bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Chronic Treatment with Ang-(1-7) Reverses Abnormal Reactivity in the Corpus Cavernosum and Normalizes Diabetes-Induced Changes in the Protein Levels of ACE, ACE2, ROCK1, ROCK2 and Omega-Hydroxylase in a Rat Model of Type 1 Diabetes
Authors: Yousif Mariam H. M. , Makki Batoul , El-Hashim Ahmed Z. , Akhtar Saghir , Benter Ibrahim F.
Published: September 2014

Angiotensin-(1-7) [Ang-(1-7)] may have beneficial effects in diabetes mellitus-induced erectile dysfunction (DMIED) but its molecular actions in the diabetic corpus cavernosum (CC) are not known. We characterized the effects of diabetes and/or chronic in vivo administration of Ang-(1-7) on vascular reactivity in the rat corpus cavernosum (CC) and on protein expression levels of potential downstream effectors of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) such as angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), ACE2, Rho kinases 1 and 2 (ROCK1 and ROCK2), and omega-hydroxylase, the cytochrome-P450 enzyme that metabolizes arachidonic acid to form the vasoconstrictor, 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid. Streptozotocin-treated rats were chronicically administered Ang-(1-7) with or without A779, a Mas receptor antagonist, during weeks 4 to 6 of diabetes. Ang-(1-7) reversed diabetes-induced abnormal reactivity to vasoactive agents (endothelin-1, phenylepherine, and carbachol) in the CC without correcting hyperglycemia. Six weeks of diabetes led to elevated ACE, ROCK1, ROCK 2, and omega-hydroxylase and a concomitant decrease in ACE2 protein expression levels that were normalized by Ang-(1-7) treatment but not upon coadministration of A779. These data are supportive of the notion that the beneficial effects of Ang-(1-7) in DMIED involve counterregulation of diabetes-induced changes in ACE, ACE2, Rho kinases, and omega-hydroxylase proteins in the diabetic CC via a Mas receptor-dependent mechanism.
Physical Activity and Physical Fitness of School-Aged Children and Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Authors: Tyler Kiley , MacDonald Megan , Menear Kristi
Published: September 2014

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by impairments in social communication deficits and the presence of restricted and repetitive behaviors, interests, or activities. Literature comparing the physical activity and fitness of children with ASD to typically developing peers is in need of attention. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the physical activity and fitness of school-aged children with ASD (N=17) in comparison to typically developing peers (N=12). Participants with ASD completed diagnostic and developmental assessments and a series of physical fitness assessments: 20-meter multistage shuttle, sit-and-reach test, handgrip strength, and body mass index. Physical activity was measured using accelerometry and preestablished cut-points of physical activity (Freedson et al., 2005). MANCOVA revealed significant between-group effects in strength (P=.03), while ANCOVA revealed significant between-group effects in sedentary (P=.00), light (P=.00), moderate (P=.00), and total moderate-to-vigorous (P=.01) physical activity. Children with ASD are less physically active and fit than typically developing peers. Adapted physical activity programs are one avenue with intervention potential to combat these lower levels of physical activity and fitness found in children with ASD.
Levels of Soluble E-Cadherin in Breast, Gastric, and Colorectal Cancers
Authors: Repetto Ombretta , De Paoli Paolo , De Re Valli , Canzonieri Vincenzo , Cannizzaro Renato
Published: September 2014

Soluble E-cadherin is a 80 kDa protein fragment coming from the proteolytic cleavage of the extracellular domain of the full length epithelial cadherin, a molecule involved in cell adhesion/polarity and tissue morphogenesis. In comparison with normal epithelia, cancer cells show a decreased cadherin-mediated intercellular adhesion, and sE-cad levels normally increase in body fluids (blood and urine). This review focuses on soluble E-cadherin in sera of patients affected by three solid cancers (breast, gastric, and colorectal cancers) and how its levels correlate or not with some cancer parameters (e.g., dimension, progression, and localisation). We will describe the main proteomics approaches adopted to measure sE-cad bothin vivoandin vitroand the most important findings about its behaviour in cancer dynamics.
Evaluation of a New Modification of Pancreaticogastrostomy after Pancreaticoduodenectomy: Anastomosis of the Pancreatic Duct to the Gastric Mucosa with Invagination of the Pancreatic Remnant End into the Posterior Gastric Wall for Patients with Cancer Head of Pancreas and Periampullary Carcinoma in terms of Postoperative Pancreatic Fistula Formation
Authors: Mazloum Osman Mohamed , Abd El Maksoud Walid
Published: September 2014

