bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Satellite Observations for CMIP5: The Genesis of Obs4MIPs
Authors: Teixeira Joao , Waliser Duane , Ferraro Robert , Gleckler Peter , Lee Tsengdar , Potter Gerald
Published: April 2014

The objective of the Observations for Model Intercomparison Projects (Obs4MIPs) is to provide observational data to the climate science community, which is analogous (in terms of variables, temporal and spatial frequency, and periods) to output from the 5th phase of the World Climate Research Programme's (WCRP) Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) climate model simulations. The essential aspect of the Obs4MIPs methodology is that it strictly follows the CMIP5 protocol document when selecting the observational datasets. Obs4MIPs also provides documentation that describes aspects of the observational data (e.g., data origin, instrument overview, uncertainty estimates) that are of particular relevance to scientists involved in climate model evaluation and analysis. In this paper, we focus on the activities related to the initial set of satellite observations, which are being carried out in close coordination with CMIP5 and directly engage NASA's observational (e.g., mission and instrument) science teams. Having launched Obs4MIPs with these datasets, a broader effort is also briefly discussed, striving to engage other agencies and experts who maintain datasets, including reanalysis, which can be directly used to evaluate climate models. Different strategies for using satellite observations to evaluate climate models are also briefly summarized.
The Response of Large-Scale Circulation to Obliquity-Induced Changes in Meridional Heating Gradients
Authors: Mantsis Damianos F. , Lintner Benjamin R. , Broccoli Anthony J. , Erb Michael P. , Clement Amy C. , Park Hyo-Seok
Published: April 2014

The inter- and intrahemispheric climate responses to a change in obliquity are investigated using the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory Climate Model, version 2.1. (GFDL CM2.1). Reduced obliquity causes a weakening of the seasonal insolation contrast between the summer and winter hemispheres and a strengthening of the meridional insolation gradient within the summer hemisphere. The interhemispheric insolation change is associated with weakening of the cross-equatorial Hadley circulation and reduced heat transport from the summer hemisphere to the winter hemisphere, in both the ocean and atmosphere. In contrast, the intrahemispheric insolation change is associated with increased midlatitude summer eddy activity as seen by the increased atmospheric heat transport at those latitudes. Analysis of the zonal mean atmospheric meridional overturning circulation on isentropic surfaces confirms the increase of the midlatitude eddy circulation, which is driven by changes of sensible and latent heat fluxes, as well as changes in the stratification or distribution of entropy. It is suggested that the strengthening of this circulation is associated with an equatorward shift of the ascending branch of the winter Hadley cell.
Modulation of Marine Low Clouds Associated with the Tropical Intraseasonal Variability over the Eastern Pacific
Authors: Jiang Xianan , Kubar Terence L. , Wong Sun , Olson William S. , Waliser Duane E.
Published: April 2014

Owing to its profound influences on global energy balance, accurate representation of low cloud variability in climate models is an urgent need for future climate projection. In the present study, marine low cloud variability on intraseasonal time scales is characterized, with a particular focus over the Pacific basin during boreal summer and its association with the dominant mode of tropical intraseasonal variability (TISV) over the eastern Pacific (EPAC) intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ). Analyses indicate that, when anomalous TISV convection is enhanced over the elongated EPAC ITCZ, reduction of low cloud fraction (LCF) is evident over a vast area of the central North Pacific. Subsequently, when the enhanced TISV convection migrates to the northern part of the EPAC warm pool, a “comma shaped” pattern of reduced LCF prevails over the subtropical North Pacific, along with a pronounced reduction of LCF present over the southeast Pacific (SEPAC). Further analyses indicate that surface latent heat fluxes and boundary heights induced by anomalous low-level circulation through temperature advection and changes of total wind speed, as well as midlevel vertical velocity associated with the EPAC TISV, could be the most prominent factors in regulating the intraseasonal variability of LCF over the North Pacific. For the SEPAC, temperature anomalies at the top of the boundary inversion layer between 850 and 800 hPa play a critical role in the local LCF intraseasonal variations. Results presented in this study provide not only improved understanding of variability of marine low clouds and the underlying physics, but also a prominent benchmark in constraining and evaluating the representation of low clouds in climate models.
The clinical characteristics of obsessive compulsive disorder associated with high levels of schizotypy
Authors: Brakoulias Vlasios , Starcevic Vladan , Berle David , Milicevic Denise , Hannan Anthony , Viswasam Kirupamani , Mann Kristy
Published: April 2014

Objectives:

This study aims to examine the characteristics of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) associated with high levels of schizotypy.

Methods:

Using the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) with 177 individuals with OCD, patients with OCD and high levels of schizotypy (OCD-HS) were compared to patients with OCD and low levels of schizotypy (OCD-LS) on a range of clinical characteristics. Self-report and clinician-administered instruments were used. Results were adjusted for the severity of OCD symptoms, age, marital status and comorbidity using logistic regression.

