bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Manipulations of listeners’ echo perception are reflected in event-related potentials
Authors: Sanders Lisa D. , Zobel Benjamin H. , Freyman Richard L. , Keen Rachel
Published: February 2011

To gain information from complex auditory scenes, it is necessary to determine which of the many loudness, pitch, and timbre changes originate from a single source. Grouping sound into sources based on spatial information is complicated by reverberant energy bouncing off multiple surfaces and reaching the ears from directions other than the source’s location. The ability to localize sounds despite these echoes has been explored with the precedence effect: Identical sounds presented from two locations with a short stimulus onset asynchrony (e.g., 1–5 ms) are perceived as a single source with a location dominated by the lead sound. Importantly, echo thresholds, the shortest onset asynchrony at which a listener reports hearing the lag sound as a separate source about half of the time, can be manipulated by presenting sound pairs in contexts. Event-related brain potentials elicited by physically identical sounds in contexts that resulted in listeners reporting either one or two sources were compared. Sound pairs perceived as two sources elicited a larger anterior negativity 100–250 ms after onset, previously termed the object-related negativity, and a larger posterior positivity 250–500 ms. These results indicate that the models of room acoustics listeners form based on recent experience with the spatiotemporal properties of sound modulate perceptual as well as later higher-level processing.
The effects of tongue loading and auditory feedback on vowel production
Authors: Leung Man-Tak , Ciocca Valter
Published: February 2011

This study investigated the role of sensory feedback during the production of front vowels. A temporary aftereffect induced by tongue loading was employed to modify the somatosensory-based perception of tongue height. Following the removal of tongue loading, tongue height during vowel production was estimated by measuring the frequency of the first formant (F1) from the acoustic signal. In experiment 1, the production of front vowels following tongue loading was investigated either in the presence or absence of auditory feedback. With auditory feedback available, the tongue height of front vowels was not modified by the aftereffect of tongue loading. By contrast, speakers did not compensate for the aftereffect of tongue loading when they produced vowels in the absence of auditory feedback. In experiment 2, the characteristics of the masking noise were manipulated such that it masked energy either in the F1 region or in the region of the second and higher formants. The results showed that the adjustment of tongue height during the production of front vowels depended on information about F1 in the auditory feedback. These findings support the idea that speech goals include both auditory and somatosensory targets and that speakers are able to make use of information from both sensory modalities to maximize the accuracy of speech production.
A synthesis approach for reproducing the response of aircraft panels to a turbulent boundary layer excitation
Authors: Bravo Teresa , Maury Cédric
Published: February 2011

Random wall-pressure fluctuations due to the turbulent boundary layer (TBL) are a feature of the air flow over an aircraft fuselage under cruise conditions, creating undesirable effects such as cabin noise annoyance. In order to test potential solutions to reduce the TBL-induced noise, a cost-efficient alternative to in-flight or wind-tunnel measurements involves the laboratory simulation of the response of aircraft sidewalls to high-speed subsonic TBL excitation. Previously published work has shown that TBL simulation using a near-field array of loudspeakers is only feasible in the low frequency range due to the rapid decay of the spanwise correlation length with frequency. This paper demonstrates through theoretical criteria how the wavenumber filtering capabilities of the radiating panel reduces the number of sources required, thus dramatically enlarging the frequency range over which the response of the TBL-excited panel is accurately reproduced. Experimental synthesis of the panel response to high-speed TBL excitation is found to be feasible over the hydrodynamic coincidence frequency range using a reduced set of near-field loudspeakers driven by optimal signals. Effective methodologies are proposed for an accurate reproduction of the TBL-induced sound power radiated by the panel into a free-field and when coupled to a cavity.
Interior and exterior sound field control using general two-dimensional first-order sources
Authors: Poletti M. A. , Abhayapala T. D.
Published: February 2011

Reproduction of a given sound field interior to a circular loudspeaker array without producing an undesirable exterior sound field is an unsolved problem over a broadband of frequencies. At low frequencies, by implementing the Kirchhoff–Helmholtz integral using a circular discrete array of line-source loudspeakers, a sound field can be recreated within the array and produce no exterior sound field, provided that the loudspeakers have azimuthal polar responses with variable first-order responses which are a combination of a two-dimensional (2D) monopole and a radially oriented 2D dipole. This paper examines the performance of circular discrete arrays of line-source loudspeakers which also include a tangential dipole, providing general variable-directivity responses in azimuth. It is shown that at low frequencies, the tangential dipoles are not required, but that near and above the Nyquist frequency, the tangential dipoles can both improve the interior accuracy and reduce the exterior sound field. The additional dipoles extend the useful range of the array by around an octave.
Higher mode sound transmission from a point source through a rectangular aperture
Authors: Horner J. L. , Peat K. S.
Published: February 2011

