bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Characterization of Contact Force During Endocardial and Epicardial Ventricular Mapping
Authors: Jesel Laurence , Sacher Frédéric , Komatsu Yuki , Daly Matthew , Zellerhoff Stephan , Lim Han S. , Derval Nicolas , Denis Arnaud , Ambri Wislane , Ramoul Khaled , Aurillac Valérie , Hocini Mélèze , Haïssaguerre Michel , Jaïs Pierre
Published: September 2014

Background—

The optimal contact force (CF) for ventricular mapping and ablation remains unvalidated. We assessed CF in different endocardial and epicardial regions during ventricular tachycardia substrate mapping using a CF-sensing catheter (Smartouch; Biosense-Webster) and compared the transseptal versus retroaortic approach.

Methods and Results—

In total, 8979 mapping points with CF, and force vector orientation (VO) were recorded in 21 patients, comprising 13 epicardial, 12 left ventricular (6 transseptal and 6 retroaortic approach), and 12 right ventricular endocardial maps. VO was defined as adequate when the vector was directed toward the myocardium. During epicardial mapping, 46% of the points showed an adequate VO and a median CF of 8 (4–13) g, however, with significant differences among the 8 regions. When VO was inadequate, median CF was higher at 16 (10–24) g (
P
<0.0001). During left ventricular and right ventricular endocardial mapping, 94% of VO were adequate. Median CF of adequate VO was higher in the left ventricular and right ventricular endocardium than in the epicardium (15 [8–25] and 13 [7–22] g versus 8 [4–13] g, respectively; both
P
<0.001). Global median left ventricular CF with transseptal approach was not statistically different from retroaortic approach, but CF in the apicoinferior and apicoseptal regions was higher with transseptal approach (
P
<0.001).

Conclusions—

Ventricular mapping demonstrates important regional variations in CF, but in general, CF is higher endocardially than epicardially where poor catheter orientation is associated with higher CF. A transseptal approach may lead to improved contact particularly in the apicoseptal and inferior regions.
Advanced Heart Failure With Preserved Systolic Function in Nonobstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Rowin Ethan J. , Maron Barry J. , Kiernan Michael S. , Casey Susan A. , Feldman David S. , Hryniewicz Katarzyna M. , Chan Raymond H. , Harris Kevin M. , Udelson James E. , DeNofrio David , Roberts William C. , Maron Martin S.
Published: September 2014

Background—

In hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), heart transplant has been predominantly confined to patients with systolic dysfunction. An underappreciated HCM subset comprises patients with preserved left ventricular (LV) systolic function who may also require consideration for transplantation. Therefore, we sought to define the clinical profile and occurrence of advanced heart failure among patients with nonobstructive HCM and preserved systolic function.

Methods and Results—

Databases from 2 referral centers comprising 2100 HCM patients were interrogated. Forty-six nonobstructive HCM patients (2.2%) either received or were listed for heart transplant, including 20 with normal systolic function (ejection fraction ≥50%). At transplant listing, these 20 patients were 42±13 years old, each in New York Heart Association functional class III/IV with ejection fraction of 62±7%. LV was hypertrophied with maximum wall thickness of 22±4 mm and nondilated (end-diastolic dimension, 39±7 mm). Cardiovascular magnetic resonance in 10 (of 15) patients showed no or minimal fibrosis (≤5% LV mass). Elevated LV end-diastolic or pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, consistent with diastolic dysfunction, was present in 15 patients (75%). LV filling was impaired by echocardiographic measures in all patients, including a restrictive inflow pattern in 8 (40%). In 2 patients, traditional criteria for transplant were absent, including peak V
O
2
>14 mL/kg/min. Heart transplantation was performed in 12 patients with each alive and without cardiovascular symptoms, 2.3±1.7 years later.

Conclusions—

A previously under-recognized segment of the broad HCM clinical spectrum consists of nonobstructive patients with advanced heart failure, in the presence of preserved systolic function, for whom heart transplant is the sole definitive therapeutic option.
Cholesterol Esters (CE) Derived From Hepatic Sterol O-Acyltransferase 2 (SOAT2) Are Associated With More Atherosclerosis Than CE From Intestinal SOAT2
Authors: Zhang Jun , Sawyer Janet K. , Marshall Stephanie M. , Kelley Kathryn L. , Davis Matthew A. , Wilson Martha D. , Brown J. Mark , Rudel Lawrence L.
Published: September 2014

Rationale
:

Cholesterol esters (CE), especially cholesterol oleate, generated by hepatic and intestinal sterol O-acyltransferase 2 (SOAT2) play a critical role in cholesterol homeostasis. However, it is unknown whether the contribution of intestine-derived CE from SOAT2 would have similar effects in promoting atherosclerosis progression as for liver-derived CE.

Objective
:

To test whether, in low-density lipoprotein receptor null (LDLr
−/−
) mice, the conditional knockout of intestinal SOAT2 (SOAT2
SI−/SI−
) or hepatic SOAT2 (SOAT2
L−/L−
) would equally limit atherosclerosis development compared with the global deletion of SOAT2 (SOAT2
−/−
).

