bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Long-Term Tacrolimus-Based Immunosuppressive Treatment for Young Patients with Lupus Nephritis: A Prospective Study in Daily Clinical Practice
Authors: Tanaka Hiroshi , Watanabe Shojiro , Aizawa-Yashiro Tomomi , Oki Eishin , Kumagai Naonori , Tsuruga Kazushi , Ito Etsuro
Published: January 2013

Background: The optimal long-term treatment for lupus nephritis (LN) in pubertal patients remains to be determined. Tacrolimus (Tac) inhibits T cell activation, and is therefore expected to be effective in patients with LN. However, little has been published about the long-term efficacy and safety of Tac-based immunosuppressive treatment of young patients with LN in daily clinical practice. Methods: Nineteen consecutive patients with biopsy-proven LN were recruited for an open-label, prospective, long-term Tac-based treatment regimen. Tac was administered once daily at a dose of 3 mg as induction- or reinduction-maintenance treatment. Four patients (21%) with new-onset LN received mizoribine at a dose of 150 mg once daily in addition to Tac. Treatment outcomes were defined by the European Consensus Lupus Activity Measurement (ECLAM) index, urinary protein/creatinine ratio (Up/cr), serum creatinine and serological lupus markers (complement C3, complement hemolytic activity, CH50, and anti-dsDNA antibody titer). Data on these parameters were collected prospectively. The median follow-up was 42 months. Results: Baseline characteristics of the patients were as follows: mean age, 18 years; Up/cr, 0.89 ± 1.17; serum C3, 68.1 ± 23.2 mg/dl (normal, 79–152 mg/dl); serum CH50, 26.4 ± 10.5 U/ml (normal, 23–46 U/ml); serum anti-dsDNA antibody titer, 69.3 ± 67.5 IU/ml (normal, <12.0 IU/ml); serum creatinine, 0.55 ± 0.18 mg/dl, and ECLAM index, 4.6 ± 1.9. Despite gradually tapering the dose of concomitantly administered prednisolone, a marked improvement compared with baseline values was observed in all outcome measures as early as 3 months after the initiation of treatment, and the favorable changes persisted throughout the treatment period in most of the patients. Sustained improvements in the outcome measures compared with the baseline values were confirmed after a mean of 42 months of treatment: ECLAM index, 1.1 ± 1.1; serum CH50, 36.0 ± 12.8 U/ml, anti-dsDNA antibody titer, 22.5 ± 26.5 IU/ml (all p < 0.01); Up/cr ratio, 0.35 ± 0.58, and serum C3 level, 79.7 ± 17.6 mg/dl (both p < 0.05). Serum creatinine level remained within the normal range in all the study participants. Complete response was achieved in 12 patients (63%), and a partial response was achieved in 5 patients (26%). The remaining 2 patients showed no response. No serious adverse effects were observed. Conclusion: The data suggest that long-term, relatively low-dose Tac-based immunosuppressive treatment is beneficial and has low cytotoxicity, and therefore represents an attractive option for the treatment of young patients with LN in daily clinical practice. Further studies involving a larger number of patients are needed to confirm these results.
GJB2 Variants and Auditory Outcomes among Filipino Cochlear Implantees
Authors: Chiong Charlotte M. , Cutiongco-de la Paz Eva Maria , Reyes-Quintos Maria Rina T. , Tobias Celina Ann M. , Hernandez Karen , Santos-Cortez Regie Lyn P.
Published: January 2013

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of gap junction beta-2 (GJB2) or connexin 26 variants in Filipino cochlear implantees, and to describe radiologic findings, audiologic results and auditory performance after cochlear implantation (CI). Methods: Thirty cochlear implantees with unknown etiology of congenital severe-to-profound hearing loss and 30 controls provided venous blood samples for study. Radiologic evidence of temporal bone abnormalities, residual hearing status and post-CI auditory performance are described. Statistical analysis was performed for hearing thresholds before and after CI and for Parent Evaluation of Auditory/Oral Performance in Children (PEACH) scores based on the presence of cochleovestibular anomalies, age at CI and time since CI. Genomic DNA was extracted from venous blood, PCR-amplified and sequenced for GJB2 variants. Results: One patient was compound heterozygous (c.[35delG ];[235delC]) for GJB2 variants. The variants p.Gly4Asp, p.Val27Ile and p.Val37Ile were identified in both patients and controls, including 2 implantees who were homozygous for p.Val27Ile and p.Val37Ile. No significant association was found between post-CI improvement in threshold or PEACH scores and the following variables: age at CI, duration of hearing aid use prior to CI, presence of cochleovestibular anomalies and completeness of electrode insertion. Although no significant change in audiometric thresholds due to time since CI was detected, PEACH scores were significantly improved with longer implant use at all conditions (quiet, noise and overall; p < 0.05). Conclusions: The prevalence of causal GJB2 variants in Filipino cochlear implantees is low (3.3%). Within this population, the allele frequency of the p.Val37Ile variant in patients and controls is >10%, which supports a nonpathogenic role for this variant. The low prevalence of GJB2 variants precluded any association testing with CI outcome, although our results suggest better auditory outcome with longer CI use. Future genetic studies within the Filipino population should be able to control for population admixture.
Occlusion Effect on in vivo Percutaneous Penetration of Chemicals in Man and Monkey: Partition Coefficient Effects
Authors: Hafeez Farhaan , Maibach Howard
Published: January 2013

