bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Restoration of Renal Responsiveness to Atrial Natriuretic Peptide in Experimental Nephrotic Syndrome by Albumin Infusion
Authors: Abassi Zaid , Weissman Irit , Karram Tony , Goltsman Ilia , Hoffman Aaron , Better Ori S. , Winaver Joseph
Published: September 2013

Background: The natriuretic/diuretic response to atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), an important regulator of water and Na+ balance, is markedly attenuated in nephrotic syndrome (NS). It has been suggested that the diminished renal responsiveness to ANP may contribute to the pathogenesis of salt retention and edema formation in NS. However, the mechanisms underlying the renal hyporesponsiveness to ANP remain largely unknown. Methods: The acute effects of exogenous infusion of ANP (5 µg/kg + 10 µg/kg/h) were studied by clearance methodology in control rats, hypoalbuminemic rats with Adriamycin (ADR)-induced NS and in ADR-treated rats infused with hyperoncotic albumin sufficient to restore plasma albumin to normal levels. Results: Administration of ANP to control rats resulted in a significant increase in urinary flow rate, absolute rate of sodium excretion (+456%) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Mean arterial blood pressure decreased following infusion of the peptide. In the nephrotic rats, baseline GFR and Na+ excretion were significantly lower than in the control animals, and the renal effects of ANP were markedly blunt compared to the control animals. In contrast, the hypotensive effect of ANP in the ADR-treated rats was largely preserved. Infusion of hyperoncotic albumin prior to ANP administration reversed the decrease in baseline GFR and Na+ excretion and completely restored the renal effects of ANP in the nephrotic rats. Conclusion: These findings indicate that renal hyporesponsiveness to ANP in rats with ADR-induced NS is a reversible phenomenon that appears to be of functional origin rather than reflecting permanent cellular damage.
Cigarette Smoking and Gemcitabine-Induced Neutropenia in Advanced Solid Tumors
Authors: O'Malley Meaghan , Healy Patrick , Daignault Stephanie , Ramnath Nithya
Published: September 2013

Background: Chemotherapy-associated neutropenia has been reported to be a pharmacodynamic marker of response in some advanced solid tumors. Factors that accelerate drug clearance lead to lower plasma concentrations and toxicity, including neutropenia. Smoking accelerates the metabolism of several drugs, including chemotherapy. We sought to study the effects of smoking on gemcitabine-induced neutropenia in this retrospective study. Methods: Smoking status and neutropenia along with other clinical parameters were recorded in 151 patients receiving first-line gemcitabine-based chemotherapy for advanced solid tumors. Results: Tumor types included breast (9.3%), lung (4.6%), pancreatobiliary (70.9%), or other/unknown primary cancer (15.2%). Logistic regression showed that never smokers had increased neutropenia versus current smokers (odds ratio: 3.5; 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.1-11.4). A 5-unit increase in pack-years reduced the odds of having higher neutropenia toxicity by 6.3% (95% CI 12 to 1%; p = 0.036). Conclusion: Smokers had less neutropenia than nonsmokers, a finding that was more pronounced with increasing pack-years. This pharmacodynamic marker of gemcitabine-induced neutropenia may result in less efficacy of gemcitabine. Future prospective trials should correlate smoking, metabolizing phenotype, neutropenia, and response to gemcitabine therapy.
Intravitreal Dexamethasone Implant (Ozurdex) in Coats' Disease
Authors: Saatci Ali Osman , Doruk Hasan Can , Yaman Aylin
Published: September 2013

We injected an intravitreal dexamethasone implant in two eyes of 2 pediatric patients with Coats' disease in addition to other treatment modalities, such as intravitreal ranibizumab injection and indirect laser photocoagulation. In both eyes, intraocular pressure moderately rose in a temporary fashion. The dexamethasone implant seems to be a valuable addition to the armamentarium of treatment options for Coats' disease as it necessitates fewer injections than anti-VEGF injections and thereby fewer sessions of general anesthesia in the pediatric population.
Multimodality Imaging of Right-Sided (Tricuspid Valve) Papillary Fibroelastoma: Recognition of a Surgically Remediable Disease
Authors: Srivatsa Shantanu V. , Adhikari Prabhat , Chaudhry Pervaiz , Srivatsa Sanjay S.
Published: September 2013

Presentation of an increasingly recognized right-sided primary valve tumor of clinical importance: the tricuspid valve papillary fibroelastoma (PF). Early recognition and surgical intervention is emphasized for valvular PF, which carries a significant risk of morbidity and mortality. Newer imaging techniques, including CT and MRI, assist in localizing and differentiating PF from alternative cardiac pathology.
Urinary Excretion of C5b-9 in Severe Preeclampsia
Authors: Burwick Richard M. , Fichorova Raina N. , Dawood Hassan Y. , Yamamoto Hidemi S. , Feinberg Bruce B.
Published: September 2013

