bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Aspekte der bautechnischen Prüfung des Bauvorhabens Lehrter Bahnhof Berlin
Authors: Albrecht G. , Klähne Th. , Stucke W.
Published: March 2013

Behandelt werden statisch‐konstruktive Problemstellungen des Bauvorhabens Lehrter Bahnhof Berlin aus Sicht der Prüfingenieure.

Einführend wird das Gesamtbauvorhaben mit seinen Einzelbauwerken und deren Zusammenspiel beschrieben. Die außerordentliche Komplexität spiegelt sich in der Beherrschung der Schnittstellen zwischen den Einzelbauwerken wider, was die Wichtigkeit der Koordination ‐ auch bei der Prüfung ‐ unterstreicht.

Abschließend werden auf der Grundlage der gewonnenen Erfahrungen Schlußfolgerungen für die bautechnische Prüfung von Großprojekten gezogen.
Structural geometries and magnitude of shortening in the eastern Kura fold‐thrust belt, Azerbaijan: Implications for the development of the Greater Caucasus Mountains
Authors: Forte Adam M. , Cowgill Eric , Murtuzayev Ibrahim , Kangarli Talat , Stoica Marius
Published: March 2013

The Greater Caucasus are the northernmost extent of the Arabia‐Eurasia collision and are thought to represent the main locus of shortening within the central portion of the collision zone between 40° and 48°E. Recent work suggests that in detail, since the Plio‐Pleistocene, much of the shortening in the eastern portion of the Caucasus system has been focused within the Kura fold‐thrust belt along the southeastern margin of the Greater Caucasus. Here we present new field mapping and stratigraphic investigations of the eastern termination of the Kura fold‐thrust belt in Azerbaijan to better constrain the structural geometries, magnitude of shortening, and initiation age for this portion of the fold‐thrust belt. Our work suggests that this area of the fold‐thrust belt exhibits significant along‐strike variations in structural style and evolution and can effectively be divided into two distinct domains at ~48°E. The western domain is characterized by a subcritical median surface slope and isolated folds and thrusts propagating out of sequence, whereas the eastern domain is dominated by a single duplex structure and a history of in‐sequence development in a critically tapered wedge. We hypothesize that these variations result from changes in relative rates of syn‐tectonic sedimentation, erosion, and convergence velocity along strike. We find that within the western domain, the fold‐thrust belt has accommodated ~12 km of total shortening. An unconformity within the western domain brackets the initiation age of this portion of the fold‐thrust belt to between 1.8 and 0.88 Ma yielding permissible average shortening rates of between 6.7 and 13.6 mm/yr. Comparison of these average shortening rates to the geodetically measured shortening rate of 8 mm/yr indicates that since initiation, the fold‐thrust belt has accommodated 83–100% of convergence between the Greater and Lesser Caucasus at this longitude.
Novel SCW model using the day of the year for solar energy system
Authors: Zang Haixiang , Xu Qingshan , Ichiyanagi Katsuhiro
Published: March 2013

A novel regression model with a sine and cosine wave (SCW) equation is proposed based on the latest and accurately recorded global radiation data during the year 1994–2009 in this letter. The SCW model and two trigonometric functions (sine wave and cosine wave) are employed to estimate global solar radiation by using the day of the year for six meteorological stations in Xinjiang Autonomous Regions of China. Estimated values were compared with measured values in terms of statistical indicators. This letter finds that the SCW model performed better than the other models for Xinjiang Province. © 2013 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Three 3‐Amino‐1, 2, 4‐Triazole‐Based Magnetic Complexes Incorporated with Different Carboxylate‐Containing Coligands: Synthesis, Structures, and Magnetic Properties
Authors: Zhang Xi‐Ying , Liu Zheng‐Yu , Liu Zhong‐Yi , Yang En‐Cui , Zhao Xiao‐Jun
Published: March 2013

Three 3‐amino‐1, 2, 4‐triazole (atz)‐based paramagnetic complexes, [Mn(atz)(pa)]n (1), {[Mn(atz)1.5(hip)]·H2O}n (2), and [Mn(H2O)2(atz)2(nb)2] (3) (H2pa = o‐phthalic acid, H2hip = 5‐hydroxylisophthalic acid, and Hnb = p‐nitrobenzoic acid) were prepared by introducing different carboxylate‐containing aromatic coligands, and structurally and magnetically characterized. Helical MnII‐atz and bent MnII‐pa2– chains are crosslinked by sharing the same metal sites to generate a honeycomb‐shaped framework of 1. The undulated MnII‐atz layers constructed from 22‐member metallomacrocycles are periodically supported by ditopic hip2– ligands to lead to a pillared‐layer structure of 2. In contrast, complex 3 is a centrosymmetric mononuclear entity, which is assembled into a three‐dimensional supramolecular network by abundant hydrogen‐bonding interactions. The structural difference of 1–3 is significantly due to the combinations of the flexible coordination modes adopted by the mixed atz and carboxylate groups. Weak and comparable antiferromagnetic couplings are observed in the nearest neighbors of 1–3, which are cooperatively transmitted either by short carboxylate and/or atz heterobridges or by weak non‐covalent interactions.
Biological Activity of Molybdenum(II) Allyl Dicarbonyl Complexes with N–N Coligands of Variable Aromatic Surface Area on Adherent and Non‐adherent Human Cancer Cells
Authors: Pfeiffer Hendrik , Dragoun Maxim , Prokop Aram , Schatzschneider Ulrich
Published: March 2013

