bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Blood Pressure and Obesity Exert Independent Influences on Pulse Wave Velocity in Youth
Authors: Lurbe Empar , Torro Isabel , Garcia-Vicent Consuelo , Alvarez Julio , Fernández-Fornoso José Antonio , Redon Josep
Published: June 2012

The objective was to analyze pulse wave velocity (PWV) in normotensive, high-normal, and hypertensive youths by using aortic-derived parameters from peripheral recordings. The impact of obesity on vascular phenotypes was also analyzed. A total of 501 whites from 8 to 18 years of age were included. The subjects were divided according to BP criteria: 424 (85%) were normotensive, 56 (11%) high-normal, and 21 (4%) hypertensive. Obesity was present in 284 (56%) and overweight in 138 (28%). Pulse wave analysis using a SphygmoCor device was performed to determine central blood pressure (BP), augmentation index, and measurement of PWV. Among the BP groups, differences appeared in age, sex, and height but not in body mass index. Significant differences in peripheral and central systolic and diastolic BPs and pulse pressures were observed within groups. A graded increase in PWV was present across the BP strata without differences in augmentation index. Using a multiple regression analysis, age, BP groups, and obesity status were independently associated with PWV. Older and hypertensive subjects had the highest PWV, whereas, from normal weight status to obesity, PWV decreased. Likewise, PWV was positively related to peripheral or central systolic BP and negatively related to body mass index
z
score. For 1 SD of peripheral systolic BP, PWV increased 0.329 m/s, and for 1 SD of body mass index
z
score PWV decreased 0.129 m/s. In conclusion, PWV is increased in hypertensive and even in high-normal children and adolescents. Furthermore, obesity, the factor most frequently related to essential hypertension in adolescents, blunted the expected increment in PWV of hypertensive and high-normal subjects.
Spironolactone Prevents Chlorthalidone-Induced Sympathetic Activation and Insulin Resistance in Hypertensive Patients
Authors: Raheja Prafull , Price Angela , Wang Zhongyun , Arbique Debbie , Adams-Huet Beverley , Auchus Richard J. , Vongpatanasin Wanpen
Published: June 2012

Recent studies from our laboratory indicate that chlorthalidone triggers persistent activation of the sympathetic nervous system and promotes insulin resistance in hypertensive patients, independent of serum potassium. Mechanisms underlying these adverse effects of chlorthalidone remain unknown, but increasing evidence in rodents suggests the role of angiotensin and aldosterone excess in inducing both sympathetic overactivity and insulin resistance. Accordingly, we conducted studies in 17 subjects with untreated stage 1 hypertension, measuring sympathetic nerve activity at baseline and after 12 weeks of chlorthalidone alone (25 mg/d), chlorthalidone plus spironolactone, and chlorthalidone plus irbesartan, using randomized crossover design. We found that chlorthalidone alone decreased 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure from 135±3/84±2 to 124±2/78±2 mm Hg and significantly increased sympathetic nerve activity from baseline (from 41±3 versus 49±4 bursts per minute;
P
<0.01). The addition of spironolactone to chlorthalidone returned sympathetic nerve activity value to baseline (42±3 bursts per minute;
P
>0.05), whereas the addition of irbesartan failed to alter the sympathetic nerve activity response to chlorthalidone in the same subjects (52±2 bursts per minute;
P
<0.01) despite a similar reduction in ambulatory blood pressure (121±2/75±2 and 121±2/75±2 mm Hg, respectively). Chlorthalidone alone also increased indices of insulin resistance, which was not observed when used in combination with spironolactone. In conclusion, our study demonstrates beneficial effects of spironolactone in attenuating both chlorthalidone-induced sympathetic activation and insulin resistance in humans, independent of blood pressure reduction. Because sympathetic overactivity and insulin resistance contribute to the poor prognosis in patients with cardiovascular disease, combination therapy of chlorthalidone with mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists may constitute a preferable regimen than chlorthalidone alone in hypertensive patients.
Hyperparathyroidism Can Be Useful in the Identification of Primary Aldosteronism Due To Aldosterone-Producing Adenoma
Authors: Rossi Gian Paolo , Ragazzo Fabio , Seccia Teresa Maria , Maniero Carmela , Barisa Marlena , Calò Lorenzo A. , Frigo Anna Chiara , Fassina Ambrogio , Pessina Achille Cesare
Published: June 2012

