bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Design of Wireless Network on Chip with Priority-Based MAC
Authors: Ouyang Yiming , Zhao Yang , Xing Kun , Huang Zhengfeng , Liang Huaguo , Li Jianhua
Published: August 2018

The wireless network on chip WiNoC introduces wireless links in the traditional network on chip (NoC), which reduces the network diameter and enables high-throughput, low-latency data communications. In addition, if wireless nodes can dynamically request data transmission, wireless bandwidth will be more effectively utilized. In order to implement a conflict-free, adaptive bandwidth allocation strategy, a priority-based dynamic media access control mechanism has been designed. In this work, a dynamic priority calculation method has been proposed based on the packets’ transmission time and the waiting time in the queue. Then, a priority calculating unit is designed to calculate the dynamic priority of the packet. Finally, the central control unit designed obtains the dynamic priority of the packets, and dynamically authorizes the use rights of the wireless medium according to the priority of the data packet. Simulation experiments show that the media access control mechanism proposed in this paper has significant improvements in throughput, delay, and power consumption performances compared with other mechanisms [S.Deb et al., Wireless NoC as interconnection backbone for multicore chips: promises and challenges, IEEE J. Emerg. Sel. Topics Circuits Syst. 2 (2012) 228–239].
The Idea Maturity Model — A Dynamic Approach to Evaluate Idea Maturity
Authors: Gochermann Josef , Nee Ingo
Published: August 2018

In idea creation and assessment processes, the accruement and the description of an idea are mostly allocated to a fixed point in time, defined as the end of the generating process and the start of the idea assessment. This static approach does not fit the reality in industrial idea processes. A dynamic approach for idea assessment is therefore introduced. An idea is not seen as a static but as a dynamic state, characterized by different degrees of maturity. Maturity is understood as a measure of the assessability of the individual evaluation characteristics.

Based on Crosby’s maturity model and classical capability maturity models, a new idea maturity model (IMM) has been developed and is introduced for the first time. The five idea maturity levels (IML) are named Initial, Awareness, Appraisability, Valuation and Realizability and harmonize well with other maturity models. The levels are described by general characteristics, although the development of the maturity model focussed on new product or service development. The compatibility of the IMM with idea assessment processes and conditions in organizations and companies has been checked.
Sharing and reproducibility in ACM SIGMM
Authors: Thomee Bart , Riegler Michael , Simone Francesca de , Simon Gwendal
Published: August 2018

This column discusses the efforts of ACM SIGMM towards sharing and reproducibility. Apart from the specific sessions dedicated to open source and datasets, ACM Multimedia Systems started to provide official ACM badges for articles that make artifacts available since last year. This year, it has marked a record with 45% of the articles acquiring such a badge.
Safety Assessment of the Auto Manipulation Device for Acupuncture in Sprague‐Dawley Rats: Preclinical Evaluation of the Prototype
Authors: Liu Geng-Hao , Tsai Meng-Yen , Chang Gwo-Jyh , Wu Chao-Min , Lin Sheng-Kai , Chen Yu-Sheng , Lee Tzung-Yan
Published: August 2018

Background. The Auto Manipulation Device for Acupuncture (AMDA) is designed for providing stable, quantified effects and higher frequency when doing lifting and thrusting manipulation. The purpose of this study is to investigate the safety of manipulation by AMDA in different frequency and duration in healthy rats. Methods. The study was divided into two parts: single intervention and once a day for a week. 12 rats and 15 rats were randomly allocated to different groups: Control (needle insertion only), AMDA (2Hz/10Mins), AMDA (2Hz/20Mins), AMDA (20Hz/10Mins), and AMDA (20Hz/20Mins) for single and repeated interventions. Real‐time physiological functions, laboratory data, and the bilateral muscle tissue of acupoint (ST 36) were obtained after the intervention. Results. We found neither real‐time physiological functions nor laboratory data differences between control group and AMDA groups in both parts. In the muscle tissue samples, the slight damage had been observed in the AMDA group with a frequency of 2 Hz for 20 minutes after once intervention, and the repeated session groups noted more obvious tissue damage with fibrotic change. Although the period was shorter, higher frequency manipulation caused more damage that fibroblast nuclei became more slender and obvious. However, no significant adverse effect was noted such as crippled and molting in the whole process. Conclusion. Our study suggested that the safety issue of AMDA operation in rats is feasible because there was no difference between control group and AMDA groups among real‐time physiological functions and laboratory data. However, manipulation with higher frequency should be more preserved.
A New Efficient Approach to Detect Skin in Color Image Using Bayesian Classifier and Connected Component Algorithm
Authors: Nguyen-Trang Thao
Published: August 2018

