bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Data compilation on the biological response to ocean acidification: an update
Authors: Yang Y. , Hansson L. , Gattuso J.-P.
Published: February 2016

Abstract. The exponential growth of studies on the biological response to ocean acidification over the last few decades has generated a large amount of data. To facilitate data comparison, a data compilation hosted at the data publisher PANGAEA was initiated in 2008 and is updated on a regular basis (doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.149999). By January 2015, a total of 581 data sets (over 4 000 000 data points) from 539 papers had been archived. Here we present the developments of this data compilation 5 years since its first description by Nisumaa et al. (2010). Most of the study sites from which data have been archived are in the Northern Hemisphere and the number of archived data from studies from the Southern Hemisphere and polar oceans is still relatively low. Data from 60 studies that investigated the response of a mix of organisms or natural communities were all added after 2010, indicating a welcome shift from the study of individual organisms to communities and ecosystems. The initial imbalance of considerably more data archived on calcification and primary production than on other processes has improved. There is also a clear tendency towards more data archived from multifactorial studies after 2010. For easier and more effective access to ocean acidification data, the ocean acidification community is strongly encouraged to contribute to the data archiving effort, and help develop standard vocabularies describing the variables and define best practices for archiving ocean acidification data.
Bias correction schemes for CMORPH satellite rainfall estimates in the Zambezi River Basin
Authors: Gumindoga W. , Rientjes T. H. M. , Haile A. T. , Makurira H. , Reggiani P.
Published: February 2016

Abstract. Obtaining reliable records of rainfall from satellite rainfall estimates (SREs) is a challenge as SREs are an indirect rainfall estimate from visible, infrared (IR), and/or microwave (MW) based information of cloud properties. SREs also contain inherent biases which exaggerate or underestimate actual rainfall values hence the need to apply bias correction methods to improve accuracies. We evaluate the performance of five bias correction schemes for CMORPH satellite-based rainfall estimates. We use 54 raingauge stations in the Zambezi Basin for the period 1998–2013 for comparison and correction. Analysis shows that SREs better match to gauged estimates in the Upper Zambezi Basin than the Lower and Middle Zambezi basins but performance is not clearly related to elevation. Findings indicate that rainfall in the Upper Zambezi Basin is best estimated by an additive bias correction scheme (Distribution transformation). The linear based (Spatio-temporal) bias correction scheme successfully corrected the daily mean of CMORPH estimates for 70 % of the stations and also was most effective in reducing the rainfall bias. The nonlinear bias correction schemes (Power transform and the Quantile based empirical-statistical error correction method) proved most effective in reproducing the rainfall totals. Analyses through bias correction indicate that bias of CMORPH estimates has elevation and seasonality tendencies across the Zambezi river basin area of large scale.
Determination of empirical parameters for root water uptake models
Authors: dos Santos Marcos Alex , de Jong van Lier Quirijn , van Dam Jos C. , Freire Bezerra Andre Herman
Published: February 2016

Abstract. Detailed physical models describing root water uptake (RWU) are an important tool for the prediction of RWU and crop transpiration, but involved hydraulic parameters are hardly-ever available, making them less attractive for many studies. Empirical models are more readily used because of their simplicity and lower data requirements. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the capability of some empirical models to mimic the RWU distribution under varying environmental conditions predicted from numerical simulations with a detailed physical model. A review of some empirical models used as sub-models in ecohydrological models is presented, and alternative empirical RWU models are proposed. The parameters of the empirical models are determined by inverse modelling of simulated depth-dependent RWU. The simulated scenarios give more insight into the behaviour of the physical model, especially under wet soil conditions and high potential transpiration rate. The performance of the empirical models and their optimized empirical parameters depend on the scenario. The largely used empirical RWU model by Feddes only performs well in scenarios with low root length density R, i.e. for the scenarios of low RWU "compensation". For medium and high R, the Feddes RWU model cannot mimic properly the root uptake dynamics as predicted by the physical model. The RWU model by Jarvis provides good predictions only for low and medium R scenarios. For high R, the Jarvis model cannot mimic the uptake patterns predicted by the physical model. Incorporating a newly proposed reduction in the Jarvis model improved RWU predictions. The proposed models are more capable of predicting similar RWU patterns by the physical model. The statistical indices point them as the best alternatives to mimic RWU predictions by the physical model.
Modelling extreme discharge response to several geostatistically interpolated rainfall using very sparse raingage data
Authors: Ly Sarann , Sohier Catherine , Charles Catherine , Degré Aurore
Published: February 2016

