bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Change in Blood Pressure and Incident Dementia
Authors: Stewart Robert , Xue Qian-Li , Masaki Kamal , Petrovitch Helen , Ross G. Webster , White Lon R. , Launer Lenore J.
Published: June 2009

Studies of the association of high blood pressure (BP) with dementia are not consistent. Understanding long-term trajectories in blood pressure of those who do and do not develop dementia can help clarify the issue. The Honolulu Heart Program/Honolulu-Asia Aging Study followed a cohort of Japanese American men for an average of 32 years, with systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) measured at 6 examinations and dementia assessed at the final 3. In an analysis of 1890 men who completed all 6 of the exams, 112 diagnosed with incident dementia at examination 6 were compared with the 1778 survivors without dementia. Trajectories in SBP and DBP up to and including the sixth examination were estimated with a repeated-measures analysis using 3 splines. From midlife to late life, men who went on to develop dementia had an additional age-adjusted increase in SBP of 0.26 mm Hg (95% CI: 0.01 to 0.51 mm Hg) per year compared with survivors without dementia. Over the late-life examinations, this group had an additional age-adjusted decline in SBP of 1.36 mm Hg (95% CI: 0.64 to 2.07 mm Hg) per year. These associations were strongest for vascular dementia and were reduced substantially in men who were previously taking antihypertensive medication. Similar changes in diastolic BP were observed, but only for vascular dementia, and the findings were not modified by antihypertensive treatment. Over a 32-year period, compared with men who did not, those who did develop dementia had a greater increase, followed by a greater decrease, in SBP. Both of these trends are modified by antihypertensive therapy.
Growth Arrest Specific Protein 6 Participates in DOCA-Induced Target-Organ Damage
Authors: Park Joon-Keun , Theuer Stefanie , Kirsch Torsten , Lindschau Carsten , Klinge Uwe , Heuser Arnd , Plehm Ralph , Todiras Mihai , Carmeliet Peter , Haller Hermann , Luft Friedrich C. , Muller Dominik N. , Fiebeler Anette
Published: June 2009

Growth arrest–specific protein 6 (Gas 6) is involved in inflammatory kidney diseases, vascular remodeling, cell adhesion, and thrombus formation. We explored a role for Gas 6 in aldosterone-induced target organ damage. We observed that Gas 6 was upregulated in rats with high aldosterone levels. Mineralocorticoid receptor blockade prevented target organ damage and decreased the elevated Gas 6 expression. Vascular smooth muscle cells given aldosterone increased their Gas 6 expression in vitro. To test the pathophysiological relevance, we investigated the effects of deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA) on Gas 6 gene-deleted (
−/−
) mice. After 6 weeks DOCA, Gas 6
−/−
mice developed similar telemetric blood pressure elevations compared to wild-type mice but were protected from cardiac hypertrophy. Cardiac expression of interleukin 6 and collagen IV was blunted in Gas 6
−/−
mice, indicating reduced inflammation and fibrosis. Gas 6
−/−
mice also had an improved renal function with reduced albuminuria, compared to wild-type mice. Renal fibrosis and fibronectin deposition in the kidney were also reduced. Gas 6 deficiency reduces the detrimental effects of aldosterone on cardiac and renal remodeling independent of blood pressure reduction. Gas 6 appears to play a role in mineralocorticoid receptor-mediated target organ damage. Furthermore, because warfarin interferes with Gas 6 protein expression, the findings could be of clinical relevance for anticoagulant choices.
Effect of Rosuvastatin on Cardiac Remodeling, Function, and Progression to Heart Failure in Hypertensive Heart With Established Left Ventricular Hypertrophy
Authors: Chang Sung-A , Kim Yong-Jin , Lee Hye-Won , Kim Dae-Hee , Kim Hyung-Kwan , Chang Hyuk-Jae , Sohn Dae-Won , Oh Byung-Hee , Park Young-Bae
Published: June 2009

Hypertensive patients with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) are the most common high-risk group to develop heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Recent reports have noted the favorable effect of statins on LVH. We evaluated the effect of rosuvastatin on cardiac remodeling, function, and progression to heart failure in a hypertensive rat model with established LVH. Dahl salt-sensitive rats were fed a high-salt diet until 13 weeks of age. After LVH was confirmed by echocardiography, rats were randomly assigned to control and statin treatment (n=18 each group). The statin-treated group was treated with rosuvastatin until 21 weeks of ages. Serial echocardiography, blood pressure monitoring, and miniaturized conductance catheter hemodynamic monitoring were performed at 21 weeks. Echocardiographic parameters were not significantly different between the groups. On hemodynamic monitoring, systolic performance parameters were similar between the groups, whereas end diastolic pressure-volume relationships were lower in the statin-treated group (0.014±0.008 versus 0.008±0.004 mm Hg/μL,
P
<0.05), suggesting improvement in myocardial stiffness. Pathological analysis showed attenuation of perivascular and interstitial fibrosis in the statin-treated group (
P
<0.02). Rosuvastatin therapy did not alleviate LVH in hypertensive rats with established LVH, but it attenuated myocardial fibrosis and LV stiffness. It seems that rosuvastatin has limited therapeutic value when used to prevent progression from LVH to heart failure in hypertensive hearts.
Cardiac Renin Levels Are Not Influenced by the Amount of Resident Mast Cells
Authors: Krop Manne , van Veghel Richard , Garrelds Ingrid M. , de Bruin René J.A. , van Gool Jeanette M.G. , van den Meiracker Anton H. , Thio Marco , van Daele Paul L.A. , Danser A.H. Jan
Published: June 2009

