bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Trusted virtual platforms
Authors: Dalton Chris I. , Plaquin David , Weidner Wolfgang , Kuhlmann Dirk , Balacheff Boris , Brown Richard
Published: January 2009

This paper introduces our work around combining machine virtualization technology with Trusted Computing Group technology. We first describe our architecture for reducing and containing the privileged code of the Xen Hypervisor. Secondly we describe our Trusted Virtual Platform architecture. This is aimed at supporting the strong enforcement of integrity and security policy controls over a virtual entity where a virtual entity can be either a full guest operating system or virtual appliance running on a virtualized platform. The architecture includes a virtualization-specific integrity measurement and reporting framework. This is designed to reflect all the dependencies of the virtual environment of a guest operating system. The work is a core enabling component of our research around converged devices -- client platforms such as notebooks or desktop PCs that can safely host multiple virtual operating systems and virtual appliances concurrently and report accurately on the trustworthiness of the individually executing entities.
DataSeries
Authors: Anderson Eric , Arlitt Martin , Morrey Charles B. , Veitch Alistair
Published: January 2009

Structured serial data is used in many scientific fields; such data sets consist of a series of records, and are typically written once, read many times, chronologically ordered, and read sequentially. In this paper we introduce DataSeries, an on-disk format, run-time library and set of tools for storing and analyzing structured serial data. We identify six key properties of a system to store and analyze this type of data, and describe how DataSeries was designed to provide these properties. We quantify the benefits of DataSeries through several experiments. In particular, we demonstrate that DataSeries exceeds the performance of common trace formats by at least a factor of two.
Managing operational business intelligence workloads
Authors: Dayal Umeshwar , Kuno Harumi , Wiener Janet L. , Wilkinson Kevin , Ganapathi Archana , Krompass Stefan
Published: January 2009

We explore how to manage database workloads that contain a mixture of OLTP-like queries that run for milliseconds as well as business intelligence queries and maintenance tasks that last for hours. As data warehouses grow in size to petabytes and complex analytic queries play a greater role in day-to-day business operations, factors such as inaccurate cardinality estimates, data skew, and resource contention all make it notoriously difficult to predict how such queries will behave before they start executing. However, traditional workload management assumes that accurate expectations for the resource requirements and performance characteristics of a workload are available at compile-time, and relies on such information in order to make critical workload management decisions. In this paper, we describe our approach to dealing with inaccurate predictions. First, we evaluate the ability of workload management algorithms to handle workloads that include unexpectedly long-running queries. Second, we describe a new and more accurate method for predicting the resource usage of queries before runtime. We have carried out an extensive set of experiments, and report on a few of our results.
From the chair
Authors: Sipior Janice C. , Lending Diane , Amoroso Donald L. , Shayo Conrad , Vowels Susan A.
Published: January 2009

Happy New Year! I hope 2009 brings us all health, happiness, and prosperity!

"The Eighth Annual ACM-SIGMIS Reception," held at the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS2008) in Paris, France was a delightful and successful networking event. Thanks to everyone who attended for encouraging guests to join SIGMIS! Next year's reception is planned for Saturday, December 14, 2009, from 5:30 -- 7:00pm, prior to ICIS2009 to be held in Phoenix, Arizona USA, December 15-18, 2009.

Please plan on attending our forthcoming:
Conference:
ACM-SIGMIS CPR (Computer Personnel Research) 2009 Conference and Doctoral Student Consortiumd
Theme:
"New Concepts and Practices in Preparing, Recruiting, and Retaining IS Professionals in the Global Context"
When:
May 28-30, 2009 (Doctoral Consortium: May 28, 2009)
Where:
University of Limerick Campus, Limerick, Ireland
URL:
http://www.sigmis.org/CPR_2009_Home_Page.htm.

For more information regarding ACM-SIGMIS CPR2009, please contact the Conference Co-Chairs: Norah Power, University of Limerick, norah.power@ul.ie Kate Kaiser, Marquette University, kate.kaiser@mu.edu.

For information regarding the Doctoral Consortium, please contact the Doctoral Consortium Co-Chairs: Deb Armstrong, Florida State University, djarmstrong@cob.fsu.edu Cindy Riemenschneider, University of Arkansas, cindy_riemenschneider@baylor.edu.

The refereed conference proceedings will be published by ACM and distributed at the conference. Additionally, an award for best doctoral consortium paper will be presented. We invite you to consider hosting a future SIGMIS CPR (Computer Personnel Research) Conference. Those interested should email Conrad Shayo at cshayo@csusb.edu) or me at janice.sipior@villanova.edu. Our astute Data Base editorial team, including Editor-in-Chief Tom Stafford, University of Memphis; Global Co-Editor Patrick Y.K. Chau, The University of Hong Kong; Managing Editor Colleen Schwarz, Louisiana State University; and Technical Editor Loel Kim, University of Memphis, has been doing an excellent job in maintaining the high quality and furthering the respected reputation of this quarterly ref-ereed publication. I invite you to send your best research to Data Base at: http://the-database.org.

Finally, I encourage you to vote in the 2009 SIGMIS elections this spring. I would like to thank Deb Armstrong, Florida State University, for serving as Chair of the Nominating Committee. The elections will be conducted electronically. Watch for the election announcement and visit the electronic voting site to review biographical information of candidates and cast your vote.

Thanks for your continued support of SIGMIS. Your participation, comments, and suggestions are always welcome.

We look forward to seeing you at SIGMIS CPR'09 in Limerick!
Do IT managers learn how to control spending on new information technology?
Authors: Reimers Kai , Guo Xunhua , Chen Guoqing
Published: January 2009

This paper presents an analysis of data collected from 94 Chinese firms about the development of their IT budgets and other variables in the period from 1989 to 2001. The purpose of this study is to revisit an early proposition by Nolan and colleagues regarding corporate IT purchasing behavior, called the Stages Hypothesis. We find that the Stages Hypothesis cannot be viewed as a general theory describing the IT purchasing behavior of firms; however, the development of the IT budget of some mostly large firms in our sample is consistent with the Stages Hypothesis. Based on further analyses, we offer a new interpretation of the Stages Hypothesis.
A study for end users' perceptions of business strategic factors among different IS/IT contexts
Authors: Qiu Weiming , Li Dong
Published: January 2009

For enterprises' e-business, it is important to understand the relationships between business strategy and information system/technology (IS/IT) strategy from end users' perspectives. In this research we analyze differences in end users' perceptions of corporate strategic factors among four situations divided by information system flexibility and information resource visibility. The results suggest that perceptions of corporate strategic factors on information system flexibility, and on information resource visibility, are significantly different. Also, perceptions of the corporate strategic factors among four situations from IS/IT contexts are significantly different. We suggest that top managers pay more attention to understanding the differences between end users' cognitions among different situations in IS/IT contexts, in order to achieve alignment between IS/IT strategy and business strategy.
Justifying legal protection of intellectual property
Authors: Himma K. E.
Published: January 2009

Whether or not intellectual property rights ought, as a matter of political morality, to be protected by the law surely depends on what kinds of interests the various parties have in intellectual content. Although theorists disagree on the limits of morally legitimate lawmaking authority, this much seems obvious: the coercive power of the law should be employed only to protect interests that rise to a certain level of moral importance. We have such a significant interest in not being lied to, for example, that ordinary unilateral lies are morally wrong, but the wrongness of lying does not rise to the level of something the state should protect against by coercive criminal prohibition. Indeed, it would clearly be wrong for the law to coercively restrict behaviors in which no one has any morally significant interests (i.e., interests that are important enough from the standpoint of morality that they receive some protection from moral principles) whatsoever. Using the coercive power of the law to restrict freedom is not justified unless the moral benefits of restricting the behavior outweigh the moral costs involved in using force to restrict human autonomy and freedom.
Ca2+ pathway involved in the refilling of store sites in rat adrenal medullary cells
Authors: Matsuoka Hidetada , Harada Keita , Ikeda Tomoya , Uetsuki Kouta , Sata Takeyoshi , Warashina Akira , Inoue Masumi
Published: January 2009

It has been suggested that store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOC) facilitates catecholamine secretion and synthesis in bovine adrenal medullary (AM) cells. However, there has been no experimental result clearly showing that cation channel activity is enhanced by store Ca2+ depletion. Thus the present experiments were undertaken to address the issue of whether rat AM cells have SOC channels. Inhibition of the sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+ (SERCA) pump resulted in a sustained increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in rat AM cells. This increase was completely suppressed by 2 mM Ni2+ but not by 100 μM D600. A bath application of Ni2+, but not D600, produced an outward current at −60 mV in rat AM cells, whereas exposure to a SERCA pump inhibitor did not affect either the whole cell current level or the Ni2+-induced outward current. The refilling of intracellular store sites was suppressed by the addition of Ni2+ to the perfusate. RT-PCR revealed that transcripts for transient receptor potential channels 1 (TRPC1) and 5 (TRPC5) were present in rat adrenal medullas. Immunocytochemistry showed that TRPC1 channels, which have been implicated in SOC in certain types of cells, were mainly localized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and not in the plasma membrane, and that STIM1, a Ca2+ sensor in the ER, was not expressed in rat AM cells. On the basis of these results, we conclude that rat AM cells lack the SOC mechanism.
Swelling-activated transport of taurine in cultured gill cells of sea bass: physiological adaptation and pavement cell plasticity
Authors: Avella Martine , Ducoudret Olivier , Pisani Didier F. , Poujeol Philippe
Published: January 2009

