bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Combined 23-Gauge Vitrectomy and Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Cataract Surgery
Authors: Gómez-Resa María , Nieto Isabel , Corcóstegui Borja
Published: October 2014

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the safety and surgical results of femtosecond laser-assisted phacovitrectomy. Methods: A retrospective analysis of the medical records of patients over 50 years of age with vitreoretinal pathology, who had undergone pars plana vitrectomy using 23-gauge instruments and femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery and implantation of an intraocular lens, was performed at the Instituto de Microcirugía Ocular between June 2012 and September 2013. The diameter of the anterior capsulorhexis was set at 4.8 mm in cases where a gas tamponade was used and at 5 mm in all other cases. During the pars plana vitrectomy, posterior capsulotomy was performed on all eyes. An assessment was carried out of preoperative characteristics, surgical indications, postoperative results and complications. Only patients with a minimum of 3 months of follow-up were included. Results: A total of 21 eyes in 21 patients (71.4% women) were treated. Mean age (±SD) was 65.8 ± 6.4 years (range 53-76). The most common indication for surgery was epiretinal membrane (61.9%), followed by vitreous haemorrhage (23.8%) and macular hole (14.3%). The mean preoperative best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 0.81 ± 1.01 logMAR and the mean postoperative BCVA was 0.12 ± 0.19 logMAR (p = 0.003). 85.7% of patients improved their visual acuity. The remaining patients maintained their visual acuity. The only intraoperative complication related to femtosecond laser was 1 case of suction loss (4.8%). A patient with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment discovered during surgery required an additional circular scleral procedure and developed synechiaes in the early postoperative period (<1 month). There were no cases of subluxation of the intraocular lens. Mean follow-up was 6 months (range 3-14). Conclusions: The application of femtosecond laser in phacovitrectomy is a safe and effective technique that presents advantages compared to conventional techniques in cases of macular pathology and/or vitreous haemorrhage.
The Relationship Between Ultraviolet Light Exposure and Mortality in Dialysis Patients
Authors: Shapiro Bryan B. , Streja Elani , Chen Joline L.T. , Kovesdy Csaba P. , Kalantar-Zadeh Kamyar , Rhee Connie M.
Published: October 2014

Background: Emerging data suggest that reduced exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation is associated with increased mortality in the general population. To date, the association between UV exposure and mortality in dialysis patients has not been examined. Methods: We examined the association between UV index, a proxy of UV exposure, and all-cause mortality among 47,286 US dialysis patients (entry period 2001-2006, with follow-up through 2009) from a large national dialysis organization using multivariable Cox regression. The UV index was ascertained by linking individual patients' residential zip codes to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data, and was categorized as low (0-<3), moderate (3-<5), moderate-high (5-<6), high (6-<7), and very-high (≥7). In secondary analyses, we examined the UV index-mortality association within subgroups of age (<65 vs. ≥65 years old), sex, and race (white vs. non-white). Results: The study population's mean ± SD age was 60 ± 16 and included 46% women and 56% diabetics. Compared to patients residing in moderate-high UV index regions, those residing in high and very-high UV index regions had a lower mortality risk: adjusted HRs 0.84 (95% CI) 0.81-0.88 and 0.83 (95% CI) 0.75-0.91, respectively. A similar inverse association between UV index and mortality was observed across all subgroups, although there was more pronounced reduction in mortality among whites vs. non-whites. Conclusion: These data suggest that dialysis patients residing in higher UV index regions have lower all-cause mortality compared to those living in moderate-high UV regions. Further studies are needed to determine the mechanisms underlying the UV index-mortality association.
Naftopidil Is Useful for the Treatment of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
Authors: Mikami Koji , Nagaya Hisao , Gotoh Akinobu , Kanno Takeshi , Tsuchiya Ayako , Nakano Takashi , Nishizaki Tomoyuki
Published: October 2014

Naftopidil, an α1-adrenoceptor blocker, induced apoptosis of human malignant pleural mesothelioma NCI-H2052 cells. Naftopidil upregulated the expression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) mRNA in these cells. Naftopidil, alternatively, increased FasL secretion from NCI-H2052 cells, without affecting the expression of FasL mRNA and protein, and activated caspase-3 and -8 in NCI-H2052 cells. Naftopidil drastically suppressed tumor growth in mice inoculated with these cells. The results of the present study indicate that naftopidil induces apoptosis of NCI-H2052 cells by upregulating the expression of TNF-α and stimulating the secretion of FasL, a ligand for the death receptor Fas, both to activate caspase-8 and the effector caspase-3, leading to the suppression of NCI-H2052 cell proliferation in vivo. This raises the possibility that naftopidil could be developed as an effective drug for the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma.
Patients' Perceptions of Research Biopsies in Phase I Oncology Trials
Authors: Lemech Charlotte , Dua Divyanshu , Newmark Joshua , Saggese Matilde , Simmons Emily , Spiliopoulou Paulina , Arkenau Hendrik-Tobias
Published: October 2014