The complement cascade is activated in normal pregnancy, and excessive complement activation propagates the systemic inflammatory response in severe preeclampsia. Consequently, biomarkers of complement dysregulation may be useful for prediction or treatment of disease. Because renal damage with proteinuria is a characteristic pathological feature of preeclampsia, we hypothesized that complement markers in urine, rather than plasma, could better reflect complement dysregulation in disease. To investigate this, we performed a case–control study of pregnant women, enrolling 25 cases with severe preeclampsia, 25 controls with chronic hypertension, and 25 healthy controls without hypertension matched by gestational age and parity. Subjects were recruited from the Brigham and Women’s Hospital from March 2012 to March 2013. Urine and blood samples were collected on the day of enrollment, with complement activation (C3a, C5a, and C5b-9) measured by ELISA. Severe preeclampsia was associated with marked elevations in urinary C5b-9 (median [interquartile range], 4.3 [1.2–15.1] ng/mL) relative to subjects with chronic hypertension (0 [0–0]) and healthy controls (0 [0–0];
P
<0.0001). Urinary excretion of C5b-9 was detected in 96% of cases with severe preeclampsia, 12% of controls with chronic hypertension, and 8% of healthy controls. Cases were also notable for significantly greater urinary excretion of C3a and C5a. Plasma levels of C5a and C5b-9, but not C3a, were increased in the cases with severe preeclampsia compared with healthy controls; however, they did not distinguish preeclampsia from chronic hypertension, supporting our hypothesis that complement markers in urine, rather than plasma, better reflect complement dysregulation. Complement inhibition is an intriguing treatment option for patients with severe preeclampsia.
Left Ventricular Radial Function Associated With Genetic Variation in the cGMP-Dependent Protein Kinase
Authors: Kuznetsova Tatiana , Citterio Lorena , Zagato Laura , Delli Carpini Simona , Thijs Lutgarde , Casamassima Nunzia , D’hooge Jan , Bianchi Giuseppe , Manunta Paolo , Staessen Jan A.
Published: September 2013

cGMP-dependent protein kinase type I is a major mediator of cGMP signaling in the cardiovascular system. Recent studies on cardiac-specific
PRKG1
knockout mice demonstrated that cGMP-dependent protein kinase type I mediates the negative inotropic effect of cGMP in the myocardium. We therefore investigated the association between left ventricular (LV) function and common polymorphisms in the
PRKG1
gene in a general population. In 609 randomly selected participants (51.2% women; mean age, 48.8 years; 36.6% hypertensive) who were free from overt cardiac disease, we performed echocardiography and genotyped intronic tag single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs1904694, rs7897633, and rs7905063 in
PRKG1.
On the basis of color Doppler myocardial motion data, we calculated end-systolic longitudinal and radial deformation (strain) of the LV inferolateral wall. In multivariable-adjusted analyses accounting for confounders and relatedness, systolic radial strain was significantly (
P
≤0.005) higher in homozygotes for rs1904694 (GG), rs7897633 (AA), and rs7905063 (TT) compared with heterozygotes or noncarriers. Haplotype analysis confirmed that LV radial strain was significantly higher in GAT homozygotes than in noncarriers (62.3% versus 56.0%;
P
=0.0005). Transmission of the
PRKG1
GAT haplotype to informative offspring was associated with higher LV radial strain (effect size, 6.11%;
P
=0.017). For other LV phenotypes, none of the phenotype–genotype associations reached statistical significance. In conclusion, LV systolic radial function was associated with common polymorphisms in
PRKG1
. If experimental studies and longitudinal follow-up of LV function confirm the causality of this association, interference with cGMP-dependent protein kinase type I function might be a target for pharmacological intervention.
Critical Role of CXCL16 in Hypertensive Kidney Injury and Fibrosis
Authors: Xia Yunfeng , Entman Mark L. , Wang Yanlin
Published: September 2013

Recent evidence indicates that inflammation plays a critical role in the initiation and progression of hypertensive kidney disease. However, the signaling mechanisms underlying the induction of inflammation are poorly understood. We found that chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 16 (CXCL16) was induced in renal tubular epithelial cells in response to angiotensin II in a nuclear factor-κB–dependent manner. To determine whether CXCL16 plays a role in angiotensin II–induced renal inflammation and fibrosis, wild-type and CXCL16 knockout mice were infused with angiotensin II at 1500 ng/kg per minute for up to 4 weeks. Wild-type and CXCL16 knockout mice had comparable blood pressure at baseline. Angiotensin II treatment led to an increase in blood pressure that was similar between wild-type and CXCL16 knockout mice. CXCL16 knockout mice were protected from angiotensin II–induced renal dysfunction, proteinuria, and fibrosis. CXCL16 deficiency suppressed bone marrow–derived fibroblast accumulation and myofibroblast formation in the kidneys of angiotensin II–treated mice, which was associated with less expression of extracellular matrix proteins. Furthermore, CXCL16 deficiency inhibited infiltration of F4/80
+
macrophages and CD3
+
T cells in the kidneys of angiotensin II–treated mice compared with wild-type mice. Finally, CXCL16 deficiency reduced angiotensin II–induced proinflammatory cytokine expressions in the kidneys. Taken together, our results indicate that CXCL16 plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of angiotensin II–induced renal injury and fibrosis through regulation of macrophage and T cell infiltration and bone marrow–derived fibroblast accumulation.
Randomized Trial of Guiding Hypertension Management Using Central Aortic Blood Pressure Compared With Best-Practice Care
Authors: Sharman James E. , Marwick Thomas H. , Gilroy Deborah , Otahal Petr , Abhayaratna Walter P. , Stowasser Michael
Published: September 2013

