bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Salt Sensitivity in Blacks
Authors: Schmidlin Olga , Forman Alex , Leone Anna , Sebastian Anthony , Morris R. Curtis
Published: July 2011

In healthy, mostly normotensive blacks, 19 salt-sensitive (SS) and 18 salt-resistant (SR), we tested the hypothesis that, in SS subjects, dietary NaCl loading induces its initial pressor effect by inducing a normal increase of cardiac output, while failing to induce a normal pressor-offsetting vasodilatation, consequent to its inhibition by asymmetrical dimethylarginine that is abnormally increased by NaCl. In SS and SR subjects, dietary NaCl loading, 250 from 30 mmol/d, over a 7-day period, induced similar, immediate increases in external Na
+
balance (by day 2, ≈360 mmol), plasma volume (+11%), and cardiac output (+8%). In SR subjects, from day 1, transient decreases occurred in both systemic vascular resistance (nadir: −13%, day 2) and mean arterial pressure (nadir: −5%, day 2). In SS subjects, systemic vascular resistance did not change over days 1 to 3, whereas mean arterial pressure increased progressively after day 1, ultimately by 10 mm Hg. Failure of systemic vascular resistance to normally decrease, while cardiac output normally increased, accounted for salt's initial pressor effect in the SS subjects. In SS subjects, baseline plasma levels of asymmetrical dimethylarginine (0.76 μmol/L) and symmetrical dimethylarginine (0.60 μmol/L), which does not affect vasodilatation, approximated those in SR subjects. In SS but not SR subjects, NaCl loading induced increases in asymmetrical dimethylarginine on both days 2 (+38%, median) and 7 (+14%, median). Symmetrical dimethylarginine changed in neither group. For all of the subjects combined, changes in asymmetrical dimethylarginine on day 2 predicted changes in systemic vascular resistance (
R
=0.751;
P
<0.001) and mean arterial pressure (
R
=0.527;
P
=0.006) on day 2 and similarly on day 7. These observations support the hypothesis tested.
Pandora’s Well
Authors: Ladd Anthony E.
Published: July 2011

The BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico—the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history—represents far more than an oil rig “accident” caused by human error, mechanical failure, or poor engineering decisions driven by an industry mantra of “Drill, Baby, Drill!” At its roots are deeper questions about corporate power, corruption, and accountability; technological risk; government deregulation; fossil fuel dependence; and the inability of most Americans to envision a shift to a clean and renewable energy future. In this article and commentary, the author draws on various media accounts and disaster studies to trace some of the key events leading up to the catastrophe, as well as its preliminary and evolving impacts. The author then offers some critical observations about our ability to prevent future energy-driven disasters in an era marked by corporate power; congressional timidity; and the control that the fossil fuel industry exercises over our economy, culture, and energy policy. As with the 9/11 tragedy a decade ago, the BP blowout represents yet another national wake-up call for the United States to heed the disaster lessons of the last 40 years, reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, and begin the transition to a sustainable energy economy.
Imagining Twitter as an Imagined Community
Authors: Gruzd Anatoliy , Wellman Barry , Takhteyev Yuri
Published: July 2011

The notion of “community” has often been caught between concrete social relationships and imagined sets of people perceived to be similar. The rise of the Internet has refocused our attention on this ongoing tension. The Internet has enabled people who know each other to use social media, from e-mail to Facebook, to interact without meeting physically. Into this mix came Twitter, an asymmetric microblogging service: If you follow me, I do not have to follow you. This means that connections on Twitter depend less on in-person contact, as many users have more followers than they know. Yet there is a possibility that Twitter can form the basis of interlinked personal communities—and even of a sense of community. This analysis of one person’s Twitter network shows that it is the basis for a real community, even though Twitter was not designed to support the development of online communities. Studying Twitter is useful for understanding how people use new communication technologies to form new social connections and maintain existing ones.
Team design and stress: A multilevel analysis
Authors: Cruz Kevin S , Pil Frits K
Published: July 2011

Using a sample of 1708 team members in 292 team-based establishments, we examine the relationship between team member stress, and team autonomy in the form of team decision making, team leader appointment, and team responsibility. We also examine the relationship between stress, and intrateam interdependence in the form of team member interdependency and team-based job rotation. We further examine whether the relationships between team design and stress are mediated by team member job demands and job control. We find that an increase in job demands indirectly mediates the positive relationships between team decision making and team responsibility, and stress. We also find that a decrease in job demands indirectly mediates the negative relationship between team-based job rotation and stress. Our results suggest that the optimal design of a team, with respect to stress, is a team that has a low degree of autonomy and a high degree of intrateam interdependence.
Discrete event modeling and massively parallel execution of epidemic outbreak phenomena
Authors: Perumalla Kalyan S , Seal Sudip K
Published: July 2011