Objective: Research biopsies are increasingly incorporated into phase I oncology trials resulting in ethical and logistical challenges for patients and clinicians. Patients' understanding and willingness to undergo these biopsies are crucial. Methods: Over 12 months, we administered a questionnaire comprising three sections: demographics and previous cancer therapy, understanding of phase I trials and personalized medicine, and understanding of biopsies and associated risks. Results: Out of 56 patients approached, 47 patients completed the questionnaire. Overall, the patients were well informed about the concepts of personalized medicine and 89% (n = 42) were aware that early phase clinical trials aim to define a dose and explore side effects of new drugs. Interestingly, 76% (n = 36) expected early phase trials to improve symptoms, quality of life and survival. Offering hope and feeling in control of their treatment were important components for 80% (n = 38) and 57% (n = 27), respectively. The majority of this highly selective patient cohort understood the concept of research biopsies, with 59% (n = 28) willing to have a fresh research biopsy for trial participation. Although 72% (n = 34) felt that research biopsies should be optional, only 19% (n = 9) would not participate in a clinical trial with mandatory biopsies. Compared to diagnostic biopsies, the patients were less likely to accept associated risks with research biopsies. Conclusion: As research biopsies are crucial to many components of the drug development process, our study provides evidence for patients' overall willingness to undergo research biopsies for trial purposes. A consent process tailored to the biopsy site may help patients weigh up the associated risks versus benefits. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel
NADPH Oxidase in the Renal Microvasculature Is a Primary Target for Blood Pressure–Lowering Effects by Inorganic Nitrate and Nitrite
Authors: Gao Xiang , Yang Ting , Liu Ming , Peleli Maria , Zollbrecht Christa , Weitzberg Eddie , Lundberg Jon O. , Persson A. Erik G. , Carlström Mattias
Published: October 2014

Renal oxidative stress and nitric oxide (NO) deficiency are key events in hypertension. Stimulation of a nitrate–nitrite–NO pathway with dietary nitrate reduces blood pressure, but the mechanisms or target organ are not clear. We investigated the hypothesis that inorganic nitrate and nitrite attenuate reactivity of renal microcirculation and blood pressure responses to angiotensin II (ANG II) by modulating nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase activity and NO bioavailability. Nitrite in the physiological range (10
−7
–10
−5
mol/L) dilated isolated perfused renal afferent arterioles, which were associated with increased NO. Contractions to ANG II (34%) and simultaneous NO synthase inhibition (56%) were attenuated by nitrite (18% and 26%). In a model of oxidative stress (superoxide dismutase-1 knockouts), abnormal ANG II–mediated arteriolar contractions (90%) were normalized by nitrite (44%). Mechanistically, effects of nitrite were abolished by NO scavenger and xanthine oxidase inhibitor, but only partially attenuated by inhibiting soluble guanylyl cyclase. Inhibition of NADPH oxidase with apocynin attenuated ANG II–induced contractility (35%) similar to that of nitrite. In the presence of nitrite, no further effect of apocynin was observed, suggesting NADPH oxidase as a possible target. In preglomerular vascular smooth muscle cells and kidney cortex, nitrite reduced both basal and ANG II–induced NADPH oxidase activity. These effects of nitrite were also abolished by xanthine oxidase inhibition. Moreover, supplementation with dietary nitrate (10
−2
mol/L) reduced renal NADPH oxidase activity and attenuated ANG II–mediated arteriolar contractions and hypertension (99±2–146±2 mm Hg) compared with placebo (100±3–168±3 mm Hg). In conclusion, these novel findings position NADPH oxidase in the renal microvasculature as a prime target for blood pressure–lowering effects of inorganic nitrate and nitrite.
The Pinprick Approach: Whitehall’s Top-Secret Anti-Communist Committee and the Evolution of British Covert Action Strategy
Authors: Cormac Rory
Published: October 2014

This article examines Great Britain’s approach to covert action during the formative years of British Cold War intelligence operations, 1950–1951. Rather than shy away from such activity in the wake of the failure in Albania in the late 1940s, the British increased the number of operations they pursued. This was the start of a coherent strategy regarding covert activity that can be conceptualized as the “pinprick” approach. The strategy was overseen by a highly secretive Whitehall body, the Official Committee on Communism, which in effect became the government’s covert action committee. This article uses the commission’s recently declassified papers for the first time to assess the merits of this approach.
Normal Body Perception despite the Loss of Right Fusiform Gyrus
Authors: Susilo Tirta , Yang Hua , Potter Zachary , Robbins Rachel , Duchaine Bradley
Published: October 2014

Human extrastriate cortex contains functional regions that are selective for particular categories such as faces, bodies, and places, but it is unclear whether these category-selective regions are necessary for normal perception of their preferred stimuli. One of these regions is the right fusiform body area (FBA), which is selectively involved in body perception. Do loss of the right fusiform gyrus and the absence of the right FBA necessarily lead to deficits in body perception? Here we report the performance of Galen, a brain-damaged patient who lost the right fusiform gyrus and has no right FBA, on eight tasks of body perception. Despite his lesion, Galen showed normal performance on all tasks. Galen's results demonstrate that damage to the right fusiform gyrus and the lack of the right FBA do not necessarily lead to persisting deficits in body perception.
Resumptive Pronouns and Competition
Authors: Sichel Ivy
Published: October 2014