Arm cuff blood pressure (BP) may overestimate cardiovascular risk. Central aortic BP predicts mortality and could be a better method for patient management. We sought to determine the usefulness of central BP to guide hypertension management. This was a prospective, open-label, blinded–end point study in 286 patients with hypertension randomized to treatment decisions guided by best-practice usual care (n=142; using office, home, and 24-hour ambulatory BP) or, in addition, by central BP intervention (n=144; using SphygmoCor). Therapy was reviewed every 3 months for 12 months, and recommendations were provided to each patient and his/her doctor on antihypertensive medication titration. Outcome measures were as follows: medication quantity (daily defined dose), quality of life, and left ventricular mass (3-dimensional echocardiography). There was 92% compliance with recommendations on medication titration, and quality of life improved in both groups (post hoc
P
<0.05). For usual care, there was no change in daily defined dose (all
P
>0.10), but with intervention there was a significant stepwise decrease in daily defined dose from baseline to 3 months (
P
=0.008) and each subsequent visit (all
P
<0.001). Intervention was associated with cessation of medication in 23 (16%) patients versus 3 (2%) in usual care (
P
<0.001). Despite this, there were no differences between groups in left ventricular mass index, 24-hour ambulatory BP, home systolic BP, or aortic stiffness (all
P
>0.05). We conclude that guidance of hypertension management with central BP results in a significantly different therapeutic pathway than conventional cuff BP, with less use of medication to achieve BP control and no adverse effects on left ventricular mass, aortic stiffness, or quality of life.
The Effect of Priming Pictures and Videos on a Question–Answer Dialog Scenario in a Virtual Environment
Authors: Qu Chao , Brinkman Willem-Paul , Wiggers Pascal , Heynderickx Ingrid
Published: September 2013

Having a free-speech conversation with avatars in a virtual environment can be desirable in virtual reality applications, such as virtual therapy and serious games. However, recognizing and processing free speech seems too ambitious to realize with the current technology. As an alternative, pre-scripted conversations with keyword detection can handle a number of goal-oriented situations, as well as some scenarios in which the conversation content is of secondary importance. This is, for example, the case in virtual exposure therapy for the treatment of people with social phobia, where conversation is for exposure and anxiety arousal only. A drawback of pre-scripted dialog is the limited scope of the user's answers. The system cannot handle a user's response that does not match the pre-defined content, other than by providing a default reply. A new method, which uses priming material to restrict the possibility of the user's response, is proposed in this paper to solve this problem. Two studies were conducted to investigate whether people can be guided to mention specific keywords with video and/or picture primings. Study 1 was a two-by-two experiment in which participants (n = 20) were asked to answer a number of open questions. Prior to the session, participants watched priming videos or unrelated videos. During the session, they could see priming pictures or unrelated pictures on a whiteboard behind the person who asked the questions. The results showed that participants tended to mention more keywords both with priming videos and pictures. Study 2 shared the same experimental setting but was carried out in virtual reality instead of in the real world. Participants (n = 20) were asked to answer questions of an avatar when they were exposed to priming material, before and/or during the conversation session. The same results were found: the surrounding media content had a guidance effect. Furthermore, when priming pictures appeared in the environment, people sometimes forgot to mention the content they typically would mention.
Exploring Agent Physicality and Social Presence for Medical Team Training
Authors: Chuah Joon Hao , Robb Andrew , White Casey , Wendling Adam , Lampotang Samsun , Kopper Regis , Lok Benjamin
Published: September 2013

Mixed reality and 3D user interface technologies have increased the immersion, presence, and physicality of user interactions. These technologies can also increase the physicality of embodied conversational agents (ECAs) by making the ECAs occupy and interact with the physical space. We propose that increasing the physicality of an ECA can increase the ECA's social presence, that is, the feeling that the ECA is a real person. In this paper, we examine existing research and formalize the idea of ECA physicality. We also explored the relationship between physicality and social presence by conducting two user studies (n = 18 and n = 29). Both user studies took place in a medical team training context and involved virtual human ECAs as fellow team members. The first study's results suggested that increasing physicality increased social presence and elicited more realistic behavior. The second study's results suggested that individual dimensions of physicality affect social presence to different extents.
Augmented Reality Text Style Readability with See-Through Head-Mounted Displays in Industrial Context
Authors: Fiorentino Michele , Debernardis Saverio , Uva Antonio E. , Monno Giuseppe
Published: September 2013