To investigate whether mast cells release renin in the heart, we studied renin and prorenin synthesis by such cells, using the human mast cell lines human mastocytoma 1 and LAD2, as well as fresh mast cells from mastocytosis patients. We also quantified the contribution of mast cells to cardiac renin levels in control and infarcted rat hearts. Human mastocytoma 1 cells contained and released angiotensin I–generating activity, and the inhibition of this activity by the renin inhibitor aliskiren was comparable to that of recombinant human renin. Prorenin activation with trypsin increased angiotensin I–generating activity in the medium only, suggesting release but not storage of prorenin. The adenylyl cyclase activator forskolin, the cAMP analogue 8-db-cAMP, and the degranulator compound 48/80 increased renin release without affecting prorenin. Angiotensin II blocked the forskolin-induced renin release. Angiotensin I–generating activity was undetectable in LAD2 cells and fresh mast cells. Nonperfused rat hearts contained angiotensin I–generating activity, and aliskiren blocked ≈70% of this activity. A 30-minute buffer perfusion washed away >70% of the aliskiren-inhibitable angiotensin I–generating activity. Prolonged buffer perfusion or compound 48/80 did not decrease cardiac angiotensin I–generating activity further or induce angiotensin I–generating activity release in the perfusion buffer. Results in infarcted hearts were identical, despite the increased mast cell number in such hearts. In conclusion, human mastocytoma 1 cells release renin and prorenin, and the regulation of this release resembles that of renal renin. However, this is not a uniform property of all mast cells. Mast cells appear an unlikely source of renin in the heart, both under normal and pathophysiological conditions.
A Novel Amiloride-Sensitive H
+
Transport Pathway Mediates Enhanced Superoxide Production in Thick Ascending Limb of Salt-Sensitive Rats, Not Na
+
/H
+
Exchange
Authors: O'Connor Paul M. , Lu Limin , Liang Mingyu , Cowley Allen W.
Published: June 2009

It has been reported previously that H
+
efflux via the Na
+
/H
+
exchange stimulates NAD(P)H oxidase-dependent superoxide (O
2
·−
) production in medullary thick ascending limb. We have demonstrated recently that
N
-methyl-amiloride-sensitive O
2
·−
production is enhanced in the thick ascending limb of Dahl salt-sensitive (SS) rats, suggesting that H
+
efflux through Na
+
/H
+
exchangers may promote renal oxidative stress and the development of hypertension in these animals. In the current study we demonstrate, using selective and potent inhibitors, that inhibition of Na
+
/H
+
exchange does not mediate the ability of
N
-methyl-amiloride to inhibit thick ascending limb O
2
·−
production. To determine the mechanism of action of
N
-methyl-amiloride, we examined H
+
efflux and O
2
·−
production in SS and SS.13
BN
thick ascending limbs of prehypertensive, 0.4% NaCl-fed rats. Tissue strips containing the medullary thick ascending limb were isolated from male SS and salt-resistant consomic SS.13
BN
rats, loaded with either dihydroethedium or 2′,7′-bis-(2-carboxyethyl)-5-(and-6)-carboxyfluorescein, acetoxymethyl ester, and imaged in a heated tissue bath. In Na
+
-replete media, activation of Na
+
/H
+
exchange using an NH
4
Cl prepulse did not stimulate thick ascending limb O
2
·−
production. In Na
+
-free media containing BaCl
2
in which Na
+
/H
+
activity was inhibited, an NH
4
Cl prepulse stimulated O
2
·−
production in medullary thick ascending limb renal tubular segments. This response was enhanced in medullary thick ascending limb of SS rats (slope Δethidium/Δdihydroethedium=0.029±0.004) compared with SS.13
BN
rats (slope=0.010±0.004;
P
<0.04) and could be inhibited by
N
-methyl-amiloride (slope=0.005±0.002 and 0.006±0.002 for SS and SS.13
BN
, respectively). We concluded that only H
+
efflux through a specific, as-yet-unidentified, amiloride-sensitive H
+
channel promotes O
2
·−
production in the medullary thick ascending limb and that this channel is upregulated in SS rats.
Distinguishing Pronounced Droughts in the Southwestern United States: Seasonality and Effects of Warmer Temperatures
Authors: Weiss Jeremy L. , Castro Christopher L. , Overpeck Jonathan T.
Published: June 2009

