bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Other Muslimah
Authors: Saad Danielle
Published: October 2015

Websites like Altmuslimah, which are run by women and focused on issues of salience to women’s lives, can offer a perspective that differs greatly from the discourse found on widely visited Islamic information sites. Online counter-narratives produced by women instead of about women call for a fresh look at orthodox traditions and interpretations of religious texts that limit the acceptable experiences of the diverse Muslim women worldwide, especially concerning converts and those living in non-Arab communities. As one of the most frequently contested issues for Muslim women, the hijab offers a way into how the dominant Muslim narrative frames what it means to be a believing woman in Islam and how counter-narratives provide women with ways to create their own meaning.
Justice, Rights, Agency and Childhood Research
Authors: Alderson Priscilla
Published: October 2015

The three books in this review are very different, but they illuminate one another in sharing strong themes of justice, rights and agency. Two books by lawyers on justice and mercy and on liberty and equality are linked to a book by a sociologist on children and agency. The review considers how practitioners, policy makers and researchers can work together to promote children’s rights to justice and liberty.
Three new synonyms of Solenostoma truncatum (Nees) R.M.Schust. ex Váňa et D.G. Long
Authors: Li Wei , VÁŇA JIŘÍ
Published: October 2015

Solenostoma truncatum (Nees 1830: 29) R.M. Schust. ex Váňa & D.G.Long (2009: 509) is widely distributed and the commonest Solenostoma-species in south-east Asia, reaching from Himalayas, India and Srí Lanka to China, Japan, Micronesia, Samoa, New Guinea and northern Australia (Queensland). The species is very variable: its leaf form varies from subquadrate-rotund, ovate, ovate-ligulate to rarely ligulate, the cell texture is also relatively variable, but the marginal leaf-cells are mostly ± equally thickened in 1–2 or more rows, and the cuticle is usually at least minutely verrucose, rarely nearly smooth. Perianth is shortly to longly exserted, fusiform or ovate, perianth mouth is contracted or wide, crenulate, sometimes with ciliate marginal cells. Many  synonyms were published for S. truncatum.
Analysis of an Observing System Experiment for the Joint Polar Satellite System
Authors: Lord Stephen , Gayno George , Yang Fanglin
Published: October 2015

The Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) is a key contributor to the next-generation operational polar-orbiting satellite observing system. In the JPSS era, the complete polar-orbiting observing system will be composed of two satellites—in the midmorning (mid-AM) and afternoon (PM) orbits—each with thermodynamic sounding capabilities from both microwave and hyperspectral infrared instruments. JPSS will occupy the PM orbit, while the Meteorological Operational (MetOp) system, sponsored by the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), will occupy the mid-AM orbit.

While the current polar-orbiting satellite system has been thoroughly evaluated, information about its resilience and efficacy in the JPSS era is needed. A 7-month (August 2012–February 2013) observing system experiment (OSE) was run with the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Global Forecast System (GFS). Observations were selected from operational satellite data platforms to be representative of the polar-orbiting data in the JPSS era.

Overall, removing data from the PM orbit produced inferior scores, with the impact greater in the Southern Hemisphere (SH) than in either the Northern Hemisphere (NH) or the tropics.

For the entire 7 months, the time-mean 500-hPa geopotential height anomaly correlation (Z500AC) decreased by 0.005 and 0.013 in the NH and SH, respectively—both of which are statistically significant at the 95% level. Additionally, a detailed statistical analysis of the distribution of Z500AC skill scores is presented and compared with historical accuracy data. It was determined that eliminating PM orbit data resulted in a higher probability of producing low scores and a lower probability of producing high scores, counter to the trend in GFS forecast skill over the last 20 years.
The Barbados Cloud Observatory: Anchoring Investigations of Clouds and Circulation on the Edge of the ITCZ
Authors: Stevens Bjorn , Farrell David , Hirsch Lutz , Jansen Friedhelm , Nuijens Louise , Serikov Ilya , Brügmann Björn , Forde Marvin , Linne Holger , Lonitz Katrin , Prospero Joseph M.
Published: October 2015

Clouds over the ocean, particularly throughout the tropics, are poorly understood and drive much of the uncertainty in model-based projections of climate change. In early 2010, the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology and the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology established the Barbados Cloud Observatory (BCO) on the windward edge of Barbados. At 13°N the BCO samples the seasonal migration of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), from the well-developed winter trades dominated by shallow cumulus to the transition to deep convection as the ITCZ migrates northward during boreal summer. The BCO is also well situated to observe the remote meteorological impact of Saharan dust and biomass burning. In its first six years of operation, and through complementary intensive observing periods using the German High Altitude and Long Range Research Aircraft (HALO), the BCO has become a cornerstone of efforts to understand the relationship between cloudiness, circulation, and climate change.
Characterizing Sierra Nevada Snowpack Using Variable-Resolution CESM
Authors: Rhoades Alan M. , Huang Xingying , Ullrich Paul A. , Zarzycki Colin M.
Published: October 2015