A series of seven molybdenum(II) allyl dicarbonyl complexes of the general formula [Mo(allyl)(CO)2(N‐N)(py)]+, in which N‐N is a bidentate chelating polypyridyl ligand with variable aromatic surface area, was synthesized by a new two‐step approach and fully characterized by IR and NMR spectropscopy, ESI mass spectrometry, and elemental analysis. The n‐octanol/water partition coefficient logP increased with the size of the N‐N ligand from –0.4 to +1.8. The biological activity on adherent HT‐29 and MCF‐7 as well as non‐adherent NALM‐6 human cancer cell lines was studied with various assays, allowing also an insight in the mechanism of cell death. Most of the title compounds showed high antiproliferative activity in the low micromolar concentration range on all three cell lines tested, which however did not correlate much with the logP values determined. Apoptosis could be demonstrated as the major pathway of cell death for selected compounds and cell lines, setting on at 5 μM for the most active complex. Interestingly, no difference in apoptosis induction was observed between MCF(+/–) cell lines differentiated by expression of pro‐apoptotic enzyme caspase‐3 (+) or a lack thereof (–). This indicates an apoptosis induction pathway, which is independent of caspase‐3.
Retrospective Study Using the Propensity Score to Clarify the Oncologic Feasibility of Thoracoscopic Esophagectomy in Patients with Esophageal Cancer
Authors: Takeno Shinsuke , Takahashi Yoshiaki , Moroga Toshihiko , Kawahara Katsunobu , Yamashita Yuichi , Ohtaki Megu
Published: March 2013

Background

The present study aimed to clarify the long‐term prognostic impact and oncologic feasibility of thoracoscopic esophagectomy (TSE) in patients with esophageal cancer in comparison with open thoracic esophagectomy (OTE).

Methods

Patients with esophageal cancer underwent surgically curative esophagectomy without neoadjuvant therapy from January 1991 to December 2008 and were analyzed retrospectively. Of 257 patients, 91 underwent TSE and 166 had OTE. Relations between the long‐term prognosis after surgery, the surgical procedure, and clinicopathologic parameters were analyzed statistically. The propensity scores were calculated for all patients through a multiple logistic regression model that was optimized with Akaike’s Information Criterion. Using Cox’s proportional hazard model with prognostic variables and the propensity scores, we implemented a multivariate analysis for comparing the performance of two surgical methods.

Results

Patient characteristics and the incidence of perioperative morbidity or hospital death were similar for the TSE and OTE groups. Significantly more lymph nodes were dissected in the TSE group than in the OTE group (total p = 0.013; thoracic p = 0.0094; recurrent laryngeal p < 0.0001). The TSE group exhibited a more favorable prognosis after surgery than the OTE group in terms of overall survival (p = 0.011) and disease‐specific survival (DSS) (p = 0.0040). Particularly in subgroup analysis of DSS, the TSE group had a favorable prognosis in upper thoracic esophageal cancer (p = 0.0053), invasive cancer (p = 0.046), node‐positive cancer (p = 0.020), progressive cancer (p = 0.0052), cancer with lymphatic vessel invasion (p = 0.0019), and cancer without blood vessel invasion (p = 0.0081). In terms of DSS, the TSE group exhibited a more favorable prognosis than the OTE group regardless of the presence or absence of metastasis to lymph nodes around the thoracic (p < 0.0001) or recurrent laryngeal (p < 0.0001) nerves. TSE (p = 0.0430), lymph node metastasis (p = 0.0382), lymphatic invasion (p = 0.0418), and p stage (p = 0.0047) were independent prognostic parameters in the Cox’s proportional hazard model with the propensity scores.

Conclusions

TSE can contribute to prolonged survival after surgery in patients with esophageal cancer by enabling precise thoracic lymph node dissection based on a magnified surgical field. TSE might have maximum oncologic benefit and minimum invasiveness for patients with esophageal cancer.
Liver Fatty Acid Binding Protein Gene‐Ablation Exacerbates Weight Gain in High‐Fat Fed Female Mice
Authors: McIntosh Avery L. , Atshaves Barbara P. , Landrock Danilo , Landrock Kerstin K. , Martin Gregory G. , Storey Stephen M. , Kier Ann B. , Schroeder Friedhelm
Published: March 2013

