bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The challenge of developing talent to meet the offshore and shipbuilding demands in Brazil
Authors: Medeiros Breno Barreto , Coester Marcus , Reichert Clovis Leopoldo , Pezzi Maria Virginia , Baungartner Rovanir
Published: September 2015

This case focuses on the challenges regarding capacity building required to meet the huge increase of manpower demand by the offshore and shipbuilding sectors in Brazil and Rio Grande do Sul state. This arises from four key factors: end of monopoly of exploration and production of oil and gas in 1997, expanding the Brazilian offshore market; the Local Content policy adopted since 1999; national programs to stimulate the maritime industry such as the Fleet Modernization and Expansion Program created in 2004 to renew the fleet of Transpetro, a Petrobras subsidiary; and the expansion of Petrobras investments, partly due to the discovery of giant oil reserves in the Pre-salt layer in Brazil, in 2006.

Since 2010, annual investments from Petrobras have reached US$ 40 billion/year, more than ten times the yearly investment in the 1997-2001 period. Consequently, offshore clusters have been developed in the country to build platforms, drilling ships and supply vessels, demanding massive training. In Rio Grande do Sul, three big shipyards and modules producers have installed.

In this context, government created in 2003 the National Oil and Natural Gas Industry Mobilization Program (Prominp) and the National Plan of Professional Qualification (Pnqp) in 2006. Until 2013, circa US$ 120 million were invested to train nearly 100.000 people in 185 trades at several levels. In the state, training has been provided mainly by SENAI-RS, the state branch of the National Service of Industrial Apprenticeship, linked to the Federation of the Industries of Rio Grande do Sul.

The large-scale actions undertaken for training have not been efficacious enough to meet the needs. Studies and discussions have raised factors that impact on shipyards’ productivity and competitiveness.

We consider alternatives to develop talents to accelerate the learning curve, anchored in the following axes: SENAI methodology for professional training; pre-selection of people according to specific abilities; the concept of a “Living Lab” training environment; familiarizing workers with productiveness indicators; efficient management paradigm; workers training aligned with the project repeatability principle.

The local industry must be internationally competitive when the local content policy ends and labour productivity plays a crucial role in this aspect.
The King-Devick test of rapid number naming for concussion detection: meta-analysis and systematic review of the literature
Authors: Galetta Kristin M , Liu Mengling , Leong Danielle F , Ventura Rachel E , Galetta Steven L , Balcer Laura J
Published: September 2015

Background: Vision encompasses a large component of the brain's pathways, yet is not represented in current sideline testing. Objectives: We performed a meta-analysis of published data for a vision-based test of rapid number naming (King-Devick [K-D] test). Studies & methods: Pooled and meta-analysis of 15 studies estimated preseason baseline K-D scores and sensitivity/specificity for identifying concussed versus nonconcussed control athletes. Result: Baseline K-D (n = 1419) showed a weighted estimate of 43.8 s (95% CI: 40.2, 47.5; I2 = 0.0%; p=0.85 – indicating very little heterogeneity). Sensitivity was 86% (96/112 concussed athletes had K-D worsening; 95% CI: 78%, 92%); specificity was 90% (181/202 controls had no worsening; 95% CI: 85%, 93%). Conclusion: Rapid number naming adds to sideline assessment and contributes a critical dimension of vision to sports-related concussion testing.
The Interaction of Communicating Measurement Uncertainty and the Dark Triad on Managers' Reporting Decisions
Authors: Majors Tracie M.
Published: September 2015

I conduct an interactive experiment with participants in manager- and investor-like roles to examine whether and how mandating range disclosures for uncertain estimates will influence managers' reporting decisions. I find that managers report less aggressively when ranges are disclosed, such that investors have little aggressive reporting to identify using range disclosures. However, consistent with psychology theory, range disclosures have the greatest effect on managers with stronger levels of psychopathy, narcissism, or Machiavellianism (“the Dark Triad” of personality in psychology). Range disclosures discipline these managers' aggressive reporting, while managers with lower levels of all of these personalities have less aggressiveness to discipline and are insensitive to range disclosure. Consequently, mandating range disclosures should have the greatest effect on managers most in need of reining in—and is unlikely to reveal aggressive reporting to investors (as might be expected) because these managers reduce aggressiveness in anticipation of investor actions.
Share Repurchase Choice and Executive Pension Compensation
Authors: Tan Christine E. L. , Young Susan M.
Published: September 2015

Shareholders and regulators have increasingly been calling upon firms to reign in executive compensation. Most of this discussion has focused on bonuses and stock options, the more observable portions of an executive compensation package. More difficult for investors to assess, however, is long-term incentive pay, such as supplemental executive retirement plans (SERPs), which has become a significant portion of executive compensation. Our study examines whether managers use accelerated share repurchases (ASRs) to increase total compensation through this under-emphasized form of pay. Managers wishing to increase their total compensation through an increase in earnings per share (EPS) should prefer ASRs, which generally have a more immediate and significant impact on EPS relative to open market repurchases (OMRs). For a sample of repurchase firms, we find evidence that managers who have performance-contingent SERPs in place (i.e., a SERP based on salary and bonus or on average earnings), together with EPS-based bonuses and a share repurchase that results in a higher EPS number, are significantly more likely to choose an ASR versus an OMR.

