bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Basophil Responsiveness and Clinical Picture of Acetylsalicylic Acid Intolerance
Authors: Korosec Peter , Mavsar Nusa , Bajrovic Nissera , Silar Mira , Mrhar Ales , Kosnik Mitja
Published: February 2011

Background: Exposure to acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) may exacerbate respiratory or skin diseases or induce anaphylactoid reactions in apparently healthy individuals. We wanted to evaluate specific responsiveness of basophils to ASA in correlation with the clinical picture. Methods: We performed a prospective single-blind study of 59 subjects involved in clinical evaluation and/or ASA provocation testing. Whole blood basophils were stained with anti-CD63/CD123/HLA-DR mAbs after stimulation with 0.25 or 1 mg/ml ASA. Results: We found that 40 subjects were ASA tolerant and 19 were ASA intolerant. Both groups had comparable manifestations of asthma and/or rhinitis (13 in the tolerant and 9 in the intolerant group). Intolerant subjects showed significantly higher basophil responsiveness to ASA in comparison to tolerant subjects, which was concentration-dependent in both groups. The ratio between responses at 1 mg/ml of ASA and at baseline (activation index) was analyzed according to the clinical picture. We demonstrate that the activation index was higher only in the intolerant subjects with anaphylactoid reactions, but not in a subgroup of subjects with asthma/rhinitis. The ROC calculations show that the optimal threshold activation index was more than 2.18. The sensitivity was 80% and the specificity was 83% in the subgroup with anaphylactoid reactions. In the asthma/rhinitis subgroup, the sensitivity was 78% and the specificity was 50%. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that there is a significantly higher in vitro basophil response to ASA in intolerant as compared to tolerant subjects. ROC analyses suggest that this measurement might only have a diagnostic value in subjects without asthma and/or rhinitis.
Reversal of Multidrug Resistance by Guggulsterone in Drug-Resistant MCF-7 Cell Lines
Authors: Xu Hong-Bin , Li Ling , Liu Guo-Qing
Published: January 2011

Background: Multidrug resistance (MDR) presents a serious problem in cancer chemotherapy. Our previous studies have shown that the MDR of K562/DOX cells could be reversed by guggulsterone through inhibiting the function and expression of P-glycoprotein. The purpose of this study was to investigate the reversal effect of guggulsterone on MDR in drug-resistant MCF-7 cells and the parental MCF-7 cells. Methods: MTT cytotoxicity assays, flow cytometry, and Western blot analysis were performed to investigate the antiproliferative effects of the combination of anticancer drugs with guggulsterone, to study the reversal of drug resistance and to examine the inhibitory effects on MRP1 expression. Results: The results showed that co-administration of guggulsterone (10 µM) resulted in a significant increase in chemosensitivity of MCF-7/DOX cells to doxorubicin, compared with doxorubicin treatment alone (p < 0.01). The fold reversal of 10 µM guggulsterone (11.48) was comparable to that of 10 µM verapamil (13.23). Rhodamine123 and doxorubicin accumulation in MCF-7/DOX cells was significantly enhanced after the incubation with guggulsterone (10 µM), compared with untreated MCF-7/DOX cells (p < 0.01). When doxorubicin (10 µM) was combined with guggulsterone (10 µM), the mean apoptotic population of MCF-7/DOX cells was 24.91%. It was increased by 6.15 times, compared with doxorubicin (10 µM) treatment alone. However, guggulsterone had little inhibitory effect on the expression of MRP1 proteins. Conclusion: Guggulsterone is a novel and potent MDR reversal agent with the potential to be an adjunctive agent for tumor chemotherapy.
Second-Line Combination Chemotherapy with Vinorelbine and Capecitabine in Patients with Advanced Breast Cancer Previously Treated with Anthracyclines and/or Taxanes
Authors: Mao Weidong , Guan Xunxing , Tucker Steven , Li Fengyan , He Zhenyu , Wang Junjie , Guo Jun , Wu Shangang
Published: February 2011

Objective: This phase II study was designed to evaluate the effects of vinorelbine (VRL) and capecitabine (CAP) as second-line combination chemotherapy in patients with advanced breast cancer (ABC) previously treated with anthracyclines and/or taxanes. Methods: Treatment consisted of VRL 25 mg/m2 administered on days 1 and 8 of a 21-day treatment cycle, along with oral CAP 825 mg/m2 twice daily for 14 days, followed by 7 days of rest. Results: 50 patients were enrolled and 48/50 (96.0%) patients were assessable for response. The median time to progression (TTP) and overall survival (OS) of the patients were 5.0 (95% confidence interval, CI, 2.1–7.9 months) and 12.0 months (95% CI, 8.0–16.0 months), respectively. The objective response rate was 26.0% (95% CI, 13.8–38.2%) with 1 confirmed complete response and 12 partial responses. The most frequent hematological adverse event was neutropenia of grade 3 and 4 in 5 (10.4%) and 2 patients (4.2%), respectively. Grade 3 stomatitis, asthenia, and diarrhea were observed in 1 (2.1%), 2 (4.2%) and 3 (6.3%) patients, respectively. Conclusion: The combination of VRL and CAP is feasible as second-line chemotherapy in patients with ABC previously treated with anthracyclines and/or taxanes, with efficacy being comparable to other available combination regimens.
Increase in Body Size Is Associated with an Increased Incidence of Advanced Adenomatous Colon Polyps in Male Veteran Patients
Authors: Siddiqui Ali , Chang Mimi , Mahgoub Amar , Sahdala Helene N. Pena
Published: January 2011

Background/Aims: Our aim was to determine how weight change influences the development of advanced adenomas. Methods: We performed a retrospective study of patients with adenomatous polyps (APs) on an index colonoscopy, and who also had a follow-up colonoscopy 3–5 years later. APs were evaluated for advanced features (i.e. size ≧1 cm in diameter and/or villous component and/or high-grade dysplasia). Patients were divided into 2 groups: those with no change or a reduction in their body mass index (BMI) during the interval between colonoscopies and those with an increase in BMI during the interval between colonoscopies. Results: 925 patients with a history of APs were identified. Univariate analysis showed that patients with an increase in BMI had more advanced APs (28 vs. 23%, p = 0.04), and a larger mean AP size (8.0 vs. 6.8 mm, p = 0.03) than those with a no change or decreased BMI. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that a decrease in BMI between colonoscopies was associated with a significantly reduced risk of developing advanced APs (OR: 0.4, 95% CI: 0.37–0.5, p < 0.05). Conclusions: An increase in weight in male veterans appears to be strongly associated with the development of clinically advanced AP lesions, even after adjustment for other known polyp risk factors.
Acute Hepatic Failure-Derived Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells Express Hepatic Progenitor Cell Genes
Authors: Li Jun , Wu Wei , Xin Jiaojiao , Guo Jing , Jiang Longyan , Tao Ran , Cao Hongcui , Hong Xutao , Li Lanjuan
Published: February 2011

Hepatic progenitor cell (HPC) transplantation is a promising alternative to liver transplantation for patients with end-stage liver disease. However, the precise origin of HPCs is unclear. This study aimed to determine whether bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) isolated from rats in acute hepatic failure (AHF) possess hepatic potential and/or characteristics. BMSCs were isolated from normal rats as well as rats in which AHF was induced by D-galactosamine. HPCs and primary hepatocytes were isolated from normal rats for comparison. The Affymetrix GeneChip Rat Genome 230 2.0 Array was used to perform transcriptome profiling of the AHF-derived BMSCs and HPCs. The results showed that AHF-derived BMSCs had a gene expression profile significantly different from that of control BMSCs. More than 87.7% of the genes/probe sets that were upregulated more than 2-fold in AHF-derived BMSCs were expressed by HPCs, including 12 genes involved in liver development, early hepatocyte differentiation and hepatocyte metabolism. Confirmatory quantitative RT-PCR analysis yielded similar results. In addition, 940 probe sets/genes were expressed in both AHF-derived BMSCs and HPCs but were absent in control cells. Compared to the control cells, AHF-derived BMSCs shared more commonly expressed genes with HPCs. AHF-derived BMSCs have a hepatic transcriptional profile and express many of the same genes expressed by HPCs, strongly suggesting that BMSCs may be a resource for hepatocyte regeneration, and further confirming their potential as a strong source of hepatocyte regeneration during severe hepatic damage.
Immunosuppressant Prograf® (Tacrolimus) Induces Histopathological Disorders in the Peritubular Tissue of Rat Testes
Authors: Caneguim Breno H. , Cerri Paulo S. , Spolidório Luís C. , Miraglia Sandra M. , Sasso-Cerri Estela
Published: February 2011

Treatment with tacrolimus (FK-506) has been shown to induce a significant decrease in the number of spermatocytes, spermatids, and Sertoli cells. Regarding the importance of the peritubular tissue for the maintenance of Sertoli cells, the integrity of the cellular and extracellular components of the peritubular tissue was evaluated in adult rats that were treated with 1 mg/kg/day of FK-506 for 30 and 60 days. Testicular sections were used for a quantitative analysis of the peritubular cells (PCs) and were submitted to the PAS method. Paraffin sections were submitted to the TUNEL method and to immunohistochemistry for the detection of caspase-3. Several testicular fragments were analyzed under a transmission electron microscope (TEM). A weak PAS reaction was noted in the peritubular tissue of the tacrolimus-treated animals. Next to the damaged peritubular tissue, the Sertoli cell nuclei were absent or dislocated from the basement membrane. In the treated animals, the number of PCs decreased significantly compared to the control animals, and these cells showed apoptotic features, were TUNEL positive, and were caspase-3 immunolabeled. Using the TEM, apoptosis was confirmed in myoid cells; moreover, the thickness and undulation of the basal laminae and an enlargement of the collagen I layer adjacent to the myoid cells was observed. Long-term treatment with the immunosuppressor induced peritubular myoid cell death by apoptosis and disarrangement of the peritubular extracellular layers. Future studies are necessary to confirm whether the structural alterations in the seminiferous epithelium are related to the effect of FK-506 on peritubular tissue.
Occurrence of Cleft-Palate and Alteration of Tgf-β3 Expression and the Mechanisms Leading to Palatal Fusion in Mice following Dietary Folic-Acid Deficiency
Authors: Maldonado Estela , Murillo Jorge , Barrio Carmen , del Río Aurora , Pérez-Miguelsanz Juliana , López-Gordillo Yamila , Partearroyo Teresa , Paradas Irene , Maestro Carmen , Martínez-Sanz Elena , Varela-Moreiras Gregorio , Martínez-Álvarez Concepción
Published: February 2011