We have investigated volume-activated taurine transport and ultrastructural swelling response of sea bass gill cells in culture, assuming that euryhaline fish may have developed particularly efficient mechanisms of salinity adaptation. In vivo, when sea basses were progressively transferred from seawater to freshwater, we noticed a decrease in blood osmotic pressure. When gill cells in culture were subjected to 30% hypotonic shock, we observed a five-fold stimulation of [3H]taurine efflux. This transport was reduced by various anion channel inhibitors with the following efficiency: 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino)benzoic acid (NPPB) > niflumic acid > DIDS = diphenylamine-2-carboxylic acid. With polarized gill cells in culture, the hypotonic shock produced a five-fold stimulation of apical taurine transport, whereas basolateral exit was 25 times higher. Experiments using ionomycin, thapsigargin, BAPTA-AM, or removal of extracellular calcium suggested that taurine transport was regulated by external calcium. The inhibitory effects of lanthanum and streptomycin support Ca2+entry through mechanosensitive Ca2+channels. Branchial cells also showed hypotonically activated anionic currents sensitive to DIDS and NPPB. Similar pharmacology and time course suggested the potential existence of a common pathway for osmosensitive taurine and Cl−efflux through volume-sensitive organic osmolyte and anion channels. A three-dimensional structure study revealed that respiratory gill cells began to swell only 15 s after hypoosmotic shock. Apical microridges showed membrane outfoldings: the cell surface became smoother with a progressive disappearance of ridges. Therefore, osmotic swelling may not actually induce membrane stretch per se, inasmuch as the microridges may provide a reserve of surface area. This work demonstrates mechanisms of functional and morphological plasticity of branchial cells during osmotic stress.
Fetal iron status regulates maternal iron metabolism during pregnancy in the rat
Authors: Gambling Lorraine , Czopek Alicja , Andersen Henriette S. , Holtrop Grietje , Srai S. Kaila S. , Krejpcio Zbigniew , McArdle Harry J.
Published: January 2009

Iron metabolism during pregnancy is biased toward maintaining the fetal supply, even at the cost of anemia in the mother. The mechanisms regulating this are not well understood. Here, we examine iron deficiency and supplementation on the hierarchy of iron supply and the gene expression of proteins that regulate iron metabolism in the rat. Dams were fed iron-deficient diets for 4 wk, mated, and either continued on the deficient diet or an iron-supplemented diet during either the first half or the second half of their pregnancy. A control group was maintained on normal iron throughout. They were killed at 0.5, 12.5, or 21.5 days of gestation, and tissues and blood samples were collected. Deficiency and supplementation had differential effects on maternal and fetal hematocrit and liver iron levels. From early in pregnancy, a hierarchy of iron supply is established benefiting the fetus to the detriment of the mother. Transferrin receptor, transferrin receptor 2, and hepcidin mRNA expression were regulated by both iron deficiency and supplementation. Expression patterns showed both organ and supplementation protocol dependence. Further analysis indicated that iron levels in the fetal, and not maternal, liver regulate the expression of liver transferrin receptor and hepcidin expression in the mother.
COX-2 inhibitor reduces skeletal muscle hypertrophy in mice
Authors: Novak Margaret L , Billich William , Smith Sierra M. , Sukhija Kunal B. , McLoughlin Thomas J. , Hornberger Troy A. , Koh Timothy J.
Published: January 2009

Anti-inflammatory strategies are often used to reduce muscle pain and soreness that can result from high-intensity muscular activity. However, studies indicate that components of the acute inflammatory response may be required for muscle repair and growth. The hypothesis of this study was that cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 activity is required for compensatory hypertrophy of skeletal muscle. We used the synergist ablation model of skeletal muscle hypertrophy, along with the specific COX-2 inhibitor NS-398, to investigate the role of COX-2 in overload-induced muscle growth in mice. COX-2 was expressed in plantaris muscles during compensatory hypertrophy and was localized mainly in or near muscle cell nuclei. Treatment with NS-398 blunted the increases in mass and protein content in overloaded muscles compared with vehicle-treated controls. Additionally, the COX-2 inhibitor decreased activity of the urokinase type plasminogen activator, macrophage accumulation, and cell proliferation, all of which are required for hypertrophy after synergist ablation. Expression of insulin-like growth factor-1 and phosphorylation of Akt, mammalian target of rapamycin, and p70S6K were increased following synergist ablation, but were not affected by NS-398. Additionally, expression of atrogin-1 was reduced during hypertrophy, but was also not affected by NS-398. These results demonstrate that COX-2 activity is required for skeletal muscle hypertrophy, possibly through facilitation of extracellular protease activity, macrophage accumulation, and cell proliferation.
Low salt concentrations activate AMP-activated protein kinase in mouse macula densa cells
Authors: Cook Natasha , Fraser Scott A. , Katerelos Marina , Katsis Frosa , Gleich Kurt , Mount Peter F. , Steinberg Gregory R. , Levidiotis Vicki , Kemp Bruce E. , Power David A.
Published: January 2009