Methods and Results
:

SOAT2 conditional knockout mice were bred with LDLr
−/−
mice creating LDLr
−/−
mice with each of the specific SOAT2 gene deletions. All mice then were fed an atherogenic diet for 16 weeks. SOAT2
SI−/SI−
LDLr
−/−
and SOAT2
−/−
LDLr
−/−
mice had significantly lower levels of intestinal cholesterol absorption, more fecal sterol excretion, and lower biliary cholesterol levels. Analysis of plasma LDL showed that all mice with SOAT2 gene deletions had LDL CE with reduced percentages of cholesterol palmitate and cholesterol oleate. Each of the LDLr
−/−
mice with SOAT2 gene deletions had lower accumulations of total cholesterol and CE in the liver compared with control mice. Finally, aortic atherosclerosis development was significantly lower in all mice with global or tissue-restricted SOAT2 gene deletions. Nevertheless, SOAT2
−/−
LDLr
−/−
and SOAT2
L−/L−
LDLr
−/−
mice had less aortic CE accumulation and smaller aortic lesions than SOAT2
SI−/SI−
LDLr
−/−
mice.

Conclusions
:

SOAT2-derived CE from both the intestine and liver significantly contribute to the development of atherosclerosis, although the CE from the hepatic enzyme appeared to promote more atherosclerosis development.
Assessment of Atherosclerosis in Chronic Granulomatous Disease
Authors: Sibley Christopher T. , Estwick Tyra , Zavodni Anna , Huang Chiung-Yu , Kwan Alan C. , Soule Benjamin P. , Long Priel Debra A. , Remaley Alan T. , Rudman Spergel Amanda K. , Turkbey Evrim B. , Kuhns Douglas B. , Holland Steven M. , Malech Harry L. , Zarember Kol A. , Bluemke David A. , Gallin John I.
Published: September 2014

Background—

Patients with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) experience immunodeficiency because of defects in the phagocyte NADPH oxidase and the concomitant reduction in reactive oxygen intermediates. This may result in a reduction in atherosclerotic injury.

Methods and Results—

We prospectively assessed the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, biomarkers of inflammation and neutrophil activation, and the presence of magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography quantified subclinical atherosclerosis in the carotid and coronary arteries of 41 patients with CGD and 25 healthy controls in the same age range. Univariable and multivariable associations among risk factors, inflammatory markers, and atherosclerosis burden were assessed. Patients with CGD had significant elevations in traditional risk factors and inflammatory markers compared with control subjects, including hypertension, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, oxidized low-density lipoprotein, and low high-density lipoprotein. Despite this, patients with CGD had a 22% lower internal carotid artery wall volume compared with control subjects (361.3±76.4 mm
3
versus 463.5±104.7 mm
3
;
P
<0.001). This difference was comparable in p47
phox
- and gp91
phox
-deficient subtypes of CGD and independent of risk factors in multivariate regression analysis. In contrast, the prevalence of coronary arterial calcification was similar between patients with CGD and control subjects (14.6%, CGD; 6.3%, controls;
P
=0.39).

Conclusions—

The observation by magnetic resonance imaging and computerized tomography of reduced carotid but not coronary artery atherosclerosis in patients with CGD despite the high prevalence of traditional risk factors raises questions about the role of NADPH oxidase in the pathogenesis of clinically significant atherosclerosis. Additional high-resolution studies in multiple vascular beds are required to address the therapeutic potential of NADPH oxidase inhibition in cardiovascular diseases.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT01063309.
Thrombin Receptor Protease-Activated Receptor 4 Is a Key Regulator of Exaggerated Intimal Thickening in Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Pavic Goran , Grandoch Maria , Dangwal Seema , Jobi Klaus , Rauch Bernhard H. , Doller Anke , Oberhuber Alexander , Akhyari Payam , Schrör Karsten , Fischer Jens W. , Fender Anke C.
Published: September 2014

Background—

Diabetes mellitus predisposes to thrombotic and proliferative vascular remodeling, to which thrombin contributes via activation of protease-activated receptor (PAR) 1. However, the use of PAR-1 inhibitors to suppress remodeling may be limited by severe bleeding. We recently reported upregulation of an additional thrombin receptor, PAR-4, in human vascular smooth muscle cells exposed to high glucose and have now examined PAR-4 as a novel mediator linking hyperglycemia, hypercoagulation, and vascular remodeling in diabetes mellitus.

Methods and Results—

PAR-4 expression was increased in carotid atherectomies and saphenous vein specimens from diabetic versus nondiabetic patients and in aorta and carotid arteries from streptozotocin-diabetic versus nondiabetic C57BL/6 mice. Vascular PAR-1 mRNA was not increased in diabetic mice. Ligated carotid arteries from diabetic mice developed more extensive neointimal hyperplasia and showed greater proliferation than arteries from nondiabetic mice. The augmented remodeling response was absent in diabetic mice deficient in PAR-4. At the cellular level, PAR-4 expression was controlled via the mRNA stabilizing actions of human antigen R, which accounted for the stimulatory actions of high glucose, angiotensin II, and H
2
O
2
on PAR-4 expression, whereas cicaprost via protein kinase A activation counteracted this effect.