Loss of liver fatty acid binding protein (L‐FABP) decreases long chain fatty acid uptake and oxidation in primary hepatocytes and in vivo. On this basis, L‐FABP gene ablation would potentiate high‐fat diet‐induced weight gain and weight gain/energy intake. While this was indeed the case when L‐FABP null (−/−) mice on the C57BL/6NCr background were pair‐fed a high‐fat diet, whether this would also be observed under high‐fat diet fed ad libitum was not known. Therefore, this possibility was examined in female L‐FABP (−/−) mice on the same background. L‐FABP (−/−) mice consumed equal amounts of defined high‐fat or isocaloric control diets fed ad libitum. However, on the ad libitum‐fed high‐fat diet the L‐FABP (−/−) mice exhibited: (1) decreased hepatic long chain fatty acid (LCFA) β‐oxidation as indicated by lower serum β‐hydroxybutyrate level; (2) decreased hepatic protein levels of key enzymes mitochondrial (rate limiting carnitine palmitoyl acyltransferase A1, CPT1A; HMG‐CoA synthase) and peroxisomal (acyl CoA oxidase 1, ACOX1) LCFA β‐oxidation; (3) increased fat tissue mass (FTM) and FTM/energy intake to the greatest extent; and (4) exacerbated body weight gain, weight gain/energy intake, liver weight, and liver weight/body weight to the greatest extent. Taken together, these findings showed that L‐FABP gene‐ablation exacerbated diet‐induced weight gain and fat tissue mass gain in mice fed high‐fat diet ad libitum—consistent with the known biochemistry and cell biology of L‐FABP.
Management pitfalls of fractured neck of femur in osteogenesis imperfecta
Authors: Chow Wang , Negandhi Rajiv , Kuong Evelyn , To Michael
Published: March 2013

Introduction

Fractured neck of femur in osteogenesis imperfecta is rarely reported. Its management is always difficult because of bone fragility and the outcome is not well known. We, therefore, aimed to study the management pitfalls in this group of patients.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed five cases of fractured neck of femur in four patients treated in our hospital between 2006 and 2009. The demographic data, mode of injury, fracture configuration, treatment, complications, clinical and radiological outcome were reviewed.

Results

According to the Sillence classification, one patient was type I, two were type III and one was type IV. There were two children (aged 8 and 15 years) and two adults (aged 21 and 22 years), with the 8 year-old girl suffering from hip fracture on different sides in two accidents. All five hip fractures were the result of low-energy injury and were associated with other fractures. Two undisplaced fractures required intra-operative fluoroscopic confirmation to demonstrate movement at the fracture site. The interval between the injury and fixation ranged from 6 h to 3 days. One hip required secondary surgery to openly reduce the fracture due to inadequate primary fixation and reduction. Two hips were fixed with paediatric dynamic hip screws and three hips were fixed with cannulated screws. All patients were immobilised in hip spica for 6 weeks. The average follow-up was 4 years (3–5 years). All patients had satisfactory union and none of them developed radiological evidence of avascular necrosis at the latest follow-up. All patients returned to their pre-injury functional level.

Conclusion

Fractured neck of femur is rare given the high prevalence of long bone fractures in osteogenesis imperfecta. They all have characteristic associated fractures of the extremity at the time of injury and neck of femur fractures could be easily missed. Fracture fixation is a great challenge to the orthopaedic surgeons because of the small size of the patients, poor bone quality with suboptimal imaging intra-operatively and compromised purchase of fixation devices. The choice of implants should be determined by the size of the patients and the presence of prior instrumentation close to the hip joint.
Dimensional anxiety scales for DSM-5: Sensitivity to clinical severity
Authors: Knappe S. , Klotsche J. , Strobel A. , LeBeau R.T. , Craske M.G. , Wittchen H.-U. , Beesdo-Baum K.
Published: March 2013

Purpose

Psychometric properties and clinical sensitivity of brief self-rated dimensional scales to supplement categorical diagnoses of anxiety disorders in the DSM-5 were recently demonstrated in a German treatment seeking sample of adults. The present study aims to demonstrate sensitivity of these scales to clinical severity levels.

Methods

The dimensional scales were administered to 102 adults at a university outpatient clinic for psychotherapy. Diagnostic status was assessed using the Munich-Composite International Diagnostic Interview. To establish a wide range of clinical severity, we considered subthreshold (n= 83) and threshold anxiety disorders (n= 49, including Social Phobia, Specific Phobia, Agoraphobia, Panic Disorder, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder).

Results

Individuals with either subthreshold or threshold anxiety disorder scored higher on all dimensional scales relative to individuals without anxiety. In addition, individuals with a threshold anxiety disorder scored higher on the dimensional scales than individuals with a subthreshold anxiety disorder (except for specific phobia). Disorder-related impairment ratings, global functioning assessments and number of panic attacks were associated with higher scores on dimensional scales. Findings were largely unaffected by the number of anxiety disorders and comorbid depressive disorders.

Conclusion

The self-rated dimensional anxiety scales demonstrated sensitivity to clinical severity, and a cut-off based on additional assessment of impairment and distress may assist in the discrimination between subthreshold and threshold anxiety disorders. Findings suggest further research in various populations to test the utility of the scales for use in DSM-5.
Nucleosome structural changes induced by binding of non‐histone chromosomal proteins HMGN1 and HMGN2
Authors: Shimahara Hideto , Hirano Takaaki , Ohya Kouichi , Matsuta Shun , Seeram Sailaja S. , Tate Shin-ichi
Published: March 2013

Interactions between the nucleosome and the non‐histone chromosomal proteins (HMGN1 and HMGN2) were studied by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy to elucidate structural changes in the nucleosome induced by HMGN binding. Unlike previous studies that used a nucleosome extracted from living cells, in this study we utilized a nucleosome reconstituted from unmodified recombinant histones synthesized in Escherichia coli and a 189‐bp synthetic DNA fragment harboring a nucleosome positioning sequence. This DNA fragment consists of 5′‐TATAAACGCC‐3′ repeats that has a high affinity to the histone octamer. A nucleosome containing a unique octamer‐binding sequence at a specific location on the DNA was produced at sufficiently high yield for spectroscopic analysis. CD data have indicated that both HMGN1 and HMGN2 can increase the winding angle of the nucleosome DNA, but the extent of the structural changes induced by these proteins differs significantly. This suggests HMGN1 and HMGN2 would have different abilities to facilitate nucleosome remodeling.
Evolutionary consumption
Authors: Saad Gad
Published: March 2013

