bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interleukin-1β Promotes Epithelial-Derived Alveolar Elastogenesis via αvβ6 Integrin-Dependent TGF-β Activation
Authors: Wang Jiarong , Bao Lei , Yu Benli , Liu Zhaoyun , Han Wenli , Deng Chun , Guo Chunbao
Published: July 2015

Background/Aims: IL-1β creates persistent pulmonary inflammation accompanied by elevated transforming growth factor β (TGF-β levels and is associated with abnormal elastogenesis, which is observed in bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Although progress has been made in this field, the mechanisms underlying this process remain only partially understood. Methods: We assessed aberrant elastin localization-associated signaling in mouse pups exposed to 85% O2 treated with either IL-1Ra or 1D11, using morphometric analyses, quantitative RT-PCR, immunostaining, and ELISA. We also evaluated the derivation of elastin-producing cells using dual marker tracking. The regulatory mechanisms of IL-1β were investigated in vitro in lung epithelial and mesenchymal cells. Results: Elevated levels of IL-1β, αvβ6 and TGF-β1 were each associated with aberrant elastin production in O2-exposed lungs. IL-1Ra abolished TGF-β1 activation and αvβ6 upregulation, which occurred as a result of exposure to hyperoxia, whereas 1D11 had no discernible effect on the expression of either αvβ6 or IL-1β even following O2-exposure, suggesting that IL-1β was initially induced. Additionally, double staining revealed the presence of epithelium-derived elastin-producing cells, which was confirmed via in vitro IL-1β stress-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT) morphological and molecular marker changes, which may explain the altered lung elastin deposition and defective septation observed in BPD. Conclusions: These data support the hypothesis that IL-1β was initially induced by hyperoxia; αvβ6 subsequently interacted with and activated TGF-β1, acting as an epithelial/mesenchymal signaling molecule that contributed to excessive alveolar elastogenesis, the primary pathological feature of BPD.
Impact of Janus Kinase 3 on Cellular Ca2+ Release, Store Operated Ca2+ Entry and Na+/Ca2+ Exchanger Activity in Dendritic Cells
Authors: Yan Jing , Schmid Evi , Hosseinzadeh Zohreh , Honisch Sabina , Shumilina Ekaterina , Fuchs Joerg , Lang Florian
Published: July 2015

Background/Aims: Janus kinase 3 (JAK3), a tyrosine kinase mainly expressed in hematopoietic cells, participates in the signaling stimulating cell proliferation. The kinase is expressed in dendritic cells (DCs), antigen presenting cells involved in the initiation and regulation of antigen-specific T-cell responses. Dendritic cell function is regulated by cytosolic Ca2+ activity ([Ca2+]i). Mediators increasing [Ca2+]i in DCs include ATP and the chemokine receptor CXCR4 ligand CXCL12. The present study explored, whether JAK3 participates in the regulation of [Ca2+]i in DCs. Methods: Fura-2 fluorescence was employed to determine [Ca2+]i, and whole cell patch clamp to decipher electrogenic transport in immature DCs isolated from bone marrow of JAK3-knockout (jak3-/-) or wild-type mice (jak3+/+). Results: Without treatment, [Ca2+]i was similar in jak3-/- and jak3+/+ DCs. Addition of ATP (100 µM) was followed by transient increase of [Ca2+]i reflecting Ca2+ release from intracellular stores, an effect significantly less pronounced in jak3-/- DCs than in jak3+/+ DCs. CXCL12 administration was followed by a sustained increase of [Ca2+]i reflecting receptor operated Ca2+ entry, an effect significantly less rapid in jak3-/- DCs than in jak3+/+ DCs. In addition, the Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ channel (CRAC) current triggered by IP3-induced Ca2+ store depletion and CXCL12 was significantly higher in DCs from jak3+/+ mice than in jak3-/- mice. Inhibition of sarcoendoplasmatic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA) by thapsigargin (1 µM) in the absence of extracellular Ca2+ was followed by a transient increase of [Ca2+]i reflecting Ca2+ release from intracellular stores, and subsequent readdition of extracellular Ca2+ in the continued presence of thapsigargin was followed by a sustained increase of [Ca2+]i reflecting store operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE). Both, Ca2+ release from intracellular stores and SOCE were again significantly lower in jak3-/- DCs than in jak3+/+ DCs. Pretreatment of jak3+/+ DCs with JAK inhibitor WHI-P154 (22 µM, 10 minutes or 24 hours) significantly blunted both thapsigargin induced Ca2+ release and subsequent SOCE. Abrupt replacement of Na+ containing (130 mM) and Ca2+ free (0 mM) extracellular bath by Na+ free (0 mM) and Ca2+ containing (2 mM) extracellular bath increased [Ca2+]i reflecting Na+/Ca2+ exchanger activity, an effect again significantly less pronounced in jak3-/- DCs than in jak3+/+ DCs. Conclusions: JAK3 deficiency is followed by down-regulation of cytosolic Ca2+ release, receptor and store operated Ca2+ entry and Na+/Ca2+ exchanger activity in DCs.
Comparative Proteomic Profile of the Human Umbilical Cord Blood Exosomes between Normal and Preeclampsia Pregnancies with High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Jia Ruizhe , Li Jingyun , Rui Can , Ji Hui , Ding Hongjuan , Lu Yuanqing , De Wei , Sun Lizhou
Published: July 2015