The application of augmented reality in industrial environments requires an effective visualization of text on a see-through head-mounted display (HMD). The main contribution of this work is an empirical study of text styles as viewed through a monocular optical see-through display on three real workshop backgrounds, examining four colors and four different text styles. We ran 2,520 test trials with 14 participants using a mixed design and evaluated completion time and error rates. We found that both presentation mode and background influence the readability of text, but there is no interaction effect between these two variables. Another interesting aspect is that the presentation mode differentially influences completion time and error rate. The present study allows us to draw some guidelines for an effective use of AR text visualization in industrial environments. We suggest maximum contrast when reading time is important, and the use of colors to reduce errors. We also recommend a colored billboard with transparent text where colors have a specific meaning.
Paraedessa, a new genus of Edessinae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae)
Authors: DA SILVA VALÉRIA JULIETE , NUNES BENEDITO MENDES , FERNANDES JOSÉ ANTÔNIO MARIN
Published: September 2013

The new genus Paraedessa is proposed, to include four species previously placed in Edessa. The new genus is characterized by males with the pygophore showing a lateral expansion of proctiger, and females with gonocoxites 8 reduced; gonapophyses 8 exposed and sclerotized. The species are very similar and their identification is possible only by comparing genitalia. New combinations proposed are Paraedessa stolida (Linnaeus) from Suriname and Brazil; P. heymonsi (Breddin) from Peru and Bolivia; P. verhoeffi (Breddin) from Venezuela, Colombia, Peru and Brazil and P. paravinula (Barber) from Puerto Rico. New species proposed are P. albomaculata from Suriname; P. cyanodorsata from Costa Rica, Panama and Venezuela; P. ecuadoriensis from Colombia and Ecuador; P. silvicola from French Guiana; P. subretangulata from Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Colombia and Venezuela. The species were illustrated and photographed. Descriptions were made using mostly male and female genitalia external morphological characters. A key and distribution map for the species are also provided.
The genus Gelanes Horstmann (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Tersilochinae) from South Korea, with description of four new species
Authors: KIM KI-BEOM , BALUEVA EKATERINA N. , KHALAIM ANDREI I. , LEE JONG-WOOK
Published: September 2013

The genus Gelanes Horstmann is recorded from South Korea for the first time. Eight species of the genus are found to occur in this country. Four species, G. dentator sp. nov., G. protritus sp. nov., G. provectus sp. nov. and G. verendus sp. nov., are described as new, three species, G. belokobylskii, G. cuspidatus and G. simillimus, also occur in the Russian Far East, and G. gubarevae was previously known only from Europe. A key to the South Korean species of Gelanes is provided.
New species of Tenuipalpus (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) from Semidecidual Forest remnants in the State of São Paulo, Brazil
Authors: DE CASTRO ELIZEU B. , FERES REINALDO J.F.
Published: September 2013

Three new species of the genus Tenuipalpus (Acariformes: Tenuipalpidae), T. tapiae sp. nov., T. apichai sp. nov., and T. nambii sp. nov. collected in Semidecidual Forest native plants in the northwest of the state of São Paulo, Brazil are described and illustrated. A key of the Brazilian species of Tenuipalpus based on females is presented.
Thin slices of competence and warmth via personalized primary spaces
Authors: Pérez-López Raquel , Aragonés Juan-Ignacio , Amérigo María
Published: September 2013

People leave their marks on the environment through the personalization of their spaces. In this regard, personalized space will allow people to make inferences regarding the occupant's personal and social characteristics. This research attempts to study the issue of impression formation based on the cues that people leave behind in their primary spaces and how impressions are linked to the Stereotype Content Model. A total of 166 participants, young and mature students, took part in the research. All of them observed photographs of bedrooms, each one with a single owner; afterwards they completed a questionnaire considering the spaces' potential residents. Results suggest that observers accurately identify residents' socio-demographic variables. In addition, factor analysis shows that observers infer personality traits related to the two dimensions of Warmth and Competence. Finally, it is detected that young and retired observers perceive residents in a particular way, depending on age and gender criteria, respectively.
Mesoscale Energy Spectra of the Mei-Yu Front System. Part I: Kinetic Energy Spectra
Authors: Peng Jun , Zhang Lifeng , Luo Yu , Zhang Yun
Published: September 2013

The mesoscale kinetic energy (KE) spectra of the mei-yu front system are investigated through idealized numerical simulations. In the mature stage, the upper-tropospheric KE spectrum resembles a −3 power law for wavelengths between 1000 and 400 km and shallows to a slope of approximately − at smaller wavelengths. A similar behavior can be observed in the lower stratosphere. At both levels, the rotational KE spectrum shallows nearly to the same extent as the divergent KE spectrum at smaller wavelengths, accounting for the transition in the total KE spectrum. About 12 h after the latent heating is turned off, the mesoscale KE spectra hardly show the distinct spectral transition, especially in the upper troposphere.