Skin detection is an interesting problem in image processing and is an important preprocessing step for further techniques like face detection, objectionable image detection, etc. However, its performance has not really been high because of the high overlapped degree between “skin” and “nonskin” pixels. This paper proposes a new approach to improve the skin detection performance using the Bayesian classifier and connected component algorithm. Specifically, the Bayesian classifier is utilized to identify “true skin” pixels using the first posterior probability threshold, which is approximate to 1, and to identify "skin candidate" pixels using the second posterior probability threshold. Subsequently, the connected component algorithm is used to find all the connected components containing the “skin candidate” pixels. According to the fact that a skin pixel often connects with other skin pixels in an image, all pixels in a connected component are classified as “skin” if there is at least one “true skin” pixel in that connected component. It means that the “nonskin” pixels whose color is similar to skin are classified as “nonskin” when they have the posterior probabilities lower than the first posterior probability threshold and do not connect with any “true skin” pixel. This idea can help us to improve the skin classification performance, especially the false positive rate.
Effectiveness and Safety of Acupotomy for Lumbar Disc Herniation: A Randomized, Assessor‐Blinded, Controlled Pilot Study
Authors: Kim So Yun , Kim Eunseok , Kwon Ojin , Han Chang-Hyun , Kim Young-Il
Published: August 2018

Objective. Patients with lumbar disc herniation (LDH) suffer from pain, physical disabilities, and low quality of life. This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of acupotomy in patients with LDH. Method. Fifty participants with LDH were recruited to this randomized, assessor‐blinded, controlled study and randomly assigned to the acupotomy (n = 25) or manual acupuncture (n = 25) group. The acupotomy group received acupotomy four times in 2 weeks, while the manual acupuncture group received manual acupuncture six times in 2 weeks. The follow‐up visit was planned in the 4th week (i.e., 2 weeks after the final intervention). The primary outcome was the change in the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at follow‐up. The changes in the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Modified‐Modified Schober Test (MMST), and EuroQol Five Dimensions (EQ‐5D) questionnaire were also evaluated. An intention‐to‐treat analysis was applied and adverse events were recorded. Results. The acupotomy group showed significant changes in VAS, ODI, and EQ‐5D after intervention. VAS and ODI in the 4th week were lower in the acupotomy than in the manual acupuncture group. The acupotomy group showed consistent changes in VAS and ODI in the 1st, 2nd, and 4th week. No serious adverse event was reported in the acupotomy group. Conclusion. This study suggests greater therapeutic effects of acupotomy on relieving pain and improving the functional disability associated with LDH than those observed with manual acupuncture.
Analysis of Mutation Rate of 17 Y-Chromosome Short Tandem Repeats Loci Using Tanzanian Father-Son Paired Samples
Authors: Bugoye Fidelis Charles , Mulima Elias , Misinzo Gerald
Published: August 2018

Hundred unrelated father-son buccal swab sample pairs collected from consented Tanzanian population were examined to establish mutation rates using 17 Y-STRs loci DYS19, DYS389I, DYS389II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393, DYS385a, DYS385b, DYS437, DYS438, DYS439, DYS448, DYS456, DYS458, DYS635, and Y-GATA-H4 of the AmpFlSTRYfiler kit used in forensics and paternity testing. Prior to 17 Y-STRs analysis, father-son pair biological relationships were confirmed using 15 autosomal STRs markers and found to be paternally related. A total of four single repeat mutational events were observed between father and sons. Two mutations resulted in the gain of a repeat and the other two resulted in a loss of a repeat in the son. All observed mutations occurred at tetranucleotide loci DYS389II, DYS385a, and DYS385b. The locus specific mutation rate varied between 0 and 1.176 x10−3 and the average mutation rate of 17Y-STRs loci in the present study was 2.353x10−3 (6.41x10−4 - 6.013x10−3) at 95% CI. Furthermore the mean fathers’ age with at least one mutation at son’s birth was 32 years with standard error of 2.387 while the average age of all fathers without mutation in a sampled population at son’s birth was 26.781 years with standard error of 0.609. The results shows that fathers’ age at son’s birth may have an effect on Y-STRs mutation rate analysis, though this age difference was statistically not significant using unpaired samples t-test (p = 0.05). As a consequence of observed mutation rates in this study, the precise and reliable understanding of mutation rate at Y-chromosome STR loci is necessary for a correct evaluation and interpretation of DNA typing results in forensics and paternity testing involving males. The criterion for exclusion in paternity testing should be defined, so that an exclusion from paternity has to be based on exclusion constellations at a minimum of two 17 Y-STRs loci.
A Context‐Aware Location Differential Perturbation Scheme for Privacy‐Aware Users in Mobile Environment
Authors: Zhang Xuejun , Huang Haiyan , Huang Shan , Chen Qian , Ju Tao , Du Xiaogang
Published: August 2018

The proliferation of location‐based services, representative services for the mobile networks, has posed a serious threat to users’ privacy. In the literature, several privacy mechanisms have been proposed to preserve location privacy. Location obfuscation enforced using cloaking region is a widely used technique to achieve location privacy. However, it requires a trusted third‐party (TTP) and cannot sufficiently resist various inference attacks based on background information and thus is vulnerable to location privacy breach. In this paper, we propose a context‐aware location privacy‐preserving solution with differential perturbations, which can enhance the user’s location privacy without requiring a TTP. Our scheme utilizes the modified Hilbert curve to project every 2‐d location of the user in the considered map to 1‐d space and randomly generates the reasonable perturbation by adding Laplace noise via differential privacy. In order to solve the resource limitation of mobile devices, we use a quad‐tree based scheme to transform and store the user context information as bit stream which achieves the high compression ratio and supports efficient retrieval. Security analysis shows that our proposed scheme can effectively preserve the location privacy. Experimental evaluation shows that our scheme retrieval accuracy is increased by an average of 15.4% compared with the scheme using standard Hilbert curve. Our scheme can provide strong privacy guarantees with a bounded accuracy loss while improving retrieval accuracy.
Research on Parameter Distribution Features of Photovoltaic Array under the Cover and Shadow Shading Conditions
Authors: Zhu Honglu , Yu Cao , Lu Lingxing , Lian Weiwei , Yao Jianxi , Hu Yang
Published: August 2018