In complex phenomena such as epidemiological outbreaks, the intensity of inherent feedback effects and the significant role of transients in the dynamics make simulation the only effective method for proactive, reactive or post facto analysis. The spatial scale, runtime speed, and behavioral detail needed in detailed simulations of epidemic outbreaks cannot be supported by sequential or small-scale parallel execution, making it necessary to use large-scale parallel processing. Here, an optimistic parallel execution of a new discrete event formulation of a reaction–diffusion simulation model of epidemic propagation is presented to facilitate a dramatic increase in the fidelity and speed by which epidemiological simulations can be performed. Rollback support needed during optimistic parallel execution is achieved by combining reverse computation with a small amount of incremental state saving. Parallel speedup of over 5,500 and other runtime performance metrics of the system are observed with weak-scaling execution on a small (8,192-core) Blue Gene/P system, while scalability with a weak-scaling speedup of over 10,000 is demonstrated on 65,536 cores of a large Cray XT5 system. Scenarios representing large population sizes, with mobility and detailed state evolution modeled at the level of each individual, exceeding several hundreds of millions of individuals in the largest cases, are successfully exercised to verify model scalability.
Automatic control of roller carding machine. Part I: Modeling and validation of roller carding machine
Authors: Kuo Chung-Feng Jeffrey , Chou Yu-Chung , Lin Tsung-Yi
Published: July 2011

This study aimed to develop a dynamic model of a roller carding machine. The roller carding machine used in this study comprised one set each of feed conveyors, feed rollers, licker-in rollers, clothing rollers, a set consisting of a cylinder and doffer and two sets of carding rollers/stripping rollers. In order to establish a dynamic mathematical model of a roller carding machine, this study derived the transfer rate and collecting power of cotton web from the mode of movement, relative velocity, clothing tooth angle and friction force of the main rollers of the system. The transfer delay time of the cotton web was deduced from the clearance among working rollers, corresponding angle of roller center, and angular velocity. Finally, the correctness of the dynamic mathematical model of the roller carding machine derived in this study has been proved from the experiment.
Strategy Implementation and Public Service Performance
Authors: Andrews Rhys , Boyne George A. , Law Jennifer , Walker Richard M.
Published: July 2011

Much has been written about implementation in the public sector, but little is known about organizational implementation styles and their consequences for performance. The authors’ evidence shows that implementation style matters but only in combination with appropriate strategic choices. None of the established styles of implementation (rational, incremental, and “no clear approach”) by themselves are likely to lead to better performance. However, when the authors incorporate the strategic orientation of the organization (defender, prospector, and reactor), they find that it has an important moderating effect on the relationship between implementation style and service performance. Their evidence suggests that public organizations need to achieve a fit between strategic orientation and style of implementation if higher levels of performance are to be attained.
Age Trends in Daily Social Contact Patterns
Authors: Cornwell Benjamin
Published: July 2011

Research on older adults’ social integration usually focuses on time-indefinite access to social support, community involvement, and network connectedness. Little research has examined the actual amount of social contact older adults have on a typical day. The author uses nationally representative data on 92,698 adults—collected in the 2003-2009 American Time Use Surveys—to examine age-related trends in rates of everyday contact. Zero-inflated negative binomial regression analyses reveal nonlinear relationships between age and rates of social contact. Older adults have substantially lower rates of social contact than younger and middle-aged adults—especially among women. A significant portion, but not all, of the age-related variation in contact patterns is attributable to life-course factors like living arrangements. The author closes by considering several potential explanations for these trends and by urging social gerontologists to pay closer attention to the causes and consequences of microsocial contact patterns among older adults.
Counteracting bullying in Finland: The KiVa program and its effects on different forms of being bullied
Authors: Salmivalli Christina , Kärnä Antti , Poskiparta Elisa
Published: July 2011

In 2006, the Finnish Ministry of Education mandated our research group to develop an antibullying program for comprehensive schools. The new program, KiVa, includes both universal and indicated actions to reduce bullying. The present study reports the effects of KiVa on nine different forms of being bullied in a sample of 5,651 fourth to sixth graders from 78 schools (39 intervention, 39 control). The findings showed positive effects on each form of being bullied assessed. After 9 months of intervention, control school students were 1.32— 1.94 times as likely to be bullied as students in intervention schools. A well-designed, research-based program can thus reduce multiple forms of being bullied, and there might be no need to develop specific programs for different forms of bullying.
Why interventions to reduce bullying and violence in schools may (or may not) succeed: Comments on this Special Section
Authors: Smith Peter K.
Published: July 2011

The research area around aggression and violence in schools, and especially that on school bullying, has grown enormously in the last 30 years. There are good grounds for concern about these issues, given the negative effects of school bullying on mental health and in the more extreme cases, links to suicides. Intervention and prevention programs have grown since their origins in the 1980s, and are now quite varied and international. Recent meta-analyses suggest that on average, antibullying campaigns have had some modest success; but there is still much to understand about why programs vary in effectiveness, and much to learn about making prevention and intervention efforts more successful in the future. The five papers in this Special Section contribute to our knowledge in this respect. They are discussed in relation to some key issues, including: the nature of both prevention and intervention programs, school policies and implementation issues, importance of teacher training, extent of national support for school-based interventions, and sustainability of effects.
Communication, Organizing and Organization: An Overview and Introduction to the Special Issue
Authors: Cooren François , Kuhn Timothy , Cornelissen Joep P. , Clark Timothy
Published: July 2011