This paper considers the higher-order scattered and transmitted wave fields that result when an acoustic wave from a point source impinges at an arbitrary angle on a rectangular aperture in a rigid, thick wall. In this analysis, it is assumed that free field conditions exist on both sides of the aperture. Although the full scattered and transmitted pressure fields contain both modal sum and modal coupling effects, the modal coupling effects of the higher-order modes are ignored such that an approximate analytical solution to the uncoupled analysis can be utilized. Experiments have been undertaken to measure the sound pressure levels in the transmitted field that result when sound from a point source impinges on the opposite side of a rectangular aperture. Measurements were made with the source located at the required position to drive a particular in-aperture higher-order mode. The source was also located at positions that did not directly excite any in-aperture higher-order mode at a cut-on frequency. These results indicate that the approximate analysis developed here gives accurate solutions whether or not any mode of the aperture is driven at cut-on. Thus, the method can be used for any relative location of a source from a rectangular aperture of any dimensions.
Essential Metabolites of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Their Mimics
Authors: Lamichhane Gyanu , Freundlich Joel S. , Ekins Sean , Wickramaratne Niluka , Nolan Scott T. , Bishai William R.
Published: February 2011

An organism requires a range of biomolecules for its growth. By definition, these are essential molecules which constitute the basic metabolic requirements of an organism. A small organic molecule with chemical similarity to that of an essential metabolite may bind to the enzyme that catalyzes its production and inhibit it, likely resulting in the stasis or death of the organism. Here, we report a high-throughput approach for identifying essential metabolites of an organism using genetic and biochemical approaches and then implement computational approaches to identify metabolite mimics. We generated and genotyped 5,126 
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
mutants and performed a statistical analysis to determine putative essential genes. The essential molecules of
M. tuberculosis
were classified as products of enzymes that are encoded by genes in this list. Although incomplete, as many enzymes of
M. tuberculosis
have yet to be identified and characterized, this is the first report of a large number of essential molecules of the organism. We identified essential metabolites of three distinct metabolic pathways in
M. tuberculosis
and selected molecules with chemical similarity using cheminformatics strategies that illustrate a variety of different pharmacophores. Our approach is aimed at systematic identification of essential molecules and their mimics as a blueprint for development of effective chemical probes of
M. tuberculosis
metabolism, with the ultimate goal of seeking drugs that can kill this pathogen. As an illustration of this approach, we report that compounds JFD01307SC and
l
-methionine-
S
-sulfoximine, which share chemical similarity with an essential molecule of
M. tuberculosis
, inhibited the growth of this organism at micromolar concentrations.

IMPORTANCE
The estimate that more lives may have been lost in 2009 due to tuberculosis (TB) than in any year in history is alarming. Approximately 9.2 million new cases and 1.8 million deaths due to TB were reported in 2008. The widespread prevalence of
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
strains that are resistant to drugs currently used to treat TB means that new drugs are urgently needed to treat these infections. Here, we have identified pathways for the biosynthesis of essential metabolites and associated enzymes in
M. tuberculosis
using a genetics-based approach. Small molecules that mimic these essential metabolites were identified, and some of them were shown to inhibit the growth of
M. tuberculosis
. Therefore, we illustrate an approach based on genetics to develop inhibitors that have the potential to be advanced as candidate drugs for treating TB.
A reminder of the classical biochemical sequelae of adult gastric outlet obstruction
Authors: Ahmad Jawad , Thomson Stacey , Taylor Mark , Scoffield Julie
Published: February 2011

The commonest cause of gastric outlet obstruction (GOO) is pyloric stenosis secondary to peptic ulcer disease or gastric carcinoma. Patients with GOO have unique metabolic sequelae, namely hypochloraemic, hypokalaemic metabolic alkalosis with paradoxical aciduria and hypocalcaemia. A case of a patient presenting as GOO is discussed. The aim of this report is to highlight the metabolic abnormalities and management in patients with GOO.
The impact of diabetes on the extent of pial collaterals in acute ischemic stroke patients
Authors: Lazzaro Marc A , Chen Michael , Christoforidis Gregory A , Mohammad Yousef
Published: February 2011

Introduction

The threatened vascular territory in ischemic stroke is maintained by pial collateral circulation. Neovascularization varies among organ systems in diabetic patients. The effect of diabetes on the extent of pial collaterals is not well known. The pial collateral supply was compared among diabetic and non-diabetic patients presenting with acute ischemic stroke.

Material and methods

Databases from two institutions were accessed to identify all patients who presented with acute middle cerebral artery occlusion and underwent emergent cerebral angiography. Angiograms were reviewed and graded using a previously published pial collateral grading system. The collateral grading system was dichotomized into good (pial grades 1–2) and poor (pial grades 3–5). A χ2analysis was performed to compare the association between diabetes and pial collateral grade.

Results

104 patients were identified; 56 (54%) patients were men, mean age was 63.5 years and 22 (21%) patients had diabetes. Mean admission National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale was 15.7. In the diabetic population, 15 (68.2%) patients had good pial collaterals while seven (31.8%) patients had poor pial collaterals. In the non-diabetic population, 59 (71.9%) patients had good pial collaterals while 23 (28.0%) patients had poor pial collaterals. There was no association between diabetes and pial collateral grade (p=0.7290, Pearson χ2).

