bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Performance of Observation-Based Prediction Algorithms for Very Short-Range, Probabilistic Clear-Sky Condition Forecasting
Authors: Hall Timothy J. , Mutchler Carl N. , Bloy Greg J. , Thessin Rachel N. , Gaffney Stephanie K. , Lareau Jonathan J.
Published: February 2011

Very short-range sky condition forecasts are produced to support a variety of military, civil, and commercial activities. In this investigation, six advanced, observation (obs)-based prediction algorithms were developed and tested that generated probabilistic sky condition forecasts for 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-h forecast intervals, for local and regional target types, in six geographic regions within the continental United States. Three of the methods were based on predictive learning algorithms including neural network, random forest, and regression tree. The other three methods were statistical techniques including a k–nearest neighbor algorithm, a classifier based on the Bayes decision rule, and a multialgorithm ensemble. The performances of these six algorithms were compared with forecasts from three benchmark methods: basic persistence, the climatological-expectancy-of-persistence, and satellite cloud climatology. The obs database for each forecast target was composed of a multiyear, half-hourly time series of atmospheric parameters that included cloud features extracted from weather satellite imagery and meteorological variables extracted or derived from data assimilation–based model analyses generated by NCEP’s Eta Data Assimilation System. The performances of the advanced prediction algorithms exceeded those of the benchmarks at all five forecast intervals for both target types in all regions, on the basis of a group of metrics that included receiver operating characteristic score, sharpness, accuracy, expected best cost, and reliability.
A Quasigeostrophic Model for Moist Storm Tracks
Authors: Laîné Alexandre , Lapeyre Guillaume , Rivière Gwendal
Published: February 2011

The effect of moisture and latent heat release is investigated in the context of a three-level quasigeostrophic model on the sphere. The model is based on an existing dry model that was shown to be able to reproduce the midlatitude synoptic and low-frequency variability of the troposphere. In addition to potential vorticity equations, moisture evolution equations are included with a simple precipitation scheme. The model can be forced using reanalysis datasets to represent the observed climatology.

After the description of the model, the Northern Hemisphere midlatitude climatic characteristics of the moist model are compared to its dry counterpart and to the 40-yr ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-40). The jet of the moist model is weakened in its central and northern part and enhanced in its southern part compared to the dry version, which generally decreases the model biases compared to reanalyses. Latent heating processes are mainly responsible for the global decrease in westerlies in the jet-core regions. Precipitation mainly occurs slightly poleward of the jet axes, thereby reducing the meridional temperature gradient and the wind through thermal wind balance. The mean synoptic activity is reduced according to the decrease in baroclinicity, as well as the mean low-frequency variability. A diagnosis of synoptic wave breaking is performed and the characteristics of the moist model are closer to the ones found in reanalyses, especially with more occurrence of cyclonic wave breaking. Weather regimes are slightly better represented in the moist model, although changes are weak compared to the intrinsic model biases. The behavior of the moist model around its climatology indicates that it could be used to run sensitivity experiments.
Dynamical Response of the South Asian Monsoon Trough to Latent Heating from Stratiform and Convective Precipitation
Authors: Choudhury Ayantika Dey , Krishnan R.
Published: February 2011

Simulation experiments using a simplified atmospheric GCM and supplementary diagnostic analyses of observations are performed to understand how the South Asian monsoon trough (MT) responds dynamically to latent heating from mesoscale convective systems (MCSs). Observations reveal that the MT during active monsoons is characterized by a deep cyclonic vorticity extending from the surface to 350 hPa and organized MCSs covering over 3500–4000 km along the Indo-Gangetic plains. The MCSs during active monsoons are composed of a relatively higher abundance of stratiform-type precipitation (mostly nimbostratus) as compared to the convective type. The results suggest that a stratiform-type heating profile is very effective in promoting upward development of continental-scale cyclonic circulation well above the midtroposphere over the MT region. The vertical development involves a dynamical uplift of the layer of cyclonic circulation and is induced by midlevel (600–500 hPa) convergence and vorticity stretching above 500 hPa. By varying the population of stratiform and convective rain types in the simulation, the horizontal scale of midlevel vorticity response is shown to increase significantly with stratiform population; in contrast, the midlevel response is more localized when the MCS is dominated by deep convective clouds. For large stratiform populations, the midlevel response is found to extend far westward up to the northern flanks of the African ITCZ, indicative of Rossby wave dispersion of PV anomalies that are generated near the level of maximum heating gradient. From the present findings, one can conclude that the vertical deepening of MT during active monsoons is not merely a localized phenomenon; instead it represents a large-scale dynamical response to organized MCSs that exert pivotal influence on the upward development of cyclonic circulation well above the midtroposphere.
Evaluation of an Air Pressure–Based Proxy for Storm Activity
Authors: Krueger Oliver , von Storch Hans
Published: February 2011

Yearly percentiles of geostrophic wind speeds serve as a widely used proxy for assessing past storm activity. Here, daily geostrophic wind speeds are derived from a geographical triangle of surface air pressure measurements and are used to build yearly frequency distributions. It is commonly believed, however unproven, that the variation of the statistics of strong geostrophic wind speeds describes the variation of statistics of ground-level wind speeds. This study evaluates this approach by examining the correlation between specific annual (seasonal) percentiles of geostrophic and of area-maximum surface wind speeds to determine whether the two distributions are linearly linked in general.

The analyses rely on bootstrap and binomial hypothesis testing as well as on analysis of variance. Such investigations require long, homogeneous, and physically consistent data. Because such data are barely existent, regional climate model–generated wind and surface air pressure fields in a fine spatial and temporal resolution are used. The chosen regional climate model is the spectrally nudged and NCEP-driven regional model (REMO) that covers Europe and the North Atlantic. Required distributions are determined from diagnostic 10-m and geostrophic wind speed, which is calculated from model air pressure at sea level.

Obtained results show that the variation of strong geostrophic wind speed statistics describes the variation of ground-level wind speed statistics. Annual and seasonal quantiles of geostrophic wind speed and ground-level wind speed are positively linearly related. The influence of low-pass filtering is also considered and found to decrease the quality of the linear link. Moreover, several factors are examined that affect the description of storminess through geostrophic wind speed statistics. Geostrophic wind from sea triangles reflects storm activity better than geostrophic wind from land triangles. Smaller triangles lead to a better description of storminess than bigger triangles.
Characteristics of the Dominant Modes of Atmospheric Quasi-Biweekly Oscillation over Tropical–Subtropical Americas
Authors: Wen Min , Yang Song , Higgins Wayne , Zhang Renhe
Published: February 2011

During the boreal summer (June–August), vigorous convection appears over the eastern Pacific, southern Mexico, and northern South America, and oscillates on a distinct time scale of 10–20 days. Extended empirical orthogonal function (EEOF) analysis shows that the quasi-biweekly oscillation (QBWO) of the convection has two major modes: a west–east-orientated mode (WEM) and a north–south-orientated mode (NSM). The WEM, which is explained by the first two EEOF modes, originates over the eastern Atlantic, propagates westward along 15°N, and enhances over the Caribbean Sea before disappearing over the central Pacific. The NSM, explained by the third and fourth EEOF modes, originates over the western Pacific, moves eastward, and strengthens over the eastern Pacific. It shifts northward after arriving over the Caribbean Sea. Both modes have notable seasonal dependence, with the WEM more active in July and August and the NSM more active in June or earlier.

The two distinct QBWO modes are linked to different rainfall patterns over the United States and Mexico. When the WEM is active in July and August, wet conditions occur over the southern central United States and dry conditions appear to the north. When the NSM is active in June, northern Mexico, the southwestern United States, the Missouri basin, and the northern Great Lakes are drier than normal, while southern Mexico and the eastern United States are wetter than normal. Significant variations in atmospheric circulation are found to be associated with the interannual variability of the NSM activity in June. However, these variations may not necessarily result from QBWO but, rather, provide a background for QBWO activity instead. In July and August, the association of QBWO with the precipitation pattern over North America may sometimes be related to hurricane activity.
Exact Solutions of Wind-Driven Coastal Upwelling and Downwelling over Sloping Topography
Authors: Choboter P. F. , Duke Dana , Horton J. P. , Sinz Paul
Published: February 2011

The dynamics of wind-driven coastal upwelling and downwelling are studied using a simplified dynamical model. Exact solutions are examined as a function of time and over a family of sloping topographies. Assumptions in the two-dimensional model include a frictionless ocean interior below the surface Ekman layer and no along-slope dependence of the variables; however, dependence in the cross-slope and vertical directions is retained. Density and the along-slope component of momentum are advected by the cross-slope velocity, with thermal wind balance maintained at all times. The time-dependent initial value problem is solved with constant initial stratification and no initial along-slope flow. Previously, this model has been used to study upwelling over flat-bottomed ocean, but the novel features in this work are the study of exact solutions for a family of sloping topographic profiles, for both upwelling and downwelling. The exact solutions are compared to numerical solutions from a primitive equation ocean model configured in a similar two-dimensional geometry. The exact solutions predict that deep undercurrents will develop only over steep topographic slopes and the cross-slope flow in the deep frictionless interior will be increasingly surface intensified as the topographic slope increases.
Basin Resonances in the Equatorial Indian Ocean
Authors: Han Weiqing , McCreary Julian P. , Masumoto Yukio , Vialard Jérôme , Duncan Benét
Published: February 2011

Previous studies have investigated how second-baroclinic-mode (n = 2) Kelvin and Rossby waves in the equatorial Indian Ocean (IO) interact to form basin resonances at the semiannual (180 day) and 90-day periods. This paper examines unresolved issues about these resonances, including the reason the 90-day resonance is concentrated in the eastern ocean, the time scale for their establishment, and the impact of complex basin geometry. A hierarchy of ocean models is used: an idealized one-dimensional (1D) model, a linear continuously stratified ocean model (LCSM), and an ocean general circulation model (OGCM) forced by Quick Scatterometer (QuikSCAT) wind during 2000–08. Results indicate that the eastern-basin concentration of the 90-day resonance happens because the westward-propagating Rossby wave is slower, and thus is damped more than the eastward-propagating Kelvin wave. Results also indicate that superposition with other baroclinic modes further enhances the eastern maximum and weakens sea level variability near the western boundary. Without resonance, although there is still significant power at 90 and 180 days, solutions have no spectral peaks at these periods. The key time scale for the establishment of all resonances is the time it takes a Kelvin wave to cross the basin and a first-meridional-mode (ℓ = 1) Rossby wave to return; thus, even though the amplitude of the 90-day winds vary significantly, the 90-day resonance can be frequently excited in the real IO, as evidenced by satellite-observed and OGCM-simulated sea level. The presence of the Indian subcontinent enhances the influence of equatorial variability in the north IO, especially along the west coast of India. The Maldives Islands weaken the 180-day resonance amplitude but have little effect on the 90-day resonance, because they fall in its “node” region. Additionally, resonance at the 120-day period for the n = 1 mode is noted.
Advective Time Scales of Agulhas Leakage to the North Atlantic in Surface Drifter Observations and the 3D OFES Model
Authors: van Sebille Erik , Beal Lisa M. , Johns William E.
Published: February 2011

The advective transit time of temperature–salinity anomalies from the Agulhas region to the regions of deep convection in the North Atlantic Ocean is an important time scale in climate, because it has been linked to variability in the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation. Studying this transit time scale is difficult, because most observational and high-resolution model data are too short for assessment of the global circulation on decadal to centennial time scales. Here, results are presented from a technique to obtain thousands of “supertrajectories” of any required length using a Monte Carlo simulation. These supertrajectories allow analysis of the circulation patterns and time scales based on Lagrangian data: in this case, observational surface drifter trajectories from the Global Drifter Program and Lagrangian data from the high-resolution OGCM for the Earth Simulator (OFES). The observational supertrajectories can only be used to study the two-dimensional (2D) surface flow, whereas the numerical supertrajectories can be used to study the full three-dimensional circulation. Results for the surface circulation indicate that the supertrajectories starting in the Agulhas Current and ending in the North Atlantic take at least 4 yr and most complete the journey in 30–40 yr. This time scale is, largely because of convergence and subduction in the subtropical gyres, longer than the 10–25 yr it takes the 3D numerical supertrajectories to complete the journey.
Student-Identified Exemplary Teachers: Insights From Talented Teachers
Authors: Gentry Marcia , Steenbergen-Hu Saiying , Choi Byung-yeon
Published: February 2011

What roles do teachers play in the development of talent and in the attitude of students toward school? Research indicates that teacher enthusiasm, feedback, and content knowledge are keys to student motivation, learning, and engagement. Research also reveals the importance of positive and supportive student/teacher relationships. In previous work concerning student attitudes toward school, a handful of teachers emerged, in the eyes of their students, as exemplary. Follow-up study provided insights concerning the characteristics, practices, and qualities of these teachers. What and how they teach, and the ways they relate to individual students distinguish these exemplary and talented teachers. This research reveals quantitative and qualitative findings that help to explain the student-identified exemplary teachers ( n = 18) from two samples that included more than 400 teachers. Implications for practice based on findings from these exemplary teachers are highlighted.
State of Research on Giftedness and Gifted Education: A Survey of Empirical Studies Published During 1998—2010 (April)
Authors: Dai David Yun , Swanson Joan Ann , Cheng Hongyu
Published: February 2011

This study surveyed 1,234 empirical studies on giftedness, gifted education, and creativity during 1998—2010 (April), using PsycINFO database and targeted journals as main sources, with respect to main topics these studies focused on, methods they used for investigation, and the conceptual spaces they traversed. Four main research topics emerged from the survey: creativity/creatively gifted, achievement/underachievement, identification, and talent development. Rich and broad conceptual spaces linking these four categories to their psychological underpinnings and educational implications have been explored by this body of research, though the conceptual spaces are still too loosely organized to be seen as paradigmatic. Several prominent trends are identified, including the emergent qualitative studies (accounting for a quarter of the total studies) and the dominance of descriptive (comparative and correlational) research. Although most psychosocial studies are conducted in the context of gifted education, there still seems to be a gap between theory and practice, between psychological understanding of gifted development and promoting such development through education. More systematic, sustainable programs of research and more coordination among researchers are warranted to move the field forward.
Challenges and Opportunities in Presbycusis
Authors: Parham Kourosh , McKinnon Brian J. , Eibling David , Gates George A.
Published: February 2011

The population aged 65 years and older is increasing at a faster rate than the total population, with predictions that by 2030, 20% of the population will be 65 years or older. In 2006, between 35% and 50% of those aged 65 years or older reportedly had presbycusis, a sensory impairment that contributes to social isolation and loss of autonomy and is associated with anxiety, depression, and cognitive decline. To address these concerns, the Geriatric Committee of the American Academy of Otolaryngology, in conjunction with the Hearing Committee, focused on 3 challenges and opportunities in the management of presbycusis: (1) the financial burden of caring for patients with presbycusis in the face of increasing costs and declining reimbursements; (2) future treatment options arising from improved understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying presbycusis, and (3) recognition of central presbycusis as a condition commonly superimposed on peripheral age‐related hearing loss whose diagnosis and management can improve outcomes.
Middle Ear Packing
Authors: Lipan Michael Julian , Alava Ibrahim , Abi‐Hachem Ralph , Vernon Stephen , Van De Water Thomas R. , Angeli Simon I.
Published: February 2011

Objective

To compare absorbable gelatin sponge (AGS) with an injectable esterified hyaluronic acid (EHA) as middle ear packing material after mucosal trauma.