The outdoor operating photovoltaic arrays have two different shading conditions, shadowing and covering. The shading causes a decrease in output power of photovoltaic system and may bring hot spots which causes physical damage to the array. This paper studies the electrical parameter distribution feature of photovoltaic array under different shading conditions by means of analog simulation and empirical testing. Through introducing theoretical computational method of the electrical parameters, it describes the distribution features of the electrical parameters of photovoltaic array. The results indicate that the influence of local shadowing on the current of array can be neglected. Shadowing decreases the optimal operating voltage while covering leads to a decrease in the optimal operating voltage and the open-circuit voltage. The drop magnitude of voltage is associated with the number of the shaded cell strings and the string voltage. The two shading types can be identified on the basis of distribution rules of open-circuit voltage and optimal operating voltage. Simulations and experiments verify the consistency of the rules. Relevant conclusions provide a reference for modeling, online fault diagnosis, and optimization design of the maximum power tracking algorithm of photovoltaic array under different shading conditions.
MYBL2 Supports DNA Double Strand Break Repair in Hematopoietic Stem Cells
Authors: Bayley Rachel , Blakemore Daniel , Cancian Laila , Dumon Stephanie , Volpe Giacomo , Ward Carl , Almaghrabi Ruba , Gujar Jidnyasa , Reeve Natasha , Raghavan Manoj , Higgs Martin R. , Stewart Grant S. , Petermann Eva , García Paloma
Published: August 2018

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a heterogeneous group of diseases characterized by blood cytopenias that occur as a result of somatic mutations in hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). MDS leads to ineffective hematopoiesis, and as many as 30% of patients progress to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The mechanisms by which mutations accumulate in HSC during aging remain poorly understood. Here we identify a novel role for MYBL2 in DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair in HSC. In patients with MDS, low MYBL2 levels associated with and preceded transcriptional deregulation of DNA repair genes. Stem/progenitor cells from these patients display dysfunctional DSB repair kinetics after exposure to ionizing radiation (IR). Haploinsufficiency of Mybl2 in mice also led to a defect in the repair of DSBs induced by IR in HSC and was characterized by unsustained phosphorylation of the ATM substrate KAP1 and telomere fragility. Our study identifies MYBL2 as a crucial regulator of DSB repair and identifies MYBL2 expression levels as a potential biomarker to predict cellular response to genotoxic treatments in MDS and to identify patients with defects in DNA repair. Such patients with worse prognosis may require a different therapeutic regimen to prevent progression to AML.

Significance: These findings suggest MYBL2 levels may be used as a biological biomarker to determine the DNA repair capacity of hematopoietic stem cells from patients with MDS and as a clinical biomarker to inform decisions regarding patient selection for treatments that target DNA repair.

Graphical Abstract: http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/canres/78/20/5767/F1.large.jpg. Cancer Res; 78(20); 5767–79. ©2018 AACR.
Hexosamine Biosynthetic Pathway Inhibition Leads to AML Cell Differentiation and Cell Death
Authors: Asthana Abhishek , Ramakrishnan Parameswaran , Vicioso Yorleny , Zhang Keman , Parameswaran Reshmi
Published: August 2018

Treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has remained unchanged for past 40 years. Targeting cell metabolism is a promising avenue for future cancer therapy. We found that enzymes involved in metabolic hexosamine biosynthetic pathway (HBP) are increased in patients with AML. Inhibiting GFAT (the rate-limiting enzyme of HBP) induced differentiation and apoptosis in AML cells, sparing normal cells. UDP-GlcNAc, the end product of HBP, is the substrate for O-GlcNAcylation, a posttranslational modification. O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) is the enzyme which transfers GlcNAc from UDP-GlcNAc to target proteins. Inhibition of O-GlcNAcylation, using OGT inhibitors as well as genetic knockdown of OGT, also led to cell differentiation and apoptosis of AML cells. Finally, HBP inhibition in vivo reduced the tumor growth in a subcutaneous AML xenograft model and tumor cells showed signs of differentiation in vivo. A circulating AML xenograft model also showed clearance of tumor load in bone marrow, spleen, and blood, after HBP inhibition, with no signs of general toxicity. This study reveals an important role of HBP/O-GlcNAcylation in keeping AML cells in an undifferentiated state and sheds light into a new area of potential AML therapy by HBP/O-GlcNAc inhibition. Mol Cancer Ther; 17(10); 2226–37. ©2018 AACR.
Dissecting LncRNA Roles in Renal Cell Carcinoma Metastasis and Characterizing Genomic Heterogeneity by Single-Cell RNA-seq
Authors: Li Xue , Meng Xianwen , Wei Cong , Zhou Yincong , Chen Hongjun , Huang He , Chen Ming
Published: August 2018