Hyperparathyroidism represents as a novel feature of primary aldosteronism (PA). Its occurrence in patients with the surgically correctable aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA) and not in those with bilateral adrenal hyperplasia suggested that the measurement of parathyroid hormone could help in differentiating between these subtypes of PA. To test this hypothesis we measured the plasma levels of intact parathyroid hormone, Ca
2+
, and several markers of calcium/phosphorus metabolism in 132 hypertensive patients, including 74 with primary (essential) hypertension and 58 consecutive PA patients. Of the latter, 46 were conclusively diagnosed as APA (by finding of lateralized aldosterone excess, pathology, correction of the hyperaldosteronism, and evidence of a fall of blood pressure after adrenalectomy) and 12 as bilateral adrenal hyperplasia. Based on these diagnoses we used the area under the receiver operator characteristic curve analysis to assess the accuracy of serum parathyroid hormone for identifying the PA cases in the whole group and for distinguishing between APA and bilateral adrenal hyperplasia. In this selected population of hypertensive patients for identifying PA cases, the accuracy of serum parathyroid hormone tended to be lower than that of the aldosterone:renin ratio. However, for discriminating between APA and bilateral adrenal hyperplasia patients it was better than that under the identity line and also that for the aldosterone:renin ratio for pinpointing APA cases among patients with PA. Hence, these findings indicate that raised serum parathyroid hormone levels are a feature of APA that can be useful for selecting the PA patients to be submitted to adrenal vein sampling.
Cavitation After Acute Symptomatic Lacunar Stroke Depends on Time, Location, and MRI Sequence
Authors: Moreau Francois , Patel Shiel , Lauzon M. Louis , McCreary Cheryl R. , Goyal Mayank , Frayne Richard , Demchuk Andrew M. , Coutts Shelagh B. , Smith Eric E.
Published: June 2012

Background and Purpose—

Definitions for chronic lacunar infarcts vary. Recent retrospective studies suggest that many acute lacunar strokes do not develop a cavitated appearance. We determined the characteristics of acute lacunar infarcts on follow-up MRI in consecutive patients participating in prospective research studies.

Methods—

Patients with acute lacunar infarction on diffusion-weighted imaging were selected from 3 prospective cohort studies of minor stroke imaged within <24 hours of onset. Follow-up MRI was performed at 30 days (Vascular Imaging of Acute Stroke for Identifying Predictors of Clinical Outcome and Recurrent Ischemic Events [VISION] study, n=21) or 90 days (VISION-2 and CT and MRI in the Triage of TIA and Minor Cerebrovascular Events to Identify High Risk Patients [CATCH] studies, n=34). Evidence of cavitation on MRI was rated separately on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery, T1, and T2 sequences by 2 independent study physicians; discrepant readings were resolved by consensus.

Results—

Probable or definite cavitation on any sequence was more common at 90 days compared with 30 days (
P
≤0.001 for all sequences). At 90 days, evidence of cavitation was seen on at least 1 sequence in 33 of 34 patients (97%). The T1-weighted sequence was most sensitive to the presence of cavitation (94% at 90 days). By contrast, the fluid-attenuated inversion recovery sequence frequently failed to show evidence of cavitation in the brain stem or thalamus (only 10 of 18 [56%] showed cavitation).

Conclusions—

MRI scanning at 90 days with T1-weighted imaging reveals evidence of cavitation in nearly all cases of acute lacunar infarction. By contrast, reliance on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery alone will miss many cavitated lesions in the thalamus and brain stem. These factors should be taken into account in the development of standardized criteria for lacunar infarction on MRI.
Global Environmental Governance and Regional Centers
Authors: Selin Henrik
Published: June 2012

As global environmental governance evolves, the parties to the 1989 Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal and to the 2001 Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants have established regional centers working on capacity building and technology transfer. This article empirically explores the following questions: Why did the parties to the Basel and Stockholm Conventions establish these regional centers? What roles do the regional centers play in treaty implementation and multilevel governance? The article argues that the parties have set up regional centers in response to three partially overlapping sets of developing- and industrialized-country interests: expanding regional cooperation (both developing and industrialized countries); attracting more resources for treaty implementation (mainly developing countries); and supporting implementation projects across smaller groups of countries (mainly industrialized countries). This article finds that the regional centers collectively operate in three broad areas important to treaty implementation: raising awareness, strengthening administrative ability, and diffusing scientific and technical assistance and information. However, the ability of the regional centers to function effectively depends on access to greater resources and stronger political support. There may also be benefits to expanding regional center mandates into areas of monitoring and compliance to improve multilevel governance. Furthermore, the regional level should be given more consideration in the study of global environmental politics.
ASEAN and Environmental Governance: Strategies of Regionalism in Southeast Asia
Authors: Elliott Lorraine
Published: June 2012

Most studies of regionalism in Southeast Asia pay little attention to environmental concerns as part of the region's empirical dynamic. In contrast, this article examines the ways in which governments have come to “govern” environmental issues at a regional scale under the auspices of ASEAN, against the backdrop of debates about the political topography of Southeast Asian regionalism. The framework adopted here brings together analyses of the public space of formal regional governance arrangements, the inter-subjective space of regional identity building, and the private space of regional social practices. Underpinning this is the question of whether moves to supposedly “flatter” forms of regional governance have been accompanied by for more democratic or participatory forms of regionalism. I conclude that regional environmental structures under ASEAN are more akin to “invited spaces” and have generally failed to offer effective channels of communication for, or democratic representation of, a wider range of stakeholders, including civil society groups and local communities.
Democratizing Regional Environmental Governance: Public Deliberation and Participation in Transboundary Ecoregions
Authors: Klinke Andreas
Published: June 2012

