bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Torsion of Atypical Meckel’s Diverticulum Treated by Laparoscopic-Assisted Surgery
Authors: Kohga Atsushi , Yamashita Kimihiro , Hasegawa Yuto , Yajima Kiyoshige , Okumura Takuya , Isogaki Jun , Suzuki Kenji , Kawabe Akihiro , Komiyama Akira
Published: July 2017

Introduction. Meckel’s diverticulum (MD) is the most common congenital anomaly of the intestine, with an incidence of 2~4%. Of those, only 2% of patients with MD are symptomatic. Torsion of MD is extremely rare, and only a dozen cases have been previously reported. Case Report. The patient was a 49-year-old male who presented to our emergency room with a chief complaint of lower abdominal pain. Computed tomography imaging revealed an irregular polycystic mass connected to the small intestine that measured 7.5 cm in a diameter. A laparoscopic-assisted partial resection of the jejunum was performed. The lesion was found to have caused torsion and was located 130 cm from the ileocecal valve. The specimen was polycystic in appearance and showed communicating links with the submucosal layer of jejunum but not with the lumen. The pathological diagnosis was a torsion of an atypical presentation of MD. Conclusion. This case was different from typical cases of MD in that it was located on significantly oral side and had the appearance of polycystic morphology.
Whole Medical Systems versus the System of Conventional Biomedicine: A Critical, Narrative Review of Similarities, Differences, and Factors That Promote the Integration Process
Authors: Baars Erik W. , Hamre Harald J.
Published: July 2017

Background. There is an increasing need for a worldwide professional integration of conventional medicine and traditional/complementary whole medical systems (WMSs). However, the integration is perceived by conventional medicine as problematic or unacceptable, because of a supposed lack of evidence for specific effects of WMSs therapies and supposed prescientific or unscientific paradigms of WMSs. Objectives. To review the literature on the features of WMSs, similarities and differences between conventional medicine and WMSs, and scientific and clinical practice issues that should be dealt with in order to promote the integration process. Methods. A critical, narrative review of the literature on six WMSs. Results and Conclusions. Key factors for the integration of WMSs and conventional medicine are as follows: legal frameworks, quality standards, high‐quality research on safety and efficacy of WMS interventions, infrastructure, and financial resources. For scientific assessment of WMSs, there are unresolved ontological, epistemological, and methodological issues and issues of diagnostics, therapy delivery, and outcome assessment in clinical practice. Future research not only should be directed at quality assurance and generating the necessary data on safety and efficacy/effectiveness but also should address more fundamental (ontological, epistemological, and methodological) issues, in order to overcome the differences between WMSs and conventional medicine.
Effect of Anatomical Customization of the Fiber Post on the Bond Strength of a Self-Adhesive Resin Cement
Authors: Rocha Adricyla Teixeira , Gonçalves Leticia Machado , Vasconcelos Ana Júlia de Carvalho , Matos Maia Filho Etevaldo , Nunes Carvalho Ceci , De Jesus Tavarez Rudys Rodolfo
Published: July 2017

Aim. The aim of the study was to evaluate, by means of the push-out test, the effect of the anatomical customization of the fiber post on the bond strength of a self-adhesive resin cement. Methods. Twelve endodontically treated, human, upper central incisors were randomly divided into two groups (n=6): control (glass fiber posts cemented with Relyx® U200) and customized (glass fiber posts anatomically customized with translucent composite resin cemented with Relyx U200). The roots were sectioned into three slices, cervical, middle, and apical, and photographed with a digital camera attached to a stereomicroscopic loupe. The images were analyzed by software, for evaluation of the cement line. The slices were subsequently submitted to the push-out test until the post had completely extruded, and the fracture mode was analyzed with a stereomicroscopic loupe. Results. The results showed significant differences between the groups in the different root thirds in relation to the area occupied by air bubbles (p<0.05). Bond strength, when all the thirds are considered, was 8.77 ± 4.89 MPa for the control group and 16.96 ± 4.85 MPa for the customized group. Conclusion. The customized group showed greater bond resistance than the control group and a more uniform cement layer.
Neuroprotection of Catalpol for Experimental Acute Focal Ischemic Stroke: Preclinical Evidence and Possible Mechanisms of Antioxidation, Anti‐Inflammation, and Antiapoptosis
Authors: Zheng Xia-wei , Yang Wen-ting , Chen Shuang , Xu Qing-qing , Shan Chun-shuo , Zheng Guo-qing , Ruan Ji-chen
Published: July 2017

