bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Truck Volume Estimation via Linear Regression Under Limited Data
Authors: Boilé Maria , Golias Michail
Published: June 2011

This paper employs linear regression algorithms in order to train models under the presence of limited training data. Usually in transportation applications, these models are built via Ordinary Least Squares and Stepwise Regression, which perform poorly under limited data. The algorithms presented in this paper have been extensively used in other scientific fields for problems with similar conditions and seem to partially or fully remedy this problem and its consequences. Four different algorithms are presented and several models are built. The models are used for truck volume prediction on highway sections in New Jersey, and results are compared to Stepwise Linear regression models.
Economic Effects of Lifting the Spring Load Restriction Policy in Minnesota
Authors: Smalkoski Brian , Li Ning , Levinson David
Published: June 2011

Spring load restrictions (SLR) regulate the weight per axle carried by heavy trucks during the spring thaw period. This policy aims to reduce pavement damage caused by heavy vehicles and extend the useful life of roads, but it also imposes costs on the trucking industry. A cost/benefit study, based on the results of surveys of industry costs, a pavement performance model, and a freight demand model, concludes that the benefits of lifting the existing SLR policy outweigh the additional costs. The cost of additional damage should be recovered from those who benefit from the change in policy.
A Transportation Performance Measurement System with a Mississippi Case Study
Authors: Wang Haiyuan , Jin Mingzhou
Published: June 2011

In current literature and practices, there are no systematic and user-oriented intermodal transportation performance measures. After identifying customer needs and transportation goals, this paper proposes a set of system-level performance measures for intermodal transportation that are user-oriented, scalable, systematic, and scientific. The measures can be used to compare intermodal design alternatives or to evaluate existing transportation systems with any size and any mode. The highway system in Mississippi is analyzed as a case study. The case study demonstrates the existing data sources, the methods of calculating the measures, and the means of evaluating transportation systems with the measures.
Air Traffic Performance by Market Segments
Authors: Bhadra Dipasis
Published: June 2011

How is air traffic performance affected by type and location of markets? Is there any pattern to how air traffic performs with respect to the size and structure of markets, type of networks, and size of aircraft? In this paper, an empirical framework has been developed to examine the determinants of air traffic performance. Air traffic performance is defined as the ratio of airborne time to total ramp-to-ramp time. Using quarterly segment traffic data (i.e., T100 segment of Form 41) for the period 1995-2006, an econometric model is constructed to estimate and evaluate performance measures defined over market segments and networks. This econometric framework establishes and evaluates empirical linkages between performance measures and size of the markets, locations, distance, seasons of the year, and aircraft type over time. Statistical estimates indicate that size of market, type of aircraft, industry structure, and distance play important roles in influencing performance measures.
Deriving Rules for Forecasting Air Carrier Financial Stress and Insolvency: A Genetic Algorithm Approach
Authors: Davalos Sergio , Gritta Richard , Adrangi Bahram
Published: June 2011

Statistical and artificial intelligence methods have successfully classified organizational solvency, but are limited in terms of generalization, knowledge on how a conclusion was reached, convergence to a local optima, or inconsistent results. Issues such as dimensionality reduction and feature selection can also affect a model's performance. This research explores the use of the genetic algorithm that has the advantages of the artificial neural network but without its limitations. The genetic algorithm model resulted in a set of easy to understand, if-then rules that were used to assess U.S. air carrier solvency with a 94% accuracy.
Estimating Cost Savings of Coordinating Regional Non-Emergency Human Transport Services
Authors: Sakano Ryoichi , Benjamin Julian
Published: June 2011

Local public transportation agencies provide a nonemergency human transport service to nearby hospitals and doctors' offices. Some users require specialized medical services at a hospital located out of the normal service area. In the Piedmont/Triad region of North Carolina, the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation (PART) began PART Connections in April 2004, to provide two daily transportation services between the Piedmont/Triad area and the UNC/Duke medical areas.

Using current operating cost data of participating transportation systems, round-trip costs to the UNC/Duke medical areas from each county and to the nearest PART Connections stop are estimated. Given the actual number of passengers served by PART Connections during the first nine-month period of the service, the net saving in the operating cost by participating PART Connections is estimated for each system. Then, the total service hours saved by using PART Connections are estimated for each system, and are used to estimate the number of additional passengers served within the system.

