bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Statistical Characteristics of Measured 3-Dimensional MIMO Channel for Outdoor-to-Indoor Scenario in China and New Zealand
Authors: Yu Yawei , Zhang Jianhua , Shafi Mansoor , Zhang Min , Mirza Jawad
Published: March 2016

The 3-dimensional (3D) channel model gives a better understanding of statistical characteristics for practical channels than the 2-dimensional (2D) channel model, by taking the elevation domain into consideration. As different organizations and researchers have agreed to a standard 3D channel model, we attempt to measure the 3D channel and determine the parameters of the standard model. In this paper, we present the statistical propagation results of the 3D multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) channel measurement campaign performed in China and New Zealand (NZ). The measurements are done for an outdoor-to-indoor (O2I) urban scenario. The dense indoor terminals at different floors in a building form a typical 3D propagation environment. The key parameters of the channel are estimated from the measured channel impulse response (CIR) using the spatial-alternating generalized expectation-maximization (SAGE) algorithm. Till now there is abundant research performed on the azimuth domain; this paper mainly considers the statistical characteristics of the elevation domain. A statistical analysis of 3D MIMO channel results for both China and NZ measurements is presented for the following parameters: power delay profile (PDP), root mean square (rms), delay spread (DS), elevation angle-of-arrival (EAoA) distribution, elevation angle-of-departure (EAoD) distribution, elevation angular spread (AS), and cross-polarization discrimination (XPD).
Computer-Assisted Classification Patterns in Autoimmune Diagnostics: The AIDA Project
Authors: Benammar Elgaaied Amel , Cascio Donato , Bruno Salvatore , Ciaccio Maria Cristina , Cipolla Marco , Fauci Alessandro , Morgante Rossella , Taormina Vincenzo , Gorgi Yousr , Marrakchi Triki Raja , Ben Ahmed Melika , Louzir Hechmi , Yalaoui Sadok , Imene Sfar , Issaoui Yassine , Abidi Ahmed , Ammar Myriam , Bedhiafi Walid , Ben Fraj Oussama , Bouhaha Rym , Hamdi Khouloud , Soumaya Koudhi , Neili Bilel , Asma Gati , Lucchese Mariano , Catanzaro Maria , Barbara Vincenza , Brusca Ignazio , Fregapane Maria , Amato Gaetano , Friscia Giuseppe , Neila Trai , Turkia Souayeh , Youssra Haouami , Rekik Raja , Bouokez Hayet , Vasile Simone Maria , Fauci Francesco , Raso Giuseppe
Published: March 2016

Antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) are significant biomarkers in the diagnosis of autoimmune diseases in humans, done by mean of Indirect ImmunoFluorescence (IIF) method, and performed by analyzing patterns and fluorescence intensity. This paper introduces the AIDA Project (autoimmunity: diagnosis assisted by computer) developed in the framework of an Italy-Tunisia cross-border cooperation and its preliminary results. A database of interpreted IIF images is being collected through the exchange of images and double reporting and a Gold Standard database, containing around 1000 double reported images, has been settled. The Gold Standard database is used for optimization of a CAD (Computer Aided Detection) solution and for the assessment of its added value, in order to be applied along with an Immunologist as a second Reader in detection of autoantibodies. This CAD system is able to identify on IIF images the fluorescence intensity and the fluorescence pattern. Preliminary results show that CAD, used as second Reader, appeared to perform better than Junior Immunologists and hence may significantly improve their efficacy; compared with two Junior Immunologists, the CAD system showed higher Intensity Accuracy (85,5% versus 66,0% and 66,0%), higher Patterns Accuracy (79,3% versus 48,0% and 66,2%), and higher Mean Class Accuracy (79,4% versus 56,7% and 64.2%).
A Feed-Forward Circuit of EndogenousPGC-1αandEstrogen Related Receptor αRegulates the Neuronal Electron Transport Chain
Authors: Bakshi Rachit , Mittal Shuchi , Liao Zhixiang , Scherzer Clemens R.
Published: March 2016

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor  γcoactivator 1α(PGC-1α) is a central regulator of cellular and mitochondrial metabolism. Cellular bioenergetics are critically important in “energy-guzzling” neurons, but the components and wiring of the transcriptional circuit through whichPGC-1αregulates the neuronal electron transport chain have not been established. This information may be vital for restoring neuronal bioenergetics gene expression that is compromised during incipient Parkinson’s neuropathology and in aging-dependent brain diseases. Here we delineate a neuronal transcriptional circuit controlled by endogenousPGC-1α. We show that a feed-forward circuit of endogenous neuronalPGC-1αand the orphan nuclear estrogen-related receptorα(ERRα) activates the nuclear-encoded mitochondrial electron transport chain.PGC-1αnot onlytrans-activated expression ofERRα, but also coactivatedERRαtarget genes in complexes I, II, IV, and V of the neuronal electron transport chain via association with evolutionary conservedERRαpromoter binding motifs. Chemical activation of this transcriptional program induced transcription of the neuronal electron transport chain. These data highlight a neuronal transcriptional circuit regulated byPGC-1αthat can be therapeutically targeted for Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.
Trajectories of Change in Obesity among Tehranian Families: Multilevel Latent Growth Curve Modeling
Authors: Akbarzadeh Mahdi , Moghimbeigi Abbas , Mahjub Hossein , Soltanian Ali Reza , Daneshpour Maryam , Morris Nathan
Published: March 2016

