bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comments on the review of Statistical Inference
Authors: Aitkin Murray
Published: August 2013

It is a rare event in the statisticalworld for a book reviewto take 15 pages (plus references). The three reviewers are all eminent in the profession, and have tried to be scrupulously careful in their reviewof a bookwhosemain principle they firmly dispute as non-Bayesian, and which they find not to be useful in their work. The length of the review demonstrates the seriousnesswith which they regard the book′s approach, and the importance to them of denying its relevance to either Bayesian analysis or practical data analysis with complex data.

In responding to the authors′ review, I found it helpful to place our different views in the framework of Thomas Kuhn′s (1962) discussion of paradigm changes in science.
Keeping Hannah
Authors: Montagano Bethany
Published: August 2013

This paper is about Hannah, touted by early twentieth century tourists as America’s last black slave held by the Florida Seminoles until 1921. Symptomatic of a tendency to privilege racial caricatures over cultural complexities, these tourists overlooked key cultural nuances that complicated her servility. This paper restores that complexity to light. In tracing the shifts of Hannah’s enslavement over time, this paper illuminates how she moved between various states and degrees of slavery. Reconstructing this dynamic experience we see how her life was built, culturally blended and bound to her enslavers. To truly remember Hannah is to look beyond race and embrace complexity in our public memory of slavery.
Clinical phenotypes of Chinese primary hyperparathyroidism patients are associated with the calcium-sensing receptor gene R990G polymorphism
Authors: Han Guiyan , Wang Ou , Nie Min , Zhu Yan , Meng Xunwu , Hu Yingying , Liu Huaicheng , Xing Xiaoping
Published: August 2013

Objective

The purpose of this study was to investigate the distribution of the A986S and R990G polymorphisms of the calcium-sensing receptor (CASR) gene in the Chinese population and whether there is an association between genetic variants and the risk of developing primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) and its associated clinical phenotypes.

Methods

A total of 164 Chinese Han PHPT patients (M/F: 51/113) and 230 healthy controls (M/F: 50/180) were enrolled. The common clinical parameters of PHPT patients including biochemical markers, bone mineral density (BMD), kidney stone occurrence, and pathology results were analyzed. Genotyping was conducted for both the patients and controls, and it was carried out using standard procedures.

Results

The R990G variant was more frequently present than the A986S variant in this group of Chinese PHPT patients. The R allele increased the risk of PHPT (odds ratio=1.134, 95% CI: 1.008, 1.277, andP=0.036). Patients with either the RR or RG genotype had lower blood calcium levels and higher alkaline phosphate levels than patients with the GG genotype. The lumbar BMDT-score was −2.20 (−2.63, −0.32) in patients with the GG genotype, and it was significantly lower in patients with the RR+RG genotype (−2.53 (−3.70, −1.72)P=0.036). Patients with the R allele had a significantly higher incidence of hyperplasia (25.0%) and carcinomas (7.1%) than those with the GG genotype (5.3 and 0% respectively;P=0.025). The prevalence of osteoporosis and parathyroid carcinomas was higher in Chinese PHPT patients with the R allele.

Conclusion

The R990G polymorphism is most frequently present in the Chinese population and among patients with PHPT. Additional studies in the Chinese population are needed to elaborate the relationship between genetics and PHPT.
Pioglitazone does not improve insulin signaling in mice with GH over-expression
Authors: Gesing Adam , Bartke Andrzej , Masternak Michal M
Published: August 2013

Type 2 diabetes and obesity are very serious health problems in both developed and developing countries. An increased level of GH is known to promote insulin resistance. Transgenic (Tg) mice over-expressing bovine GH are short-living and characterized, among other traits, by hyperinsulinemia and increased insulin resistance in comparison with normal (N) mice. Pioglitazone (PIO) is a member of the thiazolidinediones – a group of insulin-sensitizing drugs that are selective agonists of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ). The aim of the study was to analyze the effects of PIO on the insulin-signaling pathway in Tg and N mice. Plasma levels of insulin and glucose as well as hepatic levels of proteins involved in insulin signaling were analyzed by ELISA or western blot methods. Treatment with PIO decreased plasma level of glucose in N mice only. Similarly, PIO increased insulin sensitivity (expressed as the relative insulin sensitivity index; RISI) only in N mice. In the liver, PIO decreased the phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS1) at a serine residue (Ser307-pS-IRS1), which inhibits insulin action, and had a tendency to increase tyrosine phosphorylation of IRS2 (Tyr-pY-IRS2) only in N mice but did not affect either of these parameters in Tg mice. Levels of total and phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin were increased in Tg mice. Moreover, the level of AKT2 was decreased by PIO in N mice only. In conclusion, the lack of improvement of insulin sensitivity in insulin-resistant Tg mice during PIO treatment indicates that chronically elevated GH levels can inhibit the beneficial effects of PIO on insulin signaling.
Aspectos clínicos, patológicos, imuno-histoquímicos e virológicos em cinco bezerros persistentemente infectados com o vírus da diarreia viral bovina em uma propriedade do Rio Grande do Sul
Authors: Santos Adriana S , Antoniassi Nadia A.B , Boabaid Fabiana M , Bitencourt Ana P.G , Almeida Laura L , Canal Cláudio W , Flores Eduardo Furtado , Driemeier David
Published: August 2013