Over the last two decades, transboundary regional environmental governance has witnessed some institutional change through an increasing shift from intergovernmentally constituted political institutions to new complex structures of decision-making where policy-making has begun to adapt to a new, more active role of societal actors at multiple levels of political authority. In addressing this issue, the article raises the following questions: How can new structures and processes of public deliberation and participation in transboundary regional environmental governance be designed, and which opportunities and risks emerge? To address these questions, the article develops a normative-analytical design for regional environmental governance in ecoregions; this design defines the conditions under which public deliberation and participation conveying discourse, argument, and persuasion can help to democratize collective decision-making.
Environmental Change, Human Security, and Regional Governance: The Case of the Hindu Kush/Himalaya Region
Authors: Matthew Richard
Published: June 2012

This article asks whether institutions and processes for regional environmental governance can be introduced or, where they already exist, be strengthened to be more effective along three key dimensions: managing environmental stressors, coordinating the adaptation and mitigation strategies required at various scales of social organization, and establishing better early warning, response and recovery systems. These dimensions are analysed through an examination of the challenges facing the Hindu Kush-Himalaya region that affect all of the region of South Asia. In terms of both human and national security, regional environmental governance holds great promise, but effective governance institutions and processes (either hegemonic or democratic) would be extremely difficult to create.
Mapping of Visual Receptive Fields by Tomographic Reconstruction
Authors: Pipa Gordon , Chen Zhe , Neuenschwander Sergio , Lima Bruss , Brown Emery N.
Published: June 2012

The moving bar experiment is a classic paradigm for characterizing the receptive field (RF) properties of neurons in primary visual cortex (V1). Current approaches for analyzing neural spiking activity recorded from these experiments do not take into account the point-process nature of these data and the circular geometry of the stimulus presentation. We present a novel analysis approach to mapping V1 receptive fields that combines point-process generalized linear models (PPGLM) with tomographic reconstruction computed by filtered-back projection. We use the method to map the RF sizes and orientations of 251 V1 neurons recorded from two macaque monkeys during a moving bar experiment. Our cross-validated goodness-of-fit analyses show that the PPGLM provides a more accurate characterization of spike train data than analyses based on rate functions computed by the methods of spike-triggered averages or first-order Wiener-Volterra kernel. Our analysis leads to a new definition of RF size as the spatial area over which the spiking activity is significantly greater than baseline activity. Our approach yields larger RF sizes and sharper orientation tuning estimates. The tomographic reconstruction paradigm further suggests an efficient approach to choosing the number of directions and the number of trials per direction in designing moving bar experiments. Our results demonstrate that standard tomographic principles for image reconstruction can be adapted to characterize V1 RFs and that two fundamental properties, size and orientation, may be substantially different from what is currently reported.
Using Random Effects to Build Impact Models When the Available Historical Record Is Short
Authors: Aires Filipe
Published: June 2012

The analysis of the affect of weather and climate on human activities requires the construction of impact models that are able to describe the complex links between weather and socioeconomic data. In practice, one of the biggest challenges is the lack of data, because it is generally difficult to obtain time series that are long enough. As a consequence, derived impact models predict well the historical record but are unable to perform well on real forecasts. To avoid this data-limitation problem, it is possible to train the impact model over a large spatial domain by “pooling” data from multiple locations. This general impact model needs to be spatially corrected to take local conditions into account, however. This is particularly true, for example, in agriculture: it is not efficient to pool all of the spatial data into a single very general impact model, but it is also not efficient to develop one impact model for each spatial location. To solve these aggregation problems, mixed-effects (ME) models have been developed. They are based on the idea that each datum belongs to a particular group, and the ME model takes into account the particularities of each group. In this paper, ME models and, in particular, random-effects (RE) models are tested and are compared with more-traditional methods using a real-world application: the sales of salt for winter road deicing by public service vehicles. It is shown that the performance of RE models is higher than that of more-traditional regression models. The development of impact models should strongly benefit from the use of RE and ME models.
Trends in Wind Speed at Wind Turbine Height of 80 m over the Contiguous United States Using the North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR)
Authors: Holt Eric , Wang Jun
Published: June 2012

The trends in wind speed at a typical wind turbine hub height (80 m) are analyzed using the North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) dataset for 1979–2009. A method, assuming the wind profile in the lower boundary layer as power-law functions of altitude, is developed to invert the power exponent (in the power-law equation) from the NARR data and to compute the following variables at 80 m that are needed for the estimation and interpretation of the trend in wind speed: air density, zonal wind u, meridional wind υ, and wind speed. Statistically significant and positive annual trends are found to be predominant over the contiguous United States, with spring and winter being the two largest contributing seasons. Positive trends in surface wind speed are generally smaller than those at 80 m, with less spatial coverage, reflecting stronger increases in wind speed at altitudes above the 80-m level. Large and positive trends in winds over the southeastern region and high-mountain region are primarily due to the increasing trend in southerly wind, while the trends over the northern states (near the Canadian border) are primarily due to the increasing trend in westerly wind. Trends in the 90th percentile of the annual wind speed, a better indicator for the trend in wind power recourses, are 40%–50% larger than but geographically similar to the trends in the annual mean wind speed. The probable climatic drivers for change in wind speed and direction are discussed, and further studies are needed to evaluate the fidelity of wind speed and direction in the NARR.
Determining the Flight Icing Threat to Aircraft with Single-Layer Cloud Parameters Derived from Operational Satellite Data
Authors: Smith William L. , Minnis Patrick , Fleeger Cecilia , Spangenberg Douglas , Palikonda Rabindra , Nguyen Louis
Published: June 2012