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNA) have recently emerged as important regulators in cancer cell proliferation and metastasis. However, the role of lncRNAs in metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) remains unclear. Here, single-cell RNA sequencing data were analyzed from primary renal cell carcinoma and paired metastatic renal cell carcinoma specimens, and characterized the expression profiles of over 10,000 genes, including 1,874 lncRNAs. Further analysis revealed that lncRNAs exhibit cancer type– and tissue–specific expression across ccRCC cells. Interestingly, a number of lncRNAs (n = 173) associated with ccRCC metastasis, termed ccRCC metastasis–associated lncRNAs (CMAL). Moreover, functional analysis based on a CMAL-PCG coexpression network revealed that CMALs contribute to cell adhesion, immune response, and cell proliferation. In combination with survival analysis, 12 CMALs were identified that participate in TNF and hypoxia-inducible factor 1 signaling to promote ccRCC metastasis. Further investigation on intratumoral heterogeneity showed that some CMALs are selectively expressed in different subpopulations.

Implications:

To explore ccRCC metastasis, the current study performed a global dissection of lncRNAs and a complex genomic analysis of ccRCC tumor heterogeneity. The data shed light on the discovery of potential lncRNA biomarkers and lncRNA therapeutic targets.
BNDES: internacionalização de empresas e o subimperialismo brasileiro
Authors: Santos Leandro
Published: August 2018

A partir de 2002, com a elevação dos desembolsos e a reorientação estratégica do BNDES, as empresas multinacionais brasileiras passaram a contar com o apoio do banco em suas estratégias de expansão internacional, especialmente com subscrição de ações em bolsa e ampliação dos empréstimos ligados à exportação de bens e serviços de engenharia. Diversos trabalhos têm analisado essas ações do banco de fomento; entre eles, merece destaque a recuperação da tese do subimperialismo brasileiro, desenvolvida nos anos 1970. O objetivo deste artigo é delinear as principais proposições dessa tese e contrapô-las aos diferentes ciclos de internacionalização de empresas nacionais e ao papel do BNDES na internacionalização produtiva das empresas. As principais conclusões – factuais, teóricas e processuais – trazem elementos para pensar que a tese do subimperialismo pode desvelar os processos contemporâneos de expansão multiterritorial dos capitais particulares brasileiros. Os procedimentos metodológicos consistiram em levantamento, seleção e leitura bibliográficos, levantamento de dados secundários em bancos de dados da UNCTAD (fluxos e estoques de investimentos) e do BNDES (desembolsos por linhas de financiamento), análise e sistematização dos dados à luz das referências bibliográficas.
O meio técnico-científico-informacional, os equipamentos de imagem-diagnóstico e a desigualdade em saúde no Brasil
Authors: Martinuci Oseias Da Silva , Guimarães Raul Borges
Published: August 2018

Este artigo discute as desigualdades em saúde no Brasil tomando como referência o conhecimento geográfico do território nacional. Para isso, considera como se combinam as mudanças econômicas, demográficas, sociais e políticas das últimas décadas com as velhas estruturas territoriais brasileiras, condicionando diferentemente nos lugares o processo saúde-doença, bem como os modos de obter saúde. Analisa a distribuição territorial de dois dos mais sofisticados equipamentos de imagem-diagnóstico: tomógrafos computadorizados e aparelhos de ressonância magnética. A análise sugere que esses objetos raros se somam às demais concentrações territoriais, nem sempre em consonância com as necessidades da população ou com as demandas regionais, comprometendo seriamente os princípios de equidade, universalidade e integralidade do Sistema Único de Saúde, com impacto direto na própria cidadania.
O trabalho de campo como um lugar em processo: experiências de uma pesquisa geográfica com a população em situação de rua numa grande metrópole
Authors: Robaina Igor
Published: August 2018

O trabalho de campo é uma importante prática da geografia em diferentes perspectivas. Este artigo insere-se nesse contexto com uma experiência de pesquisa que entende o trabalho de campo não só como instrumento específico para a obtenção de dados, mas como um processo de construção de conhecimento marcado pela vivência do pesquisador em campo, com lógicas e dinâmicas socioespaciais de interação, posicionalidade e reflexividade. A pesquisa qualitativa analisou espacialidades cotidianas de pessoas em situação de rua na área central da cidade do Rio de Janeiro. Procurou-se compreender essas espacialidades por meio de aproximação e entrada no campo, diálogos, conflitos, limites e ética na pesquisa. Assim, o próprio o trabalho de campo constituiu-se num desafio epistemológico e ensejou reflexões e eventuais subsídios para a pesquisa geográfica.
The acaulescent rosette species of Lupinus L. (Fabaceae) of Colombia and Ecuador including a new species from Colombia
Authors: CONTRERAS-ORTIZ NATALIA , JARA-MUÑOZ ORLANDO A. , HUGHES COLIN E.
Published: August 2018

We present a taxonomic synopsis of the acaulescent rosette species of Lupinus from Colombia and Ecuador, including a checklist with revised nomenclature and a key to species. A new species, Lupinus luisanae, and a variety of this species, L. luisanae var. ocetensis, endemic to the northern portion of the Eastern Cordillera of the Colombian Andes, are described and illustrated. Lupinus inflatus is proposed as a new synonym of L. nubigenus.
­­­Two new species of Gerronema (Agaricales, Basidiomycota) from Kerala State, India
Authors: LATHA K. P. DEEPNA , NANU SALNA , SHARAFUDHEEN SHAHINA A. , MANIMOHAN PATINJAREVEETTIL
Published: August 2018

Gerronema kuruvense sp. nov. and G. keralense sp. nov. are described from Kerala State, India, in the light of both morphology and molecular phylogenetic analysis. Comprehensive descriptions, photographs of both the basidiomes and the micro-structures, and comparisons with morphologically similar and phylogenetically related species are provided. Both morphology and nrITS-rDNA sequence-based molecular phylogenetic analysis proved the novelty of the species and their placement in the genus Gerronema. Both the species were collected from highland riverine islets.
Lindavia biswashanti, a new diatom species (Bacillariophyta) from Gokyo Cho, Himalayan Range, Nepal
Authors: MOHAN JOSEPH , STONE JEFFERY R , NICHOLSON KIRSTEN , NEUMANN KLAUS , DOWLING CAROLYN , SHARMA SUBODH
Published: August 2018

A new species of Bacillariophyta (diatom) is described from Gokyo Cho, a lake near Mount Everest in the Himalayan Mountain Range. Water and algal samples were collected during an expedition to Sagarmatha National Park (SNP), Nepal in May 2016. Samples collected during this expedition reveal a new species of Lindavia, described herein with ecological information provided. The new species of Lindavia has three triangular undulations and depressions in the central area. This species has a likeness to the Pantocsekiella ocellata sensu lato group. It differs from the species in this group in undulation shape and ultrastructure numbers and distribution. Investigation into previously described Lindavia in the SNP region has identified a taxon, Cyclotella antiqua var. minor, which is herein transferred into Lindavia in order to conform to the parent taxon Lindavia antiqua.
Statistical Regression Scheme for Intensity Prediction of Tropical Cyclones in the Northwestern Pacific
Authors: Li Qinglan , Li Zenglu , Peng Yulong , Wang Xiaoxue , Li Lei , Lan Hongping , Feng Shengzhong , Sun Liqun , Li Guangxin , Wei Xiaolin
Published: August 2018

This study proposes a statistical regression scheme to forecast tropical cyclone (TC) intensity at 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, and 72 h in the northwestern Pacific region. This study utilizes best track data from the Shanghai Typhoon Institute (STI), China, and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), United States, from 2000 to 2015. In addition to conventional factors involving climatology and persistence, this study pays close attention to the land effect on TC intensity change by considering a new factor involving the ratio of seawater area to land area (SL ratio) in the statistical regression model. TC intensity changes are investigated over the entire life-span, over the open ocean, near the coast, and after landfall. Data from 2000 to 2011 are used for model calibration, and data from 2012 to 2015 are used for model validation. The results show that the intensity change during the previous 12 h (DVMAX), the potential future intensity change (POT), and the area-averaged (200–800 km) wind shear at 1000–300 hPa (SHRD) are the most significant predictors of the intensity change for TCs over the open ocean and near the coast. Intensity forecasting for TCs near the coast and over land is improved with the addition of the SL ratio compared with that of the models that do not consider the SL ratio. As this study has considered the TC intensity change over the entire TC life-span, the proposed models are valuable and practical for forecasting TC intensity change over the open ocean, near the coast, and after landfall.
The Above-Anvil Cirrus Plume: An Important Severe Weather Indicator in Visible and Infrared Satellite Imagery
Authors: Bedka Kristopher , Murillo Elisa M. , Homeyer Cameron R. , Scarino Benjamin , Mersiovsky Haiden
Published: August 2018

Intense tropopause-penetrating updrafts and gravity wave breaking generate cirrus plumes that reside above the primary anvil. These “above anvil cirrus plumes” (AACPs) exhibit unique temperature and reflectance patterns in satellite imagery, best recognized within 1-min “super rapid scan” observations. AACPs are often evident during severe weather outbreaks and, due to their importance, have been studied for 35+ years. Despite this research, there is uncertainty regarding why some storms produce AACPs but other nearby storms do not, exactly how severe are storms with AACPs, and how AACP identification can assist with severe weather warning. These uncertainties are addressed through analysis of severe weather reports, NOAA/National Weather Service (NWS) severe weather warnings, metrics of updraft cloud height, intensity, and rotation derived from Doppler radars, as well as ground-based total lightning observations for 4583 storms observed by GOES super rapid scanning, 405 of which produced an AACP. Datasets are accumulated throughout storm lifetimes through radar object tracking. It is found that 1) AACP storms generated 14 times the number of reports per storm compared to non-AACP storms; 2) AACPs appeared, on average, 31 min in advance of severe weather; 3) 73% of significant severe weather reports were produced by AACP storms; 4) AACP recognition can provide comparable warning lead time to that provided by a forecaster; and 5) the presence of an AACP can increase forecaster confidence that large hail will occur. Given that AACPs occur throughout the world, and most of the world is not observed by Doppler radar, AACP-based severe storm identification and warning would be extremely helpful for protecting lives and property.
Functional Outcomes and Health-Related Quality of Life After Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: A Review
Authors: Mohamed Ludin Salizar , Abdul Rashid Nor’ain
Published: August 2018