Background/Objectives. Postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) remains the main problem after pancreaticoduodenectomy and determines to a large extent the final outcome. We describe a new modification of pancreaticogastrostomy which combines duct to mucosa anastomosis with suturing the pancreatic capsule to posterior gastric wall and then invaginating the pancreatic remnant into the posterior gastric wall. This study was designed to assess the results of this new modification of pancreaticogastrostomy.Methods. The newly modified pancreaticogastrostomy was applied to 37 consecutive patients after pancreaticoduodenectomy for periampullary cancer (64.86%) or cancer head of the pancreas (35.14%). Eighteen patients (48.65%) had a soft pancreatic remnant, 13 patients (35.14%) had firm pancreatic remnant, and 6 patients (16.22%) had intermediate texture of pancreatic remnant. Rate of mortality, early postoperative complications, and hospital stay were also reported.Results. Operative mortality was zero and morbidity was 29.73%. Only three patients (8.11%) developed pancreatic leaks; they were treated conservatively. Eight patients (16.1%) had delayed gastric emptying, one patient (2.70%) had minor hemorrhage, one patient (2.70%) had biliary leak, and four patients (10.81%) had superficial wound infection.Conclusions. The new modified pancreatogastrostomy seems safe and reliable with low rate of POPF. However, further prospective controlled trials are essential to support these results.
Proteomic Identification of Altered Cerebral Proteins in the Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Animal Model
Authors: Nahm Francis Sahngun , Park Zee-Yong , Nahm Sang-Soep , Kim Yong Chul , Lee Pyung Bok
Published: September 2014

Background. Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a rare but debilitating pain disorder. Although the exact pathophysiology of CRPS is not fully understood, central and peripheral mechanisms might be involved in the development of this disorder. To reveal the central mechanism of CRPS, we conducted a proteomic analysis of rat cerebrum using the chronic postischemia pain (CPIP) model, a novel experimental model of CRPS.Materials and Methods. After generating the CPIP animal model, we performed a proteomic analysis of the rat cerebrum using a multidimensional protein identification technology, and screened the proteins differentially expressed between the CPIP and control groups.Results. A total of 155 proteins were differentially expressed between the CPIP and control groups: 125 increased and 30 decreased; expressions of proteins related to cell signaling, synaptic plasticity, regulation of cell proliferation, and cytoskeletal formation were increased in the CPIP group. However, proenkephalin A, cereblon, and neuroserpin were decreased in CPIP group.Conclusion. Altered expression of cerebral proteins in the CPIP model indicates cerebral involvement in the pathogenesis of CRPS. Further study is required to elucidate the roles of these proteins in the development and maintenance of CRPS.
Hemorrhage in the Wall of Pyogenic Brain Abscess on Susceptibility Weighted MR Sequence: A Report of 3 Cases
Authors: Thamburaj Krishnamoorthy , Agarwal Amit K. , Sabat Shyamsunder B. , Nguyen Dan T.
Published: September 2014

Background and Purpose. In pyogenic brain abscess, hemorrhage in the walls is considered exceptional. Recently, hemorrhagic changes in the walls of pyogenic abscess have been demonstrated on susceptibility weighted imaging with 3T MRI. Here, we report hemorrhagic changes in the walls of pyogenic brain abscess on susceptibility weighted imaging with 1.5T MRI.Method. MRI of brain was done using 1.5T MRI with diffusion weighted sequence, susceptibility weighted sequence, and other standard sequences in 3 consecutive cases of pyogenic brain abscess. Stereotactic biopsy and cultures were obtained in 2 cases. One case was treated empirically with antibiotics.Results. Susceptibility sequence demonstrated hemorrhage in the wall of brain abscess in all three cases. All three cases also demonstrated restricted diffusion on diffusion weighted imaging.Conclusion. Susceptibility weighted imaging can demonstrate hemorrhagic changes in the walls of pyogenic brain abscess on 1.5T MRI. Presence of hemorrhage in the walls of ring enhancing lesions should not automatically lead to a diagnosis of tumor.
Three Metachronous Cases of HER2-Positive Breast Cancer Accompanied with Thyroid Cancer
Authors: Gao Qiqi , Zheng Yulong , Wang Bo , Wu Zihan , Ren Guoping
Published: September 2014

Background: Breast carcinoma (BC) and papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) occur predominantly in women. Many studies have shown that PTC is common among women with BC. Collision metastases in lymph nodes do occur but are not common. Case Report: Here we report 3 metachronous cases of BC with PTC. PTC developed after BC in each case. Histology and immunohistochemistry revealed that HER2 status was positive in each BC, and in 1, concurrent metastases of BC and PTC were shown in a lymph node of the left cervical region. Conclusion: From our results, we speculate that women with HER2-positive breast cancer may be at a higher risk for thyroid cancer than other cancers. Finding 2 distinct types of cancer metastasized to 1 lymph node in a patient may, therefore, warrant a high index of suspicion and the use of immunohistochemical stains to differentiate the types of collision tumors.
8p11 Myeloproliferative Syndrome with t(1;8)(q25;p11.2): A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Kim Woo-Seong , Park Sang-Gon , Park Geon , Jang Sook-Jin , Moon Dae-Soo , Kang Seong-Ho
Published: September 2014