Results:

Patients with OCD-HS were younger and less likely to have been married. OCD-HS was associated with higher rates of symmetry/order obsessions, ordering/arranging compulsions, checking compulsions, co-occurring major depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorders and greater general psychopathology. Previously reported associations, such as higher total scores on the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) were not significant when adjusted for differences in demographic variables and comorbidity.

Conclusions:

Patients with OCD-HS were associated with specific OCD symptoms and comorbid conditions and may warrant a specific treatment approach.
A Meta-Analysis on the Factors That Best Reduce the Achievement Gap
Authors: Jeynes William H.
Published: April 2014

A meta-analyses was undertaken to determine the factors that are most related with reducing the achievement gap. The meta-analysis included 30 studies that examined attempts to bridge the achievement gap between White students on one hand and Black and Latino students on the other. The results indicate that several factors are associated with a reduced achievement gap that could help bridge the gap. A number of these factors go beyond the bounds of the school. These findings suggest that social scientists may need a broad and multidisciplinary approach to the achievement gap, in which they consider a variety of factors can potentially reduce the gap. In addition, the results suggest that social scientist may consider combining educational, psychological, and sociological factors to develop a more comprehensive approach to narrowing the achievement gap. The significance of these results is discussed.
The Appearances of the Risen Christ: A Lexical-exegetical Examination of St Paul and Other Witnesses
Authors: O’Collins Gerald
Published: April 2014

This article first tackles the translation of the language for the Easter appearances used in 1 Corinthians 15:5–8 and elsewhere in the New Testament. It then examines the nature of these ‘Christophanies.’ It argues that the language used by the New Testament witnesses suggests some perception with the eyes, albeit a ‘graced’ seeing, on the part of the witnesses.
Renewing the Theology of Martyrdom
Authors: Valiente O. Ernesto
Published: April 2014

This study examines the contribution that Latin American liberation theology, specifically the work of Jon Sobrino, offers to the Christian understanding of martyrdom. It contends that over time the Catholic Church’s understanding of martyrdom has become detached from its Christological roots due to an overemphasis on the persecutor’s odium fidei and the martyr’s death for the faith as martyrdom’s central requirements. The essay builds on Jon Sobrino’s Christology to propose that martyrdom is better understood when placed within the context of a Christian discipleship that reflects the centrality of Jesus’ mission and his way of engaging the world—an honest, compassionate, and faithful way of living to the end.
Apologies, Reparations, and the Continuing Legacy of the European Slave Trade in the United States
Authors: Davis Angelique M.
Published: April 2014

Since Virginia’s legislative resolution apologizing for slavery in 2007, Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina as well as the U.S. House and Senate passed unprecedented legislative resolutions apologizing for their role in the perpetuation of enslavement. This article analyzes the apology resolutions of eight states as well as those of the U.S. House and Senate to argue that their failure to recognize the historical and ongoing effects of the European Slave Trade and slavery on the United States as a whole and, most importantly, the status and well-being of African Americans, or provide any concrete remedial measure raises questions about whether or not they were designed to actually atone for these atrocities.
Black Morality Politics
Authors: Tucker-Worgs Tamelyn , Worgs Donn C.
Published: April 2014

In recent years, there have been a number of examples of African Americans mobilizing around morality politics issues. In Maryland, Black churches and church leaders mobilized against legalizing same-sex marriage. This entailed a more extensive mobilization than for any issue in recent memory. Despite this unprecedented mobilization, a majority of Black state legislators supported a measure legalizing same-sex marriage as the vast majority voted on the basis of their personal attitudes on the issue. This suggests Black legislators may serve as a buffer against Black social conservatism. Examination of this issue yields some important insights in terms of how Black churches mobilize in the contemporary context, perceptions of the political power of the Black church, how conceptions of “civil rights” intersects with this particular issue, and the inadequacy of labels like “progressive” or “conservative” to fully describe many Black political actors—especially when it comes to morality politics.
Assessing Spiritual Crises
Authors: Bronn Gerhard , McIlwain Doris
Published: April 2014

