bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Association between Genetic Polymorphisms in the Renin-Angiotensin System and Systolic Heart Failure Revised by a Propensity Score-Based Analysis
Authors: Chang Sheng-Nan , Lin Jou-Wie , Juang Jyh-Ming , Tsai Chai-Ti , Hwang Juey-Jen , Chiang Fu-Tien
Published: September 2010

Objectives: The objective of this study is to identify possible genetic polymorphisms of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in systolic heart failure (sHF). Methods: A total of 509 patients were enrolled into this study. A non-parsimonious multivariable logistic regression model that incorporated potential risk factors was applied to calculate the propensity score for developing sHF. A 1:1 case-control selection process was made according to the rank of propensity. The six genetic polymorphisms of angiotensinogen (AGT), including T174M, M235T, G-6A, A-20C, G-152A, and G-217A, and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene I/D polymorphism were typed by polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing technique. Results: The CC genotype at T174M was positively associated with sHF (OR 2.81, 95% CI 1.20–6.61, p = 0.018). The GG genotype at G-152A was also positively associated with the presence of sHF (OR 6.25, 95% CI 1.54–25.4, p = 0.010). OR of the ACE DD genotype for sHF, as compared with ACE II genotype, was 1.37 (p = 0.475), and OR for ID genotype compared with II genotype was 5.95 for sHF (95% CI 2.16–16.4, p = 0.001). Conclusions: The exploration of these RAS genes related to sHF may provide a more targeted and tailored treatment of sHF.
Adhesive Epicardial Corticosteroids Prevent Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: Yoo Dale , Vinten-Johansen Jakob , Schmarkey L. Susan , Whalen S. Patrick , Bone C. Collin , Katzmark Sara L. , Langberg Jonathan
Published: September 2010

Background—

Postoperative atrial fibrillation remains a common cause of morbidity. Although epicardial drug delivery can increase efficacy and reduce side effects, it is impractical for postoperative atrial fibrillation because pericardial bleeding/effusion and drainage cause rapid drug elimination. Fibrin glue sprayed on the epicardium is vigorously adherent, allowing an admixed drug to remain in contact with the heart. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate a novel corticosteroid-fibrin glue mixture applied to the atrial epicardium at the time of surgery for prevention of postoperative atrial tachyarrhythmias.

Methods and Results—

Talc was instilled into the pericardium in 15 dogs to simulate postoperative inflammation. Pacemakers were implanted to monitor arrhythmias. A mixture of triamcinolone and fibrin glue (Tisseel) was sprayed onto the atria of the treatment animals (n=9), whereas control animals (n=6) received Tisseel or nothing. After 1 week, pacemaker interrogation quantified postoperative atrial tachyarrhythmias (atrial rate >200 bpm) burden. Excised hearts underwent histological examination and tensile strength testing. postoperative atrial tachyarrhythmias occurred in 100% of control animals but only 33% of treatment animals (
P
=0.027). The median time (25th percentile, 75th percentile) in tachycardia was 5.5 hours (2.7, 12.6) per day in the control group, compared with 0 hours (0, 0.2) in the treatment group (
P
=0.001). Severe inflammation was present in 6 of 6 control animals and 1 of 9 treatment animals (
P
=0.001). The tensile strength of a healing left atriotomy was not significantly different between groups. Steroid levels at the time the animals were killed were very low (median of 0.22 μg/dL [0.18, 0.23]).

Conclusions—

A mixture of triamcinolone and fibrin glue sprayed onto the atria reduced postoperative atrial tachyarrhythmias and reduced inflammatory cell infiltration. There was no change in the tensile strength of a healing atriotomy and plasma steroid levels were low. Clinical trials of this approach are warranted.
Developments in Legal and Medical Practice Regarding the Unborn Child and the Need to Expand Prenatal Legal Protection
Authors: Dorscheidt Jozef
Published: September 2010

Developments in legal and medical practice in the Netherlands give rise to questions regarding the legal position of the unborn child. This article provides an overview of these developments and argues — in view of developments in other countries — that current Dutch legislation regarding the unborn child is not up to date. In effect, the article challenges the idea that the actual legal protection of the unborn child under positive Dutch law can be considered proportionate, even sufficient. To support this view the author will show that abortion is not the only matter in which clarity as to the legal protection of the viable unborn child is required. This signalisation provides good cause to reconsider the Dutch perspective on the matter, thus offering a point of reference to countries with a similar interpretation of what constitutes an appropriate legal protection of the unborn child.
Danish Cartoons and Christian-Muslim Relations in Denmark
Authors: Nielsen Jørgen S.
Published: September 2010