Conclusions

This series suggests there is no association between diabetes and the extent of pial collaterals in ischemic stroke patients. Further studies are warranted to understand pial collateral patterns in acute ischemic stroke patients and their impact on clinical outcomes.
Stability of measured and modelled spatial contrasts in NO2over time
Authors: Eeftens Marloes , Beelen Rob , Fischer Paul , Brunekreef Bert , Meliefste Kees , Hoek Gerard
Published: February 2011

Objectives

Land use regression (LUR) modelling is a popular method to estimate outdoor air pollution concentrations at the home and/or work addresses of individual subjects in epidemiological studies. Typically, such models are constructed using measurements from dedicated monitoring campaigns lasting up to 1 year. It is unknown to what extent such models can adequately predict concentrations in earlier or later time periods. We tested the stability of measured and modelled spatial contrasts in outdoor nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution across the Netherlands over 8 years.

Methods

NO2measurements were conducted at 40 locations in the Netherlands in 1999–2000. In 2007, NO2was again measured at 144 locations, of which 35 were the same as in 1999–2000. This enabled us to compare measurements as well as model predictions between the two time periods.

Results

NO2measurements conducted in 2007 agreed well with NO2measurements taken in 1999–2000 at the same locations (R2=0.86). LUR models from 1999–2000 and 2007 explained 85% and 86% of observed spatial variance, respectively. The 2007 LUR model explained 77% of spatial variability in the 1999–2000 measurements and the 1999–2000 model explained 81% of variability in the 2007 measurements.

Conclusion

We found good agreement between measured spatial contrasts in outdoor NO2in 1999–2000 and 2007. LUR models predicted spatial contrast 8 years in the past (2007 model) and 8 years in the future (1999–2000 model) well. This supports the use of LUR models in epidemiological studies with health data available for a later or earlier timepoint.
Diagnosis and economic consequences of triclabendazole resistance in Fasciola hepatica in a sheep flock in south‐east Scotland
Authors: Sargison N. D. , Scott P. R.
Published: February 2011

Over the past decade, definite changes have been recorded in the regional prevalence, seasonality and severity of fasciolosis in the UK, related to increased rainfall, or localised flooding, prompting debate about the deleterious effects of climate change. As a consequence, effective management of fasciolosis has become problematic in areas where fluke traditionally exists, leading to serious loss of production in sheep and cattle. Meanwhile, in eastern districts, there have been unexpected outbreaks of disease, resulting in production losses and concerns about welfare. This case report describes the economic consequences of fasciolosis in a commercial sheep flock in south‐east Scotland. The diagnosis and consequences of triclabendazole resistance are discussed, in the context of developing economically sustainable control strategies.
Evaluation of a breast support conveyor to improve poultry welfare on the shackle line
Authors: Lines J. A. , Jones T. A. , Berry P. S. , Cook P. , Spence J. , Schofield C. P.
Published: February 2011

A breast support conveyor has the potential to improve bird welfare by avoiding the need to invert and suspend broilers by their legs as they move from the point of shackling to entry into the electric waterbath. To evaluate its effect on welfare under commercial conditions, a breast support conveyor was installed under the conventional shackle line of a small poultry processing plant. A structured assessment of the behaviour of the birds indicated a significant decrease in struggling and wing flapping at the point of shackling, on the straight conveyor and at entry into the waterbath. This resulted in a lower prevalence of red wing tips and bruising in the first wing joint. The shackle line and conveyor in this installation, however, passed around a 90° corner, which appeared to cause more disturbance to the birds on the conveyor than to comparable birds suspended from shackles in the traditional manner. The results indicate that a breast support conveyor has the potential to improve bird welfare on straight shackle lines and that, because struggling activity and duration following shackling are reduced, the time between shackling and stunning could also be reduced using this method, further improving bird welfare. Breast support conveyors should not be used when the shackle lines have sharp bends.
Kinematic evolution and structural styles of fold-and-thrust belts
Authors: Poblet J. , Lisle R. J.
Published: February 2011

Fold-and-thrust (FAT) belts occur worldwide and have long been the focus of research of structural geologists who have devised a variety of techniques to image, characterize and model their main structural features. This introductory chapter reviews the principal geological features of FAT belts formed in different settings, emphasizing aspects related to their kinematic evolution and structural styles. Despite great advances, challenges remain, particularly in the understanding of the spatial and temporal evolution (4D) of FAT belts and their controlling factors. These research efforts are being assisted by the growing availability to researchers of relatively new tools to collect field data, high quality 3D seismic data, and computer and laboratory modelling tools. This volume includes technical papers presented in the conference ‘International Meeting of Young Researchers in Structural Geology and Tectonics (YORSGET-08)’ held in Oviedo (Spain), together with other papers on the same theme. These papers deal with FAT belts in different parts of the world and cover a broad range of different aspects, from detailed structural analysis of single structures to regional issues, and from studies based on classical field structural geology to modelling.
Thrust tectonics of the Upper Jurassic limestones in the Pavlov Hills (Outer Western Carpathians, Czech Republic)
Authors: Poul Ivan , Melichar Rostislav , Janečka Jiří
Published: February 2011