It is estimated that PART Connections could provide a net saving of $38,000 on operation expenses annually to the participating four county transportation systems. More importantly, PART Connections would enable the four county systems to provide more than 10,000 additional passenger trips within each county annually, by using the saved resources. In addition, 12 local community transportation providers in 15 western counties of the Piedmont/Triad region, which currently do not participate in PART Connections, are estimated to save a modest $9,600 in total annually, by using PART Connections.
Effectiveness of Seat Belts in Reducing Injuries: A Different Approach Based on KABCO Injury Severity Scale
Authors: Dissanayake Sunanda , Ratnayake Indike
Published: June 2011

This study uses the multiple logistic regression method to estimate the effectiveness of seat belts in reducing fatal and nonfatal injuries to occupants involved in motor vehicle crashes. Two vehicle groups – passenger cars, and other passenger vehicles that included vans and pickup trucks – were considered in estimating seat belt effectiveness values using highway crash data in Kansas. According to the results, the estimated effectiveness of seat belts in reducing fatal injuries is 56% for passenger car occupants and 61% for others. In passenger cars, seat belts are 53% and 55% effective in reducing incapacitating and non-incapacitating injuries, respectively. In the case of other passenger vehicles, corresponding values are found to be 52% and 51%.
The Elman-Lam-Krüskemper Theorem
Authors: Becher Karim Johannes , Leep David B.
Published: June 2011

For a (formally) real field K, the vanishing of a certain power of the fundamental ideal in the Witt ring of K(-1) implies that the same power of the fundamental ideal in the Witt ring of K is torsion free. The proof of this statement involves a fact on the structure of the torsion part of powers of the fundamental ideal in the Witt ring of K. This fact is very difficult to prove in general, but has an elementary proof under an assumption on the stability index of K. We present an exposition of these results.
Optimality and Duality for Nondifferentiable Minimax Fractional Programming with Generalized Convexity
Authors: Jayswal Anurag
Published: June 2011

We establish several sufficient optimality conditions for a class of nondifferentiable minimax fractional programming problems from a view point of generalized convexity. Subsequently, these optimality criteria are utilized as a basis for constructing dual models, and certain duality results have been derived in the framework of generalized convex functions. Our results extend and unify some known results on minimax fractional programming problems.
A Novel Method of Small Target Detection in Sea Clutter
Authors: Wu Peng , Wang Jun , Wang Wenguang
Published: June 2011

Detecting low observable targets within sea clutter at low grazing angle is one of the research hotspots in radar signal processing community. In this paper, we have proposed a novel method based on polarimetric decomposition theorem. The polar characteristics of sea clutter has been analyzed, with the parameters after the decomposition of target scattering matrix. The scattering entropy and the scattering angle are the key parameters to discriminate the target from the sea clutter. The technique is designed to suppress unwanted sea clutter at polarimetric domain. Datasets from real marine radar are used to illustrate the performance of the new approach.
Hemoglobin Disorders in South India
Authors: Chandrashekar Vani , Soni Mamta
Published: June 2011

Cation exchange-high performance liquid chromatography (CE-HPLC) is increasingly being used as a first line of investigation for hemoglobinopathies and thalassemias. Together with a complete blood count, the CE-HPLC is effective in categorizing hemoglobinopathies as traits, homozygous disorders and compound heterozygous disorders. We carried out a one year study in Apollo Hospitals, Chennai (Tamil Nadu, South India) during which 543 abnormal chromatogram patterns were seen. The commonest disorder we encountered was β-thalassemia trait (37.9%), followed by HbE trait (23.2%), homozygous HbE disease (18.9%), HbS trait (5.3%), HbE β-thalassemia (4.6%), HbS β-thalassemia (2.5%), β-thalassemia major (2.3%), HbH (1.6%), homozygous HbS (1.4%), HbD trait (0.7%). The average value of HbA2 in β-thalassemia minor was 5.4%. β-thalassemia major had an average HbF of 88% and in HbH the mean A2 was 1.4%. Among the HbE disorders the HbA2 + HbE was 30.1% in the heterozygous state, 90.8% in the homozygous state and 54.8% in HbE β-thalassemia. In the sickle cell disorders, HbS varied from 30.9% in the trait to 79.9% in the homozygous state to 65.6% in HbS β-thalassemia.
Information Technology Systems for Critical Care Triage and Medical Response During an Influenza Pandemic: A Review of Current Systems
Authors: Bandayrel Kristofer , Lapinsky Stephen , Christian Michael
Published: June 2011

Objectives

To assess local, state, federal, and global pandemic influenza preparedness by identifying pandemic plans at the local, state, federal, and global levels, and to identify any information technology (IT) systems in these plans to support critical care triage during an influenza pandemic in the Canadian province of Ontario.

Methods

The authors used advanced MEDLINE and Google search strategies and conducted a comprehensive review of key pandemic influenza Web sites. Descriptive data extraction and analysis for IT systems were conducted on all of the included pandemic plans.

Results

A total of 155 pandemic influenza plans were reviewed: 29 local, 62 state, 63 federal, and 1 global. We found 70 plans that examined IT systems (10 local, 33 state, 26 federal, 1 global), and 85 that did not (19 local, 29 state, 37 federal). Of the 70 plans, 64 described surveillance systems (10 local, 32 state, 21 federal, 1 global), 2 described patient data collection systems (1 state, 1 federal); 4 described other types of IT systems (4 federal), and none were intended for triage.

