bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Potential for earthquake triggering from transient deformations
Authors: Savage Heather M. , Marone Chris
Published: May 2008

We report on laboratory experiments in which stick‐slipping shear surfaces are subject to transient stressing to simulate earthquake triggering by seismic waves. Granular layers and bare granite surfaces were sheared in a servo‐controlled deformation apparatus in double‐direct shear. The seismic waves from an earthquake and tectonic load were simulated by superimposing a loading rate sinusoid on a constant shear loading rate. The dependence of triggered stick‐slip failure on fault stress state and architecture was analyzed. Fault architecture was evaluated by varying gouge layer thickness (2–6 mm) and studying bare granite surfaces. We compare the shortened recurrence times for faults under transient loading conditions to the consistent recurrence intervals under constant loading rate. Our results imply that triggering depends on oscillation amplitude and frequency, as well as properties of the fault. Larger‐amplitude dynamic stresses reduce stick‐slip recurrence intervals for granular layers, whereas failure times for granite surfaces are uncorrelated with oscillation amplitude. Granular layers have shorter recurrence rates at higher frequency, whereas the recurrence intervals of granite surfaces are lengthened or unaffected by high‐frequency oscillations. Higher frequencies can inhibit failure when fault slip exceeds a critical distance, Dc, prior to peak velocity and encourages failure if Dc is achieved postpeak velocity. Increasing velocity temporarily strengthens faults, whereas velocity reduction further weakens and promotes failure, as predicted by the rate‐and‐state friction laws. Our results may explain variations in earthquake triggering thresholds and imply that high‐frequency thresholds may not be constant, as has been previously proposed.
Observed anomalous upwelling in the Lakshadweep Sea during the summer monsoon season of 2005
Authors: Gopalakrishna V. V. , Rao R. R. , Nisha K. , Girishkumar M. S. , Pankajakshan T. , Ravichandran M. , Johnson Z. , Girish K. , Aneeshkumar N. , Srinath M. , Rajesh S. , Rajan C. K.
Published: May 2008

Repeat near‐fortnightly expendable bathythermograph (XBT) transects made along Kochi‐Kavaratti (KK) shipping lane in the Lakshadweep Sea (LS) during 2002–2006 are examined to describe the observed year‐to‐year variability of upwelling during summer monsoon season (SMS). Among all the years, the upwelling characterized by up‐sloping of 25°C isotherm is relatively weaker and persisted until November during SMS of 2005 and is stronger during the SMS of 2002. As a result of prolonged upwelling, the sea surface temperature has shown cooling extending into the postmonsoon season. The estimated marine pelagic fish landings along the southwest coast of India (SWCI) have also shown increase until December. The governing mechanisms both in terms of local and remote forcings are examined to explain the observed anomalous upwelling during SMS of 2005. The equatorward alongshore wind stress (WS) along the KK XBT transect persisted in a transient manner beyond September only during SMS of 2005. The westerly wind bursts over the equator during the winter of 2004–2005 are both short‐lived and relatively weaker triggering weaker upwelling Kelvin waves that propagated into LS in the following SMS of 2005. The observed distribution of negative sea surface height anomaly in the LS is relatively weaker during the SMS of 2005 and lasted longer. The correlation analysis suggests that the local alongshore WS off the SWCI and the remote forcing from the southern coast of Sri Lanka has greater influence on the observed interannual variability of upwelling in the LS when compared to the remote forcing from the equator.
Climate change effects on North Atlantic cyclones
Authors: Jiang Jing , Perrie Will
Published: May 2008

We investigated the possible climate change impacts on midlatitude northwest Atlantic storms using a mesoscale atmospheric model driven by the second‐generation Coupled Global Climate Model (CGCM2) environmental fields, for control (1975–1994) and high‐CO2 (2040–2059) years of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) IS92a scenarios. Using ensemble experiments, we show that for a given storm initialization location, the high‐CO2 climate change scenario results in slightly higher mean peak storm intensity than that of the control climate. However, the impact of averaged environmental scenario fields on storm intensity and track is dependent on the storm initialization location within these averaged scenario fields. Under the climate change scenario, storms that are initially located south of 35°N and west of 65°W exhibit the largest differences in storm intensities and tracks, compared to the present climate. Storms with trajectories that move close to the upper level steering jet exhibit the largest differences in mean tracks, moving closer to the North American coast.
Validation of the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder temperature and geopotential height measurements
Authors: Schwartz M. J. , Lambert A. , Manney G. L. , Read W. G. , Livesey N. J. , Froidevaux L. , Ao C. O. , Bernath P. F. , Boone C. D. , Cofield R. E. , Daffer W. H. , Drouin B. J. , Fetzer E. J. , Fuller R. A. , Jarnot R. F. , Jiang J. H. , Jiang Y. B. , Knosp B. W. , Krüger K. , Li J.‐L. F. , Mlynczak M. G. , Pawson S. , Russell J. M. , Santee M. L. , Snyder W. V. , Stek P. C. , Thurstans R. P. , Tompkins A. M. , Wagner P. A. , Walker K. A. , Waters J. W. , Wu D. L.
Published: May 2008

