bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Phase and Morphology of Cu2ZnSnSe4 Nanopowders by Hydrothermal Method
Authors: Liu Kegao , Ji Nianjing , Shi Ludan , Liu Hong
Published: October 2014

Quaternary compound Cu2ZnSnSe4 (CTZSe) which belonged to I2‐II‐IV‐VI4 group, without rare elements, can be considered as the perfect material for absorbing layer in eco‐friendly solar cells due to low cost and high efficiency. The CTZSe powders were synthesized by hydrothermal coreduction method from metal chlorides and SeO2 with reducing agent hydrazine hydrate at 160~200°C. The phases of obtained products were analyzed by X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and the size and morphology were observed by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). Experimental results show that well crystallized Cu2ZnSnSe4 powders without Se impurities can be obtained by reacting at 200°C for 90 h. The three strong XRD peaks of these products are corresponding to (112), (204), and (312) crystal planes, respectively. The morphologies of these products mostly show irregular polygon flakes with about 30~40 nm thickness and 50~200 nm diameters.
Asymptotic Behavior of the Solutions of System of Difference Equations of Exponential Form
Authors: Van Khuong Vu , Hong Thai Tran
Published: October 2014

The goal of this paper is to study the boundedness, the persistence, and the asymptotic behavior of the positive solutions of the system of two difference equations of exponential form: xn+1=a+be-yn+ce-xn/d+hyn, yn+1=a+be-xn+ce-yn/d+hxn, where a, b, c, d, and h are positive constants and the initial values x0, y0 are positive real values. Also, we determine the rate of convergence of a solution that converges to the equilibrium E=(x-,y-) of this system.
Trust-Based Access Control Model from Sociological Approach in Dynamic Online Social Network Environment
Authors: Baek Seungsoo , Kim Seungjoo
Published: October 2014

There has been an explosive increase in the population of the OSN (online social network) in recent years. The OSN provides users with many opportunities to communicate among friends and family. Further, it facilitates developing new relationships with previously unknown people having similar beliefs or interests. However, the OSN can expose users to adverse effects such as privacy breaches, the disclosing of uncontrolled material, and the disseminating of false information. Traditional access control models such as MAC, DAC, and RBAC are applied to the OSN to address these problems. However, these models are not suitable for the dynamic OSN environment because user behavior in the OSN is unpredictable and static access control imposes a burden on the users to change the access control rules individually. We propose a dynamic trust-based access control for the OSN to address the problems of the traditional static access control. Moreover, we provide novel criteria to evaluate trust factors such as sociological approach and evaluate a method to calculate the dynamic trust values. The proposed method can monitor negative behavior and modify access permission levels dynamically to prevent the indiscriminate disclosure of information.
S100A8 and S100A9 Positive Cells in Colorectal Carcinoma: Clinicopathological Analysis
Authors: Başsorgun Cumhur İbrahim , Ünal Betül , Erin Nuray , Özlük Anıl , Uzun Özlem Ceren , Elpek Gülsüm Özlem
Published: October 2014

Introduction. In colorectal carcinoma, tumoral tissues infiltrate with various immune/inflammatory cells along their invasive margins and the increased S100A8/A9 expression in these immune cells infiltrating the tumor has recently been demonstrated. We examined S100A8/A9 as a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of colorectal carcinoma.Materials and Methods. The current study included a sample of 80 patients diagnosed with CRC (30 cases with distant metastasis, 30 cases with lymph node metastasis, and 20 cases with no metastasis). Peritumoral and intratumoral S100A8 and S100A9 expressing inflammatory cells were counted in primary tumors and their metastasis and correlated with clinicopathological parameters.Results. The peritumoral and intratumoral S100A8/A9 positive cells showed no correlation with age, gender, or depth of tumor invasion. However higher counts of peritumoral and intratumoral S100A8/A9 positive cells were associated with larger tumor size, higher grade, and the presence of metastasis(P<0.05).Conclusion. Our study also found significantly higher number of S100A8/A9 positive cells in the tumor microenvironment among patients with large tumor size, high grade, and metastatic disease. Moreover, in our study, we observed that the expression in the tumor metastasis appeared similar to that of primary tumor.
Image Segmentation and Analysis of Flexion-Extension Radiographs of Cervical Spines
Authors: Enikov Eniko T. , Anton Rein
Published: October 2014

We present a new analysis tool for cervical flexion-extension radiographs based on machine vision and computerized image processing. The method is based on semiautomatic image segmentation leading to detection of common landmarks such as the spinolaminar (SL) line or contour lines of the implanted anterior cervical plates. The technique allows for visualization of the local curvature of these landmarks during flexion-extension experiments. In addition to changes in the curvature of the SL line, it has been found that the cervical plates also deform during flexion-extension examination. While extension radiographs reveal larger curvature changes in the SL line, flexion radiographs on the other hand tend to generate larger curvature changes in the implanted cervical plates. Furthermore, while some lordosis is always present in the cervical plates by design, it actually decreases during extension and increases during flexion. Possible causes of this unexpected finding are also discussed. The described analysis may lead to a more precise interpretation of flexion-extension radiographs, allowing diagnosis of spinal instability and/or pseudoarthrosis in already seemingly fused spines.
Hypopigmented Mycosis Fungoides versus Mycosis Fungoides with Concomitant Hypopigmented Lesions: Same Disease or Different Variants of Mycosis Fungoides?
Authors: Furlan Fabricio C. , Pereira Bruna A. , Sotto Mirian N. , Sanches José Antonio
Published: October 2014

Background: Hypopigmented mycosis fungoides (HMF) is a rare subtype of mycosis fungoides (MF). We compared patients with exclusive hypopigmented lesions with a group of MF patients with concomitant different lesions. Methods: 20 patients with HMF only and 14 patients with hypopigmented lesions concomitant with other types of lesions (mixed MF, MMF) were selected. Clinical-epidemiological analysis as well as histological and immunohistochemical studies were performed. Results: HMF and MMF preserve some similarities, like predilection for dark-skinned persons and slow progression, but they also present differences: the exclusive variant is associated with early onset and a clear CD8+ immunophenotype, whereas MMF patients tend to present a predominance of CD4+ cell infiltrates. Histological analysis revealed similar findings; relapsing courses were common. Conclusion: Whether patients are suffering from exclusive HMF or MMF, the presence of hypopigmented lesions can be considered a marker of good prognosis in MF, since both groups presented similar data, such as staging and disease duration.
Seasonal Variation in Cell Proliferation and Cell Migration in the Brain of Adult Red-Sided Garter Snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis)
Authors: Maine Ashley R. , Powers Sean D. , Lutterschmidt Deborah I.
Published: October 2014

Plasticity in the adult central nervous system has been described in all vertebrate classes as well as in some invertebrate groups. However, the limited taxonomic diversity represented in the current neurogenesis literature limits our ability to assess the functional significance of adult neurogenesis for natural behaviors as well as the evolution of its regulatory mechanisms. In the present study, we used free-ranging red-sided garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis) to test the hypothesis that seasonal shifts in physiology and behavior are associated with seasonal variation in postembryonic neurogenesis. Specifically, we used the thymidine analog 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BrdU) to determine if the rates of cell proliferation in the adult brain vary between male snakes collected during spring and fall at 1, 5, and 10 days post-BrdU treatment. To assess rates of cell migration within the brain, we further categorized BrdU-labeled cells according to their location within the ventricular zone or parenchymal region. BrdU-labeled cells were localized mainly within the lateral, dorsal, and medial cortex, septal nucleus, nucleus sphericus, preoptic area, and hypothalamus. In all regions, the number of BrdU-labeled cells in the ventricular zone was higher in the fall compared to spring. In the parenchymal region, a significantly higher number of labeled cells was also observed during the fall, but only within the nucleus sphericus and the combined preoptic area/hypothalamus. The immunoreactive cell number did not vary significantly with days post-BrdU treatment in either season or in any brain region. While it is possible that the higher rates of cell proliferation in the fall simply reflect increased growth of all body tissues, including the brain, our data show that seasonal changes in cell migration into the parenchyma are region specific. In red-sided garter snakes and other reptiles, the dorsal and medial cortex is important for spatial navigation and memory, whereas the nucleus sphericus, septal nucleus, and preoptic area/hypothalamus are central to reproductive regulation. Thus, our results provide support for the hypothesis that adult neurogenesis plays a role in mediating seasonal rhythms in migratory and reproductive behaviors.
Genetic Variants in ICAM1, PPARGC1A and MTHFR Are Potentially Associated with Different Phenotypes of Diabetic Retinopathy
Authors: Simões Maria José , Lobo Conceição , Egas Conceição , Nunes Sandrina , Carmona Susana , Costa Miguel Ângelo , Duarte Tânia , Ribeiro Luísa , Faro Carlos , Cunha-Vaz José G.
Published: October 2014

Purpose: To explore phenotype-genotype correlations that may contribute to a better understanding of diabetic retinopathy (DR). Procedures: An exploratory association study was performed to identify genetic variants associated with non-proliferative DR (NPDR) in 307 type 2 diabetic patients who were previously stratified into 3 different phenotypes of NPDR progression. The 307 patients were genotyped for 174 single nucleotide polymorphisms of 11 candidate genes (ACE, AGER, AKR1B1, ICAM1, MTHFR, NOS1, NOS3, PPARGC1A, TGFB1, TNF and VEGFA). Results: Significant associations were observed for PPARGC1A rs16874120 with phenotype A (odds ratio, OR = 0.60, 95% confidence interval, CI 0.36-0.99), ICAM1 rs1801714 with phenotype B (OR = 3.32, 95% CI 1.05-10.50) and both PPARGC1A rs10213440 (OR = 2.00, 95% CI 1.07-3.73) and MTHFR rs1801133 (OR = 1.84, 95% CI 1.08-3.11) with phenotype C. Conclusions: Results indicate that specific gene variants in ICAM1, PPARGC1A and MTHFR are associated with different NPDR phenotypes, being likely candidates to explain different disease mechanisms underlying the different phenotypes. This is the first study to show correlations between specific gene variants and NPDR phenotypes, opening new perspectives on DR.
Chromosome 20 Aberrations at the Diploid-Aneuploid Transition in Sporadic Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Maffei Massimo , Mongera Sandra , Terpstra Libia , Donadini Alessandra , Voorham Quirinus J.M. , Meijer Gerrit A. , Giaretti Walter , Carvalho Beatriz , Castagnola Patrizio
Published: October 2014

DNA aneuploid sublines in sporadic colorectal cancers (CRCs) are quite frequent (about 85%) and likely the consequence of chromosomal instability and DNA copy number aberrations (CNAs). In order to gain insight into the mechanisms of the diploid-aneuploid transition in CRCs, we compared the CNA status in both diploid and aneuploid sublines. We used fresh/frozen material from 17 aneuploid CRCs, which was separated into 17 DNA diploid and 17 aneuploid sublines using enrichment of the epithelial component by multiparameter flow cytometry and sorting. CNA status of both sublines was obtained by array comparative genomic hybridization. The DNA diploid sublines from the aneuploid CRCs showed already CNAs, in particular, gains at 20p and 20q. The same aberrations were detected at increased frequencies in the corresponding DNA aneuploid sublines. Moreover, the very frequent gains/losses of chromosomes 4, 7, 8, 13, 15, and 18 in the DNA aneuploid sublines were absent or rare in the DNA diploid sublines from the same sporadic aneuploid CRCs. The comparison of the DNA diploid and aneuploid sublines from aneuploid CRCs suggests that 20p and 20q gains may play a role in the diploid-aneuploid transition. The 20q chromosomal arm appears of particular interest since it harbors several genes implicated in chromosomal instability.
Brain, Heart and Kidney Correlate for the Control of Blood Pressure and Water Balance: Role of Angiotensinases
Authors: Prieto Isabel , Villarejo Ana B. , Segarra Ana B. , Banegas Inmaculada , Wangensteen Rosemary , Martinez-Cañamero Magdalena , de Gasparo Marc , Vives Francisco , Ramírez-Sánchez Manuel
Published: October 2014

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays a major role in the control of blood pressure (BP) and water balance by coordinating brain, heart and kidney functions, connected with each other by hormonal and neural mechanisms through the autonomic nervous system (ANS). RAS function may be monitored by the study of the enzymes (angiotensinases) involved in the metabolism of its active peptides. In order to study the relationship between the brain-heart-kidney axis and the control of BP and water balance, we analyzed the correlation of angiotensinase activities, assayed as arylamidase activities, between hypothalamus, left ventricle, renal cortex and renal medulla, collected from Wistar-Kyoto and spontaneously hypertensive rats, treated or not treated with L-NAME [N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester]. This compound not only inhibits the formation of nitric oxide but also disrupts the normal function of the ANS activating the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) to increase BP. In addition, to assess the influence of the SNS, we studied the effect of its blockade by treatment of both strains with propranolol. The present results support the notion that RAS function of the brain-heart-kidney axis, as reflected by the activities of angiotensinases, is reciprocally connected by afferent and efferent mechanisms between these locations, presumably through the ANS. These results reveal new aspects of neuroendocrine regulation possibly involving the ANS.
A taxonomic revision of the genus Pauridia (Hypoxidaceae) in southern Africa
Authors: SNIJMAN DEIRDRE A.
Published: October 2014

Pauridia, a genus confined to southern Africa, Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand, is distinguished from other genera of Hypoxidaceae by the synapomorphic mucilage canals above the vascular bundles of the leaves and the disulcate, micro-echinate pollen grains, apart from the secondarily derived trisulcate state in one of the Australian species. The majority of species (86%) are endemic to southern Africa, mostly in seasonally damp sites within the winter rainfall and all-year-round rainfall regions of Namibia and South Africa. The Australian, Tasmanian and New Zealand taxa were revised by Henderson (1987) and the African taxa were revised by Nel in 1914. The difficulties of applying Nel’s classification to the wealth of new material collected within the last century duly prompted a revision of Pauridia in southern Africa. Thirty species and three subspecies are recognised in this work, which includes a key to the species and full descriptions of all the southern African taxa, together with the updated nomenclature, geographic distribution, discussion on diagnostic characters and putative relationships of each. Four new species, P. breviscapa, P. maryae, P. monticola, and P. pudica and two new subspecies, P. monticola subsp. nubigena, P. gracilipes subsp. speciosa are described and illustrated, adding to the four other southern African species described subsequent to Nel’s revision. P. acida, a high altitude species that appears to flower after fire, remains poorly understood and one taxon, though almost certainly distinct, has been left unnamed until more complete material becomes available. The study of morphology, leaf anatomy and seed micromorphology suggests that the floral bracts and seeds are most helpful in revealing putative relationships among species. These characters are nevertheless insufficiently discrete to allow the recognition of formal infrageneric taxa. The northwestern and southwestern Cape has the highest concentration of species and according to IUCN criteria is home to three Endangered species (P. canaliculata, P. maximiliani, P. pygmaea) and two Vulnerable species (P. alba, P. linearis), found mainly in the lowland areas where natural habitats have been extensively fragmented.
A new genus and two new species of Luzarinae cricket from the Atlantic Forest of Northeast Brazil (Orthoptera, Grylloidea)
Authors: SOUZA-DIAS PEDRO G. B. , DESUTTER-GRANDCOLAS LAURE
Published: October 2014