Throughout recovery, patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) show physical and functional improvement, but continue to have cognitive and psychosocial problems. The aim of this article was to review the literature regarding the functional and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) outcomes in severe TBI. There were 15 articles reviewed, 13 of them were quantitative studies and two were narrative review. Most of the articles showed an improvement occurs rapidly at 6 months post-injury. There were several factors that influence the outcome after TBI, most of it was the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) on admission, age, educational level, duration of posttraumatic amnesia (PTA), and length of stay (LOS) in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Thus, health care workers should help the survivors of severe TBI in the recovery process to ensure the latter can attain maximum function and quality of life.
Barriers to Degree Completion for College Students With Foster Care Histories: Results From a 10-Year Longitudinal Study
Authors: Okpych Nathanael J. , Courtney Mark E.
Published: August 2018

Youth who were in foster care as adolescents make up a small but highly vulnerable subpopulation of the college student body. This article analyzes secondary data collected from one of the most comprehensive longitudinal studies of foster youth. The analytic sample includes 329 foster youth from three Midwestern states who attended college in the mid- to late-2000s. Degree completion was examined up to age 29 or 30 years from National Student Clearinghouse records and cross checked with self-report survey data. A wide range of precollege entry, postcollege entry, and college-level factors were examined as predictors of degree completion. Foster youth were less than half as likely as low-income first-generation students from a nationally representative study to earn a degree by 6 years (12% vs. 28%). Logistic regression results found that life circumstances after youth entered college (financial hardships, needing to work, and parental responsibilities) and college-level factors were the main predictors of degree completion.
The Racial Identification of Young Adults in a Racially Complex Society
Authors: Gullickson Aaron
Published: August 2018

Quantitative studies of racial identification have commonly focused on the identification choices of children and adolescents living in the parental home. Less is known about the racial self-identification choices that individuals make as they develop into independent young adults. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, I compare the racial self-identification of respondents when they were aged 18–23 to their biological parents’ racial identification. Results suggest unexpected effects of individual development-related and socioeconomic characteristics. Measures of greater independence from parents and communities of adolescent development were associated with both greater and weaker consistency between self-identification and parental identification, and measures of parental socioeconomic status were associated with weaker consistency. The results across racial parentage groups conform to historical norms for Whites, Blacks, and American Indians, while the results for biracial respondents, Asians, and Hispanics are less clearly guided by these norms.
I. Introducing a New Instrument for Rating Observed Behaviour∗ and the Rationale of the Psychological Impairment Concept
Authors: Biehl Hugo , Maurer Kurt , Jablensky Assen , Cooper John E. , Tomov Toma
Published: August 2018

Based on the experience with the International Pilot Study on Schizophrenia (IPSS) (WHO 1973, 1979), the WHO Division of Mental Health and Centres in Sofia, Groningen and Mannheim, joined by expertise from Nottingham and Zurich, conceived a prospective study to assess the ‘natural history’ (Ciompi, 1980a, b; Watt et al, 1983; Biehl, 1987) of psychological impairments and social disabilities in patients with functional psychosis in different socio-cultural environments (Jablensky et al 1980).
Rating of Negative Symptoms Using the High Royds Evaluation of Negativity (HEN) Scale
Authors: Mortimer Ann M. , McKenna P.J. , Lund C.E. , Mannuzza S.
Published: August 2018

The concept of deterioration has always been central to schizophrenia, and forms a cornerstone of current diagnostic and conceptual thinking (e.g. DSM–III; Crow, 1985; Weinberger, 1987). Recently, there has been a renewal of interest in the deficits of schizophrenia, with attempts to identify, classify, and measure the relevant abnormalities. According to current thinking (Crow 1985; Wing, this volume) negative symptoms i.e. deficits in emotion, volition and social interaction, represent a distinctive cluster of impairments with aetiological, prognostic and therapeutic significance. Verification of this view of course requires reliable and valid measures of negative symptoms.
Psychological Treatments for Negative Symptoms
Authors: Slade Peter , Bentall Richard
Published: August 2018

The subject matter of this paper is the psychological treatment of negative symptoms. However, before embarking on a review of the available literature, it is worthwhile considering some conceptual issues and distinctions which are relevant to research in this area.
Cranial Computerised Tomography in Dementia of the Alzheimer Type
Authors: Burns Alistair
Published: August 2018

The development of the non-invasive technique of computerised tomography (CT) in the mid-1970s revolutionised the clinician's ability to visualise brain structures in vivo. The main use of the CT scan was to exclude intracranial mass lesions such as cerebral tumours and haematomas. This remains its principal application in neurology and neurosurgery, but in psychiatry additional features such as cerebral infarctions, regional cerebral atrophy, ventricular enlargement and white-matter changes have provoked interest. This review outlines the technique of CT scanning, discusses its use in the differential diagnosis of dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT), and comments on the relative contributions of cortical atrophy and ventricular enlargement to the clinical picture of DAT.
Issues for Women in the Development of Mental Health Services
Authors: Subotsky Fiona
Published: August 2018