Folic acid (FA) is essential for numerous bodily functions. Its decrease during pregnancy has been associated with an increased risk of congenital malformations in the progeny. The relationship between FA deficiency and the appearance of cleft palate (CP) is controversial, and little information exists on a possible effect of FA on palate development. We investigated the effect of a 2–8 weeks’ induced FA deficiency in female mice on the development of CP in their progeny as well as the mechanisms leading to palatal fusion, i.e. cell proliferation, cell death, and palatal-shelf adhesion and fusion. We showed that an 8 weeks’ maternal FA deficiency caused complete CP in the fetuses although a 2 weeks’ maternal FA deficiency was enough to alter all the mechanisms analyzed. Since transforming growth factor-β3 (TGF-β3) is crucial for palatal fusion and since most of the mechanisms impaired by FA deficiency were also observed in the palates of Tgf-β3null mutant mice, we investigated the presence of TGF-β3 mRNA, its protein and phospho-SMAD2 in FA-deficient (FAD) mouse palates. Our results evidenced a large reduction in Tgf-β3 expression in palates of embryos of dams fed an FAD diet for 8 weeks; Tgf-β3 expression was less reduced in palates of embryos of dams fed an FAD diet for 2 weeks. Addition of TGF-β3 to palatal-shelf cultures of embryos of dams fed an FAD diet for 2 weeks normalized all the altered mechanisms. Thus, an insufficient folate status may be a risk factor for the development of CP in mice, and exogenous TGF-β3 compensates this deficit in vitro.
Motor Cortex Stimulation for Trigeminal Neuropathic or Deafferentation Pain: An Institutional Case Series Experience
Authors: Raslan Ahmed M. , Nasseri Morad , Bahgat Diaa , Abdu Emun , Burchiel Kim J.
Published: February 2011

Background: Trigeminal neuropathy is a rare, devastating condition that can be intractable and resistant to treatment. When medical treatment fails, invasive options are limited. Motor cortex stimulation (MCS) is a relatively recent technique introduced to treat central neuropathic pain. The use of MCS to treat trigeminal neuropathic or deafferentation pain is not widespread and clinical data in the medical literature that demonstrate efficacy are limited. Method: We retrospectively reviewed patients with trigeminal neuropathic or trigeminal deafferentation pain who were treated at the Oregon Health & Science University between 2001 and 2008 by 1 neurosurgeon using MCS. Results: Eight of 11 patients (3 male, 8 female) underwent successful permanent implantation of an MCS system. All 8 patients reported initial satisfactory pain control. Three failed to experience continued pain control (6 months of follow-up). Five continued to experience long-term pain control (mean follow-up, 33 months). Average programming sessions were 2.2/year (all 8 patients) and 1.55/year (5 patients who sustained long-term pain control). Patients with anesthesia dolorosa or trigeminal deafferentation pain who had previously undergone ablative trigeminal procedures responded poorly to MCS. We encountered no perioperative complications. Conclusion: MCS is a safe and potentially effective therapy in certain patients with trigeminal neuropathy.
A Technique of Distal to Proximal Revision of Peripheral Neurostimulator Leads: Technical Note
Authors: Mammis Antonios , Mogilner Alon Y.
Published: February 2011

Background: Peripheral nerve stimulation for chronic pain states is a safe and efficacious technique, being used with increasing frequency. The incidence of hardware-related complications requiring revision remains high. Objectives: The authors describe a technique of distal to proximal neurostimulator lead revision, which does not require the changing of generators or extension leads, and thus presumably will minimize further device-related complications. Methods: The authors present a case series of 3 patients where the distal to proximal neurostimulator lead revision technique was utilized. Results: The technique was well tolerated in each instance and all patients reported >50% pain reduction at long-term follow-up. Conclusions: The distal to proximal neurostimulator lead revision technique quickly and safely adjusts lead position, including both lead depth and lead tip location, without a need for replacement of components or revision of the entire system.
Surgical Treatment for Late Complications following Gamma Knife Surgery for Arteriovenous Malformations
Authors: Shuto Takashi , Matsunaga Shigeo , Suenaga Jun
Published: February 2011