Study Design

Randomized, blinded, and controlled study.

Setting

Tertiary university‐based hospital.

Subjects and Methods

Twenty‐three guinea pigs underwent middle ear surgery with mucosal trauma performed on both ears and one ear packed with either EHA or AGS. Contralateral ears were used as nonpacked paired controls. Auditory brainstem response (ABR) thresholds were measured preoperatively and repeated at 1, 2, and 6 weeks postoperatively. Macroscopic and microscopic analysis measured inflammatory reaction in each group.

Results

ABR threshold changes from baseline in the EHA and both control groups were minor. Threshold levels were higher in the AGS group compared with the AGS control group. This trend was seen in each frequency tested at each time interval. Macroscopic analysis showed tympanic membrane perforation was rare, effusions were common in the AGS group, mucosal edema was most frequent in the AGS group, and unabsorbed packing was usually detected in the AGS group with little EHA detectable at 6 weeks. Microscopic analysis showed normal mucosal healing in all groups. Two AGS ears demonstrated excessive middle ear packing with exuberant osteoneogenesis.

Conclusions

Middle ear function and mucosal healing after surgery occurred similarly between the EHA control group and the EHA group. In contrast, the AGS group demonstrated worse hearing and a greater level of osteoneogenesis compared with the AGS control group. These results support EHA as an alternative middle ear packing material in otologic surgery.
Primary thromboprophylaxis for hospice inpatients: Who needs it?
Authors: Gillon Suzie , Noble Simon , Ward Jason , Lodge Keri-Michele , Nunn Anne , Koon Sim , Johnson Miriam J
Published: February 2011

Primary thromboprophylaxis (PTP) is a Department of Health priority in England. The NICE guidelines agree that PTP is inappropriate in the dying patient, but should be considered for those with reversible pathology. In the light of continued variation and uncertainty in UK hospice practice, we assessed PTP prescribing in three hospices. Case notes were reviewed from consecutive patients admitted before (300 patients) and after (350 patients) implementation of the Pan Birmingham Cancer Network (PBCN) venous thromboembolism prophylaxis (VTE) prevention guidelines. Just under half (43%; 40%) of patients had a contraindication to anticoagulation and PTP. Whilst just under a tenth (8.6%; 8.7%) in each group had a temporary increased risk of VTE, considerably fewer (3.6%; 6.3%) had a temporary increased risk of VTE without contraindication to PTP. Patients receiving PTP increased slightly from 1% to 3.6% and documentation of PTP decisions increased from 5% to 81%. Whilst the PBCN VTE tool is a useful tool to tailor an approach for this complex patient group, many questions remain. Clinical trials that include patients with advanced disease with relevant outcome measures are needed to help inform the clinicians who care for them.
Can Life Expectancy and QALYs Be Improved by a Framework for Deciding Whether to Apply Clinical Guidelines to Patients With Severe Comorbid Disease?
Authors: Braithwaite R. Scott
Published: February 2011

Background: Guidelines with short-term harms and long-term benefits are often applied to chronically ill patients who may not benefit. The payoff time framework has been proposed (i.e., do not apply a guideline if a patient’s life expectancy (LE) is shorter than when a guideline’s cumulative incremental benefits first exceed its cumulative incremental harms), but its health impact is unclear. Objective: To investigate whether the payoff time framework improves LE and/or quality-adjusted life-years (QALY) for chronically ill patients. Methods: I evaluate impact of the payoff time framework on LE and QALYs, assuming (1) high and constant background mortality rate from chronic illness (≥ 10% per year), (2) immediate guideline-related harm with probability < 1, and (3) constant guideline-related benefit that occurs over an extended time. I apply the framework to questions of whether to screen chronically ill 50-year-old women for colorectal cancer using colonoscopy, and whether to advocate intensive glucose control for chronically ill diabetics. Results: If a guideline’s payoff time is greater than a patient’s LE, then withholding that guideline will increase LE and QALYs for that patient. For a 50-year-old chronically ill woman with background mortality > 0.15 per year (corresponding to LE < 6.5 years), withholding CR screening will increase LE. For a diabetic with background mortality > 0.11 per year (corresponding to LE < 9.4 years), withholding CR screening will increase QALYs. Conclusion: The payoff time framework may indicate when withholding a guideline with short-term harms and long-term benefits may increase LE and/or QALY.
Exploring and Comparing the Characteristics of Nonlatent and Latent Composite Scores
Authors: Chen Tsung-Tai , Lai Mei-Shu , Lin I-Chin , Chung Kuo-Piao
Published: February 2011

A concise and reliable composite quality score would be helpful in judging the quality of a hospital’s services, especially for pay-for-performance (P4P) initiatives. This study compared several nonlatent and latent composite quality scores to evaluate the quality of care using diabetes mellitus (DM) P4P data and discusses their characteristics and implications for P4P policy. The authors describe a cross-sectional study of the DM P4P data collected from the claims data of the Bureau of National Health Insurance (NHI) in Taiwan from January 2007 to December 2007. The DM patient outcome data, such as hemoglobin A1C values, were retrieved from the P4P database sponsored by the Bureau of NHI in Taiwan. The composite scores were derived from the following methods: 1) nonlatent scores methods (e.g., the raw sum score and the all-or-none score methods)and 2) latent scores methods (e.g., item-response theory-based Models I and II and the PRIDIT model). These scores are compared in terms of 2 aspects—agreement of hospital rankings (using Spearman’s rank correlation) and reliability (using bootstrap methods). The latent methods were superior to the nonlatent methods because they were more reliable and had specific weighting themes. The correlations among the 3 latent methods were moderately high. The use of the PRIDIT approach, which is moderately difficult compared with item response theory–based model, is recommended if the insurer wants to balance convenience and precision.
Characterization of the Host Response in Systemic Isosporosis (Atoxoplasmosis) in a Colony of Captive American Goldfinches (Spinus tristis) and House Sparrows (Passer domesticus)
Authors: Cushing T. L. , Schat K. A. , States S. L. , Grodio J. L. , O’Connell P. H. , Buckles E. L.
Published: February 2011

Systemic isosporosis, also known as atoxoplasmosis, is a common parasitic disease of passerines. Infection is thought to be endemic in wild birds with fulminant, fatal disease occurring under the influence of stress, concurrent infections, or immunosuppression. Here, we describe the histologic and immunohistochemical characteristics of the cellular infiltrate occurring in captive colonies of American goldfinches and house sparrows. Necropsies were performed on 9 birds, and histologic examination was performed on the intestines of 7 additional birds. Lesions were most severe in the proximal small intestines. Histologically, the changes ranged from variably intense infiltrates of lymphocytes that filled the lamina propria to sheets of large, atypical cells that expanded and obliterated normal mucosal epithelium and invaded through the wall of the intestine and into the ceolomic cavity. Both the smaller lymphocytes and large atypical cells were immunoreactive for CD3. Intracellular parasites consistent with Isospora were detected in the large atypical cells, but they were more easily detectable in the more differentiated lymphocytes. Polymerase chain reaction and virus isolation performed on tissues from 7 birds were negative for retroviruses and herpesvirus. The immunohistochemical results of this study and the destructive nature of the cellular infiltrate suggest that the lesion represents T-cell lymphoma. In birds, lymphomas are most often associated with herpes and retroviruses; the absence of these viruses suggests that the parasite initiated neoplastic transformation. Though much work needs to be done to prove the transformative nature of the lesions, these preliminary results suggest that passerine birds may be susceptible to parasite-associated lymphomas.
Hemophagocytic Syndrome in a Pancytopenic Simian Retrovirus–Infected Male Rhesus Macaque (Macaca mulatta)
Authors: Cotroneo T. M. , Colby L. A. , Bergin I. L.
Published: February 2011

Hemophagocytic syndrome (HPS) is a macrophage hyperactivation disorder triggered by disrupted T–cell macrophage cytokine interaction. HPS has been reported in humans, dogs, cats, and cattle, and it is infrequent and poorly characterized in animals. A 16-year-old male rhesus macaque was euthanized because of severe pancytopenia, including nonregenerative anemia (hematocrit = 5.5%), neutropenia (0.29 K/μl), and thrombocytopenia (21 K/μl). Bone marrow was hypocellular with normal maturation, myeloid hypoplasia, and few megakaryocytes. There were numerous morphologically normal macrophages (12% of nucleated cells), with 6% of nucleated cells being hemophagocytic macrophages in the bone marrow. Serology was negative, but polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry were positive for simian retrovirus type 2. Blood and bone marrow findings were consistent with HPS. Cytopenias are common in simian retrovirus–infected macaques, but HPS has not been reported. An association between simian retrovirus infection and HPS is undetermined, but retrovirus-associated HPS has been observed in humans.
Effect of dispersion techniques on thermal and mechanical properties of phenolic/E-glass nanocomposites
Authors: Kabakov D. , Tate J.S. , Koo J.H.
Published: February 2011