8p11 myeloproliferative syndrome (EMS) is a rare disease characterized by myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) associated with eosinophilia and T or B lymphoblastic lymphoma/leukemia. EMS is defined by molecular disruption of the FGFR1 gene at the 8p11-12 chromosome locus, and various partner genes are associated with FGFR1 gene translocation or insertion. The different partner-FGFR1 fusion genes are associated with slightly different disease phenotypes. The present patient showed T lymphoblastic lymphoma in a cervical lymph node, involvement of malignant lymphoma in the skin, and MPN bone marrow morphology with peripheral monocytosis. Chromosome analysis of the patient showed t(1;8)(q25;p11.2). To our knowledge, only 2 cases of EMS with translocation of t(1;8)(q25;p11.2) have been previously reported. Including this case, all 3 cases with EMS with t(1;8)(q25;p11.2) showed MPN bone marrow morphology and peripheral monocytosis. These findings support that t(1;8)(q25;p11.2) is associated with peripheral monocytosis in EMS patients. Of the 2 cases of EMS with t(1;8)(q25;p11.2) which were previously reported, FGFR1 rearrangement was not confirmed in 1 case. Similarly, FGFR1 rearrangement in the present case was not detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization or reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Further study is needed to identify other techniques that could be used to demonstrate FGFR1 rearrangement.
Low Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS) Associated with Malignant Middle Cerebral Artery Infarction
Authors: MacCallum Caroline , Churilov Leonid , Mitchell Peter , Dowling Richard , Yan Bernard
Published: September 2014

Background: Early decompressive hemicraniectomy following malignant middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarction reduces mortality and improves clinical outcome. Imaging predictors of malignant infarction may serve as ‘red flags', prompting intensive neurological monitoring and timely intervention. Our objective is to investigate whether lower ASPECTS (Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score) is associated with malignant MCA infarction. Methods: A retrospective cohort study of all patients with MCA territory ischemic strokes who were admitted to the Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH) between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2009 (226 patients included). The main outcome measures were ASPECTS on admission for each patient and the development of malignant MCA infarction. Results: One-hundred-and-eight patients out of 226 (48%) developed malignant MCA infarction. Good (>0.8) inter-rater agreement between observers scoring ASPECTS was observed using weighted kappa, intra-class correlation coefficient and Lin's concordance coefficients. Using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, we validated that ASPECTS 7 was the optimal cut-off score to determine progression to malignant infarction, providing 50% sensitivity and 86% specificity. One hundred and fifty six patients had ASPECTS >7 (69%) and 70 patients had ASPECTS ≤7 (31%). Patients with ASPECTS ≤7 were significantly younger than those with ASPECTS >7, with the median age of each group being 72.5 and 78 respectively (p = 0.02); otherwise the groups were well-matched. With ASPECTS ≤7, 54 out of 70 patients (77%) developed malignant MCA infarction, compared with 54 out of 156 patients (35%) with ASPECTS >7 (age-adjusted OR = 0.12, 95% CI: 0.06, 0.25; p < 0.0001). If ASPECTS ≤7 is a positive result, then the positive predictive value is 77% and the negative predictive value is 65%. The median ASPECTS for developing malignant MCA infarction was 7.5 (IQR: 5 to 10), while the median ASPECTS for not developing MCA infarction was 10 (IQR: 8 to 10), resulting in a significant age-adjusted median difference of 2 (95% CI: 0.8, 3.2; p < 0.0001). We also found that coma on admission is associated with the development of malignant MCA infarction (OR = 22.63, 95% CI: 1.3, 393.7; p = 0.0323) and that a history of hypertension is not associated with the development of malignant MCA infarction (OR = 0.9707, 95% CI: 0.54, 1.75; p = 0.9213). Conclusions: ASPECTS ≤7 on initial brain CT in a patient with MCA infarction is associated with the development of malignant MCA infarction. We recommend close monitoring of, and early consideration of decompressive hemicraniectomy for, acute stroke patients with ASPECTS ≤7.
Effect of Music on Labor Pain Relief, Anxiety Level and Postpartum Analgesic Requirement: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial
Authors: Simavli Serap , Gumus Ilknur , Kaygusuz Ikbal , Yildirim Melahat , Usluogullari Betul , Kafali Hasan
Published: September 2014

Background/Aims: The control of labor pain and the prevention of suffering are major concerns of clinicians and their patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of music on labor pain and anxiety, maternal hemodynamics, fetal-neonatal parameters and postpartum analgesic requirement in primiparous women. Methods: Overall, 156 primiparous women who expected vaginal delivery were recruited and randomly assigned to a music group (n = 77) or a control group (n = 79). Women in the music group listened to music during labor. Pain intensity and anxiety level were measured using a visual analogue scale (0-10 cm). The two groups were compared in terms of pain severity, anxiety level, maternal hemodynamics, fetal-neonatal parameters and postpartum analgesic requirement. Results: Mothers in the music therapy group had a lower level of pain and anxiety compared with those in the control group at all stages of labor (p < 0.001). A signiﬁcant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of maternal hemodynamics and fetal heart rate after intervention (p < 0.01). Postpartum analgesic requirement significantly decreased in the music therapy group (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Listening to music during labor has a positive impact on labor pain and anxiety, maternal-fetal parameters and analgesic requirement.
ECSIT Bridges RIG-I-Like Receptors to VISA in Signaling Events of Innate Antiviral Responses
Authors: Lei Cao-Qi , Zhang Yu , Li Mi , Jiang Li-Qun , Zhong Bo , Kim Yong Ho , Shu Hong-Bing
Published: September 2014