The Pavlov Hills are formed by separated limestone blocks previously identified as klippen. A new flat-ramp-flat thrust model of the Pavlov Hills is formulated in this paper. The main tectonic detachment is located at the base of the limestone plate and other subsidiary detachments are located within the nodular limestone horizon and also at the base and top of the Upper Cretaceous deposits. The ramps are situated in the Klentnice Fm and Ernstbrunn Lst. The ramp angle was determined by structural evidence combined with interpretation of seismic profiles. Two parallel antiformal structures plunging to the NE are recognized within the study area. The antiformal fold axes are gently plunging to the NE so the anticlines are not ideal for 3-point hydrocarbon trap setting. These anticlines were subsequently cut by sinistral strike-slip faults perpendicular to the fold axis which resulted in the formation of a large-scale pseudo en-echelon structure in an approximate north–south direction.
The roles of complex mechanical stratigraphy and syn-kinematic sedimentation in fold development: insights from discrete-element modelling and application to the Pico del Águila anticline (External Sierras, Southern Pyrenees)
Authors: Vidal-Royo Oskar , Hardy Stuart , Muñoz Josep Anton
Published: February 2011

A 2D discrete-element modelling technique is used to explore the effects of complex mechanical stratigraphy and syn-kinematic sedimentation in the development of the Pico del Águila anticline (External Sierras, Southern Pyrenees). The stratigraphy (Middle Triassic–Oligocene in age) involved in this structure is characterized by a gross interlayering of competent and incompetent units, which leads to a striking variation in outcrop-scale deformation of the units observed in the field. The numerical model attempts to reproduce the stratigraphic variation seen in the field by using a mechanical stratigraphy that contains a complex interlayering of competent/incompetent units. Two experiments are presented. Model 1 tests the response of this complex mechanical stratigraphy to shortening under conditions that lead to the formation of a detachment fold. This experiment shows that folding mechanisms vary abruptly depending on the mechanical properties of the materials involved: the incompetent units are strongly internally deformed, accommodating much layer-parallel shearing; the competent units deform by rigid-body translation/rotation, localized faulting and minor internal shearing. Model 2 tests the effect of syn-kinematic sedimentation under identical boundary conditions: these sediments stabilize the fold against gravitational instabilities and cause a concentration of deformation in the core of the structure, leading to a tighter, narrower fold.
High muscle lipid content in obesity is not due to enhanced activation of key triglyceride esterification enzymes or the suppression of lipolytic proteins
Authors: Li Minghua , Paran Christopher , Wolins Nathan E. , Horowitz Jeffrey F.
Published: February 2011

The mechanisms underlying alterations in muscle lipid metabolism in obesity are poorly understood. The primary aim of this study was to compare the abundance and/or activities of key proteins that regulate intramyocellular triglyceride (IMTG) concentration in the skeletal muscle obtained from obese (OB; n = 8, BMI 38 ± 1 kg/m2) and nonobese (NOB; n = 9, BMI 23 ± 1 kg/m2) women. IMTG concentration was nearly twofold greater in OB vs. NOB subjects (75 ± 15 vs. 40 ± 8 μmol/g dry wt, P < 0.05). In contrast, the activity and protein abundance of key enzymes that regulate the esterification of IMTG (i.e., glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase and diacylglycerol acyltransferase) were not elevated. We also found no differences between groups in muscle adipose triglyceride lipase and hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) protein abundance and no differences in phosphorylation of specific sites known to affect HSL activity. However, we did find the elevated IMTG in obesity to be accompanied by a greater abundance of the fatty acid transporter FAT/CD36 in the membrane fraction of muscle from OB vs. NOB subjects ( P < 0.05), suggestive of an elevated fatty acid transport capacity. Additionally, protein abundance of the lipid-trafficking protein perilipin 3 was lower ( P < 0.05) in muscle from OB vs. NOB when expressed relative to IMTG content. Our findings indicate that the elevated IMTG content found in obese women was not due to an upregulation of key lipogenic proteins or to the suppression of lipolytic proteins. The impact of a low perilipin protein abundance relative to the amount of IMTG in obesity remains to be clarified.
Variable penetrance of metabolic phenotypes and development of high-fat diet-induced adiposity in NEIL1-deficient mice
Authors: Sampath Harini , Batra Ayesha K. , Vartanian Vladimir , Carmical J. Russ , Prusak Deborah , King Irena B. , Lowell Brian , Earley Lauriel F. , Wood Thomas G. , Marks Daniel L. , McCullough Amanda K. , R. Stephen Lloyd
Published: February 2011