Global satellite observations of temperature and geopotential height (GPH) from the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) on the EOS Aura spacecraft are discussed. The precision, resolution, and accuracy of the data produced by the MLS version 2.2 processing algorithms are quantified, and recommendations for data screening are made. Temperature precision is 1 K or better from 316 hPa to 3.16 hPa, degrading to ∼3 K at 0.001 hPa. The vertical resolution is 3 km at 31.6 hPa, degrading to 6 km at 316 hPa and to ∼13 km at 0.001 hPa. Comparisons with analyses (Goddard Earth Observing System version 5.0.1 (GEOS‐5), European Centre for Medium‐range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), Met Office (MetO)) and other observations (CHAllenging Minisatellite Payload (CHAMP), Atmospheric Infrared Sounder/Advanced Microwave Sounder Unit (AIRS/AMSU), Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Radiometry (SABER), Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE), Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE), radiosondes) indicate that MLS temperature has persistent, pressure‐dependent biases which are between −2.5 K and +1 K between 316 hPa and 10 hPa. The 100‐hPa MLS v2.2 GPH surface has a bias of ∼150 m relative to the GEOS‐5 values. These biases are compared to modeled systematic uncertainties. GPH biases relative to correlative measurements generally increase with height owing to an overall cold bias in MLS temperature relative to correlative temperature measurements in the upper stratosphere and mesosphere.
OMI total ozone column validation with Aura‐AVE CAFS observations
Authors: Kroon M. , Petropavlovskikh I. , Shetter R. , Hall S. , Ullmann K. , Veefkind J. P. , McPeters R. D. , Browell E. V. , Levelt P. F.
Published: May 2008

In this paper we present validation results of the total ozone column data products of the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) by using airborne observations by the CCD Actinic Flux Spectrometer (CAFS) instrument. CAFS was flown during Aura Validation Experiment (AVE) campaigns organized by NASA in support of the validation of EOS‐Aura satellite data products. The accuracy of individual CAFS total ozone column estimates of 2.0% on average is sufficient to meet the OMI validation requirements of 3.0%. A climatology was used to estimate the ozone column below the aircraft altitude. AVE validation results show that the OMI‐TOMS total ozone column data product is of overall high quality as CAFS and OMI‐TOMS agree to within less than 1% with a standard deviation of 8 DU (2–3%) with no significant dependence on total ozone column, latitude, cloud fraction, or solar zenith angle. The primary shortcoming in OMI‐DOAS collection 2 total ozone column data is the air mass factor reflected in the dependence on solar zenith angle of the CAFS and OMI‐DOAS total ozone column difference. Fortunately, the CAFS aircraft data collected during AVE provided useful insights that could not be obtained in any other way into where OMI satellite data retrieval improvements were needed. For OMI‐DOAS collection 3 the air mass factor issue has been solved by calibration optimization and retrieval algorithm improvements, bringing airborne CAFS and OMI‐DOAS satellite data to agreement within less than 1.5% with a standard deviation of 9 DU (2–3%), in compliance with the OMI validation requirements.
Ozone Monitoring Instrument geolocation verification
Authors: Kroon M. , Dobber M. R. , Dirksen R. , Veefkind J. P. , van den Oord G. H. J. , Levelt P. F.
Published: May 2008

Verification of the geolocation assigned to individual ground pixels as measured by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) aboard the NASA EOS‐Aura satellite was performed by comparing geophysical Earth surface details as observed in OMI false color images with the high‐resolution continental outline vector map as provided by the Interactive Data Language (IDL) software tool from ITT Visual Information Solutions. The OMI false color images are generated from the OMI visible channel by integration over 20‐nm‐wide spectral bands of the Earth radiance intensity around 484 nm, 420 nm, and 360 nm wavelength per ground pixel. Proportional to the integrated intensity, we assign color values composed of CRT standard red, green, and blue to the OMI ground pixels. Earth surface details studied are mostly high‐contrast coast lines where arid land or desert meets deep blue ocean. The IDL high‐resolution vector map is based on the 1993 CIA World Database II Map with a 1‐km accuracy. Our results indicate that the average OMI geolocation offset over the years 2005–2006 is 0.79 km in latitude and 0.29 km in longitude, with a standard deviation of 1.64 km in latitude and 2.04 km in longitude, respectively. Relative to the OMI nadir pixel size, one obtains mean displacements of ∼6.1% in latitude and ∼1.2% in longitude, with standard deviations of 12.6% and 7.9%, respectively. We conclude that the geolocation assigned to individual OMI ground pixels is sufficiently accurate to support scientific studies of atmospheric features as observed in OMI level 2 satellite data products, such as air quality issues on urban scales or volcanic eruptions and its plumes, that occur on spatial scales comparable to or smaller than OMI nadir pixels.
Statistical identification of global hot spots in soil moisture feedbacks among IPCC AR4 models
Authors: Notaro Michael
Published: May 2008