Upon binding to RNA structures from invading viruses, RIG-I and MDA5 are recruited to mitochondria to interact with VISA and initiate antiviral type I interferon (IFN) responses. How this process is mediated is less understood. In this report, we demonstrate that ECSIT is an essential scaffolding protein that mediates the association of VISA and RIG-I or MDA5. Overexpression of ECSIT potentiated virus-triggered activation of IFN-regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) and expression of IFNB1, whereas knockdown of ECSIT impaired viral infection-induced activation of IRF3 and expression of IFNB1 as well as cellular antiviral responses. Mechanistically, ECSIT was associated with VISA on mitochondria and important for bridging RIG-I and MDA5 to VISA. Our findings suggest that ECSIT mediates virus-triggered type I IFN induction by bridging RIG-I and MDA5 to the VISA complex, and provide new insights into the molecular events of innate antiviral immune responses.
Endothelial Dysfunction Plays a Key Role in Increasing Cardiovascular Risk in Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: van Sloten Thomas T. , Henry Ronald M. A. , Dekker Jacqueline M. , Nijpels Giel , Unger Thomas , Schram Miranda T. , Stehouwer Coen D. A.
Published: September 2014

In the pathogenesis of cardiovascular events, interaction between risk factors has seldom been identified. However, endothelial dysfunction on the one hand and type 2 diabetes mellitus, impaired glucose metabolism (IGM), and insulin resistance on the other may act synergistically (ie, interact) in the development of cardiovascular disease. We therefore investigated the interaction between endothelial dysfunction and type 2 diabetes mellitus, IGM, and insulin resistance with regard to risk of cardiovascular events. In a prospective population-based cohort (n=445; 69 years; 55% women; 23% type 2 diabetes mellitus, 28% IGM [by design]), endothelial dysfunction (brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation), glucose tolerance (oral glucose tolerance test), and insulin sensitivity (homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance [HOMA2-IR]) were determined. After a median follow-up of 7.6 years, 106 participants had had a cardiovascular event. After adjustments, 1 SD less flow-mediated dilatation was associated with cardiovascular events in type 2 diabetes mellitus (hazard ratio 1.69 [95% confidence interval, 1.14–2.52]) and IGM (1.50 [0.95–2.37]) and among those in the highest HOMA2-IR tertile (1.92 [1.42–2.60]), but not in normal glucose metabolism (0.85 [0.63–1.16]) or among those in the lower 2 HOMA2-IR tertiles combined (0.85 [0.65–1.12]). Interaction between flow-mediated dilatation and type 2 diabetes mellitus, IGM, or insulin resistance was present on an additive (relative excess risk caused by interaction >0) and on a multiplicative scale (
P
interaction <0.05). Endothelial dysfunction and type 2 diabetes mellitus, IGM, or insulin resistance synergistically increase cardiovascular event risk. This identifies endothelial dysfunction as a key therapeutic target in these individuals.
Moles Don't Use Systems: A Conversation with Oskar Negt
Authors: Schulte Christian , Stollmann Rainer
Published: September 2014

Rainer Stollmann: Oskar Negt, you and Alexander Kluge wrote three books together at intervals of ten years, which you republished in 2001 with the title Der unterschätzte Mensch [The undervalued human being]. Were there any other titles up for discussion?
The Archive and the Labyrinth: On the Contemporary Bilderatlas
Authors: Vollgraff Matthew
Published: September 2014

The indexicality of photography has by now become a theoretical common-place: The photographic image presents us with the punctual index of a given “scene” at a specific moment. That scene is situated in an irretrievable past, its referents irrevocably displaced in time and space; indeed, the indexical image points ineluctably to something no longer extant.
The Paradigm of Deduction
Authors: Pelzer Birgit
Published: September 2014

If called upon to define Michael Asher's work here, I would have trouble succinctly describing the singularity of his place in the art scene of his time. His work, both ephemeral and without commercial production, rigorously resists standard formulas and recognizable labels.
TakingNomos: Carl Schmitt's Philology Unbound
Authors: Stergiopoulou Katerina
Published: September 2014

Carl Schmitt famously drew a distinction between what he called nomos and what we usually think of as law (Gesetz in German, lex in Latin). The latter, he explained, is a positivist legal order based on normative thinking, where the highest law would still only be a historically contingent norm. In contrast, nomos—though commonly translated from the Greek as “law”—is the total concept of right that precedes and makes possible all such laws, and “comprises a concrete order and community” (Nomos of the Earth, p. 20). One might think that “right” (German Recht) itself could fulfill this conceptual and terminological role; indeed, as Thomas Schestag notes, Schmitt consistently and without comment translated nomos as Recht in his early writings. But for Schmitt the origin of right and laws is inextricably tied to the land and, more specifically, to originary events of land appropriation, which engender first spatial and then political, social, and religious orders. He thus defines nomos as “the measure by which the land in a particular order is divided and situated; it is also the form of political, social, and religious order determined by this process. Here, measure, order, and form constitute a spatially concrete unity.” (NoE, p. 70) Schmitt's terminological turn to nomos in the 1930s, which culminated in his most expansive exposition of the term in his 1950 book Der Nomos der Erde in Völkerrecht des Jus Publicum Europaeum (The Nomos of the Earth in the International Law of the jus publicum Europaeum), was prompted by what he saw as not only a political but also as a jurisprudential crisis in the first half of the twentieth century. Though a nomos is, almost by definition, a nomos of the earth (in the sense of land), the first truly global nomos of the earth arose, according to Schmitt, with the European colonialist expansion in the sixteenth century. This world order depended upon the distinction between European and non-European space (which was free for occupation), as well as that between land and sea; it was embodied in a European public law, the jus publicum Europaeum, that guaranteed balanced and stable relations between European colonial powers while also maintaining sharp divisions between the public and the private, and the political and the economic. Its greatest success was the bracketing of war: the conduct of war as a non-discriminatory “regulated contest of forces … in a bracketed space” and the consequent exclusion of wars of annihilation. Already in decline at the end of the nineteenth century, this world order collapsed entirely in the twentieth; believing that attempts to replace it by a vague and abstract “international law” were misguided, Schmitt in The Nomos of the Earth sought to redirect “human thinking to the elemental orders of its terrestrial being here and now” (NoE, p. 39).
Limitations on Patenting Inventions Based on Marine Genetic Resources of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction
Authors: He Huaiwen
Published: September 2014

This article discusses limitations on patenting inventions based on marine genetic resources of areas beyond national jurisdiction. First, it considers that patent protection for these inventions is compatible with losc. Next, it propounds that to further equitable access to new knowledge of the genetic resources, patentability requirements should be shaped to reward human creativity in applying discoveries only. Accordingly, discoveries of naturally occurring dna sequences and the like from the genetic resources should be deemed as a “familiar part of prior art” and that other inventive concepts should be required to meet the patent eligibility requirement. Finally, it contends that it is not justified to require patentees to share any benefits derived from the utilization of inventions based on the genetic resources of the Area.
Can the Caspian Sea Survive its Own Oil? Environmental Regulation of the Offshore Oil and Gas Industry in the Caspian Sea
Authors: Karataeva Elena
Published: September 2014

This article critically examines the shortcomings of the offshore industry regulation in the Caspian Sea and proposes a framework to strengthen it. It considers the hydrocarbon industry and resources of the Caspian Sea region and analyses the extent and impacts of Caspian offshore oil and gas activities on its environment, reviews selected regional and global regulatory frameworks for the offshore oil and gas industry and their effectiveness, discusses existing shortcomings of the national and regional regulation of the Caspian offshore oil and gas industry, and provides suggestions on how it could be improved, drawing on the experience and regulatory formulations from other regions of the world.
New Tortricidae (Lepidoptera) from East Africa with an account of the tortricid fauna of acacia in the Kenyan Rift Valley
Authors: AGASSIZ DAVID J.L. , AARVIK LEIF
Published: September 2014

Species of Tortricidae whose larvae feed on acacia are listed, including five new species: Hystrichophora bussei Agassiz, Endotera cyaneana Agassiz, Paraeccopsis variegana Agassiz & Aarvik, Coniostola flavitinctana Agassiz & Aarvik, and C. rufitinctana Agassiz & Aarvik. Six additional species related to the aforementioned, whose life histories are not known, also are described: Paraeccopsis tanzanica Aarvik, P. addis Aarvik, P. turi Aarvik, P. botswanae Aarvik, P. pseudoinsellata Aarvik, and Coniostola laikipiana Agassiz & Aarvik. Endotera nodi Agassiz is synonymised with Endotera cyphospila (Meyrick), comb. n.; and Coniostola omistus Diakonoff is synonymised with Coniostola stereoma (Meyrick). Paraeccopsis inflicta (Meyrick) and Paraeccopsis atricapsis (Meyrick) are removed from the synonymy of Paraeccopsis insellata (Meyrick). Eucosma pharangodes Meyrick is transferred to Eucosmocydia Diakonoff. Age onychistica Diakonoff is recorded from Africa for the first time.
Eastern Pacific Intraseasonal Variability: A Predictability Perspective
Authors: Neena J. M. , Jiang Xianan , Waliser Duane , Lee June-Yi , Wang Bin
Published: September 2014

The eastern Pacific (EPAC) warm pool is a region of strong intraseasonal variability (ISV) during boreal summer. While the EPAC ISV is known to have large-scale impacts that shape the weather and climate in the region (e.g., tropical cyclones and local monsoon), simulating the EPAC ISV is still a great challenge for present-day global weather and climate models. In the present study, the predictive skill and predictability of the EPAC ISV are explored in eight coupled model hindcasts from the Intraseasonal Variability Hindcast Experiment (ISVHE). Relative to the prediction skill for the boreal winter Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) in the ISVHE (~15–25 days), the skill for the EPAC ISV is considerably lower in most models, with an average skill around 10 days. On the other hand, while the MJO exhibits a predictability of 35–45 days, the predictability estimate for the EPAC ISV is 20–30 days. The prediction skill was found to be higher when the hindcasts were initialized from the convective phase of the EPAC ISV as opposed to the subsidence phase. Higher prediction skill was also found to be associated with active MJO initial conditions over the western Pacific (evident in four out of eight models), signaling the importance of exploring the dynamic link between the MJO and the EPAC ISV. The results illustrate the possibility and need for improving dynamical prediction systems to facilitate more accurate and longer-lead predictions of the EPAC ISV and associated weather and short-term climate variability.
Representing Forecast Error in a Convection-Permitting Ensemble System
Authors: Romine Glen S. , Schwartz Craig S. , Berner Judith , Fossell Kathryn R. , Snyder Chris , Anderson Jeff L. , Weisman Morris L.
Published: September 2014

