bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Factors Associated With Intracerebral Hemorrhage After Thrombolytic Therapy for Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Cucchiara Brett , Kasner Scott E. , Tanne David , Levine Steven R. , Demchuk Andrew , Messe Steven R. , Sansing Lauren , Lees Kennedy R. , Lyden Patrick
Published: July 2009

Background and Purpose—

A number of factors have been associated with postthrombolysis intracerebral hemorrhage, but these have varied across studies.

Methods—

We examined patients with acute ischemic stroke treated with intravenous tissue plasminogen activator within 3 hours of symptom onset who were enrolled in the placebo arms of 2 trials (Stroke-Acute Ischemic NXY Treatment [SAINT] I and II Trials) of a putative neuroprotectant. Early CT changes were graded using the Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS). Post–tissue plasminogen activator symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage was defined as a worsening in National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale of ≥4 points within 36 hours with evidence of hemorrhage on follow-up neuroimaging. Good clinical outcome was defined as a modified Rankin scale of 0 to 2 at 90 days.

Results—

Symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage occurred in 5.6% of 965 patients treated with tissue plasminogen activator. In multivariable analysis, symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage was increased with baseline antiplatelet use (single antiplatelet: OR, 2.04, 95% CI, 1.07 to 3.87,
P
=0.03; double antiplatelet: OR, 9.29, 3.28 to 26.32,
P
<0.001), higher National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score (OR, 1.09 per point, 1.03 to 1.15,
P
=0.002), and CT changes defined by ASPECTS (ASPECTS 8 to 9: OR, 2.26, 0.63 to 8.10,
P
=0.21; ASPECTS ≤7: OR, 5.63, 1.66 to 19.10,
P
=0.006). Higher National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale was associated with decreased odds of good clinical outcome (OR, 0.82 per point, 0.79 to 0.85,
P
<0.001). There was no relationship between baseline antiplatelet use or CT changes and clinical outcome.

Conclusions—

Along with higher National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and extensive early CT changes, baseline antiplatelet use (particularly double antiplatelet therapy) was associated with an increased risk of post–tissue plasminogen activator symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage. Of these factors, only National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale was associated with clinical outcome.
Energy–Vorticity Theory of Ideal Fluid Mechanics
Authors: Névir Peter , Sommer Matthias
Published: July 2009

Nambu field theory, originated by Névir and Blender for incompressible flows, is generalized to establish a unified energy–vorticity theory of ideal fluid mechanics. Using this approach, the degeneracy of the corresponding noncanonical Poisson bracket—a characteristic property of Hamiltonian fluid mechanics—can be replaced by a nondegenerate bracket. An energy–vorticity representation of the quasigeostrophic theory and of multilayer shallow-water models is given, highlighting the fact that potential enstrophy is just as important as energy. The energy–vorticity representation of the hydrostatic adiabatic system on isentropic surfaces can be written in complete analogy to the shallow-water equations using vorticity, divergence, and pseudodensity as prognostic variables. Furthermore, it is shown that the Eulerian equation of motion, the continuity equation, and the first law of thermodynamics, which describe the nonlinear evolution of a 3D compressible, adiabatic, and nonhydrostatic fluid, can be written in Nambu representation. Here, trilinear energy–helicity, energy–mass, and energy–entropy brackets are introduced. In this model the global conservation of Ertel’s potential enstrophy can be interpreted as a super-Casimir functional in phase space. In conclusion, it is argued that on the basis of the energy–vorticity theory of ideal fluid mechanics, new numerical schemes can be constructed, which might be of importance for modeling coherent structures in long-term integrations and climate simulations.
Atlantic Tropical Cyclogenetic Processes during SOP-3 NAMMA in the GEOS-5 Global Data Assimilation and Forecast System
Authors: Reale Oreste , Lau William K. , Kim Kyu-Myong , Brin Eugenia
Published: July 2009

This article investigates the role of the Saharan air layer (SAL) in tropical cyclogenetic processes associated with a nondeveloping and a developing African easterly wave observed during the Special Observation Period (SOP-3) phase of the 2006 NASA African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses (NAMMA). The two waves are chosen because they both interact heavily with Saharan air. A global data assimilation and forecast system, the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System, version 5 (GEOS-5), is being run to produce a set of high-quality global analyses, inclusive of all observations used operationally but with additional satellite information. In particular, following previous works by the same authors, the quality-controlled data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) used to produce these analyses have a better coverage than the one adopted by operational centers. From these improved analyses, two sets of 31 five-day high-resolution forecasts, at horizontal resolutions of both half and quarter degrees, are produced. Results indicate that very steep moisture gradients are associated with the SAL in forecasts and analyses, even at great distances from their source over the Sahara. In addition, a thermal dipole in the vertical (warm above, cool below) is present in the nondeveloping case. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites shows that aerosol optical thickness, indicative of more dust as opposed to other factors, is higher in the nondeveloping case. Altogether, results suggest that the radiative effect of dust may play some role in producing a thermal structure less favorable to cyclogenesis. Results also indicate that only global horizontal resolutions on the order of 20–30 km can capture the large-scale transport and the fine thermal structure of the SAL, inclusive of the sharp moisture gradients, reproducing the effect of tropical cyclone suppression that has been hypothesized by previous authors from observational and regional modeling perspectives. These effects cannot be fully represented at lower resolutions, therefore global resolution of a quarter of a degree is a minimum critical threshold necessary to investigate Atlantic tropical cyclogenesis from a global modeling perspective.
Dynamics of the Cumulus Cloud Margin: An Observational Study
Authors: Wang Yonggang , Geerts Bart , French Jeffrey
Published: July 2009