Background/Aims: Exosomes are extracellular vesicles that are involved in several biological processes. The roles of proteins from human umbilical cord blood exosomes in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia remains poorly understood. Methods: In this study, we used high-resolution LC-MS/MS technologies to construct a comparative proteomic profiling of human umbilical cord blood exosomes between normal and preeclamptic pregnancies. Results: A total of 221 proteins were detected in human umbilical cord blood exosomes, with 14 upregulated and 15 downregulated proteins were definitively identified between preeclamptic and control pregnancies. Further bioinformatics analysis (Gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis) indicated that these differentially expressed proteins correlate with enzyme regulator activity, binding, extracellular region, cell part, biological regulation, cellular process and complement and coagulation cascades occurring during pathological changes of preeclampsia. Conclusion: Our results show significantly altered expression profiles of proteins in human umbilical cord blood exosomes between normal and preeclampsia pregnancies. These proteins may be involved in the etiology of preeclampsia.
Safety of Percutaneous Ultrasound-Guided Kidney Biopsy in Patients with AA Amyloidosis
Authors: Altindal Mahmut , Yildirim Tolga , Turkmen Ercan , Unal Mucahit , Boga Ilker , Yilmaz Rahmi , Arici Mustafa , Altun Bulent , Erdem Yunus
Published: July 2015

Background: Bleeding is the most frequent complication of kidney biopsy. Although bleeding risk in patients with AA amyloidosis after kidney biopsy has not been studied in a large population, AA amyloidosis has long been perceived as a risk factor for bleeding. The aim of the present study was to evaluate post-biopsy bleeding risk in patients with AA amyloidosis. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed bleeding complications in 88 patients with AA amyloidosis and 202 controls after percutaneous kidney biopsy. All the kidney biopsies were performed under the guidance of real-time ultrasound with the use of an automated core biopsy system after a standard pre-biopsy screening protocol. Bleeding events were classified as major when transfusion of blood products or surgical or radiological intervention was required, or if the bleeding caused hypovolemic shock or death. Bleeding events that did not meet these criteria were accepted as minor. Results: The incidence of post-biopsy bleeding was comparable between AA amyloidosis and control groups (5.7 vs. 5.0%, p = 0.796). Major bleeding events were observed in 3 patients from each group (p = 0.372). Selective renal angiography and embolization were applied to 2 patients from the AA amyloidosis group. One of these patients underwent colectomy and died because of infectious complications. Bleeding events were minor in 2.3% of the patients with AA amyloidosis and 3.5% of the controls (p = 0.728). Conclusions: AA amyloidosis was not associated with increased post-biopsy bleeding risk. Kidney biopsy is safe in AA amyloidosis when standard pre-biopsy screening is applied. Further data are needed to confirm these findings.
Point-of-care testing and INR within-subject variation in patients receiving a constant dose of vitamin K antagonist
Authors: Biedermann Joseph S. , Kruip Marieke J. H. A. , van den Besselaar A. M. H. P.
Published: July 2015

Many patients treated with vitamin K antagonists (VKA) determine their INR using point-of-care (POC) whole blood coagulation monitors. The primary aim of the present study was to assess the INR within-subject variation in self-testing patients receiving a constant dose of VKA. The second aim of the study was to derive INR imprecision goals for whole blood coagulation monitors. Analytical performance goals for INR measurement can be derived from the average biological within-subject variation. Fifty-six Thrombosis Centres in the Netherlands were invited to select self-testing patients who were receiving a constant dose of either acenocoumarol or phenprocoumon for at least six consecutive INR measurements. In each patient, the coefficient of variation (CV) of INRs was calculated. One Thrombosis Centre selected regular patients being monitored with a POC device by professional staff. Sixteen Dutch Thrombosis Centres provided results for 322 selected patients, all using the CoaguChek XS. The median within-subject CV in patients receiving acenocoumarol (10.2 %) was significantly higher than the median CV in patients receiving phenprocoumon (8.6 %) (p = 0.001). The median CV in low-target intensity acenocoumarol self-testing patients (10.4 %) was similar to the median CV in regular patients monitored by professional staff (10.2 %). Desirable INR analytical imprecision goals for POC monitoring with CoaguChek XS in patients receiving either low-target intensity acenocoumarol or phenprocoumon were 5.1 % and 4.3 %, respectively. The approximate average value for the imprecision of the CoaguChek XS, i. e. 4 %, is in agreement with these goals.
Sirt7 Contributes to Myocardial Tissue Repair by Maintaining Transforming Growth Factor-β Signaling Pathway
Authors: Araki Satoshi , Izumiya Yasuhiro , Rokutanda Taku , Ianni Alessandro , Hanatani Shinsuke , Kimura Yuichi , Onoue Yoshiro , Senokuchi Takafumi , Yoshizawa Tatsuya , Yasuda Osamu , Koitabashi Norimichi , Kurabayashi Masahiko , Braun Thomas , Bober Eva , Yamagata Kazuya , Ogawa Hisao
Published: July 2015

Background—

Sirt7, 1 of the 7 members of the mammalian sirtuin family, promotes oncogenic transformation. Tumor growth and metastasis require fibrotic and angiogenic responses. Here, we investigated the role of Sirt7 in cardiovascular tissue repair process.