Soil moisture feedbacks can regulate climate change and offer the potential for seasonal climate predictability, yet their strengths and regional importance are poorly understood. A statistical analysis of soil moisture feedbacks on boreal and austral summer precipitation is performed using output from 19 climate models in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Fourth Assessment Report. The methodology, using lagged covariance ratios, was previously applied to study ocean‐atmosphere and vegetation‐atmosphere interactions. Reflecting ensemble‐based findings from the Global Land‐Atmosphere Coupling Experiment (GLACE) for boreal summer, positive soil moisture feedback hot spots are identified over central United States, North Africa, India, northern Brazil, and western Eurasia. Hot spots for austral summer include the Amazon, Congo, Australia, Indonesia, Mexico, and southwest United States. This statistical approach focuses on appropriate spatial and temporal scales of interaction, quantifies local feedbacks with significance testing, and expedites a reliable model intercomparison of feedbacks, without producing additional dynamical experiments.
Quantitative morphologic analysis of boulder shape and surface texture to infer environmental history: A case study of rock breakdown at the Ephrata Fan, Channeled Scabland, Washington
Authors: Ehlmann Bethany L. , Viles Heather A. , Bourke Mary C.
Published: May 2008

Boulder morphology reflects both lithology and climate and is dictated by the combined effects of erosion, transport, and weathering. At present, morphologic information at the boulder scale is underutilized as a recorder of environmental processes, partly because of the lack of a systematic quantitative parameter set for reporting and comparing data sets. We develop such a parameter set, incorporating a range of measures of boulder form and surface texture. We use standard shape metrics measured in the field and fractal and morphometric classification methods borrowed from landscape analysis and applied to laser‐scanned molds. The parameter set was pilot tested on three populations of basalt boulders with distinct breakdown histories in the Channeled Scabland, Washington: (1) basalt outcrop talus; (2) flood‐transported boulders recently excavated from a quarry; and (3) flood‐transported boulders, extensively weathered in situ on the Ephrata Fan surface. Size and shape data were found to distinguish between flood‐transported and untransported boulders. Size and edge angles (∼120°) of flood‐transported boulders suggest removal by preferential fracturing along preexisting columnar joints, and curvature data indicate rounding relative to outcrop boulders. Surface textural data show that boulders which have been exposed at the surface are significantly rougher than those buried by fan sediments. Past signatures diagnostic of flood transport still persist on surface boulders, despite ongoing overprinting by processes in the present breakdown environment through roughening and fracturing in situ. Further use of this quantitative boulder parameter set at other terrestrial and planetary sites will aid in cataloging and understanding morphologic signatures of environmental processes.
Differential frost heave model for patterned ground formation: Corroboration with observations along a North American arctic transect
Authors: Peterson R. A. , Krantz W. B.
Published: May 2008

Frost boils in the Arctic are a manifestation of patterned ground in the form of nonsorted circles. Active frost boils involve convection of water through the soil that can bring basic salts from depth to the surface. As such, active frost boils can mitigate acidification and thereby strongly influence the type of vegetation supported by Arctic soils. The presence or absence of active frost boils is thought to play a pivotal role in establishing the sharp demarcation between moist nonacidic tundra (MNT) and moist acidic tundra (MAT) in the Arctic. The focus of this paper is to corroborate the predictions of a mathematical model that relates observable patterned ground features to ecosystem parameters with observations at the field sites along the North American Arctic Transect (NAAT) established by the Biocomplexity of Patterned‐Ground Ecosystems Project. Model predictions indicate that recurrent one‐dimensional frost heave can become unstable and evolve into multidimensional differential frost heave (DFH). A laboratory frost heave simulation produced a 28‐cm pattern in an active layer of 10 cm, which agrees with linear stability theory predictions. A finite element solution predicts three‐dimensional patterns with approximately 3‐m spacing develop in a 1.0‐m active layer with a surface n factor of 0.35, which agrees well with field observations from the NAAT. The lack of significant frost boil activity in the MAT is a result of suppression of DFH owing to denser surface vegetation characterized by low n factors. Prominent active frost boils are observed in the MNT at higher latitudes with more sparse vegetation characterized by higher n factors that promote DFH. However, at the northernmost field sites frost boils cannot be generated even though the n factors are relatively high owing to very rapid freezing conditions that mitigate DFH.
Flare Irradiance Spectral Model (FISM): Flare component algorithms and results
Authors: Chamberlin Phillip C. , Woods Thomas N. , Eparvier Francis G.
Published: May 2008

The Flare Irradiance Spectral Model (FISM) is an empirical model developed for space weather applications that estimates the solar irradiance at wavelengths from 0.1 to 190 nm at 1 nm resolution with a time cadence of 60 s. This is a high enough temporal resolution to model variations due to solar flares, where few accurate measurements at these wavelengths exist, as well as the solar cycle and solar rotation variations. The FISM modeling of the daily component variations, including variations from the solar cycle and solar rotation, was the topic of the first FISM paper (Chamberlin et al., 2007). The modeling of the FISM flare component that includes the solar irradiance variations from both the impulsive and gradual phases of solar flares is the topic of this paper. The flare component algorithms and results are discussed, and comparisons show that FISM estimates agree within the stated uncertainties with measurements of the solar vacuum ultraviolet (VUV; 0.1–200 nm) irradiance. Results from FISM show that the relative change of the solar irradiance during flares for some wavelengths can exceed those of the solar cycle relative changes, ranging from factors of 60 times the quiet Sun irradiance during the gradual phase for emissions originating in the solar corona to factors of 10 in the transition region emissions during the flare's impulsive phase. FISM fully quantifies, on all timescales, the changes in the solar VUV irradiance directly affecting satellite drag, radio communications, as well as the accuracy in the Global Positioning System (GPS).
Automatic delineation of drainage basins from contour elevation data using skeleton construction techniques
Authors: Moretti Giovanni , Orlandini Stefano
Published: May 2008