The location, timing, and intermittency of precipitation in California make the state integrally reliant on winter-season snowpack accumulation to maintain its economic and agricultural livelihood. Of particular concern is that winter-season snowpack has shown a net decline across the western United States over the past 50 years, resulting in major uncertainty in water-resource management heading into the next century. Cutting-edge tools are available to help navigate and preemptively plan for these uncertainties. This paper uses a next-generation modeling technique—variable-resolution global climate modeling within the Community Earth System Model (VR-CESM)—at horizontal resolutions of 0.125° (14 km) and 0.25° (28 km). VR-CESM provides the means to include dynamically large-scale atmosphere–ocean drivers, to limit model bias, and to provide more accurate representations of regional topography while doing so in a more computationally efficient manner than can be achieved with conventional general circulation models. This paper validates VR-CESM at climatological and seasonal time scales for Sierra Nevada snowpack metrics by comparing them with the “Daymet,” “Cal-Adapt,” NARR, NCEP, and North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS) reanalysis datasets, the MODIS remote sensing dataset, the SNOTEL observational dataset, a standard-practice global climate model (CESM), and a regional climate model (WRF Model) dataset. Overall, given California’s complex terrain and intermittent precipitation and that both of the VR-CESM simulations were only constrained by prescribed sea surface temperatures and data on sea ice extent, a 0.68 centered Pearson product-moment correlation, a negative mean SWE bias of <7 mm, an interquartile range well within the values exhibited in the reanalysis datasets, and a mean December–February extent of snow cover that is within 7% of the expected MODIS value together make apparent the efficacy of the VR-CESM framework.
Upper-Tropospheric Low Richardson Number in Tropical Cyclones: Sensitivity to Cyclone Intensity and the Diurnal Cycle
Authors: Duran Patrick , Molinari John
Published: October 2015

High-vertical-resolution rawinsondes were used to document the existence of low–bulk Richardson number (Rb) layers in tropical cyclones. The largest frequency of low Rb existed in the inner 200 km at the 13.5-km level. This peak extended more than 1000 km from the storm center and sloped downward with radius. The presence of an extensive upper-tropospheric low-Rb layer supports the assumption of Richardson number criticality in tropical cyclone outflow by Emanuel and Rotunno.

The low-Rb layers were found to be more common in hurricanes than in tropical depressions and tropical storms. This sensitivity to intensity was attributed to a reduction of upper-tropospheric static stability as tropical cyclones intensify. The causes of this destabilization include upper-level cooling that is related to an elevation of the tropopause in hurricanes and greater longwave radiative warming in the well-developed hurricane cirrus canopy. Decreased mean static stability makes the production of low Rb by gravity waves and other perturbations easier to attain.

The mean static stability and vertical wind shear do not exhibit diurnal variability. There is some indication, however, that low Richardson numbers are more common in the early morning than in the early evening, especially near the 200–300-km radius. The location and timing of this diurnal variability is consistent with previous studies that found a diurnal cycle of infrared brightness temperature and rainfall in tropical cyclones.
The North Pacific Oxygen Uptake Rates over the Past Half Century
Authors: Kwon Eun Young , Deutsch Curtis , Xie Shang-Ping , Schmidtko Sunke , Cho Yang-Ki
Published: October 2015

The transport of dissolved oxygen (O2) from the surface ocean into the interior is a critical process sustaining aerobic life in mesopelagic ecosystems, but its rates and sensitivity to climate variations are poorly understood. Using a circulation model constrained to historical variability by assimilation of observations, the study shows that the North Pacific thermocline effectively takes up O2 primarily by expanding the area through which O2-rich mixed layer water is detrained into the thermocline. The outcrop area during the critical winter season varies in concert with the Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO). When the central North Pacific Ocean is in a cold phase, the winter outcrop window for the central mode water class (CMW; a neutral density range of γ = 25.6–26.6) expands southward, allowing more O2-rich surface water to enter the ocean’s interior. An increase in volume flux of water to the CMW density class is partly compensated by a reduced supply to the shallower densities of subtropical mode water (γ = 24.0–25.5). The thermocline has become better oxygenated since the 1980s partly because of strong O2 uptake. Positive O2 anomalies appear first near the outcrop and subsequently downstream in the subtropical gyre. In contrast to the O2 variations within the ventilated thermocline, observed O2 in intermediate water (density range of γ = 26.7–27.2) shows a declining trend over the past half century, a trend not explained by the open ocean water mass formation rate.
Recent Southern New York Climate Change: Observations, Mechanisms, and Spatial Context
Authors: Eshel Gidon
Published: October 2015