Abstract. This study presents modelling work of extreme discharge response to rainfall inputs interpolated by geostatistical approaches. Multivariate geostatistics are used by incorporating elevation as external data to improve the rainfall prediction. Thirty year daily rainfall in the Ourthe and Ambleve nested catchments, located in the Ardennes hilly landscape in the Walloon region, Belgium are interpolated and then used as inputs for a distributed physically-based hydrological model (EPIC-GRID). The effect of different raingage densities and particularly the effect of the raingage positions for very sparse raingage data used for rainfall interpolation, on extreme flow is analysed. We propose an index that can illustrate the quality of the raingage distribution with respect to the calculation of extreme discharge. In high elevation sub-catchment, we found that the multivariate geostatistics can significantly improve the rainfall prediction to produce very good simulated peak discharge. In the low elevation sub-catchment and the low raingage density, our results indicated that the Universal Kriging (UNK) is not appropriate. The IDW, Ordinary Kriging (ORK) and Ordinary Cokriging (OCK) methods provide generally good performance. The Thiessen polygon (THI) and Kriging with External Drift (KED) provide good performance for the whole catchment but less good for sub-catchments. The position of the raingages is the key factor for rainfall interpolation, particularly in the data-scarce region. UNK and KED methods are the most sensitive.
Tremor during ice-stream stick slip
Authors: Lipovsky B. P. , Dunham E. M.
Published: February 2016

Abstract. During the 200 km-scale stick slip of the Whillans Ice Plain (WIP), West Antarctica, seismic tremor episodes occur at the ice–bed interface. We interpret these tremor episodes as swarms of small repeating earthquakes. The earthquakes are evenly spaced in time, and this even spacing gives rise to spectral peaks at integer multiples of the recurrence frequency ∼ 10–20 Hz. We conduct numerical simulations of the tremor episodes that include the balance of forces acting on the fault, the evolution of rate- and state-dependent fault friction, and wave propagation from the fault patch to a seismometer located on the ice. The ice slides as an elastic block loaded by the push of the upstream ice, and so the simulated basal fault patch experiences a loading velocity equal to the velocity observed by GPS receivers on the surface of the WIP. By matching synthetic seismograms to observed seismograms, we infer fault patch area ∼ 10 m2, bed shear modulus ∼ 20 MPa, effective pressure ∼ 10 kPa, and frictional state evolution distance ∼ 1 μm. Large-scale slip events often occur twice daily, although skipped events have been increasing in frequency over the last decade. The amplitude of tremor (recorded by seismometers on the ice surface) is greater during the double wait time events that follow skipped events. The physical mechanism responsible for these elevated amplitudes may provide a window into near-future subglacial conditions and the processes that occur during ice-stream stagnation.
Abipusė nazolabialinė cista – retas klinikinis atvejis
Authors: Šiupšinskienė Nora , Lapinskaitė Rimantė , Šarauskas Valdas , Norkienė Sigutė
Published: February 2016

Nazolabialinės cistos - tai ne odontogeninės kilmės, minkštųjų audinių cistos, neturinčios sąsajos su kaulu. Tai reta, dažniausiai vienpusė patologija. Straipsnyje aprašoma nazolabialinių cistų patogenezė, nusiskundimai, klinikinė ir radiologinė diagnostika. Apžvelgiama diferencinė diagnostika ir pagrindiniai chirurginiai gydymo būdai. Pristatomas 59 m. pacientės, kuriai diagnozuota retai pasitaikanti abipusė nazolabialinė cista, klinikinis atvejis.
Normative Reasoning and Moral Argumentation in Theory and Practice
Authors: Gillespie Ryan
Published: February 2016

“Morality is relative to culture” is a descriptive claim, but in practice its normative entailment is rarely embraced. It is often claimed that this poses a problem of consistency for relativism as a morally normative theory: either relativists do not act in accordance with their beliefs or they hold different beliefs from what they espouse. This article evaluates a debate between Paul Boghossian and Stanley Fish over relativism, analyzing their arguments on the relationship between theory and practice in ethics and the tenability of moral relativism. I defend two claims: that the truth or falsity of moral relativism has significant bearing on action and that morality is based on a conjunctivity of doxastic and practical discursive commitments. Establishing the conjunctive commitment argument, I make the case that the doxastic and the practical lie at the heart of normative reasoning in general and ethics in particular and discuss the implications of such a view for rhetorical theory and community.
Entre expectativas e experiências: a gênese do Laboratório de Estudos e Pesquisas em Didática da História (LEPEDIH) da UNESP/Assis
Authors: Alves Ronaldo Cardoso
Published: February 2016

O artigo tem como objetivo apresentar alguns elementos que deram origem ao Laboratório de Estudos e Pesquisas em Didática da História da UNESP/Assis, a fim de mostrar diferentes possibilidades de pesquisa em Ensino de História, por meio do repertório epistemológico da teoria da consciência histórica, proveniente da Didática da História, tendo em vista a discussão a respeito da função pública da História.
Estágio curricular supervisionado em história - PARFOR - UNOCHAPECÓ: limites e possibilidades
Authors: Pertile Maria De Lurdes , Agostini Sandra
Published: February 2016

Este artigo originou-se de um estudo acerca do curso de licenciatura em História – modalidade PARFOR, da Universidade Comunitária da Região de Chapecó - UNOCHAPECÓ, e objetivou entender como os professores-estudantes ingressos avaliam o Estágio Curricular Supervisionado enquanto elemento constitutivo de sua formação docente. Como fonte de informações, utilizamos o questionário de perguntas abertas. Constatamos que o estágio é considerado de extrema importância, porém para o professor que já é licenciado, devemos fazer uso de outra modalidade de estágio. Para a maioria (09) dos respondentes, foi boa a receptividade das escolas que possuem a tradição em recebê-los, no entanto, algumas (02) EEBs, necessitam assumir a sua corresponsabilidade entre os sistemas de ensino, conforme previsto na legislação vigente e, assim contribuir de maneira significativa no processo formativo do professor de segunda licenciatura.
A formação do docente em história como profissional do magistério da educação básica
Authors: Azevedo Crislane
Published: February 2016

