bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development and Validation of a Risk Calculator for Prediction of Cardiac Risk After Surgery
Authors: Gupta Prateek K. , Gupta Himani , Sundaram Abhishek , Kaushik Manu , Fang Xiang , Miller Weldon J. , Esterbrooks Dennis J. , Hunter Claire B. , Pipinos Iraklis I. , Johanning Jason M. , Lynch Thomas G. , Forse R. Armour , Mohiuddin Syed M. , Mooss Aryan N.
Published: July 2011

Background—

Perioperative myocardial infarction or cardiac arrest is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The Revised Cardiac Risk Index is currently the most commonly used cardiac risk stratification tool; however, it has several limitations, one of which is its relatively low discriminative ability. The objective of the present study was to develop and validate a predictive cardiac risk calculator.

Methods and Results—

Patients who underwent surgery were identified from the American College of Surgeons' 2007 National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database, a multicenter (>250 hospitals) prospective database. Of the 211 410 patients, 1371 (0.65%) developed perioperative myocardial infarction or cardiac arrest. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, 5 predictors of perioperative myocardial infarction or cardiac arrest were identified: type of surgery, dependent functional status, abnormal creatinine, American Society of Anesthesiologists' class, and increasing age. The risk model based on the 2007 data set was subsequently validated on the 2008 data set (n=257 385). The model performance was very similar between the 2007 and 2008 data sets, with C statistics (also known as area under the receiver operating characteristic curve) of 0.884 and 0.874, respectively. Application of the Revised Cardiac Risk Index to the 2008 National Surgical Quality Improvement Program data set yielded a relatively lower C statistic (0.747). The risk model was used to develop an interactive risk calculator.

Conclusions—

The cardiac risk calculator provides a risk estimate of perioperative myocardial infarction or cardiac arrest and is anticipated to simplify the informed consent process. Its predictive performance surpasses that of the Revised Cardiac Risk Index.
Rapid, Direct Effects of Statin Treatment on Arterial Redox State and Nitric Oxide Bioavailability in Human Atherosclerosis via Tetrahydrobiopterin-Mediated Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Coupling
Authors: Antoniades Charalambos , Bakogiannis Constantinos , Leeson Paul , Guzik Tomasz J. , Zhang Mei-Hua , Tousoulis Dimitris , Antonopoulos Alexios S. , Demosthenous Michael , Marinou Kyriakoula , Hale Ashley , Paschalis Andreas , Psarros Costas , Triantafyllou Costas , Bendall Jennifer , Casadei Barbara , Stefanadis Christodoulos , Channon Keith M.
Published: July 2011

Background—

Treatment with statins improves clinical outcome, but the exact mechanisms of pleiotropic statin effects on vascular function in human atherosclerosis remain unclear. We examined the direct effects of atorvastatin on tetrahydrobiopterin-mediated endothelial nitric oxide (NO) synthase coupling in patients with coronary artery disease.

Methods and Results—

We first examined the association of statin treatment with vascular NO bioavailability and arterial superoxide (O
2
·−
) in 492 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Then, 42 statin-naïve patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass graft surgery were randomized to atorvastatin 40 mg/d or placebo for 3 days before surgery to examine the impact of atorvastatin on endothelial function and O
2
·−
generation in internal mammary arteries. Finally, segments of internal mammary arteries from 26 patients were used in ex vivo experiments to evaluate the statin-dependent mechanisms regulating the vascular redox state. Statin treatment was associated with improved vascular NO bioavailability and reduced O
2
·−
generation in internal mammary arteries. Oral atorvastatin increased vascular tetrahydrobiopterin bioavailability and reduced basal and
N
-nitro-
l
-arginine methyl ester–inhibitable O
2
·−
in internal mammary arteries independently of low-density lipoprotein lowering. In ex vivo experiments, atorvastatin rapidly improved vascular tetrahydrobiopterin bioavailability by upregulating GTP-cyclohydrolase I gene expression and activity, resulting in improved endothelial NO synthase coupling and reduced vascular O
2
·−
. These effects were reversed by mevalonate, indicating a direct effect of vascular hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibition.

Conclusions—

This study demonstrates for the first time in humans the direct effects of statin treatment on the vascular wall, supporting the notion that this effect is independent of low-density lipoprotein lowering. Atorvastatin directly improves vascular NO bioavailability and reduces vascular O
2
·−
through tetrahydrobiopterin-mediated endothelial NO synthase coupling. These findings provide new insights into the mechanisms mediating the beneficial vascular effects of statins in humans.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT01013103.
Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor–Related Protein 1 Prevents Early Atherosclerosis by Limiting Lesional Apoptosis and Inflammatory Ly-6C
high
Monocytosis
Authors: Yancey Patricia G. , Ding Yu , Fan Daping , Blakemore John L. , Zhang Youmin , Ding Lei , Zhang Jiabao , Linton MacRae F. , Fazio Sergio
Published: July 2011

Background—

We previously demonstrated that macrophage low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR)–related protein 1 (LRP1) deficiency increases atherosclerosis despite antiatherogenic changes including decreased uptake of remnants and increased secretion of apolipoprotein E (apoE). Thus, our objective was to determine whether the atheroprotective effects of LRP1 require interaction with apoE, one of its ligands with multiple beneficial effects.