Conclusions

Although several pandemic plans have been drafted, the majority are high-level general documents that do not describe IT systems. The plans that discuss IT systems focus strongly on surveillance, which fails to recognize the needs of a health care system responding to an influenza pandemic. The best examples of the types of IT systems to guide decision making during a pandemic were found in the Kansas and the Czech Republic pandemic plans, because these systems were designed to collect both patient and surveillance data. Although Ontario has yet to develop such an IT system, several IT systems are in place that could be leveraged to support critical care triage and medical response during an influenza pandemic. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2013;7:287-291)
Effects of Drying and Agglomeration on the Dissolution of Multi‐Component Food Powders
Authors: Chávez Montes E. , Dogan N. , Nelissen R. , Marabi A. , Ducasse L. , Ricard G.
Published: June 2011

This work proposes routes to produce dairy‐based multi‐component powders that meet nutritional and dissolution performance requirements. The effects of processing and composition on the physical properties of dairy powders were investigated and the relationship between such powder properties and dissolution performance was established. A spray‐dried milk‐based formulation was used as base powder, into which a carbohydrate, either starch or maltodextrin, was incorporated in varying proportions by dry mixing or fluid‐bed agglomeration. Physical properties such as particle size, density and flowability of the resulting powders were analyzed and particular attention was given to their dissolution behavior. Incorporation of either maltodextrin or starch in the final powder composition, without compromising the dissolution performance, was achieved by fluid‐bed agglomeration, provided that the amount of maltodextrin was less than 25 % or the amount of starch did not exceed 15 % and that the final agglomerate size was in the range of 250–300 μm.
Staggered multistep elution solid‐phase extraction capillary electrophoresis/tandem mass spectrometry: a high‐throughput approach in protein analysis
Authors: Lee Wei‐Han , Wang Che‐Wei , Her Guor‐Rong
Published: June 2011

An approach based on staggered multistep elution solid‐phase extraction (SPE) capillary electrophoresis/tandem mass spectrometry (CE/MS/MS) was developed in the analysis of digested protein mixtures. On‐line coupling of SPE with CE/MS was achieved using a two‐leveled two‐cross polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)‐based interface. Multistep elution SPE was used prior to CE to provide an additional dimension of separation, thus extending the separation capacity for the peptide mixture analysis. By decreasing in the number of co‐eluting peptides, problems stemming from ionization suppression and finite MS/MS duty cycle were reduced. As a result, sequence coverage increased significantly using multistep elution SPE‐CE/MS/MS compared to one‐step elution SPE‐CE/MS/MS in the analysis of a single protein tryptic digest (49% vs. 18%) and a six protein tryptic digest (22–71% vs. 10–44%). A staggered CE method was incorporated to increase the throughput. The electropherograms of consecutive CE runs were partially overlapped by injecting the sample plug at a fixed time interval. With the use of a 5 min injection interval, slightly poor results were obtained in comparison with the sequential CE method while the total analysis time was reduced to 28%. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cation–π and anion–π interactions
Authors: Frontera Antonio , Quiñonero David , Deyà Pere M.
Published: June 2011

In this review, we analyze the interaction of ions with aromatic rings from several points of view. We start with a short history of cation–π and anion–π interactions and continue with a description of the main forces involved in these interactions. The comprehension of these forces allows us to rationalize the requirement that both the ion and the aromatic compound should have improved the interaction. Some physical properties of both the aromatic rings and the interacting ion are directly related with the strength of the interaction. An interesting part of this review is the study of the interplay of the ion–π interactions with other noncovalent forces. The strength of the ion–π interaction is considerably influenced by the presence of hydrogen bonding or other weaker interactions. These influences can be used to tune the interaction, either weakening or strengthening it. We give some experimental examples that illustrate this point. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. WIREs Comput Mol Sci 2011 1 440–459 DOI: 10.1002/wcms.14

This article is categorized under:

Molecular and Statistical Mechanics > Molecular Interactions
Low‐resolution structural approaches to study biomolecular assemblies
Authors: Bernadó Pau
Published: June 2011

The delineation of the intricate network of biomolecular interactions is currently the focus of intense scientific effort. However, a complete understanding of these processes can be achieved only from three‐dimensional structures of these interactions. High‐resolution structural biology techniques, X‐ray crystallography, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) are still far from being of general application, thus highlighting the need for alternative methodologies that incorporate low‐resolution structural information to model biomolecular assemblies. This overview describes the main sources of low‐resolution data, i.e., NMR, cryo‐electron microscopy, small angle X‐ray scattering, and mass spectrometry, and examples are provided on how these data have been integrated into computational procedures. Special emphasis is given to the exploitation of the synergy of several low‐resolution data obtained from different methods. Despite low‐affinity complexes are a highly relevant family of biomolecular assemblies, their study is complicated by the presence of multiple species in solution. Examples are presented of how data measured for these complexes have been analyzed to obtain structurally valuable information. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. WIREs Comput Mol Sci 2011 1 283‐297 DOI: 10.1002/wcms.15

This article is categorized under:

Structure and Mechanism > Computational Biochemistry and Biophysics
The COSMO and COSMO‐RS solvation models
Authors: Klamt Andreas
Published: June 2011