Neste texto discorremos sobre o desafio da formação de professores de História à luz das novas diretrizes curriculares nacionais para a formação inicial e continuada dos profissionais do magistério da Educação Básica e discutimos sobre possíveis encaminhamentos de propostas tendo em vista o repensar da organização e prática curricular dos cursos de formação docente inicial de História. Vivenciamos um período de discussões e levantamento de proposições tendo em vista reformas nos cursos de licenciatura. Professores formadores precisarão dedicar-se a um trabalho coletivo de revisões e encaminhamentos de reforma considerando as orientações das novas diretrizes curriculares para a formação de professores, aprovadas em junho de 2015 pelo Conselho Nacional de Educação. Tais encaminhamentos podem ser desenvolvidos de forma articulada tanto por meio da diversificação curricular das atividades do âmbito do ensino, quanto com o planejamento e institucionalização de ações de iniciação à pesquisa bem como de curricularização da extensão.
The initiation of a multidisciplinary bladder cancer clinic and the uptake of neoadjuvant chemotherapy: A time-series analysis
Authors: Nayan Madhur , Bhindi Bimal , Yu Julie L. , Mamdani Muhammad , Fleshner Neil E. , Hermanns Thomas , Chung Peter , Milosevic Michael , Bristow Robert , Warde Padraig , Hamilton Robert J. , Finelli Antonio , Jewett Michael A.S. , Zlotta Alexandre R. , Sridhar Srikala S. , Kulkarni Girish S.
Published: February 2016

Introdcution: While level 1 evidence supports the use of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), its uptake has been underwhelming even in academic centres. Our aim was to determine if the initiation of a multidisciplinary bladder cancer clinic (MDBCC) in 2008 at our institution, where patients are assessed simultaneously by bladder cancer-focused urologists and radiation oncologists with easy access to a medical oncologist, was associated with an increased use of NAC.

Methods: Patients with MIBC initiating treatment between July 2000 and June 2013 were identified and classified by academic year (July 1 to June 30). Time-series analyses using interventional autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models with ramp intervention functions were then conducted. A sensitivity analysis was performed on clinical N0 patients.

Results: The cohort included 278 patients: 168 from 2000-2007 and 110 from 2008-2012 (academic years). Forty-two (15.1%) patients received NAC and 74 (26.6%) received adjuvant chemotherapy (AC). Overall the proportion of patients receiving NAC increased from 7.7% before the MDBCC to 47.6% in 2012 (Interventional ARIMA p=0.036). The results were similar when restricting to cN0 patients (p<0.001). NAC use gradually increased over time regardless of MDBCC attendance, although the proportion of patients receiving NAC appears to have risen more sharply among MDBCC attendees.
Conclusions: At our institution, the initiation of the MDBCC was temporally associated with increased use of NAC. In addition to multidisciplinary collaboration, having a critical mass of NAC physician advocates and support from institutional leaders are essential to the uptake of NAC.
Recommendations for the improvement of bladder cancer quality of care in Canada: A consensus document reviewed and endorsed by Bladder Cancer Canada (BCC), Canadian Urologic Oncology Group (CUOG), and Canadian Urological Association (CUA), December 2015
Authors: Kassouf Wassim , Aprikian Armen , Black Peter , Kulkarni Girish , Izawa Jonathan , Eapen Libni , Fairey Adrian , So Alan , North Scott , Rendon Ricardo , Sridhar Srikala S. , Alam Tarik , Brimo Fadi , Blais Normand , Booth Chris , Chin Joseph , Chung Peter , Drachenberg Darrel , Fradet Yves , Jewett Michael , Moore Ron , Morash Chris , Shayegan Bobby , Gotto Geoffrey , Fleshner Neil , Saad Fred , Siemens D. Robert
Published: February 2016

This initiative was undertaken in response to concerns regarding the variation in management and in outcomes of patients with bladder cancer throughout centres and geographical areas in Canada. Population-based data have also revealed that real-life survival is lower than expected based on data from clinical trials and/or academic centres. To address these perceived shortcomings and attempt to streamline and unify treatment approaches to bladder cancer in Canada, a multidisciplinary panel of expert clinicians was convened last fall for a two-day working group consensus meeting. The panelists included urologic oncologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, patient representatives, a genitourinary pathologist, and an enterostomal therapy nurse. The following recommendations and summaries of supporting evidence represent the results of the presentations, debates, and discussions. Methodology
La intervención estatal, la regulación económica y el poder de policía: análisis y tendencias
Authors: Massimino Leonardo F.
Published: February 2016

La oscilante actividad interventora del Estado presenta en forma creciente mayores restricciones en la esfera de los derechos de los particulares. En ese contexto, las nuevas perspectivas de abordaje de la actividad estatal de intervención - sea a través de la técnica del servicio público y/o la regulación económica- muestran, por un lado, una finalidad cada vez más tuitiva de los derechos de las personas y, por el otro, una preocupación creciente en las consecuencias –económicas y sociales- derivadas de esa intervención. Estas nuevas perspectivas, además de impactar en el ejercicio de la actividad administrativa y en el control judicial posterior, importan muy probablemente una nueva visión sobre el rol del Estado en su vínculo con los particulares, reflejando de esta manera la axiología que surge de las múltiples fuentes de las que breva la disciplina iusadministrativa en la actualidad.
Eficácia do direito ao lazer do professor: elemento para manutenção da ordem econômica brasileira
Authors: Semeghini Pereira Marcela Andressa
Published: February 2016

Este artigo investigou a precarização do trabalho docente, com foco no ensino superior, abordando a articulação entre tempo de trabalho e tempo de vida dos professores, e a importância deste profissional para a manutenção e desenvolvimento da ordem economica brasileira. Apresentou as relações do tempo de trabalho com o tempo de vida, e a necessidade da eficácia do Direito ao Lazer para garantir a fruição deste momento. Analisou a legislação vigente que ampara o trabalhador, expondo o contido na Constituição Federal de 1988 e na Consolidação das Leis do Trabalho, dando destaque para jornada de trabalho e a utilização do tempo livre. Apresentou a forma de ser do trabalho docente na atualidade, as inovações tecnológicas, organização do trabalho e o modo de gestão. Também foram verificadas as condições existenciais de produção do conhecimento e em que medida o conhecimento tornou-se mercadoria comercializável e geradora de lucro. Investigou-se o modo de organização do tempo disponivel como tempo de vida e lazer dos professores e os impactos das condições objetivas do trabalho docente sobre a saúde e qualidade de vida destes profissionais. Utilizou-se o método dialético e pesquisa bibliográfica, recorrendo ao procedimento dedutivo.
Coping with Multiple Sclerosis Scale
Authors: Parkerson Holly A. , Kehler Melissa D. , Sharpe Donald , Hadjistavropoulos Heather D.
Published: February 2016

Background: The Coping with Multiple Sclerosis Scale (CMSS) was developed to assess coping strategies specific to multiple sclerosis (MS). Despite its wide application in MS research, psychometric support for the CMSS remains limited to the initial factor analytic investigation by Pakenham in 2001.

Methods: The current investigation assessed the factor structure and construct validity of the CMSS. Participants with MS (N = 453) completed the CMSS, as well as measures of disability related to MS (Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale), quality of life (World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Scale), and anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale).

Results: The original factor structure reported by Pakenham was a poor fit to the data. An alternate seven-factor structure was identified using exploratory factor analysis. Although there were some similarities with the existing CMSS subscales, differences in factor content and item loadings were found. Relationships between the revised CMSS subscales and additional measures were assessed, and the findings were consistent with previous research.

Conclusions: Refinement of the CMSS is suggested, especially for subscales related to acceptance and avoidance strategies. Until further research is conducted on the revised CMSS, it is recommended that the original CMSS continue to be administered. Clinicians and researchers should be mindful of lack of support for the acceptance and avoidance subscales and should seek additional scales to assess these areas.
Can macroalgae provide promising anti-tumoral compounds? A closer look atCystoseira tamariscifoliaas a source for antioxidant and anti-hepatocarcinoma compounds
Authors: Vizetto-Duarte Catarina , Custódio Luísa , Acosta Gerardo , Lago João H.G. , Morais Thiago R. , Bruno de Sousa Carolina , Gangadhar Katkam N. , Rodrigues Maria João , Pereira Hugo , Lima Raquel T. , Vasconcelos M. Helena , Barreira Luísa , Rauter Amélia P. , Albericio Fernando , Varela João
Published: February 2016

Marine organisms are a prolific source of drug leads in a variety of therapeutic areas. In the last few years, biomedical, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries have shown growing interest in novel compounds from marine organisms, including macroalgae.Cystoseirais a genus of Phaeophyceae (Fucales) macroalgae known to contain bioactive compounds. Organic extracts (hexane, diethyl ether, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts) from threeCystoseiraspecies (C. humilis,C. tamariscifoliaandC. usneoides) were evaluated for their total phenolic content, radical scavenging activity against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radicals, and antiproliferative activity against a human hepatocarcinoma cell line (HepG2 cells).C. tamariscifoliahad the highest TPC and RSA. The hexane extract ofC. tamariscifolia(CTH) had the highest cytotoxic activity (IC50 = 2.31 µg/mL), and was further tested in four human tumor (cervical adenocarcinoma HeLa; gastric adenocarcinoma AGS; colorectal adenocarcinoma HCT-15; neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y), and two non-tumor (murine bone marrow stroma S17 and human umbilical vein endothelial HUVEC) cell lines in order to determine its selectivity. CTH strongly reduced viability of all tumor cell lines, especially of HepG2 cells. Cytotoxicity was particularly selective for the latter cells with a selectivity index = 12.6 as compared to non-tumor cells. Incubation with CTH led to a 2-fold decrease of HepG2 cell proliferation as shown by the bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation assay. CTH-treated HepG2 cells presented also pro-apoptotic features, such as increased Annexin V/propidium iodide (PI) binding and dose-dependent morphological alterations in DAPI-stained cells. Moreover, it had a noticeable disaggregating effect on 3D multicellular tumor spheroids. Demethoxy cystoketal chromane, a derivative of the meroditerpenoid cystoketal, was identified as the active compound in CTH and was shown to display selectivein vitrocytotoxicity towards HepG2 cells.
Ketamine modulates subgenual cingulate connectivity with the memory-related neural circuit—a mechanism of relevance to resistant depression?
Authors: Wong Jing J. , O’Daly Owen , Mehta Mitul A. , Young Allan H. , Stone James M.
Published: February 2016