Methods and Results—

We examined atherosclerosis development in mice with specific deletion of macrophage LRP1 (apoE
−/−
MΦLRP1
−/−
) and in LDLR
−/−
mice reconstituted with apoE
−/−
MΦLRP1
−/−
bone marrow. The combined absence of apoE and LRP1 promoted atherogenesis more than did macrophage apoE deletion alone in both apoE-producing LDLR
−/−
mice (+88%) and apoE
−/−
mice (+163%). The lesions of both mouse models with apoE
−/−
LRP1
−/−
macrophages had increased macrophage content. In vitro, apoE and LRP1 additively inhibit macrophage apoptosis. Furthermore, there was excessive accumulation of apoptotic cells in lesions of both LDLR
−/−
mice (+110%) and apoE
−/−
MΦLRP1
−/−
mice (+252%). The apoptotic cell accumulation was partially due to decreased efferocytosis as the ratio of free to cell-associated apoptotic nuclei was 3.5-fold higher in lesions of apoE
−/−
MΦLRP1
−/−
versus apoE
−/−
mice. Lesion necrosis was also increased (6 fold) in apoE
−/−
MΦLRP1
−/−
versus apoE
−/−
mice. Compared with apoE
−/−
mice, the spleens of apoE
−/−
MΦLRP1
−/−
mice contained 1.6- and 2.4-fold more total and Ly6-C
high
monocytes. Finally, there were 3.6- and 2.4-fold increases in Ly6-C
high
and CC-chemokine receptor 2–positive cells in lesions of apoE
−/−
MΦLRP1
−/−
versus apoE
−/−
mice, suggesting that accumulation of apoptotic cells enhances lesion development and macrophage content by promoting the recruitment of inflammatory monocytes.

Conclusion—

Low-density lipoprotein receptor protein 1 exerts antiatherogenic effects via pathways independent of apoE involving macrophage apoptosis and monocyte recruitment.
Exacerbated Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension and Right Ventricular Hypertrophy in Animals With Loss of Function of Extracellular Superoxide Dismutase
Authors: Xu Dachun , Guo Haipeng , Xu Xin , Lu Zhongbing , Fassett John , Hu Xinli , Xu Yawei , Tang Qizhu , Hu Dayi , Somani Arif , Geurts Aron M. , Ostertag Eric , Bache Robert J. , Weir E. Kenneth , Chen Yingjie
Published: July 2011

Studies have demonstrated that increased oxidative stress contributes to the pathogenesis and the development of pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH). Extracellular superoxide dismutase (SOD3) is essential for removing extracellular superoxide anions, and it is highly expressed in lung tissue. However, it is not clear whether endogenous SOD3 can influence the development of PAH. Here we examined the effect of SOD3 knockout on hypoxia-induced PAH in mice and a loss-of-function SOD3 gene mutation (SOD3
E124D
) on monocrotaline (40 mg/kg)-induced PAH in rats. SOD3 knockout significantly exacerbated 2 weeks of hypoxia-induced right ventricular (RV) pressure and RV hypertrophy, whereas RV pressure in SOD3 knockout mice under normoxic conditions is similar to wild-type controls. In untreated control rats at age of 8 weeks, there was no significant difference between wild-type and SOD3
E124D
rats in RV pressure and the ratio of RV weight:left ventricular weight (0.25±0.02 in wild-type rats versus 0.25±0.01 in SOD3
E124D
rats). However, monocrotaline caused significantly greater increases of RV pressure in SOD3
E124D
rats (48.6±1.8 mm Hg in wild-type versus 57.5±3.1 mm Hg in SOD3
E124D
rats), of the ratio of RV weight:left ventricular weight (0.41±0.01 versus 0.50±0.09;
P
<0.05), and of the percentage of fully muscularized small arterioles in SOD3
E124D
rats (55.2±2.3% versus 69.9±2.6%;
P
<0.05). Together, these findings indicate that the endogenous SOD3 has no role in the development of PAH under control conditions but plays an important role in protecting the lung from the development of PAH under stress conditions.
Systolic Blood Pressure, Socioeconomic Status, and Biobehavioral Risk Factors in a Nationally Representative US Young Adult Sample
Authors: Brummett Beverly H. , Babyak Michael A. , Siegler Ilene C. , Shanahan Michael , Harris Kathleen Mullan , Elder Glen H. , Williams Redford B.
Published: July 2011

In the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, a US longitudinal study of >15 000 young adults, we examined the extent to which socioeconomic status is linked to systolic blood pressure (SBP) and whether biobehavioral risk factors mediate the association. More than 62% of the participants had SBP >120 mm Hg and 12% had SBP >140 mm Hg. More than 66% were classified as at least overweight (body mass index >25 kg/m
2
), with >36% meeting criteria for at least class I obesity (body mass index >30 kg/m
2
). Multivariate models showed that higher household income and being married were independently associated with lower SBP. Higher body mass index, greater waist circumference, smoking, and higher alcohol intake were each independently associated with higher SBP. Meditational analyses suggested that higher education level was associated with lower SBP by way of lower body mass, smaller waist circumference, and lower resting heart rate. When these indirect effects were accounted for, education was not significantly associated with SBP. In contrast, household income remained associated with SBP even with control for all of the covariates. Results reinforce current public health concerns about rates of obesity and high blood pressure among young adults and suggest that disparities in education level and household income may play an important role in the observed decrements in health. Identifying modifiable mechanisms that link socioeconomic status to SBP using data from a large representative sample may improve risk stratification and guide the development of effective interventions.
Novel Expression and Regulation of Voltage-Dependent Potassium Channels in Placentas From Women With Preeclampsia
Authors: Mistry Hiten D. , McCallum Laura A. , Kurlak Lesia O. , Greenwood Iain A. , Broughton Pipkin Fiona , Tribe Rachel M.
Published: July 2011