Background/Aim: Skin occlusion can increase the hydration of the stratum corneum up to 50%, which can have substantial effects on the percutaneous absorption of penetrants by altering skin barrier physiology. Though occlusion is widely utilized to enhance the penetration of applied drugs in clinical practice, it is not well known for which chemicals occlusion enhances the penetration through skin. In this review, we focus on what effect occlusion has on the percutaneous absorption of compounds of varying lipophilicities/hydrophilicities in vivo in the monkey and man. Methods: Studies and prior reviews of the effects of occlusion on the in vivo percutaneous penetration of penetrants of varying liphophilicities/hydrophilicities were identified in the Medline, Pubmed, Embase and Science Citation Index databases. Results: After examining the research articles generated by the search results, 7 original research studies were obtained that used in vivo occlusion models and provided insight regarding the role of partition coefficients in predicting the effects of occlusion on percutaneous penetration. From these studies, one can conclude the following: (1) occlusion enhances the percutaneous absorption of many but not all compounds, (2) penetration can increase as the amount of time of occlusion increases, (3) occlusion seems to enhance the penetration of very lipophilic compounds more than that of very hydrophilic compounds, but (4) a relationship between a compound’s octanol-water partition coefficient and its occlusion-induced enhancement has not been determined. Conclusion: These in vivo studies reinforce the conclusions drawn from in vitro studies that partition coefficients incompletely predict the effect of occlusion on percutaneous penetration.
MicroRNAs in Immune Response and Macrophage Polarization
Authors: Liu Gang , Abraham Edward
Published: January 2013

Inflammation is essential to combat invading microbial pathogens. In this process, the involvement of multiple immune cell populations is crucial in mounting an optimum immune response. In the past decade, a new class of noncoding small RNAs, called microRNAs (miRNAs), has emerged as important regulators in biological processes. The important role of miRNAs in inflammation and immune response is highlighted by studies in which deregulation of miRNAs was demonstrated to accompany diseases associated with excessive or uncontrolled inflammation. In this brief review, we summarize the roles of miRNAs that have been characterized in innate and adaptive immune responses. We discuss the role of miRNAs in macrophage polarization, a molecular event that has clear effect on inflammation.
MicroRNAs in Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Fiedler Jan , Thum Thomas
Published: January 2013

The complexity of posttranscriptional regulation by noncoding microRNAs (miRNAs, miRs) is still not completely understood. A large fraction of the genome is under the control of miRs via (partial) complementary base pairing within the corresponding mRNA region. Myocardial infarction is characterized by strongly altered gene expression, deregulation of underlying signaling pathways, and crucial participation of several miRs in this context. Mechanistically, miR induction or repression after myocardial infarction triggers downstream events in a cell-type–specific manner, and interference with endogenous miR expression might regulate overall cardiac function. In this brief review, we (1) summarize the current knowledge about the importance of several miRs after myocardial infarction, (2) report about novel miR-based therapeutic approaches to counteract maladaptive remodeling upon cardiac ischemia, and (3) discuss briefly the use of miRs as biomarkers for cardiac ischemia.
Intercellular Transport of MicroRNAs
Authors: Boon Reinier A. , Vickers Kasey C.
Published: January 2013

Extracellular microRNAs (miRNA) are present in most biological fluids, relatively stable, and hold great potential for disease biomarkers and novel therapeutics. Circulating miRNAs are transported by membrane-derived vesicles (exosomes and microparticles), lipoproteins, and other ribonucleoprotein complexes. Evidence suggests that miRNAs are selectively exported from cells with distinct signatures that have been found to be altered in many pathophysiologies, including cardiovascular disease. Protected from plasma ribonucleases by their carriers, functional miRNAs are delivered to recipient cells by various routes. Transferred miRNAs use cellular machinery to reduce target gene expression and alter cellular phenotype. Similar to soluble factors, miRNAs mediate cell-to-cell communication linking disparate cell types, diverse biological mechanisms, and homeostatic pathways. Although significant advances have been made, miRNA intercellular communication is full of complexities and many questions remain. This review brings into focus what is currently known and outstanding in a novel field of study with applicability to cardiovascular disease.
MicroRNA Control of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Signaling Output During Vascular Development
Authors: Dang Lan T. H. , Lawson Nathan D. , Fish Jason E.
Published: January 2013