Aircraft observations of shallow to moderately deep cumulus clouds are analyzed with the purpose of describing the typical horizontal structure of thermodynamic and kinematic parameters near the cumulus margin from the cloud center into the ambient clear air. The cumuli were sampled in a broad range of environments in three regions: the tropical Atlantic Ocean in winter, the Sonoran Desert during the monsoon, and the arid high plains of Wyoming in summer. The composite analysis of 1624 cumulus penetrations shows that the vertical mass flux, temperature, buoyancy, the buoyancy flux, and the turbulent kinetic energy all tend to reach a minimum near the cloud edge. Most of these variables, and also the liquid water content, the droplet concentration, and the mean droplet size, generally decrease in value from within the cumulus toward the cloud edge, slowly at first and rapidly close to the cloud edge. These findings corroborate recent observational and modeling studies and provide further evidence for significant evaporative cooling in laterally entraining and detraining eddies in the cloud margin, a transition zone within ∼200 m (or ∼10% of the cloud diameter) of the cloud edge. This cooling explains the tendency for downward accelerating, buoyantly driven subsidence in the cloud margin.
Impact of Freshwater Release in the North Atlantic under Different Climate Conditions in an OAGCM
Authors: Swingedouw Didier , Mignot Juliette , Braconnot Pascale , Mosquet Eloi , Kageyama Masa , Alkama Ramdane
Published: July 2009

The response of climate to freshwater input in the North Atlantic (NA) has raised a lot of concern about the issue of climate stability since the discovery of abrupt coolings during the last glacial period. Such coolings have usually been related to a weakening of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC), probably associated with massive iceberg surges or meltwater pulses. Additionally, the recent increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has also raised the possibility of a melting of the Greenland ice sheet, which may impact the future AMOC, and thereby the climate. In this study, the extent to which the mean climate influences the freshwater release linked to ice sheet melting in the NA and the associated climatic response is explored. For this purpose the simulations of several climatic states [last interglacial, Last Glacial Maximum, mid-Holocene, preindustrial, and future (2 × CO2)] are considered, and the climatic response to a freshwater input computed interactively according to a surface heat flux budget over the ice sheets is analyzed. It is shown that the AMOC response is not linear with the freshwater input and depends on the mean climate state. The climatic responses to these different AMOC changes share qualitative similarities for the general picture, notably a cooling in the Northern Hemisphere and a southward shift of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) in the Atlantic and across the Panama Isthmus. The cooling in the Northern Hemisphere is related to the sea ice cover response, which strongly depends on the responses of the atmospheric circulation, the local oceanic heat transport, and the density threshold of the oceanic convection sites. These feedbacks and the magnitude of temperature and precipitation changes outside the North Atlantic depend on the mean climate.
Application of MJO Simulation Diagnostics to Climate Models
Authors: Kim D. , Sperber K. , Stern W. , Waliser D. , Kang I.-S. , Maloney E. , Wang W. , Weickmann K. , Benedict J. , Khairoutdinov M. , Lee M.-I. , Neale R. , Suarez M. , Thayer-Calder K. , Zhang G.
Published: July 2009

The ability of eight climate models to simulate the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) is examined using diagnostics developed by the U.S. Climate Variability and Predictability (CLIVAR) MJO Working Group. Although the MJO signal has been extracted throughout the annual cycle, this study focuses on the boreal winter (November–April) behavior. Initially, maps of the mean state and variance and equatorial space–time spectra of 850-hPa zonal wind and precipitation are compared with observations. Models best represent the intraseasonal space–time spectral peak in the zonal wind compared to that of precipitation. Using the phase–space representation of the multivariate principal components (PCs), the life cycle properties of the simulated MJOs are extracted, including the ability to represent how the MJO evolves from a given subphase and the associated decay time scales. On average, the MJO decay (e-folding) time scale for all models is shorter (∼20–29 days) than observations (∼31 days). All models are able to produce a leading pair of multivariate principal components that represents eastward propagation of intraseasonal wind and precipitation anomalies, although the fraction of the variance is smaller than observed for all models. In some cases, the dominant time scale of these PCs is outside of the 30–80-day band.

Several key variables associated with the model’s MJO are investigated, including the surface latent heat flux, boundary layer (925 hPa) moisture convergence, and the vertical structure of moisture. Low-level moisture convergence ahead (east) of convection is associated with eastward propagation in most of the models. A few models are also able to simulate the gradual moistening of the lower troposphere that precedes observed MJO convection, as well as the observed geographical difference in the vertical structure of moisture associated with the MJO. The dependence of rainfall on lower tropospheric relative humidity and the fraction of rainfall that is stratiform are also discussed, including implications these diagnostics have for MJO simulation. Based on having the most realistic intraseasonal multivariate empirical orthogonal functions, principal component power spectra, equatorial eastward propagating outgoing longwave radiation (OLR), latent heat flux, low-level moisture convergence signals, and vertical structure of moisture over the Eastern Hemisphere, the superparameterized Community Atmosphere Model (SPCAM) and the ECHAM4/Ocean Isopycnal Model (OPYC) show the best skill at representing the MJO.
Retrieving Properties of Thin Clouds from Solar Aureole Measurements
Authors: DeVore J. G. , Stair A. T. , LePage A. , Rall D. , Atkinson J. , Villanucci D. , Rappaport S. A. , Joss P. C. , McClatchey R. A.
Published: July 2009

This paper describes a newly designed Sun and Aureole Measurement (SAM) aureolegraph and the first results obtained with this instrument. SAM measurements of solar aureoles produced by cirrus and cumulus clouds were taken at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program (ARM) Central Facility in Oklahoma during field experiments conducted in June 2007 and compared with simultaneous measurements from a variety of other ground-based instruments. A theoretical relationship between the slope of the aureole profile and the size distribution of spherical cloud particles is based on approximating scattering as due solely to diffraction, which in turn is approximated using a rectangle function. When the particle size distribution is expressed as a power-law function of radius, the aureole radiance as a function of angle from the center of the solar disk also follows a power law, with the sum of the two powers being −5. This result also holds if diffraction is modeled with an Airy function. The diffraction approximation is applied to SAM measurements with optical depths ≲2 to derive the effective radii of cloud particles and particle size distributions between ∼2.5 and ∼25 μm. The SAM results yielded information on cloud properties complementary to that obtained with ARM Central Facility instrumentation. A network of automated SAM units [similar to the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) system] would provide a practical means to gain fundamental new information on the global statistical properties of thin (optical depth ≲ 10) clouds, thereby providing unique information on the effects of such clouds upon the earth’s energy budget.
Evaluating Polarimetric X-Band Radar Rainfall Estimators during HMT
Authors: Matrosov Sergey Y.
Published: July 2009

Different relations between rainfall rate R and polarimetric X-band radar measurables were evaluated using the radar, disdrometer, and rain gauge measurements conducted during the 4-month-long field experiment. The specific differential phase shift KDP–based estimators generally show less scatter resulting from variability in raindrop size distributions than with the power-based relations. These estimators depend on model assumptions about the drop aspect ratios and are not applicable for lighter rainfalls. The polynomial approximation for the mean drop aspect ratio provides R–KDP relations that result overall in good agreement between the radar retrievals of rainfall accumulations and estimates from surface rain gauges. The accumulation data obtained from power estimators that use reflectivity Zeh and differential reflectivity ZDR measurements generally exhibit greater standard deviations with respect to the gauge measurements. Unlike the phase-based estimators, the power-based estimators have an advantage of being “point” measurements, thus providing continuous quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) for the whole area of radar coverage. The uncertainty in the drop shape model can result in errors in the attenuation and differential attenuation correction procedures. These errors might provide biases of radar-derived QPE for the estimators that use power measurements. Overall, for all considered estimators, the radar-based total rainfall accumulations showed biases less than 10% (relative to gauges). The standard deviations of radar retrievals were about 23% for the mean Zeh–R relation, 17%–22% for the KDP-based estimators (depending on the drop shape model), and about 20%–32% for different Zeh–ZDR-based estimators. Comparing ZDR-based retrievals of mean mass raindrop size Dm (for Dm > 1 mm) with disdrometer-derived values reveals an about 20%–25% relative standard deviation between these two types of estimates.
Data Assimilation of Tropopause Height Using Dry Intrusion Observations
Authors: Michel Yann
Published: July 2009

This article investigates the problem of initializing upper-level potential vorticity by using the detection of dry intrusions that can be seen in water vapor images. First, a satellite image processing technique has been developed for the identification and tracking of dry intrusions on geostationary satellite images. This technique can also be applied to images derived from model fields through a radiative transfer model. A linking algorithm automatically compares the trajectories of the dry intrusions in the model and in the satellite images. Differences of brightness temperatures are then converted to differences of tropopause height through a simple linear model, which is based on the correlation found in the background. As the scheme is likely to provide observations of the tropopause height, it also suggests that a space-alignment representation of the errors be used. A simple one-dimensional study provides a depiction of the background error covariance in alignment space, which is compared to the traditional approach of background error covariance in amplitude space. An approximate form of the Ertel potential vorticity operator is then used to incorporate pseudo-observations inside a global four-dimensional variational assimilation scheme. A case study of cyclogenesis highlights the difference between the amplitude–space assimilation of potential vorticity values and the alignment space assimilation of the height of the tropopause.
A Numerical Investigation of the Effects of Dry Air Aloft on Deep Convection
Authors: James Richard P. , Markowski Paul M.
Published: July 2009

A three-dimensional cloud model was used to investigate the sensitivity of deep convective storms to dry air above the cloud base. In simulations of both quasi-linear convective systems and supercells, dry air aloft was found to reduce the intensity of the convection, as measured by updraft mass flux and total condensation and rainfall. In high-CAPE line-type simulations, the downdraft mass flux and cold pool strength were enhanced at the rear of the trailing stratiform region in a drier environment. However, the downdraft and cold pool strengths were unchanged in the convective region, and were also unchanged or reduced in simulations of supercells and of line-type systems at lower CAPE. This result contrasts with previous interpretations of the role of dry air aloft in the development of severe low-level outflow winds.

The buoyancy-sorting framework is used to interpret the influence of environmental humidity on the updraft entrainment process and the observed strong dependence on the environmental CAPE. The reduction in convective vigor caused by dry air is relatively inconsequential at very high CAPE, but low-CAPE convection requires a humid environment in order to grow by entrainment.

The simulated responses of the downdraft and cold pool intensities to dry air aloft reflected the changes in diabatic cooling rates within the downdraft formation regions. When dry air was present, the decline in hydrometeor mass exerted a negative tendency on the diabatic cooling rates and acted to offset the favorable effects of dry air for cooling by evaporation. Thus, with the exception of the rearward portions of the high-CAPE line-type simulations, dry air was unable to strengthen the downdrafts and cold pool.

A review of the literature demonstrates that observational evidence does not unambiguously support the concept that dry air aloft favors downdraft and outflow strength. It is also shown that the use of warm rain microphysics in previous modeling studies may have reinforced the tendency to overemphasize the role of dry air aloft.
Impacts of Satellite-Observed Winds and Total Precipitable Water on WRF Short-Range Forecasts over the Indian Region during the 2006 Summer Monsoon
Authors: Rakesh V. , Singh Randhir , Pal P. K. , Joshi P. C.
Published: July 2009

Assimilation experiments have been performed with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model’s three-dimensional variational data assimilation (3DVAR) scheme to assess the impacts of NASA’s Quick Scatterometer (QuikSCAT) near-surface winds, and Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) wind speed and total precipitable water (TPW) on the analysis and on short-range forecasts over the Indian region. The control (without satellite data) as well as WRF 3DVAR sensitivity runs (which assimilated satellite data) were made for 48 h starting daily at 0000 UTC during July 2006. The impacts of assimilating the different satellite dataset were measured in comparison to the control run, which does not assimilate any satellite data. The spatial distribution of the forecast impacts (FIs) for wind, temperature, and humidity from 1-month assimilation experiments for July 2006 demonstrated that on an average, for 24- and 48-h forecasts, the satellite data provided useful information. Among the experiments, WRF wind speed prediction was improved by QuikSCAT surface wind and SSM/I TPW assimilation, while temperature and humidity prediction was improved due to the assimilation of SSM/I TPW. The rainfall prediction has also been improved significantly due to the assimilation of SSM/I TPW, with the largest improvement seen over the west coast of India. Through an improvement of the surface wind field, the QuikSCAT data also yielded a positive impact on the precipitation, particularly for day 1 forecasts. In contrast, the assimilation of SSM/I wind speed degraded the humidity and rainfall predictions.
Analysis of Outflow Boundary Collisions in North-Central Alabama
Authors: Harrison Stephen J. , Mecikalski John R. , Knupp Kevin R.
Published: July 2009

Ninety-four outflow boundary (OB) collisions were documented in north-central Alabama over the summers of 2005–07 using the Advanced Radar for Meteorological and Operational Research (ARMOR) dual-polarimetric radar located at the Huntsville, Alabama, airport. These data were used to extend and verify previous research and to look for new correlations among the various factors that lead to convective initiation (CI) from OB collisions more frequently. For this study, CI is defined as the first occurrence of a ≥35-dBZ radar echo at an elevation angle of 0.8° and within 10 km of the point of collision, from a convective cloud. The radar reflectivity and angle of collision between both OBs along with time of day at which CI occurs most often were analyzed. Also, the presence of cumulus clouds along either/both OBs, or within the area of collision, was examined using Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-12 (GOES-12) visible imagery. A more detailed analysis of 23 of the 94 OBs that passed over the Mobile Integrated Profiling System instruments examines the relation among radar reflectivity, updraft magnitude, and water vapor enhancements. This analysis indicates that OB updraft magnitude is positively correlated with OB reflectivity factor. The main findings are that when OBs collide in a more head-on manner, when both colliding OBs have radar reflectivity values of 15 dBZ or greater, or when cumulus clouds preexist along at least one OB, CI is produced at a greater rate. These results, using a much larger dataset than had previously been used for colliding OBs, are subsequently compared with two existing studies.
The Interaction of Cognitive Load and Attention-Directing Cues in Driving
Authors: Lee Yi-Ching , Lee John D. , Ng Boyle Linda
Published: July 2009

Objective: This study investigated the effect of a nondriving cognitively loading task on the relationship between drivers’ endogenous and exogenous control of attention. Background: Previous studies have shown that cognitive load leads to a withdrawal of attention from the forward scene and a narrowed field of view, which impairs hazard detection. Method: Posner’s cue-target paradigm was modified to study how endogenous and exogenous cues interact with cognitive load to influence drivers’ attention in a complex dynamic situation. In a driving simulator, pedestrian crossing signs that predicted the spatial location of pedestrians acted as endogenous cues. To impose cognitive load on drivers, we had them perform an auditory task that simulated the demands of emerging in-vehicle technology. Irrelevant exogenous cues were added to half of the experimental drives by including scene clutter. Results: The validity of endogenous cues influenced how drivers scanned for pedestrian targets. Cognitive load delayed drivers’ responses, and scene clutter reduced drivers’ fixation durations to pedestrians. Cognitive load diminished the influence of exogenous cues to attract attention to irrelevant areas, and drivers were more affected by scene clutter when the endogenous cues were invalid. Conclusion: Cognitive load suppresses interference from irrelevant exogenous cues and delays endogenous orienting of attention in driving. Application: The complexity of everyday tasks, such as driving, is better captured experimentally in paradigms that represent the interactive nature of attention and processing load.
Individual Differences in Route-Learning Strategy and Associated Working Memory Resources
Authors: Baldwin Carryl L. , Reagan Ian
Published: July 2009

Objective: The current investigation examined individual differences in route-learning strategies and their relative demands on visuospatial versus verbal working memory (WM) resources in virtual environments. Background: Learning new routes is a resource-demanding activity that must often be carried out in conjunction with other concurrent tasks. Virtual environments (VEs) are increasingly being used for training and research, pointing to the importance of determining the strategies people use to learn routes in these environments. Methods: Participants classified as having good or poor sense of direction (SOD) attempted to learn novel routes while concurrently performing either a verbal (articulatory suppression) or a visuospatial (tapping) WM interference task. Results: Different navigational strategies were observed in each SOD group. Individuals with poor SOD relied more heavily on verbal rather than visuospatial WM resources, as evidenced by greater disruption to route-learning performance from the articulatory suppression task relative to the tapping task. Conversely, individuals with good SOD exhibited more route-learning disruption from the tapping task, suggesting a greater reliance on visuospatial WM resources. Conclusion: Individuals differ from one another in the strategies they use and the WM resources they tap—verbal or visuospatial—to learn routes in VEs. Self-report measures can be used as indices of such individual differences in navigational strategy use in VE tasks. Application: Assessing SOD and associated WM resources have implications for targeted training for navigation in VEs and for the design of in-vehicle navigation systems.
Can Headway Reduction in Fog Be Explained by Impaired Perception of Relative Motion?
Authors: Caro Stéphane , Cavallo Viola , Marendaz Christian , Boer Erwin R. , Vienne Fabrice
Published: July 2009

Objective: The goal of this study was to provide a better understanding of driver behavior in fog. Background: Impaired perception of changes in headway is hypothesized to be one of the reasons for shorter following distances in foggy conditions as compared with clear weather. Method: In the experiments described here, we measured response time for discriminating between whether the vehicle ahead is getting closer or farther away. Several visibility conditions were studied, ranging from a no-fog condition to a condition in which the vehicle could be seen only by its rear fog lights. Results: Fog conditions increased response times when the outline of the vehicle was barely visible or not visible at all. The longer response times in fog were attributable to the low contrast of the vehicle outline when still visible and to the smaller spacing between the two lights when the outline could not be properly perceived. Moreover, response times were found to be shorter for shorter following distances and for faster accelerations. Conclusion: Reducing headway could be a way for drivers to achieve faster discrimination of relative motion in foggy weather. More specifically, shortening one’s following distance until visibility of the lead vehicle changes from bad to good may have a perceptual control benefit, insofar as the response time gain compensates for the reduction in headway under these conditions. Applications: Potential applications include improving traffic safety. The results provide a possible explanation for close following in fog and point out the importance of rear-light design under these conditions.
Enzymatic One-bath Desizing — Bleaching — Dyeing Process for Cotton Fabrics
Authors: Eren Huseyin Aksel , Anis Pervin , Davulcu Asim
Published: July 2009