Neuroprotection is defined as using a therapy that affects the brain tissue in the still‐viable ischemic penumbra to salvage or delay the infarction. Catalpol, the main active principle of the root of Radix Rehmanniae, was reported to have pleiotropic neuroprotective effects in neurodegenerative diseases including ischemic stroke. Here, we evaluated the neuroprotective effects of catalpol in experimental acute ischemic stroke. Studies on catalpol in animal models of acute ischemic stroke were identified from 6 databases. Twenty‐five studies involving 805 animals were included. Twelve comparisons showed significant effects of catalpol on decreasing infarct size according to 2,3,5‐triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining compared with the control (P < 0.05). One study reported significant effect of catalpol on reducing infarct size according to magnetic resonance imaging scan compared with the control (P < 0.05). Meta‐analysis of these studies indicated that catalpol significantly improved the neurological function score according to Zea Longa score, Bederson score, balance beam‐walking test, adhesive removal test, bar‐grasping score, and corner test compared with the control (P < 0.05). In conclusion, catalpol exerted neuroprotective effects for experimental acute focal ischemic stroke, largely through reducing oxidative reactions, inhibiting apoptosis, and repressing inflammatory reactions and autophagy. However, these apparently positive findings should be interpreted with caution because of the methodological flaws.
Perioperative Therapy of Oesophagogastric Adenocarcinoma: Mainstay and Future Directions
Authors: Bose Katrin , Franck Caspar , Müller Meike N. , Canbay Ali , Link Alexander , Venerito Marino
Published: July 2017

Perioperative chemotherapy improves overall survival in patients with oesophagogastric adenocarcinoma (OAC) and locoregional disease. The mainstay of perioperative chemotherapy in these patients is a platinum/fluoropyrimidine combination. The phase III FLOT4 trial has shown that the FLOT triplet regimen (oxaliplatin, infusional 5-FU, and docetaxel) improves the outcome of patients with OAC and locoregional disease as compared to the ECF triplet (epirubicin, cisplatin, and infusional 5-FU). Targeted therapies have currently no role in the perioperative setting for the treatment of patients with OAC. For patients with oligometastatic disease, upfront gastrectomy followed by chemotherapy did not show any survival benefit compared with chemotherapy alone and thus should be discouraged. Whether surgery should be offered to patients with metastatic OAC achieving a systemic control after upfront chemotherapy is under scrutiny in the phase III FLOT5/Renaissance trial. After neoadjuvant treatment, lymph node status but not pathologic tumor response is an independent factor in the prediction of overall survival. Growing evidence suggests that perioperative chemotherapy may be associated with an increased mortality risk in patients with microsatellite instable (MSI)/mismatch repair-deficient (MMRD) adenocarcinoma, thus validating poor responsiveness to chemotherapy in MSI patients with locoregional disease.
A Characterization for the Deformation Behavior of As-Cast P91 Alloy Steel and Utilization in Hot Extrusion Process
Authors: Jia Lu , Li Yongtang , Zhang Yang
Published: July 2017

The constitutive models of as-cast P91 alloy steel were investigated by unidirectional thermal compression tests, which were conducted over a wide range of temperature and strain rate on Gleeble-3500 thermal simulation machine. The constitutive models were coupled with finite element method to simulate the hot extrusion process. Furthermore, the industrial hot extrusion experiment on actual pipe was conducted on 500 MN vertical extrusion machine and the load-displacement data during the extrusion were recorded. Comparisons between the numerical simulation and industrial experimental results were carried out and confirmed that the developed constitutive models can be used in the simulation and industrial research of compact hot extrusion process.
Pathway-Based Kernel Boosting for the Analysis of Genome-Wide Association Studies
Authors: Friedrichs Stefanie , Manitz Juliane , Burger Patricia , Amos Christopher I. , Risch Angela , Chang-Claude Jenny , Wichmann Heinz-Erich , Kneib Thomas , Bickeböller Heike , Hofner Benjamin
Published: July 2017

The analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) benefits from the investigation of biologically meaningful gene sets, such as gene-interaction networks (pathways). We propose an extension to a successful kernel-based pathway analysis approach by integrating kernel functions into a powerful algorithmic framework for variable selection, to enable investigation of multiple pathways simultaneously. We employ genetic similarity kernels from the logistic kernel machine test (LKMT) as base-learners in a boosting algorithm. A model to explain case-control status is created iteratively by selecting pathways that improve its prediction ability. We evaluated our method in simulation studies adopting 50 pathways for different sample sizes and genetic effect strengths. Additionally, we included an exemplary application of kernel boosting to a rheumatoid arthritis and a lung cancer dataset. Simulations indicate that kernel boosting outperforms the LKMT in certain genetic scenarios. Applications to GWAS data on rheumatoid arthritis and lung cancer resulted in sparse models which were based on pathways interpretable in a clinical sense. Kernel boosting is highly flexible in terms of considered variables and overcomes the problem of multiple testing. Additionally, it enables the prediction of clinical outcomes. Thus, kernel boosting constitutes a new, powerful tool in the analysis of GWAS data and towards the understanding of biological processes involved in disease susceptibility.
AMMI Stability Analysis and Estimation of Genetic Parameters for Growth and Yield Components in Cassava in the Forest and Guinea Savannah Ecologies of Ghana
Authors: Adjebeng-Danquah Joseph , Manu-Aduening Joseph , Gracen Vernon Edward , Asante Isaac Kwadwo , Offei Samuel Kwame
Published: July 2017