The regulated response of endothelial cells to signals in their environment is not only critical for the de novo formation of primordial vascular networks during early development (ie, vasculogenesis), but is also required for the subsequent growth and remodeling of new blood vessels from preexisting ones (ie, angiogenesis). Vascular endothelial growth factors (Vegfs) and their endothelial cell-specific receptors play a crucial role in nearly all aspects of blood vessel growth. How the outputs from these pathways affect and coordinate endothelial behavior is an area of intense research. Recently, numerous studies have highlighted roles for microRNAs in modulating Vegf signaling output in several different contexts. In this review, we will provide an overview of how small RNAs regulate multiple aspects of the Vegf signaling pathway. In particular, we highlight areas where identification of microRNAs and their targets has provided new insight into the role of downstream effectors in modulating Vegf output during development. As Vegf plays a broad role in multiple aspects of endothelial biology and has become a target for therapeutic manipulation of pathological blood vessel growth, microRNAs that affect Vegf signaling output will undoubtedly be major targets of clinical value.
A Meta-Analysis of Aortic Root Size in Elite Athletes
Authors: Iskandar Aline , Thompson Paul D.
Published: January 2013

Background—

The aorta is exposed to hemodynamic stress during exercise, but whether or not the aorta is larger in athletes is not clear. We performed a systematic literature review and meta-analysis to examine whethere athletes demonstrate increased aortic root dimensions compared with nonathlete controls.

Methods and Results—

We searched MEDLINE and Scopus from inception through August 12, 2012, for English-language studies reporting the aortic root size in elite athletes. Two investigators independently extracted athlete and study characteristics. A multivariate linear mixed model was used to conduct meta-regression analyses. We identified 71 studies reporting aortic root dimensions in 8564 unique athletes, but only 23 of these studies met our criteria by reporting aortic root dimensions at the aortic valve annulus or sinus of Valsalva in elite athletes (n=5580). Athletes were compared directly with controls (n=727) in 13 studies. On meta-regression, the weighted mean aortic root diameter measured at the sinuses of Valsalva was 3.2 mm (
P
=0.02) larger in athletes than in the nonathletic controls, whereas aortic root size at the aortic valve annulus was 1.6 mm (
P
=0.04) greater in athletes than in controls.

Conclusions—

Elite athletes have a small but significantly larger aortic root diameter at the sinuses of Valsalva and aortic valve annulus, but this difference is minor and clinically insignificant. Clinicians evaluating athletes should know that marked aortic root dilatation likely represents a pathological process and not a physiological adaptation to exercise.
High-density Lipoprotein Subclasses and Risk of Stroke and its Subtypes in Japanese Population
Authors: Chei Choy-Lye , Yamagishi Kazumasa , Kitamura Akihiko , Kiyama Masahiko , Imano Hironori , Ohira Tetsuya , Cui Renzhe , Tanigawa Takeshi , Sankai Tomoko , Ishikawa Yoshinori , Sato Shinichi , Hitsumoto Shinichi , Iso Hiroyasu
Published: January 2013

Background and Purpose—

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is an established protective factor for ischemic stroke. However, the contribution of HDL subclasses to stroke risk and its subtypes is uncertain.

Methods—

A prospective nested case–control study of 40- to 85-year-old Japanese was undertaken using frozen serum samples collected from 5280 men and 7524 women. They participated in cardiovascular risk surveys from 1985 to 1999 (1 community) and 1989 to 1998 (2 communities) under Circulatory Risk in Communities Study. HDL cholesterol subclasses were classified by high-performance liquid chromatography into 3 subgroups: S-HDL (very small or small HDL), M-HDL (medium HDL), and L-HDL (large or very large HDL) cholesterol. One control subject per case was matched by sex, age, community, serum storage year, and fasting status.

Results—

In 2005, we identified 241 strokes (155 ischemic and 86 hemorrhagic). S-HDL and M-HDL cholesterol levels were inversely associated with total stroke risk, ischemic stroke, specifically lacunar infarction, and hemorrhagic stroke. After adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors, these associations remained statistically significant. Multivariable conditional odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for 1 SD (0.12 mmol/L) increment of S-HDL cholesterol levels were 0.34 (0.23–0.52) for total stroke, 0.38 (0.23–0.63) for ischemic stroke, 0.33 (0.18–0.61) for lacunar infarction, 0.30 (0.14–0.65) for hemorrhagic stroke, and 0.30 (0.12–0.77) for intraparenchymal hemorrhage. The respective multivariable odds ratios for 1SD (0.10 mmol/L) increment of M-HDL cholesterol levels were 0.56 (0.41–0.75), 0.63 (0.45–0.88), 0.59 (0.40–0.87), 0.41 (0.21–0.80), and 0.38 (0.16–0.90). No associations were found between L-HDL cholesterol levels and risk of total stroke and its subtypes.

Conclusions—

Small- to medium-sized HDL, not large HDL, cholesterol levels were inversely associated with total stroke risk.
Burden of Blood Pressure–Related Alleles Is Associated With Larger Hematoma Volume and Worse Outcome in Intracerebral Hemorrhage
Authors: Falcone Guido J. , Biffi Alessandro , Devan William J. , Brouwers H. Bart , Anderson Christopher D. , Valant Valerie , Ayres Alison M. , Schwab Kristin , Rost Natalia S. , Goldstein Joshua N. , Viswanathan Anand , Greenberg Steven M. , Selim Magdy , Meschia James F. , Brown Devin L. , Worrall Bradford B. , Silliman Scott L. , Tirschwell David L. , Rosand Jonathan ,   on behalf of the GOCHA Investigators
Published: January 2013

Background and Purpose—

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is the acute manifestation of a progressive disease of the cerebral small vessels. The severity of this disease seems to influence not only risk of ICH but also the size of the hematoma. As the burden of high blood pressure–related alleles is associated with both hypertension-related end-organ damage and risk of ICH, we sought to determine whether this burden influences ICH baseline hematoma volume.