Prior to the arrival of Muslim immigrants and refugees into Denmark in the 1970s and after, Denmark’s experience with Islam was partly through university-based research and partly through missionary activities. During the 1980s and 1990s both sectors gradually adapted to the settlement of Muslims in the country. In the 1990s the public political debate became increasingly heated, leading to a steady tightening of immigration and refugee policies. In this debate an Islamic dimension was starkly exacerbated by the events of 11 September 2001 and the arrival of a new centre-right government two months later. This was the environment in which the ‘Muhammad cartoons’ were published in September 2005, and in which the domestic and international crisis played out over the subsequent 6-8 months. But the events also encouraged the emergence of new Islamic organizations and new responses, both negative and positive, on the part of the churches. While the sharp public debate continues, new apparently sustainable structures of Christian-Muslim relations have appeared.
Inter-Faith Relations in Britain Since 1970 — An Assessment
Authors: Siddiqui Ataullah
Published: September 2010

This article argues that inter-faith relations in Britain are essentially inspired by the existential realities of a multi-cultural and multi-religious society. It argues that the earliest formal discussions between the followers of various faiths were motivated by their desire to ‘understand’ the beliefs and practices of other faiths. However these ‘engagements’ were confined to local and national secular civic bodies. The motivations behind these ‘engagements’ were essentially need-oriented rather than driven by religious motives. It also seems that the interest of successive British governments was to manage the migrant communities through an agenda based on ‘ethnicity’ and ‘race’ and the religious needs of these migrant communities were largely defined within that context. More recently the British state found it necessary to involve itself directly by funding projects of inter-faith nature. Churches, mainly the Church of England, have become over the years the mediator between the ‘migrant communities’ and the state. This ‘mediation’ is motivated by the churches’ evangelical outreach but also by humanitarian reasons. Due to internal and external factors, all three actors have, over the years, changed and adapted their positions considerably.
Flow and Turbulence in an Urban Canyon
Authors: Zajic D. , Fernando H. J. S. , Calhoun R. , Princevac M. , Brown M. J. , Pardyjak E. R.
Published: September 2010

A better understanding of the interaction between the built environment and the atmosphere is required to more effectively manage urban airsheds. This paper reports an analysis of data from an atmospheric measurement campaign in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, during the summer of 2003 that shows wind flow patterns, turbulence, and thermal effects in the downtown area. Experimental measurements within a street canyon yielded airflow patterns, stability conditions, and turbulence properties as a function of the incoming wind direction and time of the day. Air and surface temperatures at two different sites, one within the downtown urban canyon and the other in a nearby park, were measured. A study of the stability conditions within the urban canyon during the campaign indicates that dynamically stable conditions did not occur within the canyon. This provides evidence that the built environment can strongly influence the thermal characteristics in cities. Mean flow patterns close to the street level are analyzed for two different ranges of incoming wind directions and are compared with those obtained from a previous field experiment featuring idealized building configurations. This paper presents an approach allowing the estimation of wind direction in an urban canyon, given inflow conditions, that shows good agreement with wind patterns in the Oklahoma City street canyon. Turbulence statistics were calculated and normalized using different velocity scales to investigate the efficacy of the latter in specifying turbulence levels in urban canopies. The dependence of turbulence quantities on incoming wind direction and time of the day was investigated.
Helical Turbulence Prevails over Inertial Waves in Forced Rotating Flows at High Reynolds and Low Rossby Numbers
Authors: Baerenzung Julien , Rosenberg D. , Mininni P. D. , Pouquet A.
Published: September 2010

A study of spectral laws for helical turbulence in the presence of solid body rotation up to Reynolds numbers Re ~ 1 × 105 and down to Rossby numbers Ro ~ 3 × 10−3 is presented. The forcing function is a fully helical flow that can also be viewed as mimicking the effect of atmospheric convective motions. Variants of a model developed previously by Baerenzung et al. are tested in the helical case against direct numerical simulation (DNS), using data from a run on a grid of 15363 points; its efficiency is also contrasted against a spectral large-eddy simulation (LES) by Chollet and Lesieur, as well as an underresolved DNS. The model including the contribution of helicity to the spectral eddy dissipation and eddy noise behaves best, allowing the recovery of statistical features of the flow. Even if the model is based on isotropic assumptions, the authors demonstrated in a previous study that the small scales of flows at moderate Rossby number can be considered to be isotropic in the range of parameters considered here and that therefore their model is appropriate to treat this kind of flow.

An exploration of parameter space is then performed beyond what is feasible today using DNS. At a fixed Reynolds number, lowering the Rossby number leads to a regime of wave-mediated inertial helicity cascades to small scales. However, at a fixed Rossby number, increasing the Reynolds number leads the system to be dominated by turbulent energy exchanges where the role of inertial waves is to weaken the direct cascade of energy while strengthening the large scales. It is found that a useful parameter for partitioning the data is , with Urms, ν, and Ω being the rms velocity, the viscosity, and the rotation rate, respectively. The parameter that determines how much the energy cascade is direct or inverse—in which case the cascade to small scales is predominantly that of helicity—is linked to Ro.
Effective Radius of Ice Particles in Cirrus and Contrails
Authors: Schumann U. , Mayer B. , Gierens K. , Unterstrasser S. , Jessberger P. , Petzold A. , Voigt C. , Gayet J-F.
Published: September 2010