Twenty cassava genotypes were arranged in a randomised complete block design with three replications and assessed for growth and yield stability using the additive main effect and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) analysis. Highly significant (P<0.001) effects of genotype, environment, and genotype ⁎ environment interaction were observed for all traits studied. The AMMI analysis of variance indicated that genotype accounted for 51% of the total sum of squares for height at first branching followed by environment (33%) and interaction (15%). For fresh root yield, environment effects accounted for 37% of the total sum of squares, whilst genotype and interaction accounted for 32% and 29%, respectively. Genotypic variances for harvest index (HI), plant height, storage root yield, and dry matter content contributed a greater proportion of the phenotypic variance indicating stronger genetic control. This suggests better chance of progress in the genetic improvement of these traits. Genotype MM96/1751 combined high yield with stability according to the yield stability index ranking across environments. On the other hand genotypes UCC 2001/449 and 96/1708 though high yielding were unstable according to AMMI stability value scores. However they can be tested further in more environments to ascertain their specific adaptability for release to farmers for cultivation to boost cassava production and ensure food security.
Mahuang Fuzi Xixin Decoction Attenuates Th1 and Th2 Responses in the Treatment of Ovalbumin-Induced Allergic Inflammation in a Rat Model of Allergic Rhinitis
Authors: Ren Mengyue , Tang Qingfa , Chen Feilong , Xing Xuefeng , Huang Yao , Tan Xiaomei
Published: July 2017

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is one of the most common allergic diseases, which adversely affect patients’ quality of life. Mahuang Fuzi Xixin decoction (MFXD) has been widely used to treat AR in clinics in Asian countries. This study investigated the effect and possible therapeutic mechanisms of MFXD in the treatment of AR. A Wistar rat model of ovalbumin- (OVA-) induced AR was established and then treated with three doses of MFXD; AR symptoms, serum total immunoglobulin E, histamine, histopathological features, and release and expression of factors related to type 1 helper T (Th1) and type 2 helper T (Th2) responses were analyzed. Our study demonstrated that MFXD has a good therapeutic effect on OVA-induced allergic inflammation in an AR rat model as manifested in reduced frequencies of sneezing and nasal scratching and in reduced serum levels of total IgE and HIS. In addition, MFXD regulates imbalance in Th1/Th2 cells caused by AR by simultaneously attenuating Th1 and Th2 responses, such as by reducing the serum levels of IFN-γ and IL-4 and mRNA expression levels of IFN-γ, IL-4, GATA-3, and STAT-6. This study provided valuable information on the immunoregulatory effect of MFXD for the treatment of AR in future clinical studies.
A Hybrid Lightning Search Algorithm-Simplex Method for Global Optimization
Authors: Lu Yuting , Zhou Yongquan , Wu Xiuli
Published: July 2017

In this paper, a novel hybrid lightning search algorithm-simplex method (LSA-SM) is proposed to solve the shortcomings of lightning search algorithm (LSA) premature convergence and low computational accuracy and it is applied to function optimization and constrained engineering design optimization problems. The improvement adds two major optimization strategies. Simplex method (SM) iteratively optimizes the current worst step leaders to avoid the population searching at the edge, thus improving the convergence accuracy and rate of the algorithm. Elite opposition-based learning (EOBL) increases the diversity of population to avoid the algorithm falling into local optimum. LSA-SM is tested by 18 benchmark functions and five constrained engineering design problems. The results show that LSA-SM has higher computational accuracy, faster convergence rate, and stronger stability than other algorithms and can effectively solve the problem of constrained nonlinear optimization in reality.
Pore Fluid Evolution Influenced by Volcanic Activities and Related Diagenetic Processes in a Rift Basin: Evidence from the Paleogene Medium-Deep Reservoirs of Huanghekou Sag, Bohai Bay Basin, China
Authors: Sun Zhongheng , Zhu Hongtao , Xu Changgui , Yang Xianghua , Du Xiaofeng , Wang Qingbin , Qiao Jinyang
Published: July 2017

Volcanic activities exert a significant influence on pore fluid property and related diagenetic processes that substantially controlled reservoirs quality. Analysis of Paleogene medium-deep sandstones on the Huanghekou Sag provides insight into relating the diagenetic processes to pore fluid property evolution influenced by volcanic activities. Three distinct types of pore fluids were identified on the basis of an integrated and systematic analysis including core and thin section observation, XRD, SEM, CL, and trace element. Alkaline aqueous medium environment occurred in E2s1+2 where volcanic activities have insignificant influence on pore fluids, evidenced by typical alkaline diagenetic events such as K-feldspar albitization, quartz dissolution, feldspar dissolution, and carbonate cementation. During the deposition of E3d3, influx of terrestrial freshwater and alteration of ferromagnesian-rich pore water result in the formation of mixing aqueous medium environment through volcanic eruption dormancy causing zeolite dissolution, clay mineral transformation, and K-feldspar albitization. Ferromagnesian-rich aqueous medium environment developed resulting from the intensive hydrolysis of the unstable ferromagnesian minerals formed due to intense volcanic activities during E3d1+2 and corresponding predominant diagenetic processes were characterized by the precipitation and dissolution of low-silica zeolites. Therefore, the differential properties of pore fluids caused various diagenetic processes controlling reservoir quality.
WNT/β-Catenin Pathway and Epigenetic Mechanisms Regulate the Pitt-Hopkins Syndrome and Schizophrenia Risk Gene TCF4
Authors: Hennig Krista M. , Fass Daniel M. , Zhao Wen-Ning , Sheridan Steven D. , Fu Ting , Erdin Serkan , Stortchevoi Alexei , Lucente Diane , Cody Jannine D. , Sweetser David , Gusella James F. , Talkowski Michael E. , Haggarty Stephen J.
Published: July 2017

Genetic variation within the transcription factor TCF4 locus can cause the intellectual disability and developmental disorder Pitt-Hopkins syndrome (PTHS), whereas single-nucleotide polymorphisms within noncoding regions are associated with schizophrenia. These genetic findings position TCF4 as a link between transcription and cognition; however, the neurobiology of TCF4 remains poorly understood. Here, we quantitated multiple distinct TCF4 transcript levels in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neural progenitors and differentiated neurons, and PTHS patient fibroblasts. We identify two classes of pharmacological treatments that regulate TCF4 expression: WNT pathway activation and inhibition of class I histone deacetylases. In PTHS fibroblasts, both of these perturbations upregulate a subset of TCF4 transcripts. Finally, using chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing in conjunction with genome-wide transcriptome analysis, we identified TCF4 target genes that may mediate the effect of TCF4 loss on neuroplasticity. Our studies identify new pharmacological assays, tools, and targets for the development of therapeutics for cognitive disorders.
Acalculous Cholecystitis: Is an Elective Interval Cholecystectomy Necessary
Authors: Abbas Syed H. , Ghazanfar Mudassar A. , Gordon-Weeks Alex N. , Reddy Srikanth R. , Soonawalla Zahir , Silva Michael A.
Published: July 2017

Background: Acute acalculous cholecystitis (AAC) accounts for 5-10% of cases of acute cholecystitis. The advantage of interval cholecystectomy for patients with AAC is unclear. Therefore, a retrospective analysis of patients diagnosed with AAC at our institution was performed over a 5-year period. Methods: Patients were identified via hospital coding using the keywords “acalculous cholecystitis, cholecystostomy and gall bladder perforation.” Follow-up data was obtained by performing a retrospective review of the patients' hospital records. Results: A total of 33 patients with AAC were identified and followed for a median period of 18 months. The median age at presentation was 70 (10-96) and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade was 3 (1-5). Twenty-three patients (70%) were treated with antibiotics alone, 7 patients (21%) with percutaneous cholecystostomy and 3 patients (9%) with laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The 90-day mortality rate was 30% with significant correlation to comorbid status, as all deaths occurred in ASA grade 3-5 individuals (p = 0.020). Two patients (6%) developed recurrent AAC and were managed non-operatively. Conclusion: Antibiotics and cholecystostomy were the mainstay of AAC management, and comorbid status influenced related mortality. Our results suggest that it appears safe to avoid interval cholecystectomy in patients who recover from AAC, as they are typically high-risk surgical candidates.
The Use of Intralesional Steroids in a Case of Localized Pemphigus Foliaceus
Authors: Ghoneim Sara , Zaiac Martin
Published: July 2017

A 37-year-old South-Asian male presented to our clinic with a crusty, verrucous-like, scaly plaque of the left ala of the nose. After ruling out infectious and other epidermal bullous diseases, we finalized a diagnosis of localized pemphigus foliaceus, an exceptionally rare disorder with only 15 cases reported in the literature to date. The hyperkeratotic lesions responded favorably to a 3-week regimen of triamcinolone ointment and a onetime intralesional triamcinolone 2.5 mg/mL injection.
Editorial
Authors: Morettin Eduardo Victorio , Siqueira Daniela Giovana , Stoco Sávio Luis , Melo Izabel de Fátima Cruz
Published: July 2017

Editorial da edição 47 da Significação: Revista de Cultura Audiovisual
Redox and Activation of Protein Kinase A Dysregulates Calcium Homeostasis in Pulmonary Vein Cardiomyocytes of Chronic Kidney Disease
Authors: Huang Shih‐Yu , Chen Yao‐Chang , Kao Yu‐Hsun , Hsieh Ming‐Hsiung , Lin Yung‐Kuo , Chen Shih‐Ann , Chen Yi‐Jen
Published: July 2017

Background

Chronic kidney disease (
CKD
) increases the occurrence of atrial fibrillation and pulmonary vein (
PV
) arrhythmogenesis. Calcium dysregulation and reactive oxygen species (
ROS
) enhance
PV
arrhythmogenic activity. The purposes of this study were to investigate whether
CKD
modulates
PV
electrical activity through dysregulation of calcium homeostasis and
ROS
.

