bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rosacea and Chronic Rhinosinusitis: A Case-Controlled Study
Authors: Al-Balbeesi Amal O.
Published: July 2014

Objective: To determine the relationship between rosacea, chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), and the clinical presentation of rosacea. Subjects and Method: Twenty-eight female Saudi patients diagnosed with rosacea at the Dermatology Clinic, King Khalid University Hospital, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between September 2011 and September 2012 and 20 age- and sex-matched control patients were included in the study. Paranasal sinus X-rays and assessments of the serum concentration of IgE (ImmunoCAP test; Phadia Laboratory Systems) were performed in both groups. Result: The rosacea patients had significantly more radiological evidence of CRS than the patients without rosacea [19 (67.9%) vs. 4 (20%), p = 0.003]. The median IgE concentration was similar in both groups (225.4 vs. 223.1 kU/l). Nine rosacea patients (32.1%) without radiological evidence of CRS did not have a significantly different median concentration of IgE compared with those who had radiological evidence of CRS (190.5 vs. 111.5 kU/l, p = 0.859). Erythematotelangiectatic severity was significantly associated with CRS (p = 0.038). Serum IgE did not correlate with the severity of the facial condition. Conclusion: Patients with rosacea and CRS manifested severe erythematotelangiectatic rosacea. There was enough evidence to suggest an association between rosacea and CRS. Clinical and radiological assessments of the paranasal sinuses are recommended.
Prevalence and Regional Disparities in Abdominal Obesity among Children and Adolescents in Shandong, China, Surveyed in 2010
Authors: Zhang Ying-xiu , Zhao Jin-shan , Chu Zun-hua , Tan Hai-lian
Published: July 2014

Background/Aims: A rising prevalence of childhood obesity (assessed by body mass index) has been observed in China. However, there are very few published data on abdominal obesity among children and adolescents. The present study examined the prevalence and regional disparities in abdominal obesity among children and adolescents in Shandong, China. Methods: Data for this study were obtained from a large cross-sectional survey. A total of 42,296 students (21,218 boys and 21,078 girls) aged 7-18 years from 16 districts participated in this study. Height and waist circumference (WC) of all subjects were measured; waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) was calculated from their height and WC. Abdominal obesity was defined as WHtR ≥0.5. All subjects were stratified by gender, age and the area of residence, and abdominal obesity frequencies were compared among different groups. Results: Substantial regional, socioeconomic and urban/rural disparities exist in child and adolescent abdominal obesity. The overall prevalences of abdominal obesity among different groups of children and adolescents aged 7-18 years were 19.92% (urban boys), 11.94% (rural boys), 8.43% (urban girls) and 5.85% (rural girls). The prevalence of abdominal obesity varied from 24.98% in high-socioeconomic status (SES) urban boys to 4.58% in low-SES rural girls. Subjects living in coastal and high-urbanization districts had a higher prevalence of abdominal obesity than those living in inland and low-urbanization districts. Conclusions: Abdominal obesity among children and adolescents in China is associated with affluence and urban residence. Interventions and strategies to combat obesity should be based on this specific context, targeting high-SES urban areas.
Blood Donor Management in China
Authors: Shi Ling , Wang Jingxing , Liu Zhong , Stevens Lori , Sadler Andrew , Ness Paul , Shan Hua
Published: July 2014

Despite a steady increase in total blood collections and voluntary non-remunerated blood donors, China continues to have many challenges with its blood donation system. The country's donation rate remains low at 9‰, with over 60% of donors being first-time donors. Generally there is a lack of adequate public awareness about blood donation. The conservative donor selection criteria, the relatively long donation interval, and the small donation volume have further limited blood supply. To ensure a sufficient and safe blood supply that meets the increasing clinical need for blood products, there is an urgent need to strengthen the country's blood donor management. This comprehensive effort should include educating and motivating more individuals especially from the rural areas to be involved in blood donation, developing rational and evidence-based selection criteria for donor eligibility, designing a donor follow-up mechanism to encourage more future donations, assessing the current donor testing strategy, improving donor service and care, building regional and national shared donor deferral database, and enhancing the transparency of the blood donation system to gain more trust from the general public. The purpose of the review is to provide an overview of the key process of and challenges with the blood donor management system in China.
Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy after Systemic Consolidation Therapy with High-Dose Intravenous Cytarabine in a Patient with Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Authors: Baumann Stefan , Huseynov Aydin , Goranova Diana , Faust Melanie , Behnes Michael , Nolte Florian , Heidenreich Daniela , Hofmann Wolf-Karsten , Borggrefe Martin , Akin Ibrahim , Klein Stefan
Published: July 2014