Methods—

Prospective study in subjects of European descent with supratentorial ICH who underwent genome-wide genotyping. Forty-two single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with high blood pressure were identified from a publicly available database. A genetic risk score was constructed based on these single nucleotide polymorphisms. The score was used as the independent variable in univariate and multivariate regression models for admission ICH volume and poor clinical outcome (modified Rankin Scale, 3–6).

Results—

A total of 323 ICH cases were enrolled in the study (135 deep and 188 lobar intracranial hematomas). The blood pressure–based genetic risk score was associated with both baseline hematoma volume and poor clinical outcome specifically in deep ICH. In multivariate regression analyses, each additional SD of the score increased mean deep ICH volume by 28% (or 2.7 mL increase; β=0.28; SE=0.11;
P
=0.009) and risk of poor clinical outcome by 71% (odds ratio, 1.71; 95% confidence interval, 1.05–2.80;
P
=0.03).

Conclusions—

Increasing numbers of high blood pressure–related alleles are associated with mean baseline hematoma volume and poor clinical outcome in ICH. These findings suggest that the small vessel vasculopathy responsible for the occurrence of the hemorrhage also influences its volume.
Being obsessive-compulsive about terminology and nomenclature is not a vice, but a virtue
Authors: KUHN Jens H. , WAHL-JENSEN Victoria
Published: January 2013

At first glance, discussions among linguists seem utterly absurd to those without linguistic training. Scientific debates on the Chinese languages are a good example. For decades, linguists have been arguing over how many Chinese languages exist. Should Chinese characters be classified as ideographs or pictographs, and are they phonetic or rather syllabic in nature (DeFrancis 1984)? Reading linguistic treatises is reminiscent of reading any specialized scientific article—they are difficult to understand if one is not among the experts. It is only natural that non-experts ask sooner or later whether all of these linguistic discussions are of any practical use, and how much money, often derived from taxes, is spent on them. Of course these discussions are of practical use and money is well spent.
Circumscriptional names of higher taxa in Hexapoda
Authors: KLUGE Nikita Julievich
Published: January 2013

Testing non-typified names by applying rules of circumscriptional nomenclature shows that in most cases the traditional usage can be supported. However, the original circumscription of several widely used non-typified names does not fit the taxa they are applied to. Here I discuss names historically applied to the taxa whose correct circumscriptional names should be Hexapoda, Amyocerata, Triplura, Dermatoptera, Saltatoria, Spectra, Pandictyoptera, Palaeoblattariae, Neoblattariae, Parametabola, Parasita, Arthroidignatha, Plantisuga, Metabola, Birostrata, Rhaphidioptera, Meganeuroptera, Eleuterata, Panzygothoraca, Lepidoptera and Glossolepidoptera. The new names Holopandictyoptera taxon nov., Cryptovipositoria taxon nov., Oothecophora taxon nov., Enteracantha taxon nov., and Pleuroptera taxon nov. are proposed for recognized but yet unnamed taxa.
Viewing the Draft BioCode as a protistologist and museum employee
Authors: AESCHT Erna
Published: January 2013

The initiative resulting in a revived Draft BioCode (DBC) is highly welcomed, to a lesser extent the acontextual, ahistorical and disembodied presentation of the latter. Examples from ciliatology show that we not only face a taxonomic gap combined with a biodiversity crisis but also a “nomenclature awareness” gap. Because of many discrepancies between announced and actually deposited type material in protistology, a four-eyes principle is suggested, viz. registration of type specimen(s) should be performed or countersigned by the curator(s) of the relevant institution(s), preferably natural history museums. Pseudonomenclature may be characterized by a loose series of articles covering more or less ranks viewed from a top-down perspective, a misleading, discordant terminology (e.g. concerning diagnosis, circumscription, protologue, sorts of types) and a stability concept flawed by the absence of clear guidelines concerning “prevailing usage” or “established custom”. Bionomenclature-in-the-making resulting in a de facto unified BioCode would be enhanced by a critical mass of taxonomists defending a clear coherent plan favouring a bottom-up approach, i.e., most important are concrete specimens including their (micro)habitats, a fine-tuned, consistent terminology, and stringent, automatic rules.
The rich but confusing terminology of biological nomenclature: a first step towards a comprehensive glossary
Authors: DUBOIS Alain
Published: January 2013

Biology deals with billions of living organisms, which display a great diversity but also share many characters, being the result of an evolution. Designating these organisms in a universal and unambiguous way is a basic need for communication, not only among taxonomists or even biologists, but with society as a whole. It is indispensable to have a unique system for distinguishing and naming the organisms that may be used for alimentary, agronomical, veterinary or medical purposes or for any other human needs, that may be responsible for diseases, pollutions, biotic invasions, that we may wish to protect, study or admire, etc. For all these purposes, we need a scientific discipline, taxonomy, dealing not only with the classification of living organisms into millions of classificatory units, the taxa, but also with the designation and indexation of these taxa (nomenclature). Biological nomenclature has to care for the scientific naming of millions of taxa (species and higher taxa like genera or families), the inventory of which is still very far from being finished.
Increased Variability in Cold-Season Temperature since the 1930s in Subtropical China
Authors: Duan Jianping , Zhang Qi-bin , Lv Li-Xin
Published: January 2013