Higher temperatures increase the moisture-holding capacity of the atmosphere and can lead to greater atmospheric demand for evapotranspiration, especially during warmer seasons of the year. Increases in precipitation or atmospheric humidity ameliorate this enhanced demand, whereas decreases exacerbate it. In the southwestern United States (Southwest), this means the greatest changes in evapotranspirational demand resulting from higher temperatures could occur during the hot–dry foresummer and hot–wet monsoon. Here seasonal differences in surface climate observations are examined to determine how temperature and moisture conditions affected evapotranspirational demand during the pronounced Southwest droughts of the 1950s and 2000s, the latter likely influenced by warmer temperatures now attributed mostly to the buildup of greenhouse gases. In the hot–dry foresummer during the 2000s drought, much of the Southwest experienced significantly warmer temperatures that largely drove greater evapotranspirational demand. Lower atmospheric humidity at this time of year over parts of the region also allowed evapotranspirational demand to increase. Significantly warmer temperatures in the hot–wet monsoon during the more recent drought also primarily drove greater evapotranspirational demand, but only for parts of the region outside of the core North American monsoon area. Had atmospheric humidity during the more recent drought been as low as during the 1950s drought in the core North American monsoon area at this time of year, greater evapotranspirational demand during the 2000s drought could have been more spatially extensive. With projections of future climate indicating continued warming in the region, evapotranspirational demand during the hot–dry and hot–wet seasons possibly will be more severe in future droughts and result in more extreme conditions in the Southwest, a disproportionate amount negatively impacting society.
Monthly Characterization of the Tropospheric Circulation over the Euro-Atlantic Area in Relation with the Timing of Stratospheric Final Warmings
Authors: Ayarzagüena Blanca , Serrano Encarna
Published: June 2009

In recent decades, there has been a growing interest in the study of a possible active role of the stratosphere on the tropospheric climate. However, most studies have focused on this connection in wintertime. This paper deals with the possible relationship between variations in the timing of stratospheric final warmings (SFWs, observed in springtime) and monthly averaged changes in the Euro-Atlantic climate. On the basis of the date on which the SFW occurs, two sets of years have been selected for the period of study (1958–2002): “early years” and “late years,” reflecting a very early or a very late breakup of the polar vortex. The statistical significance of the early-minus-late differences in the analyzed fields has been established by applying a nonparametric test based on a Monte Carlo–like technique. Using data from 40-yr European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Re-Analysis (ERA-40), a dynamical study for March and April has shown important differences between both sets of years in stationary waves, especially ultralong ones (waves with k = 1 in March and k = 2 in April). Furthermore, the interannual variations in the stratospheric zonal wind seem to propagate downward as the spring progresses, in such a way that they reach tropospheric levels in April. Relevant differences between “early” and “late” years have been found in tropospheric monthly fields in the Euro-Atlantic area (geopotential, zonal wind, and storm-track activity), being at their most extensive in April.
The Use of Coherency to Improve Signal Detection in Dual-Polarization Weather Radars
Authors: Ivić Igor R. , Zrnić Dušan S. , Yu Tian-You
Published: June 2009

Currently, signal detection and censoring in operational weather radars is performed by using thresholds of the estimated signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and/or the magnitude of the autocorrelation coefficient at the first temporal lag. The growing popularity of polarimetric radars prompts the quest for improved detection schemes that take advantage of the signals from the two orthogonally polarized electric fields. A hybrid approach is developed based on the sum of the cross-correlation estimates as well as the powers and autocorrelations from each of the dual-polarization returns. The hypothesis that “signal is present” is accepted if the sum exceeds a predetermined threshold; otherwise, the data are considered to represent noise and are censored. The threshold is determined by the acceptable rate of false detections that is less than or equal to a preset value. The scheme is evaluated both in simulations and through implementation on time series data collected by the research weather surveillance radar (KOUN) in Norman, Oklahoma.
Extended Application of a Novel Phase Calibration Approach of Multiple-Frequency Range Imaging to the Chung-Li and MU VHF Radars
Authors: Chen Jenn-Shyong , Su Ching-Lun , Chu Yen-Hsyang , Hassenpflug Gernot , Zecha Marius
Published: June 2009

Multiple-frequency range imaging (RIM), designed to improve the range resolution of radar echo distribution, is now available for the recently upgraded Chung-Li VHF radar (24.9°N, 121.1°E). To complete the RIM technique of this radar, a novel phase calibration approach, proposed initially for the Ostsee Wind (OSWIN) VHF radar, was employed to examine the effects of phase bias and the range-weighting function on the received radar echoes. The estimated phase bias indicated a time delay of ∼1.83 μs for the signal in the radar system. In contrast, such a time delay is more difficult to determine from the phase distribution of two-frequency cross-correlation functions. The same calibration approach was also applied successfully to the middle and upper atmosphere (MU) radar (34.85°N, 136.11°E) and revealed a time delay of ∼0.33 μs for the radar parameters employed. These calibration results for various radars demonstrate the general usability of the proposed calibration approach. With the high-resolution performance of RIM, some small-scale Kelvin–Helmholtz (KH) billows, double-layer structures, and plumelike structures in the troposphere that cannot be seen in height–time intensity plots have been recognized in present observations. The billows and double layers were found to be closely related to strong vertical wind shear and small Richardson number, supporting the hypothesis of a dynamic process of KH instability. On the other hand, the plumelike structures were observed to grow out of a wavy layer and could be attributed to saturation and breaking of gravity waves. These fine structures have shown some remarkable features resolved by the RIM method applied to VHF radars in the lower atmosphere.
Cloud Determination of All-Sky Images under Low-Visibility Conditions
Authors: Huo Juan , Lu Daren
Published: June 2009