The conductor‐like screening model COSMO, a variant of the dielectric continuum solvation models, has become very popular due to its algorithmic simplicity, numerical stability, and its great insensitivity with respect to outlying charge errors. The advanced model COSMO‐RS, i.e., COSMO for realistic solvation, is a statistical thermodynamics theory based on COSMO polarization charge densities, which overcomes many of the limitations and theoretical shortcomings of dielectric continuum models. Due to its ability to treat mixtures at variable temperatures, it has become very popular in chemical engineering and in wide areas of physical and medicinal chemistry. COSMO‐RS currently may be considered as the most accurate model for the prediction of solvation energies. This article provides a short description of the basic concepts of both the models, of the differences with other solvation models and of their application areas. Finally, direct COSMO‐RS, a recent direct integration of the COSMO‐RS concept into quantum chemical calculations, is briefly described. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. WIREs Comput Mol Sci 2011 1 699–709 DOI: 10.1002/wcms.56

This article is categorized under:

Molecular and Statistical Mechanics > Free Energy Methods
Møller–Plesset perturbation theory: from small molecule methods to methods for thousands of atoms
Authors: Cremer Dieter
Published: June 2011

The development of Møller–Plesset perturbation theory (MPPT) has seen four different periods in almost 80 years. In the first 40 years (period 1), MPPT was largely ignored because the focus of quantum chemists was on variational methods. After the development of many‐body perturbation theory by theoretical physicists in the 1950s and 1960s, a second 20‐year long period started, during which MPn methods up to order n = 6 were developed and computer‐programed. In the late 1980s and in the 1990s (period 3), shortcomings of MPPT became obvious, especially the sometimes erratic or even divergent behavior of the MPn series. The physical usefulness of MPPT was questioned and it was suggested to abandon the theory. Since the 1990s (period 4), the focus of method development work has been almost exclusively on MP2. A wealth of techniques and approaches has been put forward to convert MP2 from a O(M5) computational problem into a low‐order or linear‐scaling task that can handle molecules with thousands of atoms. In addition, the accuracy of MP2 has been systematically improved by introducing spin scaling, dispersion corrections, orbital optimization, or explicit correlation. The coming years will see a continuously strong development in MPPT that will have an essential impact on other quantum chemical methods. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. WIREs Comput Mol Sci 2011 1 509–530 DOI: 10.1002/wcms.58

This article is categorized under:

Electronic Structure Theory > Ab Initio Electronic Structure Methods
Computer‐aided synthesis design: 40 years on
Authors: Cook Anthony , Johnson A. Peter , Law James , Mirzazadeh Mahdi , Ravitz Orr , Simon Aniko
Published: June 2011

The discipline of retrosynthetic analysis is now just over 40 years old. From the earliest day, attempts were made to incorporate this approach into computer programs to test the extent in which chemical perception and synthetic thinking could be formalized. Despite pioneering research efforts, computer‐aided synthetic analysis failed to achieve widespread routine use by chemists, which can be attributed in part to the difficulty of building the required high‐quality retrosynthetic transform databases required for credible analyses. However, with the advent over the past 25 years of large comprehensive reaction databases, work on successfully automating the construction of reliable and comprehensive reaction rule databases is promising to revitalize research in this field. This review compares and contrasts the diverse approaches taken by selected programs in both the design and implementation of molecule feature perception and reaction rule representation, and we review the concepts of synthetic strategy selection, representation, and execution. In particular, we discuss the current work on automating the construction of reliable and comprehensive synthetic rule sets from available reaction databases in newer programs such as ARChem. We argue that the progress achieved in this aspect paves the way to a deeper exploration of computer approaches to applying strategy and control in the synthesis problem. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This article is categorized under:

Computer and Information Science > Chemoinformatics
Umbrella sampling
Authors: Kästner Johannes
Published: June 2011

The calculation of free‐energy differences is one of the main challenges in computational biology and biochemistry. Umbrella sampling, biased molecular dynamics (MD), is one of the methods that provide free energy along a reaction coordinate. Here, the method is derived in a historic overview and is compared with related methods like thermodynamic integration, slow growth, steered MD, or the Jarzynski‐based fast‐growth technique. In umbrella sampling, bias potentials along a (one‐ or more‐dimensional) reaction coordinate drive a system from one thermodynamic state to another (e.g., reactant and product). The intermediate steps are covered by a series of windows, at each of which an MD simulation is performed. The bias potentials can have any functional form. Often, harmonic potentials are used for their simplicity. From the sampled distribution of the system along the reaction coordinate, the change in free energy in each window can be calculated. The windows are then combined by methods like the weighted histogram analysis method or umbrella integration. If the bias potential is adapted to result in an even distribution between the end states, then this whole range can be spanned by one window (adaptive‐bias umbrella sampling). In this case, the free‐energy change is directly obtained from the bias. The sampling in each window can be improved by replica exchange methods; either by exchange between successive windows or by running additional simulations at higher temperatures. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. WIREs Comput Mol Sci 2011 1 932–942 DOI: 10.1002/wcms.66