A new genus and two new species of Luzarinae crickets (Grylloidea, Phalangopsidae) are described from the Atlantic Forest of Northeast Brazil. Marcgraviella muriciensis Souza-Dias n. gen., n. sp. and M. christianae Desutter-Grandcolas & Souza-Dias n. gen., n. sp. are described using characters of morphology and male genitalia. The new genus is characterized by male genitalia singularities, presenting elongated and inflatable pseudepiphallic parameres, which lies in vertical or almost vertical position, and long and tubular pseudepiphallic arms associated to phallic glands. We provide a discussion about the morphology of male genitalia and the function of the phallic glands and pseudepiphallic arms in Marcgraviella n. gen. and related taxa. An identification key for Marcgraviella n. gen. and related genera is proposed. These genera, which bear phallic glands, are placed in the newly named group, the Aracambiae.
One new species of Micronephthys Friedrich, 1939 and one new species of
Nephtys Cuvier, 1817 (Polychaeta: Phyllodocida: Nephtyidae)
from eastern Australia with notes on Aglaophamus australiensis (Fauchald, 1965) and a key to all Australian species
Authors: DIXON-BRIDGES KYLIE , GLADSTONE WILLIAM , HUTCHINGS PAT
Published: October 2014

There are currently over 130 described species of Nephtyidae worldwide, with 18 species known from Australian waters belonging to four genera. Two new species are described, Micronephthys derupeli n. sp., and Nephtys triangula n. sp., from Eastern Australia. Descriptions are provided for all species examined. Comments are given about the recent transfer of Nephtys australiensis to Aglaophamus. A key to all Australian species of nephtyids is provided.
Morphological and molecular analysis of the genus Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) in Slovakia with five new records
Authors: SARVAŠOVÁ ADELA , KOČIŠOVÁ ALICA , HALÁN MILOŠ , DELÉCOLLE JEAN-CLAUDE , MATHIEU BRUNO
Published: October 2014

The biodiversity of Culicoides from eastern Slovakia was investigated by light trapping. An integrative taxonomy approach combining DNA barcode sequence and morphological analyses was used to accurately identify specimens. Five species were newly recorded from Slovakia: Culicoides picturatus Kremer & Deduit, C. gejgelensis Dzhafarov, C. clastrieri Callot et al., C. griseidorsum Kieffer and C. odiatus Austen. The checklist of the Culicoides species recorded from SK has been updated to 63 species and barcode sequence data is provided for 8 species not previously available on GenBank. Conflict between results from molecular and morphological analyses resulted in the discovery of some potentially new cryptic species and the inability of DNA barcodes to distinguish C. festivipennis Kieffer from C. clastrieri, C. salinarius Kieffer from C. manchuriensis Tokunaga and C. pallidicornis Kieffer from C. subfasciipennis Kieffer. These conflicts suggest further study is required to clarify the status of these species.
1. Culture, Heritage, and Ethics
Authors: Sandis Constantine
Published: October 2014

Sandis begins by analysing contemporary understandings of heritage, pointing out that often it assumes touristic associations. However, she argues that heritage can be non-cultural, or even anti-cultural, and may not explicitly relate to the past, or be a celebration of the past. She goes on to discuss the rights relating to heritage, and concludes with the statement that heritage, cultural or otherwise, is not always positive.
2. Poppy Politics: Remembrance of Things Present
Authors: Fox James
Published: October 2014

In November 2011 a scandal was ignited when FIFA (the international football governing body) refused to allow the English football team to wear remembrance poppies on their shirts for a match against Spain. FIFA had long enforced a universal ban on the wearing of political symbols during its games, but under intense pressure from both the government and the Royal Family it finally relented. British lobbyists had argued that the poppy was a 'universal symbol of remembrance', and had no political, religious or commercial connotations. This essay will explore the origins and development of Britain's rituals of remembrance, and will argue that the poppy is far less neutral than its supporters had claimed. It will show that in fact the poppy had deeply political associations that legitimised the conflict that they ostensibly seemed to condemn.
3. The Meaning of the Public in an Age of Privatisation
Authors: Ramm Benjamin
Published: October 2014

The New Right speaks of the private realm as the abode of meaning. This essay explores how this attack on the value of shared culture has impoverished citizens, by robbing them of a vocabulary with which to makes sense of the world. The neoliberal concept of 'private persons, public consumers' has little time for public memory - a context in which museums take on radical new meaning.
5. Looking at the Acropolis of Athens from Modern Times to Antiquity
Authors: St Clair William
Published: October 2014

Clair’s essay is rich in information with regard to the Acropolis, and it provides the reader with a set of possible perceptions of the site. He also looks into how people understand heritage, and proposes ‘medium’ as a method of doing so. He touches upon how multiple layers of our understanding of heritage can inform and shape what we ‘do’ about heritage.
10. Restitution
Authors: Jones Mark
Published: October 2014

This paper considers the arguments for restitution of cultural property and tests them against some well-known contested objects. While recognising the difficulty of reaching agreement it suggests ways in which contested objects might become catalysts for international partnership.
11. The Possibilities and Perils of Heritage Management
Authors: Brown Michael F.
Published: October 2014