Conclusions—

PAR-4 appears to play a hitherto unsuspected role in diabetic vasculopathy. The development of PAR-4 inhibitors might serve to limit mainly proliferative processes in restenosis-prone diabetic patients, particularly those patients in whom severe bleeding attributed to selective PAR-1 blockade or complete thrombin inhibition must be avoided or those who do not require anticoagulation.
Acute Kidney Injury After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting and Long-Term Risk of End-Stage Renal Disease
Authors: Rydén Linda , Sartipy Ulrik , Evans Marie , Holzmann Martin J.
Published: September 2014

Background—

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and is associated with adverse outcomes. However, the relationship between AKI after CABG and the long-term risk of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is unknown.

Methods and Results—

This study included 29 330 patients who underwent primary isolated CABG in Sweden between 2000 and 2008. AKI was classified according to the Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN) classification: stage 1, >0.3 mg/dL (>26 μmol/L) or 50% to 100% increase; stage 2, 100% to 200% increase; and stage 3, >200% increase from the preoperative to postoperative serum creatinine level. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to calculate hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals for ESRD in AKIN stage 1 and stage 2 to 3. Postoperative AKI occurred in 13% of patients. During a mean follow-up of 4.3±2.4 years, 123 patients (0.4%) developed ESRD, including 50 (1.6%) in AKIN stage 1, 29 (5.2%) in AKIN stage 2 to 3, and 44 (0.2%) without AKI after CABG. After multivariable adjustment, the hazard ratio for ESRD was 2.92 (95% confidence interval, 1.87–4.55) for AKIN stage 1 and 3.81 (95% confidence interval, 2.14–6.79) for AKIN stage 2 to 3.

Conclusions—

This nationwide study of patients who underwent CABG found that a small increase in the postoperative serum creatinine level was associated with an almost 3-fold increase in the long-term risk of ESRD after adjustment for a number of confounders, including preoperative renal function.
Clinical Trials in Peripheral Vascular Disease
Authors: Subherwal Sumeet , Patel Manesh R. , Chiswell Karen , Tidemann-Miller Beth A. , Jones W. Schuyler , Conte Michael S. , White Christopher J. , Bhatt Deepak L. , Laird John R. , Hiatt William R. , Tasneem Asba , Califf Robert M.
Published: September 2014

Background—

Tremendous advances have occurred in therapies for peripheral vascular disease (PVD); until recently, however, it has not been possible to examine the entire clinical trial portfolio of studies for the treatment of PVD (both arterial and venous disease).

Methods and Results—

We examined interventional trials registered in
ClinicalTrials.gov
from October 2007 through September 2010 (n=40 970) and identified 676 (1.7%) PVD trials (n=493 arterial only, n=170 venous only, n=13 both arterial and venous). Most arterial studies investigated lower-extremity peripheral artery disease and acute stroke (35% and 24%, respectively), whereas most venous studies examined deep vein thrombosis/pulmonary embolus prevention (42%) or venous ulceration (25%). A placebo-controlled trial design was used in 27% of the PVD trials, and 4% of the PVD trials excluded patients >65 years of age. Enrollment in at least 1 US site decreased from 51% of trials in 2007 to 41% in 2010. Compared with noncardiology disciplines, PVD trials were more likely to be double-blinded, to investigate the use of devices and procedures, and to have industry sponsorship and assumed funding source, and they were less likely to investigate drug and behavioral therapies. Geographic access to PVD clinical trials within the United States is limited to primarily large metropolitan areas.

Conclusions—

PVD studies represent a small group of trials registered in
ClinicalTrials.gov
, despite the high prevalence of vascular disease in the general population. This low number, compounded by the decreasing number of PVD trials in the United States, is concerning and may limit the ability to inform current clinical practice of patients with PVD.
Korea’s Soft Power as an Alternative Approach to Africa in Development Cooperation
Authors: Hwang Kyu-Deug
Published: September 2014

* The first version of this paper was presented at the Fifth European Conference on African Studies (ecas 5), which was held on June 27-29, 2013 at iscte-iul Lisboa, Portugal. I am deeply grateful to the anonymous reviewers for their very helpful comments on the previous drafts. This work was supported by Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Research Fund of 2014.

The rise of China as an emergent global power in gaining access to energy and mineral resources is one of the main factors for reinforcing Korea’s aid to Africa. Although Korea recognizes the limits of searching for ways of furthering its ‘resource diplomacy’ based primarily on economic pragmatism, the Korean government has strived to utilize foreign aid as a tool for soft power. Korea’s perspective is to play a bigger role in addressing global issues as well as to aspire in becoming a middle power, in the sense that it is not regionally influential in spite of its growing powers. Given that middle power diplomacy tends to pursue a norm-based approach and also provides knowledge and/or ideas relevant to a unique niche that it finds important, it is characteristically soft power-oriented. Taking into account the non-material or ideational factors as well as material ones, constructivists in the field of international relations (ir) recognize the power of ideas, norms, institutions, and interests, which contain the core elements of what Nye calls soft power. In this context, this paper attempts to illuminate some of the important questions as to why and how Korea has endeavored to focus on developing its soft power strategy toward Africa in the new millennium.
The Impact of Community Structural Instability on Bedoon and Suicidal Behavior in Kuwait
Authors: Alsaleh Amer
Published: September 2014