The objective of this study was to develop a new process to desize, bleach, and dye starch-sized cotton fabrics in one bath using enzymes. Desizing was performed with an amyloglucosidase/pullanase enzyme (Dextrozyme DX, manufactured by Novozymes) instead of a conventional amylase enzyme in order to hydrolyze starch into single glucose units. Multifect GO 5000L (Genencor) glucose oxidase enzyme was used to yield hydrogen peroxide from the glucose generated during desizing; bleaching was performed by this enzymatically generated hydrogen peroxide. Decomposition of hydrogen peroxide after bleaching was done with Terminox Ultra 10L (Novozymes) catalase enzyme. The fabric was dyed in the same bath with the selected monochlortriazine reactive dyes (DyStar). The amount of glucose generated during desizing was 4000 ± 135 mg/l and it yielded 765 ± 15 mg/l hydrogen peroxide during glucose oxidase enzyme treatment. The whiteness index of the enzymatically bleached fabric was 71.0 ± 1.2 stensby degree. The color yields of the enzymatically treated samples were comparable to the conventionally treated samples. All enzymes used in this study were commercial grades having the advantages of easy storage and supply compared to the pure enzymes used in earlier studies. The advantages of the new one-bath process were: less auxiliary demand; lower environmental impact; and energy and water savings compared to the conventional desizing, scouring, bleaching, and dyeing sequence.
Synthesis and Application of a Basic Copolyamide as an Acid-dyeable PTT Fiber Additive
Authors: Wang Lian-Jun , Hu Zhi-Hua
Published: July 2009

A series of basic copolyamides has been synthesized with adipic acid (AA), hexamethylene diamine (HMDA), and diethylenetriamine (DETA). The properties of copolyamides are studied using intrinsic viscosity (IV), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) analysis. The results indicated that molecular weight and thermal stability decrease and alkalinity increases when the fraction of DETA is increased. Then, acid-dyeable polytrimethylene terephthelate (PTT) fiber is prepared by admixing PTT with the copolyamides and given surlyn as a compatibilizer before extrusion. When the sum of the copolyamide and the compatibilizer is bellow 0.10 (WF), the deterioration of mechanical properties does not affect the regular applications of PTT fiber. The maximum dye-uptake of the acid dyes on PTT fiber reaches 95.83%.
Modeling of Transverse Direction Thermal Conductivity in Micro-nano Fiber-reinforced Composites
Authors: Ascioglu Birgul , Adanur Sabit , Gumusel Levent , Bas Hasan
Published: July 2009

Analytical modeling for heat transfer behavior of micro-nano fiber-reinforced composites to determine the dimensionless effective thermal conductivity in the transverse direction has been performed. A hexagonal unit cell was developed that contained matrix, filler and interface (barrier) as the components. Thermal-electrical analogy method was used in the model. Models were developed with and without barrier effect. Filler ratios were taken to be between 10 and 30 %. Effects of barrier thickness and filler volume fraction on the dimensionless effective transverse thermal conductivity have been analyzed. The Rule of Mixtures and analytical modeling results have been compared. The model showed that increasing the volume fraction of the filler inside the matrix increased the total effective thermal conductivity values. When the barrier thickness increased, the dimensionless effective thermal conductivity value increased.
Evaluation on screening strategies for indoor air quality assessments in air-conditioned offices
Authors: Wong LT , Mui KW , Hui PS
Published: July 2009

Unsatisfactory indoor air quality (IAQ) in air-conditioned offices would make the occupants uncomfortable and lead to productivity loss. Strategic IAQ monitoring and assessment conducted with optimised resources for representative pollutants and air sampling are developed. This study proposes a simple screening process; with a readily developed IAQ express assessment protocol (EAP), to improve the accuracy in screening the office environment of unsatisfactory IAQ. This screening process is conducted with an `IAQ index', correlated with an event of unsatisfactory IAQ regarding its `failure' due to other six unmeasured air pollutant levels in the EAP; where the IAQ index is defined as the average fractional dose to certain exposure limits from the assessed top dominant contributors. The screening strategies were examined against the existing IAQ assessment results.

Practical applications: Testing on the screening strategies for EAP in 422 air-conditioned offices in Hong Kong showed that, with a defined screening level of probability of unsatisfactory IAQ, the proposed screening process would improve the overall performance of EAP. It would be a useful source of reference in setting up any practical public IAQ surveillance programmes for policymakers, building owners and professionals to quantify the IAQ problems in offices and make decisions on resources and manpower management for efficient mitigation actions.
Medial Knee Injury: Part 1, Static Function of the Individual Components of the Main Medial Knee Structures
Authors: Griffith Chad J. , LaPrade Robert F. , Johansen Steinar , Armitage Bryan , Wijdicks Coen , Engebretsen Lars
Published: July 2009

Background

There is a lack of knowledge on the primary and secondary static stabilizing functions of the posterior oblique ligament (POL), the proximal and distal divisions of the superficial medial collateral ligament (sMCL), and the meniscofemoral and meniscotibial portions of the deep medial collateral ligament (MCL).