This paper discusses the ratio C between the volume mean radius and the effective radius of ice particles in cirrus and contrails. The volume mean radius is proportional to the third root of the ratio between ice water content and number of ice particles, and the effective radius measures the ratio between ice particle volume and projected cross-sectional area. For given ice water content and number concentration of ice particles, the optical depth scales linearly with C. Hence, C is an important input parameter for radiative forcing estimates. The ratio C in general depends strongly on the particle size distribution (PSD) and on the particle habits. For constant habits, C can be factored into a PSD and a habit factor. The PSD factor is generally less than one, while the habit factor is larger than one for convex or concave ice particles with random orientation. The value of C may get very small for power-law PSDs with exponent n between −4 and 0, which is often observed. For such PSDs, most of the particle volume is controlled by a few large particles, while most of the cross-sectional area is controlled by the many small particles. A new particle habit mix for contrail cirrus including small droxtal-shape particles is suggested. For measured cirrus and contrails, the dependence of C on volume mean particle radius, ambient humidity, and contrail age is determined. For cirrus, C varies typically between 0.4 and 1.1. In contrails, C = 0.7 ± 0.3, with uncertainty ranges increasing with the volume radius and contrail age. For the small particles in young contrails, the extinction efficiency in the solar range deviates considerably from the geometric optics limit.
Excitation of Intraseasonal Variability in the Equatorial Atmosphere by Yanai Wave Groups via WISHE-Induced Convection
Authors: Solodoch Aviv , Boos William R. , Kuang Zhiming , Tziperman Eli
Published: September 2010

A mechanism is presented, based on multiscale interactions via nonlinear wind-induced surface heat exchange (WISHE), that produces eastward-propagating, intraseasonal convective anomalies in the tropical atmosphere. Simulations of convectively coupled disturbances are presented in two intermediate-complexity atmospheric models. One is a shallow water model with a simple WISHE-motivated heating term. The other model is also based on a first baroclinic mode but has an additional prognostic equation for humidity and a simple representation of moist convection based on a quasi-equilibrium approximation. In spite of many differences between the models, they robustly produce a coherent signal in westerly winds and convection that travels eastward at 4–10 m s−1. It is shown here that this slow signal is a forced response to an eastward-propagating Yanai (mixed Rossby–gravity) wave group. The response takes the form of a forced Kelvin wave that is driven nonlinearly, via WISHE, by meridional wind anomalies of the Yanai wave group and that travels considerably more slowly than the free convectively coupled Kelvin waves in these models. The Yanai waves are destabilized in the models used here by WISHE in the presence of mean easterlies, but more generally they could also be excited by stratiform instability in the absence of mean easterlies so that the mechanism described here could also operate without mean easterlies. Similarities to and differences from the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) and convectively coupled tropical waves are discussed.
A Significant Component of Unforced Multidecadal Variability in the Recent Acceleration of Global Warming
Authors: DelSole Timothy , Tippett Michael K. , Shukla Jagadish
Published: September 2010

The problem of separating variations due to natural and anthropogenic forcing from those due to unforced internal dynamics during the twentieth century is addressed using state-of-the-art climate simulations and observations. An unforced internal component that varies on multidecadal time scales is identified by a new statistical method that maximizes integral time scale. This component, called the internal multidecadal pattern (IMP), is stochastic and hence does not contribute to trends on long time scales; however, it can contribute significantly to short-term trends. Observational estimates indicate that the trend in the spatially averaged “well observed” sea surface temperature (SST) due to the forced component has an approximately constant value of 0.1 K decade−1, while the IMP can contribute about ±0.08 K decade−1 for a 30-yr trend. The warming and cooling of the IMP matches that of the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation and is of sufficient amplitude to explain the acceleration in warming during 1977–2008 as compared to 1946–77, despite the forced component increasing at the same rate during these two periods. The amplitude and time scale of the IMP are such that its contribution to the trend dominates that of the forced component on time scales shorter than 16 yr, implying that the lack of warming trend during the past 10 yr is not statistically significant. Furthermore, since the IMP varies naturally on multidecadal time scales, it is potentially predictable on decadal time scales, providing a scientific rationale for decadal predictions. While the IMP can contribute significantly to trends for periods of 30 yr or shorter, it cannot account for the 0.8°C warming that has been observed in the twentieth-century spatially averaged SST.
Evaluation of a Statistical Model of Cloud Vertical Structure Using Combined CloudSat and CALIPSO Cloud Layer Profiles
Authors: Rossow William B. , Zhang Yuanchong
Published: September 2010

A model of the three-dimensional distribution of clouds was developed from the statistics of cloud layer occurrence from the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) and the statistics of cloud vertical structure (CVS) from an analysis of radiosonde humidity profiles. The CVS model associates each cloud type, defined by cloud-top pressure of the topmost cloud layer and total column optical thickness, with a particular CVS. The advent of satellite cloud radar (CloudSat) and lidar [Cloud–Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO)] measurements (together C&C) of CVS allows for a quantitative evaluation of this statistical model. The zonal monthly-mean cloud layer distribution from the ISCCP CVS agrees with that from C&C to within 10% (when normalized to the same total cloud amount). The largest differences are an overestimate of middle-level cloudiness in winter polar regions, an overestimate of cloud-top pressures of the highest-level clouds, especially in the tropics, and an underestimate of low-level cloud amounts over southern midlatitude oceans. A more severe test of the hypothesized relationship is made by comparing CVS for individual satellite pixels. The agreement of CVS is good for isolated low-level clouds and reasonably good when the uppermost cloud layer is a high-level cloud; however, the agreement is not good when the uppermost cloud layer is a middle-level cloud, even when ISCCP correctly locates cloud top. An improved CVS model combining C&C and ISCCP may require classification at spatial scales larger than individual satellite pixels.
Pattern Classification of Typhoon Tracks Using the Fuzzy c-Means Clustering Method
Authors: Kim Hyeong-Seog , Kim Joo-Hong , Ho Chang-Hoi , Chu Pao-Shin
Published: September 2010

A fuzzy c-means clustering method (FCM) is applied to cluster tropical cyclone (TC) tracks. FCM is suitable for the data where cluster boundaries are ambiguous, such as a group of TC tracks. This study introduces the feasibility of a straightforward metric to incorporate the entire shapes of all tracks into the FCM, that is, the interpolation of all tracks into equal number of segments. Four validity measures (e.g., partition coefficient, partition index, separation index, and Dunn index) are used objectively to determine the optimum number of clusters. This results in seven clusters from 855 TCs over the western North Pacific (WNP) from June through October during 1965–2006. The seven clusters are characterized by 1) TCs striking the Korean Peninsula and Japan with north-oriented tracks, 2) TCs affecting Japan with long trajectories, 3) TCs hitting Taiwan and eastern China with west-oriented tracks, 4) TCs passing the east of Japan with early recurving tracks, 5) TCs traveling the easternmost region over the WNP, 6) TCs over the South China Sea, and 7) TCs moving straight across the Philippines. Each cluster shows distinctive characteristics in its lifetime, traveling distance, intensity, seasonal variation, landfall region, and distribution of TC-induced rainfall. The roles of large-scale environments (e.g., sea surface temperatures, low-level relative vorticity, and steering flows) on cluster-dependent genesis locations and tracks are also discussed.
Turbulent Mixing due to Surface Waves Indicated by Remote Sensing of Suspended Particulate Matter and Its Implementation into Coupled Modeling of Waves, Turbulence, and Circulation
Authors: Pleskachevsky Andrey , Dobrynin Mikhail , Babanin Alexander V. , Günther Heinz , Stanev Emil
Published: September 2010

This paper studies the impact of the surface waves on the turbulent mixing. The satellite observations of suspended particulate matter (SPM) at the ocean surface as an indicator of turbulent quantities of the flow are used. In a water column, SPM builds a vertical profile depending on settling velocities of the particles and on vertical mixing processes; thus, SPM is a perfect marker to study the turbulent quantities of the flow. Satellite observations in the North Sea show that surface SPM concentrations, in locations of its deposition, grow rapidly and build plume-shaped, long (many kilometers) uninterrupted and consistent structures during a storm. Also, satellites reveal that SPM rapidly sinks to the seabed after the storm peak has passed and wave height decreases (i.e., in the absence of strong turbulence).

The nonbreaking wave-induced turbulence has been discussed, parameterized, and implemented into an equation of evolution of turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) in the frame of mean-flow concept, which can be used in existing circulation models. The ratio between dissipated and total wave energy is used to describe the influence of wave damping on the mean flow. The numerical tests reproduce experiments in a wave tank very well and are supported by observations of SPM in the North Sea. Their results show that the motion of an individual nonbreaking wave includes turbulent fluctuations if the critical Reynolds number for wave motion is exceeded, independent of the presence of currents due to wind or tides. These fluctuations can produce high diffusivity and strongly influence mixing in the upper water layer of the ocean.
Formation and Subduction of Central Mode Water Based on Profiling Float Data, 2003–08
Authors: Oka Eitarou , Kouketsu Shinya , Toyama Katsuya , Uehara Kazuyuki , Kobayashi Taiyo , Hosoda Shigeki , Suga Toshio
Published: September 2010

Temperature and salinity data from Argo profiling floats in the North Pacific during 2003–08 have been analyzed to study the structure of winter mixed layer north of the Kuroshio Extension and the subsurface potential vorticity distribution in the subtropical gyre in relation to the formation and subduction of the central mode water (CMW). In late winter, two zonally elongated bands of deep mixed layer extend at 33°–39° and 39°–43°N, from the east coast of Japan to 160°W. These correspond to the formation region of the lighter variety of CMW (L-CMW) and that of the denser variety of CMW (D-CMW) and the recently identified transition region mode water (TRMW), respectively. In the western part of the L-CMW and D-CMW–TRMW formation regions west of 170°E, the winter mixed layer becomes deeper and lighter to the east (i.e., to the downstream). As a result, the formed mode water is reentrained into the mixed layer in the farther east in the following winter and modified to the lighter water and is thus unable to be subducted to the permanent pycnocline. In the eastern part of the formation regions between 170°E and 160°W, on the other hand, the winter mixed layer becomes shallower and lighter to the east. From these areas, the L-CMW with potential density of 25.7–26.2 kg m−3 and the D-CMW–TRMW (mostly the former) of 26.1–26.4 kg m−3 are subducted to the permanent pycnocline, and they are then advected anticyclonically in the subtropical gyre. These results imply that during the analysis period large-scale subduction to the permanent pycnocline occurs in the density range up to 26.4 kg m−3 in the open North Pacific, whereas the winter mixed layer density reaches the maximum of 26.6 kg m−3. This is supported by the vertical distribution of apparent oxygen utilization in a hydrographic section in the subtropical gyre.
Simulation of Mixed Layer Depth in the Northeast Pacific Utilizing Spectral Nudging
Authors: Donohue Shawn M. , Stacey Michael W.
Published: September 2010

A numerical model, the Parallel Ocean Program (POP), is used to run a 46-yr simulation of the North Pacific Ocean beginning in January 1960. The model has 0.25° horizontal resolution and 28 vertical levels, and it employs spectral nudging, which, unlike standard nudging, nudges only specific frequency and wavenumber bands. This simulation is nudged to the mean and annual Levitus climatological potential temperature and salinity. The model was forced with National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) mean monthly winds, sea level pressure, net heat flux, and rain rate.

The simulated mixed layer depths (MLD) suggest significant shoaling of the MLD between 1970 and 2006, with faster rates in the northern Gulf of Alaska and slower rates to the west and south of Line Papa. The rates are of similar magnitude to those found in past studies and are consistent with the observed freshening and warming of the upper waters in the Gulf of Alaska. The rates are not spatially uniform, and the simulated MLD in the northeast Pacific actually deepens with time at some locations. These regions of increase form zonal bands in the simulation. The simulated MLD at Ocean Weather Station Papa (OWSP) shoals on average, but it is located close to one of these deepening bands.

On average, the simulated, low-frequency MLD at OWSP gives a good indication of the MLD along Line Papa and in the Gulf of Alaska near Line Papa’s latitude. The correlation coefficient between the MLD at OWSP and the latitudinal average of the MLD within the greater Gulf of Alaska (with OWSP removed) is 0.7 at zero lag. The correlation coefficient between the MLD at OWSP and the latitudinal average along Line Papa alone (with OWSP removed) is 0.6 at zero lag. Observed variability of the MLD along Line Papa and at OWSP is reproduced by the model. However, there is considerable spatial variability in the simulated MLD in the Gulf of Alaska as a whole, so MLD variability at OWSP is not necessarily a good indicator of the MLD variability throughout the region. Over the span of the simulation, the low-frequency MLD variability in the Gulf of Alaska is better correlated to the North Pacific Gyre Oscillation (NPGO) than to either the Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) or Southern Oscillation index (SOI).
Influence of Rain-Rate Initialization, Cloud Microphysics, and Cloud Torques on Hurricane Intensity
Authors: Pattnaik S. , Inglish C. , Krishnamurti T. N.
Published: September 2010

This study examines the impact of rain-rate initialization (RINIT), microphysical modifications, and cloud torques (in the context of angular momentum) on hurricane intensity forecasts using a mesoscale model [the Advanced Research Weather Research and Forecasting model (ARW-WRF)] at a cloud-resolving resolution of 2.7 km. The numerical simulations are performed in a triple-nested manner (25, 8.3, and 2.7 km) for Hurricane Dennis of 2005. Unless mentioned otherwise, all the results discussed are from the innermost grid with finest resolution (2.7 km). It is found that the model results obtained from the RINIT technique demonstrated robust improvement in hurricane structure, track, and intensity forecasts compared to the control experiment (CTRL; i.e., without RINIT). Thereafter, using RINIT initial conditions datasets three sensitive experiments are designed by modifying specific ice microphysical parameters (i.e., temperature-independent snow intercept parameter, doubling number of concentrations of ice, and ice crystal diameter) within the explicit parameterization scheme [i.e., the WRF Single-Moment 6-class (WSM6)]. It is shown that the experiment with enhanced ice mass concentration and temperature-independent snow intercept parameter produces the strongest and weakest storms, respectively. The results suggest that the distributions of hydrometeors are also impacted by the limited changes introduced in the microphysical scheme (e.g., the quantitative amount of snow drastically reduced to 0.1–0.2 g kg−1 when the intercept parameter of snow is made independent of temperature). It is noted that the model holds ice at a warmer temperature for a longer time with a temperature-independent intercept parameter. These variations in hydrometeor distribution in the eyewall region of the storm affect diabatic heating and vertical velocity structure and modulated the storm intensity. However, irrespective of the microphysical changes the quantitative amount of graupel hydrometeors remained nearly unaffected. Finally, the indirect effect of microphysical modifications on storm intensity through angular momentum and cloud torques is examined. A formulation to predict the short-term changes in the storm intensity using a parcel segment angular momentum budget method is developed. These results serve to elucidate the indirect impact of microphysical modifications on tropical cyclone intensity changes through modulation in cloud torque magnitude.
Cracked and Shattered Ceilings: Gender, Race, Religion, Age, and the Ideal Candidate
Authors: Trent Judith S. , Short-Thompson Cady , Mongeau Paul A. , Metzler Maribeth S. , Erickson Amber K. , Trent Jimmie D.
Published: September 2010

Image as a transaction between what candidates say and do and the way voters compare that behavior with their personal vision of what candidates should be or do stimulates at least four critical questions important to political communication. First, what qualities or attributes do voters believe are important for a presidential candidate to possess—what are the dimensions of the “ideal” presidential candidate? Second, do these views change with time and with candidates, or are they fairly consistent across elections? Third, were the unique candidate demographics (religion, race, gender, and age) apparent in the 2008 New Hampshire primary important to voters? Finally, do the evaluative dimensions of “idealness” differ in relationship to the gender, age, or party affiliation of those who attend political rallies? Answers are determined from results of a survey of citizens attending political rallies in New Hampshire during the 1988 through 2008 presidential primaries.
Statistical Techniques Used in Published Articles: A Historical Review of Reviews
Authors: Troncoso Skidmore Susan , Thompson Bruce
Published: September 2010

The purpose of the present study is to provide a historical account and metasynthesis of which statistical techniques are most frequently used in the fields of education and psychology. Six articles reviewing the American Educational Research Journal from 1969 to 1997 and five articles reviewing the psychological literature from 1948 to 2001 resulted in a total number of 17,698 techniques recorded from the 12,012 articles reviewed. No prior study of analytic practices has considered this broad scope of time and articles. Trends are discussed for the education and psychology literature both individually and collectively.
Checking Dimensionality in Item Response Models With Principal Component Analysis on Standardized Residuals
Authors: Chou Yeh-Tai , Wang Wen-Chung
Published: September 2010

Dimensionality is an important assumption in item response theory (IRT). Principal component analysis on standardized residuals has been used to check dimensionality, especially under the family of Rasch models. It has been suggested that an eigenvalue greater than 1.5 for the first eigenvalue signifies a violation of unidimensionality when there are 500 persons and 30 items. The cut-point of 1.5 is often used beyond this specific condition of sample size and test length. This study argues that a fixed cut-point is not applicable because the distribution of eigenvalues or their ratios depends on sample size and test length, just like other statistics. The authors conducted a series of simulations to verify this argument. They then proposed three chi-square statistics for multivariate independence to test the correlation matrix obtained from the standardized residuals. Through simulations, it was found that Steiger’s statistic behaved fairly like a chi-square distribution, when its degrees of freedom were adjusted.
A comprehensive competence-based approach in curriculum development
Authors: Parent F , Baulana R , Kahombo G , Coppieters Y , Garant M , De Ketele J-M
Published: September 2010

Objective: To describe the methodological steps of developing an integrated reference guide for competences according to the profile of the healthcare professionals concerned.

Design: Human resources in healthcare represent a complex issue, which needs conceptual and methodological frameworks and tools to help one understand reality and the limits of one’s acts.

Setting: This study uses results from four contexts (Belgium/Europe, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Senegal) in which integrated reference guides for competences for healthcare professionals have been developed.

Method: Priority was given to the writing of curricula (initial training) or of training plans (continuous training) more effective in terms of professionalization and more adequate to populations’ needs.

Results: Pedagogical approach is presented as some (step-by-step) methodological guidance which will help one to get acquainted with this approach. This analysis questions the whole issue of healthcare training institutions’ social responsibility.

Conclusion: The products obtained (ie reference guides for competences) are only the visible part of the results of the far more fundamental change process that is the real reinforcement of competences and capacities of healthcare professionals in organizations aiming at better managing their resources, among which are human resources in healthcare.
Stroke survivors’ evaluations of a stroke workbook-based intervention designed to increase perceived control over recovery
Authors: Joice Sara , Johnston Marie , Bonetti Debbie , Morrison Val , MacWalter Ron
Published: September 2010

Objective: To report stroke survivors’ experiences and perceived usefulness of an effective self-help workbook-based intervention.

Design: A cross-sectional study involving the intervention group of an earlier randomized controlled trial.

Setting: At the participants’ homes approximately seven weeks post-hospital discharge.

Method: Following the five-week implementation period of the intervention, stroke survivors ( n = 59) completed a structured exercise designed to assess and prioritize perceived usefulness of the intervention components. Demographic, clinical and psychological measures from the original study were included.

Results: Ninety per cent ( n = 53) of respondents rated the stroke workbook intervention as being better than slightly useful. A factor analysis of the completed responses derived three components, which were labelled information, support and behavioural activities. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed information and support to be significantly more useful than the behavioural activities (F (2, 116) = 60.79, p = .001). Behavioural activities were more highly rated by women than men ( p = .02) and by those without a caregiver than those with ( p = .02). Participants with high desire rated all three components of the intervention more useful than those with low desire ( p = .01).