This paper provides an overview of previous work that has explored the processes and mechanisms by which communication constitutes organizing (as ongoing efforts at coordination and control of activity and knowledge) and organizations (as collective actors that are ‘talked’ into existence). We highlight differences between existing theories and analyses grounded in communication-as-constitutive (CCO) perspectives and describe six overarching premises for such perspectives; in so doing, we sharpen and bound the explanatory power of CCO perspectives for organization studies more generally. Building on these premises, we develop an agenda for further research, call for greater cross-fertilization between the communication and organization literatures, and illustrate ways in which communication-informed analyses have complemented and strengthened theories of the firm, organizational identity, sensemaking, and strategy as practice.
Strategic planning as communicative process
Authors: Spee A. Paul , Jarzabkowski Paula
Published: July 2011

This paper examines the construction of a strategic plan as a communicative process. Drawing on Ricoeur’s concepts of decontextualization and recontextualization, we conceptualize strategic planning activities as being constituted through the iterative and recursive relationship of talk and text. Based on an in-depth case study, our findings show how multiple actors engage in a formal strategic planning process which is manifested in a written strategy document. This document is thus central in the iterative talk to text cycles. As individuals express their interpretations of the current strategic plan in talk, they are able to make amendments to the text, which then shape future textual versions of the plan. This cycle is repeated in a recursive process, in which the meanings attributed to talk and text increasingly converge within a final agreed plan. We develop our findings into a process model of the communication process that explains how texts become more authoritative over time and, in doing so, how they inscribe power relationships and social order within organizations. These findings contribute to the literature on strategic planning and on organization as a communication process.
Long-term rehabilitation for chronic stroke arm movements: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Cauraugh James H , Naik Sagar K , Lodha Neha , Coombes Stephen A , Summers Jeffery J
Published: July 2011

Objective: We investigated the effect of long-term practice on motor improvements in chronic stroke patients.

Design: Randomized parallel group controlled study.

Setting: Motor Behavior Laboratory, University of Florida.

Subjects: Eighteen individuals who experienced a stroke more than nine months prior to enrolling.

Interventions: The treatment interventions were bilateral arm movements coupled with active neuromuscular stimulation on the impaired arm for both practice duration groups. The short-term group received one treatment protocol, whereas, over 16 months, the long-term practice group completed 10 treatment protocols. All protocol sessions were 6 hours long (90 minutes 1 day/week/4 weeks) and were separated by 22 days.

Main outcome measures: Repeated data collection on three primary outcome measures (i.e. Box and Block test, fractionated reaction times, and sustained force production) evaluated motor capabilities across rehabilitation times.

Results: Mixed design ANOVAs (Group × Retention Test: 2 × 4; Group × Retention Test × Arm Condition: 2 × 4 × 2) revealed improved motor capabilities for the long-term practice duration group on each primary measure. At the 16-month delayed retention test, when compared to the short-term group, the long-term group demonstrated: (a) more blocks moved (43 v 32), (b) faster premotor reaction times (158 v 208 ms), and (c) higher force production (75 v 45 N).

Conclusion: Sixty hours of rehabilitation over 16 months provided by various bilateral arm movements and coupled active stimulation improved motor capabilities in chronic stroke.
Application of wedged foot orthosis effectively reduces pain in runners with pronated foot: a randomized clinical study
Authors: Shih Yi-Fen , Wen Yan-Kai , Chen Wen-Yin
Published: July 2011

Objective: To examine the effects of foot orthosis intervention during a 60-minute running test in pronated-foot runners with overuse knee or foot pain during running.

Design: A randomized, controlled design.

Setting: Sports gym.

Participants: Twenty-four runners with pronated foot who experienced pain over anterior knee or foot region during running were recruited and randomized into the treatment, or the control, group.

Interventions: A soft insole with a semi-rigid rearfoot medial wedge was given to the treatment group, and a soft insole without corrective posting was applied to the control group.

Outcome measures: The immediate and short-term effects of orthosis application on incidence of pain, pain intensity and onset time were evaluated using the 60-minutes treadmill test.

Results: Immediately after wearing the foot orthosis, pain incidence reduced in the treatment group but not in the control group ( P = 0.04). After two weeks, seven (58%) subjects in the treatment group and one (8%) in the control group were free of pain during the test ( P = 0.01). The pain intensity score decreased significantly after orthosis application, from 35.5 to 17.2 (immediate effect, P = 0.014), then to 12.3 (short-term effect, P < 0.001).

Conclusion: The rearfoot medially-wedged insole was a useful intervention for preventing or reducing painful knee or foot symptoms during running in runners with pronated foot.
Intervening Processes in the Relationship Between Neighborhood Characteristics and Psychological Symptoms in Urban Youth
Authors: Katz Brian N. , Esparza Patricia , Carter Jocelyn Smith , Grant Kathryn E. , Meyerson David A.
Published: July 2011

The present study tested for mediators of the relation between neighborhood risk characteristics and internalizing and externalizing symptoms in a sample of 1,120 low-income urban adolescents. Results indicate that a composite of census tract variables predicted both internalizing and externalizing symptoms in this sample. Stressful life events and exposure to violence mediated the relation between neighborhood risk and aggression, delinquency, and somatic symptoms. Gender and age were examined as moderators of these mediational pathways. Results of moderated mediation analyses revealed that both gender and age moderated the pathways between stressors and somatic complaints and between exposure to violence and somatic complaints. Implications for intervention and areas for future research are discussed.
Pubertal Development and Adolescent Girls’ Substance Use
Authors: Tanner-Smith Emily E.
Published: July 2011

To highlight individual and neighborhood interactions in the risk of adolescent substance use, this study examined the moderating role of neighborhood disadvantage on the relationship between pubertal development and adolescent girls’ substance use. Drawing on the contextual amplification hypothesis, it was hypothesized that the effect of pubertal development on substance use would vary by level of neighborhood disadvantage and race. The sample included 5,591 adolescent girls from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (23% Black, 15% Hispanic, 55% White, and 7% Other race). Results showed that the relationships between pubertal development, neighborhood disadvantage, and alcohol use varied for girls from different racial backgrounds. Although there was some of evidence of contextual amplification among Black adolescent girls, low levels of neighborhood disadvantage tended to be associated with higher levels of alcohol use during early adolescence. Findings highlight the importance of studying the interaction between individual- and environmental-level risk factors.
Laser scanning applications in fluvial studies
Authors: Hohenthal Johanna , Alho Petteri , Hyyppä Juha , Hyyppä Hannu
Published: July 2011

During recent decades, the use of high-resolution light detection and ranging altimetry (LiDAR) data in fluvial studies has rapidly increased. Airborne laser scanning (ALS) can be used to extensively map riverine topography. Although airborne blue/green LiDAR can also be utilized for the mapping of river bathymetry, the accuracy levels achieved are not as good as those of terrain elevation measurements. Moreover, airborne bathymetric LiDAR is not yet suitable for mapping shallow water areas. More detailed topographical data may be obtained by fixed-position terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) or mobile terrestrial laser scanning (MLS). One of the newest applications of MLS approaches involves a boat/cart-based mobile mapping system (BoMMS/CartMMS). This set-up includes laser scanning and imaging from a boat moving along a river course and may be used to expand the spatial extent of terrestrial scanning. Detailed digital terrain models (DTMs) derived from LiDAR data can be used to improve the recognition of fluvial landforms, the geometric data of hydraulic modelling, and the estimation of flood inundation extents and fluvial processes.
Therapeutic Ultrasound Affects IGF-1 Splice Variant Expression in Human Skeletal Muscle
Authors: Delgado-Diaz Diana C. , Gordon Bradley S. , Dompier Tom , Burgess Stephanie , Dumke Charles , Mazoué Chris , Caldwell Toriah , Kostek Matthew C.
Published: July 2011

Background: Animal models of skeletal muscle damage and repair demonstrate that therapeutic ultrasound (TUS) enhances muscle force recovery after damage, increases satellite cell proliferation, and decreases insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 splice variant (mechano growth factor) gene expression. However, these effects have not been verified in humans.

Purpose: This study was undertaken to examine the 3 known splice variants of the IGF-1 gene in human skeletal muscle after damage and TUS treatment.

Study Design: Controlled laboratory study.

Methods: Sixteen healthy men (18-29 years of age), physically active, were randomized to either a control (CON) or experimental group (EXP). The EXP group underwent 200 lengthening contractions (muscle damage) of the quadriceps of both legs, 48 hours before TUS. Both groups received TUS, delivered for 10 minutes on a standardized area of the vastus lateralis of only 1 leg (1.0 MHz, 1.5 W/cm2). Bilateral muscle biopsy samples were taken from all participants, 6 hours after TUS. Total RNA was extracted, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction conducted for each IGF-1 splice variant.

Results: Muscle damage was confirmed by a decrease in the isometric peak torque and increase in creatine kinase activity levels 48 hours after damage ( P < .01). After muscle damage, gene expression of total IGF-1 and 2 IGF-1 splice variants increased. Therapeutic ultrasound induced significant increase in IGF-1Eb gene expression in undamaged muscle (1.4 ± 0.2-fold, P < 0.01). In damaged skeletal muscle, no significant change in gene expression attributable to TUS was determined.

Conclusion: Insulin-like growth factor–1 splice variants are differentially regulated in human skeletal muscle in response to exercise-induced muscle damage and TUS treatment. A single treatment of TUS in damaged muscle induces no change in the gene expression of the 3 IGF-1 splice variants in humans. In contrast, in undamaged skeletal muscle, TUS significantly increased IGF-1Eb splice variant gene expression.