What feels like spiritual experience to believers could seem like psychosis, a break from reality, to another. Validating measures that discriminate spiritual experiences from psychopathology reduce iatrogenic effects of misdiagnosis. We tested the reliability and validity of the Spiritual Emergency Scale (SES), assessing internal consistency, test–retest reliability, structural, convergent, and divergent validity. The reliability and validity of the Experiences of Psychotic Symptoms Scale (EPSS) were tested to explore potential convergent and divergent relationships between SE and psychosis. Feedback from a spiritual pilot sample prompted scale amendments to the SES and EPSS, whereby 5-point Likert-type scales replaced true–false options. We sampled 98 people from online spiritual forums, 94 undergraduate psychology students, and 20 of their friends and family. Scales included the following: SE, positive symptoms of psychosis, alogia (disfluency of thought and speech), spirituality, depression, anxiety, stress, and mysticism (experiences of connectedness that escape language). The SES-R and EPSS-R exhibited good internal consistency and structural validity, adequate test–retest reliability, and convergent and divergent validity. SE emerges as a distinct measurable construct, overlapping with positive symptoms of psychosis, distinguishable from the negative dimension of psychosis by its divergent relationship with alogia.
Absorbing the agony of agonism? The limits of cultural questioning and alternative variations of intercultural civility
Authors: van Leeuwen Bart
Published: April 2014

Recently the political philosophy of agonism has been applied by urban theorists to model intercultural urban encounters in so-called ‘micro-publics’, such as the workplace or the classroom. The paper examines to what extent agonism offers a viable model for dealing with urban diversity in these mundane, social encounters. I will argue that, applied to these lower-level social contexts, agonism takes the vulnerability of citizens with regard to their ethnic, cultural or religious attachments insufficiently into account. The resulting injuries will most likely be counter-productive to the goal of living with diversity. By way of a contrast, I will offer two less demanding, more practicable types of intercultural civility.
Resources, indicators, data management, dissemination and use in health information systems in sub-Saharan Africa: results of a questionnaire-based survey
Authors: Mbondji Peter Ebongue , Kebede Derege , Soumbey-Alley Edoh William , Zielinski Chris , Kouvividila Wenceslas , Lusamba-Dikassa Paul-Samson
Published: April 2014

Objective

To describe the status of health information systems in 14 sub-Saharan African countries of the World Health Organization African Region.

Design

A questionnaire-based survey.

Setting

Fourteen sub-Saharan African countries of the African Region.

Participants

Key informants in the ministries of health, national statistics offices, health programmes, donors and technical agencies.

Main outcome measures

State of resources, indicators, data sources, data management, information products, dissemination and use of health information.

Results

The highest average score was in the identification and harmonisation of indicators (73%), reflecting successful efforts to identify priority indicators and reach international consensus on indicators for several diseases. This was followed by information products (63%), which indicated the availability of accurate and reliable data. The lowest score (41%) was in data management, the ability to collect, store, analyse and distribute data, followed by resources – policy and planning, human and financial resources, and infrastructure (53%). Data sources (e.g. censuses, surveys) were on average inadequate with a score of 56%. The average score for dissemination and use of health information was 57%, which indicated limited or inadequate use of data for advocacy, planning and decision-making.

Conclusions

National health information systems are weak in the surveyed countries and much more needs to be done to improve the quality and relevance of data, and their management, sharing and use for policy-making and decision-making.
Medical relevance of UK-funded non-human primate research published from January 1997 to July 2012
Authors: Moore Edward
Published: April 2014

In 2012, the Bateson Review of research using non-human primates (NHPs) recommended the commissioning of a working group to identify and follow-up the results of UK-funded NHP research of potential benefit for human health (Recommendation 4), but the Medical Research Council (MRC) has postponed implementation of the recommendation. Information on results and potential benefits of NHP research therefore remains unavailable. To fill this gap in knowledge, this study identified all published NHP research studies funded by the MRC, Wellcome Trust and Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) from January 1997 to July 2012 and assessed full texts for medical relevance. In total, 284 papers were identified, of which 51 (18%) involved invasive NHP research, compared to 176 (61%) which used NHP tissue and cell lines, indicating a shift in research emphasis from invasive whole animal to cell-based research. Of these studies, 98 (35%) were medically relevant, of which 22 had potential therapeutic or public health applications. The relatively low proportion of medical studies together with the small number of applied studies raises questions over the level of investment in medical research and the effectiveness of knowledge transfer from basic to applied research. Implementation of the Bateson Review’s Recommendation 4 would address these questions.
Fairness Enactment as Response to Higher Level Unfairness
Authors: van Houwelingen Gijs , van Dijke Marius , De Cremer David
Published: April 2014

In contrast to the abundance of evidence on employee reactions to manager unfairness, we know very little about factors that predict whether managers will act fairly or not. This article explores the effect of procedural unfairness that emanates from higher level managers on procedural fairness enactment at lower levels in the organization. We argue that lower level managers can enact both more and less fair procedures in response to higher level unfairness and that this depends on the extent to which lower level managers define the self in terms of their relation with their higher level manager (i.e., relational-interdependent self-construal). We study both the moderating role of self-construal and how it is embedded in the physical environment of the organization. We pay particular attention to how spatial distance between higher and lower management affects self-construal at lower levels and—because of this relationship—the enactment of fair procedures within the organization. We conduct four studies (in two of which we study spatial distance as an antecedent for self-construal) and show that relatively high levels of relational-interdependent self-construal lead to assimilation in terms of procedural fairness enactment, whereas relatively low levels lead to contrast.
Knowledge-Based and Contextual Factors Associated with R&D Teams’ Improvisation Capability
Authors: Vera Dusya , Nemanich Louise , Vélez-Castrillón Susana , Werner Steve
Published: April 2014