JEL Classifications: G34; G35; M4; M41; M52.

Data Availability: The data are available from public sources identified in this study.
Two- versus Four-Handed Techniques for Endonasal Resection of Orbital Apex Tumors
Authors: Craig John R. , Lee John Y. K. , Petrov Dmitriy , Mehta Sonul , Palmer James N. , Adappa Nithin D.
Published: September 2015

Background

Open versus endonasal resection of orbital apex (OA) tumors is generally based on tumor size, location, and pathology. For endonasal resection, two- and four-handed techniques have been reported, but whether one technique is more optimal based on these tumor features has not been evaluated.

Objective

To determine whether two- versus four-handed techniques result in better outcomes after endoscopic resection of OA tumors, and whether either technique is better suited for intra- versus extraconal location and for benign versus malignant pathology.

Methods

A retrospective review of all expanded endonasal approaches for OA tumors was performed at a single institution from 2009 to 2013. A PubMed database search was also performed to review series published on endonasal OA tumor resection. Across all the cases reviewed, the following data were recorded: two- versus four-handed techniques, intra- versus extraconal tumor location, and benign versus malignant pathology. The relationship between these variables and resection extent was analyzed by the Fisher exact test. Postoperative visual status and complications were also reviewed.

Results

Ten cases from the institution and 94 cases from 17 publications were reviewed. Both two- and four-handed techniques were used to resect extra-and intraconal OA tumors, for both benign and malignant pathology. Four-handed techniques included a purely endonasal approach and a combined endonasal-orbital approach. On univariate analysis, the strongest predictor of complete resection was benign pathology (p = 0.005). No significant difference was found between the extent of resection and a two- versus a four-handed technique. Visual status was improved or unchanged in 94% of cases, and other complications were rare.

Conclusion

Benign tumors that involve the medial extraconal and posterior inferomedial intraconal OA can be treated by either two- or four-handed endonasal techniques. Selecting two- versus four-handed techniques and endonasal versus endonasal-orbital four-handed techniques depends mainly on surgeons’ experience. Endonasal approaches for malignant OA tumors are less likely to result in complete resection.
Attitudes on and Usage of Balloon Catheter Technology in Rhinology: A Survey of the American Rhinologic Society
Authors: Halderman Ashleigh A. , Stokken Janalee , Momin Suhael R. , Smith Timothy L. , Sindwani Raj
Published: September 2015

Introduction

Use of balloon catheter dilation in the management of paranasal sinus diseases, including chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and recurrent acute rhinosinusitis, remains controversial. In an effort to gain some clarity about its evolving role, we surveyed members of the American Rhinologic Society (ARS).

Method

Online survey.

Results

ARS Members were sent an invitation by e-mail to participate in an online, anonymous 23-item survey. A total of 231 participants completed the survey, for an overall response rate of 25%. Balloon catheter technology (BCT) played no role in the practices of one-third of all the respondents. Of those who did use BCT, more than 50% performed only 1–4 cases per month on average. This did not differ significantly with practice type (p = 0.2988). The overall use of BCT differed between types of practices with those in private practice reporting greater use of the technology for maxillary and sphenoid sinuses (p = 0.0003 and p = 0.0073, respectively). Participants in private practice appeared significantly more impressed with the results of BCT when compared with those in academia (p = 0.0005) and also thought that patients were more satisfied (p = 0.0002). Opinions toward the strength of available evidence also differed significantly between the two groups (p = 0.0007). Thirty-two respondents had experienced a complication with BCT, although the majority of these did not require any intervention.

Conclusions

ARS members surveyed used BCT infrequently in their practices. Attitudes on the role of this technology in CRS management differed between academic and private practitioners, but, despite this, the volume of reported BCT use was the same. Surgeons are more accepting of the technology now compared with 5 years ago, and many of them believe that their use of BCT will increase in the future.
Expression Profiles of Prostaglandin E2 Receptor Subtypes in Aspirin Tolerant Adult Chinese with Chronic Rhinosinusitis
Authors: Xie Li , Liu Ai-Guo , Cui Yong-Hua , Zhang Yin-Ping , Liao Bo , Li Ni-Ni , Wang Xian-Song
Published: September 2015

Background

Several studies have indicated that prostaglandin E2 and E-prostanoid (EP) receptors play a role in the pathogenesis of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) in white populations. However, until now there was no report about EP receptor expression and its role in the pathophysiology of CRS in Chinese patients.

Objective

To investigate the expression profiles of EP receptors, including EP1, EP2, EP3, and EP4 receptors in different Chinese patients with CRS with aspirin tolerance.

Methods

Nasal biopsy specimens were obtained from 12 controls, 12 patients with CRS without nasal polyps (CRSsNP), 12 with eosinophilic CRS with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), and 16 with noneosinophilic CRSwNP. Histopathologic characteristics were observed under a light microscope. Immunostaining was used to examine tissue localization of EP receptors. Messenger RNA and protein expression of EP receptors were examined by means of quantitative RT-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot, respectively.