The energy-sensing kinase AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is associated with the sodium-potassium-chloride cotransporter NKCC2 in the kidney and phosphorylates it on a regulatory site in vitro. To identify a potential role for AMPK in salt sensing at the macula densa, we have used the murine macula densa cell line MMDD1. In this cell line, AMPK was rapidly activated by isosmolar low-salt conditions. In contrast to the known salt-sensing pathway in the macula densa, AMPK activation occurred in the presence of either low sodium or low chloride and was unaffected by inhibition of NKCC2 with bumetanide. Assays using recombinant AMPK demonstrated activation of an upstream kinase by isosmolar low salt. The specific calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase kinase inhibitor STO-609 failed to suppress AMPK activation, suggesting that it was not part of the signal pathway. AMPK activation was associated with increased phosphorylation of the specific substrate acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) at Ser79, as well as increased NKCC2 phosphorylation at Ser126. AMPK activation due to low salt concentrations was inhibited by an adenovirus construct encoding a kinase dead mutant of AMPK, leading to reduced ACC Ser79and NKCC2 Ser126phosphorylation. This work demonstrates that AMPK activation in macula densa-like cells occurs via isosmolar changes in sodium or chloride concentration, leading to phosphorylation of ACC and NKCC2. Phosphorylation of these substrates in vivo is predicted to increase intracellular chloride and so reduce the effect of salt restriction on tubuloglomerular feedback and renin secretion.
Pharmacogenomic effect of vitamin E on kidney structure and function in transgenic mice with the haptoglobin 2-2 genotype and diabetes mellitus
Authors: Nakhoul Farid M. , Miller-Lotan Rachel , Awad Hoda , Asleh Rabea , Jad Kheir , Nakhoul Nakhoul , Asaf Roy , Abu-Saleh Niroz , Levy Andrew P.
Published: January 2009

Polymorphic loci regulating oxidative stress are potential susceptibility genes for diabetic nephropathy (DN). Haptoglobin (Hp) is an antioxidant protein which serves to protect against oxidative stress induced by extracorpuscular hemoglobin. There are two alleles at the Hp locus, 1 and 2. The Hp 1 protein is a superior antioxidant to the Hp 2 protein. The Hp 2 allele has been associated with increased prevalence of DN and appears to be associated with a more rapid progression to end-stage renal disease. We sought to recapitulate this association between Hp genotype and DN in mice genetically modified at the Hp locus. We assessed morphometric, histologic, and functional parameters involved in the development and progression of DN in mice with diabetes mellitus (DM) with either the Hp 2-2 or Hp 1-1 genotype. Morphometric analysis demonstrated that glomerular and proximal tubular hypertrophy were significantly increased in Hp 2-2 DM mice. Histological analysis demonstrated that Hp 2-2 DM mice had significantly more collagen type IV, smooth muscle actin, and increased renal iron deposition. Studies of renal function demonstrated creatinine clearance time and albuminuria were increased in Hp 2-2 DM mice. Vitamin E provided significant protection against the development of functional and histological features characteristic of DN to Hp 2-2 DM but not to Hp 1-1 DM mice. These studies serve to strengthen the association between the Hp 2-2 genotype and diabetic renal disease and suggest a pharmacogenomic interaction may exist between the Hp genotype and vitamin E.
Zinc Modulation of Hemi-Gap-Junction Channel Currents in Retinal Horizontal Cells
Authors: Sun Ziyi , Zhang Dao-Qi , McMahon Douglas G.
Published: January 2009

Hemi-gap-junction (HGJ) channels of retinal horizontal cells (HCs) function as transmembrane ion channels that are modulated by voltage and calcium. As an endogenous retinal neuromodulator, zinc, which is coreleased with glutamate at photoreceptor synapses, plays an important role in shaping visual signals by acting on postsynaptic HCs in vivo. To understand more fully the regulation and function of HC HGJ channels, we examined the effect of Zn2+on HGJ channel currents in bass retinal HCs. Hemichannel currents elicited by depolarization in Ca2+-free medium and in 1 mM Ca2+medium were significantly inhibited by extracellular Zn2+. The inhibition by Zn2+of hemichannel currents was dose dependent with a half-maximum inhibitory concentration of 37 μM. Compared with other divalent cations, Zn2+exhibited higher inhibitory potency, with the order being Zn2+> Cd2+≈ Co2+> Ca2+> Ba2+> Mg2+. Zn2+and Ca2+were found to modulate HGJ channels independently in additivity experiments. Modification of histidine residues with N-bromosuccinimide suppressed the inhibitory action of Zn2+, whereas modification of cysteine residues had no significant effect on Zn2+inhibition. Taken together, these results suggest that zinc acts on HGJ channels in a calcium-independent way and that histidine residues on the extracellular domain of HGJ channels mediate the inhibitory action of zinc.
The Role of Tumor Cell–Derived Connective Tissue Growth Factor (CTGF/CCN2) in Pancreatic Tumor Growth
Authors: Bennewith Kevin L. , Huang Xin , Ham Christine M. , Graves Edward E. , Erler Janine T. , Kambham Neeraja , Feazell Jonathan , Yang George P. , Koong Albert , Giaccia Amato J.
Published: January 2009

Pancreatic cancer is highly aggressive and refractory to existing therapies. Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF/CCN2) is a fibrosis-related gene that is thought to play a role in pancreatic tumor progression. However, CCN2 can be expressed in a variety of cell types, and the contribution of CCN2 derived from either tumor cells or stromal cells as it affects the growth of pancreatic tumors is unknown. Using genetic inhibition of CCN2, we have discovered that CCN2 derived from tumor cells is a critical regulator of pancreatic tumor growth. Pancreatic tumor cells derived from CCN2 shRNA–expressing clones showed dramatically reduced growth in soft agar and when implanted s.c. We also observed a role for CCN2 in the growth of pancreatic tumors implanted orthotopically, with tumor volume measurements obtained by positron emission tomography imaging. Mechanistically, CCN2 protects cells from hypoxia-mediated apoptosis, providing an in vivo selection for tumor cells that express high levels of CCN2. We found that CCN2 expression and secretion was increased in hypoxic pancreatic tumor cells in vitro, and we observed colocalization of CCN2 and hypoxia in pancreatic tumor xenografts and clinical pancreatic adenocarcinomas. Furthermore, we found increased CCN2 staining in clinical pancreatic tumor tissue relative to stromal cells surrounding the tumor, supporting our assertion that tumor cell–derived CCN2 is important for pancreatic tumor growth. Taken together, these data improve our understanding of the mechanisms responsible for pancreatic tumor growth and progression, and also indicate that CCN2 produced by tumor cells represents a viable therapeutic target for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. [Cancer Res 2009;69(3):775–84]
From Stabat Pater to Prophetic Virgin: Harriet Beecher Stowe's Recovery of the Madonna-Figure
Authors: Adams Kimberly VanEsveld
Published: January 2009

This study of Harriet Beecher Stowe's Madonna-figures questions some influential arguments about the novelist's treatment of motherhood and domesticity. Critics such as Jane Tompkins, Elizabeth Ammons, and Gillian Brown have claimed that the novels privilege an alternative maternal culture and may even present the Christian Savior in feminized terms. But the early novels in fact reveal the gender restrictions of nineteenth-century Protestantism, which allowed no sanctified female roles. Uncle Tom's Cabin and Dred, for example, have Christ-figures but no Madonnas. Stowe's travels overseas, which exposed her to European religious art, and her gradual movement from the Congregational to the Episcopal church (documented by John Gatta), had a profound impact on two subsequent novels, The Minister's Wooing and Agnes of Sorrento. Here, for the first time, female characters are made Madonna-figures. But the novelist presents them as contemplative saints and prophetic virgins, rather than as mothers. Only in her late religious writings does Stowe portray the biblical Mary as not only prophet and poet but also mother—and then in an inimitable way. In The Minister's Wooing and Agnes as well as her religious writings, Stowe examines the New Testament sisters Martha and Mary of Bethany, who in church tradition represent, respectively, the active and the contemplative life. These discussions reveal the conflict the author experienced between her domestic responsibilities and artistic vocation, and her misgivings about many of the maternal characters found throughout her fiction. Stowe's contemplative and creative Mary-figures include Mary Scudder, Agnes, and the Virgin Mary herself. The contrasting Martha-figures are domestic geniuses but have “worldly” values, which sometimes threaten their daughters' happiness. These Marthas, who are increasingly subjected to authorial criticism, suggest some needed qualifications of arguments for the consistently positive valence of motherhood and domesticity in Stowe.
How Similar Are the Values of the People of China and Taiwan?
Authors: Marsh Robert
Published: January 2009

The reunification of Taiwan with China is one possible future development. Value differences can make the merging of two previously divided societies more difficult. How similar are the values – conceptions of the desirable – of the people now living in China and Taiwan? Representative national sample data from the World Values Surveys for both countries enable us to compare values in eleven domains. There are statistically significant differences on most values between respondents in the two societies, but the degree of difference varies among domains. The largest differences are found in religious values; lesser differences exist in trust and confidence, economic values, and values concerning the environment and science. Value similarities are greatest in the domains of family values, personal satisfaction, social stratification, and gender. The bearing of social structural conditions in China and Taiwan on these value differences and similarities is shown.
Ensemble Forecasts of Drought Indices Using a Conditional Residual Resampling Technique
Authors: Hwang Yeonsang , Carbone Gregory J.
Published: January 2009

The historical climate record and seasonal temperature and precipitation records provide useful datasets for making short-term drought predictions. A variety of methods have exploited these resources, but few have quantitatively measured uncertainties associated with predictions of drought index values commonly used in management plans. In this paper, stochastic approaches for estimating uncertainty are applied to drought index predictions. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center (CPC) seasonal forecasts and resampling of nearest-neighbor residuals are incorporated to measure uncertainty in monthly forecasts of Palmer drought severity index (PDSI) and standardized precipitation index (SPI) in central South Carolina. Kuiper skill scores of PDSI indicate good forecast performance with up to 3-month lead time and improvements for 1-month-lead SPI forecasts. NOAA CPC climate outlook improved the forecast skill by as much as 40%, and the degree of improvement varies by season and forecast lead time.
The Path Density of Interhemispheric Surface-to-Surface Transport. Part II: Transport through the Troposphere and Stratosphere Diagnosed from NCEP Data
Authors: Holzer Mark
Published: January 2009

Interhemispheric transport from the earth’s surface north of 32.4°N (region ΩN) to the surface south of 32.4°S (region ΩS) is quantified using the path-density diagnostic developed in Part I of this study. The path density is computed using the Model of Atmospheric Transport and Chemistry (MATCH) driven by NCEP reanalyses. The structure of both the ΩN → ΩS and ΩN → ΩN zonally averaged path densities is examined in detail for air that had last ΩN contact (“ΩN air”) during January and July. The path density provides the joint probability that ΩN air will make its next surface contact with either ΩN or ΩS, that it will have surface-to-surface transit time τ ∈ (τ, τ + dτ), and that it can be found in volume element d 3r during its surface-to-surface journey. The distribution of surface-to-surface transit times, the probability of ΩN air making next contact with ΩS, and the probability of finding ΩN air destined for ΩS in the stratosphere are computed from suitable integrations of the path density. Approximately one-third of the ΩN air undergoes interhemispheric transport to ΩS, with a ∼20% probability of being found in the stratosphere during its surface-to-surface journey. The stratospheric fraction has about equal contributions from the part of the stratosphere that is isentropically isolated from the troposphere and from the part that is isentropically connected to the troposphere (i.e., from the overworld and the stratospheric middleworld in the terminology of Hoskins). The flow rate through the stratospheric middleworld is about twice as large as the flow rate through the overworld.
An Application of Reflectivity Climatology in Constructing Radar Hybrid Scans over Complex Terrain
Authors: Chang Pao-Liang , Lin Pin-Fang , Jong-Dao Jou Ben , Zhang Jian
Published: January 2009

Three years’ worth of radar reflectivity data from four radars in an area of complex terrain (Taiwan) from 2005 to 2007 were analyzed and a reflectivity climatology was developed. The climatology was applied in the construction of new hybrid scans to minimize the impacts of ground clutter and beam blockages. The reflectivity climatology showed significant seasonal variations and captured distributions of ground/sea clutters, beam blockages, and anomalous propagations in addition to precipitation systems in the radar domains.

By comparing the reflectivity climatology with gauge observations, it was found that 15 (20) dBZ was a good approximation for rain/no-rain segregation during cool (warm) seasons. Comparisons between the standard (i.e., based on terrain and scan strategies only with the assumption of standard propagations) and nonstandard (i.e., standard plus the clutter and blockage mitigation using the reflectivity climatology) hybrid scans showed that the former did not accurately reflect the clutter and blockage distributions in the real atmosphere. The application of the reflectivity climatology was shown to significantly reduce the impacts of clutter and blockages and provided improved radar quantitative precipitation estimates (QPEs) in the complex terrain.
Atlantic Subtropical Storms. Part I: Diagnostic Criteria and Composite Analysis
Authors: Evans Jenni L. , Guishard Mark P.
Published: January 2009

Subtropical cyclones (ST) have only recently gained attention as damaging weather systems. A set of criteria for identifying and classifying these systems is introduced here and employed to identify 18 ST cases forming in the 1999–2004 hurricane seasons. To be classified as an ST, these systems must have near-surface gale-force winds and show hybrid structure for more than one diurnal cycle. The 18 ST cases are partitioned into four classes based upon their genesis environments. Genesis over waters with SST in excess of 25°C is observed in almost 80% of warm-season cases, in contrast with only 55% in an ST climatology presented in a companion study. The low-shear magnitude constraint recognized for tropical cyclogenesis is less apparent for ST formation with over 50% forming in the two partitions characterized by shear in excess of 10 m s−1. This relatively high-shear environment corresponds to equatorward intrusion of upper troughs over the relatively warm SST present in the mid–late hurricane season. Anomaly composites confirm that ST genesis is associated with the intrusion of an upper trough in the westerlies into a region of relatively warm SST and weak static stability, with a corresponding reduction in the environmental shear near the time of ST genesis. These conditions correspond well with the conditions for tropical transition identified by Davis and Bosart. Indeed, these systems exhibit a propensity to continue development into a tropical cyclone; 80% eventually became named tropical systems. This result is consistent with a recent ST climatology but had not been widely recognized previously. This raises the possibility that tropical storms evolving from ST may have been overlooked or their tracks truncated in the National Hurricane Center Hurricane Database (HURDAT).
On the Spectral Convergence of the Supercompact Finite-Difference Schemes for the f-Plane Shallow-Water Equations
Authors: Ghader S. , Mohebalhojeh A. R. , Esfahanian V.
Published: January 2009

For the f-plane shallow-water equations, the convergence properties of the supercompact finite-difference method (SCFDM) are examined during the evolution of complex, nonlinear flows spawned by an unstable jet. The second-, fourth-, sixth-, and eighth-order SCFDMs are compared with a standard pseudospectral (PS) method. To control the buildup of small-scale activity and thus the potential for numerical instability, the vorticity field is damped explicitly by the application of a triharmonic hyperdiffusion operator acting on the vorticity field. The global distribution of mass between isolevels of potential vorticity, called mass error, and the representation of the balance and imbalance are used to assess numerical accuracy. In each of the quantitative measures, a clear convergence of the SCFDM to the PS method is observed. There is no saturation in accuracy up to the eighth order examined. Taking the PS solution as the reference, for the fundamental quantity of potential vorticity the rate of convergence to PS turns out to be algebraic and near-quadratic.
It Takes a Village to Raise a Researcher: Narrative Interviewing as Intervention, Reconciliation, and Growth
Authors: White Aaronette M. , Dotson William
Published: January 2009