Objectives. To evaluate the trajectories of change in obesity within and between Tehranian families, who participated in the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS). Methods. This study is a family-based longitudinal design, in four waves. A total of 14761 individuals, within 3980 families, were selected. Three anthropometric measurements, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and a body shape index (ABSI), were recorded. Multilevel latent growth curve modeling (MLGCM) approach was used for evaluating the change trajectories in obesity within and between the families. Results. The mean age of the subjects in the present study was 33.28±19.01 (range 3–89 years) and 50.1% were male. Obesity was significantly increased (P<0.001). Individuals with more fat become obese slower, whereas families with more fat become obese faster (P<0.001). The initial value and growth rate of WC and ABSI were greater in men than in women, while this result is contrary to BMI (P<0.001). Conclusions. Our findings demonstrated that there is an alarming increase in the obesity trend in Tehranian families. The important role of the family in the prevention of obesity is highlighted, underlining the need for public health programs, as family centered educations to lifestyle modification, which can address this emerging crisis.
Evaluating the Authenticity of Virtual Environments: Comparison of Three Devices
Authors: Kronqvist Aila , Jokinen Jussi , Rousi Rebekah
Published: March 2016

Immersive virtual environments (VEs) have the potential to provide novel cost effective ways for evaluating not only new environments and usability scenarios, but also potential user experiences. To achieve this, VEs must be adequately realistic. The level of perceived authenticity can be ascertained by measuring the levels of immersion people experience in their VE interactions. In this paper the degree of authenticity is measured via anauthenticity indexin relation to three different immersive virtual environment devices. These devices include (1) a headband, (2) 3D glasses, and (3) a head-mounted display (HMD). A quick scale for measuring immersion, feeling of control, and simulator sickness was developed and tested. The HMD proved to be the most immersive device, although the headband was demonstrated as being a more stable environment causing the least simulator sickness. The results have design implication as they provide insight into specific factors which make experience in a VE seem more authentic to users. The paper emphasizes that, in addition to the quality of the VE, focus needs to be placed on ergonomic factors such as the weight of the devices, as these may compromise the quality of results obtained when examining studying human-technology interaction in a VE.
Smoking Functions as a Negative Regulator of IGF1 and Impairs Adipokine Network in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Erlandsson Malin C. , Doria Medina Roberto , Töyrä Silfverswärd Sofia , Bokarewa Maria I.
Published: March 2016

Objectives.Smoking is pathogenic for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) being tightly connected to the genetic and serological risk factors for this disease. This study aims to understand connections between cigarette smoking and serum levels of IGF1 and adipokines in RA.Methods.Serum levels of IGF1 and adipokines leptin, adiponectin, resistin, and visfatin were measured in two independent cohorts of RA patients from Gothenburg (n=350) and Leiden (n=193). An association of these parameters with smoking was tested in a direct comparison and proved by bivariate correlation analysis. The obtained associations were further tested in multivariate regression models where the confounders (age, gender, disease duration, and BMI) were controlled.Results.The smokers had significantly lower serum levels of IGF1, adiponectin, and leptin compared to never smokers. In regression analysis, smoking and low leptin, but not adiponectin, were associated and predicted low IGF1. Additionally, high disease activity and high BMI increased the probability of low leptin.Conclusions.The study indicates cigarette smoking as an important cause of a relative IGF1 and leptin deficiency in RA patients. This novel association between smoking and hypoleptinemia may be of importance for long-term prognosis of RA and for prediction of comorbidities.
A Case of Advanced Descending Colon Cancer in an Adult Patient with Intestinal Malrotation
Authors: Nakayama Yoshifumi , Akiyama Masaki , Sawatsubashi Yusuke , Minagawa Noritaka , Torigoe Takayuki , Hirata Keiji
Published: March 2016

This report presents an operative case of advanced descending colon cancer in an adult patient with intestinal malrotation. A 63-year-old Japanese male was suffering from left side abdominal pain, abdominal distension, and constipation. An endoscopic examination revealed an advanced tumor in the descending colon. Computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen revealed the thickening of the descending colon wall and superior mesenteric vein rotation. An opaque enema detected severe stenosis of the descending colon. An abdominal X-ray examination revealed the dilation of the colon and small intestine with niveau. At the insertion of an ileus tube, the C-loop of the duodenum was observed to be absent and the small intestine was located on the right side of the abdomen. After the decompression of the bowel contents, laparotomy was performed. Descending colon cancer was observed to have directly invaded the left side of the transverse colon. Left hemicolectomy, lymph node dissection, and appendectomy were performed. The patient had an uneventful recovery and was discharged from the hospital on the 16th day after surgery. This report presents a rare operative case of descending colon cancer in an adult patient with intestinal malrotation.
Impact of Organic and Conventional Systems of Coffee Farming on Soil Properties and Culturable Microbial Diversity
Authors: Velmourougane Kulandaivelu
Published: March 2016