Preeclampsia is associated with structural/functional alterations in placental and maternal vasculature. Voltage-dependant potassium channels encoded by KCNQ1-5 genes have been detected in several types of blood vessels where they promote vascular relaxation. Voltage-dependant potassium channel function can be modulated by KCNE1-5–encoded accessory proteins. The aim of this study was to determine whether KCNQ and KCNE genes are differentially expressed in placentas from women with preeclampsia compared with normotensive controls and to examine any differences in those who delivered preterm (<37 weeks) or term. Placental biopsies (from midway between the cord and periphery) were obtained, with consent, from white European control (n=24; term) and preeclamptic (n=22; of whom 8 delivered before 37 weeks' gestation) women. KCNQ/KCNE and GAPDH mRNA expressions were determined by quantitative RT-PCR. Protein expression/localization was assessed using immunohistochemistry. KCNQ3 and KCNE5 mRNA expressions were significantly upregulated in preeclampsia (median [interquartile range]: 1.942 [0.905 to 3.379]) versus controls (0.159 [0.088 to 0.288];
P
=0.001) and exhibited a strong positive correlation with each other (
P
<0.001), suggesting a novel heterodimer. Enhanced protein expression of KCNQ3 and KCNE5 in preeclampsia was confirmed with localization mainly restricted to the syncytiotrophoblast. KCNQ4 and KCNE1 isoforms were suppressed in placentas from term preeclamptic women versus controls (
P
≤0.05). KCNQ1 mRNA expression was increased and KCNQ5 decreased in the preterm preeclamptic group versus controls (
P
<0.05). In summary, voltage-dependant potassium channels are expressed and markedly modulated in placentas from preeclamptic women. Differential expression of isoforms may lead to altered cell proliferation. The correlation between KCNQ3 and KCNE5 expression is indicative of a novel channel complex and warrants further investigation.
Loss of Bcl-2 During the Senescence Exacerbates the Impaired Angiogenic Functions in Endothelial Cells by Deteriorating the Mitochondrial Redox State
Authors: Uraoka Maki , Ikeda Koji , Kurimoto-Nakano Ritsuko , Nakagawa Yusuke , Koide Masahiro , Akakabe Yoshiki , Kitamura Youhei , Ueyama Tomomi , Matoba Satoaki , Yamada Hiroyuki , Okigaki Mitsuhiko , Matsubara Hiroaki
Published: July 2011

Ageing is an important risk factor for ischemic cardiovascular diseases, although its underlying molecular mechanisms remain to be elucidated. Here, we report a crucial role of Bcl-2 in the impaired angiogenic functions in senescent endothelial cells (ECs) by modulating the mitochondrial redox state. Cellular senescence impaired angiogenic functions in ECs without attenuating the mitogen-activated protein kinase or Akt signaling, and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 or Tie-2 expressions. We identified that Bcl-2 expression was markedly reduced in 3 independent models for senescent ECs, and pharmacological inhibition, as well as small interfering RNA-mediated gene silencing of Bcl-2, significantly impaired the angiogenic functions in young ECs. Bcl-2 has an antioxidative role by locating the glutathione at mitochondria, and we found that mitochondrial oxidative stress was significantly augmented in senescent ECs, in association with reduced mitochondria-associated glutathione. Transfection of Bcl-2 in senescent ECs significantly reduced the mitochondrial oxidative stress, restored the mitochondrial membrane potential, and improved the angiogenic capacity. Furthermore, gene transfer of Bcl-2 using adenovirus significantly improved the in vivo angiogenesis in the Matrigel plugs implanted into aged mice, whereas the Bcl-2 inhibitor reduced the angiogenesis in the Matrigel plugs implanted into young mice. Together, Bcl-2 plays a crucial role in the regulation of the mitochondrial redox state in ECs, and, thus, loss of Bcl-2 during the senescence exacerbates the impaired angiogenesis by augmenting the mitochondrial oxidative stress.
The Rubicon Theory of War: How the Path to Conflict Reaches the Point of No Return
Authors: Johnson Dominic D.P. , Tierney Dominic
Published: July 2011

