bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An ex‐tropical cyclone climatology for Auckland, New Zealand
Authors: Lorrey Andrew M. , Griffiths Georgina , Fauchereau Nicolas , Diamond Howard J. , Chappell Petra R. , Renwick James
Published: August 2013

Auckland, New Zealand, is influenced by ex‐tropical cyclones (ETCs); however, there is no established climatology for these weather systems at present. In this study, we present a climatology of ETCs for Auckland and investigate whether their spatio‐temporal traits are influenced by large‐scale climate modes such as the El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Southern Annular Mode (SAM). We utilize the South Pacific Enhanced Archive for Tropical Cyclone research (SPEArTC) to establish a climatology that covers the high‐quality TC data period from 1970 to 2010. ETCs have entered a region within 550 km of Auckland city regardless of ENSO or SAM phase, and on average one event per year occurs. Peak ETC season for Auckland is during March, preceded by an increase in activity during February, with a wide‐range of meteorological impacts. Regional circulation patterns, including reduced blocking in the southwest Pacific and synoptic type presence, allow ETCs into the Auckland sector of the southwest Pacific while guiding them either to the east or west of the city.
Sensitive Raman spectroscopy of lipids based on drop deposition using DCDR and SERS
Authors: Šimáková Petra , Kočišová Eva , Procházka Marek
Published: August 2013

Raman spectroscopy is widely used for study of lipids and membrane models. A severe limitation of this technique lies in the low Raman cross section requiring high sample concentrations. We report sensitive detection of synthetic 1,2‐dimyristoyl‐3‐trimethylammonium‐propane (DMTAP) lipid employing two Raman techniques with improved sensitivity: drop coating deposition Raman (DCDR) and surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopies. DCDR provided well‐reproducible DMTAP spectra without considerable loss of its solution properties if measured from the ‘coffee ring’ pattern of a drop dried on a SpectRIMTM plate. DMTAP was detected at ~10 μM initial solution concentration, which is about three orders of magnitude lower than that for conventional Raman spectroscopy. Moreover, SERS spectra from dried ring of Ag hydrosol/DMTAP system were obtained down to ~0.3 μM DMTAP concentration, which means that sensitivity of SERS is about five orders of magnitude higher than that of conventional Raman spectroscopy. In contrast to the DCDR technique, good SERS spectra of DMTAP were obtained only from some spots of the ring containing big nanoparticle aggregates, and the structural properties of DMTAP were significantly perturbed by adsorption on the Ag nanoparticles. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Clifford algebra method for network expression, computation, and algorithm construction
Authors: Yuan Linwang , Yu Zhaoyuan , Luo Wen , Zhang Jiyi , Hu Yong
Published: August 2013

Clifford algebra is introduced as a theoretical foundation for network topology expression and algorithm construction. Network nodes are coded with basis vectors in a vector space , and the edges and k‐walk routes can be expressed by 2‐blades and k‐blades, respectively, in the Clifford algebra Cl(n,0). The topologies among nodes, edges, and routes of networks can be directly calculated, and the network routes can be extended and traversed with oriented join products. The network algorithm construction processes based on Clifford algebra are instantiated by the single source shortest path algorithm. The experimental results on different scale random networks suggest that Clifford algebra is suited for network expression and relation computation. The Clifford algebra‐based shortest path algorithm is vivid and clear in geometric meaning and has great advantage on temporal and spatial complexity. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hyperpolarized singlet lifetimes of pyruvate in human blood and in the mouse
Authors: Marco‐Rius Irene , Tayler Michael C. D. , Kettunen Mikko I. , Larkin Timothy J. , Timm Kerstin N. , Serrao Eva M. , Rodrigues Tiago B. , Pileio Giuseppe , Ardenkjaer‐Larsen Jan Henrik , Levitt Malcolm H. , Brindle Kevin M.
Published: August 2013

Hyperpolarized NMR is a promising technique for non‐invasive imaging of tissue metabolism in vivo. However, the pathways that can be studied are limited by the fast T1 decay of the nuclear spin order. In metabolites containing pairs of coupled nuclear spins‐1/2, the spin order may be maintained by exploiting the non‐magnetic singlet (spin‐0) state of the pair. This may allow preservation of the hyperpolarization in vivo during transport to tissues of interest, such as tumors, or to detect slower metabolic reactions. We show here that in human blood and in a mouse in vivo at millitesla fields the 13C singlet lifetime of [1,2‐13C2]pyruvate was significantly longer than the 13C T1, although it was shorter than the T1 at field strengths of several tesla. We also examine the singlet‐derived NMR spectrum observed for hyperpolarized [1,2‐13C2]lactate, originating from the metabolism of [1,2‐13C2]pyruvate. © 2013 The Authors. NMR in Biomedicine published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Three‐dimensional numerical solution for wear prediction using a mortar contact algorithm
Authors: Cavalieri F. J. , Cardona A.
Published: August 2013

A finite element formulation to compute the wear between three‐dimensional flexible bodies that are in contact with each other is presented. The contact pressure and the bodies displacements are calculated using an augmented Lagrangian approach in combination with a mortar method, which defines the contact kinematics. The objective of this study is to characterize the wear rate coefficients for bimetallic pairs and to numerically predict the wear depths in new component designs. The proposed method is first validated with the classical pin‐on‐disc problem. Then, experimental results of wear for the metallic pairs used in internal combustion engine valves and inserts are presented and are taken as a reference solution. An example is provided that shows agreement of the numerical and experimental solution. Finally, the proposed algorithm is used to predict the wear in an application example: the wear in an internal combustion engine valve. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Generic substitution does not seem to affect adherence negatively in elderly polypharmacy patients
Authors: Olesen Charlotte , Harbig Philipp , Barat Ishay , Damsgaard Else Marie
Published: August 2013

Purpose

To investigate the association between generic substitutions and medication adherence in elderly patients with prescribed polypharmacy.

Methods

Our study included 672 patients aged 65+ years, living at home in the municipality of Aarhus (Denmark), who at the time of enrolment took at least five prescription drugs daily including both short‐term and long‐term treatment independently of kind of administration route but without assistance. In this paper, only oral drugs for long‐term treatment are included in the analysis resulting in median of three drugs per patient.

Adherence was assessed by pill counts. Patients with a mean adherence rate <80% across all oral drugs consumed for long‐term treatment were categorised as non‐adherent.

The number of generic substitutions during 1 year was retrieved from the National Health Insurance prescription database. Each change in either a drug's or a manufacturer's name was regarded as a substitution. The association between generic substitution and the mean adherence rate to all drugs was analysed by contingency table analyses and a trend test.

Results

During 1 year, at least one substitution was experienced by 83.6% of patients (n = 562). Patients non‐adherent to long‐term oral treatment (n = 46) amounted to 8% of all patients who experienced substitutions. Amongst 110 elderly patients (16.4%) who did not experience substitutions, 16% were non‐adherent (odds ratio 0.46; 95% confidence interval 0.25–0.82).

Conclusion

As generic substitution in elderly patients undergoing polypharmacy appears not to affect adherence to long‐term drug treatment negatively, there seems to be no obvious reason for avoiding generic substitution in such patients. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Carbon‐11 radiolabeling of an oligopeptide containing tryptophan hydrochloride via a Pictet‐Spengler reaction using carbon‐11 formaldehyde
Authors: Hanyu Masayuki , Takada Yuuki , Hashimoto Hiroki , Kawamura Kazunori , Zhang Ming‐Rong , Fukumura Toshimitsu
Published: August 2013

A procedure for the synthesis of a11C‐labeled oligopeptide containing [1‐11C]1,2,3,4‐tetrahydro‐β‐carboline‐3‐carboxylic acid ([1‐11C]Tpi) from the corresponding Trp•HCl‐containing peptides has been developed involving a Pictet‐Spengler reaction with [11C]formaldehyde. The synthesis of [1‐11C]Tpi from Trp and [11C]formaldehyde was examined as a model reaction with the aim of developing a facile and effective method for the labeling of peptides with carbon‐11. The Pictet‐Spengler reaction of Trp and [11C]formaldehyde in acidic media (TsOH or HCl) afforded the desired [1‐11C]Tpi in a moderate radiochemical yield. Herein, the application of a Pictet‐Spengler reaction to an aqueous solution of Trp•HCl gave the desired product with a radiochemical yield of 45.2%. The RGD peptide cyclo[Arg‐Gly‐Asp‐D‐Tyr‐Lys] was then selected as a substrate for the labeling reaction with [11C]formaldehyde. The radiolabeling of a Trp•HCl‐containing RGD peptide using the Pictet‐Spengler reaction was successful. Furthermore, the remote‐controlled synthesis of a [1‐11C]Tpi‐containing RGD peptide was attempted by using an automatic production system to generate [11C]CH3I. The radiochemical yield of the [1‐11C]Tpi‐containing RGD at the end of synthesis (EOS) was 5.9 ± 1.9% (n = 4), for a total synthesis time of about 35 min. The specific activity was 85.7 ± 9.4 GBq/µmol at the EOS. Copyright © 2013 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Writing to Learn by Learning to Write During the School Science Laboratory: Helping Middle and High School Students Develop Argumentative Writing Skills as They Learn Core Ideas
Authors: SAMPSON VICTOR , ENDERLE PATRICK , GROOMS JONATHON , WITTE SHELBIE
Published: August 2013

This study examined how students’ science‐specific argumentative writing skills and understanding of core ideas changed over the course of a school year as they participated in a series of science laboratories designed using the Argument‐Driven Inquiry (ADI) instructional model. The ADI model is a student‐centered and writing‐intensive approach to laboratory instruction. The study was conducted in two middle school and two high school courses offered at a university‐affiliated laboratory school located in the southeast USA. The intervention took place over two semesters and consisted of at least eight laboratory activities in each course. Student learning gains were measured using a science content assessment and a science‐specific argumentative writing assessment that were administered at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year. Changes in student performance on the two assessments over time indicate that the students’ science‐specific argumentative writing skills and their understanding of core scientific ideas improved over the course of intervention. Furthermore, students who participated in a greater number of ADI activities demonstrated greater and more consistent improvement in their writing. The implications of the study describe ways to enhance students’ science proficiencies during school science laboratories and include recommendations for future research. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 97:643–670, 2013
Effect of the anodization voltage on the dimensions and photoactivity of titania nanotubes arrays
Authors: Atyaoui A. , Cachet H. , Sutter E. M. M. , Bousselmi L.
Published: August 2013

This work compares the behaviors of TiO2 nanotube (TNTs) array obtained by anodization of Ti foils in an ethylene glycol/NH4F/water electrolyte with different applied voltages during a constant anodization time, and for the same electrolyte composition. The crystal structure and surface morphology of the annealed anodic films are investigated by X‐Ray diffraction system, Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The TiO2 nanotubes obtained at potentials of 20–40–60 V show different inner diameters (42–89–124 nm), tube length (1.2–3.3–12.7 µm) and wall thicknesses (12–15–18 nm). The influence of these geometric parameters on the photoelectrochemical properties and the photocatalytic activity were investigated in detail. The results showed that the photocatalytic performances of TNT films are improved when the specific surface, the tube length and the solid fraction are increased, but the increase is slowed down when a limiting thickness of the layer is reached. The surface states which usually show high density in nanostructured layers do not seem to influence significantly the photocatalytic activity of the layers. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Gay Men Sex Studies: Anodyspareunia Among Belgian Gay Men
Authors: Vansintejan Johan , Vandevoorde Jan , Devroey Dirk
Published: August 2013

Introduction

Anal intercourse is commonly associated with male homosexuality, but not all gay males engage in anal sex. Receptive anal intercourse can cause pain. Little is known about this sexual dysfunction.

Aim

This study aims to determine the 4-week incidence of anodyspareunia (AD) in a sample of Belgian men who have sex with men (MSM) population and to assess the relevance of possible predictors such as age, relationship, and sexual behavior.

Methods

An internet-based survey on sexual behavior and sexual dysfunctions, called GAy MEn Sex StudieS, was administered to the MSM aged 18 years or older, between April and December 2008. A part of the questionnaire was focusing on anal eroticism. The participants, who self-reported being human immunodeficiency virus-positive or not having anal intercourse, were excluded.

Main Outcome Measure

Female Sexual Function Index questions on pain domain adapted for anal intercourse.

Results

A total of 1,752 Belgian MSM completed the questionnaire. Of the 1,190 (68%) participants who reported engaging in receptive anal sex in the last 4 weeks, 59% indicated having some degree of anal pain during and after sexual intercourse. For 44%, the level of pain was acceptable. Mild AD was reported by 32%, 17% had mild to moderate AD, 4% had moderate AD, and 2% had severe AD. Independent predictors for the presence of AD were age, having a steady relationship, frequency of sex with their partner, number of sex partners, number of sex partners at the same time, and massaging the anal sphincter before anal sex. The prevalence and severity of AD among the MSM were lower among older participants, the MSM who more frequently had sex with their partner, and participants with a higher number of sex partners. Inadequate lubrication and lack of oral or digitoproctic stimulation prior to penetration were the most important factors predicting pain. Unsafe anal sex was performed by 28%.

Conclusion

One-third of the participants reported not engaging in receptive nor penetrative anal sex. The 59% of participating Belgian MSM, who had anal receptive intercourse, reported some degree of AD. These findings highlight the need for more education about anal eroticism for MSM, and more research into AD is needed.
Syntheses, Crystal Structures, and Properties of a Salamo‐type Tetradentate Chelating Ligand and Its Pentacoordinated Copper(II) Complex
Authors: Dong Wen‐Kui , Wang Zheng‐Kun , Li Gang , Zhao Meng‐Meng , Dong Xiu‐Yan , Liu Sen‐Hua
Published: August 2013

A Salamo‐type ligand 6,6′‐diethoxy‐2,2′‐[1,1′‐(ethylenedioxydinitrilo)dimethylidyne]diphenol (H2L) and its pentacoordinate copper(II) complex [CuL(H2O)] were synthesized and structurally characterized. The molecule of H2L is located in a crystallographic inversion center and adopts E configuration with respect to the C=N bond. In the complex [CuL(H2O)], the CuII atom has a tetragonally elongated square‐pyramidal configuration with donor atoms N2O2 forming a perfect basal plane. And an infinite 2D layer supramolecular structure is formed through intermolecular C1–H1A···O5 and C2–H2A···O3 hydrogen bonding interactions.
A Comparative Study of the Solution Behavior of Iodotrimethylplatinum(IV) Complexes of Pyridines
Authors: Nath Ghosh Biswa , Hausmann Heike , Serafin Michael , Lentz Dieter , Schlecht Sabine
Published: August 2013

Iodotrimethylplatinum(IV) forms the complexes [PtMe3L2I] [L = 4‐dimethylaminopyridine (4‐DMAP), 3‐bromopyridine (3‐BrPy), and 4‐cyanopyridine (4‐CNPy)] in good yield on treatment with substituted pyridines. The 1H NMR spectrum of [PtMe3(4‐DMAP)2I] (1) in CDCl3 shows no dissociation of the monomeric unit, while both the complexes [PtMe3(3‐BrPy)2I] (2) and [PtMe3(4‐CNPy)2I] (3) undergo dissociation in CDCl3 to a different extent to form the dimeric complexes [{PtMe3(3‐BrPy)I}2] and [{PtMe3(4‐CNPy)I}2], respectively. The crystal structures of 1 and 2 were determined to investigate the binding situation of these mononuclear trimethylplatinum(IV) complexes of pyridines.
Higgs pair production in the NMSSM at the LHC
Authors: Ellwanger Ulrich
Published: August 2013

Abstract

In the NMSSM it is well possible to find an additional Higgs boson with a mass below 125 GeV which remains invisible in standard Higgs boson search channels. We study the Higgs pair production cross sections times branching fractions in this scenario, focussing on gluon fusion and the
$ b\overline{b} $
+ τ
+
τ
− and
$ b\overline{b} $
+ γγ final states. Summing over the SM-like and the lighter Higgs states, the production cross sections times branching fractions are never below the ones for SM Higgs pair production. Sizeable enhancements of the signal rates are also possible, notably if a lighter Higgs state is produced. However, the rates involving at least one lighter Higgs boson are not always sufficiently large to guarantee its discovery.
Rural parents' messages to their adolescent sons and daughters to leave their home communities
Authors: Tucker Corinna Jenkins , Sharp Erin Hiley , Stracuzzi Nena F. , Van Gundy Karen T. , Rebellon Cesar
Published: August 2013

The perceptions of 354 seventh and eleventh graders regarding the frequency and nature of their rural parents' messages to them and their closest‐in‐age sibling to leave their home communities after high school were explored. Survey data showed that almost half (54%) perceived that their parents encouraged them and/or their closest‐in‐age sibling to leave the area and about 19% of that group reported that their parents' messages to leave were inconsistent between them and their closest sibling. Parents' messages did not differ by youths' sex or age. Consistency of parents' messages between siblings was associated with youths' well‐being, family relationship experiences, and future residential preferences. Semi‐structured interviews with a subsample of seventh graders and their mothers highlighted parents' and youths' perspectives on parents' messages. This work highlights the familial processes associated with youth future planning and extends the current work on parents' differential treatment of siblings.
Extracellular alpha‐synuclein induces calpain‐dependent overactivation of cyclin‐dependent kinase 5 in vitro
Authors: Czapski Grzegorz A. , Gąssowska Magdalena , Wilkaniec Anna , Cieślik Magdalena , Adamczyk Agata
Published: August 2013

We found that exposure of PC12 cells to ASN increases Cdk5 activity via calpain‐dependent p25 formation and by enhancement of Cdk5 phosphorylation at Tyr15. Cdk5 and calpain inhibitors prevented ASN‐evoked cell death. Our findings, indicating the participation of Cdk5 in ASN toxicity, provide new insight into how extracellular ASN may trigger dopaminergic cell dysfunction in PD.
Concerted action of activation‐induced cytidine deaminase and uracil‐DNA glycosylase reduces covalently closed circular DNA of duck hepatitis B virus
Authors: Chowdhury Sajeda , Kitamura Kouichi , Simadu Miyuki , Koura Miki , Muramatsu Masamichi
Published: August 2013

Covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) forms a template for the replication of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and duck HBV (DHBV). Recent studies suggest that activation‐induced cytidine deaminase (AID) functions in innate immunity, although its molecular mechanism of action remains unclear, particularly regarding HBV restriction. Here we demonstrated that overexpression of chicken AID caused hypermutation and reduction of DHBV cccDNA levels. Inhibition of uracil‐DNA glycosylase (UNG) by UNG inhibitor protein (UGI) abolished AID‐induced cccDNA reduction, suggesting that the AID/UNG pathway triggers the degradation of cccDNA via cytosine deamination and uracil excision.
Cysteine mutations cause defective tyrosine phosphorylation in MEGF10 myopathy
Authors: Mitsuhashi Satomi , Mitsuhashi Hiroaki , Alexander Matthew S. , Sugimoto Hiroyuki , Kang Peter B.
Published: August 2013

Recessive mutations in MEGF10 are known to cause a congenital myopathy in humans. Two mutations in the extracellular EGF‐like domains of MEGF10, C326R and C774R, were associated with decreased tyrosine phosphorylation of MEGF10 in vitro. Y1030 was identified to be the major tyrosine phosphorylation site in MEGF10 and is phosphorylated at least in part by c‐Src. Overexpression of wild‐type MEGF10 enhanced C2C12 myoblast proliferation, while overexpression of Y1030F mutated MEGF10 did not. We conclude that MEGF10‐mediated signaling via tyrosine phosphorylation helps to regulate myoblast proliferation. Defects in this signaling pathway may contribute to the disease mechanism of MEGF10 myopathy.
Protoporphyrin IX accumulation disrupts mitochondrial dynamics and function in ABCG2‐deficient hepatocytes
Authors: Lin Yu-Hsing , Chang Hsiao-Min , Chang Fang-Pei , Shen Chia-Rui , Liu Chao-Lin , Mao Wan-Yu , Lin Chung-Chih , Lee Hsuan-Shu , Shen Chia-Ning
Published: August 2013

Targeted inhibition of multidrug ABCG2 transporter is believed to improve cancer therapeutics. However, the consequences of ABCG2 inhibition have not been systematically evaluated since ABCG2 is expressed in several organs including the liver. Here, we demonstrate that ABCG2‐deficient hepatocytes have increased amounts of fragmental mitochondria accompanied by disruption of mitochondrial dynamics and functions. This disruption was due to ABCG2 knockout elevating intracellular protoporphyrin IX, which led to upregulation of DRP‐1‐mediated mitochondrial fission. The finding that ABCG2 deficiency can generate dysfunctional mitochondria in hepatocytes raises concerns regarding the systematic use of ABCG2 inhibitor in cancer patients.
Oral etoposide and oral prednisone for the treatment of castration resistant prostate cancer
Authors: Zhu Yi‐Ping , Yao Xu‐Dong , Zhang Shi‐Lin , Dai Bo , Zhang Hai‐Liang , Shen Yi‐Jun , Zhu Yao , Shi Guo‐Hai , Lin Guo‐Wen , Ye Ding‐Wei
Published: August 2013

Treatment options for patients with castration‐resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) are limited. The purpose of our study was to investigate the safety and efficacy in terms of prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) response of a low‐dose oral combination of etoposide and prednisone in patients with CRPC. Thirty‐nine patients with prostate cancer (median age, 77.9 years) with progressive disease after standard hormonal therapy were enrolled. Etoposide (25 mg, twice daily) and prednisone (5 mg, twice daily) were administered orally. Each cycle comprised 21 consecutive days of treatment followed by a 7‐day drug holiday. All patients previously treated with an antiandrogen were required to undergo antiandrogen withdrawal prior to entry into the study. A total of 226 cycles were administered with a median of 6.7 cycles per patient (range, 1–18 cycles). Sixteen of 39 patients (41%) with elevated PSA levels at baseline achieved at least a 50% reduction in PSA levels. Median progression‐free survival for all patients was 5.9 months (range, 1–17 months). No Grade 4 toxicities were observed. The predominant toxicities were mucositis, nausea, fatigue, and anemia in twelve, nine, eight, and seven patients, respectively. Hematologic toxicity was infrequent, with no episodes of febrile neutropenia. The combination of low‐dose etoposide and prednisone is an efficacious and reasonably well‐tolerated oral regimen in the treatment of elderly patients with CRPC. This regimen can be easily administered in an outpatient setting and does not require frequent patient visits.
Appointed political staffs and the diversification of policy advisory sources: Theory and evidence from Canada
Authors: Craft Jonathan
Published: August 2013

Appointed political staffs were featured in the initial elaboration of the ‘policy advisory systems’ (PAS) model yet have received considerably less attention than other components. This article revisits the PAS model and argues that political staffs engage in important procedural advisory activities masked by the PAS focus on location and control. The principle contention being that political staffs influence within advisory systems may also be a product of their procedural brokerage of other sources of policy advice. The article advances a conceptual framework to understand political staffs brokerage as ‘bridging’. Setting out ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ forms that can be arrayed along ‘administrative-technical’ and ‘partisan-political’ types. A Canadian sub-national case study is examined using the framework revealing variance in the type and nature of bridging based on institutional location of political staffs and the specific brokerage tasks they undertake. First minister's office bridging is found to be considerably more limited than that undertaken by minister's office political staffs, particularly in relation to the bridging of exogenous sources of policy advice. The framework and empirical findings enrich the policy advisory systems literature by demonstrating the importance of coupling spatial considerations with attention to the actual tasks of advisory system members. Additionally, highlighting the importance of procedural policy advisory brokerage as a source of influence within advisory systems.
Measurements of the budgets of the subgrid-scale stress and temperature flux in a convective atmospheric surface layer
Authors: Nguyen Khuong X. , Horst Thomas W. , Oncley Steven P. , Tong Chenning
Published: August 2013

The dynamics of the subgrid-scale (SGS) stress and scalar flux in the convective atmospheric surface layer are studied through the budgets of the SGS turbulence kinetic energy (TKE), the SGS stress and the SGS temperature flux using field measurements from the Advection Horizontal Array Turbulence Study (AHATS). The array technique, which employs sensor arrays to perform filter operations to obtain the SGS velocity and temperature, is extended to include pressure sensors to measure the fluctuating pressure, enabling separation of the resolvable- and subgrid-scale pressure, and therefore for the first time allowing for measurement of the pressure covariance terms and the full SGS budgets. The non-dimensional forms of the SGS budget terms are obtained as functions of the stability parameter$z/ L$and the ratio of the wavelength of the spectral peak of the vertical velocity to the filter width,${\Lambda }_{w} / {\Delta }_{f} $. The results show that the SGS TKE budget is a balance among the production, transport and dissipation. The SGS shear stress budget and the SGS temperature flux budgets are dominated by the production and pressure destruction, with the latter causing return to isotropy. The budgets of the SGS normal stress components are more complex. Most notably the pressure–strain-rate correlation includes two competing processes, return to isotropy and generation of anisotropy, the latter due to ground blockage of the large convective eddies. For neutral surface layers, return to isotropy dominates. For unstable surface layers return to isotropy dominates for small filter widths, whereas for large filter widths the ground blockage effect dominates, resulting in strong anisotropy. The results in the present study, particularly for the pressure–strain-rate correlation, have strong implications for modelling the SGS stress and flux using their transport equations in the convective atmospheric boundary layer.
Role of coherent structures in multiple self-similar states of turbulent planar wakes
Authors: Hickey Jean-Pierre , Hussain Fazle , Wu Xiaohua
Published: August 2013

We study the nature of archetypal, incompressible, planar splitter-plate wakes, specifically the effects of the exit boundary layer state on multiple approximate self-similarity. Temporally developing direct numerical simulations, at a Reynolds number of 1500 based on the volume-flux defect, are performed to investigate three distinct wake evolution scenarios: Kelvin–Helmholtz transition, bypass transition in an asymmetric wake, and an initially fully turbulent wake. The differences in the evolution and far-wake statistics are analysed in detail. The individual approximately self-similar states exhibit a relative variation of up to 48 % in the spread rate, in second-order statistics, and in peak values of the energy budget terms. The multiplicity of self-similar states is tied to the non-universality of the large-scale coherent structures. These structures maintain the memory of the initial conditions. In the far wake, two distinct spanwise-coherent motions are identified: (i) staggered, segregated spanwise rollers on either side of the centreplane, dominant in wakes transitioning via anti-symmetric instability modes; and, (ii) larger spanwise rollers spanning across the centreplane, emerging in the absence of a near-wake characteristic length scale. The latter structure is characterized by strong spanwise coherence, cross-wake velocity correlations and a larger entrainment rate caused by deep pockets of irrotational fluid within the folds of the turbulent/non-turbulent interface. The mid-sized structures, primarily vortical rods, are generic for all initial conditions and are inclined at ∼$\pm 3{3}^{\circ } $ to the downstream, shallower than the preferential $\pm 4{5}^{\circ } $ inclination of the vorticity vector. The spread rate is driven by the inner-wake dynamics, more specifically the advective flux of spanwise vorticity across the centreplane, which depends on the large-scale coherent structures.
Riccati-less approach for optimal control and estimation: an application to two-dimensional boundary layers
Authors: Semeraro Onofrio , Pralits Jan O. , Rowley Clarence W. , Henningson Dan S.
Published: August 2013

The control of Tollmien–Schlichting waves in a two-dimensional boundary layer is analysed using numerical simulations. Full-dimensional optimal controllers are used in combination with a setup of spatially localized inputs (actuator and disturbance) and outputs (sensors). The adjoint of the direct-adjoint (ADA) algorithm, recently proposed by Pralits & Luchini (In Seventh IUTAM Symposium on Laminar–Turbulent Transition (ed. P. Schlatter & D. S. Henningson), vol. 18, 2010, Springer), is used to efficiently compute an optimal controller known as a linear quadratic regulator; the method is iterative and allows one to bypass the solution of the corresponding Riccati equation, which is infeasible for high-dimensional systems. We show that an analogous iteration can be made for the estimation problem; the dual algorithm is referred to as adjoint of the adjoint-direct (AAD). By combining the solutions of the estimation and control problem, full-dimensional linear quadratic Gaussian controllers are obtained and used for the attenuation of the disturbances arising in the boundary layer flow. The full-dimensional controllers turn out to be an excellent benchmark for evaluating the performance of the optimal control/estimation design based on reduced-order models. We show under which conditions the two strategies are in perfect agreement by focusing on the issues arising when feedback configurations are considered. An analysis of the finite-amplitude disturbances is also carried out by addressing the limitations of the optimal controllers, the role of the estimation, and the robustness to the nonlinearities arising in the flow of the control design.
Effectiveness and safety of orally administered immunotherapy for food allergies: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Nurmatov Ulugbek , Devereux Graham , Worth Allison , Healy Laura , Sheikh Aziz
Published: August 2013

The aim of using oral and sublingual immunotherapy with food allergies is to enable the safe consumption of foods containing these allergens in patients with food allergies. In the present study, a systematic review of intervention studies was undertaken; this involved the searching of eleven international databases for controlled clinical trials. We identified 1152 potentially relevant papers, from which we selected twenty-two reports of twenty-one eligible trials (i.e. eighteen randomised controlled trials and three controlled clinical trials). The meta-analysis revealed a substantially lower risk of reactions to the relevant food allergen in those receiving orally administered immunotherapy (risk ratios (RR) 0·21, 95 % CI 0·12, 0·38). The meta-analysis of immunological data demonstrated that skin prick test responses to the relevant food allergen significantly decreased with immunotherapy (mean difference − 2·96 mm, 95 % CI − 4·48, − 1·45), while allergen-specific IgG4 levels increased by an average of 19·9 (95 % CI 17·1, 22·6) μg/ml. Sensitivity analyses excluding studies at the highest risk of bias and subgroup analyses in relation to specific food allergens and treatment approaches generated comparable summary estimates of effectiveness and immunological changes. Pooling of the safety data revealed an increased risk of local (i.e. minor oropharyngeal/gastrointestinal) adverse reactions with immunotherapy (RR 1·47, 95 % CI 1·11, 1·95); there was a non-significant increased average risk of systemic adverse reactions with immunotherapy (RR 1·08, 95 % CI 0·97, 1·19). There is strong evidence that orally administered immunotherapy can induce immunomodulatory changes and thereby promote desensitisation to a range of foods. However, given the paucity of evidence on longer-term safety, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness, orally administered immunotherapy should not be used outside experimental conditions presently.
Accuracy of flexible versus rigid laryngoscopic photo-documentation in the diagnosis of early glottic cancer
Authors: Makki F M , Hilal A , Fung E , Hart R , Taylor S M , Brown T
Published: August 2013

Objective:

To compare the image quality provided by rigid laryngoscopes versus flexible distal-chip laryngoscopes when documenting the same laryngeal pathology.

Methods:

This paper reports a prospective single-blind study. Ten early stage glottic cancer cases were selected. Photographs of the pathologies were taken using both rigid and flexible distal-chip laryngoscopes (a total of 20 photographs). Nineteen clinicians were asked to review the laryngoscopic photographs; the clinicians were provided with a worksheet, which included questions regarding the clinical description, photograph quality and overall satisfaction with the images obtained. Clinicians' responses to the worksheet questions were then analysed.

Results:

The overall accuracy rate for lesion sidedness, anatomical sub-site involvement, anterior commissure involvement and tumour staging were 94.7 per cent, 46.6 per cent, 53.7 per cent and 47.1 per cent respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in terms of the accuracy rates, photograph quality or overall satisfaction with the photographs obtained by either modality.

Conclusion:

There were no statistically significant differences demonstrated in overall clinical accuracy or perceived image quality between the use of the rigid or flexible endoscopes when interpreting images of early glottic cancer.
Super rogue waves in ultracold neutral nonextensive plasmas
Authors: EL-TANTAWY S. A. , EL-BEDWEHY N. A. , MOSLEM W. M.
Published: August 2013

The generation of ion-acoustic rogue waves in ultracold neutral plasmas (UNPs) composed of ion fluids and nonextensive electron distribution is investigated. For this purpose, basic equations are reduced to a nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE) using a reductive perturbation technique. The existence region for the rogue waves defined precisely in terms of the critical wavenumber threshold kc. It is found that increasing the nonextensive parameter q would lead to a decrease of kc until q approaches to its critical value qc, then further increase of q beyond qc enhances kc; however, kc shrinks with the increase of the ions effective temperature ratio σ∗. The dependence of the first- and second-order rational solutions profile on the UNP parameters is numerically examined. It is noticed that near to the critical nonextensive parameter qc, the rogue wave amplitude becomes smaller, but it enhances whenever we stepped away from qc. However, the enhancement of the temperature ratio σ∗ and the wavenumber k reduces the envelope rogue wave amplitudes.
An innovative IDEA: a review of the International Dialects of English Archive
Authors: Persley Nicole Hodges
Published: August 2013

The IDEA (International Dialects of English Archive) site has been on-line since 1997 and began as a resource developed to teach actors how to pronounce various accents and dialects of English. Created by theater scholar and dialect coach Paul Meier, the new site has expanded its already fantastic variety of information. The site's new navigation features include a searchable database and a global map that make it very accessible to specialists and non–specialists of English. Performers around the world (the site has over one million hits a year) use the site to research accents and dialects for English-speaking performances. IDEA's audience has expanded beyond theater professionals to users in academe in the social sciences and humanities as well as international business. The site is also relevant for anyone who has an interest in the ways that location and culture influence the spoken English language.
Partridge in print and online
Authors: Robinson J. P.
Published: August 2013

Eric Partridge's A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, first published in 1937, ran to 8 editions culminating in 1984 and is widely acknowledged as the definitive record of twentieth-century British slang. The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English (NPD) maintains the tradition impressively, enhanced by a more conventional approach to citing sources, a broader focus to include examples of colloquial and vernacular vocabulary worldwide and prominence given to usage since 1945. A thousand new entries from the UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, India, South Africa, Ireland and the Caribbean, and increased representation of the language of social media, document linguistic innovation and/or reflect more sophisticated lexical data capture since the previous print edition of 2006. The 19 pages of introductory text outline criteria for inclusion, describe the structure of entries and provide a fascinating set of observations on slang drawn from Partridge's many published works. With over 60,000 entries the second edition of NPD is complemented for the first time by Partridge Slang Online (PSO), a resource which offers new ways to access and interrogate the data.
Poisoned chalice? English at an Islamic university in Kerala
Authors: Muneer Hudawi A. K.
Published: August 2013

Post 9/11, traditional Islamic educational institutions, better known by their Arabic name ‘madrasas’, have been catapulted into the foreground of heated and at times shrill debates on modernization and reform (Malik, 2008; Noor et al., 2008; Riaz, 2008; Hefner, 2009). Discussions on reforming the madrasa system revolve around, among other things, introducing ‘modern’ education in the madrasas and the role of English in this process. Contrary to popular assumptions, however, such tensions are nothing new. On the contrary, the madrasa has witnessed recurrent attempts at reform in Muslim societies during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Since the eleventh century, when it first emerged as the pivotal centre of Islamic higher learning, the madrasa has undergone many changes, adapting in varying degrees to local cultures and changing times (Zaman, 1999). Nevertheless, these changes and reforms may not necessarily conform to the standards set by Western liberalism and it would be a gross mistake to judge the success, merit and relevance of the madrasa through the prism of such a discourse, given that the very raison d'être of madrasas is the production, dissemination, promotion and preservation of Islamic learning in a modern world which has brought into sharp relief the divide between the religious and the private on the one hand, and the secular and the public on the other, a distinction with little precedent in earlier Muslim societies. It is modernity that constructed the notion of religion as occupying a distinct sphere in society. Developments in modern Europe, and especially the impact of the Enlightenment, have led not merely to the subordination of religion to the state or the confinement of the former to the sphere of ‘private’ life but also to ‘the construction of religion as a new historical object: anchored in personal experience, expressible as belief-statements, dependent on private institutions, and practised in one's spare time. This construction of religion ensures that it is part of what is inessential to our common politics, economy, science, and morality’ (Asad, 1993: 207).
Teaching English as a foreign language in China: looking back and forward
Authors: Rao Zhenhui
Published: August 2013