This article is categorized under:

Molecular and Statistical Mechanics > Molecular Dynamics and Monte-Carlo Methods
Vascular Constraints in Laparoscopic Renal Allograft: Comparative Analysis of Multiple and Single Renal Arteries in 976 Laparoscopic Donor Nephrectomies
Authors: Paragi Prakash R. , Klaassen Zachary , Stephen Fletcher H. , Tichauer Matthew , Chamberlain Ronald S. , Wellen Jason R. , Sun Harry , Geffner Stuart
Published: June 2011

Background

Since the initial description of laparoscopic donor nephrectomy (LDN) in 1995, the field of renal transplantation has continued to evolve. Although the identification of donor kidneys with multiple renal arteries (MRA) was considered a contraindication to LDN, improvement in the surgical technique to surmount the technical challenges of LDN with MRA have been established as the skill and laparoscopic experience of transplant surgeons evolves with time. Consensus regarding LDN with MRA and recipient outcomes is not uniformly documented amongst the transplant community.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of 976 patients who underwent LDN at our institution from January 1999 to August 2009 was performed. Patients were grouped based on the number of arteries and the data were compared with respect to patient demographics, operative characteristics, postoperative course and complications.

Results

The two donor groups had comparable outcomes except for operative time, which was significantly prolonged in patients with MRA kidneys when compared to a single renal artery (SRA) kidney (P < 0.01). 1‐, 3‐year and estimated overall graft survival for the MRA recipient kidneys was significantly inferior when compared to SRA recipient kidneys.

Conclusions

Our decade long experience with LDN demonstrates that operative times for MRA kidneys are longer than for SRA kidneys, however complication rates are similar. Laparoscopic donor nephrectomy with MRA is a safe and effective procedure for living kidney donation; however, the recipient graft outcomes with MRA kidneys warrant appropriate preoperative counseling of recipients.
Enclaves in Granitoids of North of Jonnagiri Schist Belt, Kurnool District, Andhra Pradesh: Evidence of Magma Mixing and Mingling
Authors: Ahmad Mansoor
Published: June 2011

Calc-alkaline, metaluminous granitoids in the north of Jonnagiri schist belt (JSB) are associated with abundant mafic rocks as enclave. The enclaves represent xenoliths of the basement, mafic magmatic enclaves (MME) and synplutonic mafic dykes. The MME are mostly ellipsoidal and cuspate shape having lobate margin and diffuse contact with the host granitoids. Sharp and crenulated contacts between isolated MME and host granitoids are infrequent. The MME are fine-grained, slightly dark and enriched in mafic minerals compare to the host granitoids. MME exhibits evidences of physical interaction (mingling) at outcrop scale and restricted hybridization at crystal scale of mafic and felsic magmas. The textures like quartz ocelli, sphene (titanite) ocelli, acicular apatite inclusion zone in feldspars and K-feldspar megacrysts in MME, megacrysts across the contact of MME and host and mafic clots constitute textural assemblages suggestive of magma mingling and mixing recorded in the granitoids of the study area. The quartz ocelli are most likely xenocrysts introduced from the felsic magma. Fast cooling of mafic magma resulted in the growth of prismatic apatite and heterogeneous nucleation of titanite over hornblende in MME. Chemical transfer from felsic magma to MME forming magma envisage enrichment of silica, alkalis and P in MME. The MME show low positive Eu anomalies whereas hybrid and host granitoids display moderate negative Eu-anomalies. Synplutonic mafic dyke injected at late stage of crystallising host felsic magma, display back veining and necking along its length. The variable shape, dimensions, texture and composition of MME, probably are controlled by the evolving nature and kinematics of interacting magmas.
Environmental Impact on Groundwater of Maheshwaram Watershed, Ranga Reddy District, Andhra Pradesh
Authors: Purushotham D. , Narsing Rao A. , Prakash M. Ravi , Ahmed Shakeel , Babu G. Ashok
Published: June 2011

Maheshwaram watershed is situated in Ranga Reddy district of at a distance of about 30 km south of Hyderabad. The watershed has an area of 53 km2 and has hard rock aquifers with semi-arid climate. The study area has been expanding at a fast pace and now has the distinction of being one of the fastest growing urban centers, facing the problem of groundwater depletion and quality deterioration due to the absence of perennial source of surface water and also due to over exploitation. Human activities involving industrial and agricultural development and the inadequate management of land and water resources have, directly or indirectly resulted in the degradation of environment viz. water and soil.