O vírus da diarreia viral bovina (BVDV) é responsável por diferentes síndromes que afetam bovinos em todo o mundo, causando grandes perdas econômicas. O presente trabalho analisou as características clínicas, patológicas e imuno-histoquímicas e virais de cinco bovinos persistentemente infectados pelo BVDV de uma mesma propriedade, localizada no Município de Viamão, Rio Grande do Sul. Dentre os sinais clínicos verificados destacaram-se subdesenvolvimento, secreções nasais e oculares, além de catarata congênita unilateral em dois bovinos. As principais lesões observadas durante a necropsia consistiram de aumento dos linfonodos mesentéricos, evidenciação das placas de Peyer e pododermatite e lesões crostosas no plano nasal e na região periocular em um animal. Os achados microscópicos caracterizavam-se, principalmente, por infiltrado mononuclear na lâmina do intestino delgado e rarefação linfoide com infiltrado histiocitário nos centrofoliculares de linfonodos e nas placas de Peyer. Antígenos virais foram detectados por imuno-histoquímica principalmente em queratinócitos da epiderme, no epitélio de folículos pilosos e células mononucleares da derme de orelhas e pele; histiócitos e em linfócitos dos linfonodos; células foliculares da tireoide; no citoplasma de neurônios e, em menor escala, em células da micróglia no córtex cerebral e no hipocampo. O isolamento viral de amostras de sangue e órgãos dos animais confirmou a presença de BVDV não citopático. Também foi possível detectar a presença do genoma viral por RT-PCR no soro dos animais. A análise filogenética do fragmento parcial da região 5' não traduzida do genoma viral permitiu a classificação da amostra viral como BVDV tipo 2b. O presente estudo reforça a necessidade de investigar e caracterizar surtos de BVD e descrever suas diferentes for-mas de apresentação.
A Pilot Study of Computer-Assisted Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Childhood Anxiety in Community Mental Health Centers
Authors: Crawford Erika A. , Salloum Alison , Lewin Adam B. , Andel Ross , Murphy Tanya K. , Storch Eric A.
Published: August 2013

Anxiety disorders among children are common, disabling, and run a chronic course without treatment. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has shown robust efficacy for childhood anxiety. However, dissemination of CBT into community mental health centers (CMHCs) is limited. Computer-assisted CBT (CCBT) programs have been developed to improve dissemination by providing a structured treatment format that allows therapists to reliably deliver evidence-based treatments with fidelity. In this pilot study involving therapists with limited CBT experience, the effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability of a CCBT program, Camp Cope-A-Lot (Khanna & Kendall, 2008b), were examined in three CMHCs. Seventeen youth ages 7–13 years and diagnosed with a primary anxiety disorder were enrolled. Assessments were conducted by a rater not involved in treatment at baseline and posttreatment. Significant reductions in anxiety severity and impairment were demonstrated at the posttreatment assessment. High levels of family satisfaction were reported. These results provide preliminary support for the effectiveness of a computer-assisted treatment into CMHCs and warrant replication in a controlled setting.
Examining the Factor Structure of the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) as a Measure of Victim Response to the Psychological Pain of Subtle Workplace Bullying
Authors: Karpinski Aryn C. , Dzurec Laura C. , Fitzgerald Shawn M. , Bromley Gail E. , Meyers Timothy W.
Published: August 2013

Background and Purpose: Literature addressing victim–bully dynamics suggests that subtle bullying is prevalent in health care, both in practice and educational settings. The complex dynamics of workplace bullying complicate its assessment. The purpose was to investigate the factor structure of the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) for modeling victim responses to subtle workplace bullying. Methods: Nursing faculty members from multiple Midwestern universities (N = 116) completed the PCS online. Results: The 3-factor PCS structure (i.e., Rumination, Helplessness, Magnification) developed to describe victim response to chronic physical pain was useful in describing victim response to the chronic psychological pain of bullying via confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Conclusions: With minor modifications, the PCS represented the construct of victim response to bullying’s psychological pain.
The Inter-Rater Reliability of the Incontinence-Associated Dermatitis Intervention Tool-D (IADIT-D) Between Two Independent Registered Nurses of Nursing Home Residents in Long-Term Care Facilities
Authors: Braunschmidt Brigitte , Müller Gerhard , Jukic-Puntigam Margareta , Steininger Alfred
Published: August 2013

Background and Purpose: Incontinence-associated dermatitis (IAD) is the clinical manifestation of moisture related skin damage (Beeckman, Woodward, & Gray, 2011). Valid assessment instruments are needed for risk assessment and classification of IAD. Aim of the quantitative-descriptive cross-sectional study was to determine the inter-rater reliability of the item scores of the German Incontinence Associated Dermatitis Intervention Tool (IADIT-D) between two independent assessors of nursing home residents (n = 381) in long-term care facilities. The 19 pairs of assessors consisted of registered nurses. Methods: The data analysis was computed first with the calculation of the total percentage of agreement. Because this value is not randomly adjusted, the calculation of the Kappa-coefficients and AC1-Statistic was done as well. Results: The total percentage of the inter-rater agreement was 84% (n = 319). In a second step of analysis, the calculation of all items determined high (κ = .70) and very high agreement (AC1 = .83) levels, respectively. For the risk assessment (κ = .82; AC1 = .94), the values amounted to very high agreement levels and for the classification (κw = .70; AC1 = .76) to high agreement levels. Conclusions: The high to very high agreement values of IADIT-D demonstrate that the items can be regarded as stable in regards to the inter-rater reliability for the use in long-term care facilities. In addition, further validation studies are needed.
Psychometric Analysis of the Patient Assessment of Own Functioning Inventory in Women With Breast Cancer
Authors: Bell Mandy J. , Terhorst Lauren , Bender Catherine M.
Published: August 2013