Clinical Relevance: These findings suggest that TUS may have additional therapeutic uses beyond its current common practice but may not be effective for muscle injury treatment in a young, healthy population.
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Graft Failure
Authors: Barrett Austin M. , Craft Jason A. , Replogle William H. , Hydrick Josie M. , Barrett Gene R.
Published: July 2011

Background: When reviewing anterior cruciate ligament instability, age, gender, activity level, associated injury, and type of graft should all be considered.

Hypothesis: The authors hypothesized that patients under 25 years of age will have higher failure rates with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction than those older than 25 years, and that in the patients younger than 25 years, bone–patellar tendon–bone autograft will have the lowest failure rate.

Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods: With use of a computerized relational database, all patients having primary anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction at 1 institution between January 2000 and July 2007 with allograft, bone–patellar tendon–bone, and hamstring grafts were evaluated.

Results: A significant association was found between age group and graft failure ( P = .012). Patients 25 years and younger had a significantly higher failure rate (16.5%) than patients older than 25 years (8.3%). Pairwise comparisons indicated that both allograft (29.2%) and semitendinosus/gracilis (25.0%) grafts resulted in significantly higher failure rates than bone–patellar tendon–bone grafts (11.8%) in the age group of patients 25 years and younger.

Conclusion: Autograft hamstrings and allografts had a significantly higher failure rate in the age group of patients 25 years and younger compared with the bone–patellar tendon–bone autograft. These data suggest that bone–patellar tendon–bone autografts may be a better graft source for young, active individuals.
Synthesis and characterization of novel aromatic poly(ethersulfone)s from new dichloro compounds containing thioether and sulfone groups
Authors: Rajasekar Sankar , Venkatesan Dasaratharaman
Published: July 2011

Two new aromatic dichloro monomers, 4,4′-bis(4-chlorophenylsulfonyl) diphenyl sulfide and 4,4′-bis(4-chlorophenylsulfonyl) dithiophenoxy benzene were synthesized and characterized by infrared and 1H-NMR. A series of processable poly(ether sulfone)s were prepared by nucleophilic substitution reaction of new dichloro compounds with commercially available aromatic diols. The poly(ether sulfone)s were characterized by infrared, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, solubility and solution viscosity. These poly(ether sulfone)s are readily soluble in polar aprotic solvents. The improved solubility in common organic solvents is due to the presence of flexible ether, thioether and sulfone groups in a polymer backbone. These poly(ether sulfone)s exhibit good thermal stability and the 10% weight loss temperature ranged from 407 to 464 °C under N2 atmosphere. The X-ray diffraction patterns revealed that all these polymers are partially crystalline in nature.
Experimental evaluation of grinding forces and surface finish in cylindrical grinding of Al/SiC metal matrix composites
Authors: Thiagarajan C , Sivaramakrishnan R , Somasundaram S
Published: July 2011

This paper deals with an experimental study on the grindability of Al/SiC metal matrix composites (MMCs) in cylindrical grinding. The machining of MMCs is an important area of focus because finishing processes, such as grinding, to obtain a good surface finish and damage-free surfaces, are crucial for the application of these materials. Nevertheless, the grinding of MMCs has received little attention so far, and no detailed study on this subject has been carried out. In the present work, experiments were carried out to study the effect of cylindrical grinding parameters such as wheel velocity (VS), work piece velocity (VW), feed, and depth of cut, and the percentage of SiC volume fraction on the responses, such as grinding force (FT), surface roughness (Ra), and grinding temperature (GT). For each process condition, the average FT, Ra, and GT values were calculated from the three values measured on each ground surface. In the parameter study, the FT and Ra values decrease with an increase in VS and VW, and they increase with an increase in feed and depth of cut. The GT values are scattered in the range of 740–856 °C at the lower and higher levels of grinding variables. In the volume fraction study, the FT, Ra, and GT values increase with an increase in percentage of SiC volume fraction. Surface integrity of the ground surfaces was assessed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Cylindrical grinding using a 60 grit Al2O3 wheel at VS 2639 m/min, VW 26.72 m/min, feed 0.06 m/min, and depth of cut 10 µm, is recommended for the Al/SiC composites to obtain finely ground surfaces.
On–off and proportional–integral controller for a morphing wing. Part 2: Control validation – numerical simulations and experimental tests
Authors: Grigorie T L , Popov A V , Botez R M , Mamou M , Mébarki Y
Published: July 2011