A major paradox in international relations is the widespread fear and anxiety that underlies the security dilemma in times of peace and the prevalence of overconfidence or “false optimism” on the eve of war. A new theory of the causes of war—the Rubicon theory of war—can account for this paradox and explain important historical puzzles. The “Rubicon model of action phases,” which was developed in experimental psychology, describes a significant shift in people's susceptibility to psychological biases before and after making a decision. Prior to making decisions, people tend to maintain a “deliberative” mind-set, weighing the costs, benefits, and risks of different options in a relatively impartial manner. By contrast, after making a decision, people tend to switch into an “implemental” mind-set that triggers a set of powerful psychological biases, including closed-mindedness, biased information processing, cognitive dissonance, self-serving evaluations, the illusion of control, and optimism. Together, these biases lead to significant overconfidence. The Rubicon theory of war applies this model to the realm of international conflict, where implemental mind-sets can narrow the range of bargaining options, promote overambitious war plans, and elevate the probability of war.
After Unipolarity: China's Visions of International Order in an Era of U.S. Decline
Authors: Schweller Randall L. , Pu Xiaoyu
Published: July 2011

The emerging transition from unipolarity to a more multipolar distribution of global power presents a unique and unappreciated problem that largely explains why, contrary to the expectations of balance of power theory, a counterbalancing reaction to U.S. primacy has not yet taken place. The problem is that, under unipolarity and only unipolarity, balancing is a revisionist, not a status quo, behavior: its purpose is to replace the existing unbalanced unipolar structure with a balance of power system. Thus, any state that seeks to restore a global balance of power will be labeled a revisionist aggressor. To overcome this ideational hurdle to balancing behavior, a rising power must delegitimize the unipole's global authority and order through discursive and cost-imposing practices of resistance that pave the way for the next phase of full-fledged balancing and global contestation. The type of international order that emerges on the other side of the transition out of unipolarity depends on whether the emerging powers assume the role of supporters, spoilers, or shirkers. As the most viable peer competitor to U.S. power, China will play an especially important role in determining the future shape of international politics. At this relatively early stage in its development, however, China does not yet have a fixed blueprint for a new world order. Instead, competing Chinese visions of order map on to various delegitimation strategies and scenarios about how the transition from unipolarity to a restored global balance of power will develop.
Chronic Misperception and International Conflict: The U.S.-Iraq Experience
Authors: Duelfer Charles A. , Dyson Stephen Benedict
Published: July 2011

Why did the United States and Iraq find themselves in full-scale conflict with each other in 1990–91 and 2003, and in almost constant low-level hostilities during the years in-between? The situation was neither inevitable nor one that either side, in full possession of all the relevant information about the other, would have purposely engineered: in short, a classic instance of chronic misperception. A combination of the psychological literature on perception and its pathologies with the almost unique firsthand access of one of the authors to the decisionmakers on both sides—the former deputy head of the United Nations weapons of mass destruction inspection mission in the 1990s, the author of the definitive postwar account of Iraqi WMD programs for which he and his team debriefed the top regime leadership, and a Washington insider in regular contact with all major foreign policy agencies of the U.S. government—reveals the perceptions the United States and Iraq held of each other, as well as the biases, mistakes, and intelligence failures of which these images were, at different points in time, both cause and effect.
Saddam, Israel, and the Bomb: Nuclear Alarmism Justified?
Authors: Brands Hal , Palkki David
Published: July 2011

Efforts to understand Saddam Hussein's strategic thought have long been hampered by the opacity and secrecy of the Baathist regime. Newly available, high-level Iraqi archival documentation demonstrates that in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Saddam viewed nuclear weapons through a fundamentally coercive, revisionist lens. He had long hoped to wage a grinding war of attrition against the Israeli state, and he believed that Iraqi acquisition of the bomb would neutralize Israeli nuclear threats, force the Jewish state to fight at the conventional level, and thereby allow Iraq and its Arab allies (with their larger economic and population base) to prosecute a prolonged war that would displace Israel from the territories occupied in 1967. These findings have implications for the existing theoretical literature on the causes and consequences of nuclear proliferation, as well as for the growing body of work on “nuclear alarmism.” The Iraqi case undermines the thesis that states proliferate primarily because of defensive concerns. Saddam certainly viewed possession of the bomb as a means of enhancing Iraq's security, but his attraction to nuclear weapons revolved around offensive objectives. Saddam hoped to exploit the deterrent balance with Israel to initiate a bloody conventional war that would have likely been immensely destructive and destabilizing for the Middle East as a whole. In other words, though Saddam never obtained nuclear weapons, his views on their potential utility give good cause for both pessimism and alarm.
A Crude Threat: The Limits of an Iranian Missile Campaign against Saudi Arabian Oil
Authors: Shifrinson Joshua R. Itzkowitz , Priebe Miranda
Published: July 2011

The United States and its Persian Gulf allies have been increasingly concerned with the growing size and complexity of Iran's ballistic missile programs. At a time when the United States and its allies remain locked in a standoff with Iran over the latter's nuclear program, states around the Persian Gulf fear that Iran would retaliate for an attack on its nuclear program by launching missiles at regional oil installations and other strategic targets. An examination of the threat posed by Iran's missiles to Saudi Arabian oil installations, based on an assessment of Iran's missile capabilities, a detailed analysis of Saudi Arabian oil infrastructure, and a simulated missile campaign against the network using known Iranian weapons, finds no evidence of a significant Iranian missile threat to Saudi infrastructure. These findings cast doubt on one aspect of the Iranian threat to Persian Gulf oil while offering an analytic framework for understanding developments in the Iranian missile arsenal and the vulnerability of oil infrastructure to conventional attack.
The Semantic Uniformity of Traces: Evidence from Ellipsis Parallelism
Authors: Hartman Jeremy
Published: July 2011