A Minimalist hypothesis about resumptive pronouns is that they should be no different from ordinary pronouns ( McCloskey 2006 ). The article substantiates this hypothesis with respect to a particular view of pronouns: pronouns are ‘‘elsewhere’’ elements. Just as the interpretation of ordinary pronouns, on this view, is determined by competition with anaphors, so the interpretation of resumptive pronouns is determined by competition with gaps. On the basis of new facts in Hebrew and systematic differences between optional and obligatory pronouns, I argue that the tail of a relative clause movement chain is realized as the least specified form available. Since their interpretive properties are fully determined by external factors, resumptive pronouns must be part of the syntactic derivation, not items merged from the (traditional) lexicon.
Resistance of morphological and behavioral sexual traits of the palmate newt (Lissotriton helveticus) to bacterial lipopolysaccharide treatment
Authors: Cornuau Jérémie H. , Schmeller Dirk S. , Pigeault Romain , Loyau Adeline
Published: October 2014

Infectious diseases are considered as a significant factor in the global decline of amphibians. In some vertebrates, the assessment of the individual sexual traits can be useful for assessment of their health status and immunocompetence due to trade-off between them and investment in the immune system. Our aim here was to determine whether the trade-off between the expression of sexual morphological and behavioral traits and investment in the immune system is present in an urodele, the Palmate newt (Lissotriton helveticus). The groups of males were injected by solutions of proinflammatory agent, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Escherichia coli serotype O:55:B5, at dosages toxic to vertebrates (2 and 10 mg/kg of body mass) or by saline solution only (control groups). They were subsequently measured for variations in body condition and expression of both morphological (filament length, hind-foot-web, crest) and behavioral (courtship frequency) sexual traits. The injection of either LPS or saline solution did not cause any adverse effect on health in any male of all groups. No significant differences in any of the sexual traits were observed between two groups of males injected by LPS and control groups of males indicating the absence of a trade-off between immune response and expression of sexual traits. Our result suggests that measuring morphological or behavioral sexual traits may not be a useful method for monitoring emergence of infectious diseases in the palmate newt.
Correlates and consequences of injury in a large, predatory stream salamander (Dicamptodon tenebrosus)
Authors: Munshaw Robin G. , Atlas W.I. , Palen W.J. , Courcelles Danielle M. , Monteith Zachary L.
Published: October 2014

Conspecific aggression is an important factor structuring population dynamics through intra- and interspecific interactions, but is rarely studied in un-manipulated populations. In this study, we evaluated rates of injury as a proxy for conspecific aggression using a depletion survey of predatory coastal giant salamanders (Dicamptodon tenebrosus) in a tributary of the South Fork Eel River, California. We tested a range of hypotheses including a suite of environmental and biotic factors for the rate of injury in a population by using an AIC model-selection approach that examined the weight of evidence for individual models. We examined both the probability of a given individual being injured, and the proportion of individuals within a given study pool being injured. We found strong support for models including salamander size, density of young-of-the-year steelhead, and density of the largest size-class of salamander as factors positively influencing the rate of injury at both the individual and habitat levels. We also found that density of older steelhead (1+ steelhead) had a strong, but highly variable positive impact on frequency of injury. This study shows that both conspecific and heterospecific factors influence intraspecific aggression for the dominant salamander throughout coastal Pacific Northwest streams. Our methodology demonstrates a non-manipulative approach to identifying correlates of natural injury in a cryptic species of amphibian. More work is needed to determine how these factors directly and indirectly influence the spatial distribution, individual fitness, and dynamics of salamander populations within streams.
Updated distribution and biogeography of amphibians and reptiles of Europe
Authors: Sillero Neftali , Campos João , Bonardi Anna , Corti Claudia , Creemers Raymond , Crochet Pierre-Andre , Crnobrnja Isailović Jelka , Denoël Mathieu , Ficetola Gentile Francesco , Gonçalves João , Kuzmin Sergei , Lymberakis Petros , de Pous Philip , Rodríguez Ariel , Sindaco Roberto , Speybroeck Jeroen , Toxopeus Bert , Vieites David R. , Vences Miguel
Published: October 2014

A precise knowledge of the spatial distribution of taxa is essential for decision-making processes in land management and biodiversity conservation, both for present and under future global change scenarios. This is a key base for several scientific disciplines (e.g. macro-ecology, biogeography, evolutionary biology, spatial planning, or environmental impact assessment) that rely on species distribution maps. An atlas summarizing the distribution of European amphibians and reptiles with 50 × 50 km resolution maps based on ca. 85 000 grid records was published by the Societas Europaea Herpetologica (SEH) in 1997. Since then, more detailed species distribution maps covering large parts of Europe became available, while taxonomic progress has led to a plethora of taxonomic changes including new species descriptions. To account for these progresses, we compiled information from different data sources: published in books and websites, ongoing national atlases, personal data kindly provided to the SEH, the 1997 European Atlas, and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). Databases were homogenised, deleting all information except species names and coordinates, projected to the same coordinate system (WGS84) and transformed into a 50 × 50 km grid. The newly compiled database comprises more than 384 000 grid and locality records distributed across 40 countries. We calculated species richness maps as well as maps of Corrected Weighted Endemism and defined species distribution types (i.e. groups of species with similar distribution patterns) by hierarchical cluster analysis using Jaccard’s index as association measure. Our analysis serves as a preliminary step towards an interactive, dynamic and online distributed database system (NA2RE system) of the current spatial distribution of European amphibians and reptiles. The NA2RE system will serve as well to monitor potential temporal changes in their distributions. Grid maps of all species are made available along with this paper as a tool for decision-making and conservation-related studies and actions. We also identify taxonomic and geographic gaps of knowledge that need to be filled, and we highlight the need to add temporal and altitudinal data for all records, to allow tracking potential species distribution changes as well as detailed modelling of the impacts of land use and climate change on European amphibians and reptiles.
Does religion make people moral?
Authors: Norenzayan Ara
Published: October 2014

I address three common empirical questions about the connection between religion and morality: (1) Do religious beliefs and practices shape moral behavior? (2) Do all religions universally concern themselves with moral behavior? (3) Is religion necessary for morality? I draw on recent empirical research on religious prosociality to reach several conclusions. First, awareness of supernatural monitoring and other mechanisms found in religions encourage prosociality towards strangers, and in that regard, religions have come to influence moral behavior. Second, religion’s connection with morality is culturally variable; this link is weak or absent in small-scale groups, and solidifies as group size and societal complexity increase over time and across societies. Third, moral sentiments that encourage prosociality evolved independently of religion, and secular institutions can serve social monitoring functions; therefore religion is not necessary for morality. Supernatural monitoring and related cultural practices build social solidarity and extend moral concern to strangers as a result of a cultural evolutionary process.
Natural normativity: The ‘is’ and ‘ought’ of animal behavior
Authors: de Waal Frans B.M.
Published: October 2014

The evolution of behavior is sometimes considered irrelevant to the issue of human morality, since it lacks the normative character of morality (‘ought’), and consist entirely of descriptions of how things are or came about (‘is’). Evolved behavior, including that of other animals, is not entirely devoid of normativity, however. Defining normativity as adherence to an ideal or standard, there is ample evidence that animals treat their social relationships in this manner. In other words, they pursue social values. Here I review evidence that nonhuman primates actively try to preserve harmony within their social network by, e.g., reconciling after conflict, protesting against unequal divisions, and breaking up fights amongst others. In doing so, they correct deviations from an ideal state. They further show emotional self-control and anticipatory conflict resolution in order to prevent such deviations. Recognition of the goal-orientation and normative character of animal social behavior permits us to partially bridge the is/ought divide erected in relation to human moral behavior.
Human nature and science: A cautionary essay
Authors: Blackburn Simon
Published: October 2014

In this paper I draw upon the philosophical tradition in order to question whether scientific advances can show us as much about human nature as some may expect, and to further question whether we should welcome the idea that scientific interventions might improve that nature.
Naming Φύσις and the “Inner Truth of National Socialism”: A New Archival Discovery
Authors: Ireland Julia A.
Published: October 2014

This article offers an interpretive reconstruction of Heidegger’s first reference to the “inner truth of National Socialism” in the 1934/35 lecture course, Hölderlin’s Hymns “Germania” and “The Rhine” (Gesamtausgabe 39), which has remained unknown due to an editorial error. Focusing on the distinction Heidegger draws between Greek φύσις and natural science, it examines the way Heidegger conceives politics more originally through Hölderlin and the naming force of Nature. It then contextualizes Heidegger’s specific reference to National Socialism in terms of the then contemporary debate between liberalism and the racially determined “new science,” arguing that Heidegger thinks the “inner truth of National Socialism” as a φύσις-event.
Prolegomenon to a Critique of Symbolic Reason
Authors: Hopkins Burt C.
Published: October 2014

Jacob Klein’s own account of the change from the ancient to the modern mode of thinking presented in his seminal Greek Mathematical Thought and the Origin of Algebra included the observation that it did not consider the larger perspective of this change. The discussion to follow proposes to view the larger perspective of this transition through the lens provided by the Kantian concept of a “critique” of pure reason. By asking and attempting to answer the question of whether Klein’s account of what he calls the “symbolic abstraction” responsible for the genesis of the modern concept of number can be seen as what Kant characterizes as an “assessment” of pure reason, it is my intent to venture a prolegomenon to a critique of what, following Klein, I want to argue is most properly called “symbolic reason.”
“The Saints Go Marching”: Black Pentecostal Critical Consciousness and the Political Protest Activism of Pastors and Leaders in the Church of God in Christ in the Civil Rights Era
Authors: Chism Jonathan Langston
Published: October 2014