Background and Purpose: The purpose of this secondary analysis was to examine the reliability and validity of the Patient Assessment of Own Functioning Inventory (PAOFI) in postmenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer before adjuvant therapy. Methods: Data from 259 postmenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer before adjuvant therapy were analyzed. Exploratory factor analysis was used to uncover the PAOFI’s underlying factor structure and reliability coefficients were computed for each subscale. Results: 5 factors measuring perceived cognitive functioning had eigenvalues >1 and accounted for 54% of the extracted variance. Subscale reliability coefficients ranged from .572 to .883. Conclusions: Psychometric evaluation of the PAOFI provided evidence of reliability and construct validity in this population. Additional studies are needed to confirm the 5-factor structure.
Nurses Across Borders: Displaced Russian and Soviet Nurses after World War I and World War II
Authors: Grant Susan , Fellow Alice Fisher
Published: August 2013

Russian and Soviet nurse refugees faced myriad challenges attempting to become registered nurses in North America and elsewhere after the World War II. By drawing primarily on International Council of Nurses refugee files, a picture can be pieced together of the fate that befell many of those women who left Russia and later the Soviet Union because of revolution and war in the years after 1917. The history of first (after World War I) and second (after World War II) wave émigré nurses, integrated into the broader historical narrative, reveals that professional identity was just as important to these women as national identity. This became especially so after World War II, when Russian and Soviet refugee nurses resettled in the West. Individual accounts become interwoven on an international canvas that brings together a wide range of personal experiences from women based in Russia, the Soviet Union, China, Yugoslavia, Canada, the United States, and elsewhere. The commonality of experience among Russian nurses as they attempted to establish their professional identities highlights, through the prism of Russia, the importance of the history of the displaced nurse experience in the wider context of international migration history.
“Coming to Grips with the Nursing Question”: The Politics of Nursing Education Reform in 1960s America
Authors: Tobbell Dominique A.
Published: August 2013

The 1950s and 1960s were decades of change for the American nursing profession. A new generation of nurse educators sought to create greater professional autonomy for the nurse by introducing new models of education that emphasized science-based learning over technical skills and bedside care, and creating new clinical roles for the nurse, based on advanced graduate education. They confronted resistance from an older generation of nurses who feared becoming “second-class citizens” in increasingly academic nursing schools, and from academic health care institutions all too comfortable with the gendered hierarchy on which the traditional model of nursing education and practice was predicated. Using the University of Minnesota and University of California—Los Angeles (UCLA) as case studies, and based on institutional records and more than 40 oral histories with nursing and medical faculty, this article describes the generational conflicts this new cadre of nurse educators confronted within schools of nursing, and the institutional politics they struggled with as they sought to secure greater institutional status for the schools among the universities’ other health science units.
“It’s Been a Long Road to Acceptance”: Midwives in Rhode Island, 1970–2000
Authors: Caron Simone M.
Published: August 2013

A resurgence of midwifery came to Rhode Island in the 1970s. Midwives acted as modern health care professionals to conserve a traditional woman-centered birth, but the battle was long and arduous, from Dr. Ellen Stone attempting to eliminate midwives in the state in 1912 to doctors using the death of 2 home birth infants in the 1980s to undermine the growing presence of professional nurse-midwives in the state. Midwives prevailed when the state legislature passed measures in 1988 and 1990 increasing the power and authority of midwives, and when a federal grant in 1993 allowed the University of Rhode Island to open the first training program for nurse-midwives in the state.
Creativity and Innovation: Thought and Action
Authors: Pesut Daniel J.
Published: August 2013

The purpose of this article is to discuss the significance of creativity and innovation in contemporary health care contexts, and to provide nurses and other health care professionals with models, resources, and ways of thinking about creativity that informs the development of an innovation-action and creative thinking mind-set. As the complexity of health care and nursing escalates, health care providers are challenged to think more creatively and develop innovations that advance the knowledge, learning, and service contributions of their discipline to the health care enterprise. Nursing requires creative thought and innovative action in service of the greater good.
Integration of Innovative Clinical Reasoning Pedagogies into a Baccalaureate Nursing Curriculum
Authors: Anne Kuiper Ruth
Published: August 2013

The significance of good clinical reasoning skills relates to prevention of adverse patient outcomes from failure to diagnose problems, institute appropriate treatments, and/or manage complications. The clinical reasoning pedagogies described in this article are integrated across a baccalaureate curriculum designed to promote a beginner level of competence in solving patient problems. The faculty adopted the content, structure, and process model for integration that includes professional language and content, the Outcome-Present State Test (OPT) model of clinical reasoning, and reflective journaling. These strategies show promise for attaining higher levels of student thinking, focusing attention on patient problems, and promoting situated cognition. As students realize that situations are complex, faculty guidance can influence best judgments and facilitate clinical reasoning with feedback on assignments to promote student growth and competence in solving clinical problems.
Grace and Glory: How One Free Clinic Can Make a Difference
Authors: Ng Johnny
Published: August 2013