Hypothesis

Identification of the primary and secondary stabilizing functions of the individual components of the main medial knee structures will provide increased knowledge of the medial knee ligamentous stability.

Study Design

Descriptive laboratory study.

Methods

Twenty-four cadaveric knees were equally divided into 3 groups with unique sequential sectioning sequences of the POL, sMCL (proximal and distal divisions), and deep MCL (meniscofemoral and meniscotibial portions). A 6 degree of freedom electromagnetic tracking system monitored motion after application of valgus loads (10 N·m) and internal and external rotation torques (5 N·m) at 0°, 20°, 30°, 60°, and 90° of knee flexion.

Results

The primary valgus stabilizer was the proximal division of the sMCL. The primary external rotation stabilizer was the distal division of the sMCL at 30° of knee flexion. The primary internal rotation stabilizers were the POL and the distal division of the sMCL at all tested knee flexion angles, the meniscofemoral portion of the deep MCL at 20°, 60°, and 90° of knee flexion, and the meniscotibial portion of the deep MCL at 0° and 30° of knee flexion.

Conclusion

An intricate relationship exists among the main medial knee structures and their individual components for static function to applied loads. Clinical Significance: Interpretation of clinical knee motion testing following medial knee injuries will improve with the information in this study. Significant increases in external rotation at 30° of knee flexion were found with all medial knee structures sectioned, which indicates that a positive dial test may be found not only for posterolateral knee injuries but also for medial knee injuries.
Harnessing Private Incentives in Public Education
Authors: Ritter Gary W. , Maranto Robert , Buck Stuart
Published: July 2009

The authors examine how personnel managers in the educational public sector might employ variants of privatization to achieve public goals. Privatization supporters see it as a magic bullet to improve failing public schools, whereas opponents view it as a threat to public education. The authors argue for a more complex understanding of privatization in public education. Analysts typically overlook the potential for privatization to change traditional personnel practices and the incentives of public servants. Accordingly, the authors define privatization as including the incentives employed within organizations. By this definition, many public bureaucracies may currently serve private interests. The authors then discuss various means of privatization in public education, including vouchers, public charter schools, subcontracting public school management to private providers, and merit pay for teachers. After describing the extant literature and case studies of various forms of privatization, the authors conclude that privatization, broadly defined, can align the private interests of employees with public values.
“It Feels Like a Little Family to Me”
Authors: Prins Esther , Toso Blaire Willson , Schafft Kai A.
Published: July 2009

Supportive social relationships are an important dimension of marginalized women's participation in community-based adult education programs. However, policy makers and researchers often consider these social dimensions to be tangential or secondary to instrumental outcomes such as obtaining employment or increasing standardized test scores. Drawing on two qualitative studies of family literacy programs in the Northeastern United States, this article examines the importance of social interaction and support for women in poverty. The study reveals that, for women with limited social support and social ties, family literacy programs afforded a social space that enabled them to leave the house, enjoy social contact and mutual support with peers, establish supportive relationships with teachers, and pursue self-discovery and development. The article concludes that nonformal adult education and family literacy programs play an important role in helping women in poverty receive social support and in turn enhancing their psychosocial well-being.
Complicated Simplicity
Authors: Sandlin Jennifer A. , Walther Carol S.
Published: July 2009

This article examines the learning occurring within the voluntary simplicity social movement, focusing specifically on the learning and development of identity via “moral agency” in those individuals who embrace and practice voluntary simplicity. Four key findings are discussed. First, simplifiers craft new identities in a consumption-driven world that reject society's normative subjectivities and re-create more ethical ones. Second, simplifiers develop and reinforce their moral identities through participating in particular practices of the self and self-regulation. Third, simplifiers struggle with trying to balance an ethic of nonjudgment with the very real feelings of being morally superior. Finally, simplifiers face the difficulty of managing collective group identity because of their decentralized and stratified participant base and highly individualistic moral codes. Because collective identity is so closely linked to social movement success, it holds implications for the politics of social movements and their effectiveness in bringing about social change.
Inference for non-regular parameters in optimal dynamic treatment regimes
Authors: Chakraborty Bibhas , Murphy Susan , Strecher Victor
Published: July 2009

A dynamic treatment regime is a set of decision rules, one per stage, each taking a patient’s treatment and covariate history as input, and outputting a recommended treatment. In the estimation of the optimal dynamic treatment regime from longitudinal data, the treatment effect parameters at any stage prior to the last can be non-regular under certain distributions of the data. This results in biased estimates and invalid confidence intervals for the treatment effect parameters. In this article, we discuss both the problem of non-regularity, and available estimation methods. We provide an extensive simulation study to compare the estimators in terms of their ability to lead to valid confidence intervals under a variety of non-regular scenarios. Analysis of a data set from a smoking cessation trial is provided as an illustration.
Latent mixture models for multivariate and longitudinal outcomes
Authors: Pickles Andrew , Croudace Tim
Published: July 2009