In the present study chemical analysis of groundwater samples of the study area, collected in pre- and post-monsoon has been carried out. The analysed data is utilized to characterize the hydro chemical process dominant in the area. Various classification methods such as Piper, Back and Hanshaw, Wilcox, U.S. Salinity Laboratory are employed to critically study the geochemical characteristics of groundwater.
Morphostratigraphy and Palaeoclimate Appraisal of the Leh Valley, Ladakh Himalayas, India
Authors: Sant Dhananjay A. , Wadhawan Sudesh K. , Ganjoo Rajinder K. , Basavaiah Nathani , Sukumaran Prabhin , Bhattacharya Sourabh
Published: June 2011

In the present paper we study morphology, occurrence and mutual interrelationship of erosional (amphitheaters) and depositional landforms belonging to glacial (moraines), fluvio-glacial (glacial out wash), mass wasting (alluvial fans), aeolian (obstacle dune and sand sheets) and lacustrine (palaeo-lake sediments) processes within the Leh valley. These landforms are the geomorphic expression of past deglaciation grouped into five Formative Stages of Landform (FSL 1 to FSL 5) development in the Leh valley. The broad age bracket for the formative stages are based on the empirical relationship of the landforms, available chronology and their correlation with comparable climate phases. The retreat of glaciers in the Leh valley, along the southern slopes of Ladakh hill range and their retention over the northern slopes and Karakoram is further explained.
Association of treatment delay, migration and urbanicity in psychosis
Authors: Boonstra N. , Sterk B. , Wunderink L. , Sytema S. , De Haan L. , Wiersma D.
Published: June 2011

Background

Several factors may contribute to duration of untreated psychosis (DUP): patient-delay, referral-delay and treatment-delay caused by mental health care services (MHS-delay). In order to find the most effective interventions to reduce DUP, it is important to know what factors in these pathways to care contribute to DUP.

Aim

To examine the relationship of the constituents of treatment delay, migration status and urbanicity.

Method

In first episode psychotic patients (n = 182) from rural, urban and highly urbanized areas, DUP, migration status and pathways to care were determined.

Results

Mean DUP was 53.6 weeks (median 8.9, SD=116.8). Patient-delay was significantly longer for patients from highly urbanized areas and for first generation immigrants. MHS-delay was longer for patients who were treated already by MHS for other diagnoses.

Conclusions

Specific interventions are needed focusing on patients living in highly urbanized areas and first generation immigrants in order to shorten patient delay. MHS should improve early detection of psychosis in patients already in treatment for other diagnosis.
The status of maternal and newborn care services in Sierra Leone 8 years after ceasefire
Authors: Oyerinde Koyejo , Harding Yvonne , Amara Philip , Kanu Rugiatu , Shoo Rumishael , Daoh Kizito
Published: June 2011

Objective

To conduct a needs assessment for emergency obstetric care (EmOC) to address the unacceptably high maternal and newborn mortality indices in Sierra Leone 8 years after the end of the civil war.

Methods

From June to August 2008, a cross‐sectional survey was conducted of health facilities in Sierra Leone offering delivery services. Assessment tools were local adaptations of tools developed by the Averting Maternal Death and Disability program at Columbia University, New York, USA.

Results

There were enough comprehensive EmOC (CEmOC) facilities in the country but they were poorly distributed. There were no basic EmOC (BEmOC) facilities. Few facilities (37% of hospitals and 2% of health centers) were able to perform assisted vaginal delivery (AVD), and 3 potentially BEmOC facilities did not meet the standard only because they did not perform AVD. Severe shortages in staff, equipment, and supplies, and unsatisfactory supply of utilities severely hampered the delivery of quality EmOC services. Demand for maternity and newborn services was low, which may have been related to the poor quality and the high/unpredictable out‐of‐pocket cost of such services.

Conclusion

Significant increases in the uptake of institutional delivery services, the linkage of remote health workers to the health system, and the recruitment of midwives, in addition to rapid expansion in the training of health workers (including training in midwifery and obstetric surgery skills), are urgently needed to improve the survival of mothers and newborns.
The supremacy of singular subjectivity: Improving decision quality by removing objective specifications and direct comparisons
Authors: Yang Adelle X. , Hsee Christopher K. , Liu Yi , Zhang Li
Published: June 2011

When making purchase decisions, consumers want objective product specifications and seek direct product comparison. The present research demonstrates that consumers can make better decisions (i.e., choose what yields a better consumption experience) if objective specifications are removed and direct comparison is inhibited than if not, and this is true even if consumers cannot experience the target products themselves at the time of choice (such as in online shopping). The reason is that consumption is largely subjective and non‐comparative, and decisions based on subjective and non‐comparative information are often more compatible with consumption. In general discussion, we explore the boundary conditions of our findings and the implications of this research for a new way of marketing that emphasizes subjectivity over objectivity and non‐comparison over comparison.
Design Piracy in the Fashion Industries of Paris and New York in the Interwar Years
Authors: Pouillard Véronique
Published: June 2011

During the Great Depression, counterfeiters of the newest styles posed a challenge to the high-fashion designers who dominated Parisian design. Meanwhile, New York, traditionally the destination of the first corporate buyers of Paris couture, became a potential contender for the role of fashion capital. Scrutiny of French and American laws reveals that strong national interests were at stake in the fashion business. In France, the law safeguarded copyrights of fashion design while, in the United States, legislators denied such protection to American fashion.
The Indian Fashion Industry and Traditional Indian Crafts
Authors: Khaire Mukti
Published: June 2011