Ensembles provide an opportunity to greatly improve short-term prediction of local weather hazards, yet generating reliable predictions remain a significant challenge. In particular, convection-permitting ensemble forecast systems (CPEFSs) have persistent problems with underdispersion. Representing initial and or lateral boundary condition uncertainty along with forecast model error provides a foundation for building a more dependable CPEFS, but the best practice for ensemble system design is not well established.

Several configurations of CPEFSs are examined where ensemble forecasts are nested within a larger domain, drawing initial conditions from a downscaled, continuously cycled, ensemble data assimilation system that provides state-dependent initial condition uncertainty. The control ensemble forecast, with initial condition uncertainty only, is skillful but underdispersive. To improve the reliability of the ensemble forecasts, the control ensemble is supplemented with 1) perturbed lateral boundary conditions; or, model error representation using either 2) stochastic kinetic energy backscatter or 3) stochastically perturbed parameterization tendencies. Forecasts are evaluated against stage IV accumulated precipitation analyses and radiosonde observations. Perturbed ensemble forecasts are also compared to the control forecast to assess the relative impact from adding forecast perturbations. For precipitation forecasts, all perturbation approaches improve ensemble reliability relative to the control CPEFS. Deterministic ensemble member forecast skill, verified against radiosonde observations, decreases when forecast perturbations are added, while ensemble mean forecasts remain similarly skillful to the control.
Review of the Use of Ionizing Radiation in Endovascular Aneurysm Repair
Authors: Dindyal S. , Rahman S. , Kyriakides C.
Published: September 2014

Endovascular repair for aortic aneurysm (EVAR) is rapidly increasing in popularity. The nature of this intervention requires significant exposure to ionizing radiation both during the procedure and for postoperative surveillance, generally in the form of computed tomography. Here the authors review the literature for radiation exposure during EVAR, both for the patient and the physician.
Old Habits Die Hard
Authors: Walker Ian , Thomas Gregory O. , Verplanken Bas
Published: September 2014

Workers at a pro-environmental charity in the United Kingdom were evaluated 19 months before the organization moved its headquarters to another town, and then evaluated again 1 and 4 weeks after the move. Travel habit (behavioral automaticity) weakened immediately after the move, and this was equal for those who changed travel mode during the relocation and those who did not. In those who changed mode, habit strength for the old mode did not disappear abruptly but rather decayed over the post-move period, whereas habit strength for the new mode grew concurrently. This demonstrates that even when overt behavior changes during a transition event, the underlying behavioral automaticity does not disappear immediately. Rather, there is a period during which habit for the new behavior becomes established and habit for the old behavior decays. Practical implications of these findings are discussed.
From the Vantage Point of Tahrir Square
Authors: Pant Girijesh
Published: September 2014

The continuation of the uprising in the Arab world beyond the third year, despite a regime change, can be explained by locating it within the structural crisis of a neoliberal regime. The objective conditions of exclusion created a unique sense of power in being powerless, making it possible for diverse stakeholders to define a collective cause. This has been further reinforced by a sense of community fostered by electronic communication across the countries of the region and beyond. Thus, the street protests have garnered unprecedented support, giving it a global dimension. Ironically, the solidarity of the collective cause lost its cohesion in transforming itself into an institution. The attempt to construct a sectarian polity is failing due to massive opposition. Clearly, any attempt to impose a framework that does not have a representative character and which does not reflect popular aspirations in terms of a holistic social contract is not going to be acceptable to the protestors. Thus, the boundaries of public protest are expanding and expressions are changing but the sentiments are the same; it continues to be a struggle for inclusion, social justice and dignity.
How the Speaker of the US House of Representatives from the ‘Other Party’ Shaped American Politics Since 1945
Authors: Ray Saumyajit
Published: September 2014

In the presidential system of government in the United States, the President’s party has on more than one occasion been reduced to a minority in the federal legislature. The US President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives—the leader of the majority party—had often found themselves clashing on matters of policy, legislation, and executive action. This essay makes a careful selection of five House Speakers in the post-1945 period, all belonging to the ‘other party’, and explores their relations with the Presidents of their times. Out of these, only Newt Gingrich succeeded in dividing the government as never before, demonstrating that the House Speaker had the capacity to stall government altogether, something even a ‘Leader of the Opposition’ in a parliamentary system can never do.
India and the Allure of the ‘Indo-Pacific’
Authors: Scott David
Published: September 2014

