD3/α-CD28-induced cytokine production. Conclusion: Our data support the hypothesis that CCL17 is involved in allergen-induced dysregulation of Th2 cell migration and cytokine production. Ciclesonide treatment inhibits T cell migration and cytokine production upon allergen inhalation, which is regulated independently from reducing CCL17 release, but may contribute to beneficial effects of ciclesonide on Th2-mediated airway inflammation.
Skin Viscoelasticity Displays Site- and Age-Dependent Angular Anisotropy
Authors: Ruvolo Jr. E.C. , Stamatas G.N. , Kollias N.
Published: September 2007

One of the dominant characteristics of skin aging is loss of elasticity. Although the changes in the mechanical properties of the skin over several decades of life are substantial, objective measurements have failed to capture their magnitude thus far. Moreover, the mechanical properties of the skin are not uniform in all directions, and there is a need to understand this angular anisotropy. In this work we present a methodology of documenting the angular anisotropy of skin elasticity with high sensitivity and dynamic range using the Reviscometer® RVM 600 (Courage & Khazaka Electronic GmbH, Cologne, Germany). The method is based on determining the directional dependence of the speed of an acoustic shear wave on the skin surface at intervals of 3°. Based on the angular distribution of the resonance running time, we define two parameters: the anisotropy and the angular dispersion width. We find that with increasing age the anisotropy increases, while the angular dispersion width decreases. The ratio of these values provides a sensitive parameter for the assessment of the directional behavior of the skin mechanical properties. This parameter provides a large effective dynamic range capable of demonstrating close to an order of magnitude differences in skin viscoelasticity from infants up to adults 75 years of age. Furthermore, we show that the direction of the angular anisotropy relates to the direction of the dermal cleavage lines as defined by Langer, indicating that the anisotropy of the mechanical properties of skin stems from structural parameters. Based on these results, we conclude that the proposed methodology is able to capture accurately the age-dependent changes of the mechanical properties of the skin and to demonstrate a structure-function relationship.
Nonlinear Analyses of Heart Rate Variability in Monochorionic and Dichorionic Twin Fetuses
Authors: Shiba Masahiro , Kikuchi Akihiko , Miao Tiejun , Hara Kikue , Sunagawa Sorahiro , Yoshida Shiro , Takagi Kimiyo , Unno Nobuya
Published: September 2007

Aims: To examine whether the heart rate dynamics of a monochorionic diamniotic (MD) twin fetus is different from a dichorionic diamniotic (DD) twin fetus by nonlinear methods of time series analysis. Methods: 32 fetal heart rate (FHR) recordings from healthy MD twin fetuses and 58 recordings from healthy DD twin fetuses were used. Nonlinear analyses included attractor reconstruction, calculation of the largest Lyapunov exponents, and estimation of correlation dimension. Results: FHR of healthy twin fetuses was shown to have unique nonlinear characteristics. The largest Lyapunov exponent significantly increased during the pregnancy period. In 30–36 weeks, correlation dimension in MD twins was significantly lower than that in DD twins. In DD twins, we observed a significant increase of correlation dimension from 22–29 to 30–36 weeks. In 22–29 weeks, the difference of the values of correlation dimension in each MD twin pair was significantly lower than that in each DD twin pair. Conclusions: The heart rate dynamics of healthy MD and DD twin fetuses becomes more chaotic according to gestational age. From the viewpoint of the FHR-regulating system, a pair of MD twins seems to have a more strict binding than a pair of DD twins before 30 weeks’ gestation.
Placenta Percreta Leading to Spontaneous Complete Uterine Rupture in the Second Trimester
Authors: Fleisch M.C. , Lux J. , Schoppe M. , Grieshaber K. , Hampl M.
Published: September 2007

A 30-year-old gravida 2 para 1 was admitted to hospital 2 years after cesarean section at 20 weeks’ gestation with acute onset of abdominal pain and hypovolaemic shock. Emergency laparotomy revealed a uterine rupture located in the anterior uterine wall caused by a placenta percreta and supracervical hysterectomy was performed. This site of invasion and finally rupture was in projection of the previous lower-segment cesarean section. This report illustrates the dramatic consequences of abnormal placentation after prior uterine surgery, which can already occur early during pregnancy and prior to the onset of labour.
Functional Ability Correlates with Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Sabbagh M.N. , Lahti T. , Connor D.J. , Caviness J.N. , Shill H. , Vedders L. , Mahant P. , Samanta J. , Burns R.S. , Evidente V.G.H. , Driver-Dunckley E. , Reisberg B. , Bircea S. , Adler C.H.
Published: September 2007