The current study examines the impact of community structural instability on the suicidal behaviors of the indigenous community of the Bedoon in Kuwait. I hypothesize that the Bedoon’s lack of documentation and limited opportunities in Kuwait, combined with community structural instability, increase suicide ideation and attempts. The contextual influence of community structural instability should be mediated by weak attachments to social norms and values (anomie) and by contact with suicidal others (attempt and ideation). The data, coming from a survey of 2,583 Bedoon adolescents between 14 and 18 years old, indicate that the community level of residential mobility has a positive, contextual effect on Bedoon suicidal behavior. The findings also indicate that the contextual effect of residential mobility is mediated by both anomie and attempt and ideation and offer the possibility of identifying communities that carry a substantial risk for adolescent suicide as well as the mechanisms that mediate the influence of community structural characteristics on Bedoon adolescent risk behavior.
Environmental Change, Conflicts and Problems of Sustainable Development in the Horn of Africa
Authors: Bereketeab Redie
Published: September 2014

This article analyses interlinks between environmental changes, conflicts and sustainable development in the Horn of Africa. It makes an argument for the dialectical correlation between the three variables. It is thus argued that environmental deterioration can lead to conflicts, and environmental deterioration and conflicts can also hamper sustainable development. It is also argued that lack of sustainable development can lead to environmental degradation, which can lead to conflicts. Conflict causes environmental degradation, which hampers development. The article also argues that social structures and socio-economic mode of life impact on environment that either aggravates or mitigates conflicts, affecting sustainable development negatively or positively. The social norms, values and practices these social structures and institutions spawn also impact on environment-conflict-development nexus.
Examining the Distinctiveness of Antecedents to Trust in Government
Authors: Porumbescu Gregory A. , Park Yoonhwan
Published: September 2014

Approaches to understanding trust in government are likely to be incomplete if they are only applied to trust and not government as well. As such, this study builds upon existing attempts to understand trust in government by deconstructing the terms trust and government and assessing the relationships among the various components within South Korea. To analyse the antecedents of trust in government, multiple regression analyses are used to assess The Social Trust Public Opinion Survey (2004), which addresses current trust levels across society, markets, institutions, and government. Our findings suggest the significance of determinants of trust vary by area of government.
Devolved Government and Local Governance in Kenya
Authors: Hope Kempe Ronald
Published: September 2014

This work sets out the structure and potential benefits of decentralized government in Kenya and, against that background, advocates, provides justification for, and recommends a program of actions to build the required framework and institutions to underpin and support the devolved government structures that the 2010 constitution proposes for improving local and, consequently, national governance in the country. The potential benefits from devolved government are analyzed with critical examples drawing from Kenya’s current economic and political environment. Against that background, a program of actions is advocated and discussed to derive those benefits, as well as in accordance with the objectives and principles of devolved government spelled out in the 2010 constitution.
Growing up with Mercury in an Ayurvedic Family Tradition in Northern India
Authors: Prakash Vaidya Balendu
Published: September 2014

In this personal narrative, Vaidya Balendu Prakash tells the story of how he grew up in a north Indian family lineage specialising in rasashastra, a clinical specialty of Ayurveda that deals with the complex processing of mercury and metals converting toxic materials into therapeutic forms, largely known as bhasmas. As a college student, Prakash was confronted with his father’s medical knowledge through a personal illness and accepted the challenge of continuing the family lineage. His training in both Western science and Ayurveda, his experiences and experiments with different ways of knowing about Ayurveda—through his father and through ayurvedic institutionalised learning—led him to document his research based on observation, combining ‘traditional’ knowledge and ‘modern’ research methodology in a unique way. In this contribution to ‘Field Notes’, he shares his insight into developing the standards for the processing of mercury and metal-based formulations, with the aim of ascertaining reproducibility. He has also developed ayurvedic treatment protocols for certain forms of cancer and chronic diseases.
A Physician’s View on Legal Aspects of the Contemporary Medical Use of Mercury in Germany
Authors: Aschoff Jürgen C.
Published: September 2014

This article looks at various legal aspects of different groups of allopathic and homoeopathic remedies in Germany. Differences between allopathic and homoeopathic, approved and registered, and individually prescribed drugs are explained in the context of their availability and whether the legal responsibilities lie with the physicians prescribing the drugs or the pharmacies issuing, mixing, or importing them. Some of these remedies contain mercury in various forms, and the legalities of these mercurial remedies are explained from the practical point of view of a physician working in Germany.
Perfect Medicine
Authors: Wujastyk Dagmar
Published: September 2014