The second part of this article describes the numerical simulation and experimental validations of actuators control system for a morphing wing application, which was developed and designed in the first part of this article. After the description of the finally adopted control architecture, the validation for the non-linear system model is presented. First, the integrated controller is validated numerically with MATLAB/Simulink software, followed by a physical implementation of the control and experimental validation in the wind tunnel. To implement the controller on the physical model, two programmable switching power supplies, AMREL SPS100-33, and Quanser Q8 data acquisition card were used. The inputs of the data acquisition card were the two signals issued by the linear variable differential transformer potentiometers, indicating the positions of the actuators, and the six signals recorded by thermocouples installed on the SMA wires. The acquisition board output channels were used to control the required power supply to obtain the desired skin deflections. The control experimental validation was performed first on a bench test and then in the wind tunnel test. A number of optimized airfoil shapes, used in the design phase, were translated into actuators vertical displacements which were used as input signals for the controller. In the wind tunnel tests, a comparative study was realized around the transition point position for the reference airfoil and for each optimized airfoil.
A high-resolution record of Holocene environmental and climatic changes from Lake Balikun (Xinjiang, China): Implications for central Asia
Authors: An Cheng-Bang , Lu Yanbin , Zhao Jiaju , Tao Shichen , Dong Weimiao , Li Hu , Jin Ming , Wang Zongli
Published: July 2011

A high-resolution record of Holocene environmental and climatic change in the Balikun area was reconstructed from a sediment core from the Lake Balikun. Multiproxy data show that the climate was extremely arid during the early Holocene (before 8.6 cal. ka BP). Moisture began to increase after 8.6 cal. ka BP and the climate was humid between 7.9 and 4.3 cal. ka BP. A significant dry event occurred around 4.3–3.8 cal. ka BP. The climate became generally wet during the late Holocene (after 3.8 cal. ka BP). The Holocene pollen and geophysical records do not indicate a wet early Holocene, making it evident that there was no early-Holocene humid period associated with peak Asian monsoon strength. Regional comparisons indicate that this region has a different pattern of Holocene environmental and climatic change from the Asian monsoonal area and south Siberia.
Simulating fluvial fluxes in the Danube watershed: The ‘Little Ice Age’ versus modern day
Authors: McCarney-Castle K. , Voulgaris G. , Kettner A.J. , Giosan L.
Published: July 2011

Climate change and human activities in Europe have altered erosion and riverine sediment transport for thousands of years. The Danube River basin, the second largest watershed in Europe, provides a unique study area to examine these impacts on fluvial discharge through available reconstructed climate data during the ‘Little Ice Age’ cold interval, as well as documented timing of deforestation and large dam emplacement. Suspended sediment flux of the Danube watershed and its variability in response to both climatic adjustments and human influences is analyzed at the sub-basin scale using a numerical modeling approach ( HydroTrend 3.0). The system is examined over three time periods under conditions corresponding to: (1) modern day, (2) pre-dam and (3) the ‘Little Ice Age’. Modeled results indicate that modern-day suspended sediment flux is approximately 60% and 80% lower than that simulated under pre-dam and ‘Little Ice Age’ conditions, respectively. Disregarding the effects of modern-day dams, sediment flux has decreased 46% since the ‘Little Ice Age’, largely due to declining rates of deforestation since the mid to late twentieth century. High-resolution (decadal) analyses based solely on climate change, i.e. assuming no human impact, suggest that suspended sediment flux should be approximately 5% higher today than during the ‘Little Ice Age’, despite a 10% decrease in water discharge.This supports the view that human influence is the dominant forcing agent in modifying, and even reversing, natural processes on the Earth’s surface. Results also suggest that a 4°C increase in average European annual temperatures, as predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for the end of this century, could result in increased sediment flux by 16–63% in individual basins.
Implications of EU Accession for Disability Rights Legislation and Housing in Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
Authors: Phillips Sarah D.
Published: July 2011

The effects of European Union (EU) candidacy and accession on disability rights in areas of legislation and housing—especially deinstitutionalization—are examined in Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Analysis is based on the existing literature, including reports from the European Commission and national and international watchdog groups. Although considerable progress has been made in antidiscrimination legislation in the four countries, a lack of political will and inadequate financing means that real on-the-ground progress in advancing disability rights is limited. Nongovernmental organizations and watchdog groups can play an important role in monitoring and reporting human rights abuses in the area of disability. The article concludes with recommendations on how the EU and its administrative bodies and members of disability communities in the four countries can work together to better advance disability rights issues as part of the accession process.
Payments for Watershed Services Supporting Sustainable Agricultural Development in Tanzania
Authors: Branca Giacomo , Lipper Leslie , Neves Bernardete , Lopa Dosteus , Mwanyoka Iddi
Published: July 2011

Agriculture affects both quantity and quality of water available for other uses and under current production systems, the impact is often negative. Adopting sustainable land management (SLM) practices can foster more efficient water use and increase agricultural productivity, while reducing environmental risks from water pollution and regulating flows serving downstream communities. However, farmers face barriers to adoption of such practices, especially lack of technical capacity and high upfront costs associated with SLM implementation, which is particularly important where land managers are poor. Drawing on a case study from Tanzania, this article discusses how an emerging policy tool—Payments for Environmental Services (PES)—can bridge this gap by providing technical assistance and financial support, thereby lowering the SLM adoption barriers and investing in an appropriate legal and institutional framework for long-term financing and expansion of SLM to improve watershed management.
Combining Incrementalism and Exogenous Factors in Analyzing National Budgeting
Authors: Caamaño-Alegre José , Lago-Peñas Santiago
Published: July 2011