“Except as occasional consultants, the less men doctors have to do with female lunatics the better”. (Lowe, 1883)

“As long as women are over-represented among mental patients and family caretakers and under-represented among psychiatrists, administrators and politicians, their lives will continue to be unhappily affected by decisions in which they take no part”. (Showalter, 1987)
Depression in Women
Authors: Paykel E. S.
Published: August 2018

Depression in treated samples shows an approximately 2:1 female predominance. The sex ratio is not due simply to more help-seeking behaviour in women, for it applies equally in studies of community prevalence. Differential acknowledgement and direction of distress may be a partial explanation, supported by male predominance of alcoholism and completed suicide, and by a possible recent increase in depression in young men. Biological mechanisms acting through hormonal effects on the brain are plausible, but hard to test. Epidemiological studies indicate that much of the excess occurs in married women aged 25–45 years with children. This strongly suggests social causation and highlights the vulnerable situation of young mothers. The full explanations for the sex difference are not yet clear, but are likely to combine factors related to expression of distress, biology and social situation.
Life Stress and Post-Partum Psychosis: a Preliminary Report
Authors: Marks M. N. , Wieck A. , Checkley S. A. , Kumar R.
Published: August 2018

This is a preliminary report from a prospective study of the influence of psychosocial stressors on post-natal relapse in women at high risk of psychiatric disorder after childbirth. Forty-three index subjects with a previous history of psychosis or severe depression were compared with 45 pregnant control subjects without any previous psychiatric disorder. After delivery 51% of index subjects relapsed (RDC diagnoses): 28% were categorised as psychotic and 23% non-psychotic. All psychotic relapses were in women with a previous history of bipolar or schizoaffective disorder (46% of this subgroup). Only the non-psychotic post-partum relapses (mostly depressions) were associated with an increased likelihood of a severe life event in the 12 months preceding illness onset.
The TAPS Project. 7: Mental Hospital Closure - A Literature Review of Outcome Studies and Evaluative Techniques
Authors: O'Driscoll Catherine
Published: August 2018

Various techniques have been used to assess the results of ‘deinstitutionalisation’. This paper reviews these outcome studies, most of which have concluded that a new long-stay group will replace the old long-stay patients, and that a residual group of ageing patients, mostly with organic syndromes, is difficult to accommodate in the community.
Side-effects of Antidepressants
Authors: Cookson John
Published: August 2018

The adverse effects of antidepressants include their pharmacological side-effects, toxic effects, interactions with other drugs, and symptoms occurring during their withdrawal. The focus of this paper is on the pharmacological side-effects.
An Attempt to Integrate the Individual–Psychological and Interactional Concepts of the Origins of Schizophrenia
Authors: Alanen Yrjö O.
Published: August 2018

Individual–psychological studies (psychoanalytical) and interactional studies (based on family research and family therapy) approach the psychological processes connected with the origins of schizophrenia from different angles. They thus complement each other. Five major propositions are formulated to integrate the psychodynamic concepts dealing with vulnerability to schizophrenia. The integration of family- and individual-centred starting-points has proved to be very useful in developing treatment methods for schizophrenic patients.
Towards More Effective Antipsychotic Treatment
Authors: Kane John M. , Freeman Hugh L.
Published: August 2018

The development of antipsychotic drugs has followed two complementary approaches, either towards highly specific actions (e.g. on the dopamine receptor) or targeting a broad range of receptors. The properties of ‘atypical’ agents challenge the original dopamine hypothesis and suggest roles for a variety of dopamine receptors and for other pathways, such as serotonin. Older drugs, despite their proven efficacy in relieving many schizophrenic symptoms, have several drawbacks, being ineffective in some patients, relatively ineffective against negative symptoms, and causing adverse neurological effects which may, in turn, be associated with poor compliance. Among newer agents, currently available ones, such as clozapine and risperidone, offer the possibility of more effective control of negative symptoms and an improved side-effect profile, while others are in earlier stages of development. However, much still remains to be understood about their mechanisms of action.
McLean Hospital Depression Research Facility: early-onset phobic disorders and adult-onset major depression
Authors: Schatzberg A. F. , Samson J. A. , Rothschild A. J. , Bond T. C. , Regier D. A.
Published: August 2018

Background This study explores the temporal relationship between anxiety and major depressive disorders in a cohort of patients with current major depression.

Method Current prevalence and lifetime history of specific anxiety disorders were assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM–III–R Diagnosis (SCID–P) in 85 patients with DSM–III–R major depression. Consensus DSM–III–R diagnoses were assigned by at least two psychiatrists or psychologists.

Results Twenty-nine per cent met criteria for at least one current anxiety disorder and 34% had at least one anxiety disorder at some point in their lives. The mean (s.d.) age of onset of anxiety disorder in the depressed patients with comorbid social or simple phobia (15 (9) years) was significantly younger than was that of their major depression (25 (9) years). In contrast, the mean (s.d.) age of onset of anxiety in patients with comorbid panic or OCD (20 (8) years) was similar to that seen for their major depression (21 (9) years). In patients with major depression with comorbid anxiety disorders, both the social phobia (10 of 13) and simple phobia (4 of 4) were more commonly reported to start at least two years prior to their major depression in contrast to depressives with comorbid panic (3 of 10 subjects) – Fisher's exact test, P=0.01.