Exposure to chronic and acute oxidative stress is correlated with many human diseases, including, but not limited to, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. In addition to cellular lipids and proteins, cellular oxidative stress can result in damage to DNA bases, especially in mitochondrial DNA. We previously described the development of spontaneous late-onset obesity, hepatic steatosis, hyperinsulinemia, and hyperleptinemia in mice that are deficient in the DNA glycosylase nei-like 1 (NEIL1), which initiates base excision repair of several oxidatively damaged bases. In the current study, we report that exposure to a chronic oxidative stress in the form of a high-fat diet greatly accelerates the development of obesity in neil1−/−mice. Following a 5-wk high-fat diet challenge, neil1−/−mice gained significantly more body weight than neil1+/+littermates and had increased body fat accumulation and moderate to severe hepatic steatosis. Analysis of oxygen consumption by indirect calorimetry indicated a modest reduction in total oxygen consumption in neil1−/−mice that was abolished upon correction for lean body mass. Additionally, hepatic expression of several inflammatory genes was significantly upregulated in neil1−/−mice following high-fat diet challenge compared with chow-fed or neil1+/+counterparts. A long-term high-fat diet also induced glucose intolerance as well as a significant reduction in mitochondrial DNA and protein content in neil1−/−mice. Collectively, these data indicate that NEIL1 deficiency results in an increased susceptibility to obesity and related complications potentially by lowering the threshold for tolerance of cellular oxidative stress in neil1−/−mice.
The Adaptor Protein AMOT Promotes the Proliferation of Mammary Epithelial Cells via the Prolonged Activation of the Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinases
Authors: Ranahan William P. , Han Zhang , Smith-Kinnaman Whitney , Nabinger Sarah C. , Heller Brigitte , Herbert Britney-Shea , Chan Rebecca , Wells Clark D.
Published: February 2011

The asymmetric organization of epithelial cells is a basic counter to cellular proliferation. However, the mechanisms whereby pro-growth pathways are modulated by intracellular factors that control cell shape are not well understood. This study demonstrates that the adaptor protein Amot, in addition to its established role in regulating cellular asymmetry, also promotes extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/2)–dependent proliferation of mammary cells. Specifically, expression of Amot80, but not a mutant lacking its polarity protein interaction domain, enhances ERK1/2-dependent proliferation of MCF7 cells. Further, expression of Amot80 induces nontransformed MCF10A cells to overgrow as disorganized cellular aggregates in Matrigel. Conversely, Amot expression is required for proliferation of breast cancer cells in specific microenvironmental contexts that require ERK1/2 signaling. Thus, Amot is proposed to coordinate the dysregulation of cell polarity with the induction of neoplastic growth in mammary cells. Cancer Res; 71(6); 2203–11. ©2011 AACR.
Forkhead Transcription Factor Foxq1 Promotes Epithelial–Mesenchymal Transition and Breast Cancer Metastasis
Authors: Zhang Haijun , Meng Fanyan , Liu Gang , Zhang Bin , Zhu Jun , Wu Feng , Ethier Stephen P. , Miller Fred , Wu Guojun
Published: February 2011

Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) promotes cancer invasion and metastasis, but the integrative mechanisms that coordinate these processes are incompletely understood. In this study, we used a cross-species expression profiling strategy in metastatic cell lines of human and mouse origin to identify 22 up-regulated and 12 down-regulated genes that are part of an essential genetic program in metastasis. In particular, we identified a novel function in metastasis that was not previously known for the transcription factor Forkhead Box Q1 (Foxq1). Ectopic expression of Foxq1 increased cell migration and invasion in vitro, enhanced the lung metastatic capabilities of mammary epithelial cells in vivo, and triggered a marked EMT. In contrast, Foxq1 knockdown elicited converse effects on these phenotypes in vitro and in vivo. Neither ectopic expression nor knockdown of Foxq1 significantly affected cell proliferation or colony formation in vitro. Notably, Foxq1 repressed expression of the core EMT regulator E-cadherin by binding to the E-box in its promoter region. Further mechanistic investigation revealed that Foxq1 expression is regulated by TGF-β1, and that Foxq1 knockdown blocked TGF-β1-induced EMT at both morphological and molecular levels. Our findings highlight the feasibility of cross-species expression profiling as a strategy to identify metastasis-related genes, and they reveal that EMT induction is a likely mechanism underlying a novel metastasis-promoting function of Foxq1 defined here in breast cancer. Cancer Res; 71(4); 1292–301. ©2011 AACR.
Is Insulin Resistance a Risk Factor for the Progression of Chronic Kidney Disease?
Authors: Bastürk Taner , Unsal Abdulkadır
Published: February 2011