This article presents an argument from ellipsis parallelism that traces of all types of movement receive a bound variable interpretation at LF. MaxElide, a constraint on ellipsis, is used to probe the size of parallelism domains and detect the semantic contribution of a variety of traces. The data examined reveal a detailed interaction between wh-movement from various positions, T-to-C movement, and movement of subjects. I offer an analysis based on the overlapping variable-binder relationships created by these movements. The theoretical conclusion is that Ā-, A-, and head movement all produce traces that feed interpretation. This conclusion argues directly against several proposals that deprive non-Ā movements of (certain) semantic effects—for example, proposals that head movement occurs at PF, or that A-movement does not leave traces.
Marked Targets versus Marked Triggers and Impoverishment of the Dual
Authors: Nevins Andrew
Published: July 2011

This article discusses morphological markedness as a trigger and target of postsyntactic feature-deletion operations (impoverishment; Bobaljik 2003, Bonet 1991, Halle 1997, Halle and Marantz 1993, Harley 2008, Noyer 1992, 1998) and, taking number as a case study, argues that dual is more marked than plural, in accordance with traditional and more recent approaches to inflectional morphology. In a system that employs abstract binary features, dual may be represented by a combination of the features [−singular, −augmented] (Conklin 1962, Noyer 1992), and the feature [−augmented] is marked in the context of [−singular]. This article draws a formal distinction between markedness-targeted impoverishment and markedness-triggered impoverishment, arguing that the latter is an important diagnostic for morphological markedness. Exemplification comes from syncretisms either directed at or conditioned by the dual in Sámi, Sorbian, Slovenian, Warlpiri, and Zuni, the last of which has been argued by Cowper (2005) to show that dual is less marked than plural.
On the Ungrammaticality of Remnant Movement in the Derivation of Greenberg's Universal 20
Authors: Steddy Sam , Samek-Lodovici Vieri
Published: July 2011

We propose an analysis that derives Cinque's (2005) typology of linear orders involving a demonstrative, numeral, adjective, and noun through four Optimality Theory constraints requiring leftward alignment of these items. We show that remnant movement is ungrammatical whenever it produces universally suboptimal alignments, compared with remnant-movement-free structures. Any movement is permitted, but only the best alignment configurations surface as grammatical. We also show that Cinque's original analysis must encode the structural derivations of all attested orders as parametric values of the associated languages. Our analysis need not make similar structural stipulations, as the different attested structures emerge from constraint reranking.
Adjectival Inflection and the Position of Measure Phrases
Authors: Watanabe Akira
Published: July 2011

Corver (2009) accounts for the postadjectival placement of the measure phrase in Romance by preposing the adjectival phrase over the measure phrase. I show that this movement serves to avoid violating locality when the T head tries to enter into a multiple agreement relation with the adjective as well as with the subject. I also suggest that the feature content of the potentially intervening measure phrase influences the range of parametric options.
Influence of Gravity Waves in the Tropical Upwelling: WACCM Simulations
Authors: Chun Hye-Yeong , Kim Young-Ha , Choi Hyun-Joo , Kim Jung-Yoon
Published: July 2011

The annual cycle of tropical upwelling and contributions by planetary and gravity waves are investigated from climatological simulations using the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM) including three gravity wave drag (GWD) parameterizations (orographic, nonstationary background, and convective GWD parameterizations). The tropical upwelling is estimated by the residual mean vertical velocity at 100 hPa averaged over 15°S–15°N. This is well matched with an upwelling estimate from the balance of the zonal momentum and the mass continuity. A clear annual cycle of the tropical upwelling is found, with a Northern Hemispheric (NH) wintertime maximum and NH summertime minimum determined primarily by the Eliassen–Palm flux divergence (EPD), along with a secondary contribution from the zonal wind tendency. Gravity waves increase tropical upwelling throughout the year, and of the three sources the contribution by convective gravity wave drag (CGWD) is largest in most months. The relative contribution by all three GWDs to tropical upwelling is not larger than 5%. However, when tropical upwelling is estimated by net upward mass flux between turnaround latitudes where upwelling changes downwelling, annual mean contribution by all three GWDs is up to 19% at 70 hPa by orographic and convective gravity waves with comparable magnitudes. Effects of CGWD on upwelling are investigated by conducting an additional WACCM simulation without CGWD parameterization. It was found that including CGWD parameterization increases tropical upwelling not only directly by adding CGWD forcing, but also indirectly by modulating EPD and zonal wind tendency terms in the tropics.
Changes in the Annual Range of Precipitation under Global Warming
Authors: Chou Chia , Lan Chia-Wei
Published: July 2011