Background.Ketamine has been reported to have efficacy as an antidepressant in several studies of treatment-resistant depression. In this study, we investigate whether an acute administration of ketamine leads to reductions in the functional connectivity of subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC) with other brain regions.

Methods.Thirteen right-handed healthy male subjects underwent a 15 min resting state fMRI with an infusion of intravenous ketamine (target blood level = 150 ng/ml) starting at 5 min. We used a seed region centred on the sgACC and assessed functional connectivity before and during ketamine administration.

Results.Before ketamine administration, positive coupling with the sgACC seed region was observed in a large cluster encompassing the anterior cingulate and negative coupling was observed with the anterior cerebellum. Following ketamine administration, sgACC activity became negatively correlated with the brainstem, hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus, retrosplenial cortex, and thalamus.

Discussion.Ketamine reduced functional connectivity of the sgACC with brain regions implicated in emotion, memory and mind wandering. It is possible the therapeutic effects of ketamine may be mediated via this mechanism, although further work is required to test this hypothesis.
Signal and Image Processing in Exploration Geophysics
Authors: Simaan Marwan A.
Published: February 2016

The science of geophysics is concerned with the application of principles from physics to the study of the Earth. Exploration geophysics involves the investigation of properties of the subsurface layers of the Earth by taking measurements at, or near, the Earth's surface. Processing and analysis of these measurements may reveal how the physical properties of the Earth's interior vary vertically and laterally. Information of this type is extremely important in the search for hydrocarbons, minerals, and water in the Earth. This article summarizes some of the basic results that deal with the application of signal and image processing techniques to the field of exploration geophysics, specifically as it relates to the search for hydrocarbons.
Blind Source Separation and Blind Mixture Identification Methods
Authors: Deville Yannick
Published: February 2016

Blind source separation (BSS) is a generic signal processing problem. BSS methods aim to estimate a set of unknown source signals, by using a set of available signals that are mixtures of the source signals to be restored, with limited or no knowledge of the mixing transform (i.e., the transform of source signals that yields their mixtures). BSS methods were introduced in the 1980s and then quickly expanded. Various books provide a detailed description of BSS methods, or at least of some classes of such methods defined hereafter, such as independent component analysis, sparse component analysis, and nonnegative matrix factorization. Moreover, the BSS problem, focused on signal restoration, is closely linked to the estimation of the mixing transform, and thus to the problem often referred to as blind mixture identification (BMI). In this article, we overview the fields of BSS and BMI. We first define in more detail the considered goal (Section 1) and conditions of investigation (Section 2), and then we introduce the major classes of methods that make it possible to solve the considered problems. The presentation of BSS/BMI methods themselves and of typical applications is given in successive sections (Sections 3–7), where we progress from standard to more advanced configurations, in terms of properties of source signals and class of mixing transform.
Gel Point
Authors: Winter H. Henning
Published: February 2016

The gel point (GP) marks the instant at which a material passes from liquid to solid due to gelation. A material at its GP, commonly called
critical gel
, is in a critical state with unique physical and chemical properties. Polymer gelation occurs in amorphous materials when its constituents connect internally by chemical or physical bonds to form macromolecular clusters. Gels often assemble from a mixture of different molecular or particular species. The chemical or physical GP is reached when the first macromolecular cluster has grown to infinite size. While the connectivity typically grows slowly during gelation, its reversal may occur rather rapidly. Reverse gelation due to the fluctuation or breakage of internal junctions will cause a gel to pass backwards through GP and, thus, assume its liquid state. GP is important industrially and in biology. Many soft materials, namely in food, pharmaceuticals, photographic media, adhesives, foams, crystallizing polymers, vibration dampeners, super absorbers, proteins, polysaccharides, clotting blood (to name a few), are close to their chemical of physical GP, that is they are liquids just before reaching their GP or they are solids that have barely passed the GP. The universality of the linear viscoelasticity at GP provides a powerful tool for developing new materials and processes.
First observations of triple‐frequency radar Doppler spectra in snowfall: Interpretation and applications
Authors: Kneifel S. , Kollias P. , Battaglia A. , Leinonen J. , Maahn M. , Kalesse H. , Tridon F.
Published: February 2016