In the past 30 years, China's open-door policy and rapid economic growth have been accelerating English as a foreign language (hereafter EFL) teaching in an unprecedented way. To facilitate the learning process for students, English teachers in China have switched from using traditional ways of teaching English to adopting a variety of modern English teaching methods from the West (Rao, 2002). Of all these imported methods, Communicative Language Teaching (hereafter CLT) is the most popular and widespread one in Chinese schools. However, conflicts have appeared in the process of this transformation. On the one hand, the Chinese government and education administrators are aware of the importance of English communicative competence as contact with foreigners speaking English increases. On the other hand, some problems in the current English teaching prevent teachers from getting their students involved in the communicative activities in their teaching process. They still cling to the traditional teaching methods and techniques. In this paper, I trace the development of EFL teaching in China, analyze some difficulties and challenges that EFL teachers and learners must face, and look at the prospects for EFL teaching in China in the future.
Grammatical number of English nouns in English Learners' Dictionaries
Authors: Zou Xiao-Ling , Feng Ju-Lan , Zheng Ya-Ping
Published: August 2013

Chinese and English belong to different language families, so they often have different forms of expression. Chinese has no definite grammatical category of number and has almost no number inflection. Plural meaning is usually implied in the syntactic structure or in the context by a bare noun, or is expressed through the plural marker 们 and the numerical adjectives such as many, numerous and each, as well as by quantifiers and reduplications. However, English nouns express number category by inflection as well as by quantifiers at times, so their grammatical number is far more complicated than that of Chinese nouns. From the point of view of grammatical form, English nouns are often considered as countable and uncountable nouns. Uncountable nouns cannot be directly modified by a numeral without unit specification, nor can they be combined with an indefinite article. Thus, cheese is quantified as three slices of cheese. However, uncountable nouns can also be quantified without specifying a unit of measurement, such as much coal. A number of uncountable nouns can be used in the plural form to mean ‘a large amount of’ as in the following example from Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (hereinafter, LDCE) ‘The ship drifted into Turkish territorial waters’. In such cases, although water is uncountable, it has the plural form. In some cases, native English speakers can turn the theoretical uncountable nouns into countable ones (Landau, 2001). There seems to be no absolute boundary between countable and uncountable nouns.
Leisure-activity ESP as a special case of ELF: the example of scuba diving English
Authors: Schneider Edgar W.
Published: August 2013

It is well known that native speakers of English around the globe are by far outnumbered today by speakers of English as a second or as a foreign language (Crystal, 2008). English is thus regularly used as a lingua franca, i.e. an intermediary language used between speakers of various linguistic backgrounds, for transnational and intercultural communication in many domains of life (such as business, diplomacy, higher education, tourism, etc.). The study of conditions of using ‘English as a Lingua Franca’ (ELF), intrinsically connected to the fields of World Englishes and Second Language Acquisition (Schneider, 2012), has come to be a booming sub-field and topic of research in English linguistics over the past few years, as is indicated by the publication of a few textbooks, the establishment of a conference series, and the launch of a scholarly journal (JELF). The focus of these approaches has been on the functions, usage conditions, and practical applications of ELF (Seidlhofer, 2011), and also, though to a lesser extent, on any characteristic structural properties (Dewey, 2007; Jenkins, Cogo & Dewey, 2011; Cogo & Dewey, 2012). Clearly, ELF can be found in a wide range of possible applications and contexts, as Cogo & Dewey (2012: 31) have stated: ‘As a natural phenomenon of sociolinguistic variation, ELF includes all types of communicative events, from the transactional to the interactional, and various possible settings, such as the institutional and the casual.’ It is considered to be independent of the interactants' native-speaker status: prototypically ELF involves communication between non-native speakers of English, but sometimes native speakers participate in such encounters as well. It centrally involves accommodation, negotiation and adjustment of forms to achieve successful communication.
China's Economic Offensive and Taiwan's Defensive Measures: Cross-Strait Fruit Trade, 2005–2008
Authors: Wei Chi-hung
Published: August 2013

This article explains how Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration was able to restrict cross-Strait fruit trade and resist China's “fruit offensive” in a democratic setting. During 2004–2005, China implemented various preferential policies for the importation of Taiwanese fruit and wooed Taiwanese farmers in the rural south, where political support for the DPP was concentrated. However, trade statistics show that cross-Strait fruit trade only increased slightly, making up just 4 or 5 per cent of Taiwan's total fruit exports during 2005–2008. I argue that focusing solely on regime type ignores the formal and informal policy instruments a democratic state can wield to manage its commercial ties with, and resist economic offensives from, other states. Cross-Strait fruit trade was limited because the DPP used legal as well as corporatist informal policy instruments to resist China's fruit offensive. I conclude that state–society institutional relations explain cross-Strait economic relations and economic statecraft better than regime type alone.