bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spatiotemporal analysis of prior appropriations water calls
Authors: Elbakidze Levan , Shen Xiaozhe , Taylor Garth , Mooney Siân
Published: December 2011

A spatiotemporal model is developed to examine prior appropriations–based water curtailment in Idaho's Snake River Plain Aquifer. Using a 100 year horizon, prior appropriations–based curtailment supplemented with optimized water use reductions is shown to produce a spatial distribution of water use reductions that differs from that produced by regulatory curtailment based strictly on initial water right assignments. Discounted profits over 100 years of crop production are up to 7% higher when allocation is optimized. Total pumping over 100 years is 0.3%, 3%, and 40% higher under 1, 10, and 100 year prior appropriations–based regulatory curtailment, respectively.
Cross-Language Differences in Informational Masking of Speech by Speech: English Versus Mandarin Chinese
Authors: Wu Xihong , Yang Zhigang , Huang Ying , Chen Jing , Li Liang , Daneman Meredyth , Schneider Bruce A.
Published: December 2011

Purpose

The purpose of the study was to determine why perceived spatial separation provides a greater release from informational masking in Chinese than English when target sentences in each of the languages are masked by other talkers speaking the same language.

Method

Monolingual speakers of English and Mandarin Chinese listened to semantically anomalous sentences in their own language when 1 of 3 maskers was present (speech-spectrum noise, a 2-talker speech masker in the same language, and a 2-talker speech masker in the other language).

Results

Both groups benefitted equally from spatial separation when the maskers were speech-spectrum noise or cross-language. Chinese listeners benefitted less from spatial separation than did English listeners when a same-language masker was used. Performance was scored in terms of the number of target words correctly identified; because Chinese target words were composed of 2 “stand-alone” morphemes, the authors also scored Chinese target words as correct when either of the morphemes was correctly identified. When this was done, Chinese and English listeners benefitted equally from spatial separation in all conditions.

Conclusion

These results support a model in which release from informational masking in both monolingual English and Chinese listeners occurs because spatial separation facilitates morpheme access in both languages.
Collaborative Planning To Teach Strategies for the Language of Testing
Authors: Kumin Libby , Mason Gwendolyn
Published: December 2011

Language underlies learning in school settings. This paper describes a collaborative project to address the language of testing that children need to master to demonstrate their skills on statewide assessments. Two schools developed transdisciplinary teams to focus on the language of testing. School 1 focused on language skills in the area of reading for fifth graders and school 2 focused on language in the area of mathematics for children in the third through fifth grades. The methods and materials used are described in detail. Resources are provided that can be used to help children learn vocabulary and strategies needed for success on statewide assessments.
Short-term electricity dispatch optimization of Ertan hydropower plant based on data by field tests
Authors: Ma Chao , Wang Haijun , Lian Jijian
Published: December 2011

A short-term electricity dispatch optimization program required by the Ertan hydropower plant is developed to maximize hydropower production. Three field tests in various operating heads were carried out in the period of May 2009 to March 2010. Based on data of five test conditions, three operating zones for units in various operating heads were proposed. A short-term electricity dispatch optimization model was developed with physical and operational constraints. Unit commitment strategy was put forward for model solution, in which unit statuses and output statuses were classified. The strategy aimed at formulating better unit commitment plan according to forecasted load demand, ancillary service requirements, and initial operating status. The model and the strategy were verified by real cases. The results show that the optimal load distribution among units at every interval can be easily solved by the genetic algorithm based on a fixed unit commitment plan. Schedules are developed with higher average generation efficiency. Units can also be scheduled to operate for a less time within the rough zone and the second feasible zone. The proposed method is already operational for dispatch engineers of the Ertan hydropower plant to determine half-hourly schedules in one day.
Kinetics of phase separation and coarsening in dilute surfactant pentaethylene glycol monododecyl ether solutions
Authors: Tanaka S. , Kubo Y. , Yokoyama Y. , Toda A. , Taguchi K. , Kajioka H.
Published: December 2011

We investigated the phase separation phenomena in dilute surfactant pentaethylene glycol monodedecyl ether (C12E5) solutions focusing on the growth law of separated domains. The solutions confined between two glass plates were found to exhibit the phase inversion, characteristic of the viscoelastic phase separation; the majority phase (water-rich phase) nucleated as droplets and the minority phase (micelle-rich phase) formed a network temporarily, then they collapsed into an usual sea-island pattern where minority phase formed islands. We found from the real-space microscopic imaging that the dynamic scaling hypothesis did not hold throughout the coarsening process. The power law growth of the domains with the exponent close to 1/3 was observed even though the coarsening was induced mainly by hydrodynamic flow, which was explained by Darcy's law of laminar flow.
Science at Very High Angular Resolution with the Square Kilometre Array
Authors: Godfrey L. E. H. , Bignall H. , Tingay S. , Harvey-Smith L. , Kramer M. , Burke-Spolaor S. , Miller-Jones J. C. A. , Johnston-Hollitt M. , Ekers R. , Gulyaev S.
Published: December 2011