The potential of multifrequency Doppler spectra to constrain precipitation microphysics has so far only been exploited for dual‐frequency spectra in rain. In this study, we extend the dual‐frequency concept to triple‐frequency Doppler radar spectra obtained during a snowfall event which included rimed and unrimed snow aggregates. A large selection of spectra obtained from low‐turbulence regions within the cloud reveals distinctly different signatures of the derived dual spectral ratios. Due to the third frequency, a characteristic curve can be derived which is almost independent of the underlying particle size distribution and velocity‐size relation. This approach provides new opportunities for validating existing and future snow scattering models and reveals how the information content of triple‐frequency radar data sets can be further exploited for snowfall studies.
Sensitivity of urban rainfall to anthropogenic heat flux: A numerical experiment
Authors: Holst Christopher Claus , Tam Chi‐Yung , Chan Johnny C. L.
Published: February 2016

In this paper we investigate the sensitivity of local precipitation statistics to surface heat fluxes in an urban subdomain in the Pearl River Delta region, which is situated along the coast of south China. By conducting simulations of a past record‐breaking rainfall event with a cloud‐resolving model, we found that rainfall rates and the spatial distribution of accumulated rainfall are very sensitive to imposed urban surface heat fluxes. Diagnostics of the planetary boundary layer show increasing fluctuations of turbulence and buoyant turbulence production with increasing surface heat emission, causing increased near‐surface mixing and convection. Heavy precipitation rates show a higher sensitivity than lighter rates. The extreme tail of the distribution is hence more affected. This study serves as an example of how sensitive the magnitude of local high impact weather phenomena can be to local forcing.
New understanding and quantification of the regime dependence of aerosol‐cloud interaction for studying aerosol indirect effects
Authors: Chen Jingyi , Liu Yangang , Zhang Minghua , Peng Yiran
Published: February 2016

Aerosol indirect effects suffer from large uncertainty in climate models and among observations. This study focuses on two plausible factors: regime dependence of aerosol‐cloud interactions and the effect of cloud droplet spectral shape. We show, using a new parcel model, that combined consideration of droplet number concentration (Nc) and relative dispersion (ε, ratio of standard deviation to mean radius of the cloud droplet size distribution) better characterizes the regime dependence of aerosol‐cloud interactions than considering Nc alone. Given updraft velocity (w), ε increases with increasing aerosol number concentration (Na) in the aerosol‐limited regime, peaks in the transitional regime, and decreases with further increasing Na in the updraft‐limited regime. This new finding further reconciles contrasting observations in literature and reinforces the compensating role of dispersion effect. The nonmonotonic behavior of ε further quantifies the relationship between the transitional Na and w that separates the aerosol‐ and updraft‐limited regimes.
The atmospheric frontal response to SST perturbations in the Gulf Stream region
Authors: Parfitt Rhys , Czaja Arnaud , Minobe Shoshiro , Kuwano‐Yoshida Akira
Published: February 2016

The link between sea surface temperature (SST) gradients and atmospheric fronts is explored in a general circulation model across the Gulf Stream (GS) region from December to February 1981–2000. Two model experiments are analyzed, one with a realistic control SST distribution and one with a spatially smoothed SST distribution. The analysis shows a noticeable change in regional atmospheric frontal frequency between the two experiments (up to 30%), with the distribution of change exhibiting a clear imprint of the GS SST front. Further analysis of the surface sensible heat flux gradient across cold fronts reveals the pattern of change to be mediated by a thermal interaction between the oceanic and atmospheric fronts (“thermal damping and strengthening”). These results not only emphasize the significance of the GS SST gradient for storm development in the North Atlantic but also highlight the importance of resolution in assessing the role of frontal air‐sea interaction in midlatitude climate variability.
Austral winter external and internal atmospheric variability between 1980 and 2014
Authors: Ding Hui , Greatbatch Richard J. , Lin Hai , Hansen Felicitas , Gollan Gereon , Jung Thomas
Published: February 2016

We examine the interannual variability of the seasonal mean atmospheric circulation in the Southern Hemisphere during austral winter. The three major modes are identified by rotated empirical orthogonal function (REOF) analysis. As expected, REOF1 is associated with the Southern Annular Mode which is dominated by internal atmospheric dynamics. REOF2 displays a wave train, linked to the western North Pacific monsoon and the Pacific‐Japan pattern in East Asia in the same season; REOF3 resembles the Pacific‐South American pattern. Externally forced variability strongly projects on both REOF2 and REOF3 so that in the ensemble mean, an atmospheric model with prescribed observed sea surface temperature captures considerable parts of the time evolution of REOF2 (50%) and REOF3 (25%), suggesting a potential predictability for the two modes.
Hydrometeorological characteristics of rain‐on‐snow events associated with atmospheric rivers
Authors: Guan Bin , Waliser Duane E. , Ralph F. Martin , Fetzer Eric J. , Neiman Paul J.
Published: February 2016

Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are narrow, elongated, synoptic corridors of enhanced water vapor transport that play an important role in regional weather/hydrology. Rain‐on‐snow (ROS) events during ARs present enhanced flood risks due to the combined effects of rainfall and snowmelt. Focusing on California's Sierra Nevada, the study identifies ROS occurrences and their connection with ARs during the 1998–2014 winters. AR conditions, which occur during 17% of all precipitation events, are associated with 50% of ROS events (25 of 50). Composite analysis shows that compared to ARs without ROS, ARs with ROS are on average warmer by ~2 K, with snow water equivalent loss of ~0.7 cm/d (providing 20% of the combined water available for runoff) and ~50% larger streamflow/precipitation ratios. Atmospheric Infrared Sounder retrievals reveal distinct offshore characteristics of the two types of ARs. The results highlight the potential value of observing these events for snow, rain, and flood prediction.
Compressible turbulence with slow‐mode waves observed in the bursty bulk flow of plasma sheet
Authors: Wang Tieyan , Cao Jinbin , Fu Huishan , Meng Xuejie , Dunlop M.
Published: February 2016