Methods and Results

Biochemical and electrocardiographic studies were conducted in rabbits with and without
CKD
(induced by 150 mg/kg per day neomycin sulfate and 500 mg/kg per day cefazolin). Confocal microscopy with fluorescence and a whole‐cell patch clamp were applied to study calcium homeostasis and electrical activities in control and
CKD
isolated single
PV
cardiomyocytes with or without treatment with H89 (1 μmol/L, a protein kinase A inhibitor) and MPG (N‐[2‐mercaptopropionyl]glycine; 100 μmol/L, a
ROS
scavenger). The
ROS
in mitochondria and cytosol were evaluated via intracellular dye fluorescence and lipid peroxidation.
CKD
rabbits had excessive atrial premature captures over those of control rabbits. Compared with the control,
CKD PV
cardiomyocytes had a faster beating rate and larger calcium transient amplitudes, sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium contents, sodium/calcium exchanger currents, and late sodium currents but smaller L‐type calcium current densities.
CKD PV
cardiomyocytes had a higher frequency and longer duration of calcium sparks and more
ROS
in the mitochondria and cytosol than did controls. Moreover, H89 suppressed all calcium sparks in
CKD PV
cardiomyocytes, and H89‐ and
MPG
‐treated
CKD PV
cardiomyocytes had similar calcium transients compared with control
PV
cardiomyocytes.

Conclusions

CKD
increases
PV
arrhythmogenesis with enhanced calcium‐handling abnormalities through activation of protein kinase A and
ROS
.
Estimated Impact of Emergency Medical Service Triage of Stroke Patients on Comprehensive Stroke Centers
Authors: Katz Brian S. , Adeoye Opeolu , Sucharew Heidi , Broderick Joseph P. , McMullan Jason , Khatri Pooja , Widener Michael , Alwell Kathleen S. , Moomaw Charles J. , Kissela Brett M. , Flaherty Matthew L. , Woo Daniel , Ferioli Simona , Mackey Jason , Martini Sharyl , De Los Rios la Rosa Felipe , Kleindorfer Dawn O.
Published: July 2017

Background and Purpose—

The American Stroke Association recommends that Emergency Medical Service bypass acute stroke–ready hospital (ASRH)/primary stroke center (PSC) for comprehensive stroke centers (CSCs) when transporting appropriate stroke patients, if the additional travel time is ≤15 minutes. However, data on additional transport time and the effect on hospital census remain unknown.

Methods—

Stroke patients ≥20 years old who were transported from home to an ASRH/PSC or CSC via Emergency Medical Service in 2010 were identified in the Greater Cincinnati area population of 1.3 million. Addresses of all patients’ residences and hospitals were geocoded, and estimated travel times were calculated. We estimated the mean differences between the travel time for patients taken to an ASRH/PSC and the theoretical time had they been transported directly to the region’s CSC.

Results—

Of 929 patients with geocoded addresses, 806 were transported via Emergency Medical Service directly to an ASRH/PSC. Mean additional travel time of direct transport to the CSC, compared with transport to an ASRH/PSC, was 7.9±6.8 minutes; 85% would have ≤15 minutes added transport time. Triage of all stroke patients to the CSC would have added 727 patients to the CSC’s census in 2010. Limiting triage to the CSC to patients with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score of ≥10 within 6 hours of onset would have added 116 patients (2.2 per week) to the CSC’s annual census.

Conclusions—

Emergency Medical Service triage to CSCs based on stroke severity and symptom duration may be feasible. The impact on stroke systems of care and patient outcomes remains to be determined and requires prospective evaluation.
Man, Nature and Technology—Eastern Philosophy, Global Issues and Western Digital Visualization Practice
Authors: Bolewski Christin
Published: July 2017

This practice-based research project explores cross-cultural influences between the West and the East. It reinvestigates relationships of man and nature in Eastern traditional art and philosophy and transposes the content to contemporary global environmental issues. The outcomes are two ambient digital video art animations presented as video painting on high-resolution wall-mounted flat screen displays.
Ecocompositional and Performative Strategies for Creative Usage of Everyday Sounds: Creative Semantic Anchoring
Authors: Keller Damián , Feichas Leonardo
Published: July 2017

The authors cover recent advances in ecologically grounded creative practice, highlighting performative strategies in instrumental writing. They address techniques adopted in ecocomposition and propose an expansion of the available resources by introducing a new method: creative semantic anchoring. The underlying concepts are presented and a case study—targeting the performative practice of Flausino Valle’s 26 Characteristic and Concert Preludes for Solo Violin—is described.
Time and Space Scales in the Tropical Cyclone Boundary Layer, and the Location of the Eyewall Updraft
Authors: Kepert Jeffrey D.
Published: July 2017

The transient response of the tropical cyclone boundary layer is studied using linearized and nonlinear models, with particular focus on the frictionally forced vertical motion. The impulsively started, linearized tropical cyclone boundary layer is shown to adjust to its equilibrium solution via a series of decaying oscillations with the inertial period . In the nonlinear case, the oscillation period is slightly lengthened by inward advection of the slower-evolving flow from larger radii, but the oscillations decay more quickly. In an idealized cyclone with small sinusoidal oscillations superimposed on the gradient wind, the equilibrium nonlinear boundary layer acts as a low-pass filter with pass length scaling as , where is the 10-m frictional inflow. This filter is absent from the linearized boundary layer. The eyewall frictional updraft is similarly displaced inward of the radius of maximum winds (RMW) by a distance that scales with , owing to nonlinear overshoot of the inflowing air as it crosses the relatively sharp increase in I near the eyewall. This displacement is smaller (other things being equal) when the RMW is small, and greater when it is large, including in secondary eyewalls. The dependence of this distance on may explain, at least partially, why observed RMW are seldom less than 20 km, why storms with relatively peaked radial profiles of wind speed can intensify more rapidly, and why some secondary eyewalls initially contract rapidly with little intensification, then contract more slowly while intensifying.
The Hydrologic Effects of Synchronous El Niño–Southern Oscillation and Subtropical Indian Ocean Dipole Events over Southern Africa
Authors: Hoell Andrew , Gaughan Andrea E. , Shukla Shraddhanand , Magadzire Tamuka
Published: July 2017