Background/Aims: Previously we have shown that functional declines in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) correlate to global measures of cognitive decline. We now determine if the correlation between cognitive impairment and functional ability in PD is similar to that in AD using individual cognitive measures. Methods: 93 PD subjects and 124 AD/MCI subjects underwent the Functional Assessment Staging (FAST), the Global Deterioration Scale (GDS), and a neuropsychological battery. Results: In PD subjects, the FAST and GDS correlated significantly with Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT), Controlled Oral Word Association (COWA), Animal Fluency, and Stroop but not with Clock Draw or Judgment Line Orientation (JLO). In AD/MCI subjects, FAST and GDS correlated with all neuropsychological components except Stroop. In the AD/MCI group, the UPDRS significantly correlated with the FAST, GDS, MMSE, and all neuropsychological parameters except the Stroop. In the PD group, the motor UPDRS significantly correlated significantly with FAST, GDS, MMSE and all neuropsychological parameters except Digit Span, Stroop, Clock Draw and JLO. Conclusions: Similar to AD, functional decline in PD correlates with multiple measures of cognitive impairment. Some differences between PD and AD may be explained by the influence of motor disability and declines in visuospatial function in PD.
Role of Aldose Reductase in the Peritoneal Changes of Patients Undergoing Peritoneal Dialysis
Authors: Hasuike Yukiko , Moriguchi Rintarou , Hata Reiko , Miyagawa Kouji , Kuragano Takahiro , Aizawa Masayo , Yamamoto Shigeo , Yanase Kimihiko , Izumi Masaaki , Tanimoto Tsuyoshi , Nakanishi Takeshi
Published: September 2007

Background/Aims: The mesothelium of patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD) is exposed to glucose in dialysate. Glucose metabolites 3-deoxyglucosone and advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) in the PD fluid induce peritoneal damage. Circulating factors also affect the peritoneum in the uremic model and predialysis patients. Aldose reductase (AR) generates precursors of 3-deoxyglucosone. We have reported AR acceleration in uremic patients. Therefore, AR acceleration might affect the peritoneum. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the AR level in PD patients and to determine the factors that change the peritoneum of these patients. Methods: We measured the PD effluent (eff-) concentration of cancer antigen 125 (CA125) as a marker of mesothelial viability in PD patients. Erythrocyte AR, eff-, and plasma (p-) concentrations of 3-deoxyglucosone, AGEs, and malondialdehyde were also studied in 30 PD patients, 18 patients undergoing hemodialysis, and 8 control subjects. Results: In the PD group, AR, p-3-deoxyglucosone, p-AGEs, and p-malondialdehyde were higher than in the control group. The predictors for eff-CA125 were not only PD duration and eff-3-deoxyglucosone, but also AR. Conclusion: AR was upregulated in PD patients. AR acceleration may affect the peritoneum in these patients. Further studies are needed to clarify the role of AR in PD patients.
Roles of Ghrelin and Leptin in the Control of Reproductive Function
Authors: Tena-Sempere Manuel
Published: September 2007

Reproductive function in mammals, defined as the capacity to generate viable male and female gametes, and to support pregnancy and lactation selectively in the female, is sensitive to the metabolic state of the organism. This contention, long assumed on the basis of intuitive knowledge, became formulated on a scientific basis only recently, with the identification of a number of neuroendocrine signals which crucially participate in the joint control of energy balance and reproduction. A paradigmatic example in this context is the adipocyte-derived hormone, leptin; a satiety factor which signals the amount of body energy (fat) stores not only to the circuits controlling food intake but also to a number of neuroendocrine axes, including the reproductive system. More recently, the reproductive dimension of another metabolic hormone, namely the orexigenic stomach-secreted peptide, ghrelin, has been disclosed by observations on its putative roles in the control of gonadal function and gonadotropin secretion. Of note, leptin and ghrelin have been proposed to act as reciprocal regulators of energy homeostasis. However, their potential interplay in the control of reproduction remains largely unexplored. Based on the comparison of the biological actions of leptin and ghrelin at different levels of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, reviewed in detail herein, we propose that, through concurrent or antagonistic actions, the leptin-ghrelin pair is likely to operate also as modulator of different reproductive functions, thereby contributing to the physiological integration of reproduction and energy balance.
Does School District Consolidation Cut Costs?
Authors: Duncombe William , Yinger John
Published: September 2007