The “narrative revolution” in psychology emphasizes that individuals are storytellers and that narratives can provide rich data about people’s identities and the meanings given to life-altering experiences. The “griot” or storyteller is revered among people of African descent, thus, narrative interviewing can be a culturally appealing method for gathering the life stories of African Americans in identity research. However, narrative interviewing can be linked to philosophical paradigms such as logical positivism, critical theory, or other philosophies of science. This article tells a story about how the authors’ research moved from one set of assumptions (logical positivism) to another (critical theory with Afrocentric and feminist values)—using the same method but applying it in the interest of an optimal Black feminist psychology. Details are provided from the lives of the authors as well as from the lives of the African American men they interviewed. Such details elucidate the way in which the authors’ “subjectivity” added positively to the research experience and highlight how the research experience constituted a larger story of narrative interviewing as intervention, reconciliation, and personal growth.
Black German Identities: Validating the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity
Authors: Wandert Timo , Ochsmann Randolph , Brug Peary , Chybicka Anna , Lacassagne Marie-Françoise , Verkuyten Maykel
Published: January 2009

This study examines the reliability and validity of a German version of the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity (MIBI) in a sample of 170 Black Germans. The internal consistencies of all subscales are at least moderate. The factorial structure of the MIBI, as assessed by principal component analysis, corresponds to a high degree to the supposed underlying dimensional structure. Construct validity was examined by analyzing (a) the intercorrelations of the MIBI subscales and (b) the correlations of the subscales with external variables. Predictive validity was assessed by analyzing the correlations of three MIBI subscales with the level of intra-racial contact. All but one prediction concerning the correlations of the subscales could be confirmed, suggesting high validity. No statistically significant negative association was observed between the Black nationalist and assimilationist ideology subscales. This result is discussed as a consequence of the specific social context Black Germans live in and is not considered to lower the MIBI’s validity. Observed differences in mean scores to earlier studies of African American racial identity are also discussed.
Promoting morphological awareness in Hebrew-speaking grade-schoolers: An intervention study using linguistic humor
Authors: Ravid Dorit , Geiger Vital
Published: January 2009

Research indicates that morphological awareness contributes to success in literacy acquisition and consolidation, since morphology links together phonological and semantic facets of language. The role of morphology is especially important in Hebrew, a highly synthetic Semitic language. The current study aimed to investigate the impact of an intervention program on knowledge and awareness of morphology in Hebrew-speaking grade-schoolers. Two three-month intervention programs were conducted in two groups of 4th-grade children: a metalinguistic morphological intervention program using linguistic humor, and a parallel intervention program using nonverbal humor. A morphological awareness test was administered to the two groups prior to and following the intervention period. The results demonstrate consistent advantages to the morphological intervention group, including tasks related both directly and indirectly to content taught.
The relation between ambiguity understanding and metalinguistic discussion of joking riddles in good and poor comprehenders: Potential for intervention and possible processes of change
Authors: Yuill Nicola
Published: January 2009

This study investigated understanding of language ambiguity as a source of individual differences in children's reading comprehension skill, and the role of peer metalinguistic discussion in fostering comprehension improvement. Twenty-four 7- to 9-year-old children worked in pairs to discuss and resolve ambiguities in joking riddles. Their reading comprehension increased significantly more than a group of 24 no-treatment controls. Analysis of the children's discussions shows that comprehension improvement was associated with increases over training sessions in frequency of metalinguistic comments about the text ambiguities, and in particular with the simultaneous explanation of two meanings. We discuss individual differences in metalinguistic and metacognitive capabilities and their role in the process of comprehension improvement.
Treatment of syntactic movement in syntactic SLI: A case study
Authors: Levy Hagar , Friedmann Naama
Published: January 2009

We describe a study of syntactic intervention administered to a 12;2-year-old individual with syntactic SLI, who had difficulties in the comprehension and production of structures containing syntactic movement such as relative clauses, object questions, topicalization sentences, and sentences with verb movement. The intervention, comprised of 16 sessions, was based on syntactic theory and included explicit teaching of syntactic movement, relying on a type of syntactic knowledge that was intact — the argument structure of the verb. The participant's performance was assessed before and after treatment, and for some of the tests also during the treatment and 10 months later. The performance was assessed using various tasks that targeted comprehension, repetition and elicitation of semantically reversible sentences. Following treatment, the participant's performance on all structures with syntactic movement showed substantial improvement compared with baseline, in many of the tasks reaching the performance of the age-matched control group. Treatment of phrasal movement resulted not only in improvement in treated structures, but also in generalization to untrained structures: although phrasal movement was only treated directly for relative clauses and topicalization structures, the comprehension of object Wh-questions, which also include phrasal movement, improved as well. The high performance level was maintained 10 months after the treatment.
Incidental receptive language growth associated with expressive grammar intervention in SLI
Authors: Camarata Stephen , Nelson Keith E. , Gillum Heather , Camarata Mary
Published: January 2009