Although the right of communities to practice their culture and defend it from unwanted appropriation is widely regarded as a human right, the precise means by which this right can be defended and administered remains uncertain. The very notion of ‘managing’ a society’s multiple forms of collective expression entails a degree of objectification that poses a potential threat to culture’s inherent (and necessary) fluidity. This chapter considers the challenge of finding an appropriate balance between ethical considerations and the Law of Unintended Consequences in the vexed arena of heritage protection. Using brief case studies, Brown highlights the tendency of heritage protection strategies to gravitate to top-down, ‘patrimonial’ models of control that treat culture as a commodity. The chapter concludes by making the ethical case for more informal and flexible approaches to heritage protection that forsake comprehensiveness in the interest of accommodating every culture’s need to borrow, remix, and adapt in order to remain vibrant.
13. Safeguarding Heritage: From Legal Rights over Objects to Legal Rights for Individuals and Communities?
Authors: Cornu Marie
Published: October 2014

Legally, there are many different ways to organise the connection between memory, history and heritage and, in this respect, diversity rules. Cornu looks at French Law as an example of heritage with regard to memory and history and gives the 2003 UNESCO Convention as a case study which showcases the point at which the concept of intangible heritage was introduced into international law for the first time. Cornu demonstrates that the boundary of what constitutes heritage within law has undoubtedly changed.
Sea Level Forecasts and Early-Warning Application: Expanding Cooperation in the South Pacific
Authors: Chowdhury Md. Rashed , Chu Pao-Shin
Published: October 2014

Because of the need for information related to the variability and predictability of sea level on season-to-longer time scales, the Pacific ENSO Applications Climate (PEAC) Center runs the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-based canonical correlation analysis (CCA) statistical model to generate sea level forecasts for the U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI) region with lead times of 3–6 months in advance. However, in order to meet the increasing demand for longer lead-time (e.g., 6–12 months) forecasts, the PEAC Center, as part of the advances in operational sea level forecasts, recently incorporated both SST and zonal wind components of trade winds (U) for modulating sea level variability on longer time scales. The combined SST and U-based forecasts are found to be more skillful on longer time scales. This improvement has enabled the capability of our clients in the USAPI region to develop a more efficient long-term response plan for hazard management.

In a recent “Regional Integrated Water Level Service” meeting, it was revealed that the development and distribution of “seasonal water level outlooks” in the Pacific basin region is an area of mutual interest. We therefore synthesize the current operational forecasting, warning, and response activities of the PEAC Center and discuss the manner in which our experience in the USAPI region can contribute to the development of adaptation strategies for longer time-scale climate variability and change for the non-USAPI region in the south Pacific.
Measurements of Differential Reflectivity in Snowstorms and Warm Season Stratiform Systems
Authors: Williams Earle R. , Smalley David J. , Donovan Michael F. , Hallowell Robert G. , Hood Kenta T. , Bennett Betty J. , Evaristo Raquel , Stepanek Adam , Bals-Elsholz Teresa , Cobb Jacob , Ritzman Jaclyn , Korolev Alexei , Wolde Mengistu
Published: October 2014

The organized behavior of differential radar reflectivity (ZDR) is documented in the cold regions of a wide variety of stratiform precipitation types occurring in both winter and summer. The radar targets and attendant cloud microphysical conditions are interpreted within the context of measurements of ice crystal types in laboratory diffusion chambers in which humidity and temperature are both stringently controlled. The overriding operational interest here is in the identification of regions prone to icing hazards with long horizontal paths. Two predominant regimes are identified: category A, which is typified by moderate reflectivity (from 10 to 30 dBZ) and modest +ZDR values (from 0 to +3 dB) in which both supercooled water and dendritic ice crystals (and oriented aggregates of ice crystals) are present at a mean temperature of −13°C, and category B, which is typified by small reflectivity (from −10 to +10 dBZ) and the largest +ZDR values (from +3 to +7 dB), in which supercooled water is dilute or absent and both flat-plate and dendritic crystals are likely. The predominant positive values for ZDR in many case studies suggest that the role of an electric field on ice particle orientation is small in comparison with gravity. The absence of robust +ZDR signatures in the trailing stratiform regions of vigorous summer squall lines may be due both to the infusion of noncrystalline ice particles (i.e., graupel and rimed aggregates) from the leading deep convection and to the effects of the stronger electric fields expected in these situations. These polarimetric measurements and their interpretations underscore the need for the accurate calibration of ZDR.
Microphysical Characteristics of Overshooting Convection from Polarimetric Radar Observations
Authors: Homeyer Cameron R. , Kumjian Matthew R.
Published: October 2014