We examine three knowledge-based processes and interactions underlying an effective improvisation capability in research and development (R&D) teams: a team’s ability to create a shared understanding of new knowledge, a team’s experience working together, and a team’s ability to gather external knowledge. Using a sample of 100 R&D teams developing computer technology innovations, we also examine the moderating role of “minimal structures” (goal clarity combined with autonomy) as a contextual factor supporting effective improvisation. Our results detected different ways in which the processes and interactions involved in an improvisation capability interacted with the context. We find support for the positive relationship between shared understanding of new knowledge and improvisation capability and find that this relationship is strengthened by minimal structures. Team’s experience working together was not associated with improvisation capability, but when minimal structures are present, more experience working together is positively related to improvisation. Finally, a team’s external knowledge-gathering ability is positively associated with improvisation, but, surprisingly, when minimal structures are present, this positive effect is reduced. We conclude with implications for improvisation theory and for the practice of R&D teams.
How structure shapes content, or why the ‘Hindi turn’ of Star Plus became the ‘Hindu turn’
Authors: Chakrabarti Santanu
Published: April 2014

Why was there in the year 2000 a significant shift in the representation of families on Indian soap operas, from middle-class nuclear families with independent working women to upper-class joint families with only homemakers; and from milieus in which the religion of the characters was incidental, to milieus in which the Hindu religion and the performance of it was of central importance? I argue that a confluence of three forces enabled these shifts: (1) in marketing, a radical ‘bottom-of-the-pyramid’ approach; (2) in TV, the industry’s attempts to find audiences in large numbers, mediated by the structure of the Indian audience measurement system; and (3) Hindu nationalists’ focus on ‘middle-class’ audiences. In other words, I show how the very structure of the audience marketplace, especially the Indian television audience measurement system and shifts in marketing practices, abets the naturalization of particular political discourses within popular cultural forms, in this case Hindu nationalist discourse within television soap opera. This article makes a significant contribution to audience measurement studies and, by showing the mechanics of the naturalization of Hindu nationalist ideologies in popular culture, contributes to the literature investigating the influence of ideologies of nationalism in everyday life.
The rise of the Brazilian blockbuster: how ideas of exceptionality and scale shape a booming cinema
Authors: Brannon Donoghue Courtney
Published: April 2014

Increased transnational partnerships, commercialization, and convergence largely shape the organizational and industrial dynamics of Brazilian media industries today. This article examines the current Brazilian blockbuster cycle as a production model as well as through discourses of exceptionality and distribution mentalities. Based on interviews and field research, trade stories suggest Brazilian filmmakers are not trying to replicate Hollywood but adapt parts of a production strategy to reimagine the scale and commercial nature of this national cinema. Overall, the 2000s blockbuster cycle follows traditional discourses surrounding the blockbuster such as scope, scale, and exceptionality on a local level, yet reflects an aim to promote the Brazilian economy and national identity as a powerful player on the global stage. A closer look at the Tropa de Elite film franchise reveals how the local blockbuster reflects industrial practices and discursive patterns of culture-as-resource. As a “mode of differentiated production,” the local blockbuster model trades on exception and cultural particularities as currency within the transnational economy.
Religion in the public sphere
Authors: Smith Andrew F.
Published: April 2014

Commonplace among deliberative theorists is the view that, when defending preferred laws and policies, citizens should appeal only to reasons they expect others reasonably to accept. This view has been challenged on the grounds that it places an undue burden on religious citizens who feel duty-bound to appeal to religious reasons to justify preferred positions. In response, I develop a conception of democratic deliberation that provides unlimited latitude regarding the sorts of reasons that can be introduced, so long as one is prepared to defend them against criticism. Moreover, I contend that religious citizens have a powerful incentive, based on their religious convictions, to be fully responsive to criticism. I defend this proposition by drawing on Robert Erlewine’s account of Hermann Cohen’s ‘religion of reason’.
The cultural defense and women’s human rights
Authors: Frick Marie-Luisa
Published: April 2014

In our era of globalization, migration increasingly enforces cultural heterogeneity at the level of single societies and countries mirroring the cultural heterogeneity at the macroscopic level, i.e. the planet. Thus, the question of intercultural understanding and coexistence not only is crucial when it comes to states, but is increasingly gaining in importance in terms of identifying preconditions that enable individuals from various cultural backgrounds to share one commonwealth. At present, a growing number of people are convinced that this challenge is not easily met due to what are believed to be fundamental moral disagreements between ‘western’ and ‘non-western’ (in particular, Islamic) culture(s). Against this background, different proposals have been provided to rise to the above-mentioned challenge. One of them is to allow for ‘cultural’ justifications in matters of criminal law. In this article I try to outline the state of discussion on claims for a ‘cultural defense’ by identifying and analysing three distinct rationales: the argument from pluralism; the argument from fairness; and the argument from necessity. Finally, I critically reflect on them from a human rights perspective.
Analysis of Nasal Septal Deviation in Cleft Palate and/or Alveolus Patients Using Cone‐Beam Computed Tomography
Authors: Jiang Meng , You Meng , Wang Shuai , Wang Ke , Feng Bin , Wang Hu
Published: April 2014

Objective

This study was performed to analyze features of nasal septal deviation of patients with different cleft types and noncleft controls.

Study Design

Case‐control study.

Setting

West China Hospital of Stomatology, Chengdu, China.

Subjects and Methods

Sixty‐six patients with palatal and/or alveolar cleft and 42 noncleft controls were recruited in the study. All the subjects have undergone cone‐beam computed tomography scan. The range, angle, vertical location, and convex direction of nasal septal deviation were carefully studied for each subject. The data were compared between the cleft group and noncleft controls. The differences of deviation among various cleft types were also carefully evaluated to demonstrate whether the differences in cleft types affect the features of nasal septal deviation.

Results

The mean range 7.71 mm and angle 10.37° of nasal septal deviation in cleft group were significantly greater than that in control group of 1.96 mm and 2.34°. The maximum point of nasal septal deviation in cleft group vertically occurred more often at inferior turbinate level (27/66) followed by lower inter‐turbinate level (16/66) and middle turbinate level (11/66). Patients with complete cleft palate presented greater deviation than incomplete cleft palate or simple cleft alveolus patients. The convex direction of deviation was to the cleft side for all patients with complete cleft palate or simple alveolar cleft.

Conclusion

Patients with cleft palate and/or alveolus presented greater deviation of nasal septum than noncleft controls. Patients of different cleft types showed various severity and features of nasal septal deviation.
Individuals with a gifted/attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder diagnosis
Authors: Lee Kelly M , Olenchak F Richard
Published: April 2014

This paper reviews the current literature on twice-exceptional students who are dual diagnosed as having giftedness and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This area of research is warranted because giftedness and ADHD present similarly but have different ramifications for performance and outcomes. In addition, research inquiry and intervention can ease the frustration of those individuals who have both of these strengths and weaknesses. Giftedness and ADHD are examined in terms of identification of individual and dual diagnoses; performance of gifted students with ADHD, including underachievement and creativity; psychosocial outcomes; and interventions for students with giftedness/ADHD. Gaps in the literature and future directions are discussed.
A Balance Beam Aid for Instruction in Clinical Diagnostic Reasoning
Authors: Hamm Robert M. , Beasley William Howard , Johnson William Jay
Published: April 2014

We describe a balance beam aid for instruction in diagnosis (BBAID) and demonstrate its potential use in supplementing the training of medical students to diagnose acute chest pain. We suggest the BBAID helps students understand the process of diagnosis because the impact of tokens (weights and helium balloons) attached to a beam at different distances from the fulcrum is analogous to the impact of evidence to the relative support for 2 diseases. The BBAID presents a list of potential findings and allows students to specify whether each is present, absent, or unknown. It displays the likelihood ratios corresponding to a positive (LR+) or negative (LR–) observation for each symptom, for any pair of diseases. For each specified finding, a token is placed on the beam at a location whose distance from the fulcrum is proportional to the finding’s log(LR): a downward force (a weight) if the finding is present and a lifting force (a balloon) if it is absent. Combining the physical torques of multiple tokens is mathematically identical to applying Bayes’ theorem to multiple independent findings, so the balance beam is a high-fidelity metaphor. Seven first-year medical students and 3 faculty members consulted the BBAID while diagnosing brief patient case vignettes. Student comments indicated the program is usable, helpful for understanding pertinent positive and negative findings’ usefulness in particular situations, and welcome as a reference or self-test. All students attended the effect of the tokens on the beam, although some stated they did not use the numerical statistics. Faculty noted the BBAID might be particularly helpful in reminding students of diseases that should not be missed and identifying pertinent findings to ask for.
Self-organized aggregation without computation
Authors: Gauci Melvin , Chen Jianing , Li Wei , Dodd Tony J. , Groß Roderich
Published: April 2014

This paper presents a solution to the problem of self-organized aggregation of embodied robots that requires no arithmetic computation. The robots have no memory and are equipped with one binary sensor, which informs them whether or not there is another robot in their line of sight. It is proven that the sensor needs to have a sufficiently long range; otherwise aggregation cannot be guaranteed, irrespective of the controller used. The optimal controller is found by performing a grid search over the space of all possible controllers. With this controller, robots rotate on the spot when they perceive another robot, and move backwards along a circular trajectory otherwise. This controller is proven to always aggregate two simultaneously moving robots in finite time, an upper bound for which is provided. Simulations show that the controller also aggregates at least 1000 robots into a single cluster consistently. Moreover, in 30 experiments with 40 physical e-puck robots, 98.6% of the robots aggregated into one cluster. The results obtained have profound implications for the implementation of multi-robot systems at scales where conventional approaches to sensing and information processing are no longer applicable.
Thoracic Aortic Rupture and Aortopulmonary Fistulation in the Friesian Horse
Authors: Ploeg M. , Saey V. , Delesalle C. , Gröne A. , Ducatelle R. , de Bruijn M. , Back W. , van Weeren P. R. , van Loon G. , Chiers K.
Published: April 2014

Aortic rupture in horses is a rare condition. Although it is relatively common in the Friesian breed, only limited histopathologic information is available. Twenty Friesian horses (1–10 years old) were diagnosed with aortic rupture by postmortem examination. Ruptured aortic walls were analyzed with histology and immunohistochemistry. Based on the histologic and immunohistochemical findings, these cases were divided into 3 groups: acute ( n = 4, 20%), subacute ( n = 8, 40%), and chronic ( n = 8, 40%). Features common to samples from horses in all groups included accumulation of mucoid material; disorganization and fragmentation of the elastic laminae; aortic medial smooth muscle hypertrophy; and medial necrosis of varying degrees, ranging from mild and patchy in the acute cases to severe midzonal necrosis in the chronic cases. Inflammation, most likely secondary to medial necrosis, varied from predominantly neutrophilic infiltrates in the media and periadventitial tissue in the acute group to the presence of mainly hemosiderophages in the periadventitial tissue in the chronic group. Medial fibrosis with aberrant collagen morphology was seen in the subacute group and, more commonly, in the chronic group. Only minimal changes were seen in the aortic vasa vasorum. Smooth muscle hypertrophy and accumulation of mucoid material were not related to the age of the lesions. The findings of this study suggest that a connective tissue disorder affecting elastin or collagen in the aortic media is potentially the underlying cause of aortic rupture in Friesian horses.
Prognostic Evaluation of Feline Mammary Carcinomas
Authors: Zappulli V. , Rasotto R. , Caliari D. , Mainenti M. , Peña L. , Goldschmidt M. H. , Kiupel M.
Published: April 2014

A large number of studies have investigated feline mammary tumors in an attempt to identify prognostic markers and generate comparative analyses with human breast cancer. Nevertheless, a retrospective base of assessments and the lack of standardization in methodology and study design have caused weakness in study results, making comparison difficult. We examined feline mammary tumor publications and evaluated postulated prognostic parameters according to the recently published “Recommended Guidelines for the Conduct and Evaluation of Prognostic Studies in Veterinary Oncology.” Using these criteria, we determined with statistically significant reliability that prognostic parameters for feline mammary tumors are tumor grading and lymph node/lymphovascular invasion. Furthermore, tumor subtype, size, and staging are worthy of further standardized investigation. We present statistical significance for each studied parameter as well as its relevance to disease progression and survival. Our evaluation suggests that marker expression (ie, Ki67, HER2, ER) may provide relevant information applicable for therapeutic predictions; however, consensus efforts and protocol standardization are needed. We identify and discuss major points of concern—such as sample preservation and selection, standardization of immunohistochemical protocols, and evaluation of results—to provide support for subsequent reliable analyses.
Physician–industry collaboration: Conflicts of interest and the imputation of motive
Authors: Wadmann Sarah
Published: April 2014

Policies about physicians’ involvement with pharmaceutical companies spawn contradictory ideas. One set of policies aims to stimulate collaboration between private companies and publicly employed researchers to spur innovation and economic growth, another addresses what is seen as the problem of physicians’ conflicts of interest stemming from industry collaboration. This article explores how these contradictory policies interact with everyday practice in clinical hypertension research in Denmark. I argue that ‘corporate’ and ‘academic’ research is entangled as physicians participate in industry trials to pursue their own research. Building on document analysis, observations of contract research, and interviews with clinician researchers and industry executives, I show how the establishment of industry ‘ties’ can serve as a way for physicians to navigate the constraints of research infrastructures and live up to intergenerational norms that knit the medical collective together. I discuss how this entanglement shapes medical research in ways that may run counter to the aims of medical innovation policies and that conflicts of interest policies do little to address. I conclude that appreciation of the ways in which economic and moral valuations come together is necessary to understand the conditions for medical research in an intertwined public–private research environment.
Aura status: A not so frequent aura
Authors: João Ana Alagoa , Goucha Tomas B , Martins Isabel P
Published: April 2014

Background

Migraine aura status is a variety of migraine aura with unvalidated research criteria.