In 2010, a free clinic in northeast Oklahoma City opened its doors and began seeing nonemergent patients. This evidence-based article illustrates the impact of the clinic on its community. It discusses the benefits and financial implications and the operation of the free clinic through contributions and volunteerism, and highlights strengths and limitations. A survey conducted over a period of three months on 50 clinic patients concluded that one free clinic can make a difference by providing much-needed access to medical care, decreasing financial burdens on area hospitals, and enhancing public opinion of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) as primary care providers.
MFG-E8 and HMGB1 Are Involved in the Mechanism Underlying Alcohol-Induced Impairment of Macrophage Efferocytosis
Authors: Wang Xiao , Bu Heng-Fu , Zhong Wei , Asai Akihiro , Zhou Zhanxiang , Tan Xiao-Di
Published: August 2013

Efferocytosis is a unique phagocytic process for macrophages to remove apoptotic cells in inflammatory loci. This event is maintained by milk fat globule-EGF factor 8 (MFG-E8), but attenuated by high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1). Alcohol abuse causes injury and inflammation in multiple tissues. It alters efferocytosis, but precise molecular mechanisms for this effect remain largely unknown. Here, we showed that acute exposure of macrophages to alcohol (25 mmol/L) inhibited MFG-E8 gene expression and impaired efferocytosis. The effect was mimicked by hydrogen peroxide. Moreover, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a potent antioxidant, blocked acute alcohol effect on inhibition of macrophage MFG-E8 gene expression and efferocytosis. In addition, recombinant MFG-E8 rescued the activity of alcohol-treated macrophages in efferocytosis. Together, the data suggest that acute alcohol exposure impairs macrophage efferocytosis via inhibition of MFG-E8 gene expression through a reactive oxygen species dependent mechanism. Alcohol has been found to suppress or exacerbate immune cell activities depending on the length of alcohol exposure. Thus, we further examined the role of chronic alcohol exposure on macrophage efferocytosis. Interestingly, treatment of macrophages with alcohol for seven days in vitro enhanced MFG-E8 gene expression and efferocytosis. However, chronic feeding of mice with alcohol caused increase in HMGB1 levels in serum. Furthermore, HMGB1 diminished efferocytosis by macrophages that were treated chronically with alcohol, suggesting that HMGB1 might attenuate the direct effect of chronic alcohol on macrophage efferocytosis in vivo. Therefore, we speculated that the balance between MFG-E8 and HMGB1 levels determines pathophysiological effects of chronic alcohol exposure on macrophage efferocytosis in vivo.
Erythropoietin (EPO) Increases Myelin Gene Expression in CG4 Oligodendrocyte Cells through the Classical EPO Receptor
Authors: Cervellini Ilaria , Annenkov Alexander , Brenton Thomas , Chernajovsky Yuti , Ghezzi Pietro , Mengozzi Manuela
Published: August 2013

Erythropoietin (EPO) has protective effects in neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory diseases, including in animal models of multiple sclerosis, where EPO decreases disease severity. EPO also promotes neurogenesis and is protective in models of toxic demyelination. In this study, we asked whether EPO could promote neurorepair by also inducing remyelination. In addition, we investigated whether the effect of EPO could be mediated by the classical erythropoietic EPO receptor (EPOR), since it is still questioned if EPOR is functional in nonhematopoietic cells. Using CG4 cells, a line of rat oligodendrocyte precursor cells, we found that EPO increases the expression of myelin genes (myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) and myelin basic protein (MBP)). EPO had no effect in wild-type CG4 cells, which do not express EPOR, whereas it increased MOG and MBP expression in cells engineered to overexpress EPOR (CG4-EPOR). This was reflected in a marked increase in MOG protein levels, as detected by Western blot. In these cells, EPO induced by 10-fold the early growth response gene 2 (Egr2), which is required for peripheral myelination. However, Egr2 silencing with a siRNA did not reverse the effect of EPO, indicating that EPO acts through other pathways. In conclusion, EPO induces the expression of myelin genes in oligodendrocytes and this effect requires the presence of EPOR. This study demonstrates that EPOR can mediate neuroreparative effects.
Temporal Dynamics of Clonal Evolution in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia with Stereotyped IGHV4-34/IGKV2-30 Antigen Receptors: Longitudinal Immunogenetic Evidence
Authors: Sutton Lesley-Ann , Kostareli Efterpi , Stalika Evangelia , Tsaftaris Athanasios , Anagnostopoulos Achilles , Darzentas Nikos , Rosenquist Richard , Stamatopoulos Kostas
Published: August 2013

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients assigned to stereotyped subset 4 possess distinctive patterns of intraclonal diversification (ID) within their immunoglobulin (IG) genes. Although highly indicative of an ongoing response to antigen(s), the critical question concerning the precise timing of antigen involvement is unresolved. Hence, we conducted a large-scale longitudinal study of eight subset 4 cases totaling 511 and 398 subcloned IG heavy and kappa sequences. Importantly, we could establish a hierarchical pattern of subclonal evolution, thus revealing which somatic hypermutations were negatively or positively selected. In addition, distinct clusters of subcloned sequences with cluster-specific mutational profiles were observed initially; however, at later time points, the minor cluster had often disappeared and hence not been selected. Despite the high intensity of ID, it was remarkable that certain residues remained essentially unaltered. These novel findings strongly support a role for persistent antigen stimulation in the clonal evolution of CLL subset 4.
Carbenoxolone Blocks Endotoxin-Induced Protein Kinase R (PKR) Activation and High Mobility Group Box 1 (HMGB1) Release
Authors: Li Wei , Li Jianhua , Sama Andrew E. , Wang Haichao
Published: August 2013