Background: The aim of this research was to establish whether there is a link between insulin resistance (IR) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR), and assess whether insulin-resistant subjects experience a more rapid deterioration in GFR. Methods: We enrolled 73 non-diabetic chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 2–4 patients. All blood samples were taken after 10 h of overnight fasting. Fasting blood glucose (FBG), creatinine, uric acid, albumin, cholesterol, triglyceride, insulin, HbA1c, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) levels as well as proteinuria were analyzed. Patients were followed up for a mean of 30 (24–35) months and renal and metabolic parameters were compared in conjunction with a homeostasis model assessment of IR (HOMA-IR) between the entry and the end of the study period. CKD progression was assessed by recording renal endpoints, which included end-stage renal disease, requiring renal replacement therapy, or overall mortality. Results: The study patients were divided into group 1 (n = 36), without IR, and group 2 (n = 37), with IR. Group 2 patients had a higher FBG (p = 0.003) and insulin level (p = 0.001) compared to group 1. The baseline and end of study systolic (p = 0.007) and diastolic (p = 0.001) blood pressures were decreased in group 1. In group 2, FBG (p = 0.008), HbA1c (p = 0.009), systolic (p = 0.024) and diastolic (p = 0.001) blood pressures and CRP (p = 0.047) were decreased. In group 2, 8 patients reached renal endpoints while in group 1, 9 patients reached study endpoints. HOMA-IR was not significantly higher among 17 patients who reached the renal endpoint than among the 56 who did not. At baseline, those patients who reached the renal endpoint showed lower GFR (p = 0.001), higher iPTH (p = 0.004) and hs-CRP (p = 0.002) levels. Conclusion: There was no significant difference in GFR at the end of the study between patients who had or did not have IR. Furthermore, HOMA-IR was not significantly different in patients with or without renal endpoints.
Annual Cycle of Surface Longwave Radiation
Authors: Mlynczak Pamela E. , Smith G. Louis , Wilber Anne C. , Stackhouse Paul W.
Published: February 2011

The annual cycles of upward and downward longwave fluxes at the earth’s surface are investigated by use of the NASA Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) Surface Radiation Budget Dataset. Principal component analysis is used to quantify the annual cycles. Because of the immense difference between the heat capacity of land and ocean, the surface of the earth is partitioned into these two categories. Over land, the first principal component describes over 95% of the variance of the annual cycle of the upward and downward longwave fluxes. Over ocean the first term describes more than 87% of these annual cycles. Empirical orthogonal functions show the corresponding geographical distributions of these cycles. Phase-plane diagrams of the annual cycles of upward longwave fluxes as a function of net shortwave flux show the thermal inertia of land and ocean.
Dynamical Evolution of North Atlantic Ridges and Poleward Jet Stream Displacements
Authors: Woollings Tim , Pinto Joaquim G. , Santos João A.
Published: February 2011

The development of a particular wintertime atmospheric circulation regime over the North Atlantic, comprising a northward shift of the North Atlantic eddy-driven jet stream and an associated strong and persistent ridge in the subtropics, is investigated. Several different methods of analysis are combined to describe the temporal evolution of the events and relate it to shifts in the phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation and East Atlantic pattern. First, the authors identify a close relationship between northward shifts of the eddy-driven jet, the establishment and maintenance of strong and persistent ridges in the subtropics, and the occurrence of upper-tropospheric anticyclonic Rossby wave breaking over Iberia. Clear tropospheric precursors are evident prior to the development of the regime, suggesting a preconditioning of the Atlantic jet stream and an upstream influence via a large-scale Rossby wave train from the North Pacific. Transient (2–6 days) eddy forcing plays a dual role, contributing to both the initiation and then the maintenance of the circulation anomalies. During the regime there is enhanced occurrence of anticyclonic Rossby wave breaking, which may be described as low-latitude blocking-like events over the southeastern North Atlantic. A strong ridge is already established at the time of wave-breaking onset, suggesting that the role of wave-breaking events is to amplify the circulation anomalies rather than to initiate them. Wave breaking also seems to enhance the persistence, since it is unlikely that a persistent ridge event occurs without being also accompanied by wave breaking.
Do Planetary Wave Dynamics Contribute to Equable Climates?
Authors: Lee Sukyoung , Feldstein Steven , Pollard David , White Tim
Published: February 2011

Viable explanations for equable climates of the Cretaceous and early Cenozoic (from about 145 to 50 million years ago), especially for the above-freezing temperatures detected for high-latitude continental winters, have been a long-standing challenge. In this study, the authors suggest that enhanced and localized tropical convection, associated with a strengthened paleo–warm pool, may contribute toward high-latitude warming through the excitation of poleward-propagating Rossby waves. This warming takes place through the poleward heat flux and an overturning circulation that accompany the Rossby waves. This mechanism is tested with an atmosphere–mixed layer ocean general circulation model (GCM) by imposing idealized localized heating and compensating cooling, a heating structure that mimics the effect of warm-pool convective heating.

The localized tropical heating is indeed found to contribute to a warming of the Arctic during the winter. Within the range of 0–150 W m−2 for the heating intensity, the average rate for the zonal mean Arctic surface warming is 0.8°C per (10 W m−2) increase in the heating for the runs with an atmospheric CO2 level of 4 × PAL (Preindustrial Atmospheric Level, 1 PAL = 280 ppmv), the Cretaceous and early Cenozoic values considered for this study. This rate of warming for the Arctic is lower in model runs with 1 × PAL CO2, which show an increase of 0.3°C per (10 W m−2). Further increase of the heating intensity beyond 150 W m−2 produces little change in the Arctic surface air temperature. This saturation behavior is interpreted as being a result of nonlinear wave–wave interaction, which leads to equatorward wave refraction.