A study was undertaken with an objective of evaluating the long-term impacts of organic (ORG) and conventional (CON) methods of coffee farming on soil physical, chemical, biological, and microbial diversity. Electrical conductivity and bulk density were found to increase by 34% and 21%, respectively, in CON compared to ORG system, while water holding capacity was found decreased in both the systems. Significant increase in organic carbon was observed in ORG system. Major nutrients, nitrogen and potassium, levels showed inclination in both ORG and CON system, but the trend was much more pronounced in CON system. Phosphorus was found to increase in both ORG and CON system, but its availability was found to be more with CON system. In biological attributes, higher soil respiration and fluorescein diacetate activity were recorded in ORG system compared to CON system. Higher soil urease activity was observed in CON system, while dehydrogenase activity does not show significant differences between ORG and CON systems. ORG system was found to have higher macrofauna (31.4%), microbial population (34%), and microbial diversity indices compared to CON system. From the present study, it is accomplished that coffee soil under long-term ORG system has better soil properties compared to CON system.
Optimism and Mortality in Older Men and Women: The Rancho Bernardo Study
Authors: Anthony Ericha G. , Kritz-Silverstein Donna , Barrett-Connor Elizabeth
Published: March 2016

Purpose.To examine the associations of optimism and pessimism with all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD), coronary heart disease (CHD), and cancer mortality in a population-based sample of older men and women followed ≤12 years.Methods.367 men and 509 women aged ≥50 from the Rancho Bernardo Study attended a 1999–2002 research clinic visit when demographic, behavioral, and medical history were obtained and completed a 1999 mailed survey including the Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R). Mortality outcomes were followed through 2012.Results.Average age at baseline was 74.1 years; during follow-up (mean = 8.1 years), 198 participants died, 62 from CVD, 22 from CHD, and 49 from cancer. Total LOT-R, optimism and pessimism scores were calculated. Participants with the highest optimism were younger and reported less alcohol use and smoking and more exercise. Cox proportional hazard models showed that higher total LOT-R and optimism, but not pessimism scores, were associated with reduced odds of CHD mortality after adjusting for age, sex, alcohol, smoking, obesity, physical exercise, and medication (HR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.75, 0.99; HR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.61, 0.99, resp.). No associations were found for all-cause, CVD, or cancer mortality.Conclusions.Optimism was associated with reduced CHD mortality in older men and women. The association of positive attitudes with mortality merits further study.
A Case of Brucellosis with Recurrent Attacks of Vasculitis
Authors: Korkmaz Pınar , Kıdır Mehtap , Namdar Nazlı Dizen , Özmen Ahmet , Uyar Cemile , Değer Ayşe Nur
Published: March 2016

Brucellosis is a zoonosis that affects several organs or systems. Skin involvement is nonspecific and it is reported to range between 0,4 and 17% of the patients with brucellosis. Here, we defined a 36-year-old female patient presented to our clinic with a clinical picture of recurrent attacks of vasculitis due to brucellosis for the first time. Skin involvement and vasculitic lesions as a finding of skin involvement are nonspecific in brucellosis. Therefore, in the regions like Turkey where brucellosis is endemic, brucellosis should be kept in mind necessarily in the differential diagnosis of vasculitis.
The Serum Concentrations of Chemokine CXCL12 and Its Specific Receptor CXCR4 in Patients with Esophageal Cancer
Authors: Łukaszewicz-Zając Marta , Mroczko Barbara , Kozłowski Mirosław , Szmitkowski Maciej
Published: March 2016

Objectives.Recent investigations have suggested that upregulated levels of inflammatory biomarkers, such as chemokines, may be associated with development of many malignancies, including esophageal cancer (EC). Based on our knowledge, this study is the first to assess the serum concentration of chemokine CXCL12 and its specific receptor CXCR4 in the diagnosis of EC patients.Material and Methods.The present study included 79 subjects: 49 patients with EC and 30 healthy volunteers. The serum concentrations of CXCL12 and CXCR4 and classical tumor markers such as carcinoembryonal antigen (CEA) and squamous cell cancer antigen (SCC-Ag) were measured using immunoenzyme assays, while C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were assessed by immunoturbidimetric method. Moreover, diagnostic criteria of all proteins tested and the survival of EC patients were assessed.Results.The serum concentrations of CXCL12 were significantly higher, while those of its receptor CXCR4 were significantly lower in EC patients compared to healthy controls. The diagnostic sensitivity, negative predictive value, and accuracy of CXCR4 were the highest among all analyzed proteins and increased for combined analysis with classical tumor markers and CRP levels.Conclusion.Our findings suggest that serum CXCR4 may improve the diagnosis of EC patients, especially in combination with classical tumor markers.
Association of Breastfeeding and the Federal Poverty Level: National Survey of Family Growth, 2011–2013
Authors: Wiener R. Constance , Sambamoorthi Usha , Hayes Sarah E. , Chertok Ilana R. Azulay
Published: March 2016