Background: To establish the surgical indications and strategy for late complications following gamma knife surgery (GKS) for arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). Methods: Ten male and 7 female patients aged 17–52 years (mean 28.0 years) were retrospectively identified among 686 patients who underwent GKS for AVM at our hospital. Ten patients showed cyst formation (group A), 2 patients had expanding hematoma (group B), and 5 patients had both cyst and expanding hematoma (group C). Results: The mean nidus volume was 10.1 ml (range 0.1–36 ml), and the mean prescription dose at the nidus margin was 19.9 Gy (range 18–28 Gy). Complete obliteration of the nidus was obtained in 12 patients, partial obliteration in 4, and no change in 1. Cyst formation (group A) was asymptomatic in 5 patients, and symptomatic in 5 patients, manifesting as headache, hemianopia, aphasia, and motor weakness. Expanding hematoma (groups B and C) was associated with surrounding brain edema and was symptomatic in all 7 patients. Cyst opening in 1 patient and placement of an Ommaya reservoir in 2 patients were necessary in group A. Both patients in group B underwent craniotomy. Four of the 5 patients in group C required craniotomy. Another patient in group C was lost to follow-up and the final outcome was unknown. Conclusions: Cyst formation is one of the late complications of GKS for AVM. Some cysts show spontaneous regression but others gradually increase in size and become symptomatic, although relatively large asymptomatic cysts are also known. Predicting the future course of a cyst is difficult. Surgery such as placement of an Ommaya reservoir should be considered for symptomatic cases. Expanding hematoma always increases in size and becomes symptomatic, so removal by craniotomy is necessary. Surrounding brain edema decreases rapidly after surgery and neurological symptoms quickly resolve.
Early Reperfusion Therapy Affects Inducibility, Cycle Length, and Occurrence of Ventricular Tachycardia Late After Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Piers Sebastiaan R.D. , Wijnmaalen Adrianus P. , Borleffs C. Jan Willem , van Huls van Taxis Carine F.B. , Thijssen Joep , van Rees Johannes B. , Cannegieter Suzanne C. , Bax Jeroen J. , Schalij Martin J. , Zeppenfeld Katja
Published: February 2011

Background—

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of early reperfusion during acute myocardial infarction (MI) on ventricular tachycardia (V
t
) inducibility, inducible V
t
cycle length (CL), and occurrence of spontaneous V
t
late after MI.

Methods and Results—

Five hundred six patients (440 men; age, 63±11 years) with prior MI who underwent electrophysiology study before implantation of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator for primary or secondary prevention were assessed. Patients were classified according to the reperfusion strategy (reperfusion: thrombolysis, n=44, or percutaneous coronary intervention, n=65, versus no reperfusion, n=397) during acute MI. Monomorphic sustained V
t
was inducible in 351 (69%) patients. Inducibility in reperfused and nonreperfused patients was similar in primary prevention patients (56% versus 58%) but significantly higher for nonreperfused patients in secondary prevention patients (56% versus 79%,
P
=0.001). Induced VTCL was shorter (247±40 versus 287±63,
P
<0.001) and very fast V
t
(CL ≤250 ms) was more often induced in reperfused patients (71% versus 47%,
P
=0.001). In primary prevention patients, nonreperfusion was associated with a doubled risk for first spontaneous V
t
during follow-up.

Conclusions—

There are important differences in V
t
inducibility, induced VTCL, and occurrence of spontaneous V
t
in the chronic infarct healing phase between patients with and those without successful reperfusion during acute MI. These findings suggest differences in the chronic arrhythmogenic substrate.
The Recent Developments in Custody Law for Muslims in Israel: Gender and Religion
Authors: Ramadan Moussa Abou
Published: January 2011

In this paper we explore how Shari‘a Courts cope with the issue of custody, in light of two Supreme Court rulings concerning custody cases, in which the regional Shari‘a court suspected the mother of living a Christian way of life. The article aims at discerning the debate between the Shari‘a Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court concerning the Legal Capacity and Guardianship Law and rulings in the issue of child custody, and at proposing an alternative line of interpretation that would help avoiding the debate. The article argues that Shari‘a courts have embarked on a “purification” process, removing secular elements from their legal discourse, both at the rhetoric and symbolic levels, and thus excluding any affinity to secular legislation. The Legal Capacity and Guardianship Law is a main focus of those “purification” efforts. This raises the question of why the Supreme Court actually reversed only so few Shari‘a court rulings. We suggest that it did not have to do so. Though explicitly not basing its rulings on civil law, the Shari‘a Court of Appeals actually imported the principle of the child’s best interest through the back door, by considering it to be a principle acknowledged by Shari‘a. The court reinterpreted religious legal literature and in fact Islamized Israeli law, in the sense of turning an Israeli legal principle into an Islamic one. Another softening of what appears to be a rigid position held by the Shari‘a court may be discerned in its rulings that allow drawing on social workers’ reports in order to determine a child’s best interest.
Thoughts on the Conflict Management Field after 30 Years
Authors: Crocker Chester A.
Published: January 2011

This article surveys the emergence of conflict management from the academic and policy shadows into a far more prominent field of inquiry and practice. As the barriers to entry into third party roles collapsed at the end of the Cold War, the field of conflict management expanded, diversified, and fragmented into a range of practice areas (scholarly, policy-oriented, and operational). Four phases of this evolution are identified. An increasingly crowded field lacks gatekeepers or natural coherence, underscoring the need for leadership and sustained, coordinated efforts. The study of mediation has blossomed around the work of Zartman and others, while the policy community has swung back and forth in its enthusiasm for third party roles in an age where hard power and smart power vie for pride of place. Conflict management responses are increasingly spontaneous, ad hoc and case-specific. Debate is emerging over the pros and cons of engaging with armed non-state actors that are placed on proscribed lists in the struggle against terrorism. Post-conflict challenges continue to pose a severe test to practitioners of peacebuilding.
An Evaluation of Five ARW-WRF Microphysics Schemes Using Synthetic GOES Imagery for an Atmospheric River Event Affecting the California Coast
Authors: Jankov Isidora , Grasso Lewis D. , Sengupta Manajit , Neiman Paul J. , Zupanski Dusanka , Zupanski Milija , Lindsey Daniel , Hillger Donald W. , Birkenheuer Daniel L. , Brummer Renate , Yuan Huiling
Published: February 2011