Preliminary specifications for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) call for 25% of the total collecting area of the dish array to be located at distances greater than 180 km from the core, with a maximum baseline of at least 3000 km. The array will provide angular resolution θ ≲ 40–2 mas at 0.5–10 GHz with image sensitivity reaching ≲50 nJy beam−1in an 8-hour integration with 500-MHz bandwidth. Given these specifications, the high-angular-resolution component of the SKA will be capable of detecting brightness temperatures ≲200K with milliarcsecond-scale angular resolution. The aim of this article is to bring together in one place a discussion of the broad range of new and important high-angular-resolution science that will be enabled by the SKA, and in doing so, address the merits of long baselines as part of the SKA. We highlight the fact that high angular resolution requiring baselines greater than 1000 km provides a rich science case with projects from many areas of astrophysics, including important contributions to key SKA science.
Method for Estimating Detection Probabilities of Nonmigrant Tagged Fish: Applications for Quantifying Residualization Rates
Authors: Melnychuk Michael C. , Hausch Stephen J.
Published: December 2011

Detection probabilities are commonly accounted for in spatial mark–recapture studies to estimate quantities of biological interest such as survival, movement, or abundance, but they generally require large numbers of tagged animals to be detected. In some studies, few tagged animals are present at a particular time; the ability to estimate detection probability despite small sample sizes during some time periods would greatly improve inferences of ecologically relevant attributes. We developed a method for estimating time‐varying detection probabilities of tagged fish at acoustic or radio receiver stations during periods in which few tagged fish are present and mark–recapture methods are thus prohibitive. We quantified how an index of detection probability varies with an environmental covariate, and then calibrated this index against mark–recapture detection probability estimates derived from detection data collected when tagged fish were abundant. With a known time series of the environmental covariate, the method generates a time series of predicted detection probabilities for each receiver station in a study. We apply the method to a case study involving steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss smolts tagged with acoustic transmitters to estimate the proportion of tagged fish residualizing in a river (i.e., remaining in freshwater instead of migrating seaward). Despite few detections of tagged fish in the months after the primary downstream migration period, we were able to estimate a residualization rate of 5% (95% confidence interval, 3–12%), which is comparable to residualization rate estimates from studies employing sampling methods that do not allow the survival and movement patterns of tagged fish to also be quantified. This method can be used in conjunction with mark–recapture survival estimation methods to better isolate probabilities of residualization and survival, which are otherwise confounded.
The 37th Sir Frederick Bartlett Lecture
Authors: Tomasello Michael , Hamann Katharina
Published: December 2011

Humans accomplish much of what they do in collaboration with others. In ontogeny, children's earliest abilities to collaborate develop in two basic steps. First, 1- and 2-year-olds learn to form with others joint goals and joint attention—which include an understanding of the individual roles and perspectives involved. Second, as they approach their third birthdays, children's collaborative interactions with others take on a more normative dimension involving obligations to the partner. In addition, their cognitive abilities to conceptualize simultaneously both their own role and perspective along with those of the other develop considerably as well. This form of collaborative interaction is underlain by species-unique skills and motivations for shared intentionality that make possible, ultimately, such things as complex cultural institutions.
Prevention of liver fibrosis and liver reconstitution of DMN‐treated rat liver by transplanted EPCs
Authors: Nakamura Toru , Torimura Takuji , Iwamoto Hideki , Masuda Hiroshi , Naitou Masako , Koga Hironori , Abe Mitsuhiko , Hashimoto Osamu , Tsutsumi Victor , Ueno Takato , Sata Michio
Published: December 2011

Eur J Clin Invest 2012; 42 (7): 717–728

Background  Using the dimethylnitrosamine (DMN) rat model of induced fibrosis, we investigated whether transfer of in vitro–expanded endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) could reconstitute liver tissue and protect against liver fibrosis.

Materials and methods  Low‐density, adherent, rat bone marrow‐derived mononuclear cells were cultured for one week in medium supporting the growth of chemokine (C‐X‐C motif) receptor 4 (CXCR4)‐positive EPCs that were used for transplantation. Test rats were treated with weekly intraperitoneal injections of DMN over a period of 4 weeks. During that period, the rats were also transplanted weekly with in vivo–expanded EPCs.

Results  Transplanted CXCR4‐positive expanded EPCs entered around the portal tracts, fibrous septa and hepatic sinusoids, locations at which stromal cell–derived factor 1 (SDF‐1), a ligand attracting CXCR4‐positive cells, was expressed nearby. In EPC‐transplanted rats, we observed suppression of liver fibrogenesis, reduced deposition of type I collagen and fibronectin, fewer α‐smooth muscle actin‐positive cells and lower expression of transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β. The expression of growth factors promoting hepatic regeneration (hepatocyte growth factor, transforming growth factor‐α (TGF‐α), epidermal growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor) was significantly increased in EPC‐transplanted rats, resulting in hepatocyte proliferation. Immunohistochemical analyses of eNOS and isolectin B4 demonstrated that the livers of EPC‐transplanted animals had markedly increased vascular density, suggesting reconstitution of sinusoidal blood vessels with endothelium. Liver function tests of transaminase, total bilirubin, total protein and albumin demonstrated that normal levels were maintained in EPC‐transplanted rats.