Aim and methods

We conducted a systematic review of published cases and a retrospective analysis of 500 cases of migraine with aura to evaluate the applicability and clinical features of ICHD-III beta criteria, compared to a more liberal definition for its diagnosis: ≥3 aura episodes for up to three consecutive days.

Results

Many publications under this title correspond to persistent or formerly designated prolonged auras. Nine cases fulfilled ICHD-III beta status criteria. In our series, either 1.7% or 4.2% cases fulfilled ICDH-III beta or our definition, respectively. Regardless of the criteria, aura status patients were older at onset of status than those with typical aura, had a predominance of visual symptoms, normal neuroimaging and no sequelae. Status recurred in a few.

Conclusion

Both criteria identify a similar population in terms of age, gender, main symptoms, imaging and outcome. Since patients with closely recurring auras might raise the same approach independently of the criteria, the use of more liberal criteria will allow more cases for detailed diagnosis and therapeutic analysis, eventually leading to the identification of subtypes.
National High School Athlete Concussion Rates From 2005-2006 to 2011-2012
Authors: Rosenthal Joseph A. , Foraker Randi E. , Collins Christy L. , Comstock R. Dawn
Published: April 2014

Background:

High school athletes are at risk for concussions. Although a previously published study showed an increase in concussion rates for a single school district, it remains unknown if the rate of concussions among high school athletes is increasing nationally.

Purpose:

To investigate national high school athlete concussion rates over time.

Study Design:

Descriptive epidemiologic study.

Methods:

The rate of concussions per 1000 athlete-exposures was calculated for academic years 2005-2006 through 2011-2012 using the High School Reporting Information Online sports injury surveillance system.

Results:

During the 7-year period of this study, High School Reporting Information Online captured 4024 concussions with overall concussion diagnosis rates increasing significantly from 0.23 to 0.51 ( P = .004). Concussion diagnosis rates increased for each of the 9 sports studied, with 5 sports having statistically significant increases over this 7-year period.

Conclusion:

The study analysis indicates that national concussion diagnosis rates for high school sports have increased significantly over time.
Predictors of Responsiveness to Early Literacy Intervention
Authors: Lam Elizabeth A. , McMaster Kristen L.
Published: April 2014

The purpose of this review was to update previous reviews on factors related to students’ responsiveness to early literacy intervention. The 14 studies in this synthesis used experimental designs, provided small-group or one-on-one reading interventions, and analyzed factors related to responsiveness to those interventions. Participants were students who required intervention supports, with the majority identified as at-risk learners. Factors identified as consistently predictive included word identification, alphabetic principle, fluency, and phonemic awareness. Intellectual functioning and memory were inconsistently predictive. Factors identified as generally not predictive included vocabulary, language, and demographics. Findings of this review may provide guidance to researchers in identifying students who require more intensive intervention supports.
The research on the friction and wear properties of ionic liquid-treated cellulose fibre-filled polyoxymethylene composites
Authors: Tang G , Hu X , Sun DJ , Li XL , Chen QL , Wang W
Published: April 2014

Polyoxymethylene (POM) composites with various contents of cellulose fibres (CFs) were prepared. The effects of fibre content and ionic liquid surface treatment on the tribological behaviour of POM composites were studied under different nominal pressures ranging from 50 N to 300 N. The tribological mechanisms were discussed based on scanning electron microscopy inspections of the worn surfaces. The surface treatment of CFs improves the tribological performance of the neat polymer matrix. Differential scanning calorimetric study showed that CFs played the role of nucleating agents.
Thrombophilia Screening
Authors: Hornsby Lori B. , Armstrong Emily M. , Bellone Jessica M. , Treadway Sarah , Phillippe Haley M.
Published: April 2014

Although controversial, screening for thrombophilia has become common. Testing for antiphospholipid antibodies is indicated in order to guide treatment decisions if there is clinical suspicion for antiphospholipid syndrome. The utility of identifying other thrombophilias in symptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE) is questionable, as the risk of recurrence does not appear to be increased by an appreciable degree with the most common disorders (heterozygosity for factor V Leiden or prothrombin mutation). Although recurrence appears to be increased in those with homozygous or multiple abnormalities and potentially deficiencies in natural anticoagulants, screening to detect these conditions is difficult to justify based on their rarity. The American College of Chest Physicians’ current guidelines note the increased risk of recurrence with idiopathic, proximal events regardless of thrombophilia status. They suggest duration of anticoagulation therapy be based on location and provoking factors rather than whether or not the individual has a thrombophilia. Because routine prophylaxis in asymptomatic individuals with thrombophilia is not recommended, screening of asymptomatic family members is difficult to justify. Screening prior to prescribing combination oral contraceptives is not cost effective, may result in unwanted pregnancies, and may have little effect on the overall rate of VTE.
Mental and physical health: re-assessing the relationship with employment propensity
Authors: Pacheco Gail , Page Dom , Webber Don J
Published: April 2014