Methods and Results—

In wild-type mice, Sirt7 expression increased in response to acute cardiovascular injury, including myocardial infarction and hind-limb ischemia, particularly at the active wound healing site. Compared with wild-type mice, homozygous Sirt7-deficient (Sirt7
−/−
) mice showed susceptibility to cardiac rupture after myocardial infarction, delayed blood flow recovery after hind-limb ischemia, and impaired wound healing after skin injury. Histological analysis showed reduced fibrosis, fibroblast differentiation, and inflammatory cell infiltration in the border zone of infarction in Sirt7
−/−
mice. In vitro, Sirt7
−/−
mouse–derived or Sirt7 siRNA–treated cardiac fibroblasts showed reduced transforming growth factor-β signal activation and low expression levels of fibrosis-related genes compared with wild-type mice–derived or control siRNA–treated cells. These changes were accompanied by reduction in transforming growth factor receptor I protein. Loss of Sirt7 activated autophagy in cardiac fibroblasts. Transforming growth factor-β receptor I downregulation induced by loss of Sirt7 was blocked by autophagy inhibitor, and interaction of Sirt7 with protein interacting with protein kinase-Cα was involved in this process.

Conclusion—

Sirt7 maintains transforming growth factor receptor I by modulating autophagy and is involved in the tissue repair process.
Genesis 1-3: Augustine and Origen on the coats of skins
Authors: Pârvan Alexandra
Published: July 2015

Abstract

This paper explores Origen’s and Augustine’s interpretations of Gen. 3,21, which regards the coats of skins that God gave to Adam and Eve after they had sinned. I propose the notion of man’s “state of intermediateness” as a basis for examining both authors’ understanding of the skin tunics, and for revealing the similarities and distinctive dissimilarities in their interpretations. I also investigate how Origen’s and Augustine’s different readings of the two accounts of man’s creation, in Gen. 1,27 and Gen. 2,7, can be connected with their understanding of Gen. 3,21. I conclude by showing how despite some striking similarities that link Augustine’s interpretation of the skin coats to Origen’s view, and even despite the fact that Augustine reiterates an already-established symbolism, his exegesis of the skin tunics still bears a particular relevance and originality.
A Petrine Day of Display: 21 December 1709
Authors: Jones Adrian
Published: July 2015

This article analyses the royal pranks and new euro-iconographies asso-ciated with Peter the Great's extraordinary ceremonial procession through Moscow on 21 December 1709. Gates of Triumph were designed and erected at his express order soon after his success at Poltava on 27 June 1709, and then Peter troubled to commission series of engravings in March 1710. The arcane metaphors depicted in the gates and the royal pranks on the day are contrasted with portraits of the specific era 1709-11 to sketch the playful and subversive agenda of Peter's absolutist radical-ism at its moment of consolidation and on the eve of his iconoclastic mar-riage to Catherine.
The Dialectic of Musical Socialist Realism: The Case of Dmitri Shostakovich
Authors: Padgett Andrew
Published: July 2015

At the time of his death in 1975, Dmitri Shostakovich was widely recognised as the greatest composer of his generation, and the first master of the socialist realist symphony. However, Shostakovich’s successes were hard-won. They came on the back of denunciations in Pravda of two earlier ‘formalist’ works. In an effort to win the support of the Party leadership, Shostakovich subsequently transformed his compositional style to produce his popular Fifth Symphony. This paper examines what changed in Shostakovich’s style from his Fourth to his Fifth Symphonies, to establish precisely what musical socialist realism was, and how it was successfully composed, and the long term influence it had on the generation of Soviet composers who emerged after the thaw.
Slavonic Studies in Australia and New Zealand During the Cold War and in the Post-Cold-War Era
Authors: Hill Peter
Published: July 2015

Slavonic Studies and especially Russian profited from the Cold War and when it ended Western governments saw no need to continue supporting these disciplines. This coincided with the commercialization of the universities, when governments largely abrogated their responsibility for higher education. It is in this context that the following account of the rise and fall of Slavonic studies in Australia and New Zealand unfolds.
Losses of the Serbian Army in World War One and the Creation of Yugoslavia: Contribution to the Interpretation of the Causes and Circumstances of South Slav Unification
Authors: Miloradović Goran
Published: July 2015

This research paper is devoted to the issues of the human losses of the Army of the Kingdom of Serbia in World War One and the interpretation of the consequences of these losses. It is claimed that the exceptionally high losses were a decisive factor which propelled the decision of the Serbian Government in favour of the formation of Yugoslavia. This fact was concealed during the life of the state of Yugoslavia. The paper draws on Russian and Serbian archival material which has not been processed to date.
Hypandrium as a key character in resolving species-level taxonomy on the example of Perisama oppelii (Latreille) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae, Biblidinae)
Authors: ZUBEK ANNA , LORENC-BRUDECKA JADWIGA , PYRCZ TOMASZ W.
Published: July 2015