An algorithm is developed to determine the flight icing threat to aircraft utilizing quantitative information on clouds derived from meteorological satellite data as input. Algorithm inputs include the satellite-derived cloud-top temperature, thermodynamic phase, water path, and effective droplet size. The icing-top and -base altitude boundaries are estimated from the satellite-derived cloud-top and -base altitudes using the freezing level obtained from numerical weather analyses or a lapse-rate approach. The product is available at the nominal resolution of the satellite pixel. Aircraft pilot reports (PIREPs) over the United States and southern Canada provide direct observations of icing and are used extensively in the algorithm development and validation on the basis of correlations with Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite imager data. Verification studies using PIREPs, Tropospheric Airborne Meteorological Data Reporting, and NASA Icing Remote Sensing System data indicate that the satellite algorithm performs reasonably well, particularly during the daytime. The algorithm is currently being run routinely using data taken from a variety of satellites across the globe and is providing useful information on icing conditions at high spatial and temporal resolutions that are unavailable from any other source.
Application of Lidar Data to Assist Airmass Discrimination at the Whistler Mountaintop Observatory
Authors: Gallagher John P. , McKendry Ian G. , Cottle Paul W. , Macdonald Anne Marie , Leaitch W. Richard , Strawbridge Kevin
Published: June 2012

A ground-based lidar system that has been deployed in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, since the spring of 2010 provides a means of evaluating vertical aerosol structure in a mountainous environment. This information is used to help to determine when an air chemistry observatory atop Whistler Mountain (2182 m MSL) is within the free troposphere or is influenced by the valley-based planetary boundary layer (PBL). Three case studies are presented in which 1-day time series images of backscatter data from the lidar are analyzed along with concurrent meteorological and air-chemistry datasets from the mountaintop site. The cases were selected to illustrate different scenarios of diurnal PBL evolution that are expected to be common during their respective seasons. The lidar images corroborate assumptions about PBL influence as derived from analysis of diurnal trends in water vapor, condensation nuclei, and ozone. Use of all of these datasets together bolsters efforts to determine which atmospheric layer the site best represents, which is important when evaluating the provenance of air samples.
Vertical Velocity and Microphysical Distributions Related to Rapid Intensification in a Simulation of Hurricane Dennis (2005)
Authors: McFarquhar Greg M. , Jewett Brian F. , Gilmore Matthew S. , Nesbitt Stephen W. , Hsieh Tsung-Lin
Published: June 2012

A 1-km Weather Research and Forecasting model simulation of Hurricane Dennis was used to identify precursors in vertical velocity and latent heating distributions to rapid intensification (RI). Although the observed structure qualitatively replicated data obtained during P-3 and Earth Resources-2 (ER-2) flights, the simulated reflectivity was overestimated. During the 6 h preceding RI, defined as 0000 UTC 8 July 2005 close to the time of simulated maximum central pressure deepening, the asymmetric convection transformed into an eyewall with the maximum 10-m wind speed increasing by 16 m s−1.

Contour by frequency altitude diagrams showed unique changes in the breadth of simulated vertical velocity (w) distributions before and after RI. Outliers of w distributions at 14 km preceded RI onset, whereas the increase in w outliers at 6 km lagged it. Prior to RI there was an increase in the upward flux of hydrometeors between 10 and 15 km, with increased contributions from w > 6 m s−1. Increases in lower-level updraft airmass fluxes did not lead RI, but the 14-km positive w outliers were better indicators of RI onset than positive w averages. The area of convective bursts did not strongly increase before RI, but it continually increased after RI. Latent heating was dominated by contributions from w < 2 m s−1, meaning increases in positive w outliers before RI did not cause the increase in latent heating seen during RI. The location of convective bursts and outliers of positive and negative w distributions contracted toward the eye as the simulated Dennis intensified.
Effect of Aerosol on Cloud–Environment Interactions in Trade Cumulus
Authors: Lee Seoung-Soo , Feingold Graham , Chuang Patrick Y.
Published: June 2012