Background: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC) is characterized by the abrupt onset of cardiac dysfunction, with transient apical and midventricular hypo-/akinesia with a compensatory hypercontractility of the remaining segments. The clinical presentation appears to be similar to acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, the myocardial dysfunction is reversible. Case Report: We report on the case of a 58-year-old man with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who was admitted to our hospital to receive the second course of consolidation chemotherapy with intravenous cytarabine. Subsequently, the patient developed severe dyspnea at rest, with cardiogenic shock after the central venous catheter was removed. Echocardiography revealed severe dyskinesia of the mid and apical portions of both ventricles, accompanied by a highly reduced left ventricular function (LVF). 5 months later, 12-lead electrocardiography (ECG) did not show any evidence of repolar-ization disorders and echocardiographic evaluation revealed a normal LVF. We suppose that the underlying mechanism was TC. Conclusions: TC can occur in patients with AML under systemic chemotherapy, which possibly represents a triggering factor for TC development. Cardiogenic shock is a serious life-threatening complication of TC. Nevertheless, the prognosis of TC is favorable and a complete recovery of the LVF is possible.
Academic Training of Medical Students in Transfusion Medicine, Hemotherapy, and Hemostasis: Results of a Questionnaire-Based Status Report in Germany
Authors: Scharf Rüdiger E. , Burger Reinhard
Published: July 2014

Background: As a consequence of the German Transfusion Act and the corresponding Hemotherapeutic Guidelines of the German Medical Association, the National Advisory Committee Blood approved a recommendation (votum 29) in 2003 to specify students' training in transfusion medicine, hemotherapy, and hemostasis. The objective of this study was to assess the current status of teaching in these fields. Methods: A questionnaire-based evaluation was performed at the medical schools in Germany (n = 34). Responses were analyzed by descriptive criteria, except for weekly semester hours of teaching. Results: Responses were obtained from 30 medical faculties (88%). Among them, 18 had conducted votum 29 (12 ‘completely', 6 ‘essentially'), while 7 had done so only ‘in part' and 5 ‘not at all'. 13 of 30 sites (43%) reported that no faculty-related curriculum in transfusion medicine and hemostasis (hemotherapy) exists. At 28 of 30 medical schools (93%), teaching in transfusion medicine, hemotherapy, and hemostasis is integrated into cross-curricular topics of interdisciplinary programs, including lectures. The corresponding semester hours of teaching per week ranged from 0.5 to 12 h/week. Conclusion: Votum 29 is incompletely established. Consequently, academic teaching in transfusion medicine, hemotherapy, and hemostasis requires structural and conceptual improvement to fulfill legal specifications and regulatory constraints.
Successful Local Control of Recurrent Penile Cancer Treated with a Combination of Systemic Chemotherapy, Irradiation, and Mohs' Paste: A Case Report
Authors: Komine Naoki , Narita Shintaro , Kigure Teruaki , Tsuruta Hiroshi , Numakura Kazuyuki , Akihama Susumu , Saito Mitsuru , Inoue Takamitsu , Tsuchiya Norihiko , Satoh Shigeru , Nanjo Hiroshi , Habuchi Tomonori
Published: July 2014

Penile squamous cell carcinoma (pSCC) is a rare disease, making it difficult to establish a standard of care, particularly in the advanced stage. We report a case of pSCC with advanced lymph node metastasis treated with multimodal therapy consisting of combination chemotherapy, irradiation, and chemosurgery using Mohs' zinc chloride-containing paste. An 80-year-old male with a past history of local treatment for penile cancer presented with a large painful inguinal mass with an ulcer and exudates. The patient underwent multimodal treatment with combination chemotherapy, irradiation, and Mohs' paste. The combination chemotherapy consisted of cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, and docetaxel. The patient received 50-Gy external-beam radiation therapy to the left inguinal region along with daily local treatment with Mohs' paste. After the initiation of treatment, the pain and bleeding in the inguinal region considerably ameliorated. The wound became dry and flattened 20 days after the initiation of chemotherapy. A CT scan showed that the tumor had decreased 70% in diameter 1 month after the initiation of chemotherapy. After the first course of chemotherapy, the patient and his family decided not to continue treatment because of socio-economic reasons. The patient underwent no additional treatments; nevertheless, he had no local progression of the inguinal tumors for 8 months. We report a case of successful local control of recurrent inguinal pSCC treated with multimodal therapy. Combination treatment with taxane-based chemotherapy, external-beam radiation therapy, and Mohs' paste is an option for the management of recurrent pSCC.
Osteopontin–CD44v6 Interaction Mediates Calcium Deposition via Phospho-Akt in Valve Interstitial Cells From Patients With Noncalcified Aortic Valve Sclerosis
Authors: Poggio Paolo , Branchetti Emanuela , Grau Juan B. , Lai Eric K. , Gorman Robert C. , Gorman Joseph H. , Sacks Michael S. , Bavaria Joseph E. , Ferrari Giovanni
Published: July 2014

Objective—

The activation of valve interstitial cells (VICs) toward an osteogenic phenotype characterizes aortic valve sclerosis, the early asymptomatic phase of calcific aortic valve disease. Osteopontin is a phosphorylated acidic glycoprotein that accumulates within the aortic leaflets and labels VIC activation even in noncalcified asymptomatic patients. Despite this, osteopontin protects VICs against in vitro calcification. Here, we hypothesize that the specific interaction of osteopontin with CD44v6, and the related intracellular pathway, prevents calcium deposition in human-derived VICs from patients with aortic valve sclerosis.