A detailed comparative study of the subspecies of Perisama oppelii (Latreille, [1809]) is carried out. Ten out of eleven subspecies are illustrated, including the females of P. o. bleuzeni Attal & Crosson du Cormier, 1996 and P. o. cristal Attal & Crosson du Cormier, 1996 for the first time. Male genitalia of P. o. amalia Oberthür, 1916, P. o. bleuzeni, P. o. cristal, P. o. erebina Oberthür, 1916, P. o. oppelii (Latreille, [1809]), P. o. viridinota Butler, 1873, and P. o. xanthica (Hewitson, 1868), as well as female genitalia of P. o. bleuzeni, P. o. cristal and P. o. oppelii are also presented for the first time. Based on the characters of hypandrium, a separate specific status is proposed for P. bleuzeni stat. n. Taxonomical value of the hypandrium is evaluated. The co-evolution of male and female genitalia is discussed.
Lepadichthys bilineatus, a new species of clingfish from Oman (Teleostei: Gobiesocidae), with a redescription of Lepadichthys erythraeus Briggs and Link from the Red Sea
Authors: CRAIG MATTHEW T. , BOGORODSKY SERGEY V. , RANDALL JOHN E. , MAL AHMAD O.
Published: July 2015

Lepadichthys bilineatus is described as a new species of gobiesocid fish from a single specimen, 23.5 mm in standard length, collected from 1.5 m in a tidepool on the southeastern coast of Oman. It is distinct from other Lepadichthys species in having the following combination of characters: dorsal-fin rays 16; anal-fin rays 13; pectoral-fin rays 23; principal caudal-fin rays 10; gill rakers 10 on second and third arch; head large, its length 3.1 in SL; body depth 8.0 in SL; disc single; disc length 6.6 in SL; disc width 6.5 in SL; color in alcohol uniform tan; color when fresh: body grayish blue, grading to brownish red posteriorly; head dark brown dorsally, abruptly pale yellowish below eye, with two whitish lines extending posteriorly and slightly ventrally from eye. Lepadichthys erythraeus, a species thus far known only from the Red Sea , is redescribed based on additional diagnostic characteristics and color photos.
Endemic Lake Baikal sponges from deep water. 1: Potential cryptic speciation and discovery of living species known only from fossils
Authors: ITSKOVICH VALERIA B. , KALUZHNAYA OXANA V. , VEYNBERG ELENA , ERPENBECK DIRK
Published: July 2015

We revealed new deep-water species and cryptic speciation within freshwater sponges of the endemic family Lubomirskiidae (Porifera; Demospongiae; Spongillina) based on molecular and spicule morphology analyses of ITS and CO1 mtDNA. Lubomirskiidae contains a group of closely related species which are a dominant component of the benthos in Lake Baikal, the world's deepest and most ancient lake. Spicule morphology was similar between two Recent samples and species only known previously from fossils in Late Pliocene (3.2−2.8 mya) sediments. Despite the morphological similarity with the cosmopolitan family Spongillidae, molecular analysis of ITS sequences has reliably assigned these species to Lubomirskiidae. This not only indicates that species identification of freshwater fossil sponge spicules should be made with caution, but also suggests that the structure of megascleres may not be a reliable character for interpretations of paleoclimatic reconstructions for the Baikal region. Our results do not support the current classification of Lubomirskiidae into its morphologically defined genera and species, suggesting a strong discrepancy between molecular and morphological variation in Baikalian sponges. This present contribution is the first part of a study on the phylogenetic relationships of the Lake Baikal deep water sponge fauna.
A new species of Isocossus Roepke, 1957 (Lepidoptera: Cossidae) from Vietnam, including a world catalogue of the genus
Authors: YAKOVLEV ROMAN V.
Published: July 2015

Isocossus zolotuhini Yakovlev sp. nov. is described from central Vietnam
Patrick Leigh Fermor’s “Hellen-Romaic Dilemma”
Authors: Kordos Przemysław
Published: July 2015

Patrick Leigh Fermor’s “Hellen-Romaic Dilemma”The article discusses one of the guises of the dichotomy between Hellene and Romios, a trope popular among researchers of modern Greek identity. It discusses the provenance and usage of both notions, drawing on the material presented by the English traveller and writer Patrick Leigh Fermor in his monograph Roumeli Travels in Northern Greece (1966). Fermor identified 64 opposing pairs of concepts and situations, and demonstrated the characteristics of Hellene and Romios in relation to each pair. This comparison produces the images of the logical, westernised Hellene, who reveres the accomplishments of ancient Greeks, and the spontaneous, oriental, somewhat backwards Romios, who longs for Byzantium. Although the picture Fermor paints is exaggerated (and slightly whimsical), it nevertheless helps to understand that the image of Hellene, and not that of Romios, is one in which modern Greeks believe and for which they strive.Patricka Leigh Fermora rozterki helleńsko-romejskieAutor omawia jedno z ujęć dychotomii między Hellenem a Romiosem, popularnej w badaniach nad nowogrecką tożsamością. Ukazuje proweniencję i sposób użycia obu pojęć, posługując się materiałem zaprezentowanym przez angielskiego pisarza i podróżnika, Patricka Leigh Fermora, w jego monografii Roumeli Travels in Northern Greece (wyd. 1966). Fermor wyróżnił 64 pary koncepcji i sytuacji, pokazując jak w obrębie każdej z nich funkcjonuje Hellen oraz Romios. Z porównania wyłania się obraz logicznego, zwesternizowanego Hellena, zapatrzonego w dokonania starożytnych Greków oraz spontanicznego, orientalnego, nieco zacofanego Romiosa, który tęskni za Bizancjum. Choć obraz naszkicowany przez Fermora jest przejaskrawiony (oraz nieco żartobliwy), to jednak pomaga zrozumieć, że to obraz Hellena, a nie Romiosa, jest tym, w który wierzą i do którego dążą współcześni Grecy.
Profile of Grigor Prličev (Grigorios Stawridis)
Authors: Sujecka Jolanta
Published: July 2015