Conclusions: Those who used the intervention generally found it useful, with information and social support being perceived as being more useful than behavioural activities. Perceiving the behavioural activities as least useful may impede the uptake of recovery-promoting activities, which may have consequences for the effect of rehabilitation, and recovery.
Finding self: A qualitative study of transgender, transitioning, and adulterated silicone
Authors: Wallace Phyllis M
Published: September 2010

Objective: To describe the development and testing of a theory-based interview guide. To increase awareness of adulterated silicone use among Transgender.

Design: A qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews.

Setting: Interviews were conducted in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Method: Seven transgender adults aged 18 and over were interviewed using grounded theory method and an interview guide created for this study.

Results: Participants perceived that adulterated injection liquid silicone is used widely among transgender as a cheaper means to augment physical appearance. The prevalence of illicit silicone is widespread among vulnerable, minority populations and is associated with health complications.

Conclusions: Several health-promotion issues were discovered. These included the need for safer transition options, the need for more cost effective transition options, the need to collect surveillance data, and the need for health promotion and action research.
A Constitutive Model for Fiber-reinforced Polymer Composites
Authors: Cho J. , Fenner J. , Werner B. , Daniel I.M.
Published: September 2010

A constitutive model for fibrous polymer composites was established based on an elastic—plastic approach. The proposed potential function is a linear combination of functions related to deviatoric and dilatational deformations. A unidirectional carbon/epoxy composite, AS4/3501-6, and a woven-glass/vinylester composite were fabricated and tested under quasi-static off-axis tension and compression and used in developing and verifying the model. Model parameters were determined from the off-axis test results. Stress—strain curves predicted by the model were in good agreement with experimental results. The constitutive model established can describe the nonlinear orthotropic mechanical behavior of the composites, and it accounts as well for their tension—compression behavior.
A Modified Benzeggagh-Kenane Fracture Criterion for Mixed-mode Delamination
Authors: Bui Q.V.
Published: September 2010

As a deviation from the linear fracture criterion for mixed-mode delamination, the original Benzeggagh-Kenane (B-K) fracture criterion with a single parameter can be derived via the assumption on a common mixed-mode resistance to delamination. Through the extension to the framework of separate mixed-mode fracture toughness, a more consistent fracture criterion with two parameters is obtained. Moreover, a theoretical extension to a 3D fracture criterion is also possible. The quality of the modified fracture criterion in the description of fracture locus is investigated by numerical validations against experimental data and comparisons with other fracture criteria.
Fabrication of Lamellar Nanostructure from Cage-like Poly-anion Silicate and Surfactant by Template-directed Synthesis
Authors: Lei Liu  , Yuan Hu  , Lei Song  , Xingzhong Gu  , Zhonghua Ni
Published: September 2010

An organic-inorganic hybrid with improved thermal stability has been prepared via template-directed self-assembly synthesis from one kind of cage-like poly-anion silicate (octa(tetramethylammonium) polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes) and ionic surfactant (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide). Repeated lamellar nanostructure can be obtained from the self organization from inorganic core (silicon-oxygen cage) and organic chains (alkyl chain from surfactant) are noted for their different levels of compatibility. The ordered nanostructure was determined by X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electronic microscopy, and scanning electronic microscopy. The thermogravimetric analysis results obtained under nitrogen atmosphere suggest the improved thermal stability of the obtained hybrid, which is resulted from the barrier effect of its inorganic layers.
The Long-term Effects of Water Fluoridation on the Human Skeleton
Authors: Chachra D. , Limeback H. , Willett T.L. , Grynpas M.D.
Published: September 2010

Municipal water fluoridation has notably reduced the incidence of dental caries and is widely considered a public health success. However, ingested fluoride is sequestered into bone, as well as teeth, and data on the long-term effect of exposure to these very low doses of fluoride remain inconclusive. Epidemiological studies suggest that effects of fluoride on bone are minimal. We hypothesized that the direct measurement of bone tissue from individuals residing in municipalities with and without fluoridated water would reveal a relationship between fluoride content and structural or mechanical properties of bone. However, consonant with the epidemiological data, only a weak relationship among fluoride exposure, accumulated fluoride, and the physical characteristics of bone was observed. Analysis of our data suggests that the variability in heterogenous urban populations may be too high for the effects, if any, of low-level fluoride administration on skeletal tissue to be discerned.
Does Incomplete Caries Removal Reduce Strength of Restored Teeth?
Authors: Hevinga M.A. , Opdam N.J. , Frencken J.E. , Truin G.J. , Huysmans M.C.D.N.J.M.
Published: September 2010