This paper examines recent southern New York State climate changes as reflected in a detailed hourly climate record collected about 110 km due north of New York City since 1988, including comprehensive surface radiation data. Comparing 1988–2000 and 2001–14 means, the area has warmed, dominated by a 0.5–0.7-K summer warming. Daytime warming exceeds nighttime’s warming. Warming is not due to enhanced downward longwave flux but arises from increased incident solar fluxes accompanying declining aerosol loads. Local warming is shown to stem from a large-scale response to increased solar forcing, the key element of which is an accelerated summer hydrological cycle: increased precipitation, with smaller evaporation increases leading to large, significant soil moisture and runoff increases. Much of the accelerated summer hydrological cycle is shown to arise as a result of an anomalous low-level cyclonic motion centered on the mid-Atlantic U.S. coast, rendering the results regional rather than local. Analyzing the stability and CAPE budgets of mean and individual summer profiles over the studied site provides a diagnostic explanation of the observed warming and accelerated hydrometeorology due to enhanced solar fluxes. The study reveals a complex suite of (thermo)dynamic feedbacks to radiative forcing of which surface warming is but one element, reiterating and re-emphasizing that surface temperature trends may be embedded in far richer physics than greenhouse gas–induced radiative forcing alone.
The Equatorial Energy Balance, ITCZ Position, and Double-ITCZ Bifurcations
Authors: Bischoff Tobias , Schneider Tapio
Published: October 2015

The intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) migrates north–south on seasonal and longer time scales. Previous studies have shown that the zonal-mean ITCZ displacement off the equator is negatively correlated with the energy flux across the equator; when the ITCZ lies in the Northern Hemisphere, energy flows southward across the equator, and vice versa. The hemisphere that exports energy across the equator is the hemisphere with more net energy input, and it is usually the warmer hemisphere. But states with a double ITCZ straddling the equator also occur, for example, seasonally over the eastern Pacific and frequently in climate models. Here it is shown how the ITCZ position is connected to the energy balance near the equator in a broad range of circumstances, including states with single and double ITCZs. Taylor expansion of the variation of the meridional energy flux around the equator leads to the conclusion that for large positive net energy input into the equatorial atmosphere, the ITCZ position depends linearly on the cross-equatorial energy flux. For small positive equatorial net energy input, the dependence of the ITCZ position on the cross-equatorial energy flux weakens to the third root. When the equatorial net energy input or its curvature become negative, a bifurcation to double-ITCZ states occurs. Simulations with an idealized aquaplanet general circulation model (GCM) confirm the quantitative adequacy of these relations. The results provide a framework for assessing and understanding causes of common climate model biases and for interpreting tropical precipitation changes, such as those evident in records of climates of the past.
Sensitivity of Antarctic Bottom Water to Changes in Surface Buoyancy Fluxes
Authors: Snow Kate , Hogg Andrew McC. , Sloyan Bernadette M. , Downes Stephanie M.
Published: October 2015

The influence of freshwater and heat flux changes on Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) properties are investigated within a realistic bathymetry coupled ocean–ice sector model of the Atlantic Ocean. The model simulations are conducted at eddy-permitting resolution where dense shelf water production dominates over open ocean convection in forming AABW. Freshwater and heat flux perturbations are applied independently and have contradictory surface responses, with increased upper-ocean temperature and reduced ice formation under heating and the opposite under increased freshwater fluxes. AABW transport into the abyssal ocean reduces under both flux changes, with the reduction in transport being proportional to the net buoyancy flux anomaly south of 60°S.

Through inclusion of shelf-sourced AABW, a process absent from most current generation climate models, cooling and freshening of dense source water is facilitated via reduced on-shelf/off-shelf exchange flow. Such cooling is propagated to the abyssal ocean, while compensating warming in the deep ocean under heating introduces a decadal-scale variability of the abyssal water masses. This study emphasizes the fundamental role buoyancy plays in controlling AABW, as well as the importance of the inclusion of shelf-sourced AABW within climate models in order to attain the complete spectrum of possible climate change responses.
The Annual Cycle of the Japan Sea Throughflow
Authors: Kida Shinichiro , Qiu Bo , Yang Jiayan , Lin Xiaopei
Published: October 2015

The mechanism responsible for the annual cycle of the flow through the straits of the Japan Sea is investigated using a two-layer model. Observations show maximum throughflow from summer to fall and minimum in winter, occurring synchronously at the three major straits: Tsushima, Tsugaru, and Soya Straits. This study finds the subpolar winds located to the north of Japan as the leading forcing agent, which first affects the Soya Strait rather than the Tsushima or Tsugaru Straits. The subpolar winds generate baroclinic Kelvin waves along the coastlines of the subpolar gyre, affect the sea surface height at the Soya Strait, and modify the flow through the strait. This causes barotropic adjustment to occur inside the Japan Sea and thus affect the flow at the Tsugaru and Tsushima Straits almost synchronously. The barotropic adjustment mechanism explains well why the observations show a similar annual cycle at the three straits. The annual cycle at the Tsugaru Strait is further shown to be weaker than that in the other two straits based on frictional balance around islands, that is, frictional stresses exerted around an island integrate to zero. In the Tsugaru Strait, the flows induced by the frictional integrals around the northern (Hokkaido) and southern (Honshu) islands are in opposite directions and tend to cancel out. Frictional balance also suggests that the annual cycle at the Tsugaru Strait is likely in phase with that at the Soya Strait because the length scale of the northern island is much shorter than that of the southern island.
The Influence of African Easterly Waves on Convection over Tropical Africa and the East Atlantic
Authors: Janiga Matthew A. , Thorncroft Chris D.
Published: October 2015

Using data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), the modulation of convection by African easterly waves (AEWs) is investigated over regions of the east Atlantic and tropical Africa. To explain the modulation of convection, the large-scale environment (lift, moisture, conditional instability, and shear) is also examined as a function of AEW phase in each region.

Over semiarid portions of tropical Africa, unconditional rain rates are greatest in the northerly phase of AEWs due to the strong adiabatic forcing for ascent. Along the Guinea Coast, the western coast of Africa, and over the east Atlantic—where forcing for ascent is weaker—rainfall is shifted toward the trough where the air is moist. Significant contrasts in the characteristics of convection as a function of AEW phase—comparable in magnitude to regional contrasts—are also observed. In all regions, large and high echo-top convective systems are more sensitive to AEW phase than small and low echo-top systems. In semiarid regions, deep convection and large high echo-top convective systems account for a large fraction of the rainfall in the ridge and northerlies. Stratiform and small low echo-top convective systems dominate in the trough and southerlies. Convective system height and conditional rain rates increase with conditional instability and system sizes may increase with shear. Over the east Atlantic, stratiform fractions and convective system sizes and echo-top heights are greatest in the trough while the ridge is dominated by shallow convection. This is primarily related to the presence of moist air in the trough and dry air in the ridge.
Improvement of thermal conductivity of paraffin by adding expanded graphite
Authors: Karkri Mustapha , Lachheb Mohamed , Gossard Didier , Ben Nasrallah Sassi , AlMaadeed Mariam A
Published: October 2015

This paper investigated the use of graphite with different configuration designs to improve the thermal energy storage of phase change material systems. Two types of graphite have been combined with paraffin in order to improve thermal conductivity of phase change material: synthetic graphite (Timrex SFG75) and graphite waste obtained from damaged tubular graphite heat exchangers. Paraffin/graphite phase change material composites have been prepared by the cold uniaxial compression technique. Their morphologies have been observed and analyzed by scanning electron microscope, and their thermophysical properties have been estimated using new experimental tools. Results show that the thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity can be accurately measured by these new experimental tools. Moreover, results highlight the fact that the phase change material thermal properties are greatly influenced by the graphite addition.
Optimization of perforated composite plates under tensile stress using genetic algorithm
Authors: Jafari M , Rohani A
Published: October 2015

Discontinuities such as cutouts always cause stress concentration in the structure, which increases the local stress. Understanding the effective parameters on stress concentration and proper selection of these parameters enables the designer to achieve a reliable design. In this paper, the optimum values of the effective parameters on stress distribution around the cutout are determined by genetic algorithm. The fitness function for a genetic algorithm is defined by generalization of the analytical solution based on Lekhnitskii method for different cutouts. The finite element method is used to check the validity of the obtained fitness function. Also, the genetic algorithm was able to predict the optimal value of each effective parameter on stress distribution while keeping constant the values of the other parameters. The results showed that material properties, geometry of cutout and angle load have much effect on stress concentration.
A novel experimental technique for biaxial testing of a composite laminate with matrix damage
Authors: Salavatian M , Smith LV
Published: October 2015

Matrix damage, in the form of cracks parallel to the fiber, is a common failure mode for composite laminates, yet little is known concerning the associated shear modulus degradation. This study proposes a novel experimental technique to study shear modulus degradation under biaxial loading. An Iosipescu coupon was modified that induced transverse tension and compression loads while applying shear loading. The axial loads were induced using unbalanced layups with coupled normal–shear response. An analytical, closed-form solution was generalized to include unbalanced layups under a shear loading boundary condition. It was observed that the shear modulus degradation depends on the normal stress acting on the matrix transverse cracks. While compressive normal stress increased the effective shear modulus, the tension normal stress reduced the shear modulus, compared to pure shear loading.
Purified Human Dental Pulp Stem Cells Promote Osteogenic Regeneration
Authors: Yasui T. , Mabuchi Y. , Toriumi H. , Ebine T. , Niibe K. , Houlihan D.D. , Morikawa S. , Onizawa K. , Kawana H. , Akazawa C. , Suzuki N. , Nakagawa T. , Okano H. , Matsuzaki Y.
Published: October 2015

Human dental pulp stem/progenitor cells (hDPSCs) are attractive candidates for regenerative therapy because they can be easily expanded to generate colony-forming unit–fibroblasts (CFU-Fs) on plastic and the large cell numbers required for transplantation. However, isolation based on adherence to plastic inevitably changes the surface marker expression and biological properties of the cells. Consequently, little is currently known about the original phenotypes of tissue precursor cells that give rise to plastic-adherent CFU-Fs. To better understand the in vivo functions and translational therapeutic potential of hDPSCs and other stem cells, selective cell markers must be identified in the progenitor cells. Here, we identified a dental pulp tissue–specific cell population based on the expression profiles of 2 cell-surface markers LNGFR (CD271) and THY-1 (CD90). Prospectively isolated, dental pulp–derived LNGFRLow+THY-1High+ cells represent a highly enriched population of clonogenic cells—notably, the isolated cells exhibited long-term proliferation and multilineage differentiation potential in vitro. The cells also expressed known mesenchymal cell markers and promoted new bone formation to heal critical-size calvarial defects in vivo. These findings suggest that LNGFRLow+THY-1High+ dental pulp–derived cells provide an excellent source of material for bone regenerative strategies.
Complexity: E-Special Introduction
Authors: Human Oliver
Published: October 2015