Breastfeeding is strongly endorsed in the Healthy People 2020 goals; however, there remain many disparities in breastfeeding prevalence. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between breastfeeding and the Federal Poverty Level in the United States. Data from 5,397 women in the National Survey of Family Growth 2011–2013 survey were included in this study. The data were analyzed for descriptive features and logistic regressions of the Federal Poverty Level on breastfeeding. There were 64.1% of women who reported breastfeeding. Over one-third (35.2%) of women reported having a household income of 0–99% of the Federal Poverty Level. There were 15.2% of women who reported an income of 400% and above the Federal Poverty Level. With statistical adjustment for maternal age, race/ethnicity, education, marital status, parity, preterm birth, birth weight, insurance, and dwelling, the Federal Poverty Level was not significantly associated with breastfeeding. In this recent survey of mothers, Federal Poverty Level was not shown to be a significant factor in breastfeeding.
B-Cell Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia with 11q22.3 Rearrangement in Patient with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Treated with Imatinib
Authors: Lewandowski Krzysztof , Gniot Michał , Lewandowska Maria , Wache Anna , Ratajczak Błażej , Czyż Anna , Jarmuż-Szymczak Małgorzata , Komarnicki Mieczysław
Published: March 2016

The coexistence of two diseases chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) is a rare phenomenon. Both neoplastic disorders have several common epidemiological denominators (they occur more often in men over 50 years of age) but different origin and long term prognosis. In this paper we described the clinical and pathological findings in patient with CML in major molecular response who developed B-CLL with 11q22.3 rearrangement and Coombs positive hemolytic anemia during the imatinib treatment. Due to the presence of the symptoms of autoimmune hemolytic anemia and optimal CML response to the imatinib treatment, the decision about combined therapy with prednisone and imatinib was made. During the follow-up, the normalization of complete blood count and resolution of peripheral lymphadenopathy were noted. The hematologic response of B-CLL was diagnosed. The repeated FISH analysis of cultured peripheral blood lymphocytes showed 2% of cells carrying 11q22.3 rearrangement. At the same time, molecular monitoring confirmed the deep molecular response of CML. The effectiveness of such combination in the described case raises the question about the best therapeutic option in such situation, especially in patients with good imatinib tolerance and optimal response.
The Effects of Interleukin-17 (IL-17)-Related Inflammatory Cytokines and A20 Regulatory Proteins on Astrocytes in Spinal Cord Cultured In Vitro
Authors: Zong Shaohui , Li Keke , Zeng Gaofeng , Fang Ye , Zhao Jingmin
Published: March 2016

Background/Aims: This study focused on investigating the expression of several inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, including regulatory proteins in the astrocytes of mice stimulated with IL-17. Materials and Methods: The cultured astrocytes from the spinal cords of mice were stimulated with IL-17. The expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), monocyte chemotactic protein-1/5 (MCP-1/5) and macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2) stimulated with IL-17 (50 ng/ml) at different time points (3 h, 6 h, 12 h, 24 h and 48 h) were determined using real-time PCR and ELISA. The expressions of A20 (tumor necrosis factor a inducible protein 3, TNFAIP3) and NF-κB were examined using real-time PCR and western blotting. Results: Compared with the control group, the mRNA expression levels of IL-6, TNF, MCP-1/5 and MIP-2 increased significantly at 6 h after IL-17 stimulation, while the protein expression levels also increased significantly and peaked at 12 h. The mRNA expression level of NF-κB increased and peaked at 6 h before gradually declining, while the expression of A20 decreased. The protein expression level of NF-κB increased and peaked at 12 h, while the expression A20 had an opposite response. Conclusion: The study showed that NF-κB may have an effect on the cytokines secreted by astrocytes after IL-17 stimulation. Moreover, both A20 and NF-κB could regulate the expression and secretion of inflammatory mediators.
Acute Respiratory Events in Connective Tissue Disorders
Authors: Papiris Spyros A. , Manali Effrosyni D. , Kolilekas Likurgos , Kagouridis Konstantinos , Maniati Maria , Filippatos Gerasimos , Bouros Demosthenes
Published: March 2016

Subacute-acute, hyperacute, or even catastrophic and fulminant respiratory events occur in almost all classic connective tissue disorders (CTDs); they may share systemic life-threatening manifestations, may precipitously lead to respiratory failure requiring ventilatory support as well as a combination of specific therapeutic measures, and in most affected patients constitute the devastating end-of-life event. In CTDs, acute respiratory events may be related to any respiratory compartment including the airways, lung parenchyma, alveolar capillaries, lung vessels, pleura, and ventilatory muscles. Acute respiratory events may also precipitate disease-specific extrapulmonary organ involvement such as aspiration pneumonia and lead to digestive tract involvement and heart-related respiratory events. Finally, antirheumatic drug-related acute respiratory toxicity as well as lung infections related to the rheumatic disease and/or to immunosuppression complete the spectrum of acute respiratory events. Overall, in CTDs the lungs significantly contribute to morbidity and mortality, since they constitute a common site of disease involvement; a major site of infections related to the ‘mater' disease; a major site of drug-related toxicity, and a common site of treatment-related infectious complications. The extreme spectrum of the abovementioned events, as well as the ‘vicious' coexistence of most of the aforementioned manifestations, requires skills, specific diagnostic and therapeutic means, and most of all a multidisciplinary approach of adequately prepared and expert scientists. Avoiding lung disease might represent a major concern for future advancements in the treatment of autoimmune disorders.
Northern range expansion of the American talon crab, Euchirograpsus americanus A. Milne-Edwards, 1880 (Decapoda, Grapsoidea, Plagusiidae), to the Bay of Fundy, Canada
Authors: Wilson Brent M. , Pohle Gerhard W.
Published: March 2016

The recent collection (2009) of an American talon crab, Euchirograpsus americanus A. Milne-Edwards, 1880, in the Bay of Fundy, Canada has expanded the known distribution of this enigmatic plagusiid crab species typically found in subtropical and tropical waters of the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, and Carolinas. Although historical records are limited, they document a northward range expansion of the species with occurrences off North Carolina in 1962, Delaware in 1979, and further to New Jersey in 1981, which would discount these northerly records as independent, accidental introductions. The present exclusive record of the talon crab in Canadian waters is also from the shallowest (6.3 m) and coldest waters (8.3°C) that the species has thus far been documented in. The literature, until now, indicated an affinity for sandy or rocky bottom between 31 and 510 m depth at temperatures of 11-24°C. While establishment of the species in the region remains uncertain, the present record is perhaps indicative of large-scale processes, such as climate change, that are altering species distributions.
Apologetic Communication
Authors: Hübenthal Christoph
Published: March 2016

Though apologetics is a contested concept in current theological debates, leading representatives of public theology still see apologetics as the core of their theological endeavours. This article develops a concept of apologetic communication that emerges from a particular understanding of theology. Theology, as will be argued, serves the Christian faith praxis as well as the validity claims underlying this praxis. A closer analysis of these validity claims will reveal that their public verification requires two discriminable but interrelated types of communication, namely discourse and witnessing. Consequently, a discursive and testimonial type of apologetic communication will be distinguished. In the last section some suggestions will be made on how public theology should operate if it takes its apologetic task seriously. The central thesis will be that apologetic communication in both its modes appears as a form of ethics: as ethical reflection and ethical behaviour.
Bridges over Troubled Water: The Role of Faith in Creating Social Capital
Authors: MacLean Paul , Bridgemohan Areeta , Meinhard Agnes
Published: March 2016

This article presents a comparative case study of two faith-based community partnerships created in answer to crisis situations involving food distribution to the needy. Theoretically grounded in social capital theory it describes how two faith-based organizations built bridges with other groups to create new social capital. In both cases the foundation supporting these bridges was faith, both institutional and personal; faith that reached beyond parochialism to embrace universal humanitarian objectives. It was this faith that informed the visionary leadership and trust necessary to create an active multi-faith, multicultural partnership that withstood both internal and external challenges. The types of communal bonds that were created, crossing race, religion and ethnicity are essential in multicultural societies.
Neither One Thing Nor the Other: Discursive Polyvalence and Representations of Amerindian Women in the Jesuit Relations
Authors: Dunn Mary
Published: March 2016

This article confirms what others have argued about the bifurcated representation of Amerindian women in the Jesuit Relations (aggressive, insubordinate, prideful, and licentious on the one hand and docile, obedient, humble, and chaste, on the other) but extends the analysis of gendered discourse at work in the text to argue that the Relations persist in characterizing both types of Amerindian women as virile in excess of the limits of prescribed femininity. Attention to the stubborn persistence of the virile in Jesuit representations of Amerindian women suggests that the encounter between French Jesuit gender norms and the gendered ideals native to the indigenous populations of colonial Canada is best understood as an encounter between a range of competing discourses about gender and gestures toward a polyvalence of gendered discourses at play in colonial texts more generally.
Antonio Ruiz de Montoya, Apostle of the Guaraní
Authors: Ganson Barbara
Published: March 2016

This essay highlights the accomplishments of one of the foremost Jesuit missionaries in seventeenth-century Paraguay, Antonio Ruiz de Montoya. Born in Lima, Montoya distinguished himself as a chronicler of the first encounters between the Jesuits and the Guaraní Indians of South America. He defended Indian rights by speaking out against Indian slavery. Montoya spent approximately twenty-five years among the Guaraní indigenous peoples who influenced his worldview and sense of spirituality, which are reflected in his 1636 first account of the Jesuit reducciones in Paraguay, Conquista espiritual hecha por los religiosos de la Compañía de Jesús en las provincias del Paraguay, Paraná, Uruguay, y Tapé.
The Correspondence of Johann Georg Hagen, First Jesuit Director of the Vatican Observatory, with Directors of Jesuit Observatories
Authors: Udías Agustín
Published: March 2016

Johann Georg Hagen, the first Jesuit director of the Vatican Observatory, carried out an abundant correspondence with other directors of Jesuit observatories between 1906 and 1930. Letters of his correspondents preserved at the Vatican Observatory and a few of his letters at other observatories provide interesting information about the work and problems of Jesuit astronomical observatories at that time. Letters survive from observatories in Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia. A short presentation is given concerning the relationship between Hagen and the other directors and the contents of the correspondence.
Dynamics Governing a Simulated Mesoscale Convective System with a Training Convective Line
Authors: Peters John M. , Schumacher Russ S.
Published: March 2016

This research investigates the dynamics of a simulated training line/adjoining stratiform (TL/AS) mesoscale convective system (MCS), with composite atmospheric fields used as initial and lateral boundary conditions for the simulation.