The main purpose of the present study is to assess the value of synthetic satellite imagery as a tool for model evaluation performance in addition to more traditional approaches. For this purpose, synthetic GOES-10 imagery at 10.7 μm was produced using output from the Advanced Research Weather Research and Forecasting (ARW-WRF) numerical model. Use of synthetic imagery is a unique method to indirectly evaluate the performance of various microphysical schemes available within the ARW-WRF. In the present study, a simulation of an atmospheric river event that occurred on 30 December 2005 was used. The simulations were performed using the ARW-WRF numerical model with five different microphysical schemes [Lin, WRF single-moment 6 class (WSM6), Thompson, Schultz, and double-moment Morrison]. Synthetic imagery was created and scenes from the simulations were statistically compared with observations from the 10.7-μm band of the GOES-10 imager using a histogram-based technique. The results suggest that synthetic satellite imagery is useful in model performance evaluations as a complementary metric to those used traditionally. For example, accumulated precipitation analyses and other commonly used fields in model evaluations suggested a good agreement among solutions from various microphysical schemes, while the synthetic imagery analysis pointed toward notable differences in simulations of clouds among the microphysical schemes.
The Spectral Ice Habit Prediction System (SHIPS). Part III: Description of the Ice Particle Model and the Habit-Dependent Aggregation Model
Authors: Hashino Tempei , Tripoli Gregory J.
Published: February 2011

The purpose of this paper is to describe a numerical scheme of the Spectral Ice Habit Prediction System (SHIPS) that simulates the dependency of aggregation process explicitly on crystal habit and size in cloud-resolving models (CRMs). The sizes and shapes of ice crystals are known to modulate the aggregation process, which is a critical part of physical processes leading to precipitation in addition to vapor deposition and riming processes. A problem with conventional formulation of aggregation process in CRMs is that it is not designed to predict the aggregates’ properties based on the information on crystals. To simulate such dependency, SHIPS solves a quasi-stochastic model that describes growth tendency for a group of particles, together with particle property variables (PPVs) that carry information on habit and types of ice particles.

SHIPS diagnoses the ice particle properties based on the PPVs for each mass bin at given a time and space, which are used to calculate the collision cross-sectional area and terminal velocity differences based on crystal habits explicitly. To achieve prediction of properties of aggregates and rimed particles, SHIPS introduces 1) the use of a conceptually based, circumscribing shape, called the ice particle model, and 2) the explicit prediction of the circumscribing sphere volume based on a simple growth model of the maximum dimension. Based on these properties, SHIPS is able to predict the mass–dimensional relationships of aggregates so that they are physically consistent with the growth history of the particles. In addition, the information about the crystals making up the aggregates is predicted. Part IV of this series will present the results and evaluation of the application of this formulation to idealized tests in a Lagrangian “box model” setup.
The Spectral Ice Habit Prediction System (SHIPS). Part IV: Box Model Simulations of the Habit-Dependent Aggregation Process
Authors: Hashino Tempei , Tripoli Gregory J.
Published: February 2011

The purpose of this paper is to assess the prediction of particle properties of aggregates and particle size distributions with the Spectral Ice Habit Prediction System (SHIPS) and to investigate the effects of crystal habits on aggregation process. Aggregation processes of ice particles are critical to the understanding of precipitation and the radiative signatures of cloud systems. Conventional approaches taken in cloud-resolving models (CRMs) are not ideal to study the effects of crystal habits on aggregation processes because the properties of aggregates have to be assumed beforehand. As described in Part III, SHIPS solves the stochastic collection equation along with particle property variables that contain information about crystal habits and maximum dimensions of aggregates. This approach makes it possible to simulate properties of aggregates explicitly and continuously in CRMs according to the crystal habits.

The aggregation simulations were implemented in a simple model setup, assuming seven crystal habits and several initial particle size distributions (PSDs). The predicted PSDs showed good agreement with observations after rescaling except for the large-size end. The ice particle properties predicted by the model, such as the mass–dimensional (m-D) relationship and the relationship between diameter of aggregates and number of component crystals in an aggregate, were found to be quantitatively similar to those observed. Furthermore, these predictions were dependent on the initial PSDs and habits. A simple model for the growth of a particle’s maximum dimension was able to simulate the typically observed fractal dimension of aggregates when an observed value of the separation ratio of two particles was used. A detailed analysis of the collection kernel indicates that the m-D relationship unique to each crystal habit has a large impact on the growth rate of aggregates through the cross-sectional area or terminal velocity difference, depending on the initial equivalent particle distribution. A significant decrease in terminal velocity differences was found in the inertial flow regime for all the habits but the constant-density sphere. It led to formation of a local maximum in the collection kernel and, in turn, formed an identifiable mode in the PSDs. Remaining issues that must be addressed in order to improve the aggregation simulation with the quasi-stochastic model are discussed.
A Discrete Ordinate, Multiple Scattering, Radiative Transfer Model of the Venus Atmosphere from 0.1 to 260 μm
Authors: Lee Christopher , Richardson Mark Ian
Published: February 2011

The authors describe a new radiative transfer model of the Venus atmosphere (RTM) that includes optical properties from nine gases and four cloud modes between 0.1 and 260 μm. A multiple-stream discrete ordinate flux solver is used to calculate solar and atmospheric infrared fluxes with a prescribed temperature profiles and calculate radiative–convective equilibrium temperatures using the model.

Components of the RTM are validated using observations from Pioneer Venus and Venus Express. A visible bond albedo of 0.74 and subsolar surface visible flux of 50 W m−2 [4.0% of the top-of-atmosphere (TOA) insolation] are calculated for a suitable temperature and composition profile derived from the Venus International Reference Atmosphere. Solar fluxes are simulated over a range of latitudes and good agreement is found with results from the Pioneer Venus probes and Venera landers. TOA infrared fluxes are compared with Venus Express observations and found to compare well at all observed wavelengths.

The RTM is used to calculate radiative heating rates and these calculated heating rates are compared with those prescribed in a modern Venus GCM. Modifications are suggested to improve the prescribed thermal forcing used in recent GCMs. Using a small family of numerical and physical configurations, little sensitivity to vertical resolution is found in the model. For suitable global mean solar forcing a surface temperature of 750 K at radiative–convective equilibrium is calculated, in good agreement with observations and other recent modeling efforts.
Mechanisms Controlling Precipitation in the Northern Portion of the North American Monsoon
Authors: Cerezo-Mota Ruth , Allen Myles , Jones Richard
Published: February 2011

Key mechanisms important for the simulation and better understanding of the precipitation of the North American monsoon (NAM) were analyzed in this paper. Three experiments with the Providing Regional Climates for Impacts Studies (PRECIS) regional climate model, the Hadley Centre Regional Model version 3P (HadRM3P), driven by different boundary conditions were carried out. After a detailed analysis of the moisture and low-level winds derived from the models, the authors conclude that the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) moisture and the Great Plains low-level jet (GPLLJ) play an important role in the northern portion of the NAM. Moreover, the realistic simulation of these features is necessary for a better simulation of precipitation in the NAM. Previous works suggest that the influence of moisture from the GoM in Arizona–New Mexico (AZNM) takes place primarily via the middle- and upper-tropospheric flow (above 700 mb). However, it is shown here that if the GoM does not supply enough moisture and the GPLLJ at lower levels (below 700 mb) does not reach the AZNM region, then a dry westerly flow dominates that area and the summer precipitation is below normal. The implications of these findings for studies of climate change are demonstrated with the analysis of two general circulation models (GCMs) commonly used for climate change prediction, which are shown not to reproduce correctly the GPLLJ intensity nor the moisture in the GoM. This implies that the precipitation in AZNM would not be correctly represented by a regional model driven by these GCMs.
Subduction over the Southern Indian Ocean in a High-Resolution Atmosphere–Ocean Coupled Model
Authors: Lee Mei-Man , Nurser A. J. George , Stevens I. , Sallée Jean-Baptiste
Published: February 2011

This study examines the subduction of the Subantarctic Mode Water in the Indian Ocean in an ocean–atmosphere coupled model in which the ocean component is eddy permitting. The purpose is to assess how sensitive the simulated mode water is to the horizontal resolution in the ocean by comparing with a coarse-resolution ocean coupled model. Subduction of water mass is principally set by the depth of the winter mixed layer. It is found that the path of the Agulhas Current system in the model with an eddy-permitting ocean is different from that with a coarse-resolution ocean. This results in a greater surface heat loss over the Agulhas Return Current and a deeper winter mixed layer downstream in the eddy-permitting ocean coupled model. The winter mixed layer depth in the eddy-permitting ocean compares well to the observations, whereas the winter mixed layer depth in the coarse-resolution ocean coupled model is too shallow and has the wrong spatial structure. To quantify the impacts of different winter mixed depths on the subduction, a way to diagnose local subduction is proposed that includes eddy subduction. It shows that the subduction in the eddy-permitting model is closer to the observations in terms of the magnitudes and the locations. Eddies in the eddy-permitting ocean are found to 1) increase stratification and thus oppose the densification by northward Ekman flow and 2) increase subduction locally. These effects of eddies are not well reproduced by the eddy parameterization in the coarse-resolution ocean coupled model.
Large-Scale Precipitation Variability over Northwest China Inferred from Tree Rings
Authors: Fang Keyan , Gou Xiaohua , Chen Fahu , Cook Edward , Li Jinbao , Buckley Brendan , D’Arrigo Rosanne
Published: February 2011

A preliminary study of a point-by-point spatial precipitation reconstruction for northwestern (NW) China is explored, based on a tree-ring network of 132 chronologies. Precipitation variations during the past ~200–400 yr (the common reconstruction period is from 1802 to 1990) are reconstructed for 26 stations in NW China from a nationwide 160-station dataset. The authors introduce a “search spatial correlation contour” method to locate candidate tree-ring predictors for the reconstruction data of a given climate station. Calibration and verification results indicate that most precipitation reconstruction models are acceptable, except for a few reconstructions (stations Hetian, Hami, Jiuquan, and Wuwei) with degraded quality. Additionally, the authors compare four spatial precipitation factors in the instrumental records and reconstructions derived from a rotated principal component analysis (RPCA). The northern and southern Xinjiang factors from the instrumental and reconstructed data agree well with each other. However, differences in spatial patterns between the instrumentation and reconstruction data are also found for the other two factors, which probably result from the relatively poor quality of a few stations. Major drought events documented in previous studies—for example, from the 1920s through the 1930s for the eastern part of NW China—are reconstructed in this study.
Regime Change of the Boreal Summer Hadley Circulation and Its Connection with the Tropical SST
Authors: Feng Ran , Li Jianping , Wang Jincheng
Published: February 2011

The year-to-year variability of the boreal summer [June–August (JJA)] Hadley circulation (HC) is dominated by an asymmetric mode centered in the Northern Hemisphere (AMN) and a quasi-symmetric mode centered at 5°N (QSM). The regime change of the JJA HC is revealed by the phase reversal of the time series of the AMN, showing significant weakening of the northern part of the JJA HC and a reversed seesaw relationship of the zonal-mean updraft over 10°–20°N and around the equator. This transition is accompanied by the southward retreat of the HC core and is well correlated with the weakening of tropical summer monsoons. The strong warming trends of the sea surface temperature over the tropical Atlantic and Indo–west Pacific warm pool play an important role in the regime change of the JJA HC. The high-frequency interannual variability of the JJA HC, however, is mainly featured by the QSM and is highly correlated with the Niño-3.4 index, implying that ENSO’s influence is mainly on the high-frequency interannual time scale.
Do Climate Models Underestimate the Sensitivity of Northern Hemisphere Sea Ice Cover?
Authors: Winton Michael
Published: February 2011

The sensitivity of Northern Hemisphere sea ice cover to global temperature change is examined in a group of climate models and in the satellite-era observations. The models are found to have well-defined, distinguishable sensitivities in climate change experiments. The satellite-era observations show a larger sensitivity—a larger decline per degree of warming—than any of the models. To evaluate the role of natural variability in this discrepancy, the sensitivity probability density function is constructed based upon the observed trends and natural variability of multidecadal ice cover and global temperature trends in a long control run of the GFDL Climate Model, version 2.1 (CM2.1). This comparison shows that the model sensitivities range from about 1 to more than 2 pseudostandard deviations of the variability smaller than observations indicate. The impact of natural Atlantic multidecadal temperature trends (as simulated by the GFDL model) on the sensitivity distribution is examined and found to be minimal.
The Struggle to Rearm Japan: Negotiating the Cold War State in US-Japanese Relations
Authors: Miller Jennifer M.
Published: January 2011

The Cold War brought forth an unprecedented level of global interactions, creating relationships that not only brought states together but altered the trajectories of societies. To explore the impact of the Cold War on postwar Japan, this article examines the negotiations between the United States and Japan over Japanese membership in the Mutual Security Program, the United States’ postwar military assistance program. It considers debates over Japanese rearmament and their effect on Japan’s economy and democracy, both within Japan and between Japan and the United States, the negotiations that resulted in Japan’s membership in the program, and Japanese reactions to this membership. It argues that Japanese rearmament both brought the United States and Japan together, and created tensions between them, highlighting the complicated Cold War dynamics between domestic and international politics. Further, it asserts that the Cold War altered the nature of the state by fostering a multilayered relationship between government policy-making, international negotiations, institutional developments, and socio-political mobilizations, creating a new political relationship that it calls the Cold War State.
Property Rights Reforms and Changing Grassroots Governance in China’s Urban—Rural Peripheries: The Case of Changping District in Beijing
Authors: Po Lanchih
Published: February 2011

This paper analyses how rural property rights reforms have reshaped grassroots governance in the rapid urbanisation process in China. The management and distribution of the villages’ collective property has become a flashpoint for local conflict when collective farmland is taken for urban uses. Changping, a rural district located on the northern periphery of Beijing, pioneered a property rights reform to convert villages’ collective assets into a new form of shareholding co-operative. Along with the election of a new board of directors that is now in charge of collective property, the reforms are redefining the jurisdiction of the party, the village government and the shareholding co-operative organisation, thus reconfiguring the political and economic power structure at the village level.
Evolving Property Rights in Japan: Patterns and Logics of Change
Authors: Sorensen André
Published: February 2011