Under the 4 × PAL CO2 level, raising the heating from 120 W m−2 (estimated warm-pool convective heating value for the present-day climate) to 150 and 180 W m −2 (estimated values for the Cretaceous and early Cenozoic) produces a warming of 4°–8°C over northern Siberia and the adjacent Arctic Ocean. Relative to the warming caused by a quadrupling of CO2 alone, this temperature increase accounts for about 30% of the warming over this region. The possible influence of warm-pool convective heating on the present-day Arctic is also discussed.
Scales, Growth Rates, and Spectral Fluxes of Baroclinic Instability in the Ocean
Authors: Tulloch Ross , Marshall John , Hill Chris , Smith K. Shafer
Published: February 2011

An observational, modeling, and theoretical study of the scales, growth rates, and spectral fluxes of baroclinic instability in the ocean is presented, permitting a discussion of the relation between the local instability scale; the first baroclinic deformation scale Rdef; and the equilibrated, observed eddy scale. The geography of the large-scale, meridional quasigeostrophic potential vorticity (QGPV) gradient is mapped out using a climatological atlas, and attention is drawn to asymmetries between midlatitude eastward currents and subtropical return flows, the latter of which has westward and eastward zonal velocity shears. A linear stability analysis of the climatology, under the “local approximation,” yields the growth rates and scales of the fastest-growing modes. Fastest-growing modes on eastward-flowing currents, such as the Kuroshio and the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, have a scale somewhat larger (by a factor of about 2) than Rdef. They are rapidly growing (e folding in 1–3 weeks) and deep reaching, and they can be characterized by an interaction between interior QGPV gradients, with a zero crossing in the QGPV gradient at depth. In contrast, fastest-growing modes in the subtropical return flows (as well as much of the gyre interiors) have a scale smaller than Rdef (by a factor of between 0.5 and 1), grow more slowly (e-folding scale of several weeks), and owe their existence to the interaction of a positive surface QGPV gradient and a negative gradient beneath.

These predictions of linear theory under the local approximation are then compared to observed eddy length scales and spectral fluxes using altimetric data. It is found that the scale of observed eddies is some 2–3 times larger than the instability scale, indicative of a modest growth in horizontal scale. No evidence of an inverse cascade over decades in scale is found. Outside of a tropical band, the eddy scale varies with latitude along with but somewhat less strongly than Rdef.

Finally, exactly the same series of calculations is carried out on fields from an idealized global eddying model, enabling study in a more controlled setting. Broadly similar conclusions are reached, thus reinforcing inferences made from the data.
Significance of the Coupled Term in the Doppler Weather Radar Spectrum Width Equation
Authors: Fang Ming , Doviak Richard J. , Albrecht Bruce A.
Published: February 2011

There is an additional zero mean random variable term that couples mean wind shear and turbulence in the Doppler radar spectrum width equation. This random variable, labeled the “coupled term,” has been neglected heretofore in the literature. Herein, the variance of the squared spectrum width ascribed to this coupled term is determined from data collected with a Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) in two snowstorms; it can exceed 1 m4 s−4. Thus, this coupled term can be a significant contributor to the variance of the spectrum width and must be considered when using spectrum width to deduce turbulence.
Transitional Property Rights and Local Developmental History in China
Authors: Abramson Daniel
Published: February 2011

Among the societies that are moving from a centrally planned economy with weak property rights towards a market-oriented economy with stronger and more privatised property rights, China is undergoing an especially rapid and extensive urbanisation that obscures the diversity and relevance of local pre-Reform property arrangements. Official discourse emphasises the formalisation, clarification and, to some extent, the privatisation of property rights in the name of overall societal development and gradual integration with the global economy. In local informal, popular practice and discourse, however, the invocation of property rights reflects the continuing political relevance of both revolutionary and traditional notions of rights to urban space that challenge a unitary, linear view of the development process.
Values in Land: Fiscal Pressures, Land Disputes and Justice Claims in Rural and Peri-urban China
Authors: Whiting Susan
Published: February 2011

This paper explores justice claims and legal recourse in disputes over land rights—a major source of unrest—in rural China. Local governments’ search for fiscal revenue and the concomitant fiscalisation of land create the context for the recent wave of land disputes. The types of dispute and the contexts in which disputes arise shape the ways in which citizens seek recourse to threats to their property rights and shape the kinds of justice claim they make in the process. Citizens whose land rights are threatened by land takings orchestrated by local governments and outside developers are more likely to pursue both distributive and procedural justice claims in court than are citizens whose land rights are threatened by reallocation of land within the community. In the latter case, citizens are more likely to pursue distributive but not procedural justice claims through mediation. These patterns hold in both case study and survey evidence. Distributive justice is associated with the fairness of outcome of a dispute, while procedural justice is associated with fairness of the process of dispute resolution.
The Historic Building in the Modernized City: The Cathedrals of Paris and Rouen in the Nineteenth Century
Authors: Murphy Kevin D.
Published: February 2011