Approach and Results—

On informed consent, 23 patients and 4 controls were enrolled through the cardiac surgery and heart transplant programs. Human aortic valves and VICs were tested for osteogenic transdifferentiation, ex vivo and in vitro. Osteopontin–CD44 interaction was analyzed using proximity ligation assay and the signaling pathways investigated. A murine model based on angiotensin II infusion was used to mimic early pathological remodeling of the aortic valves. We report osteopontin–CD44 functional interaction as a hallmark of early stages of calcific aortic valve disease. We demonstrated that osteopontin–CD44 interaction mediates calcium deposition via phospho-Akt in VICs from patients with noncalcified aortic valve sclerosis. Finally, microdissection analysis of murine valves shows increased cusp thickness in angiotensin II-treated mice versus saline infused along with colocalization of osteopontin and CD44 as seen in human lesions.

Conclusions—

Here, we unveil a specific protein–protein association and intracellular signaling mechanisms of osteopontin. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of early VIC activation and calcium deposition in asymptomatic stage of calcific aortic valve disease could open new prospective for diagnosis and therapeutic intervention.
Arterial Stiffness, Central Pressures, and Incident Hospitalized Heart Failure in the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort Study
Authors: Chirinos Julio A. , Khan Abigail , Bansal Nisha , Dries Daniel L. , Feldman Harold I. , Ford Virginia , Anderson Amanda H. , Kallem Radhakrishna , Lash James P. , Ojo Akinlolu , Schreiber Martin , Sheridan Angela , Strelsin Jillian , Teal Valerie , Roy Jason , Pan Qiang , Go Alan S. , Townsend Raymond R. ,   CRIC Study Investigators:, Appel Lawrence J. , He Jiang , Kusek John W. , Rahman Mahboob
Published: July 2014

Background—

Chronic kidney disease is associated with an increased risk of heart failure (HF). We aimed to evaluate the role of large artery stiffness, brachial, and central blood pressure as predictors of incident hospitalized HF in the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC), a multiethnic, multicenter prospective observational study of patients with chronic kidney disease.

Methods and Results—

We studied 2602 participants who were free of HF at baseline. Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (CF-PWV; the gold standard index of large artery stiffness), brachial, and central pressures (estimated via radial tonometry and a generalized transfer function) were assessed at baseline. Participants were prospectively followed up to assess the development of new-onset hospitalized HF. During 3.5 years of follow-up, 154 participants had a first hospital admission for HF. CF-PWV was a significant independent predictor of incident hospitalized HF. When compared with the lowest tertile, the hazard ratios among subjects in the middle and top CF-PWV tertiles were 2.33 (95% confidence interval, 1.37–3.97;
P
=0.002) and 5.24 (95% confidence interval, 3.22–8.53;
P
<0.0001), respectively. After adjustment for multiple confounders, the hazard ratios for the middle and top CF-PWV tertiles were 1.95 (95% confidence interval, 0.92–4.13;
P
=0.079) and 3.01 (95% confidence interval, 1.45–6.26;
P
=0.003), respectively. Brachial systolic and pulse pressure were also independently associated with incident hospitalized HF, whereas central pressures were less consistently associated with this end point. The association between CF-PWV and incident HF persisted after adjustment for systolic blood pressure.

Conclusions—

Large artery stiffness is an independent predictor of incident HF in chronic kidney disease, an association with strong biological plausibility given the known effects of large artery stiffening of left ventricular pulsatile load.
Prior Experience Biases Subcortical Sensitivity to Sound Patterns
Authors: Skoe Erika , Krizman Jennifer , Spitzer Emily , Kraus Nina
Published: July 2014

To make sense of our ever-changing world, our brains search out patterns. This drive can be so strong that the brain imposes patterns when there are none. The opposite can also occur: The brain can overlook patterns because they do not conform to expectations. In this study, we examined this neural sensitivity to patterns within the auditory brainstem, an evolutionarily ancient part of the brain that can be fine-tuned by experience and is integral to an array of cognitive functions. We have recently shown that this auditory hub is sensitive to patterns embedded within a novel sound stream, and we established a link between neural sensitivity and behavioral indices of learning [Skoe, E., Krizman, J., Spitzer, E., & Kraus, N. The auditory brainstem is a barometer of rapid auditory learning. Neuroscience, 243, 104–114, 2013]. We now ask whether this sensitivity to stimulus statistics is biased by prior experience and the expectations arising from this experience. To address this question, we recorded complex auditory brainstem responses (cABRs) to two patterned sound sequences formed from a set of eight repeating tones. For both patterned sequences, the eight tones were presented such that the transitional probability (TP) between neighboring tones was either 33% (low predictability) or 100% (high predictability). Although both sequences were novel to the healthy young adult listener and had similar TP distributions, one was perceived to be more musical than the other. For the more musical sequence, participants performed above chance when tested on their recognition of the most predictable two-tone combinations within the sequence (TP of 100%); in this case, the cABR differed from a baseline condition where the sound sequence had no predictable structure. In contrast, for the less musical sequence, learning was at chance, suggesting that listeners were “deaf” to the highly predictable repeating two-tone combinations in the sequence. For this condition, the cABR also did not differ from baseline. From this, we posit that the brainstem acts as a Bayesian sound processor, such that it factors in prior knowledge about the environment to index the probability of particular events within ever-changing sensory conditions.
“The Reign of God Has Come”: Eschatology and Empire in Late Antiquity and Early Islam
Authors: Shoemaker Stephen J.
Published: July 2014