An initial forward-propagating MCS developed within a region of elevated convective instability and low-level lifting associated with warm-air advection along the terminus of the low-level jet. The environmental conditions external to the MCS continued to provide lift, moisture, and instability to the western side of the forward-propagating MCS, and these conditions were initially responsible for backbuilding on the system’s western side. Most parcels that encountered the southwestern outflow boundary were lifted insufficiently far to reach their levels of free convection (LFCs), and their LFC heights were increased by latent heating above them. These parcels continued northeastward beyond the surface outflow boundary (OFB), were gradually lifted, and initiated convection 80–100 km beyond encountering the OFB. Eventually the surface cold pool became sufficiently deep so that gradual ascent of parcels with moisture and instability over the OFB began initiating new convection close to the OFB—this drove backbuilding during the later portion of the MCS lifetime. These results disentangle the relative contributions of large-scale environmental factors and storm-scale processes on the quasi-stationary behavior of the MCS and show that both contributed to upstream backbulding at different times during the MCS life cycle.
Statistics of Regional Surface Temperatures after 1900: Long-Range versus Short-Range Dependence and Significance of Warming Trends
Authors: Løvsletten Ola , Rypdal Martin
Published: March 2016

This paper studies regional climate variability for the time period 1900–2013 using parsimonious stochastic models. Instrumental data records on 5° × 5°, 2° × 2°, and equal-area grids are examined. A long-range dependent (LRD) stochastic process is used as a simplified description of the multitude of response times in the climate system. Fitting a linear trend to the global mean surface temperature (GMST) implies a warming of 0.08 decade−1, which is highly significant under an LRD null hypothesis (p < 10−4). The regional trends are distributed around the global mean trend, while the fluctuation levels increases when going from global to regional scale. The temperature fluctuations of the tropical oceans are observed to be strongly influenced by El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and, therefore, more consistent with autoregressive processes of order 1 [AR(1)]. A likelihood-ratio test is used to systematically determine the best null model [AR(1) or LRD]. About 80% of the regional warming trends are found to be significant (with a 5% significance level).
The Influence of Atmospheric Blocking on Extreme Winter Minimum Temperatures in North America
Authors: Whan Kirien , Zwiers Francis , Sillmann Jana
Published: March 2016

Regional climate models (RCMs) are the primary source of high-resolution climate projections, and it is of crucial importance to evaluate their ability to simulate extreme events under current climate conditions. Many extreme events are influenced by circulation features that occur outside, or on the edges of, RCM domains. Thus, it is of interest to know whether such dynamically controlled aspects of extremes are well represented by RCMs. This study assesses the relationship between upstream blocking and cold temperature extremes over North America in observations, reanalysis products (ERA-Interim and NARR), and RCMs (CanRCM4, CRCM5, HIRHAM5, and RCA4). Generalized extreme value distributions were fitted to winter minimum temperature (TNn) incorporating blocking frequency (BF) as a covariate, which is shown to have a significant influence on TNn. The magnitude of blocking influence in the RCMs is consistent with observations, but the spatial extent varies. CRCM5 and HIRHAM5 reproduce the pattern of influence best compared to observations. CanRCM4 and RCA4 capture the influence of blocking in British Columbia and the northeastern United States, but the extension of influence that is seen in observations and reanalysis into the southern United States is not evident. The difference in the 20-yr return value (20RV) of TNn between high and low BF in the Pacific Ocean indicates that blocking is associated with a decrease of up to 15°C in the 20RV over the majority of the United States and in western Canada. In northern North America the difference in the 20RV is positive as blocking is associated with warmer extreme cold temperatures. The 20RVs are generally simulated well by the RCMs.
Global Estimates of Lateral Springtime Restratification
Authors: Johnson Leah , Lee Craig M. , D’Asaro Eric A.
Published: March 2016