Little information is available about whether the presence of residual caries beneath an occlusal restoration affects fracture strength of the tooth. This in vitro study tested the hypothesis that restored teeth after incomplete excavation have lower fracture strengths than restored teeth after complete excavation. Fourteen pairs of molars were randomly assigned to an experimental (incomplete excavation) or to a control group (complete excavation) and loaded vertically (after cyclic loading). Failure load and fracture mode were recorded. Restored teeth in the incomplete excavation group resulted in reduced fracture strength (p < 0.001) of the tooth-restoration complex (1276 N ± 626 N) compared with the control group (2768 N ± 710 N). Teeth in the complete excavation group all fractured vertically, while in the experimental group, cracks in the restoration were observed, characterized as ‘ice-cracks’. The fracture strength of teeth restored over incomplete caries excavation was significantly reduced, possibly resulting in long-term clinical failure.
Degradation of 10-Methacryloyloxydecyl Dihydrogen Phosphate
Authors: Teshima I.
Published: September 2010

To understand the mechanism of 10-methacryloyloxydecyl dihydrogen phosphate (MDP) hydrolysis, we investigated the degradation of 2-methacryloyloxyethyl dihydrogen phosphate (MEP), because the MEP molecule has the methacryloxy and phosphate ester portions of MDP but, unlike the latter, is water-soluble. The MEP- N-methcryloyl glycine (NMGly), MDP-NMGly, and MDP-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) primers were designed, stored for different periods, and then analyzed. Our null hypotheses were that (1) the mechanism of MDP hydrolysis differs from that of MEP and (2) the type of hydrophilic monomer—NMGly or HEMA—has no effect on the MDP hydrolysis rate. Similar to the production of methacrylic acid (MA) and 2-hydroxyethyl dihydrogen phosphate (HEP) during MEP hydrolysis, MDP produced MA and 10-hydroxydecyl dihydrogen phosphate (HDP) during hydrolysis. However, the rate of MDP hydrolysis depended on the type of hydrophilic monomer: Compared with HEMA, NMGly significantly increased the rate of MDP hydrolysis.
Effect of Glass-ionomer Cement on the Progression of Proximal Caries
Authors: Trairatvorakul C. , Itsaraviriyakul S. , Wiboonchan W.
Published: September 2010

Although effective preventive strategies exist for pit and fissure caries, prevention of proximal caries remains a significant challenge. This split-mouth study was designed to investigate the effect of glass-ionomer cement (GIC) on the progression of initial proximal caries in posterior teeth, testing the hypothesis that local application of fluoride-releasing GIC would reduce this progression. GIC was applied to 41 pairs of posterior teeth after elastic band separation in 7- to 19-year-old individuals. Follow-up bitewing radiographs were taken at 6 and 12 months. Differences in Δ mean lesion depth at 6 and 12 months between test and control groups were significant ( p < 0.05, p < 0.000). Lesions treated with GIC were more likely to remain in or regress to the outer half of enamel (OR = 6.3; 95%CI, 1.3-30.9). GIC provides an effective approach to the clinical management of incipient proximal caries.
Deviations from Zipf’s Law for American Cities
Authors: González-Val Rafael
Published: September 2010

This paper presents a simple method for calculating deviations between actual city size and the size which would correspond to it with a Pareto exponent equal to one (Zipf’s law). The results show two differentiated behaviours: most cities (80.25 per cent) present a greater size than that which would fulfil Zipf’s law, while small cities (19.75 per cent) tend to be too small. The aim of the paper is to analyse the distribution element by element, using data about city characteristics from all American cities in 2000, and to explain the deviation between the size predicted by Zipf’s law and the actual size of each city. To do this, a multinomial logit model is used. The most important variables affecting the probability of a city presenting a negative or positive deviation are per capita income, human capital levels and the percentage of the population employed in some sectors.
Reclaiming Respectability? The Class-cultural Dynamics of Crime, Community and Governance in Inner-city Dublin
Authors: Ilan Jonathan
Published: September 2010

This paper critically examines developments in Irish urban governance through an ethnographic account of one community’s historical memory and contemporary structure. During an era of rapid economic growth, the Irish state has courted previously excluded communities, offering them greater ‘inclusion’ as ‘partners’ in responding to urban decay and crime. The micro-governance structures this creates, however, become sites of contest between competing community factions and class-cultural imperatives. Tensions emerge between aspirational community leaders championing the aesthetics (if not the values) of ‘respectability’ and residual residents who are presented as ‘ rough’. The paper demonstrates that nuances of class-cultural identity dictate the character of partnership governance at the community level with particular implications for local regeneration and crime control agendas.
Urban Competitiveness and Public Procurement for Innovation
Authors: Lember Veiko , Kalvet Tarmo , Kattel Rainer
Published: September 2010

Public procurement for innovation represents one of the least studied demand-side innovation policy tools that can be used to increase urban competitiveness. Evidence suggests that local and regional governments are becoming more involved in procuring innovative solutions, but overall knowledge remains limited regarding how they get involved and what effects this involvement has had. Based on a study of Nordic–Baltic Sea cities, the current study reveals that public procurement for innovative solutions has a positive impact on the providers and that urban authorities can act as market creators. The study also demonstrates that public procurement is not seen as an inherent part of innovation policy. A lack of awareness exists among city officials about the connection between procurement and innovation, and local authorities tend not to be willing to take risks when promoting innovation through public procurement. Due to the positive effects, however, further development of related policies is recommended.