The annual range of precipitation, which is the difference between maximum and minimum precipitation within a year, is examined in climate model simulations under global warming. For global averages, the annual range of precipitation tends to increase as the globe warms. On a regional basis, this enhancement is found over most areas of the world, except for the bands along 30°S and 30°N. The enhancement in the annual range of precipitation is mainly associated with larger upward trends of maximum precipitation and smaller upward trends or downward trends of minimum precipitation. Based on the moisture budget analysis, the dominant mechanism is vertical moisture advection, both on a global average and on a regional scale. The vertical moisture advection, moisture convergence induced by vertical motion, includes the thermodynamic component, which is associated with increased water vapor, and the dynamic component, which is associated with changes in circulation. Generally, the thermodynamic component enhances the annual range of precipitation, while the dynamic component tends to reduce it. Evaporation has a positive contribution to both maximum and minimum precipitation, but very little to the annual range of precipitation. Even though evaporation and horizontal moisture advection are small for a global average, they could be important on a regional basis.
Career-Related Success-Learning Experiences of Academically Underachieving Urban Middle School Students
Authors: Jackson Margo A. , Perolini Claudia M. , Fietzer Alexander W. , Altschuler Elizabeth , Woerner Scott , Hashimoto Naoko
Published: July 2011

Evidence has supported the effectiveness of educational and psychosocial interventions that include strengths and promote the competence enhancement of schoolchildren. Nevertheless, students in low-income, culturally diverse urban schools who are academically underachieving may be the least likely but most in need to experience feedback about their strengths and potential competence for academic and career development. In the context of providing a preventative career exploration intervention, this instrumental case study of eight low-income Hispanic and Black urban middle school students identified as academically underachieving explored how four theoretically based types of success-learning experiences were associated with their evolving career-related interests and ability beliefs. Results include analyses of qualitative and quantitative data, themes (including those not captured by theoretical constructs), and narrative summaries of the accomplishment stories of these youth, as derived from interviews. Implications for theory, research, and practice are discussed.
Large Group Interventions
Authors: Worley Christopher G. , Mohrman Susan A. , Nevitt Jennifer A.
Published: July 2011

Large group interventions are an important method of organization change. The large group intervention literature is largely descriptive and normative and contains a number of case studies that describe the process and some immediate outcomes. There is a large void with respect to empirical investigation. This research tested fundamental hypotheses related to large group composition, process, and outcomes in a field study. Six large group interventions (decision accelerators) were used to develop clinical service area strategies and instigate strategic change in a health care system. The results support the assertion that stakeholder diversity in the group’s composition affects the number of stakeholder perspectives that were heard during the meeting and the breadth of issues addressed during decision making, but failed to support the assertion that composition affects the intensity of debate and disagreement. Stakeholder diversity had a weak relationship with novel and relevant large group outcomes, but debate intensity was strongly related to those outcomes. The implications of these results on large group intervention research and practice are discussed.
Synthesis and physical-mechanical properties of polyurethane-polyisocyanurate foams based on PET-waste-derived modified polyols
Authors: Vitkauskiene I. , Makuska R. , Stirna U. , Cabulis U.
Published: July 2011

A series of aromatic polyester polyols (APP) were synthesized by transesterification of industrial poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) waste using di(ethylene glycol) in the presence or absence of glycerol, adipic acid, poly(propylene glycol), or hexanediol as functional additives. PET-waste-derived modified APP was used for the synthesis of polyurethane—polyisocyanurate (PU-PIR) foams. The isocyanurate yield of the PU-PIR foams determined by the temperature method was high (67—90%) and correlated well with the data of Fourier transform infrared measurements. The effect of chemical structure of the APP and its properties (viscosity, acid number, and hydroxyl number) on technological characteristics of the PU-PIR foams at equal/similar formulations was studied. PU-PIR foams prepared using PET-waste-derived APP were characterized by high closed cell content (more than 94%). The presence of the fragments of glycerol in the structure of APP decreased the core density and tensile strength and increased elongation at break of the resulting PU-PIR foams while the presence of the fragments of adipic acid acted vice versa.
Local Inflammatory Markers and Systemic Endotoxin in Aggressive Periodontitis
Authors: Shaddox L.M. , Wiedey J. , Calderon N.L. , Magnusson I. , Bimstein E. , Bidwell J.A. , Zapert E.F. , Aukhil I. , Wallet S.M.
Published: July 2011

While much research has focused on local and systemic factors contributing to periodontal disease, little is known regarding mechanisms linking these factors. We have previously reported a systemic hyper-inflammatory response to bacterial endotoxin in localized aggressive periodontitis (LAP). The objectives of this study were to delineate cyto/chemokines in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and evaluate systemic levels of endotoxin associated with LAP. Clinical parameters, GCF, and peripheral blood were collected from: 34 LAP, 10 healthy siblings, and nine healthy unrelated control individuals. Cyto/chemokines were quantified in GCF, systemic endotoxin levels were quantified in plasma, and correlation analysis was performed among all parameters. Nine mediators were elevated in LAP diseased sites as compared with healthy sites (TNFα, INFγ, IL1β, IL2, IL6, IL10, Il12p40, GMCSF, and MIP1α, p < 0.001), while MCP1, IL4, and IL8 were elevated in healthy sites (p < 0.01). Four- to five-fold-higher endotoxin levels were detected in LAP plasma compared with that from healthy participants (p < 0.0001), which correlated with all clinical parameters and most cyto/chemokines analyzed. In conclusion, higher systemic levels of endotoxin were found in LAP, which correlates with an exacerbated local inflammatory response and clinical signs of disease. (Clinicaltrials.gov number, NCT01330719).
Effect of Biomimetic Remineralization on the Dynamic Nanomechanical Properties of Dentin Hybrid Layers
Authors: Ryou H. , Niu L.-N. , Dai L. , Pucci C.R. , Arola D.D. , Pashley D.H. , Tay F.R.
Published: July 2011