This study examines the role of aerosol in mediating interactions between a warm trade cumulus cloud system and the environment that spawns it. Numerical simulations of the observed and well-studied Rain in Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO) field experiment are performed. The results draw on simulations of 34-h duration so as to avoid conclusions based on transients. Simulations show that, on average, aerosol-perturbed clouds are initially deeper and more vigorous but that after about 14 h there is a reversal in this trend, and unperturbed clouds deepen relative to the perturbed clouds. Differences in cloud depth are about 100 m, and differences in vertical velocity variance are about 30%. After about 20 h, most cloud fields are statistically similar with the exception of rain rate and optical depth, which are lower and higher, respectively, in the high-aerosol conditions. By sampling the model output at various points in the cloud system evolution, the mechanisms responsible for the initial differences and then convergence of most of the cloud field properties are addressed. Sensitivity tests indicate that responses are driven primarily by temperature profiles, rather than by humidity profiles, and that the general trend to homogenization of the bulk cloud field properties is robust for different forcings. Finally, the paper shows that even transient aerosol perturbations may endure beyond the duration of the perturbation itself, provided they persist long enough. Short-duration aerosol perturbations are unlikely to have much influence on the system.
Greenland Freshwater Runoff. Part II: Distribution and Trends, 1960–2010
Authors: Mernild Sebastian H. , Liston Glen E.
Published: June 2012

Runoff magnitudes, the spatial patterns from individual Greenland catchments, and their changes through time (1960–2010) were simulated in an effort to understand runoff variations to adjacent seas and to illustrate the capability of SnowModel (a snow and ice evolution model) and HydroFlow (a runoff routing model) to link variations in terrestrial runoff with ocean processes and other components of Earth’s climate system. Significant increases in air temperature, net precipitation, and local surface runoff lead to enhanced and statistically significant Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) surface mass balance (SMB) loss. Total Greenland runoff to the surrounding oceans increased 30%, averaging 481 ± 85 km3 yr−1. Averaged over the period, 69% of the runoff to the surrounding seas originated from the GrIS and 31% came from outside the GrIS from rain and melting glaciers and ice caps. The runoff increase from the GrIS was due to an 87% increase in melt extent, 18% from increases in melt duration, and a 5% decrease in melt rates (87% + 18% − 5% = 100%). In contrast, the runoff increase from the land area surrounding the GrIS was due to a 0% change in melt extent, a 108% increase in melt duration, and an 8% decrease in melt rate. In general, years with positive Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO) index equaled years with relatively high Greenland runoff volume and vice versa. Regionally, runoff was greater from western than eastern Greenland. Since 1960, the data showed pronounced runoff increases in west Greenland, with the greatest increase occurring in the southwest and the lowest increase in the northwest.
Investigating Global Tropical Cyclone Activity with a Hierarchy of AGCMs: The Role of Model Resolution
Authors: Strachan Jane , Vidale Pier Luigi , Hodges Kevin , Roberts Malcolm , Demory Marie-Estelle
Published: June 2012

The ability to run general circulation models (GCMs) at ever-higher horizontal resolutions has meant that tropical cyclone simulations are increasingly credible. A hierarchy of atmosphere-only GCMs, based on the Hadley Centre Global Environmental Model version 1 (HadGEM1) with horizontal resolution increasing from approximately 270 to 60 km at 50°N, is used to systematically investigate the impact of spatial resolution on the simulation of global tropical cyclone activity, independent of model formulation. Tropical cyclones are extracted from ensemble simulations and reanalyses of comparable resolutions using a feature-tracking algorithm. Resolution is critical for simulating storm intensity and convergence to observed storm intensities is not achieved with the model hierarchy. Resolution is less critical for simulating the annual number of tropical cyclones and their geographical distribution, which are well captured at resolutions of 135 km or higher, particularly for Northern Hemisphere basins. Simulating the interannual variability of storm occurrence requires resolutions of 100 km or higher; however, the level of skill is basin dependent. Higher resolution GCMs are increasingly able to capture the interannual variability of the large-scale environmental conditions that contribute to tropical cyclogenesis. Different environmental factors contribute to the interannual variability of tropical cyclones in the different basins: in the North Atlantic basin the vertical wind shear, potential intensity, and low-level absolute vorticity are dominant, whereas in the North Pacific basins midlevel relative humidity and low-level absolute vorticity are dominant. Model resolution is crucial for a realistic simulation of tropical cyclone behavior, and high-resolution GCMs are found to be valuable tools for investigating the global location and frequency of tropical cyclones.
Regional Perspective on Mechanisms for Tropical Precipitation Frequency and Intensity under Global Warming
Authors: Chen Chao-An , Chou Chia , Chen Cheng-Ta
Published: June 2012

From a global point of view, a shift toward more intense precipitation is often found in observations and global warming simulations. However, similar to changes in mean precipitation, these changes associated with precipitation characters, such as intensity and frequency, should vary with space. Based on the classification of the subregions for the tropics in Chou et al., changes in precipitation frequency and intensity and their association with changes in mean precipitation are analyzed on a regional basis in 10 coupled global climate models. Furthermore, mechanisms for these changes are also examined, via the thermodynamic and dynamic contributions.