The recent increase in the frequency of winter cold extremes has received particular attention in light of the climate's warming. Knowledge about changes in the frequency of winter cold extremes requires long-term climate data over large spatial scale. In this study, a temperature-sensitive tree-ring network consisting of 31 sampling sites collected from seven provinces in subtropical China was used to investigate the characteristics of cold-season temperature extremes during the past two centuries. The results show that the percentage of trees in a year that experienced an abnormal decrease in radial growth relative to the previous year can serve as an indicator of interannual change in January–March temperature in subtropical China. The frequency of extreme interannual decreases in cold-season temperature has increased since the 1930s. The change in cold-season temperature was significantly correlated with the intensity of the Siberian high, yet the correlation was much weaker in the period preceding the 1930s. The findings provide evidence of a frequency change in the occurrence of interannual cold-season temperature extremes in the past two centuries for subtropical China. Particularly, the pattern in the variation of cold-season temperature suggests a change in climate systems around the 1930s.
The South-Central U.S. Flood of May 2010: Present and Future*
Authors: Lackmann Gary M.
Published: January 2013

Previous studies have documented a feedback mechanism involving the cyclonic low-level jet (LLJ), poleward moisture flux and flux convergence, and condensational heating. Increased water vapor content and potentially heavier precipitation accompanying climate warming suggest the hypothesis that this feedback could strengthen with warming, contributing to amplification of precipitation extremes beyond what the thermodynamically controlled vapor increase would provide. Here, this hypothesis is tested with numerical simulations of a severe flooding event that took place in early May 2010 in the south-central United States.

Control simulations with a mesoscale model capture the main features of the May 2010 flooding event. A pseudo–global warming approach is used to modify the current initial, surface, and boundary conditions by applying thermodynamic changes projected by an ensemble of GCMs for the A2 emission scenario. The observed synoptic pattern of the flooding event is replicated but with modified future thermodynamics, allowing isolation of thermodynamic changes on the moisture feedback. This comparison does not indicate a strengthening of the LLJ in the future simulation. Analysis of the lower-tropospheric potential vorticity evolution reveals that the southern portion of the LLJ over the Gulf of Mexico in this event was strengthened through processes involving the terrain of the Mexican Plateau; this aspect is largely insensitive to climate change. Despite the lack of LLJ strengthening, precipitation in the future simulation increased at a super Clausius–Clapeyron rate because of strengthened convective updrafts.
Influences of ENSO on Stratospheric Variability, and the Descent of Stratospheric Perturbations into the Lower Troposphere
Authors: Li Ying , Lau Ngar-Cheung
Published: January 2013

The linkage between El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) through the stratospheric pathway is examined using a global coupled climate model [GFDL Climate Model version 3 (CM3)], with increased vertical resolution and extent in the stratosphere as compared to an earlier model [GFDL Climate Model version 2 (CM2)]. It is demonstrated that the relationship between ENSO and NAO is stronger in CM3 than in CM2.

It is found that ENSO plays an important role in modulating the frequency of occurrence of the stratospheric polar vortex anomalies through enhancement/attenuation of the amplitudes of zonal wavenumbers 1 and 2, especially in late winter. A higher frequency of weak (strong) stratospheric vortex events is simulated in CM3 during El Niño (La Niña) episodes.

The weak vortex events during El Niño winters are preceded by enhancement of the zonal wave-1 pattern and weakening of zonal wave-2 pattern. These modified tropospheric planetary waves propagate upward and then weaken the stratospheric polar vortex through eddy–mean flow interaction. The zonal-mean geopotential response in the stratosphere propagates downward and weakens the polar vortex throughout the troposphere.

The effects of planetary wave refraction in the upper troposphere on the zonally averaged circulation cells in the tropospheric meridional plane, and the linkage between the lower branches of these cells and the near-surface wind patterns, play an important role in the flow pattern over the region corresponding to the southern lobe of the NAO. Specifically, a negative annular mode and NAO response is discernible in weak stratospheric vortex events during El Niño. Conversely, the positive annular mode and NAO is evident in strong vortex events during La Niña.
Observations of Irminger Sea Anticyclonic Eddies
Authors: Fan Xue , Send Uwe , Testor Pierre , Karstensen Johannes , Lherminier Pascale
Published: January 2013