Results

Different types of CRS presented different histopathologic hallmarks. EP receptors were expressed mainly on epithelium, glands, and infiltrating inflammatory cells in nasal tissue. In controls, patients with CRSsNP, and those with noneosinophilic CRSwNP, EP4 mRNA levels were higher than EP1, EP2, and EP3 receptors. EP2 was downexpressed, and EP1 was upexpressed in patients with eosinophilic CRSwNP. When comparing EP receptor expression among different groups, Messenger RNA and protein of EP1 receptor were significantly enhanced in eosinophilic CRSwNP, but EP2, EP3, and EP4 receptors did not show significant differences.

Conclusion

EP receptor expressions present different features in healthy subjects and patients with CRS. The upregulated EP1 receptor in eosinophilic CRSwNP might be associated with excessive infiltrations of eosinophils and other inflammatory cells. The accurate role of the four EP receptors in the pathogenesis of different CRS remains to be further explored.
Cross-Culturally Modified University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test for a Turkish Population
Authors: Altundag Aytug , Tekeli Hakan , Salihoglu Murat , Cayonu Melih , Yasar Halit , Kendirli Mustafa T. , Saglam Omer
Published: September 2015

Background

The University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) is a well-developed and popular olfactory test, which has been validated in various populations. However, there was only one study in a Turkish population, and this study indicated that the North American version of the UPSIT was not enough to evaluate the olfactory functions of Turkish population. So, we developed a cross-cultural adaptation of the UPSIT, the UPSIT-Turkish (UPSIT-T). Thus, the goal of this study was to investigate the applicability of the UPSIT-T in healthy Turkish subjects.

Material and Methods

The study included 51 healthy individuals who reported having normal olfactory function. The participants were administered the North American version of the UPSIT firstly, and then, after a day UPSIT-T was applied to the participants. The results of two smell tests were compared, and the applicability of UPSIT-T was evaluated.

Results

The mean (standard deviation) value for correctly identified odors was 27.2 ± 5.7 (range, 14–38) with the UPSIT application, whereas the mean (standard deviation) value for correctly identified odors was 35.9 ± 3.1 for UPSIT-T. There was a statistically significant increase in the scores of the participants when UPSIT-T was performed (p < 0.001). The identification rates of 10 test odorants were <80% for our study group, and 2 of 10 were <70% for the UPSIT-T.

Conclusion

The UPSIT-T modification is an adequate olfactory test for clinical use in a Turkish population.
Radiofrequency Turbinoplasty for Nonallergic Rhinitis in Geriatric Patients
Authors: Yu Myeong Sang , Kang Sung-Ho , Kim Bo-Hyung , Lim Dae Jun , Kim Jong-Yeup
Published: September 2015

Background and Objective

Radiofrequency (RF) turbinoplasty may be effective in treating nonallergic rhinitis in elderly patients. The present study evaluated the efficacy of nasal turbinate surgery with RF for the treatment of nonallergic rhinitis in elderly patients refractory to medical therapy.

Methods

A total of 35 consecutive patients older than 65 years of age (mean subject age, 75.5 ± 9.6 [standard deviation] years) with nonallergic rhinitis refractory to medical therapy who underwent RF turbinate surgery were enrolled in this study. The efficacy of RF turbinoplasty in treating nonallergic rhinitis in elderly patients was evaluated by using rhinoscopy and a visual analog scale score of nasal symptoms.

Results

The response rate of primary RF turbinate surgery for nonallergic rhinitis refractory to medical therapy was 68.6%. Postoperative symptom scores for rhinorrhea and nasal obstruction were significantly improved. Persistent crust formation developed in seven patients (20.0%). No patient experienced major complications (e.g., septal hematoma, abscess, septal perforation), but partial bone necrosis was observed in one patient.

Conclusion

RF turbinoplasty appeared to be effective for treating some nonallergic rhinitis symptoms in elderly patients, including rhinorrhea and nasal obstruction. These preliminary results are encouraging and warrant further investigation.
Efficacy Evaluation of a Pollen Blocker Cream against Dust-Mite Allergy: A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Crossover Trial
Authors: Li Yanqing , Cheng Lei , Chen Xiaoning , Yang Beibei , Wang Dehui
Published: September 2015

Objective

To further evaluate the efficacy and safety of a pollen blocker cream against dust-mite allergy.

Methods

A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial was conducted in a Chinese population. Patients diagnosed with perennial allergic rhinitis, sensitive to dust-mite allergy including Dermatophagoides farinae and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus were randomly allocated to receive a pollen blocker cream or placebo, which was applied and spread evenly to the lower internal nose region three times daily for a total of 30 days. The primary outcome measurements for efficacy were total nasal symptom score (TNSS) and individual nasal symptom score (iNSS). Adverse events were also monitored.

Results

After application of a pollen blocker, the mean TNSS decreased from 23.1 to 13.8, the decrease of the pollen blocker group (9.3) was highly significant compared with the placebo group (5.2; p < 0.001). Similarly, the decreases in iNSSs (rhinorrhea, congestion, sneezing, and itching) between the pollen blocker group and the placebo group were also significant (p < 0.05). In addition, in adults, the pollen blocker led to a remarkably significant decrease in TNSS (9.5) compared with placebo (5.4; p < 0.001); in children, the pollen blocker led to a significant decrease in TNSS (8.6) compared with placebo (4.8; p < 0.05). No statistical difference was found in the incidence of adverse events between the two groups (p > 0.05), and no severe systematic reactions were observed.

Conclusion

Pollen Blocker is a safe and effective alternative to the drugs for treatment of AR, especially for Chinese people allergic to dust-mite allergy.
Phospholipase A2-dependent Release of Inflammatory Cytokines by Superantigen-Stimulated Nasal Polyps of Patients with Chronic Rhinosinusitis
Authors: Mruwat Rufayda , Kivity Shmuel , Landsberg Roee , Yedgar Saul , Langier Sheila
Published: September 2015

Background

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is an inflammatory/allergic disease with unclear pathophysiology, but it has been linked to an imbalance in the production of eicosanoids, which are metabolites of arachidonic acid, and results from phospholipids hydrolysis by phospholipase A2 (PLA2). As of yet, the role of PLA2 in CRS has hardly been studied, except for a report that group II PLA2 expression is elevated in interleukin (IL) 1β or tumor necrosis factor α-stimulated CRS nasal tissues with and without polyps. The PLA2 families include extracellular (secretory) and intracellular isoforms, which are involved in the regulation of inflammatory processes in different ways. Here we comprehensively investigated the expression of PLA2s, particularly those reported to be involved in respiratory disorders, in superantigen (SAE)-stimulated nasal polyps from patients with CRS with polyps, and determined their role in inflammatory cytokine production by inhibition of PLA2 expression.

Methods

The release of IL-5, IL-13, IL-17, and interferon γ by nasal polyps dispersed cells (NPDC) was determined concomitantly with PLA2 messenger RNA expression, under SAE stimulation, with or without dexamethasone, as a regulator of PLA2 expression.

Results

Stimulation of NPDCs by SAE-induced cytokine secretion with enhanced expression of several secretory PLA2 and Ca2+-independent PLA2, while suppressing cytosolic PLA2 expression. All these were reverted to the level of unstimulated NPDCs on treatment with dexamethasone.

Conclusion

This study further supports the key role of secretory PLA2 in the pathophysiology of respiratory disorders and presents secretory PLA2 inhibition as a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of CRS and airway pathologies in general.
Initial uplift of the Tibetan Plateau and environmental implications
Authors: Ge Xiaohong , Ren Shoumai , Liu Yongjiang , Ma Lixiang
Published: September 2015

Himalayan Journal of Sciences Vol.2(4) Special Issue 2004 pp.142
Möglichkeiten zur Holzmobilisierung im Tessiner Kastaniengürtel
Authors: Stadelmann Golo , Temperli Christian , Conedera Marco , Gómez Andrés , Brang Peter
Published: September 2015

Timber mobilization possibilities for the chestnut belt of Ticino

Many of the traditionally managed chestnut groves and coppice forests in the canton of Ticino have been abandoned in the second half of the 20th century. The ensuing natural development resulted in homogenized stand structures across the landscape, increasing growing stocks and diminishing provision of ecosystem services (e.g. timber, protection from gravitational hazards, nature conservation and recreation services). We used a forest growth simulator (“Massimo”) to simulate a range of management scenarios and possible consequences. Under the current low intensity management growing stocks and tree mortality continue to increase, which – at a large scale – could further reduce the protection and other services and increase the risk of forest fires. This process could be countered with more intense management practices, yet facing relatively high timber harvesting costs. An optimized forest management in the chestnut belt would require the definition of the dominating forest functions, the designation of priority areas and monetary compensation schemes for the provision of the respective forest ecosystem services.
La forêt vue par les Genevois: perceptions et valeurs économiques de la forêt
Authors: Baranzini Andrea , Borzykowski Nicolas , Maradan David
Published: September 2015

The forest seen from the inhabitants of Geneva: perception and economic values of the forest

This article analyses the perception, behavior and relation of the population in the Canton of Geneva (Switzerland) with respect to forests. The results are based on a survey conducted in winter 2014. We observe that the Geneva population uses the forest less intensively and values its economic importance to a lesser extent than inhabitants of other Swiss cantons. The majority of the respondents prefer the conservation of forest land and biodiversity, rather than increasing wood harvest activities or forest land conversion for housebuilding purposes. Applying the travel cost method, the average annual value of the Geneva forest's recreational services has been estimated at 656 CHF per person (median value of 175 CHF) and 313 CHF (median value of 60 CHF) when excluding the opportunity cost of the time spent in the forest. The willingness to pay for increasing the share of protected forest up to 10% of the overall forest area, as it is planned in the federal program Forest Policy 2020, has been estimated using the contingent valuation method and results in 283 CHF per person and year.
Art, Nature, Ethics: Nonhuman Queerings
Authors: MacCormack Patricia
Published: September 2015