In general, the increase (decrease) of mean precipitation is mainly attributed to increases (decreases) in the frequency and intensity of almost all strengths of precipitation: that is, light to heavy precipitation. The thermodynamic contribution, which is associated with increased water vapor, is positive to both precipitation frequency and intensity, particularly for precipitation extremes, and varies little with space. On the other hand, the dynamic contribution, which is related to changes in the tropical circulation, is the main process for inducing the spatial variation of changes in precipitation frequency and intensity. Among mechanisms that induce the dynamic contribution, the rich-get-richer mechanism (the dynamic part), ocean feedback, and warm horizontal advection increase precipitation frequency and intensity, while the upped-ante mechanism, the deepening of convection, longwave radiation cooling, and cold horizontal advection tend to reduce precipitation frequency and intensity.
Coherent Synoptic Disturbances in the Australian Monsoon
Authors: Berry Gareth J. , Reeder Michael J. , Jakob Christian
Published: June 2012

Coherent synoptic-scale weather systems within the Australian monsoon are identified and tracked in the isentropic potential vorticity (PV) field from the ECMWF Interim Reanalysis (ERA-Interim) dataset during the Southern Hemisphere summer. The resulting dataset is then used to compile statistics and synoptic composites of Australian monsoon disturbances. On average, a synoptic system is found in the region every 2.5 days. However, the time interval between consecutive events is highly variable, meaning that the synoptic activity in the Australian monsoon is not well represented by commonly employed spectral techniques. The analysis reveals that most synoptic systems originate within the Australian monsoon, but at the 315-K level (approximately 700 hPa) a significant proportion of systems are first detected near the east coast of the continent where extratropical Rossby waves are observed to frequently break.

The average Australian monsoon weather system propagates from east to west at approximately 6 m s−1 and has a characteristic length scale of 2000 km. Synoptic composite structures show some resemblance to African easterly waves; they move along a midtropospheric (approximately 700 hPa) easterly wind maximum and have peak meridional winds at this level. Composite rainfall shows that rainfall is significantly enhanced ahead (west) of the synoptic PV maximum and suppressed behind. It is estimated that in some parts of northwestern Australia 40%–50% of the summertime rainfall occurs with a tracked monsoon disturbance in the vicinity.
Commentary on Adele tutter’s “Design as Dream and Self-Representation
Authors: Danze Elizabeth A. , Sonnenberg Stephen M.
Published: June 2012

In this discussion of Adele Tutter’s “Design as Dream and Self-Representation: Philip Johnson and the Glass House of Atreus” ( JAPA 59/3), the architect Elizabeth Danze and the psychoanalyst Stephen Sonnenberg highlight what they see as the most important of Tutter’s contributions as regards an understanding of Johnson’s work. They then discuss those contributions as they illuminate the study of the relationship of architecture and design, on the one hand, and psychoanalysis on the other.
What Helps and What Hinders in Cross-Cultural Clinical Supervision
Authors: Wong Lilian C. J. , Wong Paul T. P. , Ishiyama F. Ishu
Published: June 2012

This study investigated what helped and what hindered in cross-cultural supervision. The participants were 25 visible minority graduate students and early counseling professionals. They were individually interviewed according to an expanded version of Flanagan’s critical incident technique. The most frequently cited positive themes were subsumed in five key areas: (a) personal attributes of the supervisor, (b) supervision competencies, (c) mentoring, (d) relationship, and (e) multicultural supervision competencies. The most frequently reported negative themes were grouped into five areas: (a) personal difficulties as a visible minority, (b) negative personal attributes of the supervisor, (c) lack of a safe and trusting relationship, (d) lack of multicultural supervision competencies, and (e) lack of supervision competencies. The results support a person-centered mentoring model of effective supervision.
Changes in eating attitudes, eating disorders and body weight in Chinese medical university students
Authors: Liao Yanhui , Liu Tieqiao , Cheng Yao , Wang Jichuan , Deng Yunlong , Hao Wei , Chen Xiaogang , Xu Yahui , Wang Xiuyan , Tang Jinsong
Published: June 2012

Background:

Eating disorders is a particular problem for university students. However, little is known about this problem among medical students who often have high stress.

Aims:

The aims of this study were to describe the changes in eating attitudes and eating disorders from 2006 to 2008 in a medical student sample, and to compare the gender differences of eating attitudes and body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) with this sample.

Methods:

This study was conducted in Changsha city, Mainland China. Self-reported questionnaires, including the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT) and Eating Disorders Assessment Questionnaire (CETCA), were employed to examine the changes in eating attitudes and eating disorders from 2006 to 2008 in a medical student sample (N = 500).

Results:

Self-reported findings suggest that tentative eating disorders prevalence was 0.90% (anorexia nervosa (AN): 0; bulimia nervosa (BN): 4 females) in 2006 and 1.44% (AN: 1 male; BN: 1 male and 3 females) in 2008 of the full sample. The present data showed that 2.26% (2 males and 9 females) in 2006 and 2.47% (4 males and 6 females) in 2008 of all students obtained scores greater than 20 on the EAT-26 indicative of distorted eating attitudes and behaviour. Male students kept lower distorted eating attitudes and behaviours than female students, while female students kept a lower BMI than male students in both 2006 and 2008. However, there were no statistically significant changes in eating attitudes, distorted eating attitudes and CETCA in either male or female students from 2006 to 2008.