Conclusions  EPC transplantation effectively promotes the remodelling of tissues damaged by liver fibrosis; it can also reconstitute sinusoids in chronic liver injury.
A qualitative study identifying the knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of young men with mild haemophilia
Authors: NILSON J. , SCHACHTER C. , MULDER K. , HAHN M. , STEELE M. , HILLIARD P. , JAROCK C.
Published: December 2011

Summary.  The Canadian Physiotherapists in Hemophilia Care (CPHC) sought to learn about attitudes and behaviours of young male adults with mild haemophilia towards their condition and care. Semi‐structured in‐person or telephone interviews were conducted with 18 young men from and across Canada. This report summarizes the participants’ attitudes towards their haemophilia, previous injuries, perceived barriers to seeking treatment, as well as their decision‐making process when self‐assessing injury. The interviews demonstrated that communication between the young adults and the health care team was not optimal, with common reference to the ineffectiveness of lecture style education. Gaps in knowledge also emerged regarding bleed identification and management.
Functional impact of silencing the Helicoverpa armigera sex‐peptide receptor on female reproductive behaviour
Authors: Hanin O. , Azrielli A. , Applebaum S. W. , Rafaeli A.
Published: December 2011

Female Helicoverpa armigera sex pheromone production is under the control of pheromone biosynthesis‐activating neuropeptide (PBAN). After mating, females undergo suppression of sex pheromone production and enhanced oviposition as a result of the transfer of male‐derived seminal peptides. In a previous study we identified a putative H. armigera sex‐peptide receptor (HeaSP‐R) and demonstrated a significant up‐regulation in gene expression levels of this receptor in brains and pheromone glands of mated females, thereby implicating a regulatory role for sex peptide in the reproductive behaviour of H. armigera. In the present study, we show that virgin females injected with Drosophila melanogaster SP (DrmSP), in addition to inhibition of pheromone production, also exhibited a suppression of calling behaviour and a significant reduction in the gene expression levels of the PBAN‐receptor. In addition, RNA interference (RNAi) silencing of the HeaSP‐R expression by 50–60% prevented DrmSP‐suppression of pheromone production and calling behaviour. Moreover, mated, silenced females failed to increase their oviposition rates as is normally observed in mated females, and their behaviour did not differ from that of virgin females. However, sex pheromone production by mated, silenced females remained low, comparable to mated, normal females, thereby indicating the probable involvement of additional factors in the suppression of sex pheromone production after mating.
The significance of informal caregivers in information management from the perspective of heart failure patients
Authors: Hellesø Ragnhild , Eines Johannes , Fagermoen May Solveig
Published: December 2011

Aims and objectives.  To explore patients’ perspectives on the significance of informal carers in their information management.

Background.  Being well informed is considered a prerequisite for the ability of heart failure patients to manage their lives at home. Developing knowledge about the informal caregiver’s role in patient information management is important, that is, accurate information adapted to the individual level of comprehension.

Design.  A qualitative approach using in‐depth semi‐structured interviews conducted with patients was used.

Methods.  Eight women and six men suffering from heart failure and with a mean age of 79·6 were interviewed. Data were collected one week after their discharge. A content analysis was performed.

Results.  The informal carer’s role in information management from the patient’s perspective represents two different phenomena. The first, information ambivalence, is related to the background of the informal carer. From what patients experienced, the process of information involvement throughout their hospital stay was affected by whether or not their informal carer had a health care background. The second phenomenon, information ambivalence, is related to the relationship between the patient and the informal carer with regard to information management at home.

Conclusion.  The informal carers were of great importance in the information management process because the patients relied on them so as to be able to devote their energy to managing their daily life.

Relevance to clinical practice.  Patients should be assessed with regard to their information management problems and to the role of their informal carers in this process.
Increased age, high body mass index and low HDL‐C levels are related to an echolucent carotid intima–media: the METEOR study
Authors: Peters S. A. E. , Lind L. , Palmer M. K. , Grobbee D. E. , Crouse J. R , O’Leary D. H. , Evans G. W. , Raichlen J. , Bots M. L. , den Ruijter H. M. ,   on behalf of the METEOR study group
Published: December 2011

Abstract.  Peters SAE, Lind L, Palmer MK, Grobbee DE, Crouse JR III, O’Leary DH, Evans GW, Raichlen J, Bots ML, den Ruijter HM, on behalf of the METEOR study group (University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden; Keele University, Keele, UK; Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston‐Salem, NC, USA; Caritas Carney Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; and AstraZeneca, Wilmington, DE, USA). Increased age, high body mass index and low HDL‐C levels are related to an echolucent carotid intima–media: the METEOR study. J Intern Med 2012; 272: 257–266.

Introduction.  Echolucent plaques are related to a higher cardiovascular risk. Studies to investigate the relationship between echolucency and cardiovascular risk in the early stages of atherosclerosis are limited. We studied the relationship between cardiovascular risk factors and echolucency of the carotid intima–media in low‐risk individuals.

Methods.  Data were analysed from the Measuring Effects on Intima‐Media Thickness: an Evaluation of Rosuvastatin (METEOR) study, a randomized placebo‐controlled trial including 984 individuals which showed that rosuvastatin attenuated the rate of change of carotid intima–media thickness (CIMT). In this post hoc analysis, duplicate baseline ultrasound images from the far wall of the left and right common carotid arteries were used for the evaluation of the echolucency of the carotid intima–media, measured by grey‐scale median (GSM) on a scale of 0–256. Low GSM values reflect echolucent, whereas high values reflect echogenic structures. The relationship between baseline GSM and cardiovascular risk factors was evaluated using linear regression models.

Results.  Mean baseline GSM (± SD) was 84 ± 29. Lower GSM of the carotid intima–media was associated with older age, high body mass index (BMI) and low levels of high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C) [beta −4.49, 95% confidence interval (CI) −6.50 to −2.49; beta −4.51, 95% CI −6.43 to −2.60; beta 2.45, 95% CI 0.47 to 4.42, respectively]. Common CIMT was inversely related to GSM of the carotid intima–media (beta −3.94, 95% CI −1.98 to −5.89).

Conclusion.  Older age, high BMI and low levels of HDL‐C are related to echolucency of the carotid intima–media. Hence, echolucency of the carotid intima–media may be used as a marker of cardiovascular risk profile to provide more information than thickness alone.
Early‐life soy exposure and age at menarche
Authors: Adgent Margaret A. , Daniels Julie L. , Rogan Walter J. , Adair Linda , Edwards Lloyd J. , Westreich Daniel , Maisonet Mildred , Marcus Michele
Published: December 2011

Adgent MA, Daniels JL, Rogan WJ, Adair L, Edwards LJ, Westreich D, Maisonet M, Marcus M. Early‐life soy exposure and age at menarche. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2012; 26: 163–175.

This study examines the timing of menarche in relation to infant‐feeding methods, specifically addressing the potential effects of soy isoflavone exposure through soy‐based infant feeding. Subjects were participants in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). Mothers were enrolled during pregnancy and their children have been followed prospectively. Early‐life feeding regimes, categorised as primarily breast, early formula, early soy and late soy, were defined using infant‐feeding questionnaires administered during infancy. For this analysis, age at menarche was assessed using questionnaires administered approximately annually between ages 8 and 14.5. Eligible subjects were limited to term, singleton, White females. We used Kaplan–Meier survival curves and Cox proportional hazards models to assess age at menarche and risk of menarche over the study period.

The present analysis included 2920 girls. Approximately 2% of mothers reported that soy products were introduced into the infant diet at or before 4 months of age (early soy). The median age at menarche [interquartile range (IQR)] in the study sample was 153 months [144–163], approximately 12.8 years. The median age at menarche among early soy‐fed girls was 149 months (12.4 years) [IQR, 140–159]. Compared with girls fed non‐soy‐based infant formula or milk (early formula), early soy‐fed girls were at 25% higher risk of menarche throughout the course of follow‐up (hazard ratio 1.25 [95% confidence interval 0.92, 1.71]). Our results also suggest that girls fed soy products in early infancy may have an increased risk of menarche specifically in early adolescence. These findings may be the observable manifestation of mild endocrine‐disrupting effects of soy isoflavone exposure. However, our study is limited by few soy‐exposed subjects and is not designed to assess biological mechanisms. Because soy formula use is common in some populations, this subtle association with menarche warrants more in‐depth evaluation in future studies.
HLA‐DRB1, ‐DQA1 and ‐DQB1 Alleles and Haplotypes in First‐Generation Pakistani Immigrants in Norway
Authors: Rønningen K. S. , Yap S. E. , Brandal K. , Stormyr A. , Lie B. A. , Rasmussen T. , Stray‐Pedersen B. , Akselsen H. E.
Published: December 2011

Human leucocyte antigen (HLA) polymorphisms among immigrants from Pakistan have not been well investigated. Immigration to Norway started in the late 1960s for working purposes. From 1975, immigration was mainly for marriages and family reunion. When recruiting couples for a birth cohort study, we ended up with 65.5% of the 374 parents genotyped being closely related. This was also reflected in that 21% of newborns were homozygotes for their DRB1‐DQA1‐DQB1 genotype. For being able to study HLA class II genes frequencies among unrelated individuals, we had to exclude 195 of the parents from data analysis. High‐resolution typing for the DRB1 locus, low/intermediate for the DQA1 locus and resolution genotyping for the DQB1 locus were performed in all the 179 parents and their newborns from the Punjab province of Pakistan. We identified 25 DRB1, nine DQA1 and 14 DRB1 alleles in the 179 unrelated parents included in our analysis. The most frequent alleles were DRB1*03:01:01 (15.9%) and DRB1*07:01:01 (15.9%), DQA1*01:03 (22.1%) and DQB1*02:01:01 (26.0%). Forty‐one haplotypes were identified, including DRB1*13:02:01‐DQA1*01:02‐DQB1*06:03:01, not earlier reported. Supported by the few earlier reports on Pakistani groups living in Pakistan, it appears that alleles found among those living in Norway are of Indo‐European or mixed ethnic origin. This study provides the first comprehensive report of HLA class II alleles and haplotypes in Norwegian Pakistani immigrants. When the unrelated parents were compared with all parents genotyped, there were, however, no significant differences in allele frequencies, confirming that consanguineous marriages are usual in Pakistan.
The new allele HLA‐B*35:87 was generated by recombination between HLA‐B*35:01 and B*08:01 in intron 2
Authors: Buddaseth S. , Müller K. , Bade‐Doeding C. , Blasczyk R. , Huyton T.
Published: December 2011

The new allele HLA‐B*35:87 was generated by recombination between HLA‐B*35:01 and B*08:01 in intron 2.
Penile frenuloplasty: a simple and effective treatment for frenular pain or scarring
Authors: Dockray Judith , Finlayson Alexander , Muir Gordon H.
Published: December 2011

Study Type – Therapy (case series)

Level of Evidence 4

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add?

Frenuloplasty, using common plastic surgical techniques for scar lengthening, is a commonly performed operation amongst urologists for isolated frenular pathology. However, there is very little data in the urological literature regarding either technique or assessment. The only other published study was a questionnaire follow‐up with a 23% response rate and the technique used was not clarified. Other studies describe expensive, rarely used procedures and are hampered by small patient numbers or short‐term follow‐up only.

Our study validates the common practice of using plastic surgical techniques for scar lengthening. We have 100% clinical short‐term follow‐up (3 months) and 91% long‐term follow‐up (up to 10 years) showing high patient satisfaction scores and low complication and re‐operation rates. This provides an evidence base from which to counsel patients who are keen for foreskin sparing surgery for frenular pathology.

The extra addition of our grading system allows patients to be risk‐stratified as to the risk of re‐operation depending on their status at presentation and underlying pathology.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the long‐term patient satisfaction and outcomes for penile frenuloplasty when offered as an alternative to circumcision for frenular pain and/or scarring.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Data was prospectively collected over 10 years, for a total of 106 men.

The nature of the frenular problem was graded.

Techniques of V‐Y plasty, Z‐plasty or a combination of the two were used.

All patients were reviewed at 3 months and contacted via questionnaire ≥1 year after surgery. The questionnaire assessed satisfaction, cosmetic appearance, pain on intercourse, need for subsequent surgery and if they would recommend the procedure to a friend.

RESULTS

Follow‐up was 100% (106/106) at 3 months and 91% (96/106) ≥1 year.

Patient satisfaction and cosmesis scores both averaged 8.9/10.

Need for subsequent circumcision was 8% (9/96).

There were minor complications (bruising/infection/partial dehiscence) in 8% (9/96) of patients.

97% (84/87) of patients would recommend the procedure to a friend.

CONCLUSIONS

Penile frenuloplasty is a safe alternative to circumcision.

There are high patient satisfaction rates after surgery.

Low numbers of patients require a completion circumcision after penile frenuloplasty.
Early markers of adult obesity: a review
Authors: Brisbois T. D. , Farmer A. P. , McCargar L. J.
Published: December 2011

The purpose of this review was to evaluate factors in early childhood (≤5 years of age) that are the most significant predictors of the development of obesity in adulthood. Factors of interest included exposures/insults in the prenatal period, infancy and early childhood, as well as other socio‐demographic variables such as socioeconomic status (SES) or birth place that could impact all three time periods. An extensive electronic and systematic search initially resulted in 8,880 citations, after duplicates were removed. Specific inclusion and exclusion criteria were set, and following two screening processes, 135 studies were retained for detailed abstraction and analysis. A total of 42 variables were associated with obesity in adulthood; however, of these, only seven variables may be considered as potential early markers of obesity based on the reported associations. Possible early markers of obesity included maternal smoking and maternal weight gain during pregnancy. Probable early markers of obesity included maternal body mass index, childhood growth patterns (early rapid growth and early adiposity rebound), childhood obesity and father's employment (a proxy measure for SES in many studies). Health promotion programmes/agencies should consider these factors as reasonable targets to reduce the risk of adult obesity.
Fredholm Determinant Evaluations of the Ising Model Diagonal Correlations and their λ Generalization
Authors: Witte N. S. , Forrester P. J.
Published: December 2011

The diagonal spin–spin correlations of the square lattice Ising model, originally expressed as Toeplitz determinants, are given by two distinct Fredholm determinants—one with an integral operator having an Appell function kernel and another with a summation operator having a Gauss hypergeometric function kernel. Either determinant allows for a Neumann expansion possessing a natural λ‐parameter generalization and we prove that both expansions are in fact equal, implying a continuous and a discrete representation of the form factors. Our proof employs an extension of the classic study by Geronimo and Case [1], applying scattering theory to orthogonal polynomial systems on the unit circle, to the bi‐orthogonal situation.
On the Geometry of Complex‐Lamellar Magnetohydrodynamics: Universal Motions
Authors: Rogers C. , Szereszewski A.
Published: December 2011

A geometric formulation is adopted for a nonlinear magnetohydrodynamic system wherein the magnetic field is aligned with the direction of the binormal to the streamlines. It is established that, for complex‐lamellar motion, if the divergence of the binormal field vanishes then the fluid streamlines are geodesics on generalized helicoids. The latter constitute the Maxwellian surfaces and the magnetic lines are helices thereon. The key geometric and physical parameters of the magneto‐hydrodynamic motion are all determined in terms of the torsion τ of the streamlines. A superposition principle is presented whereby a more general class of magnetohydrodynamic motions may be isolated with streamlines and magnetic lines no longer restricted to be geodesics or parallels on the Maxwellian surfaces. Moreover, the class so generated is not subject to the complex‐lamellar constraint. In an appendix, a particular reduction is obtained to the integrable Da Rios system.
Listening to “flying ducks”: Individual differences in sentence–picture verification investigated with ERPs
Authors: Hirschfeld Gerrit , Feldker Katharina , Zwitserlood Pienie
Published: December 2011

The present ERP study investigated individual differences in the integration of verbal descriptions and visual object representations. Participants saw pictures of objects (e.g., a swimming duck) after listening to noun phrases describing the same object in the identical state, a shape‐mismatching state (“flying duck”), or an incongruent object (e.g., “sliced bread”). Individual differences in the vividness of mental imagery and preference for mental imagery were assessed after the experiment. ERP effects of context arose 170 ms after picture onset, differentiating the incongruent‐object context from the other two. The N400 mirrored these context effects. Self‐rated vividness of imagery affected responses to pictures already after 100 ms, and modulated the N400 effect. Participants with highly vivid imagery showed larger context effects than participants low in imagery. The context effects at 170 ms were not modulated by individual differences.
Frontal brain asymmetry and affective flexibility in an emotional contagion paradigm
Authors: Papousek Ilona , Reiser Eva M. , Weber Bernhard , Freudenthaler H. Harald , Schulter Günter
Published: December 2011

This study was aimed at examining the relation of an individual's EEG asymmetry in the lateral frontal cortex, assessed in resting conditions, to affective flexibility. An auditory paradigm was used to induce negative (sad) and positive (cheerful) affective states, and state‐dependent shifts of dorsolateral EEG asymmetry in response to and after the emotional provocations were observed. A Left > Right activation pattern at rest was associated with a shift to the right during negative and a shift to the left during positive stimulation, and efficient recovery after negative stimulation. Right > Left participants appeared unresponsive to both sounds. Distinct and differentiated responses to provocation with negative and positive affect and efficient recovery suggest that Left > Right prefrontal activity at rest is related to a flexible pattern of affective responding, which has been linked to adaptive emotional processing in the relevant literature.
Target resolution in visual search involves the direct suppression of distractors: Evidence from electrophysiology
Authors: Hilimire Matthew R. , Hickey Clayton , Corballis Paul M.
Published: December 2011

Attentional selection requires both the enhancement of target stimuli and the suppression of distractors. Target enhancement and distractor suppression have been associated with separable components of the lateralized event‐related potential: the target negativity and distractor positivity (Pd). We examined the distractor suppression mechanisms indexed by the Pd. The Pd may reflect mechanisms that guide attention away from distractors during search or mechanisms involved in the subsequent resolution of target features. To determine which of these alternatives was more likely, we had participants view search arrays that contained only a target, only a distractor, or both. The Pd elicited by distractors was substantially larger when the display also contained a target, consistent with the idea that this component reflects a mechanism of distractor suppression activated during the resolution and disambiguation of target features.
‘My happiness is the refugee camp, my future Palestine’: optimism, life satisfaction and perceived happiness in a group of Palestinian children
Authors: Veronese Guido , Castiglioni Marco , Tombolani Marco , Said Mahmud
Published: December 2011

Scand J Caring Sci; 2012; 26; 467–473

‘My happiness is the refugee camp, my future Palestine’: optimism, life satisfaction and perceived happiness in a group of Palestinian children

Background:  This study aimed to explore optimism, perceived happiness and life satisfaction in a group of Palestinian children living in urban districts, rural areas and a refugee camp in the West Bank, as well as in a city in Israel.

Method:  Three self‐report instruments were administered to a convenience sample of school‐age children (n. 226; 8–12 years old): the Youth Life Orientation Test (YLOT), the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS) and the Face Scale (FS). The scores were analyzed using anovas and correlation tests (Pearson’s r). Gender and age differences were explored.

Results:  Optimism, life satisfaction and perceived happiness characterize the entire group of Palestinian children in general. Very little difference was found as a function of gender.

Conclusion:  Palestinian children seem to enjoy a satisfactory quality of life with regard to optimism, satisfaction and perceived happiness. We hypothesize that these factors may reinforce resilience and positive adjustment to trauma in children. The implications for clinical psychology are discussed.
“Injection First”: A Unique Group of Injection Drug Users in Tijuana, Mexico
Authors: Morris Meghan D. , Brouwer Kimberly C. , Lozada Remedios M. , Gallardo Manuel , Vera Alicia , Strathdee Steffanie A.
Published: December 2011