This study documents the emergence of the high-end fashion industry in India from the mid-1980s to 2005. Drawn from oral histories, magazine articles, and several databases, the study demonstrates that the Indian fashion industry's unique identity, based on heavily embellished traditional styles rather than innovative Western-style cuts and designs, was the result of the actions of early entrepreneurs.
Geodynamic evolution of Upper Cretaceous Zagros ophiolites: formation of oceanic lithosphere above a nascent subduction zone
Authors: SHAFAII MOGHADAM HADI , STERN ROBERT J.
Published: June 2011

The Zagros fold-and-thrust belt of SW Iran is a young continental convergence zone, extending NW–SE from eastern Turkey through northern Iraq and the length of Iran to the Strait of Hormuz and into northern Oman. This belt reflects the shortening and off-scraping of thick sediments from the northern margin of the Arabian platform, essentially behaving as the accretionary prism for the Iranian convergent margin. Distribution of Upper Cretaceous ophiolites in the Zagros orogenic belt defines the northern limit of the evolving suture between Arabia and Eurasia and comprises two parallel belts: (1) Outer Zagros Ophiolitic Belt (OB) and (2) Inner Zagros Ophiolitic Belt (IB). These belts contain complete (if disrupted) ophiolites with well-preserved mantle and crustal sequences. Mantle sequences include tectonized harzburgite and rare ultramafic–mafic cumulates as well as isotropic gabbro lenses and isolated dykes within the harzburgite. Crustal sequences include rare gabbros (mostly in IB ophiolites), sheeted dyke complexes, pillowed lavas and felsic rocks. All Zagros ophiolites are overlain by Upper Cretaceous pelagic limestone. Limited radiometric dating indicates that the OB and IB formed at the same time during Late Cretaceous time. IB and OB components show strong suprasubduction zone affinities, from mantle harzburgite to lavas. This is shown by low whole-rock Al2O3and CaO contents and spinel and orthopyroxene compositions of mantle peridotites as well as by the abundance of felsic rocks and the trace element characteristics of the lavas. Similarly ages, suprasubduction zone affinities and fore-arc setting suggest that the IB and OB once defined a single tract of fore-arc lithosphere that was disrupted by exhumation of subducted Sanandaj–Sirjan Zone metamorphic rocks. Our data for the OB and IB along with better-studied ophiolites in Cyprus, Turkey and Oman compel the conclusion that a broad and continuous tract of fore-arc lithosphere was created during Late Cretaceous time as the magmatic expression of a newly formed subduction zone developed along the SW margin of Eurasia.
Groups whose projective characters are Galois conjugate
Authors: Higgs R. J.
Published: June 2011

All groups G considered in this paper are finite and all representations of G are defined over the complex numbers. The reader unfamiliar with projective representations is referred to [6] for basic definitions and elementary results.
Description of most starshaped surfaces
Authors: Zamfirescu Tudor
Published: June 2011

After having investigated in [7] generic properties of compact starshaped sets in ℝd, we shall restrict here our attention to compact starshaped sets whose kernels have positive dimension. While the main results in [7] are of a topological nature and concern the whole sets, the theorems presented here describe, for kernels of codimension 0 or 1, the local aspect of the boundaries and include, for kernels of positive dimension less than d— 1, both types of statements.
Congress from the Inside: U.S.–Africa Foreign Policy and Black Ethnic Politics
Authors: Demessie Menna
Published: June 2011

In addition to the ardent call for political scientists to broaden their theories about legislative representation and behavior to include a broader analysis of the everyday operations of Congress, the call for a more nuanced approach to the study of race and ethnic politics resonates just as deeply. With the emergence of black ethnic caucuses such as the Ethiopia and Ethiopian American Congressional Caucus (EEAC) and the subsequent election of President Barack Obama, African immigrants and their progeny have been made visible to the American polity in ways they have never been before. As an Ethiopian American whose personal and professional interest aims to highlight the significance of black ethnic political participation and representation in U.S. politics, I found working for Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) as an APSA Congressional Fellow to be an extraordinary opportunity to explore how and why African American members of Congress in particular, and other nonblack legislators more broadly, represent their constituents beyond race.
Agility and Playfulness: Technology and skill in the performance ecosystem
Authors: Green Owen
Published: June 2011

Whilst it is common in much discourse around contemporary musical practices to emphasise the differences between digital and acoustic ways of making music, Simon Waters’ discussion of the Performance Ecosystem as an analytic perspective argues instead for a heightened sense of continuity (Waters 2007). This article lends support to this argument by developing an ecosystemically situated account of our relationships with technology and processes of skill formation. It is argued that this sense of continuity is justified, but that where differences of experiences do arise these are not, as sometimes supposed, an essential characteristic of digital technologies. On the basis that much of our skill formation consists of tacit knowledge, it is suggested that further discussion on how particular circumstances and skills arise would be revealing. Two possible headings for such discussion are suggested in the form of ‘Agility’ and ‘Playfulness’.
The relation of Babylonian astronomy to its culture and society
Authors: Hunger Hermann
Published: June 2011