The threshold method is commonly used to determine cloud in a sky image. This paper evaluates the method by numerical simulation and shows that the aerosol optical depth (AOD) is a key factor that influences the accuracy. Particularly when the visibility is low, a single threshold method is inappropriate. To improve the accuracy of cloud determination from low-visibility sky images, an integrated cloud-determination algorithm is presented that is based on the fast Fourier transform, symmetrical image features, and threshold methods. The preliminary comparison tests show that the new integrated method improves the ability to determine cloud under lower-visibility conditions.
Data Sensitivity of the ECCO State Estimate in a Regional Setting
Authors: Douglass Elizabeth , Roemmich Dean , Stammer Detlef
Published: June 2009

The Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean (ECCO) consortium provides a framework in which the adjoint method of data assimilation is applied to a general circulation model to provide a dynamically self-consistent estimate of the time-varying ocean state, which is constrained by observations. In this study, the sensitivity of the solution to the constraints provided by various datasets is investigated in a regional setting in the North Pacific. Four assimilation experiments are performed, which vary by the data used as constraints and the relative weights associated with these data. The resulting estimates are compared to two of the assimilated datasets as well as to data from two time series stations not used as constraints. These comparisons demonstrate that increasing the weights of the subsurface data provides overall improvement in the model–data consistency of the estimate of the state of the North Pacific Ocean. However, some elements of the solution are degraded. This could result from incompatibility between datasets, possibly because of hidden biases, or from errors in the model physics made more evident by the increased weight on subsurface data. The adjustments to the control parameters of surface forcing and initial conditions necessary to obtain the more accurate fit to the data are found to be within prior error bars.
Overweight Prevention in Pediatric Primary Care: A Needs Assessment of an Urban Racial/Ethnic Minority Population
Authors: Asante Philomena A. , Cox Joanne , Sonneville Kendrin , Samuels Ronald C. , Taveras Elsie M.
Published: June 2009

The authors studied the prevalence of overweight-related behaviors in an urban clinic population, parents’ perceived willingness to change, and identified potential gaps in nutrition and physical activity promotion. A total of 324 parents of children aged 3 to 13 years were surveyed. Clinical heights and weights were used to calculate body mass index (BMI). Of the 324 children in the study, 55% were black and 28% were Hispanic. Approximately 151 (47%) children had a BMI ≥85th percentile, and overweight-related behaviors, such as TV viewing, were highly prevalent. Overall, parents reported a need for counseling to help their children eat healthier and be more active and seemed willing to make behavior changes in these areas. However, their willingness to change appeared lowest in areas that may improve their child’s weight status such as decreasing sedentary time and portion sizes. Overweight prevention efforts in primary care should include strategies to help clinicians negotiate behavior change with families.
Developments in end-of-life and palliative care social work
Authors: Payne Malcolm
Published: June 2009

English

Palliative care social work has developed primarily as a specialist health-related form of clinical social work. However, the resource-intensive modernist medicalized practice of Western countries has been culturally inappropriate elsewhere. Broader end-of-life care and community education outside healthcare settings offers opportunities to develop palliative care social work in the direction of social development practice.

French

Le travail social de soin palliatif s’est au départ développé en tant que forme particulière de travail social clinique en relation avec la santé. Toutefois, la pratique médicalisée moderniste et intensément dotée en ressources des pays occidentaux, a parfois été culturellement inappropriée ailleurs. Plus largement le soin de fin de vie et l’éducation communautaire en dehors des dispositifs de soins de santé offrent des opportunités de développer le travail social de soin palliatif dans le sens des pratiques de développement social concernées.

Spanish

El trabajo social en el campo del cuidado paliativo se ha desarrollado primariamente como una especialidad del trabajo social clínico relacionado con la salud. Sin embargo, la práctica medicalizada y muy cara de las sociedades occidentales, no es apropiada culturalmente en otros lugares. Un cuidado al final de la vida más amplio, conectado a la educación de la comunidad, y al margen de las organizaciones médicas, ofrece oportunidades de desarrollar un trabajo social de cuidado paliativo que conduzca a una práctica de desarrollo social.
Developing a health equality imagination
Authors: Giles Roslyn
Published: June 2009

English

Critical reflection on hospital social work practices opens the door to question the profession’s response to growing international health inequalities. The development of a health equality imagination provides a driver to challenge and reframe practice that promotes comprehensive actions in both direct practice and education.

French

La réflexion critique sur les pratiques du travail social hospitalier ouvre la porte à la question de la réponse que peut apporter la profession face aux inégalités croissantes dans l’accès aux soins de santé. Le développement d’une ‘imagination pour l’accès égalitaire à la santé’ propose un outil pour défier et recadrer la pratique qui promeut des actions globales orientées tant vers la pratique que vers la formation.