Mesoscale anticyclonic eddies in the Irminger Sea are observed using a mooring and a glider. Between 2002 and 2009, the mooring observed 53 anticyclones. Using a kinematic model, objective estimates of eddy length scales and velocity structure are made for 16 eddies. Anticyclones had a mean core diameter of 12 km, and their mean peak observed azimuthal speed was 0.1 m s−1. They had core salinities and potential temperatures of 34.91–34.98 and 4.48°–5.34°C, respectively, making them warm and salty features. These properties represent a typical salinity anomaly of 0.03 and a temperature anomaly of 0.28°C from noneddy values. All eddies had small (≪1) Rossby numbers. In 2006, the glider observed two anticyclones having diameters of about 20 km and peak azimuthal speeds of about 0.3 m s−1. Similar salinity anomalies were detected throughout the Irminger Sea by floats profiling in anticyclones. Two formation regions for the eddies are identified: one to the west of the Reykjanes Ridge and the other off the East Greenland Irminger Current near Cape Farewell close to the mooring. Observations indicate that eddies formed in the former region are larger than eddies observed at the mooring. A clear increase in eddy salinity is observed between 2002 and 2009. The observed breakup of these eddies in winter implies that they are a source of salt for the central gyre. The anticyclones are similar to those found in both the Labrador Sea and Norwegian Sea, making them a ubiquitous feature of the subpolar North Atlantic basins.
Subharmonic Energy Transfer from the Semidiurnal Internal Tide to Near-Diurnal Motions over Kaena Ridge, Hawaii
Authors: Sun Oliver M. , Pinkel Robert
Published: January 2013

Nonlinear energy transfers from the semidiurnal internal tide to high-mode, near-diurnal motions are documented near Kaena Ridge, Hawaii, an energetic generation site for the baroclinic tide. Data were collected aboard the Research Floating Instrument Platform (FLIP) over a 35-day period during the fall of 2002, as part of the Hawaii Ocean Mixing Experiment (HOME) Nearfield program.

Energy transfer terms for a PSI resonant interaction at midlatitude are identified and compared to those for near-inertial PSI close to the M2 critical latitude. Bispectral techniques are used to demonstrate significant energy transfers in the Nearfield, between the low-mode M2 internal tide and subharmonic waves with frequencies near M2/2 and vertical wavelengths of O(120 m). A novel prefilter is used to test the PSI wavenumber resonance condition, which requires the subharmonic waves to propagate in opposite vertical directions. Depth–time maps of the interactions, formed by directly estimating the energy transfer terms, show that energy is transferred predominantly from the tide to subharmonic waves, but numerous reverse energy transfers are also found. A net forward energy transfer rate of 2 × 10−9 W kg−1 is found below 400 m.

The suggestion is that the HOME observations of energy transfer from the tide to subharmonic waves represent a first step in the open-ocean energy cascade. Observed PSI transfer rates could account for a small but significant fraction of the turbulent dissipation of the tide within 60 km of Kaena Ridge. Further extrapolation suggests that integrated PSI energy transfers equatorward of the M2 critical latitude may be comparable to PSI energy transfers previously observed near 28.8°N.
Parameterizing Surface and Internal Tide Scattering and Breaking on Supercritical Topography: The One- and Two-Ridge Cases
Authors: Klymak Jody M. , Buijsman Maarten , Legg Sonya , Pinkel Robert
Published: January 2013

A parameterization is presented for turbulence dissipation due to internal tides generated at and impinging upon topography steep enough to be “supercritical” with respect to the tide. The parameterization requires knowledge of the topography, stratification, and the remote forcing—either barotropic or baroclinic. Internal modes that are arrested at the crest of the topography are assumed to dissipate, and faster modes assumed to propagate away. The energy flux into each mode is predicted using a knife-edge topography that allows linear numerical solutions. The parameterization is tested using high-resolution two-dimensional numerical models of barotropic and internal tides impinging on an isolated ridge, and for the generation problem on a two-ridge system. The recipe is seen to work well compared to numerical simulations of isolated ridges, so long as the ridge has a slope steeper than twice the critical steepness. For less steeply sloped ridges, near-critical generation becomes more dominant. For the two-ridge case, the recipe works well when compared to numerical model runs with very thin ridges. However, as the ridges are widened, even by a small amount, the recipe does poorly in an unspecified manner because the linear response at high modes becomes compromised as it interacts with the slopes.
Better Safe Than Sorry
Authors: Herlin Heidi
Published: January 2013

This article aims to clarify the potential impact of cross-sector partnerships on nonprofit organizational legitimacy and to provide nonprofit organizations (NPOs) with strategic direction on how to approach cross-sector partnerships to avoid running into a legitimacy crisis. Five theoretical propositions are developed based on existing theory on cross-sector partnerships, organizational legitimacy, and identity and are matched with empirical data consisting of 257 survey responses and seven in-depth interviews in a single case study of a Finnish social welfare organization. Results suggest that engagement with companies may threaten NPO legitimacy by challenging core values and identity traits. Due to power asymmetries in favor of the company, the legitimacy risk is particularly serious for integrative partnerships compared with philanthropic and transactional partnerships. This condition is paradoxical, because integrative partnerships are praised for their greater societal impact and ability to generate joint innovations. Safer options include short-term, project-based partnerships managed and controlled by the NPO, except for brand licensing, which is a high-risk option. Regarding partner selection NPOs should select companies with similar values.
Safely cared for or empowered in mental health care? Yes, please
Authors: Rise Marit B , Westerlund Heidi , Bjørgen Dagfinn , Steinsbekk Aslak
Published: January 2013

Background:

High-quality health services include both safe care as well as involving service users in treatment and decision-making.