This article gives an overview of the earliest uses of mercury in classical South Asian medicine up to the nineteenth century, tracing and discussing important stages in the development of mercury processing. The use of unprocessed mercury might date back to the period when the oldest Indian medical compendia, theCarakasaṃhitāand theSuśrutasaṃhitā, were composed. It is certain that medical compounds containing apparently unprocessed mercury were used by the time the works ascribed to Vāgbhaṭa, theAṣṭāṅgahṛdayasaṃhitāand theAṣṭāṅgasaṃgraha,were written (c. early seventh centuryce). However, with one notable exception, it was only from the thirteenth century onwards that ways of processing mercury were developed or adopted from alchemical sources in ayurvedic medicine. Elaborate procedures were applied for the ‘purifying’ and calcining of mercury and for extracting mercury from cinnabar. Through these procedures, mercury was meant to be perfected, i.e. made safe for human consumption as well as efficacious as a remedy. By the sixteenth century, the use of processed mercury had become standard in ayurvedic medicine for a great number of diseases, and processed mercury was considered extremely potent and completely safe: a perfect medicine.
Preparing Red and Black Mercury Sulphide in an Ayurvedic Setting
Authors: Bhatt Narendra
Published: September 2014

Rasauṣadhi, medicinal preparations made of mercury, form an important group of ayurvedic rasaśāstra medicines. Their manufacture, however, is decreasing due to the lack of reliable preparation for its safe and effective use. Rasasindūra is one such mercury-based compound that requires skill and experience to prepare. This practice report describes an event where this product was prepared in the academic setting of Smt. K. G. Mittal Punarvasu Ayurvedic College, Mumbai, in the winter of 1986–7, emphasising the specific skills that are required to make a reliable product, and thus providing a preliminary model for further studies of traditional drug processing techniques.
Alchemical Gold and the Pursuit of the Mercurial Elixir
Authors: Simioli Carmen
Published: September 2014

This article focuses on the analysis of two Tibetan treatises on iatrochemistry,The Treatise on the Mercurial Elixir(Dngul chu grub pa’i bstan bcos) and theCompendium on the Transmutation into Gold(Gser ’gyur bstan bcos bsdus pa). These texts belong to therasaśāstragenre that were translated from Sanskrit into Tibetan by Orgyenpa Rinchenpel (O rgyan pa Rin chen dpal, 1229/30–1309) and integrated into the Tibetan Buddhist Canon of theTengyur(Bstan ’gyur). The treatises deal with the processing of mercury, which is indispensable to convert metals into gold (gser ’gyur) and to accomplish the ‘mercurial elixir’ (dngul chu’i bcud len). The texts start with the description of a ‘pink-coloured’ (dmar skya mdog) compound, which is described as the amalgam of ‘moonlight-exposed tin’ (gsha’ tshe zla ba phyogs), gold, and copper. According to the texts, mercury has to be ‘amalgamated’ (sbyor ba) with ‘minerals that devour its poisons’ (za byed khams) and with ‘eight metals that bind it’ (’ching khams brgyad); at the same time, mercury is cooked with ‘red substances’ (dmar sde tshan) and other herbal extracts, types of urine and salts, and reduced to ashes. Starting with an outline of the earliest Tibetan medical sources on mercury, I analyse the two treatises with regard to their entiremateria alchemicaand the respective purification methods aimed at ‘obtaining essences’ (snying stobs), which are then to be absorbed by mercury. I argue that the two thirteenth-century treatises were particularly significant in the process of consolidating pharmaceutical practices based on mercury and the merging of alchemical and medical knowledge in Tibet.
The Responsibility of armed opposition groups for Violations of International Humanitarian Law: Challenging the State-Centric System of International Law
Authors: Heffes Ezequiel
Published: September 2014

Most of the present rules of international law regulate the behavior of States. Within States, however, there are other entities such as corporations, non–governmental organizations, individuals, international governmental organizations and armed opposition groups that are regulated by different national and international regimes. In this regard, non–State armed opposition groups present particular challenges to international law due to their dominant presence and participation in armed conflicts. Armed opposition groups are one of the most important actors in international humanitarian law today. Yet, taking into consideration that they a priori have certain international humanitarian obligations to fulfill, it remains unclear what the implications are when they, as a group, commit violations. Among these uncertainties, is that there is no formally recognized mechanism to attribute such breaches to the relevant non – state armed opposition group as such. In fact, unlike States, they have no organs. Similarly, there is also no consensus on circumstance that could preclude the wrongfulness of these breaches for armed opposition groups. By challenging the State–centric system of public international law, this article analyses the possible application of certain rules contained in the International Law Commission’s Articles on the Responsibility of States for Internationally Wrongful Acts (2001) to violations of international humanitarian law by armed opposition groups.
Taxonomic review of the family Colatooeciidae Winston, 2005 (Bryozoa, heilostomata), with description of seven new species
Authors: ALMEIDA ANA C.S. , SOUZA FACELUCIA B.C. , MENEGOLA CARLA M.S. , SANNER JOANN , VIEIRA LEANDRO M.
Published: September 2014

Colatooeciidae includes the genera Colatooecia, Cigclisula and Trematooecia. While Colatooecia is considered a well-defined genus, the differences between Cigclisula and Trematooecia are poorly defined. This taxonomic review was undertaken to understand the morphological differences between Cigclisula and Trematooecia. The type species of Cigclisula is redescribed and the type species of Trematooecia is designated and redescribed. Diagnostic characters of both genera are redefined. Six new species of Cigclisula and one of Trematooecia are described: Cigclisula australis n. sp., Cigclisula buski n. sp., Cigclisula fistulosa n. sp., Cigclisula osburni n. sp., Cigclisula perforata n. sp., Cigclisula winstonae n. sp. and Trematooecia rotunda n. sp. Four species previously assigned to Cigclisula are transferred to Trematooecia: Trematooecia arborescens (Canu & Bassler, 1928) n. comb., Trematooecia gemmea (Winston & Woollacott, 2009) n. comb., Trematooecia hexagonalis (Canu & Bassler, 1930), and Trematooecia verticalis (Maplestone, 1910) n. comb. Two species previously assigned to Trematooecia are transferred to Cigclisula: Cigclisula turrita (Smitt, 1873) and Cigclisula psammophila(Winston & Håkansson, 1986) n. comb.
Physically Based Mountain Hydrological Modeling Using Reanalysis Data in Patagonia
Authors: Krogh Sebastian A. , Pomeroy John W. , McPhee James
Published: September 2014

A physically based hydrological model for the upper Baker River basin (UBRB) in Patagonia was developed using the modular Cold Regions Hydrological Model (CRHM) in order to better understand the processes that drive the hydrological response of one of the largest rivers in this region. The model includes a full suite of blowing snow, intercepted snow, and energy balance snowmelt modules that can be used to describe the hydrology of this cold region. Within this watershed, snowfall, wind speed, and radiation are not measured; there are no high-elevation weather stations; and existing weather stations are sparsely distributed. The impact of atmospheric data from ECMWF interim reanalysis (ERA-Interim) and Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) on improving model performance by enhancing the representation of forcing variables was evaluated. CRHM parameters were assigned for local physiographic and vegetation characteristics based on satellite land cover classification, a digital elevation model, and parameter transfer from cold region environments in western Canada. It was found that observed precipitation has almost no predictive power [Nash–Sutcliffe coefficient (NS) < 0.3] when used to force the hydrologic model, whereas model performance using any of the reanalysis products—after bias correction—was acceptable with very little calibration (NS > 0.7). The modeled water balance shows that snowfall amounts to about 28% of the total precipitation and that 26% of total river flow stems from snowmelt. Evapotranspiration losses account for 7.2% of total precipitation, whereas sublimation and canopy interception losses represent about 1%. The soil component is the dominant modulator of runoff, with infiltration contributing as much as 73.7% to total basin outflow.
Water Balance in the Amazon Basin from a Land Surface Model Ensemble
Authors: Getirana Augusto C. V. , Dutra Emanuel , Guimberteau Matthieu , Kam Jonghun , Li Hong-Yi , Decharme Bertrand , Zhang Zhengqiu , Ducharne Agnes , Boone Aaron , Balsamo Gianpaolo , Rodell Matthew , Toure Ally M. , Xue Yongkang , Peters-Lidard Christa D. , Kumar Sujay V. , Arsenault Kristi , Drapeau Guillaume , Ruby Leung L. , Ronchail Josyane , Sheffield Justin
Published: September 2014

Despite recent advances in land surface modeling and remote sensing, estimates of the global water budget are still fairly uncertain. This study aims to evaluate the water budget of the Amazon basin based on several state-of-the-art land surface model (LSM) outputs. Water budget variables (terrestrial water storage TWS, evapotranspiration ET, surface runoff R, and base flow B) are evaluated at the basin scale using both remote sensing and in situ data. Meteorological forcings at a 3-hourly time step and 1° spatial resolution were used to run 14 LSMs. Precipitation datasets that have been rescaled to match monthly Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) and Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC) datasets and the daily Hydrologie du Bassin de l’Amazone (HYBAM) dataset were used to perform three experiments. The Hydrological Modeling and Analysis Platform (HyMAP) river routing scheme was forced with R and B and simulated discharges are compared against observations at 165 gauges. Simulated ET and TWS are compared against FLUXNET and MOD16A2 evapotranspiration datasets and Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) TWS estimates in two subcatchments of main tributaries (Madeira and Negro Rivers). At the basin scale, simulated ET ranges from 2.39 to 3.26 mm day−1 and a low spatial correlation between ET and precipitation indicates that evapotranspiration does not depend on water availability over most of the basin. Results also show that other simulated water budget components vary significantly as a function of both the LSM and precipitation dataset, but simulated TWS generally agrees with GRACE estimates at the basin scale. The best water budget simulations resulted from experiments using HYBAM, mostly explained by a denser rainfall gauge network and the rescaling at a finer temporal scale.
Johannesburg 2030
Authors: Rogerson Christian M. , Rogerson Jayne M.
Published: September 2014

Despite Johannesburg’s importance in urban Africa, the city is relatively neglected by urban researchers. Within the global network of cities, Johannesburg assumes a critical role of linking city and articulating the development of the capitalist economy of Southern Africa. Johannesburg’s future will be associated with addressing the multiple challenges of urban growth, management, and absorption. Arguably, the most important single challenge is that of achieving sustained economic growth as well as the creation of new employment and livelihood opportunities for the city’s growing population. Johannesburg’s economic prospects are inseparable from those of South Africa as a whole. Over the past 5 years, in response to the global crisis, the national government has launched a number of long-term development plans that seek to unlock South Africa’s economic constraints in the form of the New Growth Path, initiatives for reindustrialization, and the National Development Plan 2030. It is contended that the economic contours of Johannesburg 2030, to a large extent, will be determined by its role as linking city and by the impacts of these large-scale strategic policy interventions as mediated through metropolitan-level policy.
Predictors and correlates of re-incarceration among Australian young people in custody
Authors: Indig Devon , Frewen Amie , Moore Elizabeth
Published: September 2014