Using baseline data from a study of injection drug users (IDUs) in Tijuana, Mexico (N = 1,052), we identified social and behavioral factors associated with injecting at the same age or earlier than other administration routes of illicit drug use (eg, “injection first”) and examined whether this IDU subgroup had riskier drug using and sexual behaviors than other IDUs. Twelve‐percent “injected first.” Characteristics independently associated with a higher odds of “injection first” included being younger at first injection, injecting heroin as their first drug, being alone at the first injection episode, and having a sexual debut at the same age or earlier as when they initiated drug use; family members’ illicit drug use was associated with lower odds of injecting first. When adjusting for age at first injection and number of years injecting, “injection first” IDUs had lower odds of ever overdosing, and ever trading sex. On the other hand, they were less likely to have ever been enrolled in drug treatment, and more commonly obtained their syringes from potentially unsafe sources. In conclusion, a sizable proportion of IDUs in Tijuana injected as their first drug using experience, although evidence that this was a riskier subgroup of IDUs was inconclusive. (Am J Addict 2011;21: 23–30)
Chronic Illness Histories of Adults Entering Treatment for Co‐occurring Substance Abuse and Other Mental Health Disorders
Authors: Chesher Nicholas J. , Bousman Chad A. , Gale Maiken , Norman Sonya B. , Twamley Elizabeth W. , Heaton Robert K. , Everall Ian P. , Judd Patricia A.
Published: December 2011

Little is known about the medical status of individuals entering treatment for co‐occurring substance abuse and other mental disorders (COD). We analyzed the medical histories of 169 adults entering outpatient treatment for CODs, estimating lifetime prevalence of chronic illness and current smoking, comparing these rates to the general population, and examining psychiatric and substance‐related correlates of chronic illness. Results revealed significantly higher prevalence of hypertension, asthma, arthritis, and smoking compared to the general US population, and showed an association between chronic illness and psychiatric symptom distress and substance use severity. Findings support integration of chronic illness management into COD treatment. (Am J Addict 2011;21:1–4)
Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein 1 Expression in Synovial Fluid of Patients With Total Hip Arthroplasty
Authors: Montesi Monica , Beraudi Alina , Stea Susanna , Ancarani Cristina , Traina Francesco , Toni Aldo
Published: December 2011

Monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP‐1) is a member of the chemokines family that stimulates monocyte chemotaxis and whose expression is induced during osseous inflammation. Total hip arthroplasty (THA) now uses ceramic‐on‐ceramic (cer‐cer) or metal‐on‐metal (met‐met) coupling that is considered the bearing of new generation, with improved performance compared with the previous polyethylene bearings. While the ceramic on ceramic is universally considered highly biocompatible, met‐met coupling can induce hypersensitivity correlated to immunological response. This study aimed at quantifying the MCP‐1 levels in synovial fluid of THA patients with these two articular couplings; synovial fluid of osteoarthritic patients who underwent primary THA was used as a control. The presence of wear particles originating from the prostheses was also assessed in the synovial fluid by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy. The MCP‐1 levels in the synovial fluid of 17 patients with met‐met coupling were significantly higher than in 13 patients with cer‐cer coupling and in seven controls; median MCP‐1 level was 919 pg/mL in the cer‐cer group, 4274 pg/mL in the met‐met group, and 326 pg/mL in the control group. No correlation was found between MCP‐1 levels and the presence of wear particles in the synovial fluid, time from surgery, or periprosthetic osteolysis. We conclude that the presence of the prosthesis is responsible for an increase in the level of MCP‐1; moreover, the significantly higher level of this chemokine in met‐met coupling can be related to inflammatory and possibly hypersensitivity processes induced by metal ions.
Celivarone for Maintenance of Sinus Rhythm and Conversion of Atrial Fibrillation/Flutter
Authors: KHITRI AVINASH R. , ALIOT ETIENNE M. , CAPUCCI ALESSANDRO , CONNOLLY STUART J. , CRIJNS HARRY , HOHNLOSER STEFAN H. , KULAKOWSKI PIOTR , ROY DENIS , RADZIK DAVID , KOWEY PETER R.
Published: December 2011

Celivarone in Atrial Fibrillation/Atrial Flutter. Introduction: Celivarone, a new noniodinated benzofuran derivative pharmacologically related to dronedarone and amiodarone, has been shown to have antiarrhythmic properties at a molecular level. The purpose of the 2 trials presented here (MAIA and CORYFEE) was to assess celivarone efficacy in the maintenance of sinus rhythm postcardioversion and for the conversion of atrial fibrillation (AF)/atrial flutter (AFL).

Methods and Results: In the MAIA trial, 673 patients with AF/AFL recently converted to sinus rhythm were randomly assigned to receive 50, 100, 200, or 300  mg once‐daily dosing of celivarone; 200  mg daily of amiodarone preceded by a loading dose of 600  mg for 10 days; or placebo. At 3 months’ follow up, no significant difference was observed in time to AF/AFL relapse among the various celivarone groups and placebo. However, fewer symptomatic AF/AFL recurrences were observed in the lower‐dose celivarone groups (26.6% for celivarone 50  mg [P  = 0.022] and 25.2% for celivarone 100  mg [P  = 0.018] vs 40.5% for placebo at 90 days). Fewer adverse events were observed with the use of celivarone and placebo than amiodarone. In the CORYFEE study, 150 patients with AF/AFL were randomly assigned to once‐daily celivarone dosing of 300 or 600  mg, or placebo, for a 2‐day treatment period. There was no significant difference in the rate of spontaneous conversion to sinus rhythm between the treatment and control groups.