The spectral KE budget for various height ranges is analyzed and compared. In the upper troposphere, the mesoscale KE is deposited through the buoyancy flux and removed by the advective nonlinearity and vertical pressure flux divergence. The buoyancy flux spectrum in the mature phase has a peak at scales of around 300 km and a plateau throughout the mesoscale, which suggests a significant injection of KE in the mesoscale. The negative contribution of the advective nonlinearity demonstrates that to some extent the mesoscale KE derives from a nonlinear upscale cascade, with the buoyancy-produced energy source located at the lower end of mesoscale spectrum. In the lower stratosphere, the mesoscale KE is deposited through the advective nonlinearity and vertical pressure flux divergence and removed by the buoyancy flux. This suggests that the lower-stratospheric KE spectrum is influenced by both the downscale energy cascade and vertically propagating IGWs.
Impact of Land Surface Initialization Approach on Subseasonal Forecast Skill: A Regional Analysis in the Southern Hemisphere
Authors: Hirsch Annette L. , Kala Jatin , Pitman Andy J. , Carouge Claire , Evans Jason P. , Haverd Vanessa , Mocko David
Published: September 2013

The authors use a sophisticated coupled land–atmosphere modeling system for a Southern Hemisphere subdomain centered over southeastern Australia to evaluate differences in simulation skill from two different land surface initialization approaches. The first approach uses equilibrated land surface states obtained from offline simulations of the land surface model, and the second uses land surface states obtained from reanalyses. The authors find that land surface initialization using prior offline simulations contribute to relative gains in subseasonal forecast skill. In particular, relative gains in forecast skill for temperature of 10%–20% within the first 30 days of the forecast can be attributed to the land surface initialization method using offline states. For precipitation there is no distinct preference for the land surface initialization method, with limited gains in forecast skill irrespective of the lead time. The authors evaluated the asymmetry between maximum and minimum temperatures and found that maximum temperatures had the largest gains in relative forecast skill, exceeding 20% in some regions. These results were statistically significant at the 98% confidence level at up to 60 days into the forecast period. For minimum temperature, using reanalyses to initialize the land surface contributed to relative gains in forecast skill, reaching 40% in parts of the domain that were statistically significant at the 98% confidence level. The contrasting impact of the land surface initialization method between maximum and minimum temperature was associated with different soil moisture coupling mechanisms. Therefore, land surface initialization from prior offline simulations does improve predictability for temperature, particularly maximum temperature, but with less obvious improvements for precipitation and minimum temperature over southeastern Australia.
Influence of Leaf Area Index Prescriptions on Simulations of Heat, Moisture, and Carbon Fluxes
Authors: Kala Jatin , Decker Mark , Exbrayat Jean-François , Pitman Andy J. , Carouge Claire , Evans Jason P. , Abramowitz Gab , Mocko David
Published: September 2013

Leaf area index (LAI), the total one-sided surface area of leaf per ground surface area, is a key component of land surface models. The authors investigate the influence of differing, plausible LAI prescriptions on heat, moisture, and carbon fluxes simulated by the Community Atmosphere Biosphere Land Exchange version 1.4b (CABLEv1.4b) model over the Australian continent. A 15-member ensemble monthly LAI dataset is generated using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) LAI product and gridded observations of temperature and precipitation. Offline simulations lasting 29 years (1980–2008) are carried out at 25-km resolution with the composite monthly means from the MODIS LAI product (control simulation) and compared with simulations using each of the 15-member ensemble monthly varying LAI datasets generated. The imposed changes in LAI did not strongly influence the sensible and latent fluxes, but the carbon fluxes were more strongly affected. Croplands showed the largest sensitivity in gross primary production with differences ranging from −90% to 60%. Plant function types (PFTs) with high absolute LAI and low interannual variability, such as evergreen broadleaf trees, showed the least response to the different LAI prescriptions, while those with lower absolute LAI and higher interannual variability, such as croplands, were more sensitive. The authors show that reliance on a single LAI prescription may not accurately reflect the uncertainty in the simulation of terrestrial carbon fluxes, especially for PFTs with high interannual variability. The study highlights that accurate representation of LAI in land surface models is key to the simulation of the terrestrial carbon cycle. Hence, this will become critical in quantifying the uncertainty in future changes in primary production.
Inner-Shelf Response to Cross-Shelf Wind Stress: The Importance of the Cross-Shelf Density Gradient in an Idealized Numerical Model and Field Observations
Authors: Horwitz Rachel , Lentz Steven J.
Published: September 2013

This study investigates the effects of horizontal and vertical density gradients on the inner-shelf response to cross-shelf wind stress by using an idealized numerical model and observations from a moored array deployed south of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. In two-dimensional (no along-shelf variation) numerical model runs of an initially stratified shelf, a cross-shelf wind stress drives vertical mixing that results in a nearly well-mixed inner shelf with a cross-shelf density gradient because of the sloping bottom. The cross-shelf density gradient causes an asymmetric response to on- and offshore wind stresses. For density increasing offshore, an offshore wind stress drives a near-surface offshore flow and near-bottom onshore flow that slightly enhances the vertical stratification and the cross-shelf circulation. An onshore wind stress drives the reverse cross-shelf circulation reducing the vertical stratification and the cross-shelf circulation. A horizontal Richardson number is shown to be the nondimensional parameter that controls the dependence of the wind-driven nondimensional cross-shelf transport on the cross-shelf density gradient. Field observations show the same empirical relationship between the horizontal Richardson number and transport fraction as the model predicts. These results show that it is the cross-shelf rather than vertical density gradient that is critical to predicting the inner-shelf cross-shelf transport driven by a cross-shelf wind stress.
Higher Resolution in an Operational Ensemble Kalman Filter
Authors: Houtekamer P. L. , Deng Xingxiu , Mitchell Herschel L. , Baek Seung-Jong , Gagnon Normand
Published: September 2013