Material:

The aim was to explore how mental health service users perceive the relationship between safe care on the one hand and increased influence and decision-making on the other. This was a qualitative study of 15 User Interviewing User evaluation reports, including 417 service users.

Discussion:

Safe and predictable care was essential in poor illness phases, while increased influence and independence were more important in better phases.

Conclusions:

High-quality services are flexible enough to adjust to users’ varying symptoms and needs.
Fanon, the Wretched and Boko Haram
Authors: Hansen William W , Musa Umma Aliyu
Published: January 2013

Frantz Fanon, the Afro-French revolutionary and psychiatrist, developed a theory as to how and why the socially marginalized, the abused, the dregs of humanity, The Other!, eventually rose up in an attempt to reclaim their lost humanity. Fanon’s political writings dealt primarily with the colonial situation, the colonizer and the colonized and the question of race, especially as it unfolded in the Algerian war for independence (1954–62). Boko Haram is a Nigerian jihadist group that has engaged the Nigerian state in all-out warfare since 2009. We use Fanon’s concept of the ‘wretched’ to explain the emergence of Boko Haram in a post-colonial situation in which the issue of a ‘racial foreigner’ is completely irrelevant and, in so doing, argue for the continued relevance of Fanonist thinking.
Marital Status, Self-Rated Health, and Mortality
Authors: Zheng Hui , Thomas Patricia A.
Published: January 2013

This study challenges two well-established associations in medical sociology: the beneficial effect of marriage on health and the predictive power of self-rated health on mortality. Using The National Health Interview Survey 1986-2004 with 1986-2006 mortality follow-up (789,096 respondents with 24,095 deaths) and Cox Proportional Hazards Models, we find the protective effect of marriage against mortality decreases with deteriorating health so that the married and unmarried in poor health are at similar risk for death. We also find the power of self-rated health to predict mortality is higher for the married than for any unmarried group. By using ordered logistic regression models, we find thresholds shift such that, compared to the unmarried, the married may not report poorer health until developing more severe health problems. These findings suggest the married tend to overestimate their health status. These two phenomena (diminishing protection and overestimation) contribute to but do not completely explain each other.
The power of human beliefs over the state’s behaviour in world politics: An in-depth and comparative case study
Authors: Eun Yong-Soo
Published: January 2013

This article argues that IR researchers concerned with the causation of state behaviour need an approach that posits a human agent as an important analytical category in its own right, thereby treating the specific factor (i.e. political beliefs) of human agents as an end in itself. In order to provide a check on the plausibility of this cognitive-individualist thesis, the article undertakes an in-depth study of a case that constitutes a tough test for that thesis. In addition, a further testing of the argument for the power of human political beliefs over the state’s external behaviour proceeds through a case comparison analysis.
Accessibility and facilities for the disabled in public and university library buildings in Iran
Authors: Bodaghi Nahid Bayat , Zainab A.N.
Published: January 2013

The study examines the views of architect experts and physically disabled users on the accessibility status of 14 public and university library buildings in Iran. The respondents rated on the availability of items listed in a checklist grouped under five categories: parking, ramps, interior layout, exclusive space and public space for the disabled. The checklist was based on the American Disability Act and International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions checklist for libraries for the disabled. The results indicate that the point of view of both disabled users and architects on all criteria is similar except for the ratings on the ramp and the interior layout for the disabled in library buildings. Based on the architects’ responses, 53.8 percent of libraries did not provide ramps and 63.0 percent had no exclusive space for the disabled. Disabled users who rated higher on library accessibility were frequent visitors to the library. The provision of access and equipment met minimum compliant standards on the standard checklist, but there is room for improvements.
Academic status and research publication: the dilemma of librarians at the University of Ghana
Authors: Opoku Daniel
Published: January 2013

A little over a decade ago librarians at the University of Ghana, Legon agitated for, and were accorded academic status equivalent to those in the faculty. What used to be purely a technical and professional job has gradually shifted to academic. Pressure is now being put on all librarians at the University of Ghana to upgrade themselves to academic status. This paper examines the position of librarians in the university before and after the granting of academic status. The paper also looks at the implications of this academic status on research publication and job satisfaction of these librarians.
HIV/AIDS-related information needs of urban and rural residents of northwest Ethiopia: alerting the rural populace and meeting the progressive needs of the urban populace
Authors: Bekalu Mesfin Awoke , Eggermont Steven
Published: January 2013

Urban and rural areas in sub-Saharan Africa are characterized by different HIV/AIDS epidemiological and socio-ecological contexts. Against a backdrop of such variations, the present study assessed the impacts of urbanity vs. rurality on HIV/AIDS-related information needs. Cross-sectional survey data were gathered from 995 respondents in northwest Ethiopia. The findings indicated that urban residents’ concern about and information needs on HIV/AIDS was greater than that of the rural populace. Urban and rural residents were also found to be significantly different in their preferences for specific types of HIV/AIDS-related information. While rurality was found to be associated with a preference for basic HIV transmission and prevention information, urbanity was associated with a preference for information on HIV/AIDS-related care and support. Implications for HIV/AIDS information campaigns are discussed.
‘Best practice’ in developing and evaluating palliative and end-of-life care services: A meta-synthesis of research methods for the MORECare project
Authors: Evans Catherine J , Harding Richard , Higginson Irene J ,   on behalf of MORECare
Published: January 2013

Background:

Improved and cost-effective palliative and end-of-life care is an international policy imperative. Developments are impeded by a weak and often inconsistent evidence base.