Children with SLI (Specific Language Impairment) display language deficits in the absence of frank neurological lesions, global cognitive deficits or significant clinical hearing loss. Although these children can display disruptions in both receptive and expressive grammar, the intervention literature has been largely focused on expressive deficits. Thus, there are numerous reports in the literature suggesting that expressive language skills can be improved using focused presentation of grammatical targets (cf. conversational recast; Camarata, Nelson & Camarata, 1994), but there have been few investigations addressing the remediation of receptive language skills in SLI for those children with receptive language deficits. The purpose of this study was to examine whether focused grammatical intervention on expressive grammar is associated with growth in receptive language in 21 children with SLI who have receptive language deficits. These children displayed significant growth in receptive language scores as an incidental or secondary association with expressive language intervention and significantly higher gains than seen in a comparison-control group with SLI and receptive language deficits ( n = 6). The theoretical and clinical implications of these results are discussed.
Gender Differences in Functional Health and Mortality Among the Chinese Elderly
Authors: Kaneda Toshiko , Zimmer Zachary , Xianghua Fang  , Zhe Tang
Published: January 2009

In this study, the authors focused on older adults in Beijing with three objectives: to examine gender differences in functional health and mortality at the end of a five-year study period, controlling for initial functional health; to determine the extent to which these differences were a function of exposure versus vulnerability to risk factors; and to analyze the relative importance of social, economic, and psychological risk factors in explaining gender differences. The results show that women were more likely to survive and to be functionally dependent at follow-up compared with men among those functionally independent at baseline. No significant differences among those who were initially dependent were apparent. Differential vulnerability to risk factors, more so than exposure, explained the variation in health outcomes across gender. Smoking, a lack of formal education, a lack of health insurance, a low sense of control, stressful events, and rural living played large roles in explaining the differences.
A Review of Clinical Trials of Tai Chi and Qigong in Older Adults
Authors: Rogers Carol E. , Larkey Linda K. , Keller Colleen
Published: January 2009

Initiation and maintenance of physical activity (PA) in older adults is of increasing concern as the benefits of PA have been shown to improve physical functioning, mood, weight, and cardiovascular risk factors. Meditative movement forms of PA, such as tai chi and qigong (TC&QG), are holistic in nature and have increased in popularity over the past few decades. Several randomized controlled trials have evaluated TC&QG interventions from multiple perspectives, specifically targeting older adults. The purpose of this report is to synthesize intervention studies targeting TC&QG and identify the physical and psychological health outcomes shown to be associated with TC&QG in community dwelling adults older than 55. Based on specific inclusion criteria, 36 research reports with a total of 3,799 participants were included in this review. Five categories of study outcomes were identified, including falls and balance, physical function, cardiovascular disease, and psychological and additional disease-specific responses. Significant improvement in clusters of similar outcomes indicated interventions utilizing TC&QG may help older adults improve physical function and reduce blood pressure, fall risk, and depression and anxiety. Missing from the reviewed reports is a discussion of how spiritual exploration with meditative forms of PA, an important component of these movement activities, may contribute to successful aging.
Evaluation of a Learning Strategies Scale for Middle School Students
Authors: Liu Ou Lydia
Published: January 2009

Learning strategies have been increasingly recognized as a useful tool to promote effective learning. In response to the lack of available learning strategies measures for middle school students, this study evaluated an instrument assessing cognitive, behavioral, and metacognitive strategy use among middle school students. The instrument, called the Middle School Learning Strategies (MSLS) scale, was examined in terms of factorial structure, reliability, and correlation with course grades. Results confirmed the factor structure based on cognitive, behavioral, and metacognitive strategy use. Scores on the MSLS scale and the three subscales showed satisfactory reliability coefficient (i.e., >.70). Student self-reported grades in language arts, social studies, math, and science were reasonably correlated with the three subscales. Females reported using more behavioral strategies than males. No significant difference was identified in strategy use across grades. Potential uses for the MSLS instrument in middle school educational settings are discussed.
The Brief Serenity Scale
Authors: Kreitzer Mary Jo , Gross Cynthia R. , Waleekhachonloet On-anong , Reilly-Spong Maryanne , Byrd Marcia
Published: January 2009

Purpose: This article describes a factor analysis of a 22-item version of the Serenity Scale, a tool that measures spirituality and well-being. Method: A sample of 87 participants, enrolled in a National Institutes of Health—funded clinical trial examining the impact of mindfulness-based stress reduction on symptom management post-solid organ transplantation, completed the abbreviated instrument. Findings: Exploratory factor analysis yielded three subscales: acceptance, inner haven, and trust. The Serenity Scale was positively associated with positive affect and mindful awareness and inversely related to negative affect, anxiety, depression, health distress and transplant-related stress. Conclusions: Serenity, a dimension of spirituality that is secular and distinct from religious orientation or religiosity, shows promise as a tool that could be used to measure outcomes of nursing interventions that improve health and well-being. Implications: Spirituality is recognized as being an essential component of holistic nursing practice. As nurses expand their use of spiritual interventions, it is important to document outcomes related to nursing care. The Serenity Scale appears to capture a dimension of spirituality, a state of acceptance, inner haven and trust that is distinct from other spirituality instruments.