Profile of Grigor Prličev (Grigorios Stawridis)The short presentation of Prličev's biography with a comment on the confusion that today's scholars have if their want to determine his national or ethnic identity (identities). The text with the translation of Prličev's poem are an excellent source complementing the debate on the Macedonian identity.
Profile of Dmitri Filosofov
Authors: Kuziur-Chrostowska Swiatłana
Published: July 2015

Profile of Dmitri FilosofovThe text presents the short biography of Dmitri Filosofov, Russian immigrant in the interwar Poland, and his importance to the Polish-Russian cultural and politic relations.
Wielcy ludzie i my (Z cyklu Niedzielne rozmowy)
Authors: Fiłosofow Dymitr
Published: July 2015

Great People and Us (from the Sunday Conversations series)The Polish translation of the Filosofov's essay on Józef Piłsudski after death of the Polish politician. Filosofov was impressed by the Piłsudski's personality. He perceived him as a hero who would put an end to enmity between Poland and Russia. The essay was first publish in Russian in "Меч", the monthly of Russian immigration.
Prace Komisji Środkowoeuropejskiej Prezentacja cyklu
Authors: Taczyńska Katarzyna
Published: July 2015

Presentation of the book series "Prace Komisji Środkowoeuropejskiej" Presentation of the book series "Prace Komisji Środkowoeuropejskiej" (Works of the Central Europe Commitee), edited and published by the PAU (Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences) in Cracow.
Bogomil G’uzel Macedoński wirtuoz syntezy poetyckiej
Authors: Miodyński Lech
Published: July 2015

Bogomil G’uzel, a Macedonian Virtuoso of Poetical Synthesis The short presentation of the literary profile of Bogumil G'uzel, Macedonian poet and essayist.
Tożsamość narodowa w społeczeństwie multietnicznym Macedonii
Authors: Falski Maciej
Published: July 2015

National Identity in the Multi-Ethnic Society of MacedoniaThe review of the book: Tożsamość narodowa w społeczeństwie multietnicznym Macedonii, ed. by Irena Stawowy-Kawka and Maciej Kawka and published by Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego in Cracow, 2008.
Gane Todorovski (1929–2010)
Authors: Mironska-Hristovska Valentina
Published: July 2015

Gane Todorovski (1929–2010)The name of academician Gane Todorovski is deeply embedded in Macedonian poetry, Macedonian science of literature and Macedonian culture in general. His oeuvre is an extraordinary compilation of his expression as a poet; scholar in several areas: literary history, folklore, linguistics, contemporary flows through critical, theoretical and comparative prism, essayist, translator - who enchants lyrics with the touch of Macedonia; anthologist, subeditor and editor of a series of publications, editor of magazines; theatrologist, university professor and bard of cultural events in Macedonia.
On the Impact and Benefits of AMDAR Observations in Operational Forecasting—Part I: A Review of the Impact of Automated Aircraft Wind and Temperature Reports
Authors: Petersen Ralph Alvin
Published: July 2015

This paper reviews the impact of World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Aircraft Meteorological Data Relay (AMDAR) observations on operational numerical weather prediction (NWP) forecasts at both regional and global scales that support national and local weather forecast offices across the globe. Over the past three decades, data collected from commercial aircraft have helped reduce flight-level wind and temperature forecast errors by nearly 50%. Improvements are largest in 3–48-h forecasts and in regions where the automated reports 1) are most numerous, 2) cover a broad area, and 3) are available at multiple levels (e.g., made during aircraft ascent and descent). Improvements in weather forecasts due to these data have already had major impacts on a variety of aspects of airline operations, ranging from fuel savings from improved wind and temperature forecasts used in flight planning to passenger comfort and safety due to better awareness of en route and near-terminal weather hazards. Aircraft wind and temperature observations now constitute the third most important dataset for global NWP and, in areas of ample reports, have become the single most important dataset for use in shorter-term, regional NWP applications. Automated aircraft reports provide the most cost-effective data source for improving NWP, being more than 5 times more cost effective than any other major-impact observing system. They also present an economical alternative for obtaining tropospheric profiles both in areas of diminishing conventional observation and as a supplement to existing datasets, both in time and space. An evaluation of moisture observations becoming available from an increasing number of AMDAR-equipped aircraft will be presented in Part II of this paper, including examples of the use of the full array of AMDAR observations in a variety of forecasting situations.
The Madden–Julian Oscillation’s Influence on Spring Rainy Season Precipitation over Equatorial West Africa*
Authors: Berhane Fisseha , Zaitchik Benjamin , Badr Hamada S.
Published: July 2015