Recently, the computing facilities available to the Meteorological Service of Canada were significantly upgraded. This provided an opportunity to improve the resolution of the global ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) and the medium-range Global Ensemble Prediction System (GEPS). In the EnKF, the main upgrades include improved horizontal, vertical, and temporal resolution. With the introduction of the higher horizontal resolution, it was decided to use a filtered topography in order to address an occasional instability problem. At the same time, the number of assimilated radiance observations was increased via a relaxation of the data-thinning procedures. In the medium-range GEPS, which already used the higher horizontal resolution, the filtered topography was also adopted. Likewise, the temporal resolution was increased to be the same as in the short-range integrations of the EnKF. With these changes, the grid used by the Canadian EnKF has 600 × 300 points in the horizontal and 74 vertical levels. The forecast model uses a 20-min time step and, for time interpolation of the model trajectories, model states are stored every hour. The EnKF uses an ensemble having 192 members. This paper sequentially examines the impact of these implemented changes. The upgraded EnKF became operational at the Canadian Meteorological Centre in mid-February 2013.
Facilitating the Conversation
Authors: Hayden Craig , Waisanen Don , Osipova Yelena
Published: September 2013

The elections of president Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 provided pivotal moments in U.S. relations with foreign publics. Examining the kind of communication cultivated between public diplomacy practitioners and publics, this article focuses on social media discourse about the 2012 U.S. election posted to U.S. diplomacy efforts on Facebook. We analyze information generated by U.S. embassy sites in Bangladesh, Egypt, and Pakistan to understand the qualities of the communication engendered by these public diplomacy overtures, the nature of public argument via the media platform, and how the election served as a process to further contemporary U.S. public diplomacy. We found that the discussion that took place in response to the announcement of Obama’s reelection did not resemble a deliberative forum for debating U.S. foreign policy or regional implications. Rather, much of the messaging on these sites constituted what we term “spreadable epideictic.” Implications are charted for research and practice.
Hidden contexts and invisible power relations: A Foucauldian reading of diversity research
Authors: Ahonen Pasi , Tienari Janne , Meriläinen Susan , Pullen Alison
Published: September 2013

This article joins recent critical diversity studies that point to an urgent need to revitalize the field, but goes further by showing the inherent contextual issues and power relations that frame existing contributions. Based on a theoretical reading inspired by Michel Foucault, diversity is presented as discourse that is not independent of the particular research exercise of which it is part but, rather, remains contingent on the prevailing forms of knowledge and choices made by researchers. By attending to more refined understandings of power and context within diversity discourse, this article makes visible and calls into question the categorization and normalization of diversity and its management. It contributes to existing research by suggesting that the knowledge produced by mainstream and critical diversity scholars alike is biopolitical and governmental. To do diversity research differently or ‘otherwise’ requires finding ways to develop theorizations and practices that turn this modality of power against itself.
The interrelationships between moral attitudes, posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and mixed lateral preference in Israeli reserve combat troops
Authors: Ritov Gilad , Barnetz Zion
Published: September 2013

Background:

Combat soldiers often encounter moral dilemmas during operational deployment, especially when an armed engagement is situated within a civilian setting. The study of moral dilemmas and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has mostly focused on the impact of war atrocities and moral injury. However, the relationship between moral attitudes and different combat-related pathologies has not been thoroughly addressed by quantitative studies.

Aims:

We aimed to assess the relationship between combatant’s moral attitudes, severity of PTSD symptoms and mixed lateral preference.

Methods:

Data on moral objection, PTSD severity and lateral preference were collected in a right-handed non-pathologic sample ( n = 147) of reserve combat troops in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

Results:

Nearly one-fifth (19.7%) of the reserve personnel who served in the occupied territories have reported high moral objection to the commands they were expected to act upon. This group of participants exhibited more PTSD symptoms and higher levels of mixed lateral preference. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed a mediating role of moral objection in the relationship between PTSD symptoms severity and lateral preference.