Among the most ambitious and comprehensive projects for urban modernization in the nineteenth century was that of Paris where the prefect of the Department of the Seine, Baron Georges- Eugène Haussmann, under the auspices of the Second Empire of Napoleon III, engaged in a thorough-going program of demolition, street replanning, and reconstruction. Although much of the earlier fabric of Paris was destroyed, the major medieval monuments were largely preserved. This article considers the question of how preserved buildings, especially cathedrals, functioned in renovated cities and takes as its case studies Paris and Rouen. Like Paris, Rouen was a rapidly expanding economic center during the last quarter of the nineteenth century and was similarly reworked urbanistically. It too had a major medieval cathedral to be reckoned with. As this article demonstrates, the ways in which these cathedrals could and should represent the national past were the subject of considerable debate through the nineteenth century.
Student Engagement and Marketing Classes
Authors: Taylor Steven A. , Hunter Gary L. , Melton Horace , Goodwin Stephen A.
Published: February 2011

A study is reported that investigates the goals underlying undergraduate students’ engagement in their major classes, nonmajor classes, and in extracurricular activities. The qualitative study employs both focus groups and goal-mapping exercises. The results suggest that students tend to focus on utilitarian, attribute-level considerations mainly related to credentialing for purposes of employment. The results are considered from the perspectives of judgment and decision making, learning models, and the emerging service marketing perspective. These model considerations underscore an argument for moving toward models of education delivery focusing on value co-creation instead of the current emphasis on providing value to students. A series of recommendations are offered to help facilitate faculty efforts to increase course engagement, particularly in large-section course offerings. However, the authors ultimately conclude that student engagement with their course-related experiences will best be served in models of value co-creation by a focus on more than intellectual maturity in education. Specifically, an argument is presented for also targeting moral and motivational maturity. The practical and research implications of the study are presented and discussed.
Oral Masses in Two Cats
Authors: Bock P. , Hach V. , Baumgärtner W.
Published: February 2011

Incisional biopsies from the oral cavity of 2 adult cats were submitted for histological investigation. Cat No. 1 showed a solitary well-circumscribed neoplasm in the left mandible. Cat No. 2 demonstrated a diffusely infiltrating neoplasm in the left maxilla. Both tumors consisted of medium-size epithelial cells embedded in a fibrovascular stroma. The mitotic index was 0 to 1 mitosis per high-power field. The epithelial cells showed an irregular arrangement forming nests or streams in cat No. 1, whereas a palisading growth was noted in cat No. 2. Both tumors, especially that of cat No. 1, showed multifocal accumulations of amyloid as confirmed by Congo red staining and a distinct green birefringence under polarized light, which lacked cytokeratin immunoreactivity as well as and AL and AA amyloid immunoreactivity. In addition, the amyloid in cat No. 2 was positive for the odontogenic ameloblast-associated protein, formerly termed APin. In sum, both cats suffered from an amyloid-producing odontogenic tumor, but their tumors varied with respect to morphology and type of amyloid produced.
Effects of an Age-Specific Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Prevention Program on Lower Extremity Biomechanics in Children
Authors: DiStefano Lindsay J. , Blackburn J. Troy , Marshall Stephen W. , Guskiewicz Kevin M. , Garrett William E. , Padua Darin A.
Published: February 2011

Background: Implementing an anterior cruciate ligament injury prevention program to athletes before the age at which the greatest injury risk occurs (15-17 years) is important from a prevention standpoint. However, it is unknown whether standard programs can modify lower extremity biomechanics in pediatric populations or if specialized training is required.

Hypothesis/Purpose: To compare the effects of traditional and age-specific pediatric anterior cruciate ligament injury prevention programs on lower extremity biomechanics during a cutting task in youth athletes. The authors hypothesized that the age-specific pediatric program would result in greater sagittal plane motion (ie, hip and knee flexion) and less motion in the transverse and frontal plane (ie, knee valgus, knee and hip rotation) as compared with the traditional program.

Study Design: Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1.

Methods: Sixty-five youth soccer athletes (38 boys, 27 girls) volunteered to participate. The mean age of participants was 10 ± 1 years. Teams (n, 7) were cluster randomized to a pediatric injury prevention program, a traditional injury prevention program, or a control group. The pediatric program was modified from the traditional program to include more feedback, progressions, and variety. Teams performed their programs as part of their normal warm-up routine. Three-dimensional lower extremity biomechanics were assessed during a sidestep cutting task before and after completion of the 9-week intervention period.

Results: The pediatric program reduced the amount of knee external rotation at initial ground contact during the cutting task, F(2,62) = 3.79, P = .03 (change: pediatric, 7.73° ± 10.71°; control, –0.35° ± 7.76°), as compared with the control group after the intervention period. No other changes were observed.

Conclusion: The injury prevention program designed for a pediatric population modified only knee rotation during the cutting task, whereas the traditional program did not result in any changes in cutting biomechanics. These findings suggest limited effectiveness of both programs for athletes younger than 12 years of age in terms of biomechanics during a cutting task.