The pathogen- and damage-associated molecular patterns (for example, bacterial endotoxin and adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP)) activate the double-stranded RNA-activated protein kinase R (PKR) to trigger the inflammasome-dependent high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) release. Extracellular ATP contributes to the inflammasome activation through binding to the plasma membrane purinergic P2X7 receptor (P2X7R), triggering the opening of P2X7R channels and the pannexin-1 (panx-1) hemichannels permeable for larger molecules up to 900 daltons. It was previously unknown whether panx-1 channel blockers can abrogate lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced PKR activation and HMGB1 release in innate immune cells. Here we demonstrated that a major gancao (licorice) component (glycyrrhizin, or glycyrrhizic acid) derivative, carbenoxolone (CBX), dose dependently abrogated LPS-induced HMGB1 release in macrophage cultures with an estimated IC50 ≈ 5 µmol/L. In an animal model of polymicrobial sepsis (induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)), repetitive CBX administration beginning 24 h after CLP led to a significant reduction of circulating and peritoneal HMGB1 levels, and promoted a significant increase in animal survival rates. As did P2X7R antagonists (for example, oxidized ATP, oATP), CBX also effectively attenuated LPS-induced P2X7R/panx-1 channel activation (as judged by Lucifer Yellow dye uptake) and PKR phosphorylation in primary peritoneal macrophages. Collectively, these results suggested that CBX blocks LPS-induced HMGB1 release possibly through impairing PKR activation, supporting the involvement of PKR in the regulation of HMGB1 release.
Estimating Effective Soil Hydraulic Properties Using Spatially Distributed Soil Moisture and Evapotranspiration
Authors: Shin Yongchul , Mohanty Binayak P. , Ines Amor V.M.
Published: August 2013

With the development of many earth‐observing remote sensing (RS) platforms, spatially distributed remote sensing products are becoming critical inputs to many hydrologic and meteorological models. Remotely sensed soil moisture (SM) and evapotranspiration (ET) including ground‐based data have the potential to be used for estimating pixel‐scale soil hydraulic parameters. However, only a few studies have been conducted to better understand the impact of assimilating both SM and ET in estimating soil hydraulic properties of the root zone. In this study, we used inverse modeling based on the Noisy Monte Carlo Genetic Algorithm by linking RS SM and ET derived from the Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land for estimating pixel‐scale effective soil hydraulic properties. Walnut Creek (Iowa), Brown (Illinois), and Lubbock (Texas) test sites were selected to assess the performance of this approach from point to satellite scales using synthetic and validation experiments. For comparison purposes, inverse modeling results were analyzed under three scenarios (ET only, SM only, and SM + ET in the optimization criteria). These results showed that considering both SM and ET components improved the estimations of effective soil hydraulic properties and reduced their uncertainties better than SM or ET only. Overall, although uncertainty exists, our proposed SM + ET based scheme performed well in estimating effective soil hydraulic properties at multiple spatial scales (point, airborne, and satellite footprints) under various hydroclimatic conditions.
Passive Microwave Soil Moisture Downscaling Using Vegetation Index and Skin Surface Temperature
Authors: Fang Bin , Lakshmi Venkat , Bindlish Rajat , Jackson Thomas J. , Cosh Michael , Basara Jeffrey
Published: August 2013

Soil moisture satellite estimates are available from a variety of passive microwave satellite sensors, but their spatial resolution is frequently too coarse for use by land managers and other decision makers. In this paper, a soil moisture downscaling algorithm based on a regression relationship between daily temperature changes and daily average soil moisture is developed and presented to produce an enhanced spatial resolution soil moisture product. The algorithm was developed based on the thermal inertial relationship between daily temperature changes and averaged soil moisture under different vegetation conditions, using 1/8° spatial resolution North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS) surface temperature and soil moisture data, as well as 5‐km Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) (1981–2000) and 1‐km Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and surface temperature (2002–present) to build the look‐up table at 1/8° resolution. This algorithm was applied to the 1‐km MODIS land surface temperature to obtain the downscaled soil moisture estimates and then used to correct the soil moisture products from Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer–EOS (AMSR‐E). The 1‐km downscaled soil moisture maps display greater details on the spatial pattern of soil moisture distribution. Two sets of ground‐based measurements, the Oklahoma Mesonet and the Little Washita Micronet, were used to validate the algorithm. The overall averaged slope for 1‐km downscaled results vs. Mesonet data is 0.219, which is better than AMSR‐E and NLDAS, while the spatial standard deviation (0.054 m3 m−3) and unbiased RMSE (0.042 m3 m−3) of 1‐km downscaled results are similar to the other two datasets. The overall slope and spatial standard deviation for 1‐km downscaled results vs. Micronet data (0.242 and 0.021 m3 m−3, respectively) are significantly better than AMSR‐E and NLDAS, while the unbiased RMSE (0.026 m3 m−3) is better than NLDAS and further than AMSR‐E. In addition, Mesonet comparisons of all three soil moisture datasets demonstrate a stronger statistical significance than Micronet comparisons, and the p value of 1‐km downscaled is generally better than the other two soil moisture datasets. The results demonstrate that the AMSR‐E soil moisture was successfully disaggregated to 1 km. The enhanced spatial heterogeneity and the accuracy of the soil moisture estimates are superior to the AMSR‐E and NLDAS estimates, when compared with in situ observations.
Trend of the Research on Public Funded Projects
Authors: Yi Honglei , Wang Yousong
Published: August 2013