Repeated measures and multivariate outcomes are an increasingly common feature of trials. Their joint analysis by means of random effects and latent variable models is appealing but patterns of heterogeneity in outcome profile may not conform to standard multivariate normal assumptions. In addition, there is much interest in both allowing for and identifying sub-groups of patients who vary in treatment responsiveness. We review methods based on discrete random effects distributions and mixture models for application in this field.
Therapist variation within randomised trials of psychotherapy: implications for precision, internal and external validity
Authors: Walwyn Rebecca , Roberts Chris
Published: July 2009

Nesting of patients within therapists in psychotherapy trials creates an additional level within the design. The multilevel nature of this design has implications for the precision, internal and external validity of estimates of the treatment effect. Prior to or during a trial, psychotherapies are allocated to therapists and therapists are assigned to patients such that the therapist becomes part of the causal pathway from the intervention to the patient. It is therefore important to consider not only the relationship between interventions and patients but also relationships between interventions and therapists and between therapists and patients. Research designs comparing the effects of therapeutic approaches, therapist characteristics and packages of the two can be unified by viewing therapists as an important source of variability within psychotherapy outcome studies. Methodological considerations arising from therapist variation will be discussed, drawing together and building upon the associated psychotherapy and statistical literatures. Parallels will also be made with related designs and methods of analysis.
Tacit Understandings of Health Literacy
Authors: Hinnant Amanda , Len-Ríos María E.
Published: July 2009

This research offers both qualitative and quantitative data about how health journalists approach health literacy practically and conceptually. Using interviews with 20 writers and editors for magazines and newspapers coupled with a national survey ( N = 396), this analysis uncovers journalistic techniques and tacit theories for making information understandable. The journalists evince a basic understanding of how health literacy can be enhanced through certain story elements (such as nontechnical word use), but they also maintain false ideas about appropriate comprehension aides (such as statistics). Findings show that journalists struggle to maintain scientific credibility while accommodating different audience literacy levels. Journalists’ definitions of health literacy strategically carve out a place for their work as translators.
Interpretation of Benefit-Risk of Enoxaparin as Comparator in the RECORD Program: Rivaroxaban Oral Tablets (10 milligrams) for Use in Prophylaxis in Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism in Patients Undergoing Hip or Knee Replacement Surgery
Authors: Van Thiel David , Kalodiki Evi , Wahi Rakesh , Litinas Evan , Haque Wasimul , Rao Gundu
Published: July 2009

The Regulation of Coagulation in Major Orthopedic surgery reducing the Risk of DVT and PE (RECORD) clinical program of rivaroxaban consists of 4 phase III clinical trials comparing rivaroxaban with enoxaparin for the prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients undergoing either total hip or total knee replacement surgery. Despite the comprehensive and extensive nature of this program, it had some logistic issues that included the dosing of the enoxaparin which was not only inconsistent with the recommendations but the dosages used were not optimal. The duration of treatment while consistent with rivaroxaban did vary with enoxaparin and was somewhat short. The bleeding definitions and safety evaluations were not consistent in accordance with the current recommendations. Moreover, the RECORD program has no power to show differences in major bleeding. The cardiovascular rebound phenomenon should have been adequately addressed and may require additional clinical validation to establish the safety of rivaroxaban. Although the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee has recommended approval of rivaroxaban, the reported analysis strongly suggests additional clinical validation on the claimed benefit/risk ratio of this monotherapeutic anticoagulant.
Warring Pixels
Authors: Chare Nicholas
Published: July 2009

/ This article explores the ways in which the films In the Valley of Elah (2006), Battle for Haditha (2007) and Redacted (2007) act as forms of testimony to the Iraq conflict and to the roles played by digital technology in bearing witness to it. The article argues for a greater recognition of the materiality of the digital and for an acknowledgment of its indexical properties as this has significant implications for its status as testament and for its claims to authenticity. Drawing on Wilfred Bion's work on the container/contained relationship, the article also suggests that the films perform a valuable function as containers that provide historical events such as the conflict in Iraq with a graspable form. Works of mainstream cinema that engage with recent history are often viewed ambivalently but the article argues that, on occasion, they can make a significant contribution to the production and dissemination of cultural memory.
Self-Emulation
Authors: Langill Caroline Seck
Published: July 2009

/ In this article I examine the ways the archival process has compelled artists working in early electronic media, and new media to `self-emulate', to produce new versions of their artworks. I propose that upgrading steals the narrative of progress that spoke to the cultural effects of emerging technologies informing the original production of the work. Three artworks are examined in order to investigate how self-emulation has effected the evolution of new media artworks: The Helpless Robot by Norman White (1986—2004), Small Artist Pushing Technology (1987—) by Doug Back, and Listening Post (2003—) by Mark Hansen and Ben Rubin. The production of new versions of electronic media works primarily concerns integration with contemporary modes of exhibition and aesthetic trends. However, the materials that generated early electronic media works spoke to the larger discourse of our relationship to technology. This article investigates this dilemma.