Spanish

Una reflexión crítica sobre el trabajo social en los hospitales interroga a la profesión acerca de sus prácticas, dadas las cada vez mayores desigualdades a nivel internacional en cuestiones de salud. El desarrollo de una imaginación que acomode igualdad en la salud constituye una fuerza motora que reta y reenmarca un tipo de práctica que promueve acciones comprensivas tanto en la práctica directa como en la educación.
Parametric Study on the Response of Stable Unbonded-Fiber Reinforced Elastomeric Isolators (SU-FREIs)
Authors: Toopchi-Nezhad Hamid , Drysdale Robert G. , Tait Michael J.
Published: June 2009

Tests on stable unbonded (SU) square carbon fiber-reinforced elastomeric isolator (FREI) bearings were conducted to investigate their lateral and vertical response. The bearings are intended for seismic isolation of low-rise buildings including those of ordinary importance. To simulate the in-place application of SU-FREI bearings, the contact surfaces of the bearings were not bonded to the platens of the test machine. This unbonded application permitted stable rollover deformation to occur which enhances the bearing's isolation efficiency. The bearings were shown to safely sustain large lateral displacements. When subjected to large lateral displacements, their originally vertical faces completely contacted the horizontal surfaces of the upper and lower platens, which created a stiffening response and ensured the stability of these very large displacements. The sensitivity of SU-FREI bearings to lateral displacement history and vertical pressure applied on the bearings were investigated. Regarding the latter parameter, it was found that the effect of variations in vertical pressure on the lateral response can be neglected when the SU-FREI bearings are subjected to relatively light vertical pressures such as considered for low-rise buildings.
Gender Empowerment and United Nations Peacebuilding
Authors: Gizelis Theodora-Ismene
Published: June 2009

Previous studies have suggested that societies where women have higher social and economic status and greater political representation are less likely to become involved in conflict. In this article, the author argues that the prospects for successful post-conflict peacebuilding under the auspices of the United Nations (UN) are generally better in societies where women have greater levels of empowerment. Women's status in a society reflects the existence of multiple social networks and domestic capacity not captured by purely economic measures of development such as GDP per capita. In societies where women have relatively higher status, women have more opportunities to express a voice in the peacemaking process and to elicit broader domestic participation in externally led peacekeeping operations. This higher level of participation in turn implies that UN Peacekeeping operations can tap into great social capital and have better prospects for success. An empirical analysis of post-conflict cases with a high risk of conflict recurrence shows that UN peacekeeping operations have been significantly more effective in societies in which women have relatively higher status. By contrast, UN peacekeeping operations in countries where women have comparatively lower social status are much less likely to succeed.
A Fate Worse Than Debt? International Financial Institutions and Human Rights, 1981—2003
Authors: Eriksen Silja , de Soysa Indra
Published: June 2009

Some report that human rights are likely to be violated when poor countries sign up to structural adjustment programmes (SAPs). These violations apparently occur because ordinary people revolt against the neo-liberal policies that SAPs push. This study examines the effect of the actual flow of finances from the World Bank and the IMF, holding constant all other bank-based financial flows, on government respect for human rights. The authors find that pay-in periods are beneficial for human rights, whereas loan dry-ups correlate with violations. Loan dry-ups are likely to occur because of noncompliance with SAPs rather than implementation, since the international financial institutions (IFIs) release loans in tranches to solve the time inconsistency problem. The overall level of indebtedness is robustly related to human rights abuses, but the higher the stock of debt owed to IFIs relative to total debt, the lower the human rights violations. Accumulating debt to IFIs, thus, seems to improve the level of human rights. Additionally, a higher government consumption to GDP ratio reduces human rights, a result that does not suggest that governments that are capable of commanding a higher share of the country's wealth are less likely to face threatening social dissent. Moreover, a proxy for neo-liberal policies, the index of economic freedom, correlates strongly with better human rights. These results do not square well with the view that neo-liberal policy reforms and the attendant austerity measures drive dangerous dissent.
National Reconciliation After Civil War: The Case of Greece
Authors: Siani-Davies Peter , Katsikas Stefanos
Published: June 2009

This article discusses post-conflict reconciliation in Greece following the divisive civil war of the 1940s. Focusing on the elite political discourse and the relationship between reconciliation and democratization, its chief argument is that in Greece continuing disagreement about the civil war did not inhibit a process of reconciliation because it was voiced within a normative framework in which violence had been repudiated as a political tool. Particularly since the fall of the Colonels' dictatorship in 1974, reconciliation has been linked to a number of distinct political projects, some of which were as divisive as conciliatory in their effect. In each case, reconciliation meant different things to differing shades of political opinion, but the widespread adoption of the term by both the governing and opposition elites, as well as society as a whole, gradually entrapped politicians of all persuasions into accepting that a process of reconciliation had occurred. Reconciliation in Greece has therefore rested not on the establishment of a single agreed narrative representing the truth about the past, but rather on the righting of perceived injustices and the free articulation of differing interpretations of that past by both left and right within a democratic environment.
Armed Conflicts, 1946—2008
Authors: Harbom Lotta , Wallensteen Peter
Published: June 2009

In 2008, the number of active armed conflicts was 36, up by one from 2007. Over the past few years, the number of active conflicts has not seen any drastic changes from one year to the next. However, the number of armed conflicts has increased by nearly one-quarter since 2003, which was the year with the lowest number of active armed conflicts since the 1970s. While the number of conflicts continued to increase, the number of wars (i.e. conflicts with over 1,000 battle-related deaths) remained at a very low level, with only five recorded for 2008. Four conflicts listed in 2007 were no longer active in 2008, but during the year, two conflicts were restarted by previously recorded actors (in Burundi and in Georgia). Furthermore, three new conflicts erupted, one of which was fought between states (Djibouti—Eritrea). Thus, the record-long four-year interlude 2004—07 with no interstate conflict was broken.
A Hybrid HLA Time Management Algorithm Based on Both Conditional and Unconditional Information
Authors: Ke Pan  , Turner Stephen John , Wentong Cai  , Zengxiang Li
Published: June 2009

The High-Level Architecture (HLA), which is the IEEE standard for distributed simulation, defines six service groups. The Time Management (TM) service group ensures a Time-Stamp-Ordered (TSO) message delivery sequence and correct time advancement of each simulation component (federate) in a HLA-based distributed simulation application (federation). To control time advancement of a federation, a distributed TM algorithm requires each regulating federate to periodically propagate its local time information to all constrained federates for their respective calculation of the Greatest Available Logical Time (GALT). The time information propagated is called conditional information or unconditional information depending on whether it can be guaranteed to be true conditionally or unconditionally. A traditional distributed TM algorithm can be either synchronous or asynchronous. In general, a synchronous algorithm utilizes conditional information while an asynchronous algorithm utilizes unconditional information. However, both synchronous and asynchronous algorithms have their own drawbacks and thus cannot be used for all federation scenarios. To resolve the drawback of each algorithm, this paper proposes a hybrid TM algorithm by combining synchronous and asynchronous algorithms. The three algorithms have been incorporated into a Run-Time Infrastructure (RTI) and experimental results show that the hybrid algorithm effectively combines the advantages of both synchronous and asynchronous algorithms. We also compare the proposed hybrid TM algorithm with the TM algorithm implemented in the Federated Simulations Development Kit (FDK), which also uses both conditional and unconditional information. The hybrid TM algorithm is more scalable than FDK’s TM algorithm with respect to the total number of federates in a federation, because FDK’s TM algorithm has the overhead of redundant GALT calculations.
Prediction of Yarn Properties Using Evaluation Programing
Authors: Dayik Mehmet
Published: June 2009

This article proposes prediction approaches for the determination of the breaking strength of the yarn properties by using evaluation programing. Gene expression programing (GEP) and neural networks are the evaluation programings that are used for the prediction of physical properties of yarn. In addition to these methods, multiple linear regression analysis is also used to examine the predictive power of the evaluation programings in comparison to classical statistical approach. The implementation of the genetic programing technique in GEP to the prediction of physical properties of yarn is indicated for the first time in this paper. The results obtained from the computational tests clearly show that GEP is a promising technique in terms of precision and computation time for the prediction of yarn properties (98.88 %).
Clothing Pressure of Knitted Fabrics Estimated in Relation to Tensile Load Under Extension and Recovery Processes by Simultaneous Measurements
Authors: Yamada Tomoko , Matsuo Masaru
Published: June 2009

Clothing pressure of knitted fabrics was estimated by two methods using an air pack. In Case 1, the pressure by shrinkage of extended fabrics was measured by an air pack put on the cylinder, in which the air pack was inserted between the knitted fabric extended to a desired strain and the cylinder as a basic substance. The tensile load at a given strain of the knitted fabric covered on the cylinder was estimated from the same strain of the extended knitted fabric measured by a strip biaxial tensile tester. The pressure on the cylinder was predicted on the basis of the relationship between pressure and surface tension for a curved thin liquid film. The predicted pressure was in good agreement with the pressure measured, when the curvature of the air pack on the cylinder was taken into consideration along the cylindrical axis. In Case 2, the hysteresis routes of clothing pressure and tensile load under extension and return processes were measured simultaneously as a function of strain. The hysteresis routes of the pressure provided a similar tendency to that of tensile load. Furthermore, the corresponding tensile load routes were calculated on the basis of hypothesis associated with stress relaxation based on hereditary integral and the clothing pressure with a hysteresis route was predicted by substituting the tensile load into the pressure-tension relationship concerning a liquid surface used in Case 1. The pressure routes predicted by choosing a suitable exponent parameter were in good agreement with the pressure routes measured.
Viscoelastic Properties of Kenaf Bast Fiber in Relation to Stem Age
Authors: Ayre Brian G. , Stevens Kevin , Chapman Kent D. , Webber Charles L. , Dagnon Koffi L. , D'Souza Nandika A.
Published: June 2009

Natural fibers traditionally used for cordage are proving valuable for advanced industrial applications due in part to beneficial physical and chemical properties, but also because they are a renewable and biodegradable resource. Kenaf ( Hibiscus cannabinus L., Malvaceae) produces high yields of lignocellulosic bast fibers in the bark layer, and is a promising crop for supplying emerging fiber markets. Bast fibers are bundles of cells that undergo extensive cell-wall thickening during maturation. Bundle maturity is therefore an important determinant of the fibers' mechanical properties and ultimately contributes to their quality in specific applications. Fiber bundles in stem sections of progressive age were analyzed by epifluorescence microscopy, and viscoelastic properties determined by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. Early-forming primary fibers were larger than later-forming secondary fibers, but cell-wall thickening contributed most to elastic and viscous response of the fiber.
Simplified Heat Transport Model of a Wind-permeable Clothed Cylinder Subject to Swinging Motion
Authors: Ghali K. , Othmani M. , Jreije B. , Ghaddar N.
Published: June 2009

The effect of ventilation induced by the swinging motion of a clothed cylinder in uniform wind derived from Ghaddar et al.'s periodic ventilation model is incorporated into Lotens' simple heat resistance network model to predict the mean steady periodic heat loss from the clothed cylinder. Experiments are conducted to measure the sensible heat loss from the inner cylinder for the case of a swinging inner cylinder enclosed within a clothed cylinder at different frequencies of motion and for open and closed clothing apertures at the one end of the clothed cylinder. The heat model predictions of time-averaged steady-periodic sensible heat loss agree well with the experimentally measured values at different swing frequencies between 40 and 80 rpm from experiments conducted in a controlled environmental chamber at T ∞ = 25°C and relative humidity (RH) = 50% (air velocity is less than 0.05 m/s) and in a low-speed wind tunnel (for air speed between 2 and 4 m/s). The model results showed that the rate of heat loss increased with increased ventilation frequency. Heat transfer by ventilation presented more than 50% of total heat loss from a clothed cylinder at f = 80 rpm in the absence and presence of wind. When accurate ventilation rates of clothed swinging cylinder are estimated from first principles, the simplified heat resistance model predicted the heat loss from the isothermal cylinder surface with reasonable accuracy. The model will be a convenient tool for predicting segmental walking human body heat losses.
Physics-of-failure-based prognostics for electronic products
Authors: Pecht Michael , Jie Gu
Published: June 2009

This paper presents a physics-of-failure (PoF)-based prognostics and health management approach for effective reliability prediction. PoF is an approach that utilizes knowledge of a product's life cycle loading and failure mechanisms to perform reliability design and assessment. PoF-based prognostics permit the assessment of product reliability under its actual application conditions. It integrates sensor data with models that enable in situ assessment of the deviation or degradation of a product from an expected normal operating condition (ie, the product's `health') and the prediction of the future state of reliability. A formal implementation procedure, which includes failure modes, mechanisms, and effects analysis, data reduction and feature extraction from the life cycle loads, damage accumulation, and assessment of uncertainty, is presented. Then, applications of PoF-based prognostics are discussed.
Racial and Geographic Disparities in the Use of Parenteral Nutrition Among Inflammatory Bowel Disease Inpatients Diagnosed With Malnutrition in the United States
Authors: Nguyen Geoffrey C. , Munsell Melissa , Brant Steven R. , LaVeist Thomas A.
Published: June 2009

Background: Racial disparities have been described in the use of a diverse spectrum of surgical procedures. The objectives of this study are to determine whether disparities also exist for the use of parenteral nutrition (PN) in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Methods: The U.S. Nationwide Inpatient Sample between 1998 and 2003 is analyzed to determine PN use among IBD inpatients diagnosed with protein‐calorie malnutrition and assess whether use patterns differ by race and geographical region. Results: The proportion of African American IBD admissions with protein‐calorie malnutrition who receive PN is significantly lower than that in whites (19.9% vs 28.1%, P = .001), whereas there is no difference between Hispanics and non‐Hispanic whites. After adjustment for gender, comorbidity, health insurance status, geographic region, and median neighborhood income, African Americans remain less likely than whites to receive PN (odds ratio [OR] 0.67; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.50–0.89), whereas the difference between Hispanics and non‐Hispanic whites is marginally significant (OR 0.65; 95% CI, 0.41–1.04). PN use varies geographically, with highest rates in the Northeast (44.3%) and lowest in the Midwest (17.3%). Uninsured patients are less than half as likely to receive PN as those with insurance (OR 0.46; 95% CI, 0.31–0.69). Compared with whites, Hispanics experience a longer time interval between admission and initiation of PN (3.5 vs 4.8 days, P = .02) and have higher rates of catheter‐related complications (5.1% vs 12.2%, P = .04). Conclusions: Among IBD inpatients with clinically diagnosable malnutrition, PN use is lower among African Americans compared with whites. The underlying mechanisms of these racial variations merit further investigation.
Charismatic Authority and Leadership Change: Lessons from Cuba's Post-Fidel Succession
Authors: Hoffmann Bert
Published: June 2009