New methods for automatic delineation of drainage basins from contour elevation data are presented. As a fundamental preprocessing step, the points defining a set of contour lines are used to compute the Delaunay triangulation, the Voronoi diagram, and other structures known in computational geometry as the crust and the skeleton (or medial axis transform). By exploiting the skeleton extracted from contour lines, a recursive algorithm is then developed to solve critical topographic structures such as ridges, saddles, and peaks in a fully automated and accurate manner. Finally, the algorithm is further extended to deal with the construction of flow nets. Numerical experiments based on high‐accuracy contour elevation data of real terrains show that the proposed methods are able to process automatically complex topographic structures and to produce results comparable to those that can be interpreted visually from contour lines. The gain in accuracy over current state‐of‐the‐art solutions is generally found to be significant and to increase as the contour interval increases.
Geoelectrical inference of mass transfer parameters using temporal moments
Authors: Day‐Lewis Frederick D. , Singha Kamini
Published: May 2008

We present an approach to infer mass transfer parameters based on (1) an analytical model that relates the temporal moments of mobile and bulk concentration and (2) a bicontinuum modification to Archie's law. Whereas conventional geochemical measurements preferentially sample from the mobile domain, electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) is sensitive to bulk electrical conductivity and, thus, electrolytic solute in both the mobile and immobile domains. We demonstrate the new approach, in which temporal moments of collocated mobile domain conductivity (i.e., conventional sampling) and ERT‐estimated bulk conductivity are used to calculate heterogeneous mass transfer rate and immobile porosity fractions in a series of numerical column experiments.
Influence of the enhanced mixing within the Southern Ocean fronts on the overturning circulation
Authors: Saenko Oleg A.
Published: May 2008

Observations indicate that turbulent mixing is enhanced in the major fronts of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), penetrating through much of the water column. Here we employ a simple representation of this process in a global climate model to evaluate its potential impact on the ocean's overturning circulation. Two effects are obtained. First, the frontally‐intensified mixing in the Southern Ocean increases the transformation of NADW to UCDW. Second, by intensifying the dense water upwelling in the south, the vertical mixing in the ACC fronts returns a fraction of the northward flowing AABW/LCDW as UCDW, consistent with recent observational results; the corresponding abyssal overturning weakens. The results are interpreted using a single‐basin model.
THEMIS multi‐spacecraft observations of magnetosheath plasma penetration deep into the dayside low‐latitude magnetosphere for northward and strong By IMF
Authors: Øieroset M. , Phan T. D. , Angelopoulos V. , Eastwood J. P. , McFadden J. , Larson D. , Carlson C. W. , Glassmeier K.‐H. , Fujimoto M. , Raeder J.
Published: May 2008

On 2007‐06‐03 the five THEMIS spacecraft consecutively traversed the dayside (13.5 MLT) magnetopause during northward IMF with strong By. While one spacecraft monitored the magnetosheath, the other four encountered an extended region of nearly‐stagnant magnetosheath plasma attached to the magnetopause on closed field lines. This region was much denser than, but otherwise similar to, the nightside cold‐dense plasma sheet. At two points in time this region was bordered by two spacecraft, revealing that its thickness grew from 0.65 RE to 0.9 RE in ∼25 minutes. There was no evidence for Kelvin‐Helmholtz waves nor diffusion at the local magnetopause. Our observations suggest that even when the IMF clock angle was as large as 60°, substantial solar wind entry across the dayside magnetopause occurred due to reconnection either poleward of both cusps or poleward of one cusp in one hemisphere and equatorward‐of‐the‐cusp in the other.
Flexible chain molecules in the marginal and concentrated regimes: Universal static scaling laws and cross-over predictions
Authors: Laso Manuel , Karayiannis Nikos Ch.
Published: May 2008

We present predictions for the static scaling exponents and for the cross-over polymer volumetric fractions in the marginal and concentrated solution regimes. Corrections for finite chain length are made. Predictions are based on an analysis of correlated fluctuations in density and chain length, in a semigrand ensemble in which mers and solvent sites exchange identities. Cross-over volumetric fractions are found to be chain length independent to first order, although reciprocal-N corrections are also estimated. Predicted scaling exponents and cross-over regimes are compared with available data from extensive off-lattice Monte Carlo simulations [Karayiannis and Laso, Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 050602 (2008)] on freely jointed, hard-sphere chains of average lengths from N=12–500 and at packing densities from dilute ones up to the maximally random jammed state.
Analysis and evaluation of color perception
Authors: Chen Yan , Chen Zhi‐ge
Published: May 2008

Purpose

The research documented in this paper aims to identify the components and characters of color perception and to establish the basis for color perception description and evaluation.

Design/methodology/approach

Ten pairs of antonyms obtained on the basis of investigation were suggested to evaluate the perception of color. About 15 color samples were prepared for subjective evaluation. The factorial analysis method and artificial neural network were applied to analyze the evaluation results given by professionals and to establish the objective basis for color perception evaluation.

Findings

The color perceptions could be distinguished by word pairs. These word pairs were grouped according to the perception characteristics. The relation between color parameters and color perception could be established by artificial neural network technique.

Research limitations/implications

The results showed in this paper were obtained on the limited number of samples.