Babylonian astronomy is quite different from astronomy as it is customary today. We have to reconstruct it exclusively from texts and a few schematic drawings accompanying them. No instruments related to astronomy have been found. These texts are written on clay tablets in cuneiform script which was used in the Near East from ca. 3000 BCE to 100. It was completely forgotten and only deciphered in the middle of the 19th century. Since then, hundreds of thousands of clay tablets have been found in archaeological excavations, mostly in present-day Iraq. Among these are a few thousand tablets related to astronomy. Many have been published, but more still need to be worked on. And of course an unknown number of such texts is still buried under the sands of Iraq.
Connecting Heaven and Man: The role of astronomy in ancient Chinese society and culture
Authors: Sun Xiaochun
Published: June 2011

This paper reviews the history of Chinese astronomy from the perspective of the rôle it played in establishing the Heaven-Man relationship in ancient China, which was politically and morally significant, and which in turn gave Chinese astronomy its most important characteristics.
Virtual Observatories
Authors: Genova Françoise
Published: June 2011

Astronomy has been at the forefront among scientific disciplines for the sharing of data, and the advent of the World Wide Web has produced a revolution in the way astronomers do science. The recent development of the concept of Virtual Observatory builds on these foundations. This is one of the truly global endeavours of astronomy, aiming at providing astronomers with seamless access to data and tools, including theoretical data. Astronomy on-line resources provide a rare example of a world-wide, discipline-wide knowledge infrastructure, based on internationally agreed interoperability standards.
Popularising science through astronomy, an Algerian experience in grassroot activism and its academic spin-off
Authors: Mimouni Jamal
Published: June 2011

We relate the success story of an amateur astronomy association based at Constantine, which has spearheaded the efforts of spreading astronomy and scientific culture in Algeria. This association has organised throughout the past decade many activities from large national yearly gatherings to a weekly radio program, through public sighting campaigns. It has been instrumental in the establishment of a pluri-university graduate study program in astrophysics, the so called Ecole Doctorale d'Astrophysique (EDA), the first of its kind in Algeria. We describe in particular how astronomers from various parts of Algeria involved in amateur astronomy have known each other, and banded together to the point of constituting a critical size group able to set up such a national graduate program with plans for the establishment of the first observatory in our country, the Aurès Observatory in Eastern Algeria Aurès mountain range. A strong interest for the project has been shown by the astronomical community, some site testing undertaken, and international collaboration sought. With some dedicated support, its foundation could take place within the year 2009. Could IAY2009 be turned into an annus mirabilis for Algeria and a showcase for the astronomy community worldwide with behind it a textbook case of synergy between amateur astronomy and academic endeavor in the astronomical sciences?
Comité de Liaison Enseignants Astronomes Bridging the gap between French astronomers and teachers
Authors: Josselin Eric
Published: June 2011

The french committee linking astronomers and teachers (CLEA, http://clea-astro.eu) has been active for more than 30 years in the formation of teachers (from primary to high school) in the field of astronomy.
START-P: Testbatterie für Berufseinsteiger–Persönlichkeit
Authors: Wenzel Meike
Published: June 2011

START-P ( Beauducel & Kersting, 2010 ) ist ein psychometrisch überprüfter Persönlichkeitsfragebogen, der orientiert an der DIN 33430 für die Zielgruppe Berufseinsteiger entwickelt wurde. Das Verfahren dient der standardisierten Selbsteinschätzung der Persönlichkeit und kann im Kontext berufsbezogener Entscheidungen eingesetzt werden. Es werden die Module Verhaltens-Input und Verhaltens-Output unterschieden, die als Gesamtversion oder aber als Einzelmodul Verhaltens-Output vorgegeben werden können. Die Autoren legen vielfältige Befunde zur Konstrukt- und Kriteriumsvalidität vor, die den Einsatz von START-P in der Persönlichkeitsdiagnostik untermauern. Aufgrund der zielgruppenspezifischen Formulierung der Items und der Normierung des Verfahrens an 14- bis 32-Jährigen kann der Einsatz von START-P bei Berufseinsteigern empfohlen werden.
The Consistency Bias in Judgments of One’s Own Interpersonal Behavior
Authors: Leising Daniel
Published: June 2011

The term “consistency bias” (Sadler & Woody, 2003) refers to people’s tendency to judge their own interpersonal behavior in a given situation in accordance with their general self-images, even if their actual behavior in the situation is partialled out. In the present study, 108 participants first described their own interpersonal dispositions by means of adjectives and then took part in brief, videotaped interviews. The participants and five observers rated the participants’ behavior during the interviews, using the same adjectives. The consistency bias was replicated for the broad interpersonal dimensions of Dominance and Affiliation, as well as for the average individual item. Two possible sources of the consistency bias (i.e., visual perspective and word commonness) were investigated, but neither could explain the effect. The consistency bias may be rooted in self-concept stability. It is likely to inflate estimates of consistency across self-reports of interpersonal behavior.