This E-Special Issue collects together 11 articles from the archives of Theory, Culture & Society. These articles all articulate and debate the contribution of what some have described as either ‘complex complexity’ or ‘general complexity’. In contrast to reductionist or restricted attempts to understand complexity, the articles collected here move away from the tendency to assume mastery of complexity by expounding a set of universal and simple laws. Rather, the position of general complexity is that we cannot grasp the complexity of the world in its complexity, and therefore depend upon models which are always incomplete, provisional and contingent. Yet, these models make knowledge and action possible, and it is therefore the contribution of general complexity to provide the means through which we can ethically and pragmatically engage with complexity in the hope of realizing alternative, perhaps better, worlds.
Sclerotherapy complications of peripheral venous malformations
Authors: Aronniemi Johanna , Castrén Eeva , Lappalainen Kimmo , Vuola Pia , Salminen Päivi , Pitkäranta Anne , Pekkola Johanna
Published: October 2015

Background

Sclerotherapy is often the primary treatment for peripheral venous malformations. It is mostly sufficient alone, but can be combined with other endovascular techniques. Despite its mini-invasiveness, it is not without potentially severe complications. Here, we systematically report sclerotherapy complications in trunk and extremity venous malformations.

Methods

We retrospectively assessed the complications of 127 consecutive patients who had received sclerotherapy for peripheral venous malformation in our tertiary care unit (January 2007–August 2013). We applied the Clavien–Dindo classification to grade the severity of complications. We mostly used detergent sclerosants (85.7%), and less often ethanol (5.7%) or bleomycin (4.2%). In 4.2% of the procedures, we combined glue, coils, endovascular laser or particles to sclerotherapy.

Results

The overall complication rate per procedure was 12.5%. Most complications (83.3%) were local and managed conservatively. We encountered four severe complications, all related to blood coagulopathy. Subcutaneous lesion location and use of ethanol significantly increased the risk of local complications.

Conclusion

Sclerotherapy alone or combined with other endovascular techniques is a safe method for local venous malformations with moderate risk for conservatively manageable complications. Blood coagulopathy constitutes a risk for, otherwise rare, severe complications.
Writing Norms
Authors: Engelkamp Stephan , Glaab Katharina
Published: October 2015

The language used by norm research exercises a form of epistemological violence that seeks to minimize normative ambiguity, hence foreclosing alternative ways of reading and writing about norms. Taking a seminal text of constructivist literature on norms as an example, this article examines how this research has been dominated by a specific “norm language.” To uncover the power of this language, we examine the normalizing effects and implications of a particularly influential work in norm research literature. Inspired by the work of Jacques Derrida, we inquire into the presuppositions of “International Norm Dynamics and Political Change” by Martha Finnemore and Kathryn Sikkink. A double reading of the text traces how it relies on logocentric dichotomies that need to be sustained by discursive moves of deferral, closure, and forgetting. We provide an alternative reading of some of the stories in the text that work to destabilize its underlying logics. Finally, we offer a perspective on “writing norms” calling for a culture of tolerance and an ethics of “hospitality” that celebrate normative ambiguity as a source for dialogue.
Dissociating the neural mechanisms of pain consistency and pain intensity in the trigemino-nociceptive system
Authors: Kröger Inga L , Menz Mareike M , May Arne
Published: October 2015

Background

Individual differences in pain perception to a standardized nociceptive input are a well-known phenomenon within pain research. Brain structures known to play a crucial role in pain modulatory processes are the rostral/subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sACC) as well as the periaqueductal gray (PAG), which belong to the endogenous antinociceptive system. However, the exact mechanisms possibly leading to this high level of variance in pain perception are still a matter of debate.

Methods

Pain perception within the trigemino-vascular system was investigated in 37 healthy volunteers using functional magnetic resonance imaging.

Results

Behavioral results show high levels of variance being inversely correlated to mean pain ratings as well as to an increase in BOLD signal intensity within the sACC. In addition, higher sACC activation was coupled with activation in the PAG the lower the level of intra-individual variance.