The anthropocene has seen the human not only manipulate nonhuman forces but territorialise all forces so they may be understood or valued only via anthropocentric formal logic. This article explores the ethical urgency of the need to open up new spaces, primarily via the deformalised (or at least non-anthropomorphic) flesh where can be explored the concept of the nonhuman. In the context of the article the nonhuman does not only refer to nonhuman animals, but also the human's necessary becoming-nonhuman in order to liberate the Earth from the violent tendencies of anthropocentric ideology and/and as action. The article does address our human relations with nonhuman animals as part of the need to become-nonhuman without fetishizing other life forms or human minoritarians. This is suggested via three trajectories – nonhuman becomings via art, via nature and via radical abolitionist ethics. All three offer ways in which the subject can find escape routes and philosophical fissures through which new pathways may emerge to alter interactions between humans, humans and nonhuman animals and the world itself as a system of relation rather than human occupation.
Hopeful Monsters: A Queer Hope of Evolutionary Difference
Authors: McCormack Donna
Published: September 2015

This article explores how contemporary literary and visual texts create a scientific imaginary haunted by the work of the discredited evolutionary biologist Richard Goldschmidt. Goldschmidt's theory of the hopeful monster placed that which is different, changing and monstrous at the heart of evolution. The aim of this article is therefore to examine how macromutation (also known as saltational theory) makes manifest an anxiety, but also an exciting potentiality, about the human's interrelational existence with plant, animal, inanimate and technological life. It moves between Goldschmidt's theories of evolution and cultural representations that resonate with his work to suggest that the hopeful monster questions the dehumanisation of and violence towards different others by bringing monstrous difference to the centre of species' survival. The focus here is how Goldschmidt's ideas reverberate in contemporary culture, particularly how these resonances invite a questioning of the supposed threat of difference to imagined individual and national security and unity. Engaging with the Hollywood film series X-Men and Hiromi Goto's collection of short stories Hopeful Monsters, this article explores how these texts make manifest the ontological anxieties of facing (our) monsters, and thus the environmental and socio-political consequences and potentialities of being of, with and next to difference.
Distribución y abundancia de la población reproductora de Treparriscos (Tichodroma muraria) en Aragón
Authors: Gil Juan Antonio , Pérez Carlos
Published: September 2015

Con la realización del Atlas Ornitológico de Aragón tan solo se efectuó una primera aproximación de la distribución de la población reproductora del treparriscos (Tichodroma muraria) en Aragón. En el presente artículo se ha actualizado la información sobre su distribución y se ha realizado una primera estima de su población. En total se obtuvieron 145 registros de la época de reproducción (mayo-agosto) entre los años 1982-2014. Los sectores de cría se sitúan a una media de 2.409 ± 572 m.s.n.m. El 62% de los registros se realizan en áreas con rocas básicas. La construcción del nido se realiza entre mayo y principios de junio, la incubación entre junio y julio, los pollos están en el nido entre junio y finales de julio y los grupos familiares se forman en agosto. La distribución ocupa un total de 40 cuadrículas UTM de 10x10 Km (un aumento del 133% sobre la distribución dada en el Atlas) y 87 cuadrículas 1x1 km. Está presente en todos los macizos montañosos del Pirineo aragonés, a excepción de Culfreda, Acherito y Mesa de los Tres Reyes, donde no se obtienen registros de su presencia. El área de ocupación con presencia comprobada es de 83 km2 y de ocupación potencial es de 664,96 km2 y un área de máxima ocupación de 495,45 km2. Se ha estimado una población de 705 territorios reproductores para el área potencial, con una densidad de territorios de 0,13 territorios/km2 y de 525 territorios para el área de máxima ocupación, con una densidad de 0,18 territorios/km2. Con la información disponible de la especie en Aragón (1.410 individuos reproductores), el treparriscos debería estar incluida en la categoría de Preocupación Menor (criterios UICN) y debería realizarse una actualización de su estima de población en Pirineos (vertiente Sur) y resto de España.
Endangered Rough Pigtoe Pearlymussel: Assessment of Phylogenetic Status and Genetic Differentiation of Two Disjunct Populations
Authors: Jones Jess W. , Johnson Nathan , Grobler Paul , Schilling Daniel , Neves Richard J , Hallerman Eric M
Published: September 2015

We conducted a genetic characterization of two extant populations of an endangered freshwater mussel, the rough pigtoe Pleurobema plenum, in the Clinch River, Tennessee of the Tennessee River basin, and the Green River, Kentucky, of the Ohio River basin for purposes of conservation recovery planning. First, phylogenetic status of this species within the Pleurobema cordatum species complex (P. cordatum, plenum, rubrum, sintoxia) was assessed using mitochondrial ND1 deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequences, which showed that all investigated species of Pleurobema are genetically distinct. Our results indicated that P. cordatum, P. plenum, P. rubrum, and P. sintoxia each represent monophyletic clades; however, the latter two species were closely related, separated by only one to three nucleotide differences. Further, DNA sequence haplotypes from both populations of P. plenum grouped together into one monophyletic clade and did not support characterizing the populations as separate species. Thus, our phylogenetic analysis confirms that populations of P. plenum in the Clinch and Green rivers are the same species. Second, we assessed genetic differentiation between P. plenum populations in each river by analyzing variation at eight nuclear DNA microsatellite loci, where FST (=0.023) and Jost’s D (=0.175) indicated genetically differentiated populations. Because these populations are geographically and demographically independent, and differentiated at nuclear microsatellite loci, recognition as management units is recommended. Additional studies are needed to determine whether there are differences at adaptive or life-history traits, such as fish host usage, shell morphology, and soft anatomy between populations, and to further investigate the phylogenetic relationship of P. rubrum and P. sintoxia.
Psychological Essentialism
Authors: Young Sheri
Published: September 2015

This chapter uses a case study, and supporting literature, to explore the function of Psychological Essentialism (the process of giving meaning to perceived “sameness”) in explaining tensions that often arise as we struggle to improve our understanding of diversity and inclusion in higher education, as well as in other social settings. The case study presented throughout the chapter was constructed as an amalgamation of experiences diverse faculty typically report while working on campuses struggling with recruiting and retaining diverse groups. It provides examples of experiences that occur on a range from malicious intent to those that occur, seemingly, without consciousness. The larger question is whether religious and social institutions approach essentialism and stereotyping differently, when it occurs. Seemingly, they do not. The conclusion of this chapter offers solutions for dealing with the barriers faced when attempting to create campus climates that are nurturing and supportive rather than hostile and exclusionary.
Changing the Traditional Education of Igbo Females
Authors: Igah Flora
Published: September 2015

Over the years, education has been defined by different people, according to their perceptual values. Education has also been perceived by many scholars as an abstract term. In the Nigerian pre colonial era, in Igbo-Nigerian Culture, people consulted and worshiped multiple deities or entities. This belief system (higher power) is often referred to as Oracle; for answers or consultations in difficult areas such as in higher education towards achieving their goals and objectives. Some cultures in Igbo land presently, maintain this practice of education.Often in life, people pursue and attain education in many ways. Hence, many adopted whatever notion the culture they were born into teaches about life's processes. This is true especially in disciplines such as education and language. Ultimately, the outcome of culture and education as well as the part female gender plays are inevitable in the long run and is the focus of discussion in this chapter.
Cerebral blood flow monitoring
Authors: Sethuraman Manikandan
Published: September 2015

Brain is a unique organ of the body that receives highest amount of cardiac output and totally depend on the blood supply for its survival and no reserve of blood flow making it vulnerable for ischaemia. Other important properties of cerebral circulation include autoregulation of blood flow, high oxygen extraction, and selective increase in blood flow to specific brain areas during various functional activities. It is important to understand that systemic and local factors affect the cerebral blood flow and the brain functions. Moreover the alterations in cerebral blood flow (acute or chronic) can be responsible for various symptoms as well as diseases pertaining to the brain. Hence it is important to measure the cerebral blood flow for the diagnostic as well as therapeutic purpose. This review focusses on the various techniques available for monitoring the cerebral blood flow.
Transcranial Doppler
Authors: Marda Manish , Prabhakar Hemanshu
Published: September 2015

Transcranial Doppler (TCD) is a bedside, non-invasive, reproducible, non-expensive neuromonitoring device which can be used in many clinical scenarios. Based on the principle of the Doppler shift, blood flow velocity (FV) in the cerebral vessels can be measured. It should be noted that TCD measures blood FV and not the cerebral blood flow (CBF). However, in a given condition, FV can be used as a surrogate marker for vessel diameter or CBF. Indirectly, it can also measure the CBF and the intracranial pressure. This review describes briefly the method of using the equipment and the various indices that can be measured. The applications of TCD are varied. The review also gives an account of the various clinical situations where TCD can be used. An inter-operator variability is an important limiting factor with the use of the TCD. However, in many of clinical scenario, the TCD can still be used to guide for decision-making.
Article Commentary: Emerging Role of Tyrosine Kinases as Drugable Targets in Cancer
Authors: Na Il-Kang , Coutre Philipple
Published: September 2015

Tyrosine kinases (TKs) play a significant role in cancerogenesis and cancer cell function. Initial developments in this field go back to the early 80s, but the success story really started with the selective BCR-ABL inhibitor, imatinib. Owing to the cancer-driving role of BCR-ABL in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), excellent response rates lead to fast FDA approval in both the first and second treatments of CML patients. Since then, numerous TKs were identified. TK inhibitors have been developed accordingly, and technology to test for ideal drug–target interactions has profoundly improved. By now, medical oncologists and hematologists struggle to have a pool of potential TK inhibitors, where the most efficient one could be picked out to treat a specific cancer patient, which might also help overcome the occurring resistance mechanisms against TK inhibitors. Whether disease eradication can be achieved via single or sequential TK inhibitor treatment(s) needs to be tested in the present and in the future.
Article Commentary: The interRAI Pediatric Home Care (PEDS HC) Assessment: Evaluating the Long-term Community-Based Service and Support Needs of Children Facing Special Healthcare Challenges
Authors: Phillips Charles D. , Hawes Catherine
Published: September 2015