Conclusions:

Our findings suggest that moral objection has significant implications on combatant’s psychological and organic well-being. The findings highlight the need to include moral attitudes in research and clinical practice among combat personnel and veterans.
Mapping the Life Satisfaction of Adolescents in Hong Kong Secondary Schools With High Ethnic Concentration
Authors: Yuen Yuet Mui Celeste , Lee Moosung
Published: September 2013

The present study aims to map the life satisfaction of adolescents from ethnic minority/immigrant backgrounds in schools with high concentrations of co-ethnic peers by comparing them with their mainstream counterparts in Hong Kong. The life satisfaction of 1,522 students was measured by the validated Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale. Tests of invariance were conducted followed by latent mean analysis. In contrast to the public debates on the undesirability of co-ethnic education, the findings do not suggest negative associations between the ethnic minority or immigrant status of these students and their self-appraised global and specific life satisfaction in school and with friends. This study confirms that a school factor exists and that there are significant differences in the life satisfaction of the student groups under review. Educating students in schools with high concentrations of co-ethnic peers appears to benefit South Asians but not mainland Chinese immigrant students.
Feeling the rules: Documentary practices of rationing and the ‘signature’ of the official
Authors: Sriraman Tarangini
Published: September 2013

This article seeks to find the metaphorical ‘signature’ of the food official in the intricate materialities of everyday life and particularly, in one such familiar realm, the production of documents. While doing so, this article considers the worlds of instinct, emotion and conscience as well as kinship and family in shaping official roles and welfare processes. This article argues that documentary practices of rationing provided the space for the self-fashioning of food officials who animatedly fleshed out their parts in enacting various regulations and injunctions. This article also attempts to lay out the postcolonial framework of food distribution through an ethnographic study of documentary forms and practices around the rationing document within what used to be the Union Territory of Delhi from 1965 to 1990.
A Review and Integration of Team Composition Models
Authors: Mathieu John E. , Tannenbaum Scott I. , Donsbach Jamie S. , Alliger George M.
Published: September 2013

Although teams are considered to be the building blocks of modern organizational designs and numerous theoretical models, and narrative and meta-analytic reviews of the literature exist, there is a lack of coherence, integration, and understanding of how team composition effects relate to important team outcomes. Accordingly we have five primary goals for this article. First, we categorize team composition models into four types and highlight theory and research associated with each one. Second, we offer an integrative framework that represents members’ attributes as simultaneously contributing variance to each of the four model types. Third, we overlay temporal considerations that suggest different team compositional mixes will be more or less salient at different periods of performance episodes or stages of team development. Fourth, we integrate membership dynamics into our model. And fifth, we advance an integrative optimization algorithm that incorporates implications from all for the four previous approaches, as well as temporal dynamics and membership change. In so doing, we provide a synthesis of previous work and theories and outline a research agenda for both research and practice.
Actual and Potential Gender-Fair Language Use
Authors: Kuhn Elisabeth A. , Gabriel Ute
Published: September 2013

In two paper-and-pencil studies on university students and trainees, we studied how general language competence and the motivation to use accurate language are linked to people’s actual and potential gender-fair language use. Overall, participants’ actual gender-fair language use was lower than their potential. The higher the participants’ language competence, the higher their potential. Trainees’ actual gender-fair language use was predicted by the interaction of language competence and motivation to use accurate language, those with relatively high language competence used less gender-fair language the higher their motivation to use accurate language was.
Comparison of patient comfort between iodixanol and iopamidol in contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the abdomen and pelvis: a randomized trial
Authors: Weiland Frederick L , Marti-Bonmati Luis , Lim Lauren , Becker Hans-Christoph
Published: September 2013

Background

Previous clinical studies have shown that iso-osmolar iodixanol (Visipaque®) causes less patient discomfort than low-osmolar contrast media (LOCM) when administered via intra-arterial injection. No data are available comparing these agents for patient discomfort when administered intravenously (i.v.) using power injectors.

Purpose

To compare the frequency and intensity of patient discomfort between iodixanol and iopamidol (Isovue®) administered i.v. using a power injector in contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) of the abdomen and pelvis.

Material and Methods

This was a prospective, randomized, double-blind, multicenter study of iodixanol 320 mg I/mL or iopamidol 370 mg I/mL on patient discomfort. The presence of discomfort (heat, pain, coldness) and intensity was verbally rated by patients on a 0–10 scale and converted into four categories (0, none; 1–3, mild; 4–7, moderate; 8–10, severe). Image quality was evaluated.

Results

Of the 299 evaluable patients enrolled at nine centers, 151 received iodixanol and 148 received iopamidol. The average age was 58 years. Iodixanol patients experienced significantly less moderate/severe discomfort (35.1% vs. 67.3%; P < 0.0001) or heat (29.8% vs. 63.9%; P < 0.0001), and severe discomfort (2.6% vs. 16.3%; P = 0.0004) or heat (2.6% vs. 15%; P = 0.0008), but three times more no discomfort (21.2% vs. 7.5%; P = 0.0008) than iopamidol patients. Excellent image quality was in 95.4% of iodixanol vs. 89.9% of iopamidol patients ( P = 0.0508). Overall, adverse event (AE) rate excluding patient discomfort was 19.9% in the iodixanol group and 14.9% in the iopamidol group ( P = 0.2870), but contrast-related AEs were comparable: 11.3% vs. 10.1% ( P = 0.8522). Delayed skin reactions occurred in 2.6% of patients in the iodixanol group and in no patient in the iopamidol group ( P = 0.1226).