Phenolic resin was modified using nanoclay to improve flammability/thermal properties. High-shear and planetary centrifugal (PC) mixing techniques were used to blend nanoclay into phenolic. This was followed by vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding to manufacture glass-reinforced nanocomposites. Loadings of 2.5, 5.0, and 7.5 wt% of nanoclay were processed using both techniques. The degree of dispersion was analyzed using scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope. Flammability/thermal property was evaluated using mass loss calorimeter. Mechanical properties such as flexural strength and modulus, compressive strength, interlaminar shear strength, and tensile strength and modulus were evaluated. It is concluded that the cost-effective PC mixing technique can be used in manufacturing nanocomposites to enhance flammability/thermal property without sacrificing mechanical properties.
Uncertainty and sensitivity analyses of heat fire detector model based on Monte Carlo simulation
Authors: Depeng Kong  , Shouxiang Lu  , Lei Feng  , Qimiao Xie
Published: February 2011

Estimating activation time for heat fire detectors is essential in fire safety engineering. Due to the complexity of the heat detector model, many uncertainties are associated with the input parameters. It is necessary to consider the influence of the uncertainties associated with the input parameters on predicted activation time. For this purpose, uncertainty and sensitivity analyses method for the heat fire detection model based on Latin hypercube sampling are introduced. The uncertainty analysis results indicate that the predicted activation time would be a variable approximating to a unimodal, positively skewed distribution rather than the strictly normal distribution, with the consideration of uncertainties associated with the input parameters. Various statistical coefficients and the result of stepwise regression, both confirm that location of the heat detectors and fire growth rate have the most significant influence on the predicted activation time.
Benefit of nanocarrier of magnetic magnesium in rat malathion-induced toxicity and cardiac failure using non-invasive monitoring of electrocardiogram and blood pressure
Authors: Mohammadi Hamidreza , Karimi Gholamreza , Mahdi Rezayat Seyed , Reza Ahmad , Shafiee Hoda , Nikfar Shekoufeh , Baeeri Maryam , Sabzevari Omid , Abdollahi Mohammad
Published: February 2011

Medical management in acute organophosphate (OP) poisoning is not always successful because of tissue hypoxia which results in a reduction of heart contractility and cell damage. This study reports improvement of malathion (MAL)-induced cardiac failure by a nanocarrier of magnetic isotope of Mg (PMC16). A rat model of acute MAL poisoning was set up. PMC16 nanoparticle at doses of 0.05, 0.1, 0.2 LD50 = 896 mg/kg) were administered intravenously (iv) 30 minutes after a single intraperitoneal (ip) injection of MAL (0.25 LD50= 207 mg/kg). Atropine (AT; 40 mg/kg, ip) plus pralidoxime (PAM; 40 mg/kg, ip) and magnesium sulfate (MgSO 4; 600 mg/kg, iv) were used as standard therapy or controls. Anesthetized animals were monitored for heart rate, electrocardiogram, blood pressure, and blood oxidative stress biomarkers like cellular lipid peroxidation, total thiol molecules, antioxidant power, gamma glutamil transpeptidase, and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) as a marker of OP toxicity. Results indicated that after MAL administration, heart rate and BP decreased and R-R duration increased. PMC16 markedly restored BP at all doses as compared with MgSO4. PMC16 at the dose of 0.05 LD50 significantly increased BP in comparison to AT + PAM. PMC16 restored heart rate at dose of 0.2 LD50 and reduced lipid peroxidation at dose of 0.05 LD50 as compared to MgSO4. PMC16 also improved total antioxidant power at all doses when compared to AT + PAM and reduced GGT activity at dose of 0.2 LD50 but did not affect total thiol molecules. MgSO4 could improve MAL-induced reduction of total antioxidant power. After 24 h, PMC16 significantly improved MAL-suppressed AChE activity at doses of 0.05 and 0.1 LD50. PMC16 at all doses significantly recovered MAL-induced arrhythmia when compared to standard therapies. It is concluded that PMC16 is able to control OP-induced cardiac failure and toxicity.
Toxicity of tetramethylammonium hydroxide: Review of two fatal cases of dermal exposure and development of an animal model
Authors: Lee Chung-Hsun , Wang Chao-Ling , Lin Hsiu-Fen , Chai Chee-Yin , Hong Ming-Yuan , Ho Chi-Kung
Published: February 2011

To document two cases of patients who were fatally exposed to tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) on the skin and to establish a rat model to investigate the effects of dermal exposure to TMAH. The charts of two workers who died from occupational accidental exposure to TMAH were reviewed. The 4-hour lethal dose (LD50) of TMAH was determined by applying solutions mimicking the two most common industrially used concentrations (2.38% and 25%) of TMAH to the skin of Sprague-Dawley rats. Exposure of the rat’s skin to 2.38% or 25% TMAH generated LD 50 values of 85.9 mg/kg and 28.7 mg/kg, respectively. Application of either concentration of TMAH to the skin produced a rapid, significant increase in the rate of respiration. The serum concentrations of tetramethylammonium (TMA) also changed significantly with time of exposure to both concentrations of TMAH. The level of blood urea nitrogen decreased significantly in rats exposed to the 2.38% TMAH, and rats exposed to the 25% solution had a significant decrease in the serum concentration of sodium. Injection of atropine after 5 minutes of exposure did not significantly overcome any of the toxic effects observed with either solution of TMAH. The preliminary results in the rat model indicated that the lethality of TMAH cannot be fully explained by the severity of the patients’ chemical burns, and the physiologic effects on respiratory and kidney functions were probably involved.
A Methodology for Assessing Treatment Response in Hashimoto’s Encephalopathy: A Case Study Demonstrating Repeated Computerized Neuropsychological Testing
Authors: Brooks Brian L. , Barlow Karen M.
Published: February 2011