Conclusion

This study gives first indications that coupled BOLD response within brain structures of the antinociceptive system seems to rather not code pain intensity within the trigemino-nociceptive system but the stability of volunteers’ pain ratings. Intrinsic mechanisms may modulate the pain perception in the trigemino-vascular system, which is highly involved in headache disorders.
Judging the Mafia: Categorization under Law and Moral Economies in Italy (1980–2010)
Authors: Puccio-Den Deborah
Published: October 2015

This paper describes the work that jurists, prosecutors, judges and experts had to carry out – sometimes paying with their own life – to defend the thesis that the mafia actually exists. It underlines the effects of this assertion for the ‘moral economy’ of Italian society. The paper starts with a historical reconstruction of the process that led to a legal definition of the mafia as a ‘criminal association’ in September 1982. This juridical recognition was the precondition to any possible trial against this particular secret society. It then analyzes the judicial viability of this initial definition – known as the ‘Buscetta Theorem’ from the name of the former member of the mafia who eventually revealed its structure to the Italian prosecutors – which focused on the organized and centralized nature of the mafia, and the subsequent adjustments of this original formulation to the diffused nature of the mafia phenomenon, producing new penal categories that redefine the boundaries between legal and illegal worlds. The ongoing debates about this definition within Italian society shed a light onto the limits of what can or cannot be accepted within a democratic society.
Climate, Inequality, and the Need for Reframing Climate Policy
Authors: Schor Juliet
Published: October 2015

Humans are on the precipice of dangerous climate change. In this lecture, I discuss the importance of inequality in climate solutions and the ways in which the framing of climate change has impeded action to mitigate emissions. I critique the standard formulation of a tradeoff between well-being and environmental protection. I argue for the need to reframe climate action as a positive good and discuss the impact of the Great Recession on climate discourse in the United States. I review recent history on de-coupling and argue for new approaches to climate policy, such as cap-and-dividend and the use of productivity growth to reduce hours of work and by extension emissions.
Le luxe ostensif sous-culturel comme processus mimétique créatif: le cas des Sapeurs Parisiens
Authors: Brodin Oliviane , Coulibaly Daouda , Ladwein Richard
Published: October 2015

Les marques de luxe ont un discours d’autorité. Ce discours dirige la consommation ostentatoire conformiste qui fixe les distances sociales. Certaines sous-cultures s’emparent de marques de luxe avec des pratiques ostensives qui brouillent cette distinction sociale. Cette consommation peut poser problème aux marques de luxe qui ne contrôlent plus leur discours et ont à satisfaire à la fois les clients traditionnels et ces nouveaux clients. L’objectif de cette recherche est de comprendre les pratiques, les processus et les effets individuels et collectifs du luxe ostensif sous-culturel et des mécanismes mimétiques qui les caractérisent. Une étude empirique a été menée sur le cas des Sapeurs Parisiens, une sous-culture de dandies africains. Une analyse interprétative des entretiens, des observations photographiques, vidéographiques et netnographiques a été effectuée. Elle permet de comprendre la Sape Parisienne comme une pratique du luxe individuante, qui procède par hybridation et crée un genre grotesque particulier. Cette recherche contribue à la distinction entre luxe ostentatoire et ostensif et à une meilleure compréhension des processus mimétiques créatifs. Ce luxe ostensif présente une source de co-créativité intéressante et interroge sur les risques pour la marque.
Translational challenges for the development of a novel nucleus pulposus substitute: Experimental results from biomechanical and in vivo studies
Authors: Detiger SEL , de Bakker JY , Emanuel KS , Schmitz M , Vergroesen PPA , van der Veen AJ , Mazel C , Smit TH
Published: October 2015

Nucleus pulposus replacement therapy could offer a less invasive alternative to restore the function of moderately degenerated intervertebral discs than current potentially destructive surgical procedures. Numerous nucleus pulposus substitutes have already been investigated, to assess their applicability for intradiscal use. Still, the current choice of testing methods often does not lead to efficient translation into clinical application. In this paper, we present the evaluation of a novel nucleus pulposus substitute, consisting of a hydromed core and an electrospun envelope. We performed three mechanical evaluations and an in vivo pilot experiment. Initially, the swelling pressure of the implant was assessed in confined compression. Next, we incorporated the implant into mechanically damaged caprine lumbar intervertebral discs to determine biomechanical segment behaviour in bending and torsion. Subsequently, segments were serially tested in native, damaged and repaired conditions under dynamic axial compressive loading regimes in a loaded disc culture system. Finally, nucleus pulposus substitutes were implanted in a live goat spine using a transpedicular approach. In confined compression, nucleus pulposus samples as well as implants showed some load-bearing capacity, but the implant exhibited a much lower absolute pressure. In bending and torsion, we found that the nucleus pulposus substitute could partly restore the mechanical response of the disc. During dynamic axial compression in the loaded disc culture system, on the other hand, the implant was not able to recover axial compressive behaviour towards the healthy situation. Moreover, the nucleus pulposus substitutes did not remain in place in the in vivo situation but migrated out of the disc area. From these results, we conclude that implants may mimic native disc behaviour in simple mechanical tests, yet fail in other, more realistic set-ups. Therefore, we recommend that biomaterials for nucleus pulposus replacement be tested in testing modalities of increasing complexity and in their relevant anatomical surroundings, for a more reliable prediction of clinical potential.
Base curves of involute cylindrical gears via Aronhold’s first theorem
Authors: Figliolini Giorgio , Stachel Hellmuth , Angeles Jorge
Published: October 2015