The mineral and organic phases of mineralized dentin contribute co-operatively to its strength and toughness. This study tested the null hypothesis that there is no difference in nano-dynamic mechanical behavior (complex modulus-E*; loss modulus-E′′; storage modulus-E′; in GPa) of dentin hybrid layers (baseline: E*, 3.86 ± 0.24; E′′, 0.23 ± 0.05; E′, 3.85 ± 0.24) created by an etch-and-rinse adhesive in the presence or absence of biomimetic remineralization after in vitro aging. Using scanning probe microscopy and nano-dynamic mechanical analysis, we demonstrated that biomimetic remineralization restored the nano-dynamic mechanical behavior of heavily remineralized, resin-sparse regions of dentin hybrid layers (E*, 19.73 ± 3.85; E′′, 8.75 ± 3.97; E′, 16.02 ± 2.58) to those of the mineralized dentin base (E*, 19.20 ± 2.42; E′′, 6.57 ± 1.96; E′, 17.39 ± 2.0) [p > 0.05]. Conversely, those resin-sparse, water-rich regions degraded in the absence of biomimetic remineralization, with significant decline [p < 0.05] in their complex and storage moduli (E*, 0.83 ± 0.35; E′′, 0.88 ± 0.24; E′, 0.62 ± 0.32). Intrafibrillar apatite deposition preserves the integrity of resin-sparse regions of hybrid layers by restoring their nanomechanical properties to those exhibited by mineralized dentin.
Invisible Walls and Visible Youth
Authors: Pickering Jonny , Kintrea Keith , Bannister Jon
Published: July 2011

This paper explores how young people experience territoriality in six British cities. It challenges the prevailing view within existing literature that young people derive important benefits from their ability to shape their identities by occupying public spaces. The paper is based on an exploratory study using semi-structured interviews, focus groups and cognitive mapping with young people. The origins, motivations and impacts of territoriality among groups and ‘gangs’ are examined, especially among those groups who possess an acute sense of place attachment and rivalry with groups from other neighbourhoods. It finds that territoriality is a form of cultural capital passed from one generation to the next, often with rich, heavily mythologised histories. Territoriality comes from the close affinity between young people and place and is often expressed through periodic violent confrontations. The paper illustrates how territoriality limits mobility and subsequently imposes sanctions on access to leisure, education, employment and social opportunities.
Quality, Development Discourse, and Minority Subjectivity in Contemporary Xinjiang
Authors: Zukosky Michael L.
Published: July 2011

The government discourse that describes poverty in a minority nationality county in northern Xinjiang follows specific patterns. The term “quality” ( suzhi) is used to attribute the roots of poverty to residents themselves as well as to legitimate official poverty-alleviation and market-development strategies. This official use of suzhi discourse attempts to constitute a particular kind of subjectivity within China’s market economy but obscures local forms of exclusion and adaptation to market reform. Indeed, suzhi discourse often refers to adaptations that, rather than holding back local residents from development, are survival strategies. Thus, local agency can be seen in counter-discourses that attribute poverty not simply to their suzhi but to their lack of wage-paying employment.
Control of uncertain piecewise discrete-time linear systems via state and output feedback
Authors: Zhang Jianxiong , Tang Wansheng , Deng Lili , Gao Hongxing
Published: July 2011

Based on piecewise quadratic Lyapunov function techniques, this paper first provides a stability condition for the uncertain piecewise discrete-time linear system, which is a feasibility problem of linear matrix inequalities. Then the control methods for uncertain piecewise discrete-time linear systems via state feedback and output feedback controllers are proposed. It is shown that both the state feedback and output feedback controllers can be obtained by solving a set of bilinear matrix inequalities. A numerical example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of the developed methods
Peer relationships as a context for the development of school engagement during early adolescence
Authors: Yibing Li  , Doyle Lynch Alicia , Kalvin Carla , Jianjun Liu  , Lerner Richard M.
Published: July 2011

Using data from 1,676 youth who participated in three waves (Grades 6 to 8) of the longitudinal, 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development, we tested two series of hierarchal linear models to examine the role of peer support, associating with ‘‘problem-behaving’’ friends, and bullying involvement in the development of behavioral and emotional school engagement during early adolescence. Results indicated peer support positively predicted behavioral and emotional school engagement, whereas associating with problem-behaving friends and bullying involvement were negatively associated with both aspects of school engagement. When students were older, the positive influences of positive peer support on emotional engagement appeared stronger. Similarly, the negative influences of associating with problem-behaving friends on behavioral engagement became more detrimental over time. While girls and youth of higher family socioeconomic status (SES) tended to be more behaviorally and emotionally engaged than boys and youth from less advantaged families, the influences of time and peer relationships on school engagement were not different for boys and girls or for youth with different family SES backgrounds. Implications for understanding peer relations as a context for promoting school engagement are discussed.
Predicting substance use behavior among South African adolescents: The role of leisure experiences across time
Authors: Sharp Erin Hiley , Coffman Donna L. , Caldwell Linda L. , Smith Edward A. , Wegner Lisa , Vergnani Tania , Mathews Catherine
Published: July 2011