Hashimoto’s encephalopathy, a steroid-responsive encephalopathy, presents with cognitive deterioration, psychiatric symptoms, and seizures and is often associated with elevation of anti—thyroid peroxidase antibodies or thyroid dysfunction. Because of the absence of a gold-standard diagnostic test and serological marker of disease, improvement in cognitive impairment is an important sign when assessing response to corticosteroid treatment. The purpose of this case study is to present a methodology for tracking neurocognitive functioning using computerized testing (CNS Vital Signs) in a 14-year-old girl with Hashimoto’s encephalopathy. Computerized neuropsychological testing was done prior to commencing corticosteroid treatment, as well as at 7 follow-up assessments over 1 year. Improvement in cognitive, psychological, and behavioral functioning heralded a response to treatment, which was sustained during tapering of medication. Computerized neuropsychological testing seems to be a viable tool for tracking cognitive functioning (when rapid assessments are desired) and assessing response to corticosteroid treatment in Hashimoto’s encephalopathy.
Building Social Capital in the Digital Age of Civic Engagement
Authors: Mandarano Lynn , Meenar Mahbubur , Steins Christopher
Published: February 2011

The use of digital technologies to enhance traditional public participation processes and to build a new form of a social capital— digital social capital—is being embraced in a range of planning practices. This article presents a discussion of how the digital age is influencing public participation and its implications for building social capital. The article highlights critical concerns to consider when embracing Internet tools for civic engagement and when evaluating such practices. The authors conclude with a call for scholarly research to assess the constraints and opportunities presented by this emergent trend and comparative studies to traditional modes of public participation.
Body Mass Index and the Impact of a Health Promotion Intervention on Health Services Use and Expenditures
Authors: Meng Hongdao , Liebel Dianne , Wamsley Brenda R.
Published: February 2011

Objective: To examine the effect of body mass index (BMI) on the impact of a health promotion intervention on health services use and expenditures among Medicare beneficiaries with disabilities. Method: We analyzed data from 452 Medicare beneficiaries who participated in a Medicare demonstration. The intervention included the following components: patient education, health promotion coaching, medication management, and physician care management. We performed the analysis by using generalized linear models (GLM) to examine the impact of BMI and the intervention on total health care expenditures. Results: The intervention was cost neutral over the 2-year study period. Participants in the intervention group used less home health aide services ( p = .03) and had fewer nursing home days ( p = .05). The intervention appeared to have smaller effects on expenditures as BMI level increased. Discussion: The findings suggest that a health promotion intervention may achieve better beneficiary outcomes without an increase in resource use in this Medicare population.
Failure in Service Delivery by Public-Private Networks: The Case of Flemish Childcare
Authors: Vancoppenolle Diederik , Verschuere Bram
Published: February 2011

The involvement of private actors (non-profit and/or for-profit) in public service provision has a lot of consequences and implications not only for users and service providers, but also for government. This article explores the consequences for the relations within public-private service provision networks, by focusing on the governance regime of childcare in Flanders. Our case analysis clearly shows that public-private service provision networks may threaten the transparency of the service provision field for users, and challenge the role of the oversight authority, often requiring a two-level steering of the service provision field: a direct steering of individual service providers and the network and/or market steering of the whole service provision field (in a community or region). Governance regimes comprising service providers of different sectors may complicate this kind of network steering, as there seem to exist at least six relationships within such networks. Furthermore, we noticed that service providers may face conflicting (public) accountabilities.
Individual Differences in Recovery Time From Attentional Capture
Authors: Fukuda Keisuke , Vogel Edward K.
Published: February 2011

Working memory capacity reflects a core ability of the individual that affects performance on many cognitive tasks. Recent work has suggested that an important covariate of memory capacity is attentional control, and specifically that low-capacity individuals are more susceptible to attentional capture by distractors than high-capacity individuals are, with the latter being able to resist capture. Here, we tested an alternative account according to which all individuals are equally susceptible to attentional capture, but high-capacity individuals recover more quickly than low-capacity individuals. Using psychophysical and electrophysiological methods, we measured recovery time from attentional capture. In two experiments, we found that high- and low-capacity individuals showed equivalent attentional capture effects in the initial moments following capture, but that low-capacity individuals took much longer to recover than high-capacity individuals did. These results suggest that the poor attentional control associated with low capacity is due to slow disengagement from distractors.
The un-making of a method: From rating scales to the study of psychological processes
Authors: Rosenbaum Philip J. , Valsiner Jaan
Published: February 2011