In this paper, we report the evidence of compressible turbulence with slow‐mode waves in a bursty bulk flow of plasma sheet. This compressible turbulence is characterized by a multiscale (1–60 s) anticorrelation between plasma density and magnetic field strength. Besides, the magnetic compressibility spectrum stays nearly constant at all the measured frequencies. Furthermore, the turbulence energy distributions are anisotropic with k⊥ > k//, and the dispersion relation is consistent with slow‐mode prediction. The fluctuations of density and magnetic field have similar double slope spectrum and kurtosis. These results suggest that the slow waves are involved in the intermittent turbulence cascade from MHD to ion kinetic scales, which may have significant implications for the energy transfer in the plasma sheet.
Statistical Confidentiality and Disclosure Limitation
Authors: Cox Lawrence H.
Published: February 2016

Ethical statistical practice entails preserving the privacy of data subjects and the confidentiality of the data provided. This is statistical confidentiality. Disclosure limitation refers to the practice of achieving statistical confidentiality.
Social Statistics
Authors: Bartholomew David J.
Published: February 2016

Social statistics is concerned with the description and modeling social phenomena. It began at the descriptive level in the eighteenth century and even earlier, but only recently it has entered the mainstream of statistical theory and methods. This article traces these developments and notes, especially, the key role of computers in facilitating this trend. Social statistics is often thought of in relation to censuses and surveys but its scope is much wider and now embraces the full gamut of contemporary modeling and inference. This article summarizes the present state of the subject.
Trellis Displays
Authors: Theus Martin
Published: February 2016

The
curse of dimensionality
as described by Huber is not restricted to mathematical statistical problems, but can be found in graphic‐based data analysis as well. Most plots such as
barcharts
,
histograms
, or
boxplots
can only handle a single
variable
.
Scatterplots
can cope with two continuous variables; and rotating plots, with three.
Mosaic plots
can deal with many categorical variables.

Trellis displays offer the possibility of combining up to eight variables in one plot panel in a matrix‐like manner. The name
trellis displays
derives from the trellis‐like arrangement (Latin
triliceum
: a frame of latticework used for climbing plants) of the single plots.
Reverse
H
azard
Authors: Gürler Ülkü
Published: February 2016

As a dual of the hazard rate function, reversed hazard rate characterizes the probability of an immediate past failure, given that a failure has already occurred. This function appears to be important both in survival and reliability studies as it complements a thorough understanding of the failure behavior of the underlying stochastic system. In this article, we provide the basic notions regarding reverse hazard rate function, and compare and contrast its properties with the hazard rate function. We further point to the extension of the concept to bivariate case. The estimation of the distribution function via the reverse hazard rate is also briefly discussed in the context of right truncated data.
Quenouille's Test
Authors: Hosking J. R. M.
Published: February 2016

Quenouille's test is a significance test for autoregressive time‐series models. The test statistic can be written as a sum of independent components that are asymptotically equivalent to the partial autocorrelations of the time series. Given this convenient representation and the fact that its better‐known rival, the portmanteau test for residual correlation, does not share its advantage of consisting of independent components, Quenouille's test deserves to be more widely known and used than it is at present.
Spline Smoothing
Authors: Turlach Berwin A.
Published: February 2016

Over the past few decades, several methods for fitting smooth curves to data have been proposed and intensively studied. Among these methods are kernel smoothers, orthogonal series estimators, wavelet smoothers, and spline smoothers. This entry provides a brief description of the commonly used spline smoothers – regression splines, smoothing splines, and penalized splines.
Gene Frequency Estimation
Authors: Dawson Deborah V.
Published: February 2016

Valid estimates of gene frequencies are essential to a variety of statistical genetic analysis procedures, as well as to genetic counseling endeavors. Methods for the estimation of population frequencies of alleles and haplotypes are described, including approaches in the presence of dominance relationships. Methods described are applicable to a wide variety of polymorphic markers that can be identified with modern technologies.
Extreme Values
Authors: Davison Anthony C.
Published: February 2016

Statistics of extremes concerns the largest or smallest few observations in a sample. These are particularly important in engineering, environmental, financial, and insurance applications, as representing rare events such as floods, heat waves, or stock market crashes, but the same statistical ideas are useful in many other situations. This article sketches the topic, giving many further references.
Point Processes, Spatial
Authors: Särkkä Aila
Published: February 2016

The general theory of point processes has in the past been focused on temporal developments. In this article we will focus on spatial point processes, where points, or events, take place at spatial locations, and we identify each event with its location. We will mainly concentrate on planar stationary and isotropic (i.e., the distribution of the process is invariant under translations and rotations, respectively) processes, but will give some references to studies concerning inhomogeneous and anisotropic point pattern data.
Copper(II) Triflate‐Catalyzed Aerobic Oxidative CH Functionalization of Glycine Derivatives with Olefins and Organoboranes
Authors: Xie Zhiyu , Jia Jiong , Liu Xigong , Liu Lei
Published: February 2016

An economical, and practical copper(II) triflate‐catalyzed aerobic oxidative CH functionalization of glycine derivatives with olefins and organoboranes has been established. The mild reaction has an excellent functional group tolerance, and exhibits a broad scope with respect to both glycine derivatives and the two types of nucleophilic components, allowing for the facile synthesis of diverse substituted quinolines and glycine derivatives bearing various patterns of functionalities in the α‐position.