Conclusion

Patients receiving iodixanol had significantly lower moderate-to-severe or severe discomfort than patients receiving iopamidol, with heat being the major contributor. Iodixanol use trended towards better image quality but the difference was not statistically significant. No significant differences in incidences of overall or contrast-related AEs or delayed skin reactions were seen between the two groups. These data support that CM osmolality may be a key determinant of patient discomfort.
Auschwitz as Eschaton: Adorno’s Negative Rewriting of the Messianic in Critical Theory
Authors: Houseman Tom
Published: September 2013

The recent engagement with ‘post-secular’ thought has been especially pronounced within the critical tradition, in which messianic eschatology has been variously rehabilitated or reaffirmed. Amongst others, the thought of Theodor W. Adorno has recently been enlisted in this endeavour, culminating in a synthesis of critical theory and Jewish Gnosticism. This article argues that such a reading not only misrepresents Adorno’s thought, but also misses its critical contribution. In contrast to the project of revivifying the messianic in order to save critical theory from aimless nihilism, Adorno’s eschatology, inherited through a critical dialogue with Hegel, Marx and Benjamin, is a negative imprint, devoid of the theism, teleology and promises of salvation that characterise and secure other appropriations of the eschatological tradition. To recognise the originality and potency of Adorno’s critical reworking of eschatology, I argue, we must understand the theological role played by Auschwitz throughout his writings. Adorno constructs a constellation in which Auschwitz is the eschaton, the horrific fulfilment of the promise of history. In doing so, he reconfigures the ethical impulse of the critical tradition: critical theory derives its purpose and urgency not from the promise of a better world, but from the horror of the present one.
Violence, Self-authorship and the ‘Death of God’: The ‘Traps’ of the Messianic and the Tragic
Authors: Hirst Aggie
Published: September 2013

Nietzsche’s heralding of the ‘Death of God’ announces and exposes the condition of foundationlessness underpinning (Western) modernity and provokes the crucial question of the goals and purposes of political life. Without the figure of the divine as sanction and guide, political society lacks a stable foundation upon which to identify and legitimate itself. This paper explores the respective responses of two traditions of critical thought which engage explicitly with the challenges this poses, namely the messianic and the tragic. The central aim is to trace a series of ‘traps’ in evidence in both messianic and tragic thought which lead them to (re)turn to particular forms of transcendentalism; both traditions, it is argued, turn towards the divine in their responses to the ‘Death of God’. However, the paper suggests that while the messianic is inextricably bound up in such a return to the divine, the tragic, as well as comprising several problematic violences, retains a particular salience in theorising subjectivity and the political under the condition of foundationlessness named by the ‘Death of God’.
Afterlife: Living Death to Political Spirituality
Authors: Dillon Michael
Published: September 2013

This article provides a prolegomena to a discussion of what Michel Foucault meant by ‘political spirituality’ and ‘the courage of truth ( parrhesia)’, terms which preoccupied his last lectures at the Collège de France and through which he continued to pursue his lifelong concern with the politics of truth and the history of the present. The article approaches these issues through the fate of the three strategic figures - God, Man and Life - that have traditionally problematised western rules of truth and truths of rule. It then proceeds to explore the living death, or afterlife, of Man and Life, which calls for a new courage of truth, and to which ‘political spirituality’ has been one response.
Nihilism and the Otherness of Islam
Authors: Pasha Mustapha Kamal
Published: September 2013

The ‘death of God’ remains a recognisable frame to approach Western cultural malaise captured in its nihilism. Removed from this spatio-temporal horizon, however, claims of fin de siècle appear partial, provincial, and extraneous. For worlds ‘outside’ the West, the idea of the death of God is an absurdity, excessive and irrelevant. Viewed from relativist positionality, God’s demise presents as a strictly Western problem. On the other hand, nihilism is neither a culturally restricted state nor a unique property of Western self-annihilating proclivities. This paper explores the assumed ‘Otherness’ of Islam in its encounter with nihilism, especially in reference to the question of political violence. Distinction between life-affirming and life-negating impulses of political violence helps situate religiously coded violence and the nihilistic violence of modernity. In the case of Islamic violence, it is argued, this distinction is often blurred. The paper maps out the cosmological basis of Islamic alterity, one that is increasingly tested under conditions of globalising modernity and its pathologies.
Experimental and numerical studies on the tube contraction using a conical–cylindrical die
Authors: Gupta Pramod K , Sahu Ram R
Published: September 2013

This article describes the plastic contraction phenomenon and energy absorption of aluminum tubes, under axial compression by conical entry dies. Experiments were carried out on aluminum tubes machined from commercially available tubes. All tubes had outer diameter of 30 mm and inner diameter was made such that the tubes were obtained in the thickness range of 1–5 mm. The dies were made with semiangles of 5°, 10°, 15°, and 20°. The straight portion of die had inner diameter of 28.5 mm; hence, the diametric interference of 1.5 mm was obtained at straight portion. These dies were made with steel with sufficient thickness to treat them as rigid. The numerical simulation was done for the experiments using LS-DYNA software. Based on numerical and experimental results, the force–displacement graph characteristics for different deformations modes were discussed in detail. Effects of tube thickness and its interference with die were studied. The effect of material property on energy absorption was studied. The effect of friction on overall energy was also studied. The various associated characteristics such as tube deformation at tip and stress pattern were also studied.