Property rights in land are often regarded as among the most inflexible of the institutional structures that shape urban change, particularly when enshrined in a written constitution. This paper argues that the meaning and specification of property rights in the city are continually contested and in flux and that the evolving practice of city planning is a significant element that contributes to change. A better understanding of the mechanisms of such change is valuable for our understanding both of city planning and of property rights. A historical institutionalist analysis suggests that property rights display significant elements of path dependence, yet also show characteristic patterns and processes of incremental change over time. This analysis of evolving systems to regulate permissible development in Japanese cities during the period since the environmental crisis of the 1960s is revealing of the structured ways in which property rights are contested and change over time.
Tourists’ Written Reactions to Poverty in Southern Africa
Authors: Pearce Philip L.
Published: February 2011

This article reports the details of an investigation into tourists’ responses to poverty in four Southern African countries. The study was guided by concepts from positive psychology, notably discussion on the value of emotions and emotional experiences. Initially, nearly 300 Internet travel stories were coded. These stories were drawn systematically from more than 5,000 stories about Southern Africa. Observations about poverty occurred in 11.5% of all stories. In a second phase of the work, the emotions expressed in the poverty-oriented accounts were used to guide the construction of a taxonomy of tourists’ responses. These response types were defined as disengagement, compartmentalization, the lucky self, sympathy/empathy, and corrective action. The value and complexities of using travel Internet stories as data were considered. Further pathways between the present work and the complex issue of poverty alleviation through tourism were noted.
The Paintings of Ibrahim Nubani
Authors: Zohar Ayelet
Published: January 2011

This text reads into the work of Ibrahim Nubani (1962—), a Palestinian-Israeli painter who was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1988, during the first Intifada. Nubani’s painting has undergone a tremendous change from the 1980s and the period of his hospitalization to his painting style today: from geometric, Modernist-type painting, gradually moving into his contemporary chaotic and saturated style of expression. I draw parallels between Nubani’s personal and psychological condition and the political events that affected him. I refer to his state in relation to the discourse of mimicry and camouflage in nature, comparing his position to that of the invisible presences in the background in a perfect camouflage, referring to Roger Caillois’ interpretations. I look at his diagnosed psychiatric state of schizophrenia as the materialization of the meaning of being a Palestinian-Israeli in a life of fragmentation and rejection, by referring to Bhabha and Shammas. I relate to Deleuze and Guattari’s notions of schizophrenia as a cultural rebellion against the moderating mechanisms of cultural/national identification. I demonstrate how Nubani’s work and speech undermine the modalities of mainstream Israeli society, acting like a cultural insurgent, terrorizing Zionist axioms. While analysing Nubani’s iconography I identify several tropes, images and icons that serve as signifiers of his personal crisis and artistic development. I link Nubani’s eyes/ocelli images to Lacan’s discussion of ‘symbolic castration’ as the core of his personal becoming part of Israeli society and his collapse, the in-between desire to assimilate in the early stages of his life, and his current desire to fully live his life as a Palestinian. The text moves between his images and images from other sources that open Nubani’s world into the discourses of Western painting, schizophrenia, high Modernism, the postcolonial condition and so forth. The text is fragmented into eight pieces, following the schizophrenic break-up of Nubani’s personal state and his painted work. I read his work as a destabilizing agent, and identify visual references drawn from the wider context of art history, and specifically referring to masterpieces of the Israeli art canon.
Introduction: Reflections on ‘The Remainders of Race’: Culture, Nature or a Political Economy of Race?
Authors: Venn Couze
Published: January 2011

This introduction to this special section on race considers the case for the thesis advanced by Ash Amin in his article ‘The Remainders of Race’ that the conjuncture of vernacular and biopolitical racism has resulted in an upsurge in racism. It draws from three responses to that article by Abdou-Maliq Simone, Denise Ferreira da Silva and Ali Rattansi to problematize explanations for racism which appeal to ideas of human sorting instincts and other universalisms. It examines efforts to combat racism through multiculturalism and non-racial policies implemented in different parts of the world. The role of biopolitics and of neoliberalism in inflecting such policies is highlighted. Lessons are drawn for the analysis of racism from Foucault’s critique of political economy and the functioning of the discourse of ‘race war’ in legitimizing the power relations sustaining systematic inequality in society. The implications for a new politics of the commons are then drawn out.
Lyme Neuroborreliosis in 2 Horses
Authors: Imai D. M. , Barr B. C. , Daft B. , Bertone J. J. , Feng S. , Hodzic E. , Johnston J. M. , Olsen K. J. , Barthold S. W.
Published: February 2011

Lyme neuroborreliosis—characterized as chronic, necrosuppurative to nonsuppurative, perivascular to diffuse meningoradiculoneuritis—was diagnosed in 2 horses with progressive neurologic disease. In 1 horse, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto was identified by polymerase chain reaction amplification of B burgdorferi sensu stricto–specific gene targets ( ospA, ospC, flaB, dbpA, arp). Highest spirochetal burdens were in tissues with inflammation, including spinal cord, muscle, and joint capsule. Sequence analysis of ospA, ospC, and flaB revealed 99.9% sequence identity to the respective genes in B burgdorferi strain 297, an isolate from a human case of neuroborreliosis. In both horses, spirochetes were visualized in affected tissues with Steiner silver impregnation and by immunohistochemistry, predominantly within the dense collagenous tissue of the dura mater and leptomeninges.