Aim:

To examine the main methodological challenges and limitations to developing and evaluating palliative and end-of-life care services and requirements to further this field of research.

Design:

A meta-synthesis to systematically appraise the evidence from systematic reviews on the research methods used in studies evaluating the effectiveness of palliative care services for patients with advanced illness and/or carers meeting inclusion and quality criteria. We extracted data from the reviews on the methodological issues reported on the included studies into Excel spreadsheets and generated textual descriptions coded and analysed in NVivo.

Data sources:

Six electronic databases, reference chaining and expert advice.

Results:

In total, 27 systematic reviews were included on the effectiveness of palliative care services for patients with cancer ( n = 6), advanced illness ( n = 10) or mixed populations ( n = 11) across care settings. Main methodological challenges were implementation as a continuum, active precise recruitment, addressing randomisation and economic evaluation beyond cost savings.

Conclusions:

The complexity of delivering and evaluating palliative and end-of-life care services requires the accumulation of knowledge from multiple sources to understand the active components of an intervention to deliver patient benefit and examine the evaluation methods to detect change and reveal processes prior to a definitive trial. The implementation of evidence into practice should form a continuum throughout the evaluation stages to reveal understanding on the process of intervention delivery, the context and the intended outcome(s).
Weathering performance of delignified pine-based polyvinyl chloride composites
Authors: Fabiyi James S , McDonald Armando G
Published: January 2013

The influence of pine fiber treatments on the color and chemical changes of polyvinyl chloride-based wood plastic composites exposed to outside and xenon-arc accelerated weathering was investigated. The wood plastic composites were produced from pine fiber (untreated control, acetone extracted, and holocellulose (delignified)) and polyvinyl chloride. Different analytical tools (colorimetry, microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and gel permeation chromatography) were employed for weathered wood plastic composites characterization. The study showed that longer exposure time in both outside and accelerated weathering regimes caused an increase in color change and lightness, cracking, higher oxidation but decrease in wood (lignin) content of the weathered wood plastic composites’ surface for all the wood fiber types. The polyvinyl chloride molecular weight decreased with increase in exposure time of the composites. From this study, delignified wood fiber-based wood plastic composites had less color (lightness) change and reduced surface cracking with lowest weathered surface oxidation. Furthermore, relationships between accelerated and outside weathered wood plastic composite surfaces were observed.
Poly (methyl methacrylate) grafted halloysite nanotubes and its epoxy acrylate composites by ultraviolet curing method
Authors: Zhang Junheng , Zhang Daohong , Zhang Aiqing , Jia Zhixin , Jia Demin
Published: January 2013

Addition of natural inorganic nanotubes to epoxy acrylate resin can significantly improve their mechanical properties. Halloysite nanotubes are one kind of novel reinforcing and toughening materials for polymers. In the present work, halloysite nanotubes were compounded to epoxy acrylate resin to improve the wear resistance and toughness of the composites. To improve the embedding of halloysite nanotubes within the epoxy acrylate resin matrix, the halloysite nanotubes surface was grafted by poly (methyl methacrylate). The morphology of the grafted halloysite nanotubes particles demonstrates a core-shell structure with halloysite nanotubes as the core and the grafted polymer as the shell. Poly (methyl methacrylate) was chemically attached to the halloysite nanotubes particles as indicated by the Fourier transform infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results. The poly (methyl methacrylate) grafted halloysite nanotubes (poly (methyl methacrylate)- g-halloysite nanotubes) then compounded with epoxy acrylate resin and composites are formed via ultraviolet-curing method. The hardness, flexibility, impact resistance and wear resistance of epoxy acrylate/poly (methyl methacrylate)- g-halloysite nanotubes composites were markedly improved in comparison with that of neat epoxy acrylate. The improvement was correlated to the well-dispersed halloysite nanotubes and the interfacial bonding between epoxy acrylate resin and poly (methyl methacrylate)- g-halloysite nanotubes. The well dispersion of halloysite nanotubes in the matrix is attributed to the modification on the surface of halloysite nanotubes.
Studies on properties of banana fiber reinforced green composite
Authors: Sharma Naresh Kr , Kumar V
Published: January 2013

India contributes a large percentage to total world production of rice husk, jute, banana, and coconut fiber. All these natural fibers have excellent physical and mechanical properties, which can be used effectively in the development of composite materials for various structural applications. This article gives an overall view of banana fiber composite and its mechanical properties. The advantage of using natural fiber materials over traditional materials and its possible growth in future are also discussed. The experimental results showed that 15 wt% banana fiber reinforced composite show optimum mechanical properties.