Consolidation has dramatically reduced the number of school districts in the United States. Using data from rural school districts in New York, this article provides the first direct estimation of consolidation's cost impacts. We find economies of size in operating spending: all else equal, doubling enrollment cuts operating costs per pupil by 61.7 percent for a 300-pupil district and by 49.6 percent for a 1,500-pupil district. Consolidation also involves large adjustment costs, however. These adjustment costs, which are particularly large for capital spending, lower net cost savings to 31.5 percent and 14.4 percent for a 300-pupil and a 1,500-pupil district, respectively. Overall, consolidation makes fiscal sense, particularly for very small districts, but states should avoid subsidizing unwarranted capital projects.
Hydrological Impacts of Deforestation on the Southeast Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Cui Xuefeng , Graf Hans-F. , Langmann Baerbel , Chen Wen , Huang Ronghui
Published: September 2007

The hydrological impact of forest removal on the southeast Tibetan Plateau during the second half of the last century is investigated in this study using an atmospheric general circulation model. The effects of deforestation are investigated by examining the differences between the forest replacement and control experiments. Model results demonstrate that deforestation of the southeast Tibetan Plateau would influence the local and the remote climate as well. It would lead to decreased transpiration and increased summer precipitation in the deforested area and a wetter and warmer climate on the Tibetan Plateau in summer. This may produce more runoff into the rivers originating from the Tibetan Plateau and worsen flooding disasters in the downstream areas. The numerical experiments also show that deforestation would remotely impact Asian climate, and even global climate, although the statistical significance is small. A strong drought is found at middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, where livelihoods and economics have suffered from recent droughts. Ecosystem research on the Tibetan Plateau is a relatively new topic and needs further interdisciplinary investigation.
Probabilistic Quantitative Precipitation Forecasting Using Bayesian Model Averaging
Authors: Sloughter J. Mc Lean , Raftery Adrian E. , Gneiting Tilmann , Fraley Chris
Published: September 2007

Bayesian model averaging (BMA) is a statistical way of postprocessing forecast ensembles to create predictive probability density functions (PDFs) for weather quantities. It represents the predictive PDF as a weighted average of PDFs centered on the individual bias-corrected forecasts, where the weights are posterior probabilities of the models generating the forecasts and reflect the forecasts’ relative contributions to predictive skill over a training period. It was developed initially for quantities whose PDFs can be approximated by normal distributions, such as temperature and sea level pressure. BMA does not apply in its original form to precipitation, because the predictive PDF of precipitation is nonnormal in two major ways: it has a positive probability of being equal to zero, and it is skewed. In this study BMA is extended to probabilistic quantitative precipitation forecasting. The predictive PDF corresponding to one ensemble member is a mixture of a discrete component at zero and a gamma distribution. Unlike methods that predict the probability of exceeding a threshold, BMA gives a full probability distribution for future precipitation. The method was applied to daily 48-h forecasts of 24-h accumulated precipitation in the North American Pacific Northwest in 2003–04 using the University of Washington mesoscale ensemble. It yielded predictive distributions that were calibrated and sharp. It also gave probability of precipitation forecasts that were much better calibrated than those based on consensus voting of the ensemble members. It gave better estimates of the probability of high-precipitation events than logistic regression on the cube root of the ensemble mean.
A New Spatial-Scale Decomposition of the Brier Score: Application to the Verification of Lightning Probability Forecasts
Authors: Casati B. , Wilson L. J.
Published: September 2007

A new scale decomposition of the Brier score for the verification of probabilistic forecasts defined on a spatial domain is introduced. The technique is illustrated on the Canadian Meteorological Centre (CMC) lightning probability forecasts. Probability forecasts of lightning occurrence in 3-h time windows and 24-km spatial resolution are verified against lightning observations from the North American Lightning Detection Network (NALDN) on a domain encompassing Canada and the northern United States. Verification is performed for lightning occurrences exceeding two different thresholds, to assess the forecast performance both for modest and intense lightning activity. Observation and forecast fields are decomposed into the sum of components on different spatial scales by performing a discrete 2D Haar wavelet decomposition. Wavelets, rather than Fourier transforms, were chosen because they are locally defined, and therefore more suitable for representing discontinuous spatial fields characterized by the presence of a few sparse nonzero values, such as lightning. Verification at different spatial scales is performed by evaluating Brier score and Brier skill score for each spatial-scale component. Reliability and resolution are also evaluated on different scales. Moreover, the bias on different scales is assessed, along with the ability of the forecasts to reproduce the observed-scale structure.
The Motion of Simulated Convective Storms as a Function of Basic Environmental Parameters
Authors: Kirkpatrick J. Cody , McCaul Eugene W. , Cohen Charles
Published: September 2007

Based on results from a three-dimensional cloud-resolving model, it is shown that simulated convective storm motions are affected by thermodynamic as well as kinematic properties of the environment. In addition to the mean wind and its vertical shear, the effect on isolated storm motion of parameters such as bulk convective available potential energy (CAPE), the vertical distribution of buoyancy in the profile, the heights of the lifting condensation level (LCL) and level of free convection (LFC), and cloud-base temperature is considered. Storm motions show at least some sensitivity to all input parameters. Consistent with previous studies, hodograph radius has the most pronounced effect, but the vertical distribution of shear (which also influences the mean wind) affects storm evolution and propagation, even when the effective hodograph radius is unchanged. Among the thermodynamic parameters, the most significant variations occur when the LCL–LFC configuration is modified or when cloud-base temperature is changed. The effects of increases in bulk CAPE act mainly to increase the temporal variability of storm motions. This temporal variability is found to consist both of oscillations about a mean state and trends (accelerations) and is related to increases in the complexity of storm evolution with increasing CAPE. The results point to the importance of environmental factors that enhance storm intensity and rotation, which play a key role in determining storm deviate motion.
The Sensitivity of Convective Initiation to the Lapse Rate of the Active Cloud-Bearing Layer
Authors: Houston Adam L. , Niyogi Dev
Published: September 2007

Numerical experiments are conducted using an idealized cloud-resolving model to explore the sensitivity of deep convective initiation (DCI) to the lapse rate of the active cloud-bearing layer [ACBL; the atmospheric layer above the level of free convection (LFC)]. Clouds are initiated using a new technique that involves a preexisting airmass boundary initialized such that the (unrealistic) adjustment of the model state variables to the imposed boundary is disassociated from the simulation of convection. Reference state environments used in the experiment suite have identical mixed layer values of convective inhibition, CAPE, and LFC as well as identical profiles of relative humidity and wind. Of the six simulations conducted for the experiment set, only the three environments with the largest ACBL lapse rates support DCI. The simulated deep convection is initiated from elevated sources (parcels in the convective clouds originate near 1300 m) despite the presence of a surface-based boundary. Thermal instability release is found to be more likely in the experiments with larger ACBL lapse rates because the forced ascent at the preexisting boundary is stronger (despite nearly identical boundary depths) and because the parcels’ LFCs are lower, irrespective of parcel dilution. In one experiment without deep convection, DCI failure occurs even though thermal instability is released. Results from this experiment along with the results from a heuristic Lagrangian model reveal the existence of two convective regimes dependent on the environmental lapse rate: a supercritical state capable of supporting DCI and a subcritical state that is unlikely to support DCI. Under supercritical conditions the rate of increase in buoyancy due to parcel ascent exceeds the reduction in buoyancy due to dilution. Under subcritical conditions, the rate of increase in buoyancy due to parcel ascent is outpaced by the rate of reduction in buoyancy from dilution. Overall, results demonstrate that the lapse rate of the ACBL is useful in diagnosing and/or predicting DCI.
Analysis of the 13–14 July Gulf Surge Event during the 2004 North American Monsoon Experiment
Authors: Rogers Peter J. , Johnson Richard H.
Published: September 2007

Gulf surges are disturbances that move northward along the Gulf of California (GOC), frequently advecting cool, moist air from the GOC or eastern tropical Pacific Ocean into the deserts of the southwest United States and northwest Mexico during the North American Monsoon (NAM). Little attention has been given to the dynamics of these disturbances because of the lack of reliable high-resolution data across the NAM region. High temporal and spatial observations collected during the 2004 North American Monsoon Experiment are used to investigate the structure and dynamical mechanisms of a significant gulf surge on 13–14 July 2004. Integrated Sounding Systems deployed along the east coast of the GOC and an enhanced network of rawinsonde sites across the NAM region are used in this study. Observations show that the 13–14 July gulf surge occurred in two primary stages. The first stage was preceded by anomalous low-level warming along the northern GOC on 13 July. Sharp cooling, moistening, and increased low-level south-southeasterly flow followed over a 12–18-h period. Over the northern gulf, the wind reached ∼20 m s−1 at 750 m AGL. Then there was a brief respite followed by the second stage—a similar, but deeper acceleration of the southerly flow associated with the passage of Tropical Storm (TS) Blas on 14 July. The initial surge disturbance traversed the GOC at a speed of ∼17–25 m s−1 and resulted in a deepening of the mixed layer along the northern gulf. Dramatic surface pressure rises also accompanied the surge. The weight of the evidence suggests that the first stage of the overall surge itself consisted of two parts. The initial part resembled borelike disturbances initiated by convective downdrafts impinging on the low-level stable layer over the region. The secondary part was characteristic of a Kelvin wave–type disturbance, as evident in the deeper layer of sharp cooling and strong wind that ensued. Another possible explanation for the first part is that the leading edge of this Kelvin wave steepened nonlinearly into a borelike disturbance. The second stage of the surge was associated with the increased circulation around TS Blas.
On Some Aspects of the Definition of Initial Conditions for Ensemble Prediction
Authors: Descamps L. , Talagrand O.
Published: September 2007

Four methods for initialization of ensemble forecasts are systematically compared, namely the methods of singular vectors (SV) and bred modes (BM), as well as the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) and the ensemble transform Kalman filter (ETKF). The comparison is done on synthetic data with two models of the flow, namely, a low-order model introduced by Lorenz and a three-level quasigeostrophic atmospheric model. For the latter, both cases of a perfect and an imperfect model are considered. The performance of the various initialization methods is assessed in terms of the statistical reliability and resolution of the ensuing predictions. The relative performance of the four methods, which is statistically significant to a range of about 6 days, is in the order EnKF > ETKF > BM > SV. The difference between the former two methods and the latter two is on the whole more significant than the differences between EnKF and ETKF, or between BM and SV separately. The general conclusion is that, if the quality of ensemble predictions is assessed by the degree to which the predicted ensembles statistically sample the uncertainty on the future state of the flow, the best initial ensembles are those that best statistically sample the uncertainty on the present state of the flow.
Assimilation of Global Positioning System Radio Occultation Observations into NCEP’s Global Data Assimilation System
Authors: Cucurull L. , Derber J. C. , Treadon R. , Purser R. J.
Published: September 2007

The Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC) mission launched six small satellites in April 2006, each carrying a GPS radio occultation (RO) receiver. At final orbit, COSMIC will provide ∼2500–3000 RO soundings per day uniformly distributed around the globe in near–real time. In preparation for the assimilation of COSMIC data in an operational framework, the NCEP/Environmental Modeling Center (EMC) has successfully developed the capability of assimilating profiles of refractivity and bending angle. Each forward operator has been implemented with its own quality control and error characterization. In this paper, the infrastructure developed at NCEP/EMC to assimilate GPS RO observations, including forward models, observational and representativeness errors, and quality control procedures, is described. The advantages of using a forward operator for bending angle versus refractivity are discussed and some preliminary results on the benefits of the GPS RO in weather analysis and forecasts are presented. The different strategies adopted at NCEP/EMC to assimilate GPS RO data are aimed to select the most appropriate forward operator in the operational data assimilation system when COSMIC products are stable and routinely available to the Numerical Weather Centers. In the meantime, data from the Challenging Minisatellite Payload (CHAMP) satellite is available in non–real time and has been used in the assimilation tests to examine the potential benefits of the GPS RO–derived products. In the preliminary results presented in this study, the use of GPS RO observations slightly improves anomaly correlation scores for temperature (by ∼0.01–0.03) in the Southern Hemisphere and Tropics throughout the depth of the atmosphere while a slight degradation is found in the upper troposphere and stratosphere in the Northern Hemisphere. However, significant reduction of the temperature and humidity biases is found for all latitudes. The benefits from assimilating GPS RO data also extend to other fields, such as 500-hPa geopotential heights and tropical winds, demonstrating the potential use of GPS RO data in operational forecasting.
Real-Time, High-Resolution, Space–Time Analysis of Sea Surface Temperatures from Multiple Platforms
Authors: Lazarus Steven M. , Calvert Corey G. , Splitt Michael E. , Santos Pablo , Sharp David W. , Blottman Peter F. , Spratt Scott M.
Published: September 2007

A sea surface temperature (SST) analysis system designed to initialize short-term atmospheric model forecasts is evaluated for a month-long, relatively clear period in May 2004. System inputs include retrieved SSTs from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-East and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). The GOES SSTs are processed via a sequence of quality control and bias correction steps and are then composited. The MODIS SSTs are bias corrected and checked against the background field (GOES composites) prior to assimilation. Buoy data, withheld from the analyses, are used to bias correct the MODIS and GOES SSTs and to evaluate both the composites and analyses. The bias correction improves the identification of residual cloud-contaminated MODIS SSTs. The largest analysis system improvements are obtained from the adjustments associated with the creation of the GOES composites (i.e., a reduction in buoy/GOES composite rmse on the order of 0.3°–0.5°C). A total of 120 analyses (80 night and 40 day) are repeated for different experimental configurations designed to test the impact of the GOES composites, MODIS cloud mask, spatially varying background error covariance and decorrelation length scales, data reduction, and anisotropy. For the May 2004 period, the nighttime MODIS cloud mask is too conservative, at times removing good SST data and degrading the analyses. Nocturnal error variance estimates are approximately half that of the daytime and are relatively spatially homogeneous, indicating that the nighttime composites are, in general, superior. A 30-day climatological SST gradient is used to create anisotropic weights and a spatially varying length scale. The former improve the analyses in regions with significant SST gradients and sufficient data while the latter reduces the analysis rmse in regions where the innovations tend to be well correlated with distinct and persistent SST gradients (e.g., Loop Current). Data thinning reduces the rmse by expediting analysis convergence while simultaneously enhancing the computational efficiency of the analysis system. Based on these findings, an operational analysis configuration is proposed.
Ensemble Calibration of 500-hPa Geopotential Height and 850-hPa and 2-m Temperatures Using Reforecasts
Authors: Hamill Thomas M. , Whitaker Jeffrey S.
Published: September 2007

An examination of the benefits of ensemble forecast calibration was performed for three variables: 500-hPa geopotential height (Z500), 850-hPa temperature (T850), and 2-m temperature (T2M). A large reforecast dataset was used for the calibration. Two calibration methods were examined: a correction for a gross bias in the forecast and an analog method that implicitly adjusted for bias, spread, and applied a downscaling where appropriate. The characteristics of probabilistic forecasts from the raw ensemble were also considered. Forecasts were evaluated using rank histograms and the continuous ranked probability skill score. T2M rank histograms showed a high population of extreme ranks at all leads, and a correction for model bias alleviated this only slightly. The extreme ranks of Z500 rank histograms were slightly underpopulated at short leads, though slightly overpopulated at longer leads. T850 had characteristics in between those of T2M and Z500. Accordingly, Z500 was the most skillful variable without calibration and the variable least improved by calibration, and the bias correction achieved most of the improvement in skill. For T850, there was a more substantial additional increase in skill relative to the bias correction when the analog technique was applied. For T2M forecasts, probabilistic forecasts from the raw ensemble were the least skillful, the application of a bias correction substantially increased the skill, and the application of the analog technique produced the largest further increase in skill relative to the bias correction. Hence, reforecast datasets may be particularly helpful in the improvement of probabilistic forecasts of the variables that are most directly relevant to many forecast users (i.e., the sensible surface-weather variables).
The Power of Extensive Reading
Authors: Renandya Willy A.
Published: September 2007

My goal in this article is to discuss the empirical support for extensive reading and explore its pedagogical applications in L2/FL learning. I argue that the benefits derived from diverse studies on extensive reading in many different contexts are so compelling that it will be inconceivable for teachers not to make it an important feature of their teaching.
Language Errors in the Genre-based Writing of Advanced Academic ESL Students
Authors: Henry Alex , Roseberry Robert L.
Published: September 2007

Studies have suggested that, for advanced language learners, lexical knowledge plays a greater role than grammar in the acquisition of native-like fluency. The purpose of the present study was to test this view by examining the language errors of university entry-level students whose first academic language is not English and to determine with some precision what kinds of errors these students make, how these errors relate to specific parts of written genres and what guidelines may be followed to overcome such errors. To do this, an error analysis was undertaken, involving a short tourist information text written in English by 40 Malay-speaking students at the University of Brunei Darussalem. It was found that the majority of errors, as expected, were errors of usage, not grammar, and that there was a relationship between the types of errors and the move-strategy (way in which a genre move is realized in content). It is concluded that, at the academic level, raising students' awareness of usage types and patterns with relation to genre moves is far more crucial than instruction in grammar. Furthermore, it is proposed that instruction in usage must be undertaken in small-group or individual settings and must be relevant to the student's immediate language task.
English Language Teaching in Turkey
Authors: Kirkgoz Yasemin
Published: September 2007

Since the introduction of English in Turkish education English language teaching has undergone various changes in response to economic and political developments in the country. This article provides an overview of the development of English by outlining the policy changes in English language teaching in the Turkish education system in three phases. The first part of the article presents a historical overview of the policies implemented up to the 1997 education reform while the second part introduces the 1997 education reform, which has had a great impact on English Language Teaching at all levels of education, along with other policy changes. The effect of the 1997 macro policy is evaluated based on local research findings. The third part of the article offers the government's most recent education reforms which reflect the rising importance of English as Turkey attempts to become a member of the European Union. The article concludes with further issues and challenges facing the English language system in Turkish education.
Revelations from Three Consecutive Studies on Extensive Reading
Authors: Lee Sy-ying
Published: September 2007

This paper presents three consecutive studies on the effect of extensive reading on the development of reading and vocabulary for Taiwanese university non-English majors. Each study used a different approach, with subsequent studies adjusting the methodology in response to the results of the previous year. These results confirm other findings, using different subjects in other countries, that (1) extensive reading can be integrated into an EFL curriculum, termed in-class sustained silent reading, at the university level; (2) extensive reading is at least as effective and efficient as traditional instruction in acquiring English as a foreign language and is more effective than traditional instruction when the treatment duration is longer; (3) book access and self-selection of reading are two keys to the success of a sustained silent reading program.
A Place to Speak Our Minds Locating Women's Activism Where North Meets South
Authors: Frederickson Mary E.
Published: September 2007

Eighty years ago, a sizable cohort of activists, scholars and labor organizers argued that the future of the North American labor movement depended on the successful organization of women workers in the US South. In 2005, activists, scholars and labor organizers make markedly similar arguments about the important role being played by young women entering ‘maquiladoras’ in the Global South. Divided by time and place, these two groups of workers share the legacy of paying the human costs of industrialization and globalization. In both groups, a significant minority of women responded to the economic and social changes confronting them by turning to activism and fighting back. Collective organization, workers’ education and feminist cooperation were hallmarks of women's activism for social and economic justice in the US South in the mid-20th century. The success of these efforts depended on women locating places where they could develop historical consciousness, find their voices and openly ‘speak their minds’. The experiences of women workers of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s in the US South, provide concrete models for women in the Global South today.
The Feminization and Racialization of Labour in the Colombian Fresh-cut Flower Industry
Authors: Sanmiguel-Valderrama Olga
Published: September 2007

This article examines the basic features of the working and living conditions of the mostly female labour force of the Colombian flower industry. It argues that in this export industry, critical feminist thought on neo-liberal international trade and the feminization of labour is valid only for workers in the lowest ranks of the industry, the majority of whom are racialized women from low-income, peasant, indigenous, or mixed-race rural backgrounds who face precarious forms of labour. Meanwhile, an elite group of women from urban-middle and upper classes with Western education and European or mixed-race backgrounds work in management, participate in the growers’ associations and oversee the exploitative conditions and health risks that flower production creates for their racialized lower class ‘sisters’. This case emphasizes the importance of considering the intersections of socio-economic status and race, together with gender and other structures, in order to determine who benefits and loses from production for the global market. The article also introduces the concept of ‘racialization of labour’, arguing that the jobs created in the industry are not only feminized but racialized.
Choques of Reproduction and Transnationality in the Yakima Valley
Authors: Maurer Serena
Published: September 2007

This article explores the relational production of gendered discourses of reproduction that have emerged in newspaper debates over Mexican immigration and in interviews with Mexican migrant women conducted in 2003–2004 in Washington State's Yakima Valley. It argues that gendered discourses of reproduction are being deployed in the governance of Mexican migration and settlement in the Yakima Valley. It also claims that Mexican migrant women are both recomposing and resisting racialized and gendered national borders through these discourses in their narratives of migration and settlement.
‘We're Better Off Outside Our Country’
Authors: Cuesta estheR
Published: September 2007

Increasing sociopolitical and economic instability – stemming, in part, from the adoption of neoliberal policies – has compelled at least two million (2 percent of total population) Ecuadorians to migrate to the United States and member states of the European Union in search of jobs and a means to survive. It is estimated that more than half a million Ecuadorians live in Spain, and constitute one of the largest immigrant national groups in this country, alongside Moroccans. Women, who have often migrated without their families, make up half of this diaspora.This transdisciplinary study is based on interviews with Ecuadorian women in Spain and Ecuador, and informed by feminist methodologies. It situates the epistemological standpoints of women from (lower) middle and professional classes within recent Ecuadorian migrations, while analyzing the impact of Ecuadorian women's migration to Spain on the sociocultural life of Ecuador, as well as on key aspects of Ecuadorian women's lives in Spain. Despite the discrimination, racism, and xenophobia that Ecuadorian women experience abroad, most agree that they are ‘better off living outside of Ecuador’.
Women's Rights in a Global Context
Authors: McLaren Margaret A.
Published: September 2007

The classical liberal theories of rights overemphasize individual autonomy. Feminists from a variety of approaches criticize this individualistic model. Other feminists argue that rights discourse is essential to help end discrimination against women. However, these proponents of international women's rights too often focus on legal and political rights at the expense of economic rights. In a global context it is important to recognize the interconnections between different kinds of rights. A case study of the cooperative organization Marketplace/SHARE illustrates the importance of economic empowerment to the overall goal of advancing the cause of women's rights and equality.
Urban Poverty Reborn
Authors: Anderson Jeanine
Published: September 2007

This article draws on a longitudinal study of a poor neighborhood in Lima, Peru, to question received wisdom concerning the intergenerational transmission of poverty. The research follows a sample of 56 families over nearly 30 years. It focuses on the efforts of parents to launch their children on what they hope will be different and superior life courses (compared to their own), despite their limited resources. Members of the second generation are still likely to begin their adult lives in poverty, with notable differences in the positions and trajectories of men and women. The sources of second generation poverty are different from that of the parents, however. The case demonstrates how poverty is a dynamic and contingent process that must be related to the specific historical, political, social and cultural factors contributing to its rebirth in successive generations.
Globalization and Child Labor
Authors: Polakoff Erica G.
Published: September 2007

The impact of economic globalization on low-income families in the global North and South provides the context for this article, which focuses primarily on the exploitation of child labor in agriculture, manufacturing, and the sex trade.The article reviews the relationship between economic globalization, poverty, and child labor, and highlights the ineffectiveness of domestic laws and international conventions for protecting children's rights and well-being. Solutions to the problems of child labor will necessarily have to address the underlying processes of economic globalization that are exacerbating global poverty and, consequently, increasing the need for poor families to depend on the paid labor of their children for survival.
Conclusion
Authors: Lindio–McGovern Ligaya
Published: September 2007

The articles in this special issue demonstrate that neoliberal globalization has a detrimental impact on most women and their families in the global South or Third World.These essays reveal that not only does globalization exacerbate their already subordinate position in the global political economy, but also that women are fighting back.They have devised various ways to resist the negative consequences of neoliberal policies and corporate globalization on their everyday lives and on their nation states. Their politics of resistance offers strategies, insights and practical ideas about how a better, more just world can be achieved.This concluding article focuses on the common themes that appear throughout the articles in this issue, and it gives particular attention to the contradictions of neoliberal globalization and how these contradictions create resistance to it as well as the search for equitable and empowering alternatives.
Wallon, Lacan and the Lacanians
Authors: Stavrakakis Yannis
Published: September 2007

In a recent article published in Theory, Culture & Society Michael Billig proposed a formal, rhetorical method of evaluating Lacanian theory, applying it in a critical reading of Lacan’s early work on the ‘mirror stage’. What is crucially at stake in this reading is Lacan’s citation practices: indeed, Lacan is credited with significant omissions. Central among them is the ‘repression’ of the work of the French psychologist Henri Wallon in Lacan’s article on the ‘mirror stage’. Furthermore, it is also argued that such omissions have been instrumental in the creation and reproduction of a whole Lacan mythology, which is supposedly uncritically accepted by Lacanian scholars. What this note attempts is a brief assessment of this critical method and of its conclusions. Is Lacan’s ‘repression’ of Wallon as straightforward as it seems? What criteria should be employed in evaluating Lacan’s complex citation practices? Is the assumed complicity of Lacanian scholars in Lacan’s mythologization really representative of the current status of Lacanian bibliography? Billig’s own repressions seem to cast serious doubts on the validity of his proposed method of evaluating Lacan. But his critique does open a much-needed debate on issues of intellectual debt and repression, and on the relation between psychoanalysis and academic discourse.