Southern Africa precipitation during December–March (DJFM), the height of the rainy season, is closely related with two modes of climate variability, El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the subtropical Indian Ocean dipole (SIOD). Recent research has found that the combined effects of ENSO and SIOD phasing are linked with changes to the regional southern Africa atmospheric circulation beyond the individual effects of either ENSO or SIOD alone. Here, the authors extend the recent research and examine the southern Africa land surface hydrology associated with the synchronous effects of ENSO and SIOD events using a macroscale hydrologic model, with particular emphasis on the evolution of the hydrologic conditions over three critical Transfrontier Conservation Areas: the Kavango–Zambezi Conservation Area, the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park, and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. A better understanding of the climatic effects of ENSO and SIOD phase combinations is important for regional-scale transboundary conservation planning, especially for southern Africa, where both humans and wildlife are dependent on the timing and amount of precipitation. Opposing ENSO and SIOD phase combinations (e.g., El Niño and a negative SIOD or La Niña and a positive SIOD) result in strong southern Africa climate impacts during DJFM. The strong instantaneous regional precipitation and near-surface air temperature anomalies during opposing ENSO and SIOD phase combinations lead to significant soil moisture and evapotranspiration anomalies in the year following the ENSO event. By contrast, when ENSO and SIOD are in the same phase (e.g., El Niño and a positive SIOD or La Niña and a negative SIOD), the southern Africa climate impacts during DJFM are minimal.
Assimilation of Megha-Tropiques SAPHIR Observations in the NOAA Global Model
Authors: Jones Erin E. , Garrett Kevin , Boukabara Sid-Ahmed
Published: July 2017

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Global Data Assimilation System/Global Forecast System (GDAS/GFS) was extended to assimilate brightness temperatures from the Sondeur Atmosphérique du Profil d’Humidité Intertropicale par Radiométrie (SAPHIR) passive microwave water vapor sounder on board the Megha-Tropiques satellite. Quality control procedures were developed to assess the SAPHIR data quality for assimilating clear-sky observations over ocean surfaces, and to characterize observation biases and errors. A 6-week impact experiment was performed using the GDAS/GFS data assimilation system. The addition of SAPHIR observations on top of the current global observing system improved analysis and forecast humidity root-mean-square error (RMSE) results at the upper levels of the troposphere by about 6%, mostly at 100 hPa, when verified against European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) analysis, though some degradation to the forecast humidity was seen at 150–200 hPa. The forecast impacts were predominant at earlier lead times between 24 and 96 h. Verification using global radiosonde observations also showed a reduction of the humidity RMSE from 4% to 6% between 500 hPa and the surface when assimilating SAPHIR, while temperature and wind speed RMSEs were reduced by up to 9% and 7% near the tropical tropopause, respectively. Other conventional forecast skill parameters including the 500-hPa geopotential height anomaly correlation showed neutral impact when assimilating SAPHIR.
Identity and Economic Performance
Authors: Jaynes Gerald D.
Published: July 2017

Reductions in the employment of less-skilled Americans during recent decades are often attributed to a deterioration in work values. That view is challenged. The key determinants have been deteriorating earnings opportunities and the poor's assimilation of mainstream values. Urbanization facilitates less-skilled workers' assimilation of preferences for high standards of living and egalitarian interpersonal relations found in advanced economic democracies. The rewards received in the competition for jobs become major affirmations or denials of the validity of self-perceptions. Demand for public respect induces people to avoid jobs perceived to be demeaning even as the proportion of such jobs increases. Traditional scientific data are combined with personal documents (autobiography and rap music) to construct subject-centered analyses of behavior. The data enrich the contextual basis for explaining behaviors of low-status men labeled the "malcontented."
W.E.B. Du Bois and "The Negro Church"
Authors: Savage Barbara Dianne
Published: July 2017

This article surveys W.E.B. Du Bois's political thought on the appropriate role of African American religion and religious institutions in the struggle for African American empowerment. More broadly, the discussion illuminates a vigorous debate in the early decades of the twentieth century among a wide variety of African American intellectuals and activists on this very question. The article concludes with a call for renewed research on the place of the church in political struggles, as this remains an area about which much is assumed but little is actually written.
Romancing the Body Politic: Du Bois's Propaganda of the Dark World
Authors: Beavers Herman
Published: July 2017

Although best known for his work as a sociologist, historian, and editor, W.E.B. Du Bois also authored numerous works of fiction and poetry. Despite their dismissal by critics as not much more than failed experiments that test the boundary separating poetry and prose, this article suggests that Du Bois's acts of creative composition are driven by his desire to exert critical force as part of his contribution to the effort of studying "Negro problems." Du Bois's creative writing can be understood as recapitulations of his enterprise as a social scientist and as an attempt to dramatize the workings of the American body politic. As social scientist, Du Bois manifests a vision of what his training allowed him to assert through organized, scientific study. However, as creative writer, Du Bois mediates this project by positing the need for heroic action in issues of gender and sexuality and presents a way to think about African American representations of masculinity in the twentieth century.
Federalism and the Rehnquist Court: A Normative Defense
Authors: Calabresi Steven G.
Published: July 2017

The revival of federalism limits on national power by the U.S. Supreme Court is a happy development for three reasons. First, judicial review is as beneficial and as needed in federalism cases as it is in Fourteenth Amendment cases, and such judicial review does not raise the problems of the countermajoritarian difficulty. Second, Congress cannot be trusted alone to police the federalism boundaries that limit its own power. Finally, federalism is an incredibly important feature of the American constitutional order. This is indicated by (1) the prominence of federalism concerns in the text of our Constitution; (2) the importance of federalism in other countries around the world today; (3) the fact that the economics of federalism suggest some well-known reasons why constitutionally mandated decentralization is a good thing; and (4) the serious concerns about the dangers of excessive national power implicated by the specific issues that the Supreme Court's federalism case law touches upon.
Puppy Federalism and the Blessings of America
Authors: Rubin Edward L.
Published: July 2017

Federalism is a system of governmental organization that grants subunits of a polity definitive rights against the central government. It allows these subunits to maintain different norms, or policies, from those of the central government. Thus it differs from decentralization, which is a strategy that the central government adopts in order to carry out its norms or policies more effectively. Federalism is a useful approach when people in a given area have such basic disagreements that they will not agree to live together in a single polity and be bound by its decisions. The United States is blessed with a sense of national unity that makes federalism unnecessary. This was not the case prior to the Civil War, however, and our continued nostalgia for that period induces us to adopt puppy federalism, which looks like the real thing but isn't. Legal scholars should not allow themselves to be fooled; however, as current legislation by the Republican Congress indicates, real federalism garners no support in our political system.
Inside the Federalism Cases: Concern About the Federal Courts
Authors: Althouse Ann
Published: July 2017

This article considers some of the Supreme Court's recent efforts at preserving the role of state and local government despite vigorous congressional attempts at regulating in areas that had traditionally been left to local policymaking. Focusing on the commerce clause cases and cases interpreting Section 5 of the Fourteenth Amendment, this article ties federalism interests to the Supreme Court's concerns about the function of the federal courts: the statutes that prompted the Court's new vigor in limiting congressional power imposed on the workload of the federal courts and on what the Court sees as the judiciary's exclusive role of constitutional interpretation.
State Sovereignty and the Anti-Commandeering Cases
Authors: Adler Matthew D.
Published: July 2017

The anti-commandeering doctrine, recently announced by the Supreme Court in New York v. United States and Printz v. United States, prohibits the federal government from commandeering state governments: more specifically, from imposing targeted, affirmative, coercive duties upon state legislators or executive officials. This doctrine is best understood as an external constraint upon congressional power—analogous to the constraints set forth in the Bill of Rights—but one that lacks an explicit textual basis. Should the Constitution indeed be interpreted to include a judicially enforceable constraint upon national power—and, if so, should that constraint take the form of an anti-commandeering rule?
State Autonomy in Germany and the United States
Authors: Halberstam Daniel , Hills Roderick M.
Published: July 2017

Both the United States and the Federal Republic of Germany have mechanisms by which their component jurisdictions—states or Länder—can either implement federal law or resist such implementation. The authors describe the different constitutional mechanisms by which the two federal regimes induce state cooperation and protect state autonomy. They then offer some speculations as to how such constitutional rules might affect cooperative federalism in the two nations, arguing that the German system provides more categorical and therefore more secure protection of the Länder, whereas the U.S. system provides for a more flexible system of cooperative federalism. This flexibility of the U.S. system, the authors suggest, allows for vertical competition between the federal government and the states, which may provide a valuable tool to combat inefficiency in policy implementation.
Child Labor in Africa: A Comparative Study
Authors: Canagarajah Sudharshan , Nielsen Helena Skyt
Published: July 2017

This article analyzes the determinants of child labor in Africa as inferred from recent empirical studies. The empirical analysis is based on five country studies undertaken in three different African countries, namely, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, and Zambia. Some support is found for the popular belief of poverty as a determinant of child labor; however, other determinants are of similar importance. Among school costs, transportation costs have the greatest effect on child labor and school attendance, whereas the hypothesis of imperfect capital markets and that of household composition generally find some support.
The Political Economy of War-Affected Children
Authors: Hick Steven
Published: July 2017