The authors present observations of the microphysical characteristics of deep convection that overshoots the altitude of the extratropical tropopause from analysis of the polarimetric radar variables of radar reflectivity factor at horizontal polarization ZH, differential reflectivity ZDR, and specific differential phase KDP. Identified overshooting convective storms are separated by their organization and intensity into three classifications: organized convection, discrete ordinary convection, and discrete supercell convection. Composite analysis of identified storms for each classification reveals microphysical features similar to those found in previous studies of deep convection, with deep columns of highly positive ZDR and KDP representing lofting of liquid hydrometeors within the convective updraft and above the melting level. In addition, organized and discrete supercell classifications show distinct near-zero ZDR minima aligned horizontally with and at altitudes higher than the updraft column features, likely indicative of the frequent presence of large hail in each case. Composites for organized convective systems show a similar ZDR minimum throughout the portion of the convective core that is overshooting the tropopause, corresponding to ZH in the range of 15–30 dBZ and negative KDP observations, in agreement with the scattering properties of small hail and/or lump or conical graupel. Additional analyses of the evolution of overshooting storms reveals that the ZDR minima indicative of hail in the middle and upper troposphere and graupel in the overshooting top are associated with the mature and decaying stages of overshooting, respectively, supporting their inferred contributions to the observed polarimetric fields.
Scenarios of Future Snow Conditions in Styria (Austrian Alps)
Authors: Marke Thomas , Strasser Ulrich , Hanzer Florian , Stötter Johann , Wilcke Renate Anna Irma , Gobiet Andreas
Published: October 2014

A hydrometeorological model chain is applied to investigate climate change effects on natural and artificial snow conditions in the Schladming region in Styria (Austria). Four dynamically refined realizations of the IPCC A1B scenario covering the warm/cold and wet/dry bandwidth of projected changes in temperature and precipitation in the winter half-year are statistically downscaled and bias corrected prior to their application as input for a physically based, distributed energy-balance snow model. However, owing to the poor skills in the reproduction of past climate and snow conditions in the considered region, one realization had to be removed from the selection to avoid biases in the results of the climate change impact analysis. The model’s capabilities in the simulation of natural and artificial snow conditions are evaluated and changes in snow conditions are addressed by comparing the number of snow cover days, the length of the ski season, and the amounts of technically produced snow as simulated for the past and the future. The results for natural snow conditions indicate decreases in the number of snow cover days and the ski season length of up to >25 and >35 days, respectively. The highest decrease in the calculated ski season length has been found for elevations between 1600 and 2700 m MSL, with an average decrease rate of ~2.6 days decade−1. For the exemplary ski site considered, the ski season length simulated for natural snow conditions decreases from >50 days at present to ~40 days in the 2050s. Technical snow production allows the season to be prolonged by ~80 days and hence allows ski season lengths of ~120 days until the end of the scenario period in 2050.
Semicompressible Ocean Dynamics
Authors: Dewar W. K. , Schoonover J. , McDougall T. J. , Young W. R.
Published: October 2014

The equations of motion are reexamined with the objective of improving upon the Boussinesq approximation. The authors derive new equations that conserve energy, filter out sound waves, are more accurate than the Boussinesq set, and are computationally competitive with them. The new equations are partly enabled by exploiting a reversible exchange between internal and gravitational potential fluid energy. To improve upon these equations appears to require the inclusion of acoustics, at which point one should use full Navier–Stokes. This study recommends the new sets for testing in general circulation modeling.
Impact of Data Assimilation on ECCO2 Equatorial Undercurrent and North Equatorial Countercurrent in the Pacific Ocean
Authors: Halpern David , Menemenlis Dimitris , Wang Xiaochun
Published: October 2014

The impact of data assimilation on the transports of eastward-flowing Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) and North Equatorial Countercurrent (NECC) in the Pacific Ocean from 145°E to 95°W during 2004–05 and 2009–11 was assessed. Two Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean, Phase II (ECCO2), solutions were analyzed: one with data assimilation and one without. Assimilated data included satellite observations of sea surface temperature and ocean surface topography, in which the sampling patterns were approximately uniform over the 5 years, and in situ measurements of subsurface salinity and temperature profiles, in which the sampling patterns varied considerably in space and time throughout the 5 years. Velocity measurements were not assimilated. The impact of data assimilation was considered significant when the difference between the transports computed with and without data assimilation was greater than 5.5 × 106 m3 s−1 (or 5.5 Sv; 1 Sv ≡ 106 m3 s−1) for the EUC and greater than 5.0 Sv for the NECC. In addition, the difference of annual-mean transports computed from 3-day-averaged data was statistically significant at the 95% level. The impact of data assimilation ranged from no impact to very substantial impact when data assimilation increased the EUC transport and decreased the NECC transport. The study’s EUC results had some correspondence with other studies and no simple agreement or disagreement pattern emerged among all studies of the impact of data assimilation. No comparable study of the impact of data assimilation on the NECC has been made.
The Major Stratospheric Sudden Warming of January 2013: Analyses and Forecasts in the GEOS-5 Data Assimilation System
Authors: Coy Lawrence , Pawson Steven
Published: October 2014

The major stratospheric sudden warming (SSW) of 6 January 2013 is examined using output from the NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) Goddard Earth Observing System version 5 (GEOS-5) near-real-time data assimilation system (DAS). GEOS-5 analyses showed that the SSW of January 2013 was a major warming by 1200 UTC 6 January, with a wave-2 vortex-splitting pattern. Upward wave activity flux from the upper troposphere (~23 December 2012) displaced the ~10-hPa polar vortex off the pole in a wave-1 pattern, enabling the poleward advection of subtropical values of Ertel potential vorticity (EPV) into a developing anticyclonic circulation region. While the polar vortex subsequently split (wave-2 pattern) the wave-2 forcing [upward Eliassen–Palm (EP) flux] was smaller than what was found in recent wave-2, SSW events, with most of the forcing located in the Pacific hemisphere. Investigation of a rapidly developing tropospheric weather system over the North Atlantic on 28–29 December 2012 showed strong transient upward wave activity flux from the storm with influences up to 10 hPa; however, the Pacific hemisphere wave forcing remained dominate at this time. Results from the GEOS-5 five-day forecasts showed that the forecasts accurately predicted the major SSW of January 2013. The overall success of the 5-day forecasts provides motivation to produce regular 10-day forecasts with GEOS-5, to better support studies of stratosphere–troposphere interaction.
Tornadoes in Romania
Authors: Antonescu Bogdan , Bell Aurora
Published: October 2014