Conclusions: In these studies, celivarone does not appear to be efficacious in the maintenance of sinus rhythm in AF/AFL patients or for the conversion of AF/AFL patients. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 23, pp. 462‐472, May 2012)
Nonvolumetric Echocardiographic Indices of Right Ventricular Systolic Function: Validation with Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance and Relationship with Functional Capacity
Authors: Leong Darryl P. , Grover Suchi , Molaee Payman , Chakrabarty Adhiraj , Shirazi Mitra , Cheng Yi H. , Penhall Amy , Perry Rebecca , Greville Hugh , Joseph Majo X. , Selvanayagam Joseph B.
Published: December 2011

Purpose: Right ventricular (RV) systolic function as measured by right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF) has long been recognized as an important predictor of outcome in heart failure patients. The echocardiographic measurement of RV volumes and RVEF is challenging, however, owing to the unique geometry of the right ventricle. Several nonvolumetric echocardiographic indices of RV function have demonstrated prognostic value in heart failure. Comparison studies of these techniques with each other using RVEF as a benchmark are limited, however. Furthermore, the contribution of these various elements of RV function to patient functional status is uncertain. We therefore aimed to: (1) Determine which nonvolumetric echocardiographic index correlates best with RVEF as determined by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging (the accepted gold standard measure of RV systolic function) and (2) Ascertain which echocardiographic index best predicts functional capacity. Methods: Eighty‐three subjects (66 with systolic heart failure and 17 healthy controls) underwent CMR, 2D echocardiography, and cardiopulmonary exercise testing for comparison of echocardiographic indices of RV function with CMR RVEF, 6‐minute walk distance and VO2 PEAK. Results: Speckle tracking strain RV strain exhibited the closest association with CMR RV ejection fraction. Indices of RV function demonstrated weak correlation with 6‐minute walk distance, but basal RV strain rate by tissue velocity imaging had good correlation with VO2 PEAK. Conclusion: Strain by speckle tracking echocardiography and strain rate by tissue velocity imaging may offer complementary information in the evaluation of RV contractility and its functional effects. (Echocardiography 2012;29:455‐463)
Assessing the Impact of a Movement Network on the Spatiotemporal Spread of Infectious Diseases
Authors: Schrödle Birgit , Held Leonhard , Rue Håvard
Published: December 2011

Summary Linking information on a movement network with space–time data on disease incidence is one of the key challenges in infectious disease epidemiology. In this article, we propose and compare two statistical frameworks for this purpose, namely, parameter‐driven (PD) and observation‐driven (OD) models. Bayesian inference in PD models is done using integrated nested Laplace approximations, while OD models can be easily fitted with existing software using maximum likelihood. The predictive performance of both formulations is assessed using proper scoring rules. As a case study, the impact of cattle trade on the spatiotemporal spread of Coxiellosis in Swiss cows, 2004–2009, is finally investigated.
Dell Hymes's Construct of “Communicative Competence”
Authors: CAZDEN COURTNEY B.
Published: December 2011

Cazden reflects on theoretical and sociopolitical origins of Hymes's construct of communicative competence in events occurring just before and after 1960 in the U.S. She comments on Hymes's emphasis on competence not as abstract systemic potential of a language, but as capability located in individual persons; and she explores competence as both individual repertoire and group reservoir. She reminds us that Hymes's “appropriateness” is primarily about emergent, creative, non‐situationally determined use of language.[Dell Hymes, communicative competence, appropriateness, individual capability versus systemic potential]
Aggregation pattern, sampling plan, and intervention threshold for Pezothrips kellyanus in citrus groves
Authors: Navarro‐Campos C. , Aguilar A. , Garcia‐Marí F.
Published: December 2011

Pezothrips kellyanus (Bagnall) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) has recently emerged as an international pest of citrus. It causes severe scarring of the fruit surface and commercial downgrading of fresh fruit production. The goals of this article were to determine the aggregation patterns of P. kellyanus on citrus, to establish an efficient sampling plan to assess their population density, and to develop an environmental economic injury level (EEIL). The study was conducted in 14 citrus groves in Valencia (Spain) during 2008 and in eight citrus groves during 2009. On each grove, population densities of thrips were monitored weekly on citrus flowers and fruitlets during the flowering and fruit setting period. Final damage was determined on developed fruits. Pezothrips kellyanus was the most abundant thrips species, with 73.5% of adults and 92.1% of larvae present, followed by Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), with 18.2 and 3.5%, respectively. First description of first instars of P. kellyanus is provided. Our results prove that thrips show clumped population distributions, with no differences in aggregation parameters between flowers and fruitlets, thrips species, larval stages, or sex of adults. Immature thrips showed a higher aggregation (Taylor’s value of b = 1.40 ± 0.06) than adults (b = 1.19 ± 0.04). Fruit damage by P. kellyanus on developed fruits was strongly correlated with percentage of fruitlets with immature P. kellyanus (r = 0.897; n = 22). Based on the percentage of fruitlets occupied by immature thrips, the economic injury levels and EEIL were calculated (using chlorpyrifos as insecticide) obtaining values of 7 and 12%, respectively. Insecticide treatments will be necessary if more than 12% of fruitlets are infested by thrips larvae. Constant precision (D = 0.25) sampling plans developed show that 200 sample units should be observed in enumerative sampling, and 310 in binomial presence–absence sampling, at population levels of immatures on fruitlets around the EEIL.