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Investigation of epoxy‐resin‐modified asphalt binder
Authors: Cong Peiliang , Tian Yu , Liu Ning , Xu Peijun
Published: February 2016

Epoxy asphalt (EA) binder has been used extensively for paving long‐span bridges in many countries because it shows excellent heat resistance, is free from bleeding, has a low‐temperature cracking resistance, and has aggregate scattering resistance. EA binders were prepared by the mixture of asphalt, epoxy resin, and a new curing agent (CR) with functional groups. The properties of the EA binder were characterized by their viscosity, tensile strength, elongation at break, compatibility, morphology, glass transition temperature (Tg), contact angle, and surface free energy. The curing process was analyzed. The results indicate that the curing temperature and asphalt content had significant effects on the properties of the EA binder. We observed that most of the strength was generated after the first 3 h at 165 °C; this provided good workability for EA pavement construction. The CR with various functional groups improved the compatibility and morphology of the EA binder. The test results show that Tg of the EA binder decreased and the contact angles increased with increasing asphalt content. It is worth noting the contact angles between water and the EA binder were always greater than 90°; this implied that the EA binder was hydrophobic and, hence, water repellent. The surface free energy and dispersion force increases with decreasing asphalt content. However, the polarity forces decreased with decreasing asphalt content. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 43401.
A highly oriented poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) film: Facile synthesis and application for supercapacitor
Authors: Yang Huan , Liu Ye , Wang Zhongde , Liu Yiming , Du Haiyan , Hao Xiaogang
Published: February 2016

A single crystal poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) film with highly oriented arrangement has been fabricated from an aqueous solution by a novel unipolar pulse electropolymerization method. Film formation mechanism was proposed based on the in situ mass change during electropolymerization process measured by the electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance. The compositions, morphology and crystal structure of the fabricated films are characterized by Fourier transfer infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X‐ray diffraction, respectively. It is found that the prepared PEDOT film on carbon nanotubes (CNTs)‐modified electrode with a spongy dendritic structure possesses outstanding electroactivity, high specific capacitances (239.1 F⋅g−1, including the specific capacitances of CNTs which is 21.4 F⋅g−1), and excellent cycling stability with 7.3% decay from its initial capacitance over 10,000 cycles. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 43418.
Poly(lactic acid) plasticized by biodegradable glyceryl lactate
Authors: Yuan Ye , Hu Zeyu , Fu Xiaowei , Jiang Liang , Xiao Yao , Hu Kai , Yan Peiyao , Lei Jinxin
Published: February 2016

The esterification of glycerol with lactic acid was carried out to synthesize glyceryl lactate, which was used as a as a plasticizer with different contents and blended with poly(lactic acid) (PLA) to get a completely biodegradable material with potential applications because of its biodegradability. The structural, morphological, thermal, and mechanical properties of the plasticized PLA were studied to evaluate the plasticizing effects. The results show that the PLA plasticized with glyceryl lactate had a lower glass‐transition temperature and a better ductility. With increasing plasticizer content, the crystallinity of PLA increased. The elongation at break reached 380%, and the impact strength was 1.7 times that of neat PLA. Simultaneously, the migration rate measurements showed that glyceryl lactate presented relatively low migration toward the surface compared with glycerol and citrate esters. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 43460.
Best practices for treating coronary ostial lesions
Authors: Alame Aya , Brilakis Emmanouil S.
Published: February 2016

Key Points

Percutaneous coronary intervention of ostial lesions can be fraught with multiple challenges.

Intravascular ultrasound detects imperfect stenting results (stent underexpansion and incomplete ostial coverage) in approximately half of imaged ostial lesions.

Corrective actions based on intravascular ultrasound imaging can improve the long‐term outcomes of patients undergoing ostial lesion stenting.
Look left, look right, but it is mostly just straight ahead
Authors: Butman Samuel M.
Published: February 2016

Key Points

Predicting the likelihood of side branch occlusion is possible.

Guaranteeing side branch patency without procedural stenting, not so much.

Wouldn't a randomized multicenter trial to define when to “pretreat,” let alone “post‐treat” the side branch and its impact, if any, on immediate‐ and long‐term outcomes be most excellent?
A monochorionic diamniotic twin pregnancy requiring termination due to maternal anemia caused by bleeding from chronic abruption
Authors: Nagashima Ami , Aoki Shigeru , Seki Kazuo , Hirahara Fumiki
Published: February 2016

Key Clinical Message

In patients with bloody amniotic fluid, expectant management for chronic abruption is difficult and should not be applied except after a 48‐h waiting period required for administration of steroids.