Submesoscale frontal dynamics are thought to be of leading-order importance for stratifying the upper ocean by slumping horizontal density gradients to produce vertical stratification. Presented here is an investigation of submesoscale instabilities in the mixed layer—mixed layer eddies (MLEs)—as a potential mechanism of frontal slumping that stratifies the upper ocean during the transition from winter to spring, when wintertime forcings weaken but prior to the onset of net solar warming. Observations from the global Argo float program are compared to predictions from a one-dimensional mixed layer model to assess where in the world’s oceans lateral processes influence mixed layer evolution. The model underestimates spring stratification for ~75% ± 25% of the world’s oceans. Relationships between vertical and horizontal temperature and salinity gradients are used to suggest that in 30% ± 20% of the oceans this excess stratification can be attributed to the slumping of horizontal density fronts. Finally, 60% ± 10% of the frontal enhanced stratification is consistent with MLE theory, suggesting that MLEs may be responsible for enhanced stratification in 25% ± 15% of the world’s oceans. Enhanced stratification from frontal tilting occurs in regions of strong horizontal density gradients (e.g., midlatitude subtropical gyres), with a small fraction occurring in regions of deep mixed layers (e.g., high latitudes). Stratification driven by MLEs appears to constrain the coexistence of sharp lateral gradients and deep wintertime mixed layers, limiting mixed layer depths in regions of large lateral density gradients, with an estimated wintertime restratification flux of order 100 W m−2.
Estimating Turbulent Dissipation from Microstructure Shear Measurements Using Maximum Likelihood Spectral Fitting over the Inertial and Viscous Subranges
Authors: Bluteau Cynthia E. , Jones Nicole L. , Ivey Gregory N.
Published: March 2016

A technique is presented to derive the dissipation of turbulent kinetic energy ϵ by using the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) to fit a theoretical or known empirical model to turbulence shear spectral observations. The commonly used integration method relies on integrating the shear spectra in the viscous range, thus requiring the resolution of the highest wavenumbers of the turbulence shear spectrum. With current technology, the viscous range is not resolved at sufficiently large wavenumbers to estimate high ϵ; however, long inertial subranges can be resolved, making spectral fitting over both this subrange and the resolved portion of the viscous range an attractive method for deriving ϵ. The MLE takes into account the chi-distributed properties of the spectral observations, and so it does not rely on the log-transformed spectral observations. This fitting technique can thus take advantage of both the inertial and viscous subranges, a portion of both, or simply one of the subranges. This flexibility allows a broad range of ϵ to be resolved. The estimated ϵ is insensitive to the range of wavenumbers fitted with the model, provided the noise-dominated portion of the spectra and the low wavenumbers impacted by the mean flow are avoided. For W kg−1, the MLE fitting estimates agree with those obtained by integrating the spectral observations. However, with increasing ϵ the viscous subrange is not fully resolved and the integration method progressively starts to underestimate ϵ compared with the values obtained from fitting the spectral observations.
The Best of Both Worlds
Authors: Ter Wal Anne L.J. , Alexy Oliver , Block Jörn , Sandner Philipp G.
Published: March 2016

Open networks give actors non-redundant information that is diverse, while closed networks offer redundant information that is easier to interpret. Integrating arguments about network structure and the similarity of actors’ knowledge, we propose two types of network configurations that combine diversity and ease of interpretation. Closed-diverse networks offer diversity in actors’ knowledge domains and shared third-party ties to help in interpreting that knowledge. In open-specialized networks, structural holes offer diversity, while shared interpretive schema and overlap between received information and actors’ prior knowledge help in interpreting new information without the help of third parties. In contrast, actors in open-diverse networks suffer from information overload due to the lack of shared schema or overlapping prior knowledge for the interpretation of diverse information, and actors in closed-specialized networks suffer from overembeddedness because they cannot access diverse information. Using CrunchBase data on early-stage venture capital investments in the U.S. information technology sector, we test the effect of investors’ social capital on the success of their portfolio ventures. We find that ventures have the highest chances of success if their syndicating investors have either open-specialized or closed-diverse networks. These effects are manifested beyond the direct effects of ventures’ or investors’ quality and are robust to controlling for the possibility that certain investors could have chosen more promising ventures at the time of first funding.
Citizenship as Privilege and Social Identity
Authors: Gee Gilbert C. , Morey Brittany N. , Walsemann Katrina M. , Ro Annie , Takeuchi David T.
Published: March 2016

Citizenship is both a system of privilege and a source of social identity. This study examines whether there are disparities in psychological distress between citizens and noncitizens, and whether these disparities may be explained by markers of social disadvantage (e.g., poverty, discrimination) or perceptions of success in the United States (i.e., subjective social status). We analyze data from the Asian subsample ( n = 2,095) of the National Latino and Asian American Study. The data show that noncitizens report greater psychological distress compared with naturalized citizens and native-born citizens after accounting for sociodemographics (e.g., age, gender, Asian subgroup), socioeconomic characteristics (education, employment, income-to-poverty ratio), immigration (e.g., interview language, years in the United States, acculturative stress), health care visits, and everyday discrimination. Preliminary evidence suggests that subjective social status may explain some of the disparities between naturalized citizen and noncitizen Asian Americans.
Soccer Versus Jihad
Authors: Dorsey James M.
Published: March 2016