Abstract

Although black Pentecostal leaders are known for their emphasis on holiness and spiritual empowerment, they are not renowned for having led and spearheaded political protest struggles during the Civil Rights movement. In this paper I discuss black Pentecostals’ postures toward political protest struggles, and I analyze reasons why some black Pentecostals participated in the Civil Rights movement while others did not. My central argument is that critical consciousness formation played an integral role in motivating a minority of Church of God in Christ (COGIC) clergy and leaders to engage in Civil Rights protest struggles. That is to say, many black Pentecostals who took part in the movement reconciled their strivings for spiritual empowerment against evil with critical reflection upon complex social, political, and economic realities. They recognized the utility of opposing structures of oppression through direct, nonviolent means.
The Developmental Paradiplomacy of South African Provinces: Context, Scope and the Challenge of Coordination
Authors: Nganje Fritz
Published: October 2014

Summary

Paradiplomacy, or the international relations of sub-national governments, has been a feature of South Africa’s international relations since 1995. However, despite a general recognition across all three spheres of government of the developmental value of the practice, aligning the paradiplomacy of most provincial and local governments to South Africa’s development and foreign policy priorities has remained an elusive goal.

This article provides a rare insight into the paradiplomacy of South African provinces and explains why successive efforts at both the national and provincial levels to coordinate and rationalize paradiplomacy have been met with minimal success. It argues that although publicly acknowledging the potential benefits of paradiplomacy, national officials continue to harbour an attitude of ambivalence towards the international agency of provincial and local governments, which explains the half-hearted nature of most of the unsuccessful efforts to align paradiplomacy with South Africa’s foreign policy and national priorities. At the provincial level, efforts to manage paradiplomacy have largely been stymied by structural constraints that are embedded in South Africa’s constitutional framework, as well as an adverse political culture in the provinces.
Behind Family Trees
Authors: Lehtinen Jyri , Honkola Terhi , Korhonen Kalle , Syrjänen Kaj , Wahlberg Niklas , Vesakoski Outi
Published: October 2014

Although it has long been recognized that the family tree model is too simplistic to account for historical connections between languages, most computational studies of language history have concentrated on tree-building methods. Here, we employ computational network methods to assess the utility of network models in comparison with tree models in studying the subgrouping of Uralic languages. We also compare basic vocabulary data with words that are more easily borrowed and replaced cross-linguistically (less basic vocabulary) in order to find out how secondary connections affect computational analyses of this language family. In general, the networks support a treelike pattern of diversification, but also provide information about conflicting connections underlying some of the ambiguous divergences in the trees. These are seen as reflections of unclear divergence patterns (either in ancestral protolanguages or between languages closely related at present), which pose problems for a tree model. The networks also show that the relationships of closely related present-day languages are more complex than what the tree models suggest. When comparing less basic with basic vocabulary, we can detect the effect of borrowing between different branches (horizontal transfer) mostly between and within the Finnic and Saami subgroups. We argue that the trees obtained with basic vocabulary provide the primary pattern of the divergence of a language family, whereas networks, especially those constructed with less basic vocabulary, add reality to the picture by showing the effect of more complicated developments affecting the connections between the languages.
A review of genus-group names in Diptera (Insecta) that J.C. Fabricius
“borrowed” from other dipterists and proposed as new in his systematic works from 1775 to 1805
Authors: MICHELSEN VERNER , O’HARA JAMES E.
Published: October 2014

It is shown that a total of eight pre-existing genus-group names in Diptera were “borrowed” and deliberately given new identities in the systematic works of J.C. Fabricius: Bibio Fabricius, 1775, Ceria Fabricius, 1794, Hirtea Fabricius, 1798, Mulio Fabricius, 1798, Scatophaga Fabricius, 1805, Sicus Fabricius, 1798, Thereva Fabricius, 1798 and Voluccella Fabricius, 1794. These names are reviewed from the standpoint that they are nomenclaturally available as intentional homonymous proposals of names for new genus-group taxa. New type-species designations are made for Bibio Fabricius, Mulio Fabricius, and Scatophaga Fabricius. Bibio Fabricius, 1775 is recognized as a senior synonym of Thereva Latreille, 1797, syn. n., but is invalid as it is a junior homonym of Bibio Geoffroy, 1762. Scatophaga Fabricius, 1805 is recognized as a junior synonym of Psila Meigen, 1803, syn. n. The nominal species Musca suilla Fabricius, 1794 has been misinterpreted as a species of Scathophaga Meigen, 1803 by subsequent authors. Scathophaga spurca Meigen, 1826 is revived as the valid name for Scathophaga suilla auct. nec (Fabricius, 1794), stat. rev. A lectotype is designated for Musca suilla Fabricius and it is shown to belong to the scathophagid Norellisoma spinimanum (Fallén, 1819), syn. n. In order to maintain stability of nomenclature and prevailing usage, reversal of precedence is invoked to declare Cordylura spinimana Fallén, 1819 as a nomen protectum and Musca suilla Fabricius, 1794 as a nomen oblitum.
Separation of the Effects of Land and Climate Model Errors on Simulated Contemporary Land Carbon Cycle Trends in the MPI Earth System Model version 1*
Authors: Dalmonech Daniela , Zaehle Sönke , Schürmann Gregor J. , Brovkin Victor , Reick Christian , Schnur Reiner
Published: October 2014