This article looks at the attraction that the term ‘Indo-Pacific’ has gained in strategic discourse in and around the Indian government since 2010. A strong geopolitical and geo-economic sense of the Indo-Pacific has become apparent in this emergent Indo-Pacific discourse, which combines elements of India’s ‘Look South’ and ‘Look East’ policies, and in which a core Indo-Pacific of the eastern Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean has particular strategic coherence. Not only have government leaders adopted the term Indo-Pacific at various times, diplomats, navy service chiefs, influential think tanks and persuasive voices like Shyam Saran and C. Raja Mohan have also been noticeable in their use of the term. India’s bilateral and trilateral relations with Japan, Australia and the US have attracted particular Indo-Pacific associations in India. While a criticism of the term Indo-Pacific is that it has negative China-centric, balancing undertones, the article finds that although China-centric balancing frequently accompanies Indo-Pacific discourse, this is not an inherent part of the concept.
The God of Luke–Acts
Authors: Vinson Richard B.
Published: September 2014

This article analyzes the ways in which Luke–Acts presents the character of God. The God of Israel and of all peoples has a plan that can be discovered in the Scriptures, through angelic visits and visions, and especially through the voices of Spirit-inspired characters. Even reliable speakers characterize God differently, however, giving readers more than one perspective on God and God’s will. Luke portrays Christian faith as consistent with the best traditions of Israel and with the will of Israel’s God.
The Gospel of Luke: A Contemporary Cartography
Authors: Carroll John T.
Published: September 2014

This article provides a map to selected topics emphasized in recent scholarship on the Gospel of Luke. Focused attention is given to Luke’s reconfiguring of space and cultural borders within the Roman Empire; horizontal and vertical inversions of status within the narrative; Luke’s presentation of the roles of women, men, and children within their social world; and this Gospel’s treatment of the theme of poverty and wealth.
Configuring the Child Player
Authors: Grimes Sara M.
Published: September 2014

Scholars from various disciplines have explored the powerful symbolic function that children occupy within public discourses of technology, but less attention has been paid to the role this plays in the social shaping of the technologies themselves. Virtual worlds present a unique site for studying how ideas about children become embedded in the artifacts adults make for them. This article argues that children’s virtual worlds are fundamentally negotiated spaces in which broader aspirations and anxieties about children’s relationships with play, technology, consumer culture, and the public sphere resurface as “configurations” of an imagined, ideal child player. The article begins with a brief overview of the children's virtual worlds phenomenon, followed by a discussion of related research on children’s play and play technologies. Findings from a case study of six commercial, game-themed virtual worlds targeted specifically to children are then presented, with a focus on how these artifacts configure their child players in highly ideological and normative ways, wherein play is narrowly defined in accordance with a neoromantic, consumerist ethos. The article aims to uncover the hidden politics inscribed within a particular genre of children’s technology and to explore some of the implications for children’s digital play.
Maximizing the Policy Impacts of Public Engagement
Authors: Emery Steven B. , Mulder Henk A. J. , Frewer Lynn J.
Published: September 2014

There is a lack of published evidence which demonstrates the impacts of public engagement (PE) in science and technology policy. This might represent the failure of PE to achieve policy impacts or indicate a lack of effective procedures for discerning the uptake by policy makers of PE-derived outputs. While efforts have been made to identify and categorize different types of policy impact, research has rarely attempted to link policy impact with PE procedures, political procedures, or the connections between them. In this article, we propose a simple conceptual model to capture this information, based on semistructured interviews with both policy makers and PE practitioners. A range of criteria are identified to increase the policy impact of PE. The role of PE practitioners in realizing impacts through their interactions with policy makers in the informal “in-between” spaces of public engagement is emphasized. However, the potential contradictions between the pursuit of policy impacts and the more traditional conceptualizations of PE effectiveness are discussed. The main barrier to the identification of policy impacts from PE may lie within policy processes themselves. Political institutions have responsibility to establish formalized procedures for monitoring the uptake and use of evidence from PE in their decision-making processes.
Into the Labyrinth: Tales of Organizational Nomadism
Authors: Kociatkiewicz Jerzy , Kostera Monika
Published: September 2014

Labyrinths and mazes have constituted significant spaces for tales of transformation, from prehistoric designs through the myth of the Minotaur and the pilgrimage design in Chartres cathedral to contemporary novels and pictorial representations. Labyrinths and labyrinthine designs can also commonly be found in present-day organizations. This text, based on an ethnographic study as well as on an analysis of academic discourse, explores their significance as symbol and as physical structure. Drawing upon the notion of transitional space, it presents labyrinths as an indelible part of human experience, an archetype, and a sensemaking tool for understanding and explaining organizational complexity. The unavoidable presence of labyrinthine structures is presented as a counterpoise to the reductionist tendency towards simplification, streamlining and staying on-message, allowing or demanding space for reflection, doubt and uncertainty.
Populist rhetoric in politics and media: A longitudinal study of the Netherlands
Authors: Bos Linda , Brants Kees
Published: September 2014