The first tornado climatology for Romania is presented based on datasets attained from three periods between 1822 and 2013. The historical period (1822–1944) contains 33 tornado reports originating from historical newspaper archives and publications of the Romanian Meteorological Institute. Evidence of tornado observations in Romania before the nineteenth century is found in the representation of tornadoes in the Romania folk mythology. The socialist period (1945–89) contains only seven tornado reports, likely because during this period it was believed that tornadoes did not occur in Romania. The recent period (1990–2013) contains 89 tornado reports that came from mass-media sources and eyewitness reports. Of the 129 tornadoes from the Romanian tornado database, 98 were reported between May and July with a peak in May (36 reports). Most of the tornadoes (28 reports) occurred during the afternoon hours 1500–1659 local time. Tornadoes were more frequently reported over eastern Romania compared with other regions of the country, with a maximum over southeastern Romania [0.37–0.45 (105 km2)−1 yr−1].
Can computers make the grade in writing exams?
Authors: Hadi-Tabassum Samina
Published: October 2014

Schools are scrambling to prepare students for the writing assessments aligned to the Common Core State Standards. In some states, writing has not been assessed for over a decade. Yet, with the use of computerized grading of the student’s writing, many teachers are wondering how to best prepare students for the writing assessments that will be evaluated through an algorithm. Will form now matter more than function?
Social-emotional skills can boost Common Core implementation
Authors: Elias Maurice J.
Published: October 2014

The same competencies neglected in the implementation of the Common Core are those that ultimately most help students become what the author calls college-ready, career-ready, and contribution-ready. These include communication, meta-cognition, resilient mindset, responsible character, and social-emotional learning, intertwined with academic knowledge. An example of the importance of these areas for successful Common Core implementation is provided in the context of a central Common Core focus: students’ deep engagement with text.
The primary years agenda
Authors: Jacobson David
Published: October 2014

School districts on the leading edge of the Birth through Third Grade movement have demonstrated unprecedented success raising the achievement of low-income students by developing coherent strategies focused on the early years of learning and development. These communities are not merely improving preschool. Rather, they are building aligned, high-quality early education systems. Building such systems requires that school and district leaders embrace improving early education as a strategic priority and provide leadership in implementing three overarching strategies in their communities.
PDK Connection
Authors: Patterson Gregory A.
Published: October 2014

News and information about the Phi Delta Kappa International family of associations. The PDK Educational Foundation awarded Innovation and Impact Grants to Jill Gonzalez-Bravo, Betty Hunt, and Isabel Morales. PDK Emerging Leader Danielle Dennis and George Sirrakos weigh in on teaching students how to become 21st century citizens.
Backtalk
Authors: Hahn Francis
Published: October 2014

English teacher Francis Hahn was tempted to accept the $5,000 stipend from the New Mexico Public Education Department. The state offered him a bonus because the percentage of of AP Lit students who passed the national AP exam increased in 2012. Hahn said he couldn’t accept the award because many people had contributed to his students’ success. He calls merit pay inequitable and divisive, and says it encourages teachers to emphasize tested material over other content, often comes in lieu of real wage increases, and encourages teachers to place their own interests ahead of their students’ interests.
The effect of ascorbic acid and fluid flow stimulation on the mechanical properties of a tissue engineered pelvic floor repair material
Authors: Osman Nadir I , Roman Sabiniano , Bullock Anthony J , Chapple Christopher R , MacNeil Sheila
Published: October 2014