The capacity of earth system models (ESMs) to make reliable projections of future atmospheric CO2 and climate is strongly dependent on the ability of the land surface model to adequately simulate the land carbon (C) cycle. Defining “adequate” performance of the land model requires an understanding of the contributions of climate model and land model errors to the land C cycle. Here, a benchmarking framework is applied based on significant, observed characteristics of the land C cycle for the contemporary period, for which sufficient evaluation data are available, to test the ability of the JSBACH land surface component of the Max Planck Institute Earth System Model (MPI-ESM) to simulate land C trends. Particular attention is given to the role of potential effects caused by climate biases, and therefore investigation is made of the results of model configurations in which JSBACH is interactively “coupled” to atmosphere and ocean components and of an “uncoupled” configuration, where JSBACH is driven by reconstructed meteorology.

The ability of JSBACH to simulate the observed phase of phenology and seasonal C fluxes is not strongly affected by climate biases. Contrarily, noticeable differences in the simulated gross primary productivity and land C stocks emerge between coupled and uncoupled configurations, leading to significant differences in the decadal terrestrial C balance and its sensitivity to climate. These differences are strongly controlled by climate biases of the MPI-ESM, in particular those affecting soil moisture. To effectively characterize model performance, the potential effects of climate biases on the land C dynamics need to be considered during the development and calibration of land surface models.
On the Relationship between the North Pacific Climate Variability and the Central Pacific El Niño
Authors: Yeh Sang-Wook , Wang Xin , Wang Chunzai , Dewitte Boris
Published: October 2014

This study examined connections between the North Pacific climate variability and occurrence of the central Pacific (CP) El Niño for the period from 1950 to 2012. A composite analysis indicated that the relationship between the North Pacific sea surface temperature (SST), along with its overlying atmospheric circulation, and the CP El Niño during the developing and mature phases was changed when the occurrence frequency of the CP El Niño significantly increased after 1990. Empirical orthogonal function (EOF) and singular value decomposition (SVD) analyses of variability in the tropical Pacific and its relationship to the North Pacific show that the North Pacific anomalous SST and the atmospheric variability are more closely associated with the occurrence of the CP El Niño after 1990 than before 1990. There were noticeable differences in terms of the atmospheric variability conditions over the North Pacific, such as the North Pacific Oscillation (NPO)-like atmospheric variability during the spring and its associated SST anomalies during the following winter before 1990 and after 1990. In addition, combined EOF analysis also indicated that the NPO-like atmospheric circulation becomes more effective at playing a role in initiating El Niño after 1990. Consequently, such a change might have been associated with the frequent occurrence of the CP El Niño after 1990.
The Definition and Characteristics of Regional Rainfall Events Demonstrated by Warm Season Precipitation over the Beijing Plain
Authors: Yu Rucong , Chen Haoming , Sun Wei
Published: October 2014

In this study, a regional rainfall event (RRE) is defined by observed rainfall at multiple, well-distributed stations in a given area. Meanwhile, a regional rainfall coefficient (RRC), which could be used to classify local rain (LR) and regional rain (RR) in the given area, is defined to quantify the spatiotemporal variation of rainfall events. As a key parameter describing the spread of rainfall, RRC, together with duration and intensity, presents an effort to explore more complete spatiotemporal organization and evolution of RREs. Preliminary analyses of RREs over the Beijing plain reveal new, interesting characteristics of rainfall. The RRC of RRE increases with longer duration and stronger intensity. Most of the RREs with maximum peak rainfall intensity below 2 mm h−1 or duration shorter than 3 h have RRC less than 0.4, indicating that these events are not uniformly spread over the region. Thus, they are reasonably classified into LR. RREs with RRC above 0.5 could be classified into RR, which usually lasts longer than 4 h and has primary peak rainfall occurring from 1700 to 0600 LST. For most of the intense long-duration RR, evolutions of RRC and rainfall intensity are not consistent. The RRC reaches a maximum a few hours after the peak intensity was reached. The results of this study enrich the understanding of rainfall processes and provide new insight into understanding and quantifying the space–time characteristics of rainfall. These findings have great potential to further evaluate cloud and precipitation physics as well as their parameterizations in numerical models.
Evaluation of Platelet Distribution Width and Mean Platelet Volume in Patients With Carotid Artery Stenosis
Authors: Adam Gürhan , Kocak Erdem , Özkan Adile , Reşorlu Mustafa , Çınar Celal , Bozkaya Halil , Kurt Tolga , Altun Burak , Şen Halil Murat , Akbal Ayla , Bozkurt Neslihan , Saçar Mustafa
Published: October 2014

Platelets contribute to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Platelet activation has been linked with increased mean platelet volume (MPV) and platelet distribution width (PDW). We investigated the association between PDW, MPW, and the degree of carotid artery stenosis (CS). Patients (n = 229) were divided into 3 groups according to the North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial criteria. Demographic and clinical features were collected retrospectively. Correlation analysis showed a positive association between PDW and the degree of CS. However, there was no significant correlation between CS and MPV. Moreover, we observed that PDW and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were independent predictors of the degree of CS. This study showed that PDW, not MPV, is related to the degree of CS. Platelet distribution width could be a useful biomarker for CS. Whether targeting PDW will be of clinical benefit remains to be established.
Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry in the clinical laboratory
Authors: Adaway Joanne E , Keevil Brian G , Owen Laura J
Published: October 2014

Clinical laboratory medicine has seen the introduction and evolution of liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry in routine clinical laboratories over the last 10–15 years. There still exists a wide diversity of assays from very esoteric and highly specialist manual assays to more simplified kit-based assays. The technology is not static as manufacturers are continually making improvements. Mass spectrometry is now commonly used in several areas of diagnostics including therapeutic drug monitoring, toxicology, endocrinology, paediatrics and microbiology. Some of the most high throughput analyses or common analytes include vitamin D, immunosuppressant monitoring, androgen measurement and newborn screening. It also offers flexibility for the measurement of analytes in a variety of different matrices which would prove difficult with immunoassays. Unlike immunoassays or high-pressure liquid chromatography assays using ultraviolet or fluorescence detection, mass spectrometry offers better specificity and reduced interferences if attention is paid to potential isobaric compounds. Furthermore, multiplexing, which enables multiple analytes to be measured with the same volume of serum is advantageous, and the requirement for large sample volumes is decreasing as instrument sensitivity increases. There are many emerging applications in the literature. Using mass spectrometry to identify novel isoforms or modified peptides is possible as is quantification of proteins and peptides, with or without protein digests. Future developments by the manufacturers may also include mechanisms to improve the throughput of samples and strategies to decrease the level of skill required by the operators.
Increased functional connectivity strength of right inferior temporal gyrus in first-episode, drug-naive somatization disorder
Authors: Su Qinji , Yao Dapeng , Jiang Muliang , Liu Feng , Jiang Jiajing , Xu Chunxing , Dai Yi , Yu Miaoyu , Long Liling , Li Hongzheng , Liu Jianrong , Zhang Zhikun , Zhang Jian , Xiao Changqing , Guo Wenbin
Published: October 2014

Background:

Evidence of brain structural and functional alterations have been implicated in patients with somatization disorder (SD). However, little is known about brain functional connectivity in SD. In the present study, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and graph theory were used to obtain a comprehensive view of whole-brain functional connectivity and to investigate the changes of voxel-wise functional networks in patients with SD.

Methods:

Twenty-five first-episode, medication-naive patients with SD and 28 age-, sex- and education-matched healthy controls (HCs) underwent resting-state fMRI. The graph theory approach was employed to analyze the data.

Results:

Compared to the HCs, patients with SD showed significantly increased functional connectivity strength in the right inferior temporal gyrus (ITG). There is a significant positive correlation between the z-values of the cluster in the right ITG and Hamilton Anxiety Scale scores.

Conclusions:

Our findings indicate that there is a disruption of the functional connectivity pattern in the right ITG in first-episode, treatment-naive patients with SD, which bears clinical significance.
Effects of school-based point-of-testing counselling on health status variables among rural adolescents
Authors: Murimi Mary W , Chrisman Matthew S , Hughes Kelly , Taylor Chris , Kim Yeonsoo , McAllister Tiffany L
Published: October 2014

Objective:

Rural areas may suffer from a lack of access to health care and programmes to promote behaviours such as healthy eating and physical activity. Point-of-testing counselling is a method of promoting a healthy lifestyle during an individual’s most ‘teachable moment’.

Design/Setting:

This longitudinal study examined the effects of school-based nutrition education and point-of-testing counselling on nutrition knowledge, weight, blood lipid profile and blood pressure over a 3-year period (2005–2008) among junior high and high school students from a rural community in the Southern USA.

Methods:

Screening for health variables, followed by point-of-testing counselling sessions, was offered every 6 months, along with nutrition education once a week for 12 weeks. Statistical analyses were conducted using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). T-tests and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were conducted to analyse changes in health outcomes over the course of the study.

Results:

A total of 233 rural students participated in this longitudinal community-based study. Students who attended at least four sessions ( n = 52) were analysed for changes in health outcomes. High-density lipoprotein levels significantly increased between the second and fourth visits. Attending the intervention at least four times stabilised or improved blood values and anthropometric measurements. Significant nutrition knowledge increases were documented among 7th and 8th graders; 6th, 9th and 10th graders also showed modest improvements.