For much of the 20th century, scholarship on Muḥammad and the beginnings of Islam has shown a reluctance to acknowledge the importance of imminent eschatology in earliest Islam. One of the main reasons for this resistance to eschatology would appear to be the undeniable importance of conquest and political expansion in early Islam: if Muḥammad and his followers believed that the world would soon come to an end, why then did they seek to conquer and rule over so much of it? Nevertheless, there is no real contradiction between the urgent eschatology revealed by the Qurʾān and other early sources on the one hand, and the determination of Muḥammad and his followers to expand their religious policy and establish an empire on the other. To the contrary, the political eschatology of the Byzantine Christians during the sixth and early seventh centuries indicates that these two beliefs went hand in hand, offering important contemporary precedent for the imperial eschatology that seems to have fueled the rise of Islam.
Two new species of Dendrobium (Orchidaceae: Epidendroideae) from China: evidence from morphology and DNA
Authors: Xu Qing , Zhang Guo-Qiang , Liu Zhong-Jian , Luo Yi-Bo
Published: July 2014

Two new orchid species, Dendrobium wenshanense and D. longlingense, from Yunnan, China, are described and illustrated in this study based on morphological and molecular evidence. Morphological analysis indicates that D. wenshanense is similar to D. wilsonii and D. fanjingshanense, but they differ in floral color, length of column foot and shapes/sizes of sepals, petals and lip; D. longlingense is similar to D. longicornu, but differs in presence of black hairs on adaxial surface of leaf, position of inflorescences, floral color and shapes of lip and spur. Molecular analysis of combined nuclear and plastid datasets (ITS, matK, rbcL, trnH-psbA, trnL intron) reveals that D. wenshanense is sister to D. wilsonii and D. fanjingshanense and a member of section Dendrobium; D. longlingense is sister to D. longicornu and a member of section Formosae.
Stipa klimesii (Poaceae), a new species from Western Himalayas (India)
Authors: Nobis Marcin , Nobis Agnieszka , Nowak Arkadiusz , Nowak Sylwia
Published: July 2014

Stipa klimesii sp. nov. from the Western Himalayas (India: Ladakh) and its variety S. klimesii var. pubescens var. nov. are described. The new species is similar to S. roborowskyi but differs by its longer anthecium, longer ligules of vegetative shoots, longer hairs on seta and shorter awns. Stipa klimesii is also similar to S. purpurea, but differs by longer ligules of vegetative shoots, shorter awns, slightly shorter hairs on seta and by the character of the panicle, which is compressed and with straight branches in S. klimesii vs. lax and with flexuous branches in S. purpurea. Epidermal patterns of the lemma in S. klimesii and both above-mentioned species, were examined by scanning electron microscopy. Images of macromorphological and micromorphological structures are provided.
Paraqianlabeo lineatus, a new genus and species of labeonine fishes (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from South China
Authors: ZHAO HAI-TAO , SULLIVAN JOHN P. , ZHANG YAO-GUANG , PENG ZUO-GANG
Published: July 2014

Paraqianlabeo, new genus, is described from the Chishui-He and Wu-Jiang rivers of the Yangtze River basin in Guizhou Province, South China. This new genus is distinguished from all other labeonine genera by a combination of morphological and molecular evidence. It is distinguished from all other Asian garrains by a unique oromandibular morphology; i.e., an arched, wide, rudimentary sucker formed by raised front and lateral margins of lower lip, postlabial groove and mental groove between middle and lateral lobes of lower lip chevron-shaped; anteroventral margin of rostral cap arched, thin and papillose; rostral cap not overlying upper lip, upper lip connected with lower lip around corners of mouth; well developed upper lip free from upper jaw; lower lip divided into two lateral fleshy lobes and one central plate, these two lateral fleshy lobes small and short, median lobe of lower lip large; anterior and anterolateral edges of upper and lower lip finely papillose; shallow, straight groove between lower lip and lower jaw; lower jaw bears thin, cornified cutting edge. Additionally, scales on mid-ventral region from pectoral fins to pelvic fins subcutaneous and half-hidden; dorsal fin with 3 simple and 7½-8 branched rays. Paraqianlabeo lineatus, new species, type species of this genus, has longitudinal dark stripe along side of body. Analyses of mitochondrial DNA data indicate that this new genus forms a highly diverged lineage within the Garraina group of Labeoninae.
A revision of the Rutilus complex from Mediterranean Europe with description of a new genus, Sarmarutilus, and a new species, Rutilus stoumboudae (Teleostei: Cyprinidae)
Authors: BIANCO PIER GIORGIO , KETMAIER VALERIO
Published: July 2014