The nature of armed conflict has changed since the rise of globalization and the end of the Cold War. Now wars predominantly take the lives of civilians, over half of whom are children. This article examines the effects of armed conflict on children. In particular, it discusses refugee and internally displaced children, child soldiers, the sexual assault and exploitation of girls, and children traumatized by war. How the international community should respond to protect children and prevent war is explored in relation to the political and economic context within which wars occur.
Challenging Child Labor: Transnational Activism and India's Carpet Industry
Authors: Chowdhry Geeta , Beeman Mark
Published: July 2017

Transnational movements have become an important component of an emerging and relatively recently theorized transnational civil society in the field of international relations. Nongovernmental organizations, social movements, and social activists concerned with the global issues of poverty, environment, and human rights have created an intellectual and political global space outside the national territorial space to give voice to their concerns on issues of transnational importance. This article examines transnational human rights movement around the issue of child labor in the carpet industry in India. Although the intersection of child labor with the carpet trade from India was utilized effectively by Indian and German activists to bring about changes in child labor use, the more foundational impact has been the creation of Rugmark, a label that certifies child-labor-free carpets and provides services for the rehabilitation and education of children involved in the carpet industry.
Child Labor in Pakistan: Coming of Age in the New World Order
Authors: Toor Saadia
Published: July 2017

The issue of child labor in Pakistan's export industries has become the topic of much controversy and in some ways has triggered the debate over trade and labor standards. Consumer protests and boycotts in the North have led to initiatives being taken by various national and international organizations. However, this article takes issue with the current projection of child labor as a function of children's poverty and lack of education and families' lack of awareness. The author argues that it is impossible to understand and even address the child labor problem without placing it against the back drop of the dynamics of the current neoliberal international political economic system. She concludes by arguing that the only way in which the issue of social and labor rights can be once more given precedence in an increasingly socially disembedded world economy is through political engagement with the forces of globalization: the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Trade Organization.
Welfare Reform, Family Hardship, and Women of Color
Authors: Burnham Linda
Published: July 2017

Welfare reform has increased the hardships faced by many women leaving welfare for work. Their movement into low-wage jobs, or to no work, exposes them to higher levels of housing insecurity, homelessness, food insecurity, and hunger. Women of color, overrepresented on the welfare rolls, are especially vulnerable to the negative impacts of welfare reform.
Learning from the History of Poor and Working-Class Women's Activism
Authors: Abramovitz Mimi
Published: July 2017

The long but largely untold history of activism among poor and working-class women in the United States since before the twentieth century reveals that low-income women activists developed a class- and race-based gender consciousness that fueled their activism at three key sites: the point of production, the point of consumption, and the point of state intervention. While their issues and strategies have varied over time, at each site low-income women consistently became active to fulfill their community-defined gendered obligations--which included helping to improve the standard of living of their families and communities. For African American women, this meant fighting for racial as well as economic justice. The long record corrects historical distortions, offers inspiration, and provides lessons for the next round of welfare rights struggles in the twenty-first century.
Trends in Youth Sexual Initiation and Fertility in Developed Countries: 1960-1995
Authors: Teitler Julien O.
Published: July 2017

The widespread interest in recent changes in fertility, union formation, and union dissolution has largely focused on adult behaviors. Much less attention has been paid to changes in related youth behaviors that foreshadow and may shape adult behaviors. This article identifies some of the changes that have occurred in the timing of sexual initiation and fertility across Western industrialized countries since 1960. Documenting the similarities and differences in these patterns helps us to understand better how youth transition experiences differ across place. This article finds that patterns of youth sexual behavior are converging across developed countries. That is, within- and between-country variation in the timing of sexual initiation has decreased. There also has been a reduction and convergence in levels of teenage fertility, but the decline in fertility was more pronounced among non-English-speaking countries than among English-speaking countries, which has resulted in an increasing gap.
An International Comparison of Adolescent and Young Adult Mortality
Authors: Heuveline Patrick
Published: July 2017

This paper analyzes mortality rates for 3 of the main causes of deaths between the ages of 15 and 34 (motor vehicle injuries, homicide, and suicide) from 1950 to 1996, and across 26 countries. Average sex ratios and age patterns and the trends in age- and sex-standardized mortality rates are analyzed for each cause. Over all, youth violent mortality levels have been remarkably stable since the 1950s. As mortality due to other causes has receded, the contribution of these three causes has increased from 25 to 40 percent between the 1950s and the mid-1970s, and has remained above 40 percent since. Last, a principal component analysis is performed to summarize the variance in age-, sex-, and cause-specific rates over time and across countries. This summary representation of international differences displays regional clusters and emphasizes the "outlying" position of the United States among industrialized nations.
Global Democracy
Authors: Teune Henry
Published: July 2017

Globalization and democracy are brought together in the general theoretical concept of development. Globalization is the process of integration of social and economic systems into more encompassing ones, and democratization brings individuals into common systems of collective action on the principles of equality and accountability. Although the globalization processes since the middle of the 1970s pushed countries toward openness and democracy, today democratic political environments have become necessary for peaceful and orderly processes of globalization to continue. Democratic development is now proceeding beyond the local and national to the global. The conclusions present the problems that are being and must be addressed to make global political processes and institutions more responsive and accountable.