Originality/value

The principle of color perception was investigated on the subjective evaluation of color samples. The relation between color parameters and color perception was established and could be applied for reference of clothing color design.
Headache in children and adolescents after organ transplantation
Authors: Uutela Aki , Qvist Erik , Holmberg Christer , Pihko Helena , Jalanko Hannu
Published: May 2008

Abstract:  The prevalence and characteristics of headache were studied in a national cohort of 177 pediatric patients with kidney, liver, and heart transplants. All patients received triple drug immunosuppression with CsA, Aza, and MP. Data on headaches were collected by sending two questionnaires and reviewing the medical records. Statements on headache were found in the medical records of 46% of the patients. According to a questionnaire, two thirds had experienced headaches sometime after transplantation, and 40% had present headaches. The episodes had significantly affected the quality of life in a third of the patients, and resulted in neurological examination in 15%. Most of the subjects (61%) described typical episode as mild or moderate, and 39% as severe or very severe. The usual episodes lasted <4 h in 73% of the patients and >4 h in 27%. The headache could be classified as migraine, probable migraine or headache without specific features in 33%, 31%, and 36%, respectively. Most patients (82%) had used pain‐killers, mainly acetaminophen and ibuprofen. Headache episodes may significantly impair the quality of life in children and adolescents after organ transplantation.
Evaluation of a synchronous twin‐pulse technique for shock wave lithotripsy: a prospective randomized study of effectiveness and safety in comparison to standard single‐pulse technique
Authors: Sheir Khaled Z. , Elhalwagy Samer M. , Abo‐Elghar Mohamed E. , Ismail Amani M. , Elsawy Essam , El‐Diasty Tarek A. , Dawaba Mohamed E. , Eraky Ibrahim A. , El‐Kenawy Mahmoud R.
Published: May 2008

OBJECTIVE

To asses the efficacy and safety of bidirectional synchronous twin‐pulse extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) compared with standard ESWL.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Between March 2003 and December 2006, 240 patients with a radio‐opaque single renal stone of ≤25 mm were randomized to treatment either by the Twinheads (TH) lithotripter (FMD, Lorton, Virginia, USA) or the Dornier Lithotripter S (DLS, Dornier MedTech Europe GmbH, Germering, Germany). Before and after ESWL, urinary N‐acetyl‐B‐glucosaminidase (NAG) levels were assessed and patients were evaluated with dynamic MRI. The efficacy and complications were compared, with success defined as no residual fragments.

RESULTS

For stones of >10 mm the rate for the failure of disintegration was 13.3% for the DLS vs 1.4% for the TH (P = 0.009). For stones of ≤10 mm the stone‐free rate was 74.4% for the TH vs 67.7% for the DLS (P = 0.6), while for stones of >10 mm it was 78.1% and 66.7%, respectively (P = 0.14). The median (range) number of sessions in both groups was 2 (1–5). After ESWL urinary NAG levels were increased significantly in both groups; in the TH group it declined below the level before ESWL after 2 days, while in the DLS group it remained high after 7 days. In the DLS group four patients developed subcapsular or parenchymal haematoma after ESWL, vs none in the TH group. There was loss of corticomedullary differentiation after ESWL in three patients in the DLS group and only one in the TH group. In the DLS group there was a statistically significantly decrease in bilateral renal perfusion after ESWL, but no changes in the TH group.

CONCLUSIONS

Synchronous twin‐pulse ESWL has clinical advantages over standard ESWL in terms of safety and efficacy.
Chronic suprapubic catheterization in the management of patients with spinal cord injuries: analysis of upper and lower urinary tract complications
Authors: Sugimura Takayuki , Arnold Edwin , English Sharon , Moore James
Published: May 2008

OBJECTIVE

To assess whether chronic suprapubic catheterization (SPC) in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) is associated with a higher incidence of significant urinary tract complications than in patients whose urinary tracts are managed by other methods.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Our experience suggested that the incidence of complications in patients with SCI and SPC was acceptable and relatively low. Between 1988 and 2001, 1018 patients were admitted to our unit after SCI; 149 were managed by SPC and we retrospectively reviewed them, with a mean follow‐up of 6 years. There were no complications in 49% of patients. Most complications were minor (urinary tract infection 27%, bladder stones 22%) and were easily managed. Only 20 patients had upper tract complications. Nine patients had renal scarring and 14, all quadriplegic, had upper tract calculi. One patient developed well‐differentiated superficial transitional cell bladder cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with SCI often prefer SPC than other methods offered to them, because of quality‐of‐life issues. The incidence of significant complications might not be as high as previously reported, and with a commitment to careful follow‐up, SPC can be a safe option for carefully selected patients if adequate surveillance can be ensured.
Intraoperative placing of drains decreases the incidence of lymphocele and deep vein thrombosis after renal transplantation
Authors: Derweesh Ithaar H. , Ismail Hazem R. , Goldfarb David A. , Araki Motoo , Zhou Lingmei , Modlin Charles , Krishnamurthi Venkatesh , Flechner Stuart M. , Novick Andrew C.
Published: May 2008

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of placing a prophylactic drain during renal transplantation on the incidence of lymphocele, wound complication and deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in renal transplant recipients induced with sirolimus vs calcineurin inhibitors (CNI), as sirolimus‐based immunosuppression is a risk factor for the formation of fluid collections after transplantation.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We analysed 165 consecutive adult renal transplant patients at our institution between January 2004 and February 2005. Group 1 (84) did not receive an intraoperative drain and group 2 (81) did. Recipients were analysed within each group based on immunosuppression (sirolimus or CNI) and whether they had wound complication, fluid collection, lymphocele treatment, or DVT.

RESULTS

In group 1 and 2, respectively, the wound complication rate was 22.6% vs 13.6% (P = 0.134), the fluid collection rate 45.2% vs 16.% (P < 0.001), the lymphocele treatment rate 19.0% vs 2.5% (P = 0.001) the DVT rate 14.3% vs 4.9% (P = 0.043) the fluid collection rate (for CNI) 26.5% vs 16.0% (P = 0.246), the lymphocele treatment rate (for CNI) 5.9% vs 0% (P = 0.084), the fluid collection rate (sirolimus) 58.0% vs 16.1% (P < 0.001) and lymphocele treatment rate (sirolimus) 28% vs 6.5% (P = 0.018). Multivariate analysis of risk factors for fluid collection showed significance for no drain (odds ratio 3.30, P = 0.002), associated wound complication (2.41, P = 0.041) and sirolimus (2.48, P = 0.015).

CONCLUSIONS

Placing a drain during transplantation decreased the incidence of fluid collection, lymphocele treatment and DVT. The reduction of fluid collection and lymphocele were significant for patients treated with sirolimus. We recommend placing a drain in patients undergoing induction with sirolimus‐based immunosuppression.
Adjuvant chemotherapy for bladder cancer does not alter cancer‐specific survival after cystectomy in a matched case‐control study
Authors: Walz Jochen , Shariat Shahrokh F. , Suardi Nazareno , Perrotte Paul , Lotan Yair , Palapattu Ganesh S. , Gupta Amit , Bastian Patrick J. , Rogers Craig G. , Vazina Amnon , Amiel Gilad E. , Sagalowsky Arthur I. , Schoenberg Mark , Lerner Seth P. , Karakiewicz Pierre I.
Published: May 2008

OBJECTIVE

To assess the effect of adjuvant chemotherapy (ACHT; methotrexate, vinblastine, adriamycin and cisplatin, MVAC, or gemcitabine/cisplatin, GC) on the rate of cancer‐specific survival and overall survival, as the benefit of ACHT after radical cystectomy (RC) for bladder cancer is controversial.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Within a study group of 958 patients treated with RC between 1984 and 2003, we identified 274 (29.0%) with a high risk of progression due to pT3 or pT4 and/or pN1‐3 stages. Of these, 129 (46.6%) received ACHT (MVAC in 103, GC in 26). These patients were then matched with the remaining patients who were unexposed to ACHT. Exact matches were made for pT stage, tumour grade, pN stage and lymphovascular invasion. Age (±5 years) and year of surgery (±5 years) were calliper‐matched. Matching resulted in 62 patients treated with RC/ACHT and 65 treated with RC alone. Kaplan‐Meier, life‐table and Cox regression analyses were used to assess cancer‐specific and overall survival.

RESULTS

There was no statistically significant difference in cancer‐specific survival probabilities at 5 years after RC between the two groups (relative risk 1.2; P = 0.5). There was also no difference in overall survival at 5 years (1.1; P = 0.7). In multivariable analyses the delivery of adjuvant chemotherapy was not an independent predictor for survival endpoints (P = 0.3 for cancer‐specific and 0.3 for overall survival).

CONCLUSIONS

This matched case‐control analysis showed that either MVAC or GC chemotherapy had no effect on cancer‐specific or overall survival after RC in high‐risk patients. Further randomized long‐term studies are necessary to confirm these results.
Long‐term outcome of multiple ipsilateral renal tumours found at the time of planned nephron‐sparing surgery
Authors: Krambeck Amy , Iwaszko Markian , Leibovich Bradley , Cheville John , Frank Igor , Blute Michael
Published: May 2008

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate patients with multiple ipsilateral renal tumours and to determine outcomes of nephron‐sparing surgery (NSS) and radical nephrectomy (RN), as the treatment of unrecognized sporadic multifocal tumours at NSS presents a surgical dilemma.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In all, 104 patients had surgery between 1970 and 2003 for sporadic multiple ipsilateral renal tumours, at least one of which was renal cell carcinoma (RCC); 114 were treated with RN and 26 with NSS. Cancer‐specific survival (CSS) was estimated using the Kaplan‐Meier method.

RESULTS

More patients treated with NSS had a solitary kidney than those undergoing RN (six, 23%, vs none, P < 0.001). Seventeen of the 114 having RN died from RCC at a median (range) of 3.4 (0.25–10.3) years after RN. The estimated 5‐year CSS was 90.5%. There was metachronous recurrence in nine patients at a median of 5.6 (1–14 ) years after. Two of the 26 patients having NSS died from RCC at 1 and 6 years after NSS; the 5‐year CSS was 95.8%. There was local or metachronous recurrence in three patients at 7 months to 6 years after surgery; all three were alive at the last follow‐up. In 26 (23%) of the 114 patients treated with RN, only one tumour was RCC.