By combining morphology, ecology, biology, and biogeography with the available molecular (sequence variation of the entire mitochondrial cytochrome b gene; cyt-b) and karyology data, the taxonomy of several species of the Rutilus complex inhabiting southern Europe is revised. Rutilus stoumboudae, new species, is described from Lake Volvi, Greece. It differs from Rutilus rutilus in possessing more total GR and less branched rays in both dorsal and anal fins and in its placement in the cyt-b based phylogeny of the genus. The resurrected genus Leucos Heckel, 1843 (type species Leucos aula, Bonaparte, 1841), which according to molecular data diverged from Rutilus more than 5 million years ago, during the Messinian salinity crisis, includes five species of small size, without spinous tubercles on scales and head in reproductive males, pharyngeal teeth formula 5-5, and all show a preference for still waters. Leucos aula is the Italian species endemic in the Padany-Venetian district: L. basak is widespread in Croatia, Albania, Montenegro and former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM); L. albus, recently described from Lake Skadar, Montenegro, is also found in rivers Moraca and Zeta (Montenegro). L. albus differs from L. basak, its closest relative, in having more scales on the LL and less anal-fin rays; L. panosi is endemic to the western-Greece district, and L. ylikiensis is endemic to lakes Yliki and Paralimni in eastern Greece (introduced in Lake Volvi). Among the nominal species examined, Rutilus karamani, R. ohridanus, R. prespensis and R. prespensis vukovici are all junior synonyms of Leucos basak. Rutilus vegariticus is definitively regarded as junior synonym for R. rutilus. Sarmarutilus n.gen. is a monotypic genus, with Sarmarutilus rubilio as the type species. According to phylogenetic data, Sarmarutilus rubilio is basal to a cluster of species that includes Leucos basak, L. albus, L. aula, L. panosi and L. ylikiensis. Sarmarutilus possibly evolved in pre-Messinian time, in the Lago Mare, entered the Mediterranean area during the Messinian Lago Mare phase of the Mediterranean Sea and survived only in the Tuscany- Latium district. This genus differs from Leucos in having large pearl organs on the central part of head and body scales in mature males and for the habitat preference, being a riverine-adapted species. It differs from Rutilus in pharyngeal teeth formula (5-5 in Sarmarutilus and 6-5 in Rutilus), size (small in Sarmarutilus and large in Rutilus) and for the preferential habitat (riverine vs. still water). Finally, lectotypes for Leucos basak, Leucos aula, and Sarmarutilus rubilio are designated.
A new genus of Psychodinae (Diptera, Psychodidae) from phytotelmata in a Honduran cloud forest
Authors: Bravo Freddy , Cordeiro Danilo , Jocque Merlijn
Published: July 2014

Larvae of a new species of Psychodinae, Moruseodina cusucoensis gen. et sp. nov., were collected during a biodiversity survey of aquatic invertebrates in plant held water bodies (phytotelmata) in Cusuco National Park, Honduras. The fourth instar larva, pupa and adult male are described based on reared material. The new species was difficult to place in an existing genus, thus a new genus name is proposed. Based on similarities in morphological characteristics, ecology and distribution, the species Moruseodina superba comb. nov. and Moruseodina conspicua comb. nov. are transferred from Telmatoscopus Eaton, 1904 to the new genus.
Ice Concentration Retrieval in Stratiform Mixed-Phase Clouds Using Cloud Radar Reflectivity Measurements and 1D Ice Growth Model Simulations
Authors: Zhang Damao , Wang Zhien , Heymsfield Andrew , Fan Jiwen , Luo Tao
Published: July 2014

Measurements of ice number concentration in clouds are important but still pose problems. The pattern of ice development in stratiform mixed-phase clouds (SMCs) offers an opportunity to use cloud radar reflectivity (Ze) measurements and other cloud properties to retrieve ice number concentrations. To quantify the strong temperature dependencies of ice crystal habits and growth rates, a one-dimensional (1D) ice growth model has been developed to calculate ice diffusional growth and riming growth along ice particle fallout trajectories in SMCs. The radar reflectivity and fallout velocity profiles of ice crystals calculated from the 1D ice growth model are evaluated with the Atmospheric Radiation Measurements (ARM) Climate Research Facility (ACRF) ground-based high-vertical-resolution radar measurements. A method has been developed to retrieve ice number concentrations in SMCs at a specific cloud-top temperature (CTT) and liquid water path (LWP) by combining Ze measurements and 1D ice growth model simulations. The retrieved ice number concentrations in SMCs are evaluated using integrated airborne in situ and remote sensing measurements and three-dimensional cloud-resolving model simulations with a bin microphysical scheme. The statistical evaluations show that the retrieved ice number concentrations in the SMCs are within an uncertainty of a factor of 2.
Effects of Vertical Wind Shear on Inner-Core Thermodynamics of an Idealized Simulated Tropical Cyclone
Authors: Gu Jian-Feng , Tan Zhe-Min , Qiu Xin
Published: July 2014

A suite of idealized simulations of tropical cyclones (TCs) with weak to strong vertical wind shear (VWS) imposed during the mature stage was employed to examine the effects of VWS on the inner-core thermodynamics and intensity change of TCs using a three-dimensional full-physics numerical model as well as a budget analysis of moist entropy. For sheared TCs with shear-induced convective asymmetries, VWS tends to reduce moist entropy within the midlevel eyewall and the boundary layer (BL) but supply moist entropy outside the eyewall above the BL. Such changes in moist entropy reduce the radial gradient of moist entropy across the eyewall, resulting in weakening of the TC. Budget analysis showed that the intense eddy fluxes are mainly responsible for the reduction and/or increase in entropy in the sheared TCs. The entropy reduction within the midlevel eyewall is a result of both the radial eddy flux and the vertical eddy flux. These eddy fluxes are effective at introducing low-entropy air into the midlevel eyewall. Accompanying the flushing of midlevel low-entropy air into the BL, there is an increase in moist entropy outside the eyewall above the BL due to the upward transport of moisture from the BL by shear-induced convection. This represents a new potential pathway to further restrain the radial gradient of moist entropy across the eyewall and hence TC intensity in the sheared environmental flow.
Structure and Statistical Analysis of the Microphysical Properties of Generating Cells in the Comma Head Region of Continental Winter Cyclones
Authors: Plummer David M. , McFarquhar Greg M. , Rauber Robert M. , Jewett Brian F. , Leon David C.
Published: July 2014

This paper presents analyses of the microphysical structure of cloud-top convective generating cells at temperatures between −10° and −55°C across the comma head of 11 continental cyclones, using data collected by the W-band Wyoming Cloud Radar and in situ instrumentation aboard the National Science Foundation (NSF)/NCAR C-130. A case study of one cyclone is presented, followed by statistical analyses of the entire dataset.

Ice particle number concentrations averaged 1.9 times larger inside generating cells compared to outside, and derived ice water contents and median mass diameters averaged 2.2 and 1.1 times larger in cells, respectively. Supercooled water was directly measured at temperatures between −31.4° and −11.1°C, with the median and 95th-percentile liquid water content increasing from ~0.09 to 0.12 g m−3 and 0.14 to 0.28 g m−3 over this temperature range, respectively. Liquid water was present in 26% of observations within cells and 18% of observations between cells over the same temperature range, and it was nearly ubiquitous at temperatures above −16°C.

The larger ice particle concentrations in cells are consistent with greater ice production in convective updrafts. The increased mass and diameter of the ice particles demonstrate that generating cells provide environments favorable for enhanced particle growth. The impact of water saturation and supercooled water in the cells was evident, with rapid particle growth by diffusion and sometimes riming apparent, in addition to aggregation. Turbulent mixing lessened the observed differences between cells and surrounding regions, with supercooled water observed within and between cells, similar habits within and between cells, and rimed particles evident even in ice-phase conditions.
On Pacific Subtropical Cell Variability over the Second Half of the Twentieth Century
Authors: Farneti Riccardo , Dwivedi Suneet , Kucharski Fred , Molteni Franco , Griffies Stephen M.
Published: July 2014

The evolution of the Pacific subtropical cells (STC) is presented for the period 1948–2007. Using ocean models of different resolutions forced with interannually varying atmospheric forcing datasets, the mechanisms responsible for the observed STC weakening and late recovery during the period of study are analyzed. As a result of the STC weakening (strengthening), warming (cooling) trends are found in the equatorial Pacific sea surface temperatures (SSTs). Model results agree well with observed estimates of STC transport, STC convergence, and equatorial SST anomalies. It is shown that subtropical atmospheric variability is the primary driver of the STC and equatorial SST low-frequency evolution and is responsible for both the slowdown during the second half of the twentieth century and the rebound at the end of the century. Subtropically forced STC variability is identified as a major player in the generation of equatorial Pacific decadal SST anomalies, pacing tropical Pacific natural climate variability on interdecadal time scales, as observed in historical records. The natural mode of variability has implications for the evolution of equatorial SST in the coming decades under the concomitant effects of climate change.
Skillful Seasonal Prediction of the Southern Annular Mode and Antarctic Ozone
Authors: Seviour William J. M. , Hardiman Steven C. , Gray Lesley J. , Butchart Neal , MacLachlan Craig , Scaife Adam A.
Published: July 2014

Using a set of seasonal hindcast simulations produced by the Met Office Global Seasonal Forecast System, version 5 (GloSea5), significant predictability of the southern annular mode (SAM) is demonstrated during the austral spring. The correlation of the September–November mean SAM with observed values is 0.64, which is statistically significant at the 95% confidence level [confidence interval: (0.18, 0.92)], and is similar to that found recently for the North Atlantic Oscillation in the same system. Significant skill is also found in the prediction of the strength of the Antarctic stratospheric polar vortex at 1 month average lead times. Because of the observed strong correlation between interannual variability in the strength of the Antarctic stratospheric circulation and ozone concentrations, it is possible to make skillful predictions of Antarctic column ozone amounts. By studying the variation of forecast skill with time and height, it is shown that skillful predictions of the SAM are significantly influenced by stratospheric anomalies that descend with time and are coupled with the troposphere. This effect allows skillful statistical forecasts of the October mean SAM to be produced based only on midstratosphere anomalies on 1 August. Together, these results both demonstrate a significant advance in the skill of seasonal forecasts of the Southern Hemisphere and highlight the importance of accurate modeling and observation of the stratosphere in producing long-range forecasts.
Successful and Sustained Leadership
Authors: García-Tuñón Guillermo M. , Cistone Peter J. , Reio Thomas G.
Published: July 2014

The purpose of this research was to examine the factors and elements that contributed to the success and longevity of an exemplary Jesuit high school leader. Through an exemplary case study approach, qualitative and quantitative data were collected. Instead of merely employing one of two leadership frames, the convergent evidence suggested that multiple leadership frames (structural, human resource, political, and symbolic) were employed by the research participant in the service of being a unique and successful leader. The research highlighted the need to draw from several leadership frames for best success.
Violence in the ‘Ayn al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, 2007–2009
Authors: Hutson Royce A , Shannon Harry , Long Taylor
Published: July 2014

Conditions in the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon are difficult, with poverty rates high, educational attainment low, and opportunities few. Of concern to policy-makers is ‘Ayn al-Hilweh, the largest camp in Lebanon. This camp experiences frequent factional violence and harbors numerous individuals wanted by Lebanese authorities. This study, using a random survey of households, examined the frequency of households’ experience with violence and the association of experiencing violence with PTSD symptomology. Results show one in five households experienced violence and these experiences were associated with increased PTSD symptomology. Implications for social work within the camp are discussed.
Bad Religion? Religion, Collective Action, and the Onset of Armed Conflict in Developing Countries
Authors: Basedau Matthias , Pfeiffer Birte , Vüllers Johannes
Published: July 2014

Anecdotal evidence from many armed conflicts suggests that religion incites violence. Theoretically speaking, several facets of religion can create motives and opportunities to overcome the collective action problems associated with organized violence. However, empirical research has hitherto found no conclusive answer on the extent to which religion is connected to armed conflict onset. Contributing to the filling of this gap, we use a new database that incorporates important religious factors that previous studies left largely untested. The data set covers 130 developing countries for the period 1990 to 2010. Results from logistic regressions confirm our expectation that certain religious factors fuel armed conflict—in particular, the overlap of religious and other identities, religious groups’ grievances, and religious leaders’ calls for violence. We also find that religious determinants vary in their impact according to whether conflicts are religious or not in origin.
Getting to Know You
Authors: van der Werff Lisa , Buckley Finian
Published: July 2014

Despite recent theoretical advances, the pattern of trust development between coworkers has yet to receive focused longitudinal attention. Furthermore, current theory suggests that employees attend to an array of independent trust cues in any given situation but fails to identify which cues are important when. In a four-wave longitudinal field study, we demonstrate how new coworker intentions to engage in trust behaviors (reliance and disclosure) evolve during employee socialization and examine the trust cues that prime decisions to trust. We present a latent growth model of trust development that reveals, for the first time, that reliance and disclosure intentions in early work relationships develop in a positive, nonlinear pattern over time. Furthermore, the study indicates that propensity to trust has a statistically significant effect on the initial status of intention to rely on and disclose information to coworkers but not on changes in trust behavior over time. The multiwave design permits comprehensive assessment of the change in impact of different trust cues over time and demonstrates that the importance of certain cues varies depending primarily on the type of trust in question and potentially changes as a relationship matures. We discuss the theoretical implications and directions for future research.
B-Mode and Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (ARFI) Imaging of Prostate Zonal Anatomy
Authors: Palmeri Mark L. , Miller Zachary A. , Glass Tyler J. , Garcia-Reyes Kirema , Gupta Rajan T. , Rosenzweig Stephen J. , Kauffman Christopher , Polascik Thomas J. , Buck Andrew , Kulbacki Evan , Madden John , Lipman Samantha L. , Rouze Ned C. , Nightingale Kathryn R.
Published: July 2014

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common non-cutaneous malignancy among men in the United States and the second leading cause of cancer-related death. Multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) has gained recent popularity to characterize PCa. Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (ARFI) imaging has the potential to aid PCa diagnosis and management by using tissue stiffness to evaluate prostate zonal anatomy and lesions. MR and B-mode/ARFI in vivo imaging datasets were compared with one another and with gross pathology measurements made immediately after radical prostatectomy. Images were manually segmented in 3D Slicer to delineate the central gland (CG) and prostate capsule, and 3D models were rendered to evaluate zonal anatomy dimensions and volumes. Both imaging modalities showed good correlation between estimated organ volume and gross pathologic weights. Ultrasound and MR total prostate volumes were well correlated ( R2 = 0.77), but B-mode images yielded prostate volumes that were larger (16.82% ± 22.45%) than MR images, due to overestimation of the lateral dimension (18.4% ± 13.9%), with less significant differences in the other dimensions (7.4% ± 17.6%, anterior-to-posterior, and −10.8% ± 13.9%, apex-to-base). ARFI and MR CG volumes were also well correlated ( R2 = 0.85). CG volume differences were attributed to ARFI underestimation of the apex-to-base axis (−28.8% ± 9.4%) and ARFI overestimation of the lateral dimension (21.5% ± 14.3%). B-mode/ARFI imaging yielded prostate volumes and dimensions that were well correlated with MR T2-weighted image (T2WI) estimates, with biases in the lateral dimension due to poor contrast caused by extraprostatic fat. B-mode combined with ARFI imaging is a promising low-cost, portable, real-time modality that can complement mpMRI for PCa diagnosis, treatment planning, and management.
Cardiac surgery antibiotic prophylaxis and calculated empiric antibiotic therapy
Authors: Gorski Armin , Hamouda Khaled , Özkur Mehmet , Leistner Markus , Sommer Sebastian-Patrick , Leyh Rainer , Schimmer Christoph
Published: July 2014

Background

Ongoing debate exists concerning the optimal choice and duration of antibiotic prophylaxis as well as the reasonable calculated empiric antibiotic therapy for hospital-acquired infections in critically ill cardiac surgery patients.