An overview of the field of evolutionary consumption is provided. Brief summaries of disciplines within the evolutionary behavioral sciences that preceded evolutionary psychology (EP) are first offered. This is followed by a discussion of important EP principles including the domain‐specificity of the human mind, and the difference between ultimate and proximate scientific explanations. The evolutionary bases of memory, attitude formation/change, emotions, perception (our five senses), personality, and decision making are addressed next, along with specific links to consumer research. Next, I demonstrate how numerous consumer acts could be classified into one of four basal Darwinian modules: survival, reproduction (mating), kin selection, and reciprocal altruism. The paper continues with an exploration of the evolutionary roots of cultural products (e.g., song lyrics) and Darwinian happiness (along with the evolutionary etiology of maladaptive phenomena such as pathological gambling and compulsive buying). I conclude with a discussion of key epistemological benefits of Darwinizing consumer research including greater consilience, increased interdisciplinarity, and an ethos of methodological pluralism.
Treatment of electrical storms in Brugada syndrome
Authors: Veerakul Gumpanart , Nademanee Koonlawee
Published: March 2013

Patients with Brugada syndrome (BrS) not uncommonly suffer from recurrent and recalcitrant ventricular fibrillation episodes, the so‐called “electrical storm” which is malignant and potentially lethal event. While electrical storm in BrS is a therapeutic challenge, fortunately there are effective therapeutic solutions which must be compulsory applied: Elimination of precipitating factors, isoproterenol and oral quinidine are the first 2 therapeutic steps that one must urgently commenced. And if this measure should fail, ablation of the triggering ventricular premature beats and/or substrate ablation at the anterior aspect of the right ventricular outflow tract should be performed.
The effect of environmental complexity and environmental dynamism on lean practices
Authors: Azadegan Arash , Patel Pankaj C. , Zangoueinezhad Abouzar , Linderman Kevin
Published: March 2013

Increasingly manufacturers implement lean practices to improve operational performance. In addition, manufacturers operate in ever more complex and volatile environments. This research investigates the effects of environmental complexity and dynamism on lean operations and lean purchasing practices. It empirically examines these relationships using archival and survey data from 126 manufacturers. The results show that environmental complexity positively moderates the effects of lean operations and lean purchasing on performance. However, environmental dynamism reduces the benefits of lean operations on performance, but enhances the benefits of lean purchasing on performance. Robustness tests further confirm the contingent effects of complexity and dynamism on lean operations and lean purchasing. This research offers a more nuanced understanding of the effect of external environmental context on lean practices, and suggests that practitioners should carefully consider the external environment when implementing different types of lean practices.
The Effects of Combined Trunk and Gluteal Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation on Posture and Tissue Health in Spinal Cord Injury
Authors: Wu Gary A. , Lombardo Lisa , Triolo Ronald J. , Bogie Kath M.
Published: March 2013

Objective

To investigate whether combined trunk and gluteal neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) alters seated posture and improves pelvic tissue health in persons with a spinal cord injury.

Design

Intervention study; case series.

Setting

Research laboratory, medical center.

Participants

Seven persons with spinal cord injury recruited from a group of experienced implanted lower extremity NMES system users.

Intervention

Combined trunk and gluteal NMES in the sitting position. Five minutes of preintervention sitting was assessed, followed by 5 minutes of NMES application, and then 5 minutes of postintervention.

Main Outcome Measures

Pelvic tissue health was evaluated by concurrently measuring transcutaneous oxygen tension (TcPO2) bilaterally over the ischia and the seating interface pressure (IP). TcPO2 data were binned into low (<10 mm Hg), medium (10‐30 mm Hg), and high (>30 mm Hg) ranges, and the percentage time that TcPO2 was in each range was calculated. Ischial and sacral regions of interest were defined and the maximum region of interest and mean IP were determined, together with the maximum IP gradient for the entire contact area. Initial seating postures varied; 4 persons were initially sacral sitters. Tissue health responses to NMES were reviewed for sacral and nonsacral sitters.

Results

For sacral sitters, the sacral region IP and the maximum IP gradient tended to decrease during NMES and increased again after the intervention. Mean ischial TcPO2 increased during NMES and remained elevated after the intervention, increasing high TcPO2 percentage time for 50% of the sacral sitters both during and after the intervention. Nonsacral sitters showed few changes in tissue health as the result of the application of NMES.

Conclusions

Trunk and gluteal stimulation acutely corrects anterior/posterior IP distribution, improving regional tissue health for sacral sitters. This correction requires constant application of NMES. The potential for positive changes in tissue health would be maximized by regular NMES use incorporating weight shifting.
Inherited Polyneuropathies
Authors: Rinaldi Robert , Patel Atul
Published: March 2013

The large degree of clinical heterogeneity within each of the major categories of inherited neuropathies can lead to difficulties in making correct diagnoses based on clinical findings alone. The observation of key clinical findings coupled with electrophysiological findings and understanding of inheritance patterns, should allow the clinician to make judicious use of genetic testing to confirm the clinical diagnosis. An understanding of the clinical and electrophysiological nature of these disorders, as well as an understanding of how to clinically distinguish the inherited conditions from acquired conditions, is imperative to this process.
Rigid ring-shaped particles that align in simple shear flow
Authors: Singh Vikram , Koch Donald L. , Stroock Abraham D.
Published: March 2013

Most rigid, torque-free, low-Reynolds-number, axisymmetric particles undergo a time-periodic tumbling motion in a simple shear flow, with their axes of symmetry following a set of closed Jeffery orbits. We have identified a class of rigid, ring-like particles whose axes of symmetry instead reach a permanent alignment near the velocity gradient direction with the plane of the particle aligning near the flow–vorticity plane. An asymptotic analysis for small particle aspect ratio (ratio of length parallel to the axis of symmetry to diameter perpendicular to the axis) shows that an appropriate asymmetry of the ring cross-section with a thinner outer edge and thicker inner edge leads to a tendency to rotate in a direction opposite to the vorticity; this tendency can balance the usual rotation rate associated with the finite thickness of the particle. Boundary integral computations for finite particle aspect ratios are used to determine the conditions of aspect ratio and degree of asymmetry that lead to the aligning behaviour and the final orientation of the axis of symmetry of the aligned particles. The aligning particle follows an equation of motion similar to the Leslie–Erickson equation for the director of a small-molecule nematic liquid crystal. However, whereas the alignment of the director arises from intermolecular interactions, the ring-like particle aligns solely due to its intrinsic rotational motion in a low-Reynolds-number flow.
ISOMETRIES BETWEEN UNIT SPHERES OF THE -SUM OF STRICTLY CONVEX NORMED SPACES
Authors: DING GUANG-GUI , LI JIAN-ZE
Published: March 2013

We prove that any surjective isometry between unit spheres of the ${\ell }^{\infty } $-sum of strictly convex normed spaces can be extended to a linear isometry on the whole space, and we solve the isometric extension problem affirmatively in this case.
Mitochondrialcoxsequences ofNilaparvata lugensandSogatella furcifera(Hemiptera, Delphacidae): low specificity among Asian planthopper populations
Authors: Matsumoto Yukiko , Matsumura Masaya , Sanada-Morimura Sachiyo , Hirai Yoshio , Sato Yuki , Noda Hiroaki
Published: March 2013

The brown planthoppers (BPH)Nilaparvata lugens(Stål) and the white-backed planthoppers (WBPH)Sogatella furcifera(Horváth) annually migrate from tropical and subtropical regions to temperate regions in Asia, including Japan, Korea and northern China. To elucidate the genetic divergence based on geography of planthoppers and to estimate their migration route on the basis of molecular data, we analysed a part of their mitochondrial genome sequences. Sequences of cytochrome oxidase subunit I (cox1) – transfer RNA for Leu (trnL2) –cox2were determined for 579 BPH (1,928 bp) and 464 WBPH (1,927 bp) individuals collected from 31 and 25 locations, respectively, in East and Southeast Asia. Thirty and 20 mitochondrial haplotypes were detected for BPH and WBPH, respectively. Single populations of both planthoppers included multiple haplotypes, and many haplotypes were shared in some populations and areas. The most frequently detected haplotypes accounted for approximately 50% of all BPH and WBPH individuals. To evaluate gene flow among planthoppers in different regions in Asia, pairwise fixation index (Fst) values were calculated. For BPH, highFstvalues (0.580–0.926) were shown between planthoppers in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and the other areas and moderateFstvalues (0.176–0.362) were observed between those in southern Philippines and other areas. For WBPH, theFstvalue was the highest between Taiwan and southern Vietnam (0.236), and low among the other areas. AMOVA indicated no genetic structure among eight areas, excluding southern Philippines and PNG, for BPH, and among ten areas for WBPH. These data indicate that both planthoppers do not show much differentiation of local populations and/or have genetically intermixed Asian populations. These data also indicate that it may be difficult to distinguish regional planthopper populations on the basis of differences in mitochondrial sequences.
Trends in suicidal ideation in England: the National Psychiatric Morbidity Surveys of 2000 and 2007
Authors: Spiers N. , Bebbington P. E. , Dennis M. S. , Brugha T. S. , McManus S. , Jenkins R. , Meltzer H.
Published: March 2013

Background

Recent falls in suicide rates should be accompanied by a decline in the prevalence of suicidal ideation.

Method

We used a pseudo-cohort analytic strategy to examine trends in suicidal ideation measured identically in 2000 and 2007, in nationally representative English probability samples of adults aged ⩾ 16 years. Suicidal ideation included tiredness of life, death wishes and thoughts of suicide. Logistic regression models were fitted to estimate trends in age-specific prevalence of suicidal ideation in the past year and past week between 2000 and 2007.

Results

There were 6799 participants aged 16–71 years in 2000, and 6815 participants aged 16–78 years in 2007. There was little evidence of trends in prevalence of suicidal ideation, with the exception of women aged 44–50 years in 2007, whose prevalence was unusually high. Prevalence of suicidal ideation in the past year followed a W-shaped profile with age, with peaks at the transition to adulthood, in the forties, and in the oldest participants.

Conclusions

Despite falling suicide rates, suicidal ideation did not decline overall between 2000 and 2007. This may indicate the success of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy. Women aged 44–50 years in 2007 were, however, particularly prone to suicidal ideation. As they also have the highest age-adjusted prevalence of common mental disorders and the highest female suicide rate, there are clear implications for treatment access, availability and delivery in primary care.
A NOTE ON THE CLASS OF GEOMETRIC COUNTING PROCESSES
Authors: Cha Ji Hwan , Finkelstein Maxim
Published: March 2013

In this paper, we suggest a new class of counting processes, called the Class of Geometric Counting Processes (CGCP), where each member of the counting process in the class has increments described by the geometric distribution. Distinct from the Poisson process, they do not possess the property of independent increments, which usually complicates probabilistic analysis. The suggested CGCP is defined and the dependence structure shared by the members of the class is discussed. As examples of useful applications, we consider stochastic survival models under external shocks. We show that the corresponding survival probabilities under reasonable assumptions can be effectively described by the CGCP without specifying the dependence structure.
DYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF A MULTIVARIATE REWARD PROCESS DEFINED ON THE UMCP WITH APPLICATION TO OPTIMAL PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE POLICY PROBLEMS IN MANUFACTURING
Authors: Huang Jia-Ping , Sumita Ushio
Published: March 2013

The unified multivariate counting process (UMCP), previously studied by the same authors, enables one to describe most of the existing counting processes in terms of its components, thereby providing a comprehensive view for such processes often defined separately and differently. The purpose of this paper is to study a multivariate reward process defined on the UMCP. By examining the probabilistic flow in its state space, various transform results are obtained. The asymptotic behavior, as t→∞, of the expected univariate reward process in a form of a product of components of the multivariate reward process is studied. As an application, a manufacturing system is considered, where the cumulative profit given a preventive maintenance policy is described as a univariate reward process defined on the UMCP. The optimal preventive maintenance policy is derived numerically by maximizing the cumulative profit over the time interval [0, T].
FINITE HORIZON RUIN PROBABILITIES FOR RANDOM WALKS WITH HEAVY TAILED INCREMENTS
Authors: Lu Yingdong
Published: March 2013

We study the asymptotic behavior of finite horizon ruin probabilities for random walks with heavy tailed increment via corrected diffusion approximation. We follow the main idea in [4] of inverting Fourier transformation, and the Fourier transformation is calculated through optimal stopping and a central limit theorem for renewal process.
A TIME-DEPENDENT STUDY OF THE KNOCKOUT QUEUE
Authors: Fralix Brian
Published: March 2013

We examine the time-dependent behavior of a birth–death process, whose birth rates and death rates are decreasing and increasing, respectively, with respect to the current state. Such models can be used to describe Markovian queueing systems with exponential reneging, where potential arrivals balk with a certain probability that depends on the number of customers observed upon arrival. Our results are derived by interpreting the birth–death process as the queue-length process of what we refer to as the “knockout queue.”
A NOTE ON BIVARIATE DUAL GENERALIZED MARSHALL–OLKIN DISTRIBUTIONS WITH APPLICATIONS
Authors: Fang Rui , Li Xiaohu
Published: March 2013

This note introduces bivariate dual generalized Marshall–Olkin distribution and builds a comparison result on the copula of this distribution. Several applications in survival analysis and actuarial science are presented as well.
Transmission ofMycobacterium tuberculosisfrom an Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) to a chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) and humans in an Australian zoo
Authors: STEPHENS N. , VOGELNEST L. , LOWBRIDGE C. , CHRISTENSEN A. , MARKS G. B. , SINTCHENKO V. , McANULTY J.
Published: March 2013

Mycobacterium tuberculosisis primarily a pathogen of humans. Infections have been reported in animal species and it is emerging as a significant disease of elephants in the care of humans. With the close association between humans and animals, transmission can occur. In November 2010, a clinically healthy Asian elephant in an Australian zoo was found to be sheddingM. tuberculosis; in September 2011, a sick chimpanzee at the same zoo was diagnosed with tuberculosis caused by an indistinguishable strain ofM. tuberculosis.Investigations included staff and animal screening. Four staff had tuberculin skin test conversions associated with spending at least 10 hours within the elephant enclosure; none had disease. Six chimpanzees had suspected infection. A pathway of transmission between the animals could not be confirmed. Tuberculosis in an elephant can be transmissible to people in close contact and to other animals more remotely. The mechanism for transmission from elephants requires further investigation.
Satellite-derived UV climatology at Escudero Station, Antarctic Peninsula
Authors: Cordero Raul R. , Damiani Alessandro , Seckmeyer Gunther , Riechelmann Stefan , Labbe Fernando , Laroze David , Garate Fernanda
Published: March 2013

We have used data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) aboard NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) Aura satellite over the period 2004–11 to describe the characteristics of surface ultraviolet (UV) irradiance at Escudero Station (62°12′S, 58°57′W). The station is located on King George Island (northern Antarctic Peninsula). Temperatures in summer are frequently above 0°C, and the surrounding ocean is typically ice-free. We found that the UV irradiance at Escudero is driven by the Antarctic ozone hole (which annually in spring leads to significant variations in the ozone) and by clouds (which are more frequent and have a larger optical depth compared with other Antarctic sites). The combined effect of ozone and clouds led to significant variations in the surface UV. The variability (taken as the standard deviation of the UV estimates retrieved from OMI) is typically greater than 30% at Escudero, but may reach values greater than 50% in spring. The consistency of OMI-derived data was checked by using ground-based spectral measurements carried out under controlled conditions in January 2011.
Late Quaternary climate variability as recorded by micropalaeontological diatom data and geochemical data in the western Ross Sea, Antarctica
Authors: Tolotti R. , Salvi C. , Salvi G. , Bonci M.C.
Published: March 2013

Cores acquired from the Ross Sea continental shelf and continental slope during the XXX Italian Programma Nazionale di Ricerche in Antartide (PNRA) were analysed and yielded interesting micropalaeontological, biostratigraphic diatom results and palaeoceanographic implications. These multi-proxy analyses enabled us to reconstruct the glacial/deglacial history of this sector of the Ross embayment over the last 40 000 years, advancing our understanding of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) environmental and sedimentological processes linked to the Ross Sea ice sheet/ice shelf fluctuations in a basin and continental-slope environment, and allowed us to measure some of the palaeoceanographic dynamics. The central sector of the Ross Sea and part of its coast (south of the Drygalski Ice Tongue) enjoyed open marine conditions in the pre-LGM era (27 500–24 000 years bp). The retreat of the ice sheet could have been influenced by a southward shift of a branch of the Ross gyre, which triggered early deglaciation at c. 18 600 cal bp with a significant Modified Circumpolar Deep Water inflow over the continental slope at c. 14 380 cal BP. We assume that a lack of depositional material in each core, although at different times, represents a hiatus. Other than problems in core collection, this could be due to the onset of modern oceanographic conditions, with strong gravity currents and strong High Salinity Shelf Water exportation. Moreover, we presume that improvements in biostratigraphy, study of reworked diatom taxa, and lithological and geochemical analyses will provide important constraints for the reconstruction of the LGM grounding line, ice-flow lines and ice-flow paths and an interesting tool for reconstructing palaeo-sub-bottom currents in this sector of the Ross embayment.
Human disturbance and conspecifics influence display site selection by Great Bustards Otis tarda
Authors: BURNSIDE ROBERT J. , VÉGVÁRI ZSOLT , JAMES RICHARD , KONYHÁS SANDOR , KOVÁCS GÁBOR , SZÉKELY TAMÁS
Published: March 2013

Understanding habitat selection and assessing habitat quality have an important role in habitat management and prioritisation of areas for protection. However, interpretations of habitat selection and habitat quality can be confounded by social effects such as conspecific attraction. Using 7 years’ data from a well monitored Great Bustard Otis tarda population in Central Europe, we investigated the roles of human disturbance and social cues in display site selection of male Great Bustards Otis tarda. The spatial distribution of displaying males was best predicted by human disturbance. In addition, the number of males attending display sites was strongly correlated to the number of females present and not with disturbance. This suggests that abundance could be a misleading metric for habitat quality in social species. Our results highlight the roles of disturbance and social cues in male habitat choice, and suggest that social factors need to be taken into consideration for management of endangered populations.
Effect of mowing on productivity in the endangered Aquatic Warbler Acrocephalus paludicola
Authors: KUBACKA JUSTYNA , OPPEL STEFFEN , DYRCZ ANDRZEJ , LACHMANN LARS , BARROS DA COSTA J. PEDRO DUARTE , KAIL ULLA , ZDUNEK WANDA
Published: March 2013

The Aquatic Warbler Acrocephalus paludicola is a globally threatened habitat specialist that breeds in open fens in Central and Eastern Europe. Because bush and reed encroachment threaten many suitable breeding areas, habitat management is necessary to maintain the open wetlands that Aquatic Warblers require for nesting. The effectiveness of mowing as habitat management has so far only been assessed by counting the number of singing males. To assess whether mowing also affected vital reproduction parameters, we analysed Aquatic Warbler productivity in the Biebrza National Park, Poland, on plots in four different successional stages after mowing. Our study showed that productivity was lowest in the first year after mowing, but increased to the highest levels in the second year after mowing. The productivity differences between areas at different stages after mowing resulted from differences in nest density, since we found little evidence for an effect of mowing on nest survival or the number of fledglings produced per successful nest. Nest survival was highly variable between years and varied mostly with nest age and nest initiation date. The density of singing males was positively correlated with both the nest density and the number of fledglings produced in an area, suggesting that this simple indicator could be used to rank the quality of Aquatic Warbler habitats. We recommend that in mesotrophic fen mires, such as the Biebrza valley, mowing as habitat management is applied less frequently than every second year.
Should More Polls Be Interpreted as Too Close to Call?
Authors: Hill Walter W.
Published: March 2013

During political campaigns the spread between the popularity of the candidates is a common metric capturing the state of the horse-race feature of the campaign. One candidate is said to be ahead of another by an indicated number of percentage points. If the difference is less than the margin of error, the race is considered too close to call. In two-person races, however, the spread corresponds to a much smaller confidence level than is usually reported because the two numbers used to compute the spread are not independent. The size of the confidence interval that is typically reported is incorrect by a factor of two. Therefore, some spreads that are reported as decisive are races too close to call.
Giving Up Control in the Classroom: Having Students Create and Carry Out Simulations in IR Courses
Authors: Frombgen Elizabeth , Babalola David , Beye Aaron , Boyce Stacey , Flint Toby , Mancini Lucia , Van Eaton Katie
Published: March 2013