This article focuses on the impact of both incrementalism and exogenous factors in budgeting. The authors present a double-distinction-based proposal combining incrementalism and exogenous factors and then apply this model to the case of Spain. This approach enables the authors to avoid some of the shortcomings of the earlier Davis, Dempster, and Wildavsky’s econometric method and its extensions, to examine both within-budget incrementalism (WBI) and budget-total incrementalism (BTI), and to use exogenous variables in order to explain the dynamic of marginal change and nonincremental budget variations. Results for Spain not only confirm the relevance of incrementalism but also indicate the need for additional variables to explain the dynamic of marginal change in the budget total and nonincremental changes within the budget.
The Effects of Tax Evasion on the Choice between Personal and Corporate Income Taxation
Authors: d’Andria Diego
Published: July 2011

This article analyzes the relative choice between different tax tools burdening corporate incomes or dividends at the personal level in open economies where tax evasion, both corporate and personal, is not null. A theoretical discussion explains why a government may decide to levy a positive corporate income tax even when capital is internationally mobile while shareholders are immobile. Since tax auditing may be more effective on corporate incomes rather than on personal incomes, a benevolent or malevolent government may face a trade-off between reducing available capital supply and reducing total taxation revenues. The intuition is then submitted to empirical test using panel data from twenty-eight Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. The results hint at a possible role for tax evasion in explaining why some countries prefer to tax corporate incomes rather than dividends and capital gains under personal taxation.
Perceived Emotional Support and Frequent Social Contacts Are Associated with Greater Knowledge of Stroke Warning Signs: Evidence from Two Cross-sectional US Population Surveys
Authors: Barger Steven D.
Published: July 2011

Public knowledge of acute stroke symptoms is a goal of public health policy. Similarly, general health knowledge is a hypothesized pathway for the salutary effects of social ties. This study examined the association of stroke warning sign knowledge with the quantity (number of recent social contacts) and/or quality (perceived emotional support) of social ties in two population-based cross-sectional surveys ( Ns = 33,326 and 80,454). Both higher levels of emotional support and more frequent social contacts were independently associated with greater stroke warning sign knowledge. Social isolation is a novel marker of poor knowledge of stroke warning signs.
Factors affecting the age at diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders in Nova Scotia, Canada
Authors: Frenette Priscilla , Dodds Linda , MacPherson Kathleen , Flowerdew Gordon , Hennen Brian , Bryson Susan
Published: July 2011

While early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is essential for ensuring timely access to early intervention services, there is limited existing literature investigating factors that delay this diagnosis. This population-based cohort study explored the age at which children in Nova Scotia, Canada, are diagnosed with ASDs and the factors associated with this age. Children diagnosed with an ASD between January 1992 and December 2005 were identified from a cohort of live births in the province between 1990 and 2002. Demographic and clinical variables were extracted from population-based perinatal and administrative health databases and evaluated as predictors of age at ASD diagnosis. Of 122,759 live births, 884 cases of ASDs were identified during the study period. The median age at diagnosis within the cohort was 4.6 years. In adjusted linear regression analysis, a one year increase in maternal age at delivery was associated with a 0.06 decrease in age at ASD diagnosis ( p = .0007). Children who were residents of Halifax County received their diagnoses 0.52 years later than residents of other counties ( p = .0054). A diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was associated with a 1.29-year increase in age at diagnosis ( p < .0001). These results suggest that potential exists for improving early detection of ASDs in the province. Future research in this field has the potential to contribute to our understanding of the causal pathways linking the demographic and clinical variables we have identified and the age at diagnosis of ASDs.
Effects of hydrogen addition under lean and diluted conditions on combustion characteristics and emissions in a spark-ignition engine
Authors: Tahtouh T , Halter F , Samson E , Mounaïm-Rousselle C
Published: July 2011

Experimental investigations on the effects of hydrogen addition to spark-ignition (SI) engines running under lean and diluted conditions are presented in this paper. Experiments were carried out in a mono-cylinder SI engine with different rates of nitrogen dilution (0 to 20 per cent by volume in the total mixture) and hydrogen/iso-octane blends (from 0 to 80 per cent by volume in the fuel). The study of the impact of hydrogen addition on combustion characteristics and emissions was performed for two different engine speeds and loads. The equivalence ratio, the rate of dilution, and the intake pressure were varied either separately or simultaneously in order to maintain a constant engine load at a fixed hydrogen fraction in the fuel. The lean and dilution operating limits were also determined for all the iso-octane/hydrogen/air/nitrogen mixtures investigated, and results show that these limits are extended only when the hydrogen percentage in the fuel is higher than 40 per cent by volume. At a fixed engine load, hydrocarbon (HC) and CO emissions decrease with an increase in the hydrogen fraction in the intake mixture, while NO x emissions are mainly affected by the equivalence ratio and by the amount of dilution. Pumping losses, combustion efficiency and indicated efficiency are also improved with the addition of hydrogen. High values of indicated engine efficiency with low values of HC, NO x, and CO emissions can be achieved by combining hydrogen addition with lean and/or diluted conditions.
A comprehensive engine to drive-cycle modelling framework for the fuel economy assessment of advanced engine and combustion technologies
Authors: Ortiz-Soto Elliot , Assanis Dennis , Babajimopoulos Aristotelis
Published: July 2011