Rating scales are standard instruments in psychology. They force the research participant to provide a numerical estimate of an assumed “degree” of some characteristic along a linear scale. We prove that such numerical estimates are artifacts based on unknown psychological processes that are used in the making of a rating. Psychology’s current use of rating scales entails reliance upon unexplored and abbreviated introspection. It superimposes upon the rater the use of real numbers for the subjective construction of the ratings. The axiomatic superimposition of the notion of “degree” of subjective estimates by the rating task overlooks the qualitative (structural) relation between the implied opposites. We propose the reconstruction of the rating tasks into a method that accesses the process of meaning construction by the rater. When the rater faces a rating task, a field of meanings is constructed in terms of dialogical oppositions. These oppositions can be observed to lead to the moment of subjective synthesis (the rating outcome). Examples are given of the tracing of the process of subjective synthesis from an empirical study using NEO PI items. We claim that reconstruction of the rating task in terms of the study of microgenesis of rating processes allows psychology access to the reality of the workings of the human mind.
Stories, big and small: Toward a synthesis
Authors: Freeman Mark
Published: February 2011

Michael Bamberg’s article “ Who am I? Narration and its contribution to self and identity” is an important attempt to locate the fashioning of self and identity in those sorts of local, relational, interactive practices found in everyday life. Valuable though this “small story” perspective is for turning our attention to these more local narrative practices, it is but one inroad into the formation of self and identity. Rather than serving as an alternative to those “big story” approaches that rely on individuals reflectively taking stock of larger segments of life (as in memoirs, autobiographies, and other such life narratives), it is thus more appropriately seen as a useful complement. Also argued herein is that the local narrative practices being considered, rather than serving as the source of self and identity formation, are more appropriately seen as the interactive sites in which they are expressed and refigured. Only by integrating small story and big story perspectives, therefore, can we begin to tell the whole story of who we are.
Who am I? Narration and its contribution to self and identity
Authors: Bamberg Michael
Published: February 2011

This article critically examines the recent turn to narratives as tools for identity construction and identity analysis. While self and sense of self will be used largely as synonyms, the attempt is made to draw up a distinction between self (sense of self) on one hand and identity on the other. Rather than starting with a definition of features and functions of self and identity, I propose to start from the identification of three practical challenges that self and identity formation processes are facing. These three challenges will be explicated in terms of dilemmatic spaces within which identity activities—and at their center: narrating—are “navigated.” They consist of: (i) a successful diachronic navigation between constancy and change, (ii) the establishment of a synchronic connection between sameness and difference (between self and other), and (iii) the management of agency between the double-arrow of a person-to-world versus a world-to-person direction of fit. While biographical approaches ( big story research) have contributed in valuable ways to identity research by exploring the links between narrative and life, they have traditionally confined themselves to the analysis of lives as texts. A narrative practice approach ( small story research) is suggested to solve a number of problems and shortcomings of traditional approaches.
Attachment theory and its vicissitudes: Toward an updated theory
Authors: Mercer Jean
Published: February 2011

This paper attempts first steps toward reworking Bowlby’s attachment theory and formulating an updated version. The paper examines 11 tenets of attachment theory as it was originally proposed by Bowlby and colleagues. These tenets are discussed in terms both of historical and recent criticisms, and of relevant research. Reasons are given for why the discussion omits work involving animal models or focused on measurement issues. In conclusion, the tenets are assigned to four categories: ideas that have received little criticism; ideas that have been criticized but are generally accepted, although they need to take new research evidence into account; ideas that have been rejected or questioned more than they have been accepted; and ideas that have been rejected or extensively reinterpreted.
From La Mettrie’s voluptuous machine man to the perverse core of psychology
Authors: De Vos Jan
Published: February 2011

Julien Offray de La Mettrie (1709—1751) solved the problem of Cartesian dualism by denying the res cogitans any substance as such. He thus provided science with a basic paradigm which is still respected today. For La Mettrie, all aspects of the soul have to be considered as aspects of the res extensa: man is a machine. However, the emptying of the res cogito is not without a remainder. A zero level of subjectivity is left behind. This paper argues that it is through this remainder that modern subjectivity is structurally linked to the academic and, moreover, psychological gaze. It is further argued that the paradoxes of this modern stance are what prompt La Mettrie to put forward his voluptuous subject, his attempt to escape the abyss of the zero level of subjectivity. In this way, La Mettrie’s naturalized and scientific hedonism contains the germs of Marquis de Sade’s appropriation of the Enlightenment project. Hence this paper attempts to explore the extent to which La Mettrie’s L’homme machine, a key text in 18th-century materialism, has led to a perverse disposition in the modern psy-sciences.
A Lacanian perspective on psychotic hallucinations
Authors: Vanheule Stijn
Published: February 2011

This article gives an overview of the psychiatric approach to psychotic hallucinations and discusses Lacan’s conceptual break from this paradigm. Rejecting the traditional focus on the unreality of hallucinatory perceptions, Lacan examines the effects that psychotic hallucinations have on the person who experiences them. He develops an alternative theoretical framework which indicates that psychosis is characterized by the incapacity to signify one’s own existence as a subject in relation to the Other. Lacan’s different perspectives on hallucinations are discussed in terms of the logic of signification as the constitution of subjectivity and as a manifestation of the object a and jouissance, and also in terms of his theory of the sinthome.