This paper characterizes the influence of the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) on spring rainy season (March–June) convection variability over equatorial West Africa (EWA) and investigates mechanisms of association. It is found that the MJO has a significant impact on convection and precipitation anomalies over the region. Over large portions of EWA, MJO impacts on rainfall constitute a difference on the order of 20%–50% from average daily rain rates for the season. This impact is primarily due to the direct influence of the eastward movement of the MJO convective core into EWA, which is associated with westerly low-level wind anomalies that advect moisture from the Atlantic Ocean to the region. In addition, equatorial Rossby and Kelvin waves triggered by MJO convection anomalies over the Indian Ocean have a significant and systematic influence on EWA spring rainy season precipitation. The Kelvin wave contribution and the relative strength of the direct MJO convective influence compared to that of equatorial wave activity differs from findings of studies that have examined MJO influence on EWA during boreal summer. In addition, MJO is found to influence precipitation extremes during spring rains in a manner that is not observed in summer. Importantly, in this analysis the influences of MJO convection and each of the MJO-associated convectively coupled equatorial waves frequently coincide, reaching EWA approximately 20 days after MJO convection initiates in the Indian Ocean. This coincident timing enhances the total MJO impact on the region, and it also implies that MJO events have potential for prediction of regional-scale convection and rainfall anomalies over EWA in this season.
The Forcing of Monthly Precipitation Variability over Southwest Asia during the Boreal Cold Season
Authors: Hoell Andrew , Shukla Shraddhanand , Barlow Mathew , Cannon Forest , Kelley Colin , Funk Chris
Published: July 2015

Southwest Asia, defined as the region containing the countries of Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, and Pakistan, is water scarce and receives nearly 75% of its annual rainfall during the boreal cold season of November–April. The forcing of southwest Asia precipitation has been previously examined for the entire boreal cold season from the perspective of climate variability originating over the Atlantic and tropical Indo-Pacific Oceans. This study examines the intermonthly differences in precipitation variability over southwest Asia and the atmospheric conditions directly responsible in forcing monthly November–April precipitation.

Seasonally averaged November–April precipitation over southwest Asia is significantly correlated with sea surface temperature (SST) patterns consistent with Pacific decadal variability (PDV), El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and the long-term change of global SST (LT). In contrast, the precipitation variability during the individual months of November–April is unrelated and is correlated with SST signatures that include PDV, ENSO, and LT in different combinations.

Despite strong intermonthly differences in precipitation variability during November–April over southwest Asia, similar atmospheric circulations, highlighted by a stationary equivalent barotropic Rossby wave centered over Iraq, force the monthly spatial distributions of precipitation. Tropospheric flow on the eastern side of the equivalent barotropic Rossby wave modifies the flux of moisture and advects the mean meridional temperature gradient, resulting in temperature advection that is balanced by vertical motions over southwest Asia. The forcing of monthly southwest Asia precipitation by equivalent barotropic Rossby waves is different from the forcing by baroclinic Rossby waves associated with tropically forced–only modes of climate variability.
Sensitivities in Large-Eddy Simulations of Mixed-Phase Arctic Stratocumulus Clouds Using a Simple Microphysics Approach*
Authors: Kaul Colleen M. , Teixeira João , Suzuki Kentaroh
Published: July 2015

Arctic mixed-phase stratocumulus clouds are maintained by feedbacks between microphysical and dynamical phenomena, but the details of these interactions are incompletely understood. Although large-eddy simulations are a promising means of elucidating microphysics–turbulence relationships, the use of sophisticated microphysical schemes complicates analysis of their results. Here, the ability of a simplified one-moment scheme to capture basic features of this cloud type is investigated through simulations based on Mixed-Phase Arctic Cloud Experiment (MPACE), SHEBA/FIRE-ACE, and Indirect and Semi-Direct Aerosol Campaign (ISDAC) intercomparison studies. The results of the simple scheme show reasonable agreement with liquid and ice water path predictions reported by models using schemes of similar or greater complexity. Additional tests are performed to evaluate the sensitivity of the results to three main parameters of the scheme: the snow and ice size distribution intercept parameters and the exponent appearing in the temperature-dependent phase-partition function, which is used to diagnose cloud condensate amounts. Sensitivities of the SHEBA and ISDAC cases, both of which have low surface heat fluxes and low precipitation rates, tend to be similar, while the MPACE case, with higher surface fluxes and precipitation rates, shows somewhat different trends. Results of all three cases are found to be sensitive to the snow size distribution intercept parameter, but this quantity can be adequately estimated using a recently developed diagnostic expression based on observations of Arctic clouds.
Extending Dynamic Mapping to Reentry Practitioners
Authors: La Vigne Nancy G. , Denver Megan
Published: July 2015

Although dynamic mapping is an increasingly popular tool for law enforcement, this technology is uncommon for reentry practitioners. This article introduces the Community Supervision Mapping System (CSMS), a web-based tool that routinely integrates Rhode Island Department of Corrections data into a user-friendly interface designed for those who supervise and provide service referrals to probationers. Using pre- and post-implementation survey data and actual usage data, we find that probation officers who adopt the new technology find the system useful and easy to use. We also learned that current usage is a better indicator of future use than is a respondent's reported intention to use the system.
Renal Disease Risk Factors Among Risk Groups Comprised of African American Women With Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Migliore Casey L. , Vorderstrasse Allison , Pan Wei , Melkus Gail D’Eramo
Published: July 2015

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the prevalence of renal disease risk factors and the categorization of renal disease risk groups among African American women with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) who participated in a self-management and coping skills training intervention. We also explored and described the change in renal disease risk factors within and between risk groups, determining if participation in a culturally relevant coping skills training intervention decreased renal disease risk.