Conclusions:

The results of this study suggest that there were no statistically significant changes from 2006 to 2008 in eating attitudes, distorted eating attitudes and CETCA. However, females showed significantly higher eating disorders and distorted eating attitudes compared to males in both 2006 and 2008. This study is furthering our understanding of eating disorders in a Chinese cultural context.
Distinct Photopolymerization Efficacy on Dentin of Self-etch Adhesives
Authors: Zhang Y. , Wang Y.
Published: June 2012

The effect of application mode on polymerization effectiveness of self-etch adhesives with different pHs has rarely been studied. We applied 2 self-etch adhesives—Adper Prompt L-Pop (APLP, pH ~ 0.8) and Adper Easy-Bond (AEB, pH ~ 2.5)—to dentin with or without agitation (dynamic or static application), to investigate photopolymerization efficacy on dentin, and to understand the role of chemical interaction/reaction between adhesives and dentin. Micro-Raman spectra and imaging were acquired across the dentin/adhesive (D/A) interface. The degree of conversion (DC) of each adhesive as a function of position was calculated. SEM-EDS was used to obtain the elemental distribution along the interface. Photopolymerization efficacies of the two self-etch adhesives on dentin were apparently different. APLP exhibited decreasing DCs as the distance from the D/A interface became greater for both application modes, while the DCs for the dynamic mode were much higher than those for the static mode. As for AEB, the DCs remained almost constant across the adhesive layer and showed no significant difference between two modes. Raman spectral analysis disclosed that the chemical interaction between dentin and adhesives was responsible for the observations. We also verified this by tracking the distribution of the elements Ca and P in the adhesive layers.
Beyond Crime and Drug Use
Authors: Green Mia , Rempel Michael
Published: June 2012

An extensive body of research indicates that adult drug courts reduce reoffending, whereas a more limited number of studies point to reductions in drug use as well. However, barely any research examines whether these programs produce benefits in other areas, including socioeconomic well-being, family relationships, mental health, and homelessness. To fill this important gap, findings are presented from a quasi-experimental study of 1,156 drug court participants from 23 sites and 625 comparison offenders from 6 sites where drug courts are unavailable. Six-month follow-up interviews were conducted with 1,533 offenders (86%) and 18-month interviews with 1,474 (83%) offenders. Findings indicate that drug courts produced modest positive effects (though many were not statistically significant) across a range of socioeconomic outcomes. Findings also indicate that drug courts reduced family conflict. However, significant effects were not evident with respect to emotional or instrumental support from family members, mental health, or homelessness.
An investigation on bursting strength of polyester/viscose blended needle-punched nonwovens
Authors: Koç Erdem , Çinçik Emel
Published: June 2012

The aim of this study is to analyze the bursting strength of polyester/viscose blended needle-punched nonwovens. For this purpose, five different blend ratios of polyester/viscose webs were produced, cross-lapped and needled in four different mass per unit areas and three different needling/punching densities. The bursting strength of 60 nonwovens was determined by performing the standard test method; the data obtained from tests were statistically analyzed in Design Expert software. In addition, a mixture process crossed-regression model with two mixture components (polyester and viscose blend ratios) and two process variables (fabric mass per unit area and needling density) was developed to analyze the bursting strength of polyester/viscose blended needled nonwovens. In conclusion, the regression model indicated that the bursting strength of the needle-punched nonwovens initially decreases and then increases with the increase of polyester fiber in the mixture and with the increase in mass per unit area. On the other hand, when the mass per unit area is kept constant, an increase in needling density causes decreases in bursting strength.
A novel approach in leather finishing: Surface modification with flock fibers
Authors: Basaran Bahri , Yorgancioglu Ali , Onem Ersin
Published: June 2012

In recent years, finishing has begun introducing an extraordinary touch and appearance to the surface of leathers by surface modification. Because some superficial anomalies cannot be recovered by conventional finishing procedures, those can only be drawn on by coating techniques. Coating aims at obtaining an alluring product, which must both recover the surface anomalies and be compatible with the leather characteristics.