Stadia have reemerged as a preferred jihadist target. The Islamic State (IS) targeted a friendly soccer match between France and Germany in its November 2015 attacks in Paris. (Martinez, 2015) German police said days later that they had foiled a plot against a stadium in the German city of Hannover barely an hour before the German national team was scheduled to play. Similarly, Belgium cancelled a friendly soccer match against Spain (Ryan, 2015). The list of targeted stadia is long. It dates back to an Al-Qaeda plan to strike against the 1998 World Cup and includes sporting grounds in among others Iraq and Nigeria. The targeting of stadia spotlights jihadists’ often convoluted relationship to soccer. Many jihadists see soccer as an infidel invention designed to distract the faithful from fulfilling their religious obligations. Yet others are soccer fans or former, failed or disaffected players who see the sport as an effective recruitment and bonding tool. Men like Osama Bin Laden, Hamas’ Ismail Haniyeh, and Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah base their advocacy of the utility of soccer on those Salafi and mainstream Islamic scholars who argue that the Prophet Mohammed advocated physical exercise to maintain a healthy body as opposed to more militant students of Islam who at best seek to rewrite the rules of the game to Islamicize it, if not outright ban the sport. Self-declared IS Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi embodies the jihadists’ double-edged attitude toward soccer. A passionate player in his pre-IS days (McCant, 2015) Al-Baghdadi’s IS and its affiliates take credit for scores of attacks on stadia. A successful attack on a major soccer match in Europe would go a long way to achieve IS’s goals of polarizing communities, exacerbating social tensions, and driving the marginalized further into the margins. In targeting the sport and stadia, jihadists focus on the world’s most popular form of popular culture and the one fixture that evokes the kind of deep-seated emotion capable of rivalling passions associated with religion and sectarianism. Yet the relationship between militant Islam and soccer is one that has barely been researched by scholars in multiple disciplines, including Islamic, Middle Eastern, and sports studies. This article constitutes a first stab at trying to fill the gap.
Oral Health–related Beliefs, Behaviors, and Outcomes through the Life Course
Authors: Broadbent J.M. , Zeng J. , Foster Page L.A. , Baker S.R. , Ramrakha S. , Thomson W.M.
Published: March 2016

Complex associations exist among socioeconomic status (SES) in early life, beliefs about oral health care (held by individuals and their parents), and oral health–related behaviors. The pathways to poor adult oral health are difficult to model and describe, especially due to a lack of longitudinal data. The study aim was to explore possible pathways of oral health from birth to adulthood (age 38 y). We hypothesized that higher socioeconomic position in childhood would predict favorable oral health beliefs in adolescence and early adulthood, which in turn would predict favorable self-care and dental attendance behaviors; those would lead to lower dental caries experience and better self-reported oral health by age 38 y. A generalized structural equation modeling approach was used to investigate the relationship among oral health–related beliefs, behaviors in early adulthood, and dental health outcomes and quality of life in adulthood (age, 38 y), based on longitudinal data from a population-based birth cohort. The current investigation utilized prospectively collected data on early (up to 15 y) and adult (26 and 32 y) SES, oral health–related beliefs (15, 26, and 32 y), self-care behaviors (15, 28, and 32 y), oral health outcomes (e.g., number of carious and missing tooth surfaces), and oral health–related quality of life (38 y). Early SES and parental oral health–related beliefs were associated with the study members’ oral health–related beliefs, which in turn predicted toothbrushing and dental service use. Toothbrushing and dental service use were associated with the number of untreated carious and missing tooth surfaces in adulthood. The number of untreated carious and missing tooth surfaces were associated with oral health–related quality of life. Oral health toward the end of the fourth decade of life is associated with intergenerational factors and various aspects of people’s beliefs, SES, dental attendance, and self-care operating since the childhood years.
Narrative Approaches to Exploring Language, Identity and Power in Language Teacher Education
Authors: Barkhuizen Gary
Published: March 2016

This article presents a theoretical overview of the concept of teacher identity, particularly focusing on poststructuralist conceptions of what identity means, and shows how these ideas can be associated with ideas about narrative and narrative inquiry. It is argued that it is important for teachers, through reflective practice or teacher research, to become aware of and understand their professional identities because doing so has implications for their practice. Two ways of analysing teacher stories are illustrated: the first, a content or thematic analysis of a written teacher journal entry, and the second, a short story analysis of an extract of an interview. These methods are presented as examples of the type of narrative analysis teachers can do to become more aware of who they are in their professional lives.
Quantifying the economic and demographic impact of transportation infrastructure investments: A simulation study
Authors: Diaz Rafael , Behr Joshua G , Ng ManWo
Published: March 2016

Investment in transportation infrastructure has been widely utilized as an instrument for inducing economic growth. Such investment usually leads to job creation and an increase in per capita income that attracts population through migration to the region. This increases the utilization of the transport infrastructure over time, resulting in high levels of congestion. The congestion negatively impacts the attractiveness of the region and the gross regional product (GRP). Regions cyclically invest in transport infrastructure that temporally spurs economic activity and migration, and reduces congestion. This research employs a system dynamics simulation approach to capture and mimic the behavior of these complex and cyclical relationships over time. Our approach suggests the modeling of key demographic, transportation infrastructure, travel behavior, and economic activity components to determine the impact of infrastructure investments on regional growth. Given a set of prospective investment scenarios, the model replicates and projects levels of productivity, travel demand, congestion, GRP, and net migration patterns over time. The model also provides insights into the duration of critical cyclical patterns given these prospective infrastructure investments. The simulation model presented in this paper seeks to be utilized as guidance to support decision-making processes that lead to the execution of more exhaustive transportation studies that organize the execution of such investments.