Methods

This study was a secondary analysis of data from a longitudinal intervention study and included all 109 African American women with T2DM from the primary intervention study. This study examined the prevalence of 4 renal disease risk factors among the women at baseline via descriptive statistics, used cluster analysis to divide the women into risk groups and categorize the risk groups, and also measured the change in risk factors over time among risk groups via mixed modeling.

Results

A majority of the women had a hemoglobin A1C ≥7% (62.39%) and were obese (75.93%). The high-risk cluster displayed clinically significant declines in mean systolic blood pressure, triglycerides, and A1C in both the control and intervention groups, and the intervention was more effective in reducing triglycerides and A1C levels among high-risk participants than low-risk. Overall, the control, high-risk group exhibited the largest declines in systolic blood pressure, triglycerides, and A1C.

Conclusions

This study displays the importance of acknowledging African American women with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) at high risk for renal disease in health care settings, which is often overlooked, and realizing that renal disease risk reduction is obtainable.
A novel algorithm for scalable k-nearest neighbour graph construction
Authors: Park Youngki , Hwang Heasoo , Lee Sang-goo
Published: July 2015

Finding the k-nearest neighbours of every node in a dataset is one of the most important data operations with wide application in various areas such as recommendation and information retrieval. However, a major challenge is that the execution time of existing approaches grows rapidly as the number of nodes or dimensions increases. In this paper, we present greedy filtering, an efficient and scalable algorithm for finding an approximate k-nearest neighbour graph. It selects a fixed number of nodes as candidates for every node by filtering out node pairs that do not have any matching dimensions with large values. Greedy filtering achieves consistent approximation accuracy across nodes in linear execution time. We also present a faster version of greedy filtering that uses inverted indices on the node prefixes. Through theoretical analysis, we show that greedy filtering is effective for datasets whose features have Zipfian distribution, a characteristic observed in majority of large datasets. We also conduct extensive comparative experiments against (a) three state-of-the-art algorithms, and (b) three algorithms in related research domains. Our experimental results show that greedy filtering consistently outperforms other algorithms in various types of high-dimensional datasets.
Local Powers and Judicial Constraints in a Case of Rape in India
Authors: Berti Daniela
Published: July 2015

Since independence, the Indian State has shown a voluntarist approach in the judicial domain. This has led to the introduction of severe laws against customary relations of exploitation, harassment, and discrimination that rest on caste, gender, or religious differences. While this policy has enhanced a deeper legal culture, and provoked a new legal activism within the Indian population, it has not extirpated the local relations of dominance and exploitation. This paper provides an ethnographic account of how the rape of a young girl from a lower caste in Himachal Pradesh (Northern India) was dealt with in the judicial domain. It will thus provide an analysis of the interplay between traditional power relations and new forces that oppose those power relations through the rule of law. It will show how this interplay is visible in trial, and how it interferes with criminal procedures followed by the court.
Recommendations for Manganese Supplementation to Adult Patients Receiving Long‐Term Home Parenteral Nutrition
Authors: Baker Bradley , Ali Azmat , Isenring Liz
Published: July 2015

Introduction: Manganese (Mn) toxicity is often observed in adult patients receiving long‐term home parenteral nutrition (HPN), and differing recommendations on the safe level of Mn administration to these patients have been made in the literature over the past 10 years. Methods: This systematic review used the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) evidence hierarchy to assess the design and strength of individual studies (high I to low IV) and the overall grade of evidence (grade A high to grade D low). Results: Eight studies met the inclusion criteria. Levels of evidence ranged from high (NHMRC II) to mid‐level (III‐3). A widespread recommendation in the literature for patients receiving long‐term HPN is 55 µg (1 µmol) Mn/d. Conclusion: The recommendation of 55 µg (1µmol) Mn/d is of moderate‐strength evidence (NHMRC B grade). There is limited evidence to support not supplementing Mn to patients receiving long‐term HPN. Further intervention studies providing high‐level evidence (II and above) are required to determine the safety of not supplementing Mn to all patients receiving long‐term HPN.
Benefits of Nature Contact for Children
Authors: Chawla Louise
Published: July 2015

This review examines different ways that contact with nature can contribute to the health and well-being of children. Applying the capabilities approach to human development for a broad definition of well-being, it traces research from the 1970s to the present, following shifting research approaches that investigate different dimensions of health. A compelling body of evidence exists that trees and natural areas are essential elements of healthy communities for children. They need to be integrated at multiple scales, from landscaping around homes, schools, and childcare centers, to linked systems of urban trails, greenways, parks, and “rough ground” for children’s creative play.
Impact time control guidance with field-of-view constraint accounting for uncertain system lag
Authors: Zhang Youan , Wang Xingliang , Wu Huali
Published: July 2015