When Max Weber introduced the concept of “charismatic authority” into the social sciences, acknowledging its great transformative potential, he stressed its inherent problem of succession. This proposition has been tested in the case of one of the most emblematic charismatic leaders in modern politics, Cuba's longtime revolutionary leader Fidel Castro. When he fell ill in 2006, conventional wisdom assumed a major crisis of succession to be inevitable. So how was it possible that the Cuban regime was able to stage a gradual and orderly succession? In addressing this question, the article identifies four key ways in which the empirical experience of the post-Fidel succession challenges our theoretical understanding of the link between charismatic authority and political leadership change.
Islam and the New Political Landscape
Authors: Back Les , Keith Michael , Khan Azra , Shukra Kalbir , Solomos John
Published: June 2009

In this article we consider the forms of democratic participation that revolve around issues of religious faith and Islam. The context of such work is one in which a concern with the levels of participation in the political institutions of Western Europe and North America feature prominently in both journalistic and academic debate. The article speaks to debates that are concerned with the efficacy of specific forms of participation. In doing so we argue that we need to think carefully about the forms of social action that constitute participation in the democratic process. We also need to think precisely about definitions of the political with which people engage. If we take the political as a domain in which the ethical settlement of society is contestable, the sorts of mobilization around faith communities that this article describes are clearly a form of political participation. Yet the article argues that the reasons many become involved in these forms of social organization in contemporary East London is precisely because they are seen as less complicit with mainstream political institutions of the British state.
Sorcerer's Apprentices and the `Will to Figuration'
Authors: Arppe Tiina
Published: June 2009

The article deals with Le Collège de Sociologie, an elective organization founded in 1937 by a group of French thinkers, among whom were Georges Bataille, Roger Caillois and Michel Leiris. It tries to show how the notion of `force' or of `power', constitutive to the `new mythology' the members of the Collège wanted to create, was in fact deeply ambivalent in nature. This ambivalence can be traced back to the internal ambiguities of the Durkheimian theory of the `collective effervescence', which is shown to have influenced not only the collegians' notion of the sacred, but also their conception of power. This ambiguous theoretical heritage is curiously reflected in the conflicting conceptions Bataille and Caillois held of the notion of power — one of the major controversies, which later led to the dissolution of the Collège. The thesis defended here is that the seeds of this controversy lie already in the internal ambiguities of the Durkheimian theory and that these ambivalences were in a certain manner reproduced not only in the dispute between Caillois and Bataille, but also in much of the contemporary social theory drawing its inspiration from the Durkheimian sociology of the sacred.
Between the `Media City' and the `City as a Medium'
Authors: Chikamori Takaaki
Published: June 2009

This article reviews Scott McQuire's book, The Media City, which focuses on the historical formation of the media-architecture complex of the current urban environment. While the book provides rich insights into the ways various media technologies have become interconnected with urban architectural structures, the underlying concept of media in McQuire's discussion could be criticized in three respects: (1) visual-centred, (2) technology-based and (3) real-time oriented. After considering these three points in the context of the theoretical ideas put forward by Henri Lefebvre, Friedrich Kittler and Walter Benjamin, particular attention is paid to Benjamin's prominent figure of the flâneur. Through reconsidering the experience of the flâneur in terms of the technique of getting lost in the city, possibilities are suggested as to thinking differently about the `media city'. In other words, it is proposed that we should examine the theoretical possibilities concerning the modern urban experience between the `media city' and the `city as a medium'.
Bivalirudin anticoagulation during cardiac surgery: a single-center experience in 141 patients
Authors: Koster A , Buz S , Krabatsch T , Yeter R , Hetzer R
Published: June 2009

The feasibility of bivalirudin for anticoagulation during cardiac surgery has been confirmed in four multicenter clinical trials. Here, we report our single-center experience with bivalirudin anticoagulation in “on-pump” and “off-pump” cardiac surgery in a large number of patients with and without heparin antibodies. Data of patients who underwent cardiac surgery with bivalirudin anticoagulation between 06/2003 and 12/2007 at our institution were reviewed. Assessment included procedural success, blood loss, transfusion requirements, re-exploration rates and drug-related complications during the procedures. There were 141 patients treated with bivalirudin, of whom 40 had heparin antibodies. In 26 patients, “off-pump” coronary artery bypass grafting was performed and the remaining 115 patients had surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). The procedural success rate after 7 days and after 30 days was 99.4%. The mean blood loss after “off-pump” surgery was 833 ± 310 ml, with a transfusion rate of 30%. The mean blood loss after “on-pump” surgery was 750 ± 494 ml, with a transfusion rate of 56%. Two patients needed re-exploration due to persistent hemorrhage. Overall transfusion rates were increased in patients with heparin antibodies. The current investigation demonstrates that, in experienced hands, bivalirudin anticoagulation can be performed with excellent procedural success and low complication rates during “on-pump” and “off-pump” cardiac surgery. Recent problems associated with the production of heparin have emphasized the urgent need for an alternative for use beyond the limited indication of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.