Using seven waves of data, collected twice a year from the 8th through the 11th grades in a low-resource community in Cape Town, South Africa, we aimed to describe the developmental trends in three specific leisure experiences (leisure boredom, new leisure interests, and healthy leisure) and substance use (cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana) behaviors and to investigate the ways in which changes in leisure experiences predict changes in substance use behaviors over time. Results indicated that adolescents’ substance use increased significantly across adolescence, but that leisure experiences remained fairly stable over time. We also found that adolescent leisure experiences predicted baseline substance use and that changes in leisure experiences predicted changes in substance use behaviors over time, with leisure boredom emerging as the most consistent and strongest predictor of alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use. Implications for interventions that target time use and leisure experiences are discussed.
Predicting aggressive behavior in children with the help of measures of implicit and explicit aggression
Authors: Grumm Mandy , Hein Sascha , Fingerle Michael
Published: July 2011

Aggressive behavior between children in schools is a topic that receives much interest as violence and aggressive behavior cause many maladaptive social outcomes in the school setting. In the current study the Implicit Association Test (IAT) was adapted as a measure of children’s implicit aggression, by assessing the association of the self category (vs. other) with the attribute concept of aggressive (vs. peaceful). In addition to the IAT, a questionnaire measure to assess explicit aggression was utilized. The main goal of the present contribution was to examine the predictive validity of measures of implicit as well as explicit aggression in predicting the scores in a competitive computer game as an indicator of children’s aggressive behavior. Taken together, the results indicated that measures of implicit and explicit aggression could serve as reliable predictors of children’s aggressive behavior and that the IAT possesses incremental validity in addition to the self-report measure.
A new approach for estimating a nonlinear growth component in multilevel modeling
Authors: Tolvanen Asko , Kiuru Noona , Leskinen Esko , Hakkarainen Kai , Inkinen Mikko , Lonka Kirsti , Salmela-Aro Katariina
Published: July 2011

This study presents a new approach to estimation of a nonlinear growth curve component with fixed and random effects in multilevel modeling. This approach can be used to estimate change in longitudinal data, such as day-of-the-week fluctuation. The motivation of the new approach is to avoid spurious estimates in a random coefficient regression model due to the synchronized periodical effect (e.g., day-of-the-week fluctuation) appearing both in independent and dependent variables. First, the new approach is introduced. Second, a Monte Carlo simulation study is carried out to examine the functioning of the proposed new approach in the case of small sample sizes. Third, the use of the approach is illustrated by using an empirical example.
Reassessing the applicability of Processability Theory: The case of nominal plural
Authors: Charters Helen , Dao Loan , Jansen Louise
Published: July 2011

This article identifies empirical evidence (Dao, 2007; in preparation) conflicting with Processability Theory’s (PT) prediction that in acquisition of English as a second language (ESL), plural-marking emerges first in bare nouns and only later in numeric expressions. Specifically, it presents results from Dao’s (2007) cross-sectional study of ESL in 36 Vietnamese learners, which was designed to test PT’s predictions that inflections emerge in lexical contexts before agreement in phrasal contexts, but found that emergence occurred in the reverse order. The article explores whether Dao’s findings invalidate PT’s crosslinguistic principles or whether there is a problem in applying these to language-specific empirical contexts. The exploration reveals weaknesses in the description of PT’s principles, as these are based on implicit assumptions, which may be invalid in specific first language / second language (L1/L2) typological contexts and thus lead to incorrect predictions. The findings are explained by reference to L1 transfer represented in the framework of one of PT’s feeder theories: Levelt’s (1989) Theory of Speaking as modelled in Weaver++ (Levelt et al., 1999). Our L1 transfer account is in line with PT’s Developmentally Moderated Transfer Hypothesis.
Dysarthria following stroke – the patient’s perspective on management and rehabilitation
Authors: Brady Marian C , Clark Alexander M , Dickson Sylvia , Paton Gillian , Barbour Rosaline S
Published: July 2011

Objective: To explore the perceptions of people with stroke-related dysarthria in relation to the management and rehabilitation of dysarthria.

Design: Qualitative semi-structured interviews.

Setting: Community setting

Subjects: Twenty-four people with an acquired dysarthria as a result of a stroke in the previous three years. All were living at home at the time of the interview. None exhibited a co-existing impairment (for example, aphasia, apraxia or cognitive impairment) that might have contributed to their communicative experiences.

Results: Participants described the considerable efforts they made to maximize their communicative effectiveness prior to, and during, communicative interactions. Activities described included careful articulation and vocal projection as well as more inconspicuous strategies including pre-planning interactions, focused, effortful speech and word substitution. Communication was facilitated by a range of strategies including drafting, rehearsal, manoeuvring and ongoing monitoring and repair. Self-led speech rehabilitation activities were functionally based and often undertaken regularly. Some novel reading-aloud and speaking-aloud activities were described.

Conclusion: The quantity and nature of inconspicuous, internalized, cognitive activities people with dysarthria engage in to maximize their communicative effectiveness should be considered in evaluating the impact of dysarthria following stroke. Focusing upon externally observable characteristics alone is insufficient. Challenging, functionally relevant, patient-focused activities, materials and targets are more likely to be perceived by the patient as relevant and worthwhile and are thus more likely to ensure adherence to recommended rehabilitation activities.