As one of the main means to deliver service, Public Funded Projects (PFPs) always play a vital part in the development
of the human society. Accordingly, research interests concerning PFPs from the construction industry have led
to a great number of published papers during the past decades. Aimed at identifying the emerging research trend of researches
addressing PFP issues, this study obtained target publications from selected international journals, and analyzed
those articles in terms of the number of annual publications, authors and affiliations as main contributors, popular research
themes, and preferred research methods. This study indicated that the number of PFP articles have been increasing, which
could imply the growing importance of PFPs to the construction industry at large. What is more, the findings suggest that
researchers from the United States are the most active in this discipline, followed by those from the United Kingdom,
Australia, China, Hong Kong and Spain. And the origins of productive affiliations follow a similar way. With respect to
emerging hot research topic, integration research, delivery method, sustainable exploration, governance issue, financial
concern, performance study, risk management and decision-making challenges tend to attract more concerns of researchers
within this discipline. Meanwhile, it was also found that the target articles of this study can be catalogued into three
groups, field report, theoretical analysis, and quantitative calculation respectively. In addition, more vigorous modeling
and simulation techniques such as stochastic frontier regression modeling and fuzzy synthetic evaluation simulation have
been adopted in related researches. Moreover, investigations of content analysis also exhibit that sustainability should be
the essential characteristic of PFPs, but there is still a long way to go concerning current sustainability performance of
most PFPs. More relative research efforts are needed to ensure a sustainable development of PFPs as well as the construction
industry.
Using Health Impact Assessment to Integrate Environmental Justice into Federal Environmental Regulatory Analysis
Authors: Yuen Tina K. , Payne-Sturges Devon C.
Published: August 2013

Regulatory interventions are the first line of action used by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to fulfill its mission to protect the environment and health. Although the agency has prioritized the integration of environmental justice into its activities, uncertainty remains in how these considerations will be incorporated into its regulatory decision-making processes. In this article, we examine the emerging practice of Health Impact Assessment and argue for its use within the regulatory assessment paradigm to help answer policy-relevant environmental justice questions. Through the use of a health lens, Health Impact Assessments can lead to a better characterization of the potential impacts and benefits of a rule by introducing novel assessments of potentially significant health effects that would otherwise be excluded, revealing whether the rule is likely to exacerbate inequities or create new ones. This article proposes a framework to overcome analytic barriers in achieving a more comprehensive, equity-focused regulatory analysis.
The Obesity Paradox and Diabetes
Authors: Franz Marion J.
Published: August 2013

In Brief

The obesity paradox (survival advantage in overweight/obese patients with type 2 diabetes) has called into question the importance of weight loss in overweight people with diabetes. A systematic review of weight loss studies with a minimum of 1-year outcomes in people with diabetes reported inconsistent beneficial effects of weight loss on A1C, lipids, and blood pressure. To lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, a better nutrition therapy intervention may be reducing energy intake, which may or may not lead to weight loss, and selecting cardioprotective foods in appropriate portion sizes. However, any nutrition therapy intervention must be based on lifestyle changes the person with diabetes is willing and able to make.
Aspirin Therapy in Patients With Diabetes: An Update on Current Recommendations
Authors: Neumiller Joshua J. , White John R.
Published: August 2013

In Brief

Although aspirin has been empirically used to prevent cardiovascular disease since the 1940s, there remains disagreement regarding the specific use of aspirin in people with diabetes. Despite this disagreement, several organizations have provided guidelines and recommendations concerning patient selection when considering aspirin use for this purpose. This review provides a brief overview of currently available recommendations related to aspirin use in the prevention of cardiovascular events in people with and without diabetes.
The Role of Statins in Diabetes Treatment
Authors: Subedi Bishnu H. , Tota-Maharaj Rajesh , Silverman Michael G. , Minder C. Michael , Martin Seth S. , Ashen M. Dominique , Blumenthal Roger S. , Blaha Michael J.
Published: August 2013

In Brief

Diabetes is considered a risk equivalent for coronary heart disease (CHD). The use of statins for primary and secondary prevention in patients with diabetes is well established and supported by robust data from randomized, controlled trials and national guidelines. The American Diabetes Association recommends that individuals with diabetes and a history of cardiovascular disease (CVD), as well as those > 40 years of age without CVD but with CVD risk factors, should be treated with a statin regardless of their baseline LDL cholesterol concentration. This review explains the rationale behind considering diabetes a CHD risk equivalent and summarizes the data for statin use in adults with diabetes without (primary prevention) and with (secondary prevention) established CVD. Although individuals with diabetes are at an increased risk for CVD and benefit from statin therapy, the risk of CVD in people with diabetes is heterogeneous. It therefore may be reasonable to match the intensity of statin therapy with patients' baseline CVD risk.
Association of Self-Efficacy and Self-Care With Glycemic Control in Diabetes
Authors: Beckerle Carla Moore , Lavin Mary Ann
Published: August 2013

Successful daily self-management of diabetes is essential to the achievement of positive health outcomes. Basic to successful self-management of any disease is a sense of self-efficacy, or the feeling of confidence in one's self-management abilities. This study examined the association of these variables on the achievement of glycemic control, specifically A1C levels.

This study used a retrospective cohort design to evaluate the predictive relationship of self-efficacy and self-care behaviors on A1C level. After Institutional Review Board approval was obtained, 60 medical records were accessed of people ≥ 18 years of age with type 1 or type 2 diabetes who were seen consecutively in a primary care practice located in an urban setting.

Data analysis revealed no statistically significant relationships between global measures of self-efficacy and self-care and A1C levels. However, there were two questions from the Stanford Diabetes Self-Efficacy for Diabetes Scale found to be significantly related to A1C (P < 0.009). Those whose diabetes was well controlled were confident in selecting appropriate foods when hungry and in their ability to exercise for 15–30 minutes, four to five times per week. These findings, if replicated in future studies, may provide clinicians an opportunity to develop and test targeted self-management interventions yielding the highest probability of improved glycemic control.
A surge of MDR and XDR tuberculosis in France among patients born in the Former Soviet Union
Authors: Bernard C , Brossier F , Sougakoff W , Veziris N , Frechet-Jachym M , Metivier N , Renvoisé A , Robert J , Jarlier V , on behalf of the MDR-TB Management group of the NRC collective
Published: August 2013

A marked increase in the number of multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB) cases entirely related to patients born in the Former Soviet Union was observed in France in the last two years. Very few cases were clustered, suggesting it is a consequence of recent immigration of patients already infected in their country of origin. This major increase challenges the existing structures for management of MDR and extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB).
Increased incidence of invasive group A streptococcal disease in Ireland, 2012 to 2013
Authors: Meehan M , Murchan S , Bergin S , O’Flanagan D , Cunney R
Published: August 2013

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Increase in gonorrhoea among very young adolescents, Catalonia, Spain, January 2012 to June 2013
Authors: Vives N , Lugo R , López E , Garcia de Olalla P , Minguell S , Barrabeig I , Pons P , Lopez-Grado E , Ferré I , Escriche R , Armengol P , Vall M , Soler-Palacin P , Leon I , Gascon I , Vicente A M , Falguera G , Avecilla-Palau A , Martinez C , Barberá M J , González V , Caylà J , Casabona J
Published: August 2013

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Investigations on physical and textural properties of Arctic first-year sea ice in the Amundsen Gulf, Canada, November 2007–June 2008 (IPY-CFL system study)
Authors: Carnat Gauthier , Papakyriakou Timothy , Geilfus N.X. , Brabant Frédéric , Delille B. , Vancoppenolle Martin , Gilson Gaelle , Zhou Jiayun , Tison Jean-Louis
Published: August 2013

We report sea-ice temperature and bulk salinity measurements as well as textural analysis from 33 first-year drift- and fast-ice stations sampled between November 2007 and June 2008 in the southern Beaufort Sea–Amundsen Gulf, Canadian Arctic, during the International Polar Year Circumpolar Flaw Lead (IPY-CFL) system study. We use this significant dataset to investigate the halo-thermodynamic evolution of sea ice from growth to melt. A strong desalination phase is observed over a small time window in the spring. Using calculated proxies of sea-ice permeability (brine volume fraction) and of the intensity of brine convection (Rayleigh number) we demonstrate that this phase corresponds to full-depth gravity drainage initiated by a restored connectivity of the brine network with warming in the spring. Most stations had a textural sequence typical of Arctic first-year ice, with granular ice overlying columnar ice. Unusual textural features were observed sporadically: sandwiched granular ice, platelet ice and draped platelet ice. We suggest that turbulence in leads and double diffusion in strong brine plumes following the refreeze of cracks are plausible mechanisms for the formation of these textures.
Pretreatment Predictive Factors for Hepatitis C Therapy Outcome: Relevance of Anti-E1E2 Antibodies Compared to Ip-10 and Il28B Genotypes
Authors: Arnaud Clémence , Pradat Pierre , Spaziante Martina , Berthillon Pascale , Maynard Marianne , Taliani Gloria , Chemin Isabelle , Trépo Christian , Petit Marie-Anne
Published: August 2013

Background

Unique serum anti-E1E2 antibodies were shown to be associated with spontaneous recovery or predictive of sustained virological response (SVR) in patients with chronic hepatitis C receiving pegylated interferon/ ribavirin (PEG-IFN/RBV) therapy. The objectives were to establish the relationship between pretreatment anti-E1E2 titres and HCV RNA kinetics during PEG-IFN/RBV therapy, and to examine whether the combined determination of interleukin (IL)28B rs12979860 and rs8099917, pretreatment inducible protein (IP)-10 levels and/or anti-E1E2 improved the prediction of SVR.

Methods

Sera from 26 treatment-naive consecutive HCV patients treated with PEG-IFN/RBV for 48 weeks were analysed. Serum anti-E1E2 titres and pretreatment IP-10 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The IL28B variants were determined using genotyping real-time polymerase chain reaction method. Viral decline was measured at weeks (W) 4 and 12 and SVR assessed 6 months after the end of therapy.

Results

Baseline anti-E1E2 titres were correlated with HCV RNA decline at W4 and W12 and were highly predictive of SVR with 100% of patients negative for anti-E1E2 failing to achieve SVR. Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses indicate that the best prediction of SVR (AUC 0.990) was obtained with the combination of anti-E1E2 and IP-10 levels. Predictive values were better than those obtained with IP-10 alone or in combination with IL28B variants.

Conclusions

Pretreatment serum anti-E1E2 response predicts HCV RNA clearance kinetics and treatment outcome. The combination of anti-E1E2 and IP-10 significantly improved the prediction of treatment response. This warrants further investigation and validation on larger cohorts of patients in the context of new therapeutic strategies.
Clinical and laboratory predictors of outcome in cerebral malaria in suburban Nigeria
Authors: Oluwayemi Oludare Isaac , Brown Biobele Jotham , Oyedeji Olusola Adetunji , Adegoke Samuel Ademola , Adebami Olusegun Joseph , Oyedeji Gabriel Adebami
Published: August 2013

Introduction: Cerebral malaria (CM) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality among children living in the tropics. The present study was conducted to update the knowledge on cerebral malaria in children. Methodology: This was a prospective study conducted between June 2009 and February 2010. Consecutive children who met the clinical and parasitological diagnostic criteria for CM were admitted and studied. Demographic, essential history, clinical examination findings and laboratory results were recorded and analyzed. Outcome in survivors (presence or absence of neurological deficits) were determined at discharge. Results: Out of 1,202 children admitted during the study period, 66 (5.5%) had CM: 40 boys and 26 girls.  Ages ranged from 2 to 128 months (mean: 41.6±27.1months). Fever (100%), coma (100%) and convulsion (89%) were the commonest presenting symptoms, while unsteady gait, speech, auditory and visual impairment were the commonest neurological deficits at discharge. Fifty-seven (86.4%) patients survived while nine (13.6%) died. Of the 57 survivors, 35 (61.4%) recovered completely, while 22 (38.6%) had neurological deficits at discharge. Identified clinical and laboratory predictors of mortality in CM included: age less than 3 years (p =0.031), abnormal breathing pattern (p = 0.023), absent corneal reflex (p = 0.005), absent pupillary reflex (p = 0.047), retinal haemorrhage (p = 0.029), hypoglycaemia (p = 0.002) and leucocytosis (p = 0.040). Conclusion: CM is associated with high mortality and serious sequelae. Affected children should be given proactive management and monitored closely to reduce the frequency of adverse outcomes.
Impact of migration on the occurrence of new cases of Chagas disease in Buenos Aires city, Argentina
Authors: Moscatelli Guillermo , García Bournissen Facundo , Freilij Héctor , Berenstein Ada , Tarlovsky Ana , Moroni Samanta , Ballering Griselda , Biancardi Miguel , Siniawski Susana , Schwarcz Marta , Hernández Susana , Espejo Cozzi Andrés , Altcheh Jaime
Published: August 2013

This item has no abstract. Follow the links below to access the full text.
Urban outbreak of acute orally acquired Chagas disease in Táchira, Venezuela
Authors: Benitez Jesús A. , Araujo Benjamín , Contreras Krisell , Rivas Marianela , Ramírez Pedro , Guerra Watermo , Calderon Noel , Ascaso Terren Carlo , Barrera Reggie , Rodriguez-Morales Alfonso J.
Published: August 2013

This item has no abstract. Follow the links below to access the full text.
Teaching as Literacy
Authors: Steinke Krista , Bryan Valerie C.
Published: August 2013

This chapter is a qualitative meta-analysis that discusses the growing trend of teacher attrition in Title I schools. Recent literature on teacher attrition was reviewed and analyzed in combination with literacy theories. This study describes teaching as a form of literacy that the teacher must learn and is based primarily on Gee’s (1989) ideas of discourse acquisition, Freire’s (1993) Pedagogy of the Oppressed, and Delpit’s (1995) The Politics of Teaching a Literate Discourse. The researchers explain, through the lens of literacy theories, how viewing teaching as a form of literacy can help us to understand the problem of attrition. Analyzing the problems faced by these teachers through these theories can provide individuals in the field of education with the means for understanding the challenges that often prevent well-meaning and talented teachers from becoming successful in the high-poverty setting. This study has the potential to bring to light the problem of teacher attrition in Title I schools throughout the nation and promote improvements in teacher education to better prepare upcoming teachers for the challenges that they will face in the Title I school.
School Leaders and Cultural Competence
Authors: Barakat Maysaa , Witte Maria Martinez , Witte James E.
Published: August 2013

Culture is a core element in everyday living within the United States. The variety of races, traditions, languages, and religious beliefs contribute to a cultural combination that is rich and strengthens the bonds of our society. However, within school systems cultural differences, seen through the eyes of prejudice and stereotyping, can deter and hinder student achievement and teaching efforts. Incorporating cultural competencies within educator preparation and professional development programs can serve to provide equitable education and address the achievement gap with culturally diverse students. This chapter discusses current research practices and advances in cultural competence within U.S. schools and educational institutions.