Conclusions Early-onset social and simple phobias appear to be risk factors for later onset of major depression.
The spectrum of generalised anxiety in clinical practice: the role of short-term, intermittent treatment∗
Authors: Rickels K. , Schweizer E.
Published: August 2018

Background DSM–IV generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) has a high lifetime prevalence, but subthreshold anxiety states are even more common, particularly in family practice.

Method Generalised anxiety is conceptualised as a spectrum of disorders, with transient anxiety at one end and GAD at the other.

Results Based on longterm experience with family practice patients, the authors suggest that most anxious patients, wherever on this continuum they are placed, could be treated with short-term, possibly intermittent, rather than chronic anxiolytic therapy. Data are presented which show that 50% of chronic GAD patients are only in need of such short-term intermittent therapy.

Conclusions Further clinical research is needed to refine short-term, intermittent treatments for anxiety spectrum disorders, to make effective treatments available to those suffering from anxiety but falling short of diagnostic criteria for GAD, and to target more effectively the different treatment strategies.
Review of recent clinical studies with olanzapine
Authors: Tollefson Gary D. , Kuntz Amy J.
Published: August 2018

Olanzapine is a novel antipsychotic agent displaying a unique and pleotrophic pharmacology, which distinguishes it from other existing treatments. Clinical investigations employing olanzapine have demonstrated a number of potential therapeutic advantages in reference not only to placebo but also to contemporary drug standards in the management of psychosis. This paper reviews data on the pharmacokinetics, efficacy and safety of olanzapine, its benefits for quality of life, and economic aspects to assist clinicians in determining where they can usefully employ it.
Neuroendocrine Challenges in the Diagnosis of Depressive Disorders
Authors: López-Ibor J. J. , Saiz-Ruiz J. , Iglesias L. Moral
Published: August 2018

An important topic in the neurobiology of the affective disorders relates to changes in the metabolism of neurotransmitters. Since the early 1960s, the ‘serotonergic’ hypothesis (Coppen et al, 1972) has been supported by findings such as a low concentration of 5-hydroxy-indoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in the cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF) of patients with melancholic depression and/or suicidal behaviour (Banki & Arato, 1983; Åsberg et al, 1984; Banki et al, 1984; López-Ibor, Jr et al, 1985; Korpi et al, 1986) as well as the efficacy of serotonin precursors, when combined with MAOIs, in the treatment of depressed patients (Coppen et al, 1963; Glassman & Platman, 1969; Ayuso et al, 1971; López-Ibor, Jr et al, 1976).
The Finnish Adoptive Family Study of Schizophrenia
Authors: Tienari Pekka , Lahti Ilpo , Sorri Anneli , Naarala Mikko , Moring Juha , Wahlberg Karl-Erik
Published: August 2018

In a study of children adopted at an early age, discrimination between hereditary and family dynamic factors is possible. The biological parents have given the child their genetic characteristics and sometimes the very early environment, while the adoptive parents have provided the more permanent family environment and rearing. The major goal of the Finnish adoptive family study was to re-assess the genetic contributions to schizophrenia and to provide further measures of the adoptive family rearing environment. In other words, we were interested in the joint effects of genetic and family environmental variables and in their possible contribution to both the psychopathology and the healthy functioning of adoptees during their development. This approach paid attention to the possibility that a healthy, possibly protective, rearing family environment may reduce the genetic risk. During the course of the study, we also considered whether the direction of the effects between genetic and family environmental factors can be clarified through a prospective, longitudinal study of the adoptees at risk.
Patterns of Expressed Emotion and Patient Coping Styles that Characterise the Families of Recent Onset Schizophrenics
Authors: Goldstein Michael J. , Miklowitz David J. , Strachan Angus M. , Doane Jeri A. , Nuechterlein Keith H. , Feingold Dorothy
Published: August 2018

A number of recent studies (Leff & Vaughn, 1985; Nuechterlein et al, 1986; Jenkins et al, 1986; Mintz et al, 1987) have indicated that attitudes of family members towards a relative with schizophrenia (termed High Epressed Emotion (EE)), are predictive of the short-term course of the patient's disorder. The measure used to define EE status of a relative is a semi-structured interview, the Camberwell Family Interview (CFI) (Vaughn & Leff, 1976), which is usually administered shortly after the patient is admitted to hospital for an index episode of the disorder.
Clozapine: A Hypothesised Mechanism for its Unique Clinical Profile
Authors: Bunney Benjamin S.
Published: August 2018

Clozapine's clinical profile is unique among antipsychotic drugs. What makes it different? For almost two decades researchers have been attempting to answer this question. Based on various data, many hypotheses have been proposed. Using electrophysiological techniques we have found that clozapine, like typical antipsychotic drugs, inactivates most midbrain dopamine cells secondary to the induction of depolarisation block. However, unlike classical antipsychotic drugs, clozapine does not inactivate the nigrostriatal dopamine system. Based on these and other findings the hypothesis of ‘depolarisation block‘ is reviewed and presented as an explanation for clozapine's unique clinical profile. Research data both for and against the hypothesis are then discussed.