A comprehensive engine to drive-cycle modelling framework has been developed for evaluating fuel economy improvements of new engine technologies. The framework comprises three key components: (a) full engine system models and routines for the generation of engine performance and fuel consumption maps; (b) an improved experimental heat release analysis and model calibration tool, which was created by coupling an in-house heat release analysis program to an engine cycle simulation, and which can be used for model calibration and validation when experimental data are available; and (c) an integrated vehicle modelling and drive-cycle simulation platform for fuel economy assessment. The framework implementation has been demonstrated through a fuel economy study of three engine and combustion technologies: a conventional spark-ignition (SI) engine, a high compression ratio SI engine with early intake valve closing (EIVC), and a homogeneous-charge compression ignition engine (HCCI) employing a recompression valve strategy, used in dual-mode SI-HCCI operation. Simulation results for three drive cycles indicate potential fuel economy gains of the order of 7–11% for the high-compression EIVC SI engine and 7–21% for the dual-mode HCCI engine configurations. Further analysis of the latter, however, reveals frequent mode switching and short excursions in the HCCI region, which could be a challenge during practical implementation, and potentially result in reduced fuel economy gains.
Tour Guides as Creators of Empathy: The Role of Affective Inequality in Marginalizing the Enslaved at Plantation House Museums
Authors: Modlin E. Arnold , Alderman Derek H. , Gentry Glenn W.
Published: July 2011

Criticized for ignoring or misrepresenting slavery, some docents at plantation house museums have responded by including more references to slavery, but rarely move beyond mere factual references of the enslaved. This contrasts with the emotionally evocative accounts tourists hear about the planter-class family. We refer to this disparity as affective inequality. At plantation house museums, affective inequality is created and reproduced through specific spatial and narrative practices by tour guides. By retracing docent-led tours at Destrehan Plantation, Louisiana, this article engages, conceptually and empirically, with the concept of affective inequality — how it contributes to the marginalization of the history of the enslaved community, and how it becomes reproduced within the practices of tour guides at plantation house museums in the Southern US.
Thanatourism: Witnessing Difficult Pasts
Authors: Timm Knudsen Britta
Published: July 2011

This study looks at difficult heritage tourism as a form of visiting that to a great extent happens through the tourist’s body as locus. Actual tourists are craving for real experiences in order to feel alive and difficult heritage sites offer this experience of presence to excess. In addition tourists are also interested in witnessing the past and its victims, and the establishment of the witnessing relationship depends on the interactive design present at the site. The difficult pasts in question are situated on site-specific locations in Northern America and Europe and represent classic thanatourist sites bearing on Holocaust, totalitarian communism and terrorism. Through an analysis of the multimodal and interactive design at each site, the article outlines various ways that place designs relate actual tourists and victims of the past.
Rat Ace allele variation determines susceptibility to AngII-induced renal damage
Authors: Kamilic Jelena , Hamming Inge , Lely A Titia , Korstanje Ron , Schulze Ute , Poppinga Wilfred J , Turner Anthony J , Clarke Nicola E , van Goor Harry , Navis Gerjan J
Published: July 2011

Introduction: Ace b/l polymorphism in rats is associated with differential tissue angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) expression and activity, and susceptibility to renal damage. Same polymorphism was recently found in outbred Wistar rat strain with b allele accounting for higher renal ACE, and provided a model for studying renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS) response behind the innate high or low ACE conditions.

Methods: We investigated the reaction of these alleles on chronic angiotensin II (AngII) infusion. Wistar rats were selected to breed male homozygotes for the b (WU-B) or l allele (WU-L) ( n = 12). For each allele, one group ( n = 6) received AngII infusion via an osmotic minipump (435 ng/kg/min) for 3 weeks. The other group ( n = 6) served as a control.

Results: WU-B had higher ACE activity at baseline then WU-L. Interestingly, baseline renal ACE2 expression and activity were higher in WU-L. AngII infusion induced the same increase in blood pressure in both genotypes, no proteinuria, but caused tubulo-interstitial renal damage with increased α-SMA and monocyte/macrophage influx only in WU-B ( p < 0.05). Low ACE WU-L rats did not develop renal damage.

Conclusion: AngII infusion causes proteinuria-independent renal damage only in rats with genetically predetermined high ACE while rats with low ACE seemed to be protected against the detrimental effect of AngII. Differences in renal ACE2, mirroring those in ACE, might be involved.