The vast majority of assessment instruments developed to assess children facing special healthcare challenges were constructed to assess children within a limited age range or children who face specific conditions or impairments. In contrast, the interRAI Pediatric Home Care (PEDS HC) Assessment Form was specifically designed to assess the long-term community-based service and support needs of children and youth aged from four to 20 years who face a wide range of chronic physical or behavioral health challenges. Initial research indicates that PEDS HC items exhibit good predictive validity–-explaining significant proportions of the variance in parents’ perceptions of needs, case managers’ service authorizations, and Medicaid program expenditures for long-term community-based services and supports. In addition, PEDS HC items have been used to construct scales that summarize the strengths and needs of children facing special healthcare challenges. Versions of the PEDS HC are now being used in Medicaid programs in three states in the United States.
Impact of Chronic Pain on Treatment Prognosis for Patients with Opioid Use Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Dennis Brittany B. , Bawor Monica , Naji Leen , Chan Carol K. , Varenbut Jaymie , Paul James , Varenbut Michael , Daiter Jeff , Plater Carolyn , Pare Guillaume , Marsh David C. , Worster Andrew , Desal Dipika , Thabane Lehana , Samaan Zainab
Published: September 2015

Background

While a number of pharmacological interventions exist for the treatment of opioid use disorder, evidence evaluating the effect of pain on substance use behavior, attrition rate, and physical or mental health among these therapies has not been well established. We aim to evaluate these effects using evidence gathered from a systematic review of studies evaluating chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) in patients with opioid use disorder.

Methods

We searched the Medline, EMBASE, PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, ProQuest Dissertations and theses Database, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform Search Portal, and National Institutes for Health Clinical Trials Registry databases to identify articles evaluating the impact of pain on addiction treatment outcomes for patients maintained on opioid agonist therapy.

Results

Upon screening 3,540 articles, 14 studies with a combined sample of 3,128 patients fulfilled the review inclusion criteria. Results from the meta-analysis suggest that pain has no effect on illicit opioid consumption [pooled odds ratio (pOR): 0.70, 95%CI 0.41–1.17; I 2 = 0.0] but a protective effect for reducing illicit non-opioid substance use (pOR: 0.57, 95%CI 0.41–0.79; I 2 = 0.0). Studies evaluating illicit opioid consumption using other measures demonstrate pain to increase the risk for opioid abuse. Pain is significantly associated with the presence of psychiatric disorders (pOR: 2.18; 95%CI 1.6, 2.9; I 2 = 0.0%).

Conclusion

CNCP may increase risk for continued opioid abuse and poor psychiatric functioning. Qualitative synthesis of the findings suggests that major methodological differences in the design and measurement of pain and treatment response outcomes are likely impacting the effect estimates.
Influence of solar forcing, climate variability and modes of low-frequency atmospheric variability on summer floods in Switzerland
Authors: Peña J. C. , Schulte L. , Badoux A. , Barriendos M. , Barrera-Escoda A.
Published: September 2015

Abstract. The higher frequency of severe flood events in Switzerland in recent decades has given fresh impetus to the study of flood patterns and their possible forcing mechanisms, particularly in mountain environments. This paper presents a new index of summer flood damage that considers severe and catastrophic summer floods in Switzerland between 1800 and 2009, and explores the influence of external forcings on flood frequencies. In addition, links between floods and low-frequency atmospheric variability patterns are examined. The flood damage index provides evidence that the 1817–1851, 1881–1927, 1977–1990 and 2005–present flood clusters occur mostly in phase with palaeoclimate proxies. The cross-spectral analysis documents that the periodicities detected in the coherency and phase spectra of 11 (Schwabe cycle) and 104 years (Gleissberg cycle) are related to a high frequency of flooding and solar activity minima, whereas the 22-year cyclicity detected (Hale cycle) is associated with solar activity maxima and a decrease in flood frequency. The analysis of low-frequency atmospheric variability modes shows that Switzerland lies close to the border of the principal summer mode. The Swiss river catchments situated on the centre and southern flank of the Alps are affected by atmospherically unstable areas defined by the positive phase of the pattern, while those basins located in the northern slope of the Alps are predominantly associated with the negative phase of the pattern. Furthermore, a change in the low-frequency atmospheric variability pattern related to the major floods occurred over the period from 1800 to 2009; the summer principal mode persists in the negative phase during the last cool pulses of the Little Ice Age (1817–1851 and 1881–1927 flood clusters), whereas the positive phases of the mode prevail during the warmer climate of the last 4 decades (flood clusters from 1977 to present).
Investigation of hydrological time series using copulas for detecting catchment characteristics and anthropogenic impacts
Authors: Sugimoto T. , Bárdossy A. , Pegram G. S. S. , Cullmann J.
Published: September 2015

Abstract. Global climate change can have impacts on characteristics of rainfall-runoff events and subsequently on the hydrological regime. Meanwhile, the catchment itself changes due to anthropogenic influences. In this context, it can be meaningful to detect the temporal changes of catchments independent from climate change by investigating existing long term discharge records. For this purpose, a new stochastic system based on copulas for time series analysis is introduced. While widely used time series models are based on linear combinations of correlations assuming a Gaussian behavior of variables, a statistical tool like copula has the advantage to scrutinize the dependence structure of the data in the uniform domain independent of the marginal. Two measures in the copula domain are introduced herein: 1. Copula asymmetry is defined for copulas and calculated for discharges; this measure describes the non symmetric property of the dependence structure and differs from one catchment to another due to the intrinsic nature of both runoff and catchment. 2. Copula distance is defined as Cramér-von Mises type distance calculated between two copula densities of different time scales. This measure describes the variability and interdependency of dependence structures similar to variance and covariance, which can assist in identifying the catchment changes. These measures are calculated for 100 years of daily discharges for the Rhine rivers. Comparing the results of copula asymmetry and copula distance between an API and simulated discharge time series by a hydrological model we can show the interesting signals of systematic modifications along the Rhine rivers in the last 30 years.
Technical Note: Application of artificial neural networks in groundwater table forecasting – a case study in Singapore swamp forest
Authors: Sun Y. , Wendi D. , Kim D. E. , Liong S.-Y.
Published: September 2015

Abstract. Accurate prediction of groundwater table is important for the efficient management of groundwater resources. Despite being the most widely used tools for depicting the hydrological regime, numerical models suffer from formidable constraints, such as extensive data demanding, high computational cost and inevitable parameter uncertainty. Artificial neural networks (ANNs), in contrast, can make predictions on the basis of more easily accessible variables, rather than requiring explicit characterization of the physical systems and prior knowledge of the physical parameters. This study applies ANN to predict the groundwater table in a swamp forest of Singapore. A standard multilayer perceptron (MLP) is selected, trained with the Levenberg–Marquardt (LM) algorithm. The inputs to the network are solely the surrounding reservoir levels and rainfall. The results reveal that ANN is able to produce accurate forecast with a leading time up to 7 days, whereas the performance slightly decreases when leading time increases.
Evaluation of global fine-resolution precipitation products and their uncertainty quantification in ensemble discharge simulations
Authors: Qi W. , Zhang C. , Fu G. T. , Sweetapple C. , Zhou H. C.
Published: September 2015

Abstract. The applicability of six fine-resolution precipitation products, including precipitation radar, infrared, microwave and gauge-based products using different precipitation computation recipes, is comprehensively evaluated using statistical and hydrological methods in a usually-neglected area (northeastern China), and a framework quantifying uncertainty contributions of precipitation products, hydrological models and their interactions to uncertainties in ensemble discharges is proposed. The investigated precipitation products include TRMM3B42, TRMM3B42RT, GLDAS/Noah, APHRODITE, PERSIANN and GSMAP-MVK+. Two hydrological models of different complexities, i.e., a water and energy budget-based distributed hydrological model and a physically-based semi-distributed hydrological model, are employed to investigate the influence of hydrological models on simulated discharges. Results show APHRODITE has high accuracy at a monthly scale compared with other products, and the cloud motion vectors used by GSMAP-MVK+ show huge advantage. These findings could be very useful for validation, refinement and future development of satellite-based products (e.g., NASA Global Precipitation Measurement). Although significant uncertainty exists in heavy precipitation, hydrological models contribute most of the uncertainty in extreme discharges. Interactions between precipitation products and hydrological models contribute significantly to uncertainty in discharge simulations and a better precipitation product does not guarantee a better discharge simulation because of interactions. It is also found that a good discharge simulation depends on a good coalition of a hydrological model and a precipitation product, suggesting that, although the satellite-based precipitation products are not as accurate as the gauge-based product, they could have better performance in discharge simulations when appropriately combined with hydrological models. This information is revealed for the first time and very beneficial for precipitation product applications.
Brief Communication: On the rapid and efficient monitoring results dissemination in landslide emergency scenarios: the Mont de La Saxe case study
Authors: Giordan D. , Manconi A. , Allasia P. , Bertolo D.
Published: September 2015

Abstract. Straightforward communication of monitoring results is of major importance in emergency scenarios relevant to large slope instabilities. Here we describe the communication strategy developed for the Mont de La Saxe rockslide threatening La Palud and Entrèves hamlets in the Courmayeur municipality (Aosta Valley, Italy). Starting from the definition of actions and needs of the landslide management team, including scientists, technicians, civil protection operators, decision makers, and politicians, we show that sharing and disseminating ad hoc information simplifies the understanding of the landslide evolution, as well as the correct communication of the level of criticality.
Antisystemic Movements, Yesterday and Today
Authors: Wallerstein Immanuel
Published: September 2015

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