This study is for valorization of leathers with inferior quality, which contain surface defects, thereby being aimed at improvement of the surface characteristics. The product should have ease of use, as well as giving a fashionable look and touch to flocked fibrous surfaces, whether applied to synthetic leather types or Alcantara. For covered and patterned fibrous surfaces, the experimentations of different flock formulations with different binder types were executed, superficial characteristics were imaged with optoanalytical techniques and the fiber adhesion onto the surface was examined by abrasion tests. The research results showed that polyurethane binder had acceptable qualities for bags, footwear, garments and accessories and yielded superior binding characteristics compared to acrylic binder.
Keyphrase extraction through query performance prediction
Authors: Ercan Gonenc , Cicekli Ilyas
Published: June 2012

Previous research shows that keyphrases are useful tools in document retrieval and navigation. While these point to a relation between keyphrases and document retrieval performance, no other work uses this relationship to identify keyphrases of a given document. This work aims to establish a link between the problems of query performance prediction (QPP) and keyphrase extraction. To this end, features used in QPP are evaluated in keyphrase extraction using a naïve Bayes classifier. Our experiments indicate that these features improve the effectiveness of keyphrase extraction in documents of different length. More importantly, commonly used features of frequency and first position in text perform poorly on shorter documents, whereas QPP features are more robust and achieve better results.
Supporting innovation in government-sponsored networks: The role of network board composition
Authors: Wincent Joakim , Anokhin Sergey , Örtqvist Daniel
Published: June 2012

With growing public and private support of networks of small and medium-sized firms, many networks rely on network boards to ensure effective governance. By integrating agency and embeddedness reasoning, this article argues that network board composition aimed at effective monitoring may be at the cost of lost ability to strategize. In this study, longitudinal data of Swedish government-supported innovation networks demonstrate that network innovation improves as network board size increases, but that returns to such increases diminish when boards become overly large. Similarly, network board independence is beneficial up to a certain threshold, after which further increases in independence become detrimental. The study clarifies how agency and embeddedness theory can be combined to explain boards’ abilities to combine monitoring and strategizing at the network level in increasing the levels of network innovation.
Bio-informational capitalism
Authors: Peters Michael A.
Published: June 2012

This essay builds on the literatures on ‘biocapitalism’ and ‘informationalism’ (or ‘informational capitalism’) to develop the concept of ‘bio-informational capitalism’ in order to articulate an emergent form of capitalism that is self-renewing in the sense that it can change and renew the material basis for life and capital as well as program itself. Bio-informational capitalism applies and develops aspects of the new biology to informatics to create new organic forms of computing and self-reproducing memory that in turn has become the basis of bioinformatics. The paper begins with a review of the successes of the ‘new biology’, focusing on Craig Venter’s digitizing of biology and, as he remarks, the creation of new life from the digital universe. The paper then provides a brief account of bioinformatics before brokering and discussing the term ‘bioinformational capitalism’.
EP Thompson and the psychic terror of Methodism
Authors: Boer Roland
Published: June 2012

Edward P Thompson’s disapproval of Methodism (which was his own background) is well known, especially in The Making of the English Working Class. There he describes it as religious terrorism with a destructive moral machinery and all too reactionary. However, through a close reading of the sections on Methodism, this article reveals an ambivalence within Thompson’s own text. Again and again, he notes in passing that radicals emerged from the Methodist ranks, so much so that the Methodist Conference worked hard to deal with the problem. It would seem that Thompson has stumbled across a political tension within theology, one that he was to explore in much greater detail in his study of Blake.
The State of Adult Day Services
Authors: Anderson Keith A. , Dabelko-Schoeny Holly , Johnson Teresa D.
Published: June 2012

With approximately 4,600 centers serving over 260,000 persons each day, adult day services (ADS) continues to be a growing sector within the long-term care industry. However, due to the absence of national data, a full and detailed understanding of the ADS industry has been limited. In the first national study since 2002, researchers collected descriptive and programmatic data on a randomly selected sample ( N = 557) of ADS facilities across the United States. Results indicated substantial changes in facility characteristics (e.g., size, staffing), participant characteristics (e.g., age, care needs), service provision (e.g., psychosocial, nursing, and medical services), and financing and funding (e.g., rates, reimbursement). Data suggested that the ADS industry has an increased capacity to serve as a provider of comprehensive health care for families and as a platform for chronic disease management. Implications for public policy makers, providers, and researchers are discussed in light of the current health care environment.
Older Adults’ Driving Reduction and Cessation
Authors: Connell Cathleen M , Harmon Annie , Janevic Mary R. , Kostyniuk Lidia P.
Published: June 2012

Purpose of the Study.

Adult children are often directly affected by aging parents’ decision to limit or stop driving. This qualitative study examined the process of driving reduction and cessation (DRC) from the perspective of adult children, with a focus on family communication.

Design and Methods.

Four focus group interviews were conducted with 37 adult children (29/37 female; mean age = 45.5) of older parents using a structured protocol. Transcripts were analyzed by two independent coders to identify major themes.

Results.

Themes represented three aspects of the DRC process: family communication and dynamics (i.e., discussion, negotiation, and planning; avoidance and side stepping; resignation and refusal), taking action to end a parent’s driving career (i.e., engaging a third party; taking away the car), and post-cessation reflection (i.e., relief; social benefits; resentment and guilt).

Implications.

Despite the potential benefits of planning for DRC, families are unsure about how best to approach this topic. Adult children worry about assuming responsibility for their parents’ transportation needs and their parents’ reactions to restricted mobility. Despite a reluctance to communicate openly about DRC, adult children and their parents share similar and significant concerns that merit increased attention.