There is significant research demonstrating the labour market disadvantage experienced by the disabled community. Yet, relationships between wider ill-health concepts and employment are poorly investigated. This article presents an empirical investigation into the impacts of poor mental and physical health on the propensity to be employed. The results indicate that activity-limiting physical health and accomplishment-limiting mental health issues significantly affect the propensity to be employed. Further investigations reveal the significance of an interacted variable that captures the multiplicative effect of both physical and mental health, illustrating that the combined effect of both health domains can be more influential than separate pathways. Additional empirical analysis highlights gender and ethnicity divides. It is also found that mental health is mostly exogenous to employment propensity. This research provides evidence that mental and physical health related issues can lead to economic exclusion.
An exploration of the professional habitus in the Big 4 accounting firms
Authors: Spence Crawford , Carter Chris
Published: April 2014

The meaning of professionalism is changing, with the commercial pressures of globalization exerting dramatic pressures on the nature of professional work and the skill sets required of professionals. This article engages with this debate by reporting on a qualitative, empirical study undertaken in a domain that has been largely neglected by sociology: professional accounting. Focusing on the elite ‘Big 4’ accounting firms, the ways in which partners and other senior accountants embody institutional logics into their habitus are analysed. It is shown that the embodiment of different logics is inextricably linked to the establishment of hierarchy within the Big 4, with a commercial-professional logic accorded a significantly higher status than a technical-professional logic. Further, the article responds to critics of Bourdieu’s notion of habitus, highlighting how habitus does not merely denote the passive internalization of external structures, but is also capable of disembodying constraining institutional logics, thereby highlighting scope for professional self-determination.
Fluid–structure interaction model of dynamic behavior of the discharge valve in a rotary compressor
Authors: Tan Qin , Pan Shu-lin , Feng Quan-ke , Yu Xiao-ling , Wang Zeng-li
Published: April 2014

A three-dimensional fluid–structure interaction model is proposed for the discharge valve movement in a rotary compressor. The compression chamber pressure measured by the experiment confirmed that the fluid–structure interaction model is able to predict the valve dynamic behavior precisely. To demonstrate that the fact of the discharge port being covered partly by the cylinder and the roller cannot be ignored in the valve model, another fluid–structure interaction model in which the discharge port is not covered and the cylinder shape is simplified to be cylindrical is also specially presented. In this simplified fluid–structure interaction model, the flow energy loss through the discharge valve is 68.8% of that in the fluid–structure interaction model, and the impact velocity of the valve reed impacting on the retainer is 2.9 m/s higher than that in the FSI model. It is found that the valve reed is obviously inclined because the discharge port is covered partly by the cylinder.
A haptic digital tool to assist the design, planning and manufacture of micro- and nanostructures
Authors: Sun J , Liu Y , Ritchie JM , Luo X
Published: April 2014

This work addresses the engineering demands for precise interactive process planning for the manufacture of high precision in the manufacturing of 3D micro- and nanoproducts. It outlines the development of a digital tool based on a haptics-based human–machine interface. This interface is underpinned using an empirical model derived from a series of experimental results obtained from a focused ion beam machine through a series of experiments, which produced the surface topographies of a number of micro- and nanograting arrays; these were systemically analysed to provide an underpinning empirical database, which could be accessed via the haptic process planning system. On accessing these data, highly accurate geometrical models are then input into a haptics human machine interface to emulate the focused ion beam machining process as defined by the customised fabrication parameters. The haptic planning system predicts and simulates the shape and form of the finished product profiles as the haptic device is passed across a virtual substrate. Once the simulation is complete and the outputs verified by the user, the system then automatically outputs a stream file to drive the focused ion beam process to produce the surface topographies required. The simulation results reveal that compared with trial and error method, the haptics-based simulation method is a reliable way to plan and optimise the fabrication parameters in design and manufacture of micro- and nanogratings by focused ion beam machining cost-effectively. This could potentially provide substantial lead time and cost reductions associated with these currently inherently expensive unit cost products as well as demonstrate a novel tool not only for the planning of nanomachining cutting sequences but also for the interactive design of such products. This work also highlights the benefits of an empirical model as a means of underpinning and supporting real-time haptics interaction, something not possible using more numerical-based techniques.