Many claim that populism in the Netherlands has grown over the last 10 years; that it spreads among mainstream parties; that its success has to do with the media, who pay more and more attention to populist parties and immigration issues; but that it is difficult to distinguish between political populism intended for the media and populism by the media. In a longitudinal content analysis of newspapers, television news, talk shows and party political broadcasts, covering seven elections in nearly 20 years, these claims are put to the test. The picture that emerges is far more ambiguous than publicized opinion suggests, with no clear trend but a downward one in 2012.
Public Understandings of the Forensic Use of DNA
Authors: Curtis Cate
Published: September 2014

The forensic use of DNA involves the public in a number of roles. The rapid adoption of DNA identification as a part of the legal system and continuing developments have afforded little opportunity to thoroughly interrogate public understandings of issues. This article reports on a survey that explores public understanding of the forensic use of DNA: sources of knowledge, understandings of processes, and attitudes toward DNA use. Overall, knowledge about DNA use was limited, particularly around means of taking samples and storage, and two thirds stated that they did not have enough information about DNA use. While the majority agreed that such use of DNA is “a great step forward,” they “would be happy to give a DNA sample if requested,” and considered DNA evidence to be important, concern was indicated about some areas, such as possible mistakes. This was particularly the case for indigenous peoples.
Improving sight-reading skills in advanced pianists: A hybrid approach
Authors: Zhukov Katie , Viney Liam , Riddle Glenn , Teniswood-Harvey Arabella , Fujimura Kenji
Published: September 2014

This article evaluates a new curriculum for training of sight-reading skills in advanced pianists that combined three teaching strategies proven effective in an earlier study. The course was developed collaboratively and trialed in two implementations. Twenty-five participants were pre- and post-tested and their playing analysed using custom-made software. Mixed-model ANCOVAs were used to analyse performance data against the results from the individual training programs. The findings show that the students using the hybrid program improved significantly in their sight-reading skills in all four categories measured, surpassing progress made in the individual programs. Implications for future research include application of such a hybrid approach to the training of younger pianists and to sight-reading on other instruments.
Perceived Risk of Burglary and Fear of Crime
Authors: Chon Don Soo , Wilson Mary
Published: September 2014

Given the scarcity of prior studies, the current research introduced country-level variables, along with individual-level ones, to test how they are related to an individual’s perceived risk of burglary (PRB) and fear of crime (FC), separately, by using mixed-level logistic regression analyses. The analyses of 104,218 individuals, residing in 50 countries, showed that country-level poverty was positively associated with FC only. However, individual-level variables, such as prior property crime victimization and female gender, had consistently positive relationships with both PRB and FC. However, age group and socioeconomic status were inconsistent between those two models, suggesting that PRB and FC are two different concepts. Finally, no significant difference in the pattern of PRB and FC was found between a highly developed group of countries and a less developed one.
Youth bulge and civil war: Why a country’s share of young adults explains only non-ethnic wars
Authors: Yair Omer , Miodownik Dan
Published: September 2014

Scholars agree that young men carry out most acts of political violence. Still, there is no consensus on the link between relatively large youth cohorts and the onset of violent, armed intra-state conflicts. In this paper, we examine the effect of youth bulge, a measure of the relative abundance of youth in a country, on the onset of two different types of civil wars—ethnic and non-ethnic wars. Building on and extending three datasets used by other scholars, we theoretically argue and empirically substantiate that, as a result of the negative effects of youth bulge on the economic conditions of the youth cohorts in the country, youth bulge affects the onset of non-ethnic wars, but not the onset of ethnic wars. Possible implications and directions for further research are then suggested.
Clinical Research in Acute Fatal Illness
Authors: Bartlett Robert H.
Published: September 2014

Clinical research to evaluate the effectiveness of life support systems in acute fatal illness has unique problems of logistics, ethics, and consent. There have been 10 prospective comparative trials of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in acute fatal respiratory failure, utilizing different study designs. The trial designs were prospective controlled randomized, prospective adaptive randomized, sequential, and matched pairs. The trials were reviewed with regard to logistics, ethics, consent, statistical methods, economics, and impact. The matched pairs method is the best study design for evaluation of life support systems in acute fatal illness.
Family Stressors, Home Demands and Responsibilities, Coping Resources, Social Connectedness, and Thai Older Adult Health Problems
Authors: Krishnakumar Ambika , Narine Lutchmie , Soonthorndhada Amara , Thianlai Kanchana
Published: September 2014

Objectives: To examine gender variations in the linkages among family stressors, home demands and responsibilities, coping resources, social connectedness, and older adult health problems. Methods: Data were collected from 3,800 elderly participants (1,654 men and 2,146 women) residing in Kanchanaburi province, Thailand. Results: Findings indicated gender variations in the levels of these constructs and in the mediational pathways. Thai women indicated greater health problems than men. Emotional empathy was the central variable that linked financial strain, home demands and responsibilities, and older adult health problems through social connectedness. Financial strain (and negative life events for women) was associated with lowered coping self-efficacy and increased health problems. The model indicated greater strength in predicting female health problems. Discussion: Findings support gender variations in the relationships between ecological factors and older adult health problems.