The aim of this paper is to describe the predictors and correlates of previous incarceration and re-incarceration among a sample of 319 young offenders in New South Wales, Australia. At baseline, most (78%) participants had been previously incarcerated and after 18 months follow-up, 50% of participants were re-incarcerated in either adult or juvenile custody. Significant correlates of any previous incarceration included heavy alcohol consumption, cannabis dependence, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and possible borderline intellectual disability. Significant correlates of re-incarceration within 18 months included heavy drinking and using any cannabis. Heavy alcohol consumption and cannabis use are important risk factors for recidivism among young offenders. More research is needed to determine the nature of this association. Evidence-based interventions that address alcohol and cannabis use among this high risk population are needed.
Wayfinding Behaviors in Complex Buildings
Authors: Li Rui , Klippel Alexander
Published: September 2014

To contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of human wayfinding behaviors in complex buildings, we propose a framework that incorporates the impact of critical factors from both the environment and humans. The influence of the environment is summarized through the concept of environmental legibility (EL), an integration of different space syntax methods that addresses visibility, connectivity, and layout complexity of buildings. Human factors are assessed through psychometric tests, self-ratings for sense of direction, and a report of familiarity. To test this framework, we conducted behavioral experiments involving 24 novices and 28 experts. Three different processes of wayfinding—wayfinding performance, acquisition of spatial knowledge, and development of spatial awareness—were measured and evaluated. Results show that EL and individual differences impact all three processes. There is a predominant impact of EL on wayfinding performance and the development of spatial awareness. Not surprisingly, familiarity has a predominant impact on the acquisition of spatial knowledge.
The future of US military contracting: Current trends and future implications
Authors: Dunigan Molly
Published: September 2014

With the drawdown of US troops from both Iraq and Afghanistan, questions abound regarding the role of private military and security contractors (PMSCs) in American security policy moving forward. This article explores evolving US considerations for the use of various types of PMSCs currently and in the future. In doing so, it argues that the United States will continue to use PMSCs for the foreseeable future, although to a lesser extent than in the previous decade, and for different types of services in different theatres than was witnessed in Iraq and Afghanistan. In particular, it is likely that the US will use PMSCs specializing in security or training/consulting functions in place of US troops for external security support missions. The effects of this shift may be moderated by the private military industry’s increasing adherence to international regulatory standards, although it is likely that such regulations will have the greatest impact on those firms providing security services.
Administrative elites and the crisis: what lies ahead for the senior civil service in Greece?
Authors: Spanou Calliope
Published: September 2014

The nature of the relationship between the public administration and politics and the subsequent role of the administration appear to be incompatible with the emergence of an administrative elite. After analysing the reasons for this incompatibility, the article explores the impact of the measures taken in the wake of the economic crisis on the civil service and its reform, and also the prospects for the development of a senior civil service. The key, and also the challenge, to any change in this direction remains the rebalancing of the relationship between the public administration and politics.

Points for practitioners

What might interest practitioners is the issue of the conditions of effectiveness of civil service reform in times of economic crisis and significant pressure.
Individualist–Collectivist Culture and Trust Radius
Authors: van Hoorn André
Published: September 2014

We apply a multilevel approach to examine empirically the nexus between individualist and collectivist culture on the one hand and people’s radius of trust on the other. People’s trust level (i.e., the intensity with which people trust other people) has been extensively studied. Increasingly, however, researchers are seeing a need to move beyond trust level and study trust radius (i.e., the width of the circle of people among whom a certain trust level exists) as the second quintessential component of trust. Results for up to 44,845 individuals from 36 countries show, first, that we can validly apply multilevel modeling to the study of trust radius. Second, consistent with prior theoretical expectations, individualism is associated with a broader trust radius, whereas collectivism is associated with a narrower trust radius. Considering the strength of the associations found, trust radius might be best understood as an inherent part of the individualism–collectivism cultural syndrome. The key contribution of this note is to reveal how exactly individualism–collectivism relates to trust, specifically its radius. In addition, the note demonstrates the feasibility of a multilevel approach to studying trust radius with much potential for follow-up research on this most vital trust construct.
A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review of the Literature to Evaluate Potential Threats to Internal Validity in Probe Procedures for Chained Tasks
Authors: Alexander Jennifer L. , Smith Katie A. , Mataras Theologia , Shepley Sally B. , Ayres Kevin M.
Published: September 2014