Conclusion:

Using point-of-testing counselling may be an effective strategy in delaying or preventing the onset of risk factors for obesity and related chronic diseases during adolescence.
Moving Forward: Towards a rights-based paradigm for young people transitioning out of care
Authors: Quinn Neil , Davidson Jennifer , Milligan Ian , Elsley Susan , Cantwell Nigel
Published: October 2014

This article proposes that the new UN Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children usher in a new international rights-based policy framework for care-leavers. It acknowledges the global nature of the concerns, reviews a growing body of international literature and examines key debates, illustrated by policy orientations and practice examples drawn from the authors’ experience of developing Moving Forward (Cantwell, Davidson, Elsley, Milligan, and Quinn, 2012), the Guidelines’ international implementation handbook. A number of themes emerge, particularly the value of intangible emotional supports for young care-leavers. The traditional lack of a rights-oriented discourse in this area suggests more strategic collaborative efforts by a range of actors are needed.
The Gist of Instructional Leadership Practised in Swaziland Primary Schools
Authors: van der Merwe Hettie , Schenck Catherina
Published: October 2014

A growing body of scholarship links instructional leadership to effective teaching and learning. This article looks at the ‘what’ of instructional leadership as practised in Swaziland primary schools. A qualitative investigation was undertaken based on individual and focus group interviews conducted at eight primary schools in the Hhohho region of Swaziland. The findings show that demonstrative leadership accompanied by collaborative support and recognition for achievement are important features of an effective instructional leadership programme. The main limitations to optimal learning are the collection of school fees during school hours and balancing English as the language of instruction with preserving the indigenous language. The findings emphasize the importance of mutual effort as the main component of effective teaching and learning.
Climatic Shocks and Child Human Capital: Evidence from Ethiopia
Authors: Hyder Baloch Asma , Behrman Jere R
Published: October 2014

We examine the impact of four different climatic shocks as perceived by households and community representatives on child learning and health outcomes in Ethiopia; one of the poorest countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Two waves of household panel data for the years 2006 and 2009 are used and data is collected from both urban and rural areas of Ethiopia. For child learning outcomes we use enrollment, Peabody picture vocabulary and math test scores and for health outcomes we use body mass index z-scores and height for age z-scores.
Early Speech Segmentation in French-learning Infants: Monosyllabic Words versus Embedded Syllables
Authors: Nishibayashi Léo-Lyuki , Goyet Louise , Nazzi Thierry
Published: October 2014

Lexical acquisition relies on many mechanisms, one of which corresponds to segmentation abilities, that is, the ability to extract word forms from fluent speech. This ability is important since words are rarely produced in isolation even when talking to infants. The present study explored whether young French-learning infants segment from fluent speech the rhythmic unit of their native language, the syllable. Using the Headturn Preference Procedure and the passage word order, we explored whether these infants can segment monosyllabic words (at 6 and 8 months), syllables embedded in bisyllabic words (at 6 months) and bisyllabic words (at 6 months). Our results bring direct evidence in support of the early rhythmic segmentation hypothesis, by establishing syllabic segmentation both for monosyllabic words and embedded syllables at 6 months, while failing to find segmentation of bisyllabic words at the same age. They also indirectly extend to French previously reported effects of coarticulation, acoustic variation and infant-directed speech on segmentation found in English. Therefore, our study contributes to a better understanding of the similarities and differences in early segmentation across languages, and thus to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying segmentation.
Harnessing the Social: State, Crisis and (Big) Society
Authors: Dowling Emma , Harvie David
Published: October 2014

The article analyses the UK government’s plans to create a social investment market. The Big Society as political economy is understood as a response to three aspects of a multi-faceted, global crisis: a crisis of capital accumulation; a crisis of social reproduction; and, a fiscal crisis of the state. While the neoliberal state is retreating from the sphere of social reproduction, further off-loading the costs of social reproduction onto the unwaged realms of the home and the community, it is simultaneously engaging in efforts to enable this terrain of social reproduction to be harnessed for profit. Key to this process are specific government policies, the creation of new financial institutions and instruments and the introduction of the metric of ‘social value’. Policies ostensibly aimed at resolving the crisis in ways that empower local communities actually foster further financialisation and a deepening of capitalist disciplinary logics into the social fabric.
Teaching the Crisis: A Primer
Authors: Granter Edward , Tischer Daniel
Published: October 2014

In this article, we provide a ‘road map’ for teaching the global economic crisis (the Crisis hereafter) sociologically, using Kindleberger’s schema of financial crises. The causes of the Crisis are often associated with financial and economic technicalities, and we provide readers who are unfamiliar with the jargon of Collateralized Debt Obligations and Credit Default Swaps with a summary of the role played by these and other financial products. We seek to situate technical finance within the sociological frame of reference, where rationality and reality are areas of contention, rather than mathematical certainty. The article seeks, throughout, to foreground the social processes behind the credit bubble which burst in 2007. We argue for an understanding of the Crisis which takes into account the social totality, taking in culture, ideology and discourse, as well as political economy.