Synthetic non-degradable meshes used in pelvic floor surgery can cause serious complications such as tissue erosion. A repair material composed of an autologous oral fibroblast seeded degradable polylactic acid scaffold may be a viable alternative. The aims of this study were to investigate the effects of media supplementation with additives (ascorbic acid-2-phosphate, glycolic acid and 17-β-oestradiol) on the mechanical properties of these scaffolds. Oral fibroblasts were isolated from buccal mucosa. The effects of the three additives were initially compared in two-dimensional culture to select the most promising collagen stimulating additive. Sterile electrospun scaffolds were seeded with 500,000 oral fibroblasts and fixed in 6-well plates and subjected to ascorbic acid-2-phosphate (the best performing additive) and/or mechanical stimulation. Mechanical stimulation by fluid shear stress was induced by rocking scaffolds on a platform shaker for 1 h/day for 10 of 14 days of culture. In two-dimensional culture, ascorbic acid-2-phosphate (concentrations from 0.02 mM to 0.04 M) and glycolic acid (10 µM) led to significantly greater total collagen production, but ascorbic acid-2-phosphate at 0.03 mM produced the greatest stimulation (of the order of >100%). In three-dimensional culture, mechanical stimulation alone gave non-significant increases in stiffness and strength. Ascorbic acid-2-phosphate (0.03 mM) significantly increased collagen production in the order 280% in both static and mechanically stimulated scaffolds (p < 0.0001). There was no additional effect of mechanical stimulation. Dense collagen I fibres were observed with ascorbic acid-2-phosphate supplementation. Uniaxial tensiometry showed that strength (p < 0.01) and stiffness (p <0.05) both improved significantly. A combination of ascorbic acid-2-phosphate and mechanical stimulation led to further non-signficant increases in strength and stiffness. In conclusion, a pelvic floor repair material with improved mechanical properties can be developed by supplementing culture media with ascorbic acid-2-phosphate to increase collagen I production. Future studies will assess the change in mechanical properties after implantation in an animal model.
Hip joint centre position estimation using a dual unscented Kalman filter for computer-assisted orthopaedic surgery
Authors: Beretta Elisa , De Momi Elena , Camomilla Valentina , Cereatti Andrea , Cappozzo Aurelio , Ferrigno Giancarlo
Published: October 2014

In computer-assisted knee surgery, the accuracy of the localization of the femur centre of rotation relative to the hip-bone (hip joint centre) is affected by the unavoidable and untracked pelvic movements because only the femoral pose is acquired during passive pivoting manoeuvres. We present a dual unscented Kalman filter algorithm that allows the estimation of the hip joint centre also using as input the position of a pelvic reference point that can be acquired with a skin marker placed on the hip, without increasing the invasiveness of the surgical procedure. A comparative assessment of the algorithm was carried out using data provided by in vitro experiments mimicking in vivo surgical conditions. Soft tissue artefacts were simulated and superimposed onto the position of a pelvic landmark. Femoral pivoting made of a sequence of star-like quasi-planar movements followed by a circumduction was performed. The dual unscented Kalman filter method proved to be less sensitive to pelvic displacements, which were shown to be larger during the manoeuvres in which the femur was more adducted. Comparable accuracy between all the analysed methods resulted for hip joint centre displacements smaller than 1 mm (error: 2.2 ± [0.2; 0.3] mm, median ± [inter-quartile range 25%; inter-quartile range 75%]) and between 1 and 6 mm (error: 4.8 ± [0.5; 0.8] mm) during planar movements. When the hip joint centre displacement exceeded 6 mm, the dual unscented Kalman filter proved to be more accurate than the other methods by 30% during multi-planar movements (error: 5.2 ± [1.2; 1] mm).
Psychology in the modern sense
Authors: Brock Adrian C.
Published: October 2014

The article addresses Daniel Robinson’s claim that the term, “modern psychology” is vague and imprecise. It points out that there is general agreement that the modern period of history begins no later than 1500 and that any psychology that existed after this date can be legitimately described as “modern.” It also suggests that the qualifier, “modern” is superfluous since there was no psychology prior to 1500.
Psychology as its history: A word more
Authors: Robinson Daniel N.
Published: October 2014

Assured by the editor of Theory & Psychology that this will close out the comments and replies on my earlier article (Robinson, 2013a, 2013b), I will consider the constructive and critical points raised by Pettit and Davidson (2014) and by Brock (2014). Brevity is in order here, lest readers be drawn into what finally seems to be a wrangle about nuances.
News place-making: applying ‘mental mapping’ to explore the journalistic interpretive community
Authors: Gutsche Robert E
Published: October 2014

Scholarship in visual communications, media, and geography explore how news media assign meanings to environment through narratives of and about place. In this study, however, the author aims to move scholarship from evaluating journalistic place representations to exploring the cultural and ideological processes of how these place representations come to be. Understanding how journalists construct place adds depth to knowledge about news as a social and cultural construction, and contributes to previous research on news place-characterizations. This study enacts a methodology called ‘mental mapping’ and serves as a call for communication scholars to consider such participatory methods. Data for this study come from interviews with 30 participants, including reporters from three newspapers, public officials, and residents of Iowa City, USA. In the end, this study identifies a visual methodology for exploring the role and influence of how journalists work and represent place in the news, a process the author calls news place-making.
Natural Cuban zeolites for medical use and their histamine binding capacity
Authors: Selvam T. , Schwieger W. , Dathe W.
Published: October 2014

The work reported herein involves the characterization of natural zeolites from two different mines (San Andrés and Tasajeras; Cuba) using XRD, SEM, TG-DTA, ICP and surface area measurements. In addition, the chemical composition of zeolites, the heavy metal and environmental organic toxins content, the ion exchange rates, stability under biological conditions using simulated body fluids as well as the binding capacity for histamine have been investigated with a view to using them as medical products. The investigated zeolites contain clinoptilolite and mordenite as major phases. Furthermore, the samples are apparently free from fibrous materials according to SEM observations. In particular, the San Andrés zeolite binds remarkable amounts of histamine which are nearly irreversible under acidic (pH = 1; 12.4 mg/g) and neutral conditions (pH = 7; 15.7 mg/g), respectively. Thus, the San Andrés sample may well be applied as a medical product due to its excellent binding capacity for histamine along with its remaining optimum physico-chemical characteristics.