The two most frequently used methods for assessing performance on chained tasks are single opportunity probes (SOPs) and multiple opportunity probes (MOPs). Of the two, SOPs may be easier and less time-consuming but can suppress actual performance. In comparison, MOPs can provide more information but present the risk of participants acquiring steps from probing alone. The authors reviewed and summarized 20 years of single-case design literature that evaluated methods of teaching chained tasks to individuals with disabilities. The authors identified a total of 33 studies. Individual tiers of multiple baseline and probe design graphs were analyzed to evaluate possible differences in participant responding within and between baseline and intervention conditions. Differences were evident, but none considered statistical when comparing data from SOPs and MOPs. The authors discuss possible publication bias as a reason for these findings and offer future research ideas to extend the literature on probe procedures.
‘I Think That’s Bad’: Lay Normativity and Perceived Barriers to Employment in Primary Teaching in the UK
Authors: Morrison Andrew
Published: September 2014

This article reports the results of a small-scale study into undergraduates’ perceptions of possible barriers to obtaining employment within primary teaching in the UK. The investigation focused upon barriers related to accent and gender. The study sample was a group of final-year undergraduates on an Education Studies degree at a university in South Wales. The study employed a three-part theoretical framework, drawing upon the work of Bourdieu, Andrew Sayer’s discussion of lay normativity and Nancy Fraser’s theory of two-dimensional social justice, to analyse the students’ perceptions of (in)justice deriving from perceived barriers. Results from seven focus groups indicated the students perceived employment-related impediments from processes of misrecognition and maldistribution in primary teaching recruitment. However, the students held complex views on these issues. The majority also voiced discourses which, it could be argued, serve to further the reproduction of such processes of maldistribution and misrecognition.
Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Predictive Validity of the Level of Service Inventory–Revised Among Prison Inmates
Authors: Chenane Joselyne L. , Brennan Pauline K. , Steiner Benjamin , Ellison Jared M.
Published: September 2014

The Level of Service Inventory–Revised (LSI-R) is a risk/needs assessment tool that is widely used in correctional settings. Extant research has demonstrated the predictive validity of the LSI-R for individuals under correctional supervision. Yet, few researchers have assessed whether the LSI-R and its various subcomponents predict prison misconduct similarly for White versus non-White inmates. Using data collected from male inmates confined in prisons across a Midwestern state, we examined the predictive validity of the LSI-R and its 10 subcomponents for White, Black, and Hispanic inmates. We found that the LSI-R predicted the prevalence of misconduct for inmates of varying races/ethnicities. However, we reached a different conclusion when we examined the incidence of misconduct; the LSI-R composite score and subcomponent scores showed greater predictive utility for White inmates than for non-White inmates. Our findings add to a growing body of research that suggests that the predictive validity of the LSI-R differs by offender race/ethnicity. We discuss the policy implications of our findings and offer recommendations for future research.
Responding to Sex Offenders
Authors: Bersot Heather Y. , Arrigo Bruce A.
Published: September 2014

The science examining institutional and community-based responses to sexual offending has been well documented. The responses to this form of criminal behavior include penal incarceration followed by civil commitment, community notification, and sex offender registration. To date, evidence-based findings report that these correctives and/or curatives yield limited effectiveness sufficient to justify their continued maintenance as statewide or even national criminal justice and mental health policy prescription. One official systems-level way that policy receives legitimacy is through the Courts. Interestingly, the precedent-setting sex offender case law indicates that current policy prescriptions are constitutionally permissible and therefore justifiable as regulatory practices, notwithstanding the empirical evidence that challenges their soundness. This article summarizes the science regarding sex offender policy from the point of imprisonment to reentry, recounts the relevant case law that judicially sanctions such institutional and community practices, and explains how the driver for sex offender law and policy is legal moralism grounded in and advanced by utilitarian reasoning and duty-based logic. This article concludes by suggesting how judicial reliance on legal moralism could further the interests of public safety and civil liberties if insights from virtue jurisprudence informed the analysis.
Theorizing Community Integration as Desistance-Promotion
Authors: Fox Kathryn J.
Published: September 2014

Recent criminological studies have focused on what promotes desistance from crime, ranging from internal promoters (such as narrative identity shift) to external promoters (such as employment and marriage). An understudied promoter is the role of ordinary community members in integrating released offenders into community life. This article draws on qualitative data collected from a Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) program in Vermont, which uses community volunteers to create a circle around selected medium-to-high risk offenders (often sex offenders) who present a risk for reoffense due to their isolation. The nature of the forged relationships is examined, and the article asserts that desistance can be achieved through the actions of community members who communicate a sense of shared moral space, and a genuine sense of belonging. By actively integrating offenders into community life, CoSA model normative lives, create normative and ordinary relationships of mutual obligation and respect, and aid in the de-labeling process by focusing on the other attributes of offenders beyond their criminality. This article concludes by theorizing the role of community integration as an antecedent to desistance, rather than an outcome. In so doing, our knowledge of offender reintegration and desistance processes can be more fully understood.
Recovery After Homicide
Authors: Adshead Gwen , Ferrito Martha , Bose Sarita
Published: September 2014

A key theme in mental health is the principle of recovery. However, it is not clear how this might apply to forensic mental health services, which offer mental health care to men and women who have offended when mentally unwell. In this article, we explore how discussion of the index offense fits into recovery paradigms and how reflection on offender identity relates to recovery. Using clinical material from therapy groups for homicide perpetrators, we discuss how narratives of agency and responsibility change (or not) in therapy, and how narrative shifts link with the concept of “recovery” in mental health.