How can we make international relations real and meaningful for undergraduates? Because of my own frustration with this challenge, I tried a new way of teaching international relations. During the fall 2009 semester, the final exam for an upper-division course required the students to create and conduct a simulation to teach other students about international political institutions. I willingly gave up control of my classroom to the students!
Cross-Regional Comparisons: The Arab Uprisings as Political Transitions and Social Movements
Authors: Paczynska Agnieszka
Published: March 2013

The Arab uprisings, like the fall of the Berlin Wall more than two decades ago, are watershed events that have raised fundamental questions about our understanding of the processes of political change, the emergence and diffusion of contentious collective action, and the role of the international context in facilitating or hindering political change. The uprisings have further strengthened a growing focus within Middle Eastern studies on framing questions about the social, economic, and political dynamics in the region in ways that allow for more robust linkages with comparative theorizing about the dynamics of contentious collective action and the processes of political change. In other words, the Arab uprisings have injected new energy into the comparative study of contentious politics. In addition to new research agendas the uprisings have also provided opportunities for introducing students in survey and theory courses to the region's political dynamics, enriching students' engagement with theoretical concepts and honing their critical thinking and analytical skills while making the Middle East less “exceptional” for the students. Here, I focus on how incorporating of Middle Eastern cases allows instructors to raise questions and engage students in discussions about the emergence and diffusion of contentious collective action.
Spatial Dynamics of the Arab Uprisings
Authors: Schwedler Jillian
Published: March 2013

Analyses of the spread of the Arab uprisings have been dominated by three comparative angles. Single-country studies have emerged as the most common framework, often put to use in a second comparative approach of examining variation across cases. For example, studies explore which states have had major uprisings and which have not, which uprisings were peaceful and which were violent, and so on (Amar and Prashad 2013; Haddad, Bsheer, and Abu-Rish 2012; McMurray and Ufheil-Somers 2013; Sowers and Toensing 2013). A third approach explores comparisons with other waves of popular mobilization against authoritarian regimes, for example, in Europe during the mid-nineteenth century, Eastern Europe following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989, and so on (Patel, Bunce, and Wolchik 2013 Weyland 2012). These literatures investigate the complex processes of mobilization, revolution, and transition unfolding in parts of the Middle East since the outbreak of the uprisings in late 2010. From the literature on revolutions, for example, we know that a popularly based movement that brings about some change in political leadership does not necessarily lead to a regime change resulting in a fundamental overturning of an economic, political, or social system. From past cases we have learned that at least some old institutions and alliances almost always reemerge, and what form the new institution will take eventually is often unknown for several years—for example, think of the Iranian revolution, let alone the French revolution. As events in postrevolutionary Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, and Yemen continue to unfold—and it is questionable whether those revolutions are even over—and as the bloody civil war in Syria continues, these insights provide us with useful tools for examining how institutions, processes, and power relations are changing—and how they are not.
Islam and Exceptionalism in American Political Discourse
Authors: Mandaville Peter
Published: March 2013

The phenomenal success achieved by Islamic political parties in the wake of the Arab uprisings of 2011 is one of the most significant and frequently noted developments to follow from those momentous events. Within a few months of the demise of long-standing authoritarian regimes, Islamist groups that had been banned and oppressed for decades found themselves flourishing. Soon El-Nahda in Tunisia and then Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood tasted victory in constituent assembly, legislative, and eventually presidential elections. A new area of political Islam in power had seemingly arrived.
Knowledge Production on the Middle East in Times of Upheaval
Authors: Haddad Bassam
Published: March 2013

In this article I address the perennial lenses through which the region is studied and produced as a reality unto itself, particularly in the dominant discourse in the United States. I conclude with some contingent good news.
The Egyptian Revolution and the Politics of Histories
Authors: Sallam Hesham
Published: March 2013

The Arab “revolutions” and the events surrounding them have posed a variety of theoretical challenges to political scientists. Popular uprisings have resulted in the ouster of long-standing autocrats in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen, and are seriously threatening the survival of incumbent authoritarian rulers in a region that once seemed immune to democratic change (Brumberg 2002; Fish 2002; Heydemann 2007; Posusney and Angrist 2005; Salamé 1994; Schlumberger 2007). These unforeseen developments pushed scholars of politics back to the drawing board to revisit dominant theoretical understandings of the drivers of regime change and stability (Albrecht and Bishara 2011; Bellin 2012; Blaydes and Lo 2012; Brownlee and Stacher 2011; Droz-Vincent 2011; Gause 2011; Goldstone 2011; Hoffman and Jamal 2012, Lynch 2011; Masoud 2011; Stacher 2012).
Tracking the Semantics of Politics: A Case for Online Data Research in Political Science
Authors: Hassanpour Navid
Published: March 2013

Retroactive digitization of the printed corpus reveals patterns of social evolution and political manipulation. Prior to the introduction of online search, examining the etymology of a political term helped social theorists extrapolate the historical trajectory of a political concept. Now we have tools for quantitative examination of such hypotheses. Using four case studies, I demonstrate the utility of word search dynamics in shedding light on the evolution of long-debated political phenomena. A triad of etymological explorations by Richard Koebner motivates the first three cases.