Methods

A nationwide questionnaire was distributed to all German heart surgery centers concerning antibiotic prophylaxis and the calculated empiric antibiotic therapy.

Results

The response to the questionnaire was 87.3%. All clinics that responded use antibiotic prophylaxis, 79% perform it not longer than 24 h (single-shot: 23%; 2 doses: 29%; 3 doses: 27%; 4 doses: 13%; and >5 doses: 8%). Cephalosporin was used in 89% of clinics (46% second-generation, 43% first-generation cephalosporin). If sepsis is suspected, the following diagnostics are performed routinely: wound inspection 100%; white blood cell count 100%; radiography 99%; C-reactive protein 97%; microbiological testing of urine 91%, blood 81%, and bronchial secretion 81%; procalcitonin 74%; and echocardiography 75%. The calculated empiric antibiotic therapy (depending on the suspected focus) consists of a multidrug combination with broad-spectrum agents.

Conclusion

This survey shows that existing national guidelines and recommendations concerning perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis and calculated empiric antibiotic therapy are well applied in almost all German heart centers.
Repair of unbalanced atrioventricular septal defect with small right ventricle
Authors: Oshima Yoshihiro , Maruo Ayako , Hasegawa Tomomi , Matsuhisa Hironori
Published: July 2014

A 2-month-old boy with trisomy 21, a small right ventricle, and an unbalanced atrioventricular septal defect underwent successful biventricular repair without atrial fenestration. We decided to perform leftward partitioning of the atrioventricular valve to widen the right ventricle inflow tract. This procedure increases the size of the right-sided valve and allows full function of the right ventricle without an atrial communication. This technique should be employed in patients with a small right ventricle and an unbalanced atrioventricular septal defect, as an alternative to atrial septal fenestration or univentricular palliation.
Backlash Over Gender-Fair Language
Authors: Budziszewska Magdalena , Hansen Karolina , Bilewicz Michał
Published: July 2014

Feminine forms of job titles raise great interest in many countries. However, it is still unknown how they shape stereotypical impressions on warmth and competence dimensions among female and male listeners. In an experiment with fictitious job titles men perceived women described with feminine job titles as significantly less warm and marginally less competent than women with masculine job titles, which led to lower willingness to employ them. No such effects were observed among women.
Ireland’s immigration policies (1997–present): Links to global trends of labour division and effects on national labour market structure
Authors: McPhee Siobhán R
Published: July 2014

Ireland’s economic growth (1992–2007) was fuelled by availability of capital, but also through access to cheap flexible labour. This article attempts to provide evidence that the Irish state played a central role in facilitating and shaping labour supply, a role that has resulted in the clustering of non-Irish workers in particular sectors of the labour market. Worker mobility across national borders takes place at the intersection of global economic trends and local or regional labour market development, thus creating global consistency in the operation of local or regional markets and demand for workers; however, each labour market is unique as each creates its own local and global social relations. The state, as a main actor in the formulation of immigration policies and in shaping labour market structure, has a central role in affecting the nature of the interconnection between global and local. The analysis considers how Ireland’s immigration policies, as they reflect global labour trends, contribute to the clustering of certain migrants in particular sectors. The method of analysis involves a three-step numerical analysis of clustering: (1) percentages, (2) ODDS ratios and (3) two-step cluster analysis. Results suggest the existence of economic clustering and channelling of workers into specific jobs linked back to immigration policies and recruitment drives.
Singers take center stage! Personality traits and stereotypes of popular musicians
Authors: Cameron James E. , Duffy Melissa , Glenwright Brittni
Published: July 2014

Despite some evidence that performing musicians tend to have distinct personality characteristics, there is little understanding of how specific positions in bands might be correlated with certain traits. Moreover, there is the possibility that such correlations are exaggerated via stereotypic social perception. In an online sample of popular musicians (including 87 bassists, 48 drummers, 115 guitarists, and 30 vocalists), we evaluated (a) differences in self-reported personality characteristics along the Big Five dimensions; and (b) perceptions of each kind of musician in terms of social category membership (e.g., “What are guitar players like?”). Singers were significantly more extraverted than bassists, and more open to experience than drummers. Whereas there were few differences among other musicians in self-reported personality, the various categories evinced stereotypes that were moderated by participants’ own positions in the band. For example, bass players were generally seen as the most agreeable band members, but this was especially true in the eyes of the bassists themselves. Results are interpreted with reference to biases associated with social categorization and group membership.