CONCLUSION

Patients undergoing either RN or NSS for multiple ipsilateral renal tumours have a favourable CSS. A planned NSS is safe if small satellite lesions are resectable.
The impact of overactive bladder, incontinence and other lower urinary tract symptoms on quality of life, work productivity, sexuality and emotional well‐being in men and women: results from the EPIC study
Authors: Coyne Karin S. , Sexton Chris C. , Irwin Debra E. , Kopp Zoe S. , Kelleher Con J. , Milsom Ian
Published: May 2008

OBJECTIVES

To examine the effect overactive bladder (OAB) and other lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) on health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) in a population sample, as OAB often occurs in conjunction with many other LUTS.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

A nested case‐control analysis was performed on men and women with (cases) and without (controls) OAB, from the EPIC study. OAB was assessed using 2002 International Continence Society definitions. Based on their responses to questions about LUTS, cases were classified into five groups; continent OAB, OAB with incontinence, OAB + postmicturition, OAB + voiding, and OAB + postmicturition + voiding. Both cases and controls were asked questions about symptom bother (OAB‐q), generic QoL (EQ‐5D), work productivity (Work Productivity and Activity Impairment, WPAI), depressive symptoms (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale), sexual satisfaction, and erectile dysfunction (men only) using the Massachusetts Male Aging Study. Cases answered additional condition‐specific questions HRQoL (OAB‐q short form), Patient Perception of Bladder Condition and work productivity related to a specific health problem (WPAI‐SHP). General linear models were used to evaluate group differences.

RESULTS

Of the EPIC participants, 1434 identified OAB cases were matched by age, gender and country, with 1434 participants designated as controls. Cases and controls were primarily Caucasian (96.2% and 96.7%, respectively), and most (65%) were female; the mean age was 53.8 and 53.7 years, respectively. Comorbid conditions differed significantly by case/control status, with cases reporting significantly greater rates of chronic constipation, asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, bladder or prostate cancer, neurological conditions and depression. There were significant differences between the cases and controls in all reported LUTS. The OAB + postmicturition + voiding group reported significantly greater symptom bother, worse HRQoL, higher rates of depression and decreased enjoyment of sexual activity, than the other subgroups.

CONCLUSION

OAB has a substantial, multidimensional impact on patients; OAB with additional LUTS has a greater impact. The diagnosis and treatment of OAB should be considered in conjunction with other LUTS, to maximize treatment options and optimize patient outcomes.
Oestrogen receptors and their relation to neural receptive tissue of the labia minora
Authors: Martin‐Alguacil Nieves , Pfaff Donald W. , Kow Lee‐Ming , Schober Justine M.
Published: May 2008

Associate Editor

Michael G. Wyllie

Editorial Board

Ian Eardley, UK

Jean Fourcroy, USA

Sidney Glina, Brazil

Julia Heiman, USA

Chris McMahon, Australia

Bob Millar, UK

Alvaro Morales, Canada

Michael Perelman, USA

Marcel Waldinger, Netherlands

OBJECTIVE

To assess the cellular distributions of oestrogen receptors α and β (ERα and ERβ) and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) in the labia minora, as knowledge about ER type and function may clarify the role of oestrogens in vaginal scar formation and improve outcomes in female genital surgery.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Labial samples were taken from 10 girls (aged 2–9 years) who underwent surgery for labial fusion. The waste tissue strips obtained were used for immunohistochemical identification of ERα and ERβ, and nNOS in the labia minora.

RESULTS

There was ERα nuclear staining in the stroma of the labia minora close to the clitoris, and basal and suprabasal in the epidermal cells membrane restricted to superficial sections of the labia minora. ERβ was found in the stroma of the labia minora closer to the clitoris and in superficial sections, in the basal epidermal cells membrane and apocrine glandular epithelial cells membrane. There was also ERβ cell membrane staining in the basal and suprabasal epithelial cells and fibroblasts in the lamina propria.

CONCLUSIONS

Established ER presence allows the consideration of the introitus of the vagina as a target for oestrogen therapy in various clinical and surgical situations. Continuing elucidation of the immunohistochemistry of this external genital tissue might assist in the development of molecular tools to treat genital abnormalities. Details of this immunohistochemistry may also advance the understanding of the effects of sexual differentiation on the brain and other organ systems.
Predicting the Vote: Implicit Attitudes as Predictors of the Future Behavior of Decided and Undecided Voters
Authors: Arcuri Luciano , Castelli Luigi , Galdi Silvia , Zogmaister Cristina , Amadori Alessandro
Published: May 2008

Two studies assessed the predictive validity of implicit political attitudes in relation to voting behavior. In Study 1, we demonstrated the validity of the adopted measure (i.e., the IAT; Greenwald, McGhee, & Schwartz, 1998) with a sample of voters who clearly sided with one of the opposing parties. In Study 2, implicit political preferences were measured in a sample of undecided voters one month before the election, and actual voting behavior was assessed immediately after the election. Results demonstrated that implicit political attitudes were good predictors of future voting behaviors. These findings support the hypothesis of the presence of embryonic attitudes even in the case of those voters who at the explicit and conscious level deny any preference for one of the two opposing candidates.
It's Not Easy Being Green: Minor Party Labels as Heuristic Aids
Authors: Coan Travis G. , Merolla Jennifer L. , Stephenson Laura B. , Zechmeister Elizabeth J.
Published: May 2008

This paper examines if, when, and to what extent U.S. minor party labels influence individual opinions over a range of political issues. Based on data from an experimental study, we reach three general conclusions. First, as cues, party labels are more likely to influence opinions over complex issues. Second, familiarity with and trust in a party condition cue acceptance. Third, as a whole, minor party labels act as effective cues less consistently than major parties. This finding, we suggest, indicates that there exists some threshold level of familiarity and trust that minor parties must reach in the mass public in order to be effective cues. This research is valuable because it extends current work on party labels as heuristic devices and more general work on cues; our findings are additionally important given recent trends in public opinion data, which indicate that the U.S. public is becoming more accepting of minor parties as permanent features of the political system.
Nonconscious Feelings of Closeness toward African Americans and Support for Pro‐Black Policies
Authors: Craemer Thomas
Published: May 2008

In a democratic political system, where decisions are made by majority rule, the permanent exclusion of minorities is always a possibility. This raises a crucial question: what psychological mechanisms may allow members of a majority to identify with the political goals of a minority group? One possibility is that they are precisely the same mechanisms responsible for motivating minority members themselves to identify with the minority's political goals. According to the racial attitudes literature, African Americans are motivated by feelings of closeness toward Blacks to support pro‐Black policies. This study investigates the possibility that feelings of closeness toward Blacks may also motivate White Americans to support pro‐Black policies. To circumvent possible social desirability effects often associated with questions of race, feelings of closeness are measured both on the conscious (explicit) and nonconscious (implicit) levels. The implicit closeness measure is based on the idea of “cognitive self‐other overlap” (Aron, Aron, Tudor, & Nelson, 1991) and has previously been used to measure nonconscious feelings of closeness in individual relationships. This study represents an application of this measure to the group level of racial intergroup relations. The study is based on a sample of 555 college students of diverse racial backgrounds. Results of a Granger‐causality test support the construct validity of the implicit closeness measure. Furthermore, explicit and implicit feelings of closeness toward African Americans predict pro‐Black policy support whether White participants are considered alone or together with participants of other backgrounds. Political and methodological implications of these findings are discussed.
“My Group Is Not Worthy of Me”: Narcissism and Ethnocentrism
Authors: Bizumic Boris , Duckitt John
Published: May 2008

Ethnocentrism can be seen as an expression of narcissism at the group level. However, the relationship between ethnocentrism and narcissism has rarely been studied, and there is little agreement about what this relationship might be. Both have also been treated as simple, unidimensional constructs, whereas research indicates they are better viewed as complex and multidimensional. New research using multidimensional measures of both constructs was therefore conducted in a sample of 264 undergraduates. Narcissism, primarily its covert form, related positively to intergroup expressions of ethnocentrism, but negatively to intragroup expressions. In addition, both intergroup expressions of ethnocentrism and covert narcissism were related to disliking others. The findings suggest that intergroup expressions of ethnocentrism are based on personal self‐aggrandizement, whereas intragroup expressions are based on personal self‐transcendence. In addition, they suggest that narcissistic people have generally selfish and exploitative attitudes, even towards their own groups. They also emphasize the importance of investigating both ethnocentrism and narcissism as complex multidimensional constructs.
Asymptotics for Supersonic Soliton Propagation in the Toda Lattice Equation
Authors: Cisneros L. A. , Minzoni A. A.
Published: May 2008

We study the problem of the adjustment of an initial condition to an exact supersonic soliton solution of the Toda latice equation. Also, we study the problem of soliton propagation in the Toda lattice with slowly varying mass impurities. In both cases we obtain the full numerical solution of the soliton evolution and we develop a modulation theory based on the averaged Lagrangian of the discrete Toda equation. Unlike previous problems with coherent subsonic solutions we need to modify the averaged Lagrangian to obtain the coupling between the supersonic soliton and the subsonic linear radiation. We show how this modified modulation theory explains qualitatively in simple terms the evolution of a supersonic soliton in the presence of impurities. The quantitative agreement between the modulation solution and the numerical result is good.
On the Monomer–Dimer Problem of Some Graphs
Authors: Yan Weigen , Yeh Yeong‐Nan
Published: May 2008

The pure‐dimer problem was solved in exact closed form for many lattice graphs. Although some numerical solutions of the monomer–dimer problem were obtained, no exact solutions of the monomer–dimer problem were available (except in one dimension). Let G be an arbitrary graph with N vertices. Construct a new graph R(G) from G by adding a new verex e* corresponding to each edge e= (a, b) of G and by joining each new vertex e* to the vertices a and b. If the suitable activities of vertices and edges in R(G) are selected, then the monomer–dimer problem can be solved exactly for the graph R(G), which generalizes the result obtained by Yan and Yeh. As applications, if we select suitable activities for the vertices and edges of , we obtain the exact formulae for the MD partition function, MD free energy, and MD entropy of for the d‐dimensional lattice with periodic boundaries.
Local Conservation Laws and the Hamiltonian Formalism for the Ablowitz–Ladik Hierarchy
Authors: Gesztesy Fritz , Holden Helge , Michor Johanna , Teschl Gerald
Published: May 2008

We derive a systematic and recursive approach to local conservation laws and the Hamiltonian formalism for the Ablowitz–Ladik (AL) hierarchy. Our methods rely on a recursive approach to the AL hierarchy using Laurent polynomials and on asymptotic expansions of the Green's function of the AL Lax operator, a five‐diagonal finite difference operator.