The subject of this paper is the synthesis of the base curves of involute cylindrical gears, for uniform and non-uniform transmission ratio, by means of Aronhold’s first theorem and the return circle. The base curves can be generated in several ways, as reported in the literature, but this approach comes from the kinematics fundamentals; it is, thus, more straightforward than the alternatives for the case of non-uniform transmission ratio, which leads to non-circular gears. The base curves of circular and non-circular gears are obtained by intersecting, at each pitch point, the corresponding return circle with the line of action for a given pressure angle. This is possible for involute cylindrical gears since the tooth profile of the rack is represented by a line, and the conjugate profiles of the two meshing gears can be generated by its envelope.
Evaluating the impact of rail research: Principles to maximise innovation uptake
Authors: Palacin Roberto , Golightly David , Ramdas Vijay , Dadashi Nastaran
Published: October 2015

This paper presents an analysis of railway research carried out in the UK, coupled with interview data from those with active experience of rail research. The aim of this work is to better understand the impact of research in order to identify key factors that influence successful implementation of outcomes, or present barriers to the development and adoption of rail innovation. The paper introduces the innovation context experienced by the rail sector, comparing it with other industries leading to a discussion of research gaps. Data was collected using interviews with industry research experts combined with an analysis of a sample of case studies, dating primarily from 1988 onwards. These data were assessed against three analytical frameworks: barriers and enablers, research process and research impact. Particular emphasis is placed on how research in the rail sector does not always follow the linear process typified by Technology Readiness Levels. The results of this exercise are then discussed leading to the conclusions including the definition of mechanisms that, if followed, could lead to maximising uptake of railway research.
Lower Muscle Strength and Increased Visceral Fat Associated With No-reflow and High Gensini Score in STEMI
Authors: Ayça Burak , Kafadar Didem , Avsar Murat , Avci İ. İlker , Akın Fatih , Okuyan Ertugrul , Dinckal M. Hakan
Published: October 2015

Background:

The impact of fat distribution, muscle mass, and muscle strength on no-reflow and severity of coronary artery disease in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) remains unclear.

Objective:

To investigate association between muscle strength and fat and muscle mass and severity of coronary atherosclerosis.

Methods:

We included 218 patients with STEMI who had undergone primary percutaneous coronary intervention. We evaluated the no-reflow phenomenon in infarct-related artery and calculated Gensini scores from initial angiograms as indicative of coronary atherosclerosis severity. The patients were divided into 2 groups as patients with no-reflow and with thrombolysis in myocardial infarction grade 3 flow and patients with low (<55) Gensini and with high (≥55) Gensini. Patients’ total fat, muscle mass, visceral fat mass, and muscle strength were measured via body composition analyzer and handgrip dynamometer.

Results:

High Gensini patients had a greater body mass index (BMI) and lower handgrip strength and more visceral fat ( P = .05, P = .017, and P < .001, respectively). The patients with no-reflow had significantly lower handgrip strength and more visceral fat (both, P < .001). In multivariate regression analysis, visceral fat and handgrip strength were associated with high no-reflow rate and high Gensini scores in patients with STEMI ( P = .001, P = .014, P = .022, and P = .010; respectively).

Conclusion:

Increased visceral fat and lower handgrip strength may be related to increased no-reflow rate and coronary plaque burden in STEMI. Visceral fat and muscle strength may be better prognostic markers than weight, BMI, total fat, and muscle mass in coronary artery disease.
Aligning and Trespassing
Authors: Meeks Lindsey
Published: October 2015

This study examined how Republican and Democratic candidates utilized Twitter to manage their impressions during the 2012 U.S. Senate elections, and examined their discussion of political issues and character traits across three types of tweets: campaign tweets, campaign-selected retweets, and tweets that mentioned their respective opponent. Candidates aligned with and trespassed party-based ownership of issues and traits across the tweet types. In the aggregate, Republicans discussed Republican-owned issues and traits more than Democrats, and Democrats emphasized Democrat-owned issues more than Republicans. This party alignment broke down when examined across winning and losing candidates, yielding varying routes to electoral success.
Impact of a pharmacist-led oral chemotherapy-monitoring program in patients with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer
Authors: Patel Jay M , Holle Lisa M , Clement Jessica M , Bunz Thomas , Niemann Christopher , Chamberlin Kevin W
Published: October 2015

Background

With the introduction of oral chemotherapy, the paradigm for cancer treatment is shifting. Use of oral chemotherapy agents offers a non-invasive option for patients with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer. However, these medications are not without challenges including strict adherence for optimal effects, novel toxicity profiles, frequent lab parameter monitoring, high cost, and proper handling and disposal methods. Pharmacists are positioned to play a key role in providing patients with the education required to assure an optimal treatment course is carried out.

Methods

Two cohorts of patients receiving abiraterone, bicalutamide, or enzalutamide for metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer seen in our outpatient cancer center 21 months before and 24 months after the implementation of a pharmacist-led oral chemotherapy-monitoring program in December of 2012 were retrospectively compared. Patients were evaluated for number of interventions, adherence to lab parameter monitoring, and overall time on each therapy.

Results

Of the 64 patients identified, 31 patients fulfilled inclusion criteria. A significant increase in the average number of interventions per patient (6.9 vs. 2.6; P = 0.004) and adherence to lab parameter monitoring (10 vs. 3; P = 0.04) in the post-program implementation cohort was found. However, no significant difference in overall time on therapy (10.3 vs. 8.1; P = 0.341) between the two groups was observed.

Conclusion

These results suggest a potential opportunity exists to maximize oral chemotherapy treatment outcomes with the addition of a formalized monitoring program directed by an oncology pharmacist.
Working Memory and Increased Activity Level (Hyperactivity) in ADHD: Experimental Evidence for a Functional Relation
Authors: Kofler Michael J. , Sarver Dustin E. , Wells Erica L.
Published: October 2015

Objective: Converging evidence indicates large magnitude deficits in the “working” component of working memory for children with ADHD. However, our understanding of the relation between these central executive deficits and ADHD behavioral symptoms remains limited due to problems with several commonly used working memory tests. Method: Children with ADHD ( n = 25) completed a counterbalanced series of working memory tasks that differed only in memory set predictability. Results: Results indicated that central executive demands increased when memory set was unpredictable, as evidenced by moderate performance decreases ( d = 0.22-0.56) and large changes in performance variability ( d = 0.93-3.16) and response times ( d = 1.74-4.16). Activity level remained relatively stable when memory set was unpredictable but decreased significantly over time when memory set was predictable. Conclusion: Results suggest that altering memory set predictability is a feasible method for increasing/maintaining central executive demands over time, and suggest a positive association between working memory demands and gross motor activity for children with ADHD.
Cardiovascular Safety of Concomitant Use of Atypical Antipsychotics and Long-Acting Stimulants in Children and Adolescents With ADHD
Authors: Bali Vishal , Kamble Pravin S. , Aparasu Rajender R.
Published: October 2015

Objective: This study examined cardiovascular safety of concomitant use of long-acting stimulants (LAS) and atypical antipsychotics (AAP) in children and adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Method: The study used 2004-2007 IMS LifeLink™ claims data involving 6- to 16-year-old children with ADHD and at least one LAS prescription from July 2004 to December 2006. Time-dependent Cox regression analysis was performed to evaluate the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events due to concomitant use of LAS and AAP. Results: The analytical cohort consisted of 37,903 children: 538 (1.9%) used LAS and AAP concurrently and the rest used LAS monotherapy. Time-dependent Cox regression analysis revealed no difference in CVD risk among concomitant users of LAS and AAP (hazard ratio = 1.19; 95% confidence interval = [0.60, 2.53]) when compared with users of LAS monotherapy. Conclusion: Concomitant use of LAS and AAP was not associated with risk of CVD events in ADHD patients when compared with LAS monotherapy.
Deregulation of microRNA-181c in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with clinically isolated syndrome is associated with early conversion to relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis
Authors: Ahlbrecht Jonas , Martino Filippo , Pul Refik , Skripuletz Thomas , Sühs Kurt-Wolfram , Schauerte Celina , Yildiz Özlem , Trebst Corinna , Tasto Lars , Thum Sabrina , Pfanne Angelika , Roesler Romy , Lauda Florian , Hecker Michael , Zettl Uwe K , Tumani Hayrettin , Thum Thomas , Stangel Martin
Published: October 2015

Background:

MiRNA-181c, miRNA-633 and miRNA-922 have been reported to be deregulated in multiple sclerosis.

Objectives:

To investigate the association between miRNA-181c, miRNA-633 and miRNA-922 and conversion from clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) to relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS); and to compare microRNAs in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum with regard to dysfunction of the blood–CSF barrier.

Methods:

CSF and serum miRNA-181c, miRNA-633 and miRNA-922 were retrospectively determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in CIS patients with (CIS-RRMS) and without (CIS-CIS) conversion to RRMS within 1 year.

Results:

Thirty of 58 CIS patients developed RRMS. Cerebrospinal fluid miRNA-922, serum miRNA-922 and cerebrospinal fluid miRNA-181c were significantly higher in CIS-RRMS compared to CIS-CIS ( P=0.027, P=0.048, P=0.029, respectively). High levels of cerebrospinal fluid miRNA-181c were independently associated with conversion from CIS to RRMS in multivariate Cox regression analysis (hazard ratio 2.99, 95% confidence interval 1.41–6.34, P=0.005). A combination of high cerebrospinal fluid miRNA-181c, younger age and more than nine lesions on magnetic resonance imaging showed the highest specificity (96%) and positive predictive value (94%) for conversion from CIS to RRMS. MiRNA-181c was higher in serum than in cerebrospinal fluid ( P <0.001), while miRNA-633 and miRNA-922 were no different in cerebrospinal fluid and serum. Cerebrospinal fluid/serum albumin quotients did not correlate with microRNAs in cerebrospinal fluid (all P>0.711).

Conclusions:

Cerebrospinal fluid miRNA-181c might serve as a biomarker for early conversion to RRMS. Moreover, our data suggest an intrathecal origin of microRNAs detected in the cerebrospinal fluid.