The problem of impact time control guidance with seeker’s field-of-view constraint in the presence of uncertain system lag is addressed. A novel two-step control approach based impact time control guidance law with seeker’s field-of-view constraint is proposed. Specifically, in the first step, a state constrained robust adaptive control law, using the dynamic surface control method combining with the control integral barrier Lyapunov function technique, is synthesized to achieve the required robust tracking performance with respect to the desired trajectory of lead angle in the presence of uncertain system lag and other uncertainties. In the second step, the desired trajectory of lead angle is generated online to guarantee target interception at the designated impact time under the assumption of ideal autopilot dynamics while not violating the seeker’ field-of-view constraint. The proposed guidance law ensures the seeker’s field-of-view constraint does not be violated in the presence of uncertain system lag and other uncertainties. Numerical simulations are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed guidance law.
Deployment analysis and optimization of a flexible deployable structure for large synthetic aperture radar antennas
Authors: Wang Yan , Guo Hongwei , Yang Hui , Liu Rongqiang , Deng Zongquan
Published: July 2015

Flexible deployment analysis and optimization of a novel deployable structure for deploying and supporting a 28 m long satellite synthetic aperture radar antenna are carried out in this study. Three stages are conducted in the deploying process: (1) acceleration, (2) uniform velocity, and (3) deceleration phases. The deployment experiments of the ground prototype show that the deployment angles among the antenna panels in the acceleration and deceleration phases are desynchronized. Flexible deployment dynamics is analyzed, and three indexes are identified to describe the deployment including deployment synchronism, steady driving torque, and maximum strain energy. An approach to optimize the auxiliary spring is presented to solve the desynchronized deployment problem. The response surface method is employed to model the optimization objective. The optimization and experimental results prove the feasibility of the proposed deployment analysis and optimization theory. The results of this work could be applied to other large deployable structures.
A new tightly-coupled INS/CNS integrated navigation algorithm with weighted multi-stars observations
Authors: Wang Rong , Xiong Zhi , Liu Jianye , Shi Lijuan
Published: July 2015

Integrating celestial navigation system (CNS) and inertial navigation system (INS) is an effective way to realize autonomous navigation for hypersonic cruise vehicles. In multi-stars synchronous observation, the error levels of starlight observations are not only changing with time, but also different from star to star, which is ignored by classic INS/CNS integrated navigation. In this paper, a new tightly-coupled INS/CNS integrated navigation algorithm with weighted multi-stars observations is proposed. Different from the classic method, tightly-coupled model provides a novel framework for INS/CNS integration, which enables direct fusion of INS measurements with original CNS observations. Meanwhile, star subsets traversal strategy is designed to evaluate the error level of each observation. Then adaptive filter which can fuse multi-star observations with INS according to evaluated error levels is researched. The proposed new algorithm shows significant improvement in navigation accuracy than the classic method in simulation.
Climate change and the agricultural history of a mid-elevation Andean montane forest
Authors: Bush Mark B , Mosblech Nicole A Sublette , Church Warren
Published: July 2015

The steep, wet, forested, slopes of the mid-elevation Andes have often been dismissed as inimical to human occupation. A lack of ancient lakes in these habitats has limited the availability of paleoecologists to contribute to this discussion. Here, we present fossil pollen and charcoal data from Lake Pomacochas in northern Peru, which is a 70-m-deep lake lying at 2100 m a.s.l. We present a c. 3500-year history of both significant climate change and site occupancy by humans. Maize pollen is present in sediments throughout much of this record, though there are times when its cultivation is either abandoned, or moves back from the shoreline, for example, between c. 3500 and 2700 cal. yr BP and post 1200 cal. yr BP. By comparing our record with isotopic data derived from cave calcite we are able to show that dry times favored maize cultivation in this setting. In the last 1200 years, large-scale social changes in the Andes, such as the emergence of the Chachapoya culture and the invasion of Europeans, appear to be reflected in the fossil pollen and charcoal record.
Palaeoenvironmental evidence for the impact of the crusades on the local and regional environment of medieval (13th–16th century) northern Latvia, eastern Baltic
Authors: Stivrins Normunds , Brown Alex , Veski Siim , Ratniece Vita , Heinsalu Atko , Austin Jennifer , Liiv Merlin , Ceriņa Aija
Published: July 2015

This paper evaluates the impact of the crusades on the landscape and environment of northern Latvia between the 13th–16th centuries (medieval Livonia). The crusades replaced tribal societies in the eastern Baltic with a religious state (Ordenstaat) run by the military orders and their allies, accompanied by significant social, cultural and economic developments. These changes have previously received little consideration in palaeoenvironmental studies of past land use in the eastern Baltic region, but are fundamental to understanding the development and expansion of a European Christian identity. Sediment cores from Lake Trikāta, located adjacent to a medieval castle and settlement, were studied using pollen, macrofossils, loss-on-ignition and magnetic susceptibility. Our results show that despite continuous agricultural land use from 500 BC, the local landscape was still densely wooded until the start of the crusades in AD 1198 when a diversified pattern of pasture, meadow and arable land use was established. Colonisation followed the crusades, although in Livonia this occurred on a much smaller scale than in the rest of the Ordenstaat; Trikāta is atypical showing significant impact following the crusades with many other palaeoenvironmental studies only revealing more limited impact from the 14th century and later. Subsequent wars and changes in political control in the post-medieval period had little apparent effect on agricultural land use.