bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pretreatment Diffusion-Weighted Imaging Lesion Volume Predicts Favorable Outcome After Intravenous Thrombolysis With Tissue-Type Plasminogen Activator in Acute Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Kruetzelmann Anna , Köhrmann Martin , Sobesky Jan , Cheng Bastian , Rosenkranz Michael , Röther Joachim , Schellinger Peter D. , Ringleb Peter , Gerloff Christian , Fiehler Jens , Thomalla Götz
Published: March 2011

Background and Purpose—

Stroke magnetic resonance imaging with perfusion and diffusion weighting has shown its potential to select patients likely to benefit from intravenous thrombolysis with tissue-type plasminogen activator (IV-tPA). We aimed to determine the predictors of favorable outcome in magnetic resonance imaging–selected, acute stroke patients treated with IV-tPA.

Methods—

We analyzed the data of acute ischemic stroke patients from a prospective, multicenter, observational study of magnetic resonance imaging–based IV-tPA treatment initiated ≤6 hours from symptom onset. Neurologic deficit on admission was assessed by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale. Clinical outcome was assessed after 90 days according to the modified Rankin Scale. Favorable outcome was defined as a modified Rankin Scale score of 0 to 1. Patients were compared regarding baseline parameters. Multivariate regression analysis was used to identify predictors of favorable outcome.

Results—

Of 174 patients, 83 (48%) reached a favorable outcome. They were younger (median age, 62 versus 67 years;
P
=0.001), had a lower National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score on admission (median, 11 versus 15;
P
<0.001), and had smaller diffusion-weighted imaging lesions (median, 12.9 versus 20 mL;
P
=0.001). Perfusion-weighted imaging lesion volumes and onset-to-treatment time were comparable between the groups. Age (
P
=0.017), National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score on admission (
P
<0.001), and diffusion-weighted imaging lesion volume (
P
=0.047) were identified as independent predictors of favorable outcome.

Conclusions—

A lower age, lower National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score on admission, and smaller pretreatment diffusion-weighted imaging lesion volume were found to be associated with a favorable outcome after treatment with IV-tPA. Pretreatment perfusion lesion volume and onset-to-treatment time were not associated with outcome when patients were selected for IV-tPA by magnetic resonance imaging within 6 hours of symptom onset.
Statin Treatment and Functional Outcome After Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Biffi Alessandro , Devan William J. , Anderson Christopher D. , Cortellini Lynelle , Furie Karen L. , Rosand Jonathan , Rost Natalia S.
Published: March 2011

Background and Purpose—

Multiple studies suggest that statin use before acute ischemic stroke is associated with improved functional outcome. However, available evidence is conflicting, and several published reports are limited by small sample sizes. We therefore investigated the effect of antecedent use of statins on stroke outcome by performing a meta-analysis of all results from published studies as well as our own unpublished data.

Methods—

We performed a systematic literature search and meta-analysis of studies investigating the association between prestroke statin use and clinical outcome and included additional data from 126 prestroke statin users and 767 nonusers enrolled at our institution. A total of 12 studies, comprising 2013 statin users and 9682 nonusers, was meta-analyzed using a random effects model. We also meta-analyzed results for individual Trial of ORG 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment stroke subtypes to determine whether the effect of statin use differed across subtypes using the Breslow-Day test.

Results—

Meta-analysis of all available data identified an association between prestroke statin use and improved functional outcome (OR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.39 to 1.88), but we uncovered evidence of publication bias. The effect of statin use on functional outcome was found to be larger for small vessel strokes compared with other subtypes (Breslow-Day
P
=0.008).

Conclusions—

Antecedent use of statins is associated with improved outcome in patients with acute ischemic stroke. This association appears to be stronger in patients with small vessel stroke subtype. However, evidence of publication bias in the existing literature suggests these findings should be interpreted with caution.
An Adaptive Evolutionary Multi-Objective Approach Based on Simulated Annealing
Authors: Li H. , Landa-Silva D.
Published: March 2011

A multi-objective optimization problem can be solved by decomposing it into one or more single objective subproblems in some multi-objective metaheuristic algorithms. Each subproblem corresponds to one weighted aggregation function. For example, MOEA/D is an evolutionary multi-objective optimization (EMO) algorithm that attempts to optimize multiple subproblems simultaneously by evolving a population of solutions. However, the performance of MOEA/D highly depends on the initial setting and diversity of the weight vectors. In this paper, we present an improved version of MOEA/D, called EMOSA, which incorporates an advanced local search technique (simulated annealing) and adapts the search directions (weight vectors) corresponding to various subproblems. In EMOSA, the weight vector of each subproblem is adaptively modified at the lowest temperature in order to diversify the search toward the unexplored parts of the Pareto-optimal front. Our computational results show that EMOSA outperforms six other well established multi-objective metaheuristic algorithms on both the (constrained) multi-objective knapsack problem and the (unconstrained) multi-objective traveling salesman problem. Moreover, the effects of the main algorithmic components and parameter sensitivities on the search performance of EMOSA are experimentally investigated.
Graceful Decline? The Surprising Success of Great Power Retrenchment
Authors: MacDonald Paul K. , Parent Joseph M.
Published: March 2011

There is broad scholarly consensus that the relative power of the United States is declining and that this decline will have negative consequences for international politics. This pessimism is justified by the belief that great powers have few options to deal with acute relative decline. Retrenchment is seen as a hazardous policy that demoralizes allies and encourages external predation. Faced with shrinking means, great powers are thought to have few options to stave off decline short of preventive war. Contrary to the conventional wisdom, however, retrenchment is not a relatively rare and ineffective policy instrument. A comparison of eighteen cases of acute relative decline since 1870 demonstrates that great powers frequently engage in retrenchment and that retrenchment is often effective. In addition, we find that prevailing explanations overstate the importance of democracies, bureaucracies, and interest groups in inhibiting retrenchment. In fact, the rate of decline can account for both the extent and form of retrenchment, even over short periods. These arguments have important implications for power transition theories and the rise of China.
A Statistical Generalization of the Transformed Eulerian-Mean Circulation for an Arbitrary Vertical Coordinate System
Authors: Pauluis Olivier , Shaw Tiffany , Laliberté Frédéric
Published: March 2011

A new method is derived for approximating the mean meridional circulation in an arbitrary vertical coordinate system using only the time-mean and zonally averaged meridional velocity, meridional eddy transport, and eddy variance. The method is called the statistical transformed Eulerian mean (STEM) and can be viewed as a generalization of the transformed Eulerian mean (TEM) formulation. It is shown that the TEM circulation can be obtained from the STEM circulation in the limit of small eddy variance. The main advantage of the STEM formulation is that it can be applied to nonmonotonic coordinate systems such as the equivalent potential temperature. In contrast, the TEM formulation can only be applied to stratified variables. Reanalysis data are used to compare the STEM circulation to an explicit calculation of the mean meridional circulation on dry and moist isentropic surfaces based on daily data. It is shown that the STEM formulation accurately captures all the key features of the circulation. The error in the streamfunction is less than 10%.

The STEM formulation is subsequently used to analyze the circulation induced by latent heat transport and to understand the processes responsible for setting the effective stratification in the troposphere. The eddy sensible heat transport dominates in the midlatitudes and in the winter hemisphere, while the eddy latent heat transport dominates in the subtropical regions and in the summer hemisphere. For the dry isentropic circulation, the approximate effective stratification is dominated by the vertical stratification, whereas for the moist isentropic circulation it is dominated by the eddy variance contribution. The importance of the eddy variance in setting the stratification is in agreement with previous work.
Temperature Variability over Africa
Authors: Collins Jennifer M.
Published: March 2011

The variation of near-surface air temperature anomalies in Africa between 1979 and 2010 is investigated primarily using Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU) total lower-tropospheric temperature data from the Remote Sensing Systems (RSS) and the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) datasets. Significant increasing temperature trends were found in each of the following regions examined: all of Africa, Northern Hemisphere Africa, Southern Hemisphere Africa, tropical Africa, and subtropical Africa. Considering the months June–August, regions in both North and South Africa saw significantly warmer temperatures in the most recent period 1995–2010 than in the period 1979–94. However, for the months December–February, the significant warming was concentrated in the north of Africa. When the two most recent decades are compared with the period 1979–90, warming is observed over these same regions and is concentrated in the most recent decade, from 2001 to 2010. The results presented here indicate that the climate change over Africa is likely not predominantly a result of variations in the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (a teleconnection that has been previously shown to affect climate in some parts of Africa). Instead the climate changes likely occur owing to other natural variability of the climate and/or may be a result of human activity. However, even without ascertaining the specific causes, the most important finding in this work is to demonstrate that a significant rise in African temperatures occurred between 1979 and 2010.
Investigating the Impact of Soil Moisture and Atmospheric Stability on Cloud Development and Distribution Using a Coupled Large-Eddy Simulation and Land Surface Model
Authors: Huang Hsin-Yuan , Margulis Steven A.
Published: March 2011

The influence of soil moisture and atmospheric thermal stability on surface fluxes, boundary layer characteristics, and cloud development are investigated using a coupled large-eddy simulation (LES)–land surface model (LSM) framework. The study day from the Cabauw site in the central part of the Netherlands has been studied to examine the soil moisture–cloud feedback using a parameterized single-column model (SCM) in previous work. Good agreement is seen in the comparison between coupled model results and observations collected at the Cabauw eddy-covariance tower. Simulation results confirm the hypothesis that both surface fluxes and atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) states are strongly affected by soil moisture and atmospheric stability, which was proposed by a previous study using an SCM with simple parameterization. While the ABL-top cloud development is a nonmonotonic function of surface water content under different thermal stability conditions, coupled model simulations find that weak thermal stability has significant impacts on both thermal and moisture fluxes and variances near the entrainment zone, especially for the dry surface cases. Additionally, the impacts of ABL-top stability on thermal and moisture entrainment processes are in a different magnitude. The explicitly resolved cloud cover fraction increases with increasing soil moisture only occurs in cases with strong atmospheric stability, and an opposite result is seen when weak atmospheric stability exists. The elevation of cloud base highly depends on the strength of sensible heat flux. However, results of cloud thickness show that a dry surface with weak thermal stability is able to form a large amount of cumulus cloud, even if the soil provides less water vapor.
Global Water Availability and Requirements for Future Food Production
Authors: Gerten D. , Heinke J. , Hoff H. , Biemans H. , Fader M. , Waha K.
Published: March 2011

This study compares, spatially explicitly and at global scale, per capita water availability and water requirements for food production presently (1971–2000) and in the future given climate and population change (2070–99). A vegetation and hydrology model Lund–Potsdam–Jena managed Land (LPJmL) was used to calculate green and blue water availability per capita, water requirements to produce a balanced diet representing a benchmark for hunger alleviation [3000 kilocalories per capita per day (1 kilocalorie = 4184 joules), here assumed to consist of 80% vegetal food and 20% animal products], and a new water scarcity indicator that relates the two at country scale. A country was considered water-scarce if its water availability fell below the water requirement for the specified diet, which is presently the case especially in North and East Africa and in southwestern Asia. Under climate (derived from 17 general circulation models) and population change (A2 and B1 emissions and population scenarios), water availability per person will most probably diminish in many regions. At the same time the calorie-specific water requirements tend to decrease, due mainly to the positive effect of rising atmospheric CO2 concentration on crop water productivity—which, however, is very uncertain to be fully realized in most regions. As a net effect of climate, CO2, and population change, water scarcity will become aggravated in many countries, and a number of additional countries are at risk of losing their present capacity to produce a balanced diet for their inhabitants.
Creation of the WATCH Forcing Data and Its Use to Assess Global and Regional Reference Crop Evaporation over Land during the Twentieth Century
Authors: Weedon G. P. , Gomes S. , Viterbo P. , Shuttleworth W. J. , Blyth E. , Österle H. , Adam J. C. , Bellouin N. , Boucher O. , Best M.
Published: March 2011

The Water and Global Change (WATCH) project evaluation of the terrestrial water cycle involves using land surface models and general hydrological models to assess hydrologically important variables including evaporation, soil moisture, and runoff. Such models require meteorological forcing data, and this paper describes the creation of the WATCH Forcing Data for 1958–2001 based on the 40-yr ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-40) and for 1901–57 based on reordered reanalysis data. It also discusses and analyses model-independent estimates of reference crop evaporation. Global average annual cumulative reference crop evaporation was selected as a widely adopted measure of potential evapotranspiration. It exhibits no significant trend from 1979 to 2001 although there are significant long-term increases in global average vapor pressure deficit and concurrent significant decreases in global average net radiation and wind speed. The near-constant global average of annual reference crop evaporation in the late twentieth century masks significant decreases in some regions (e.g., the Murray–Darling basin) with significant increases in others.
The Transition Region Mode Water of the North Pacific and Its Rapid Modification
Authors: Saito Hiroko , Suga Toshio , Hanawa Kimio , Shikama Nobuyuki
Published: March 2011

Using Argo float data, this study examined the formation region, spatial distribution, and modification of transition region mode water (TRMW), which is a recently identified pycnostad in the subtropical–subarctic transition region of the North Pacific, the basin-scale boundary region between subtropical and subarctic water masses. Analyses of the formation fields of water masses within and around the transition region reveal that TRMW forms in a wide area from the western to central transition region and is separated from the denser variety of central mode water (D-CMW) to the south by a temperature and salinity front. TRMW has temperatures of 4°–9°C and salinities of 33.3–34.0, making it colder and fresher than D-CMW. TRMW has a density range of 26.3–26.6 σθ, and thick TRMW is widely distributed in the transition region. However, the range of the T–S properties at TRMW cores is substantially reduced downstream within 10°–20° longitude from the formation region by gradually losing its fresh and cold side. It is also demonstrated that a major part of TRMW of 26.4–26.6 σθ is entrained into the mixed layer in the following winter. Quasi-Lagrangian observation by an isopycnal-following Argo float demonstrates that the double-diffusive salt-finger convection plausibly causes not only rapid erosion of the TRMW pycnostads but also an increase of salinity and temperature at the TRMW cores, at least to some degree. It is demonstrated that strong salt fingering within TRMW is probably caused by geostrophic currents with vertical shear crossing the density-compensating T–S front that brings warm and saline water to the upper TRMW and creates instability in the salinity stratification. This modification process could explain why water that is subducted from the transition region and constitutes the pycnocline of the subtropical gyre in the North Pacific has different T–S properties from the winter mixed layer of the transition region. This knowledge about the modification process of subducted water in the transition region would help to model the permanent pycnocline structure more realistically and to clarify how large signals of decadal and multidecadal variability of sea surface temperature in this region are propagated into the ocean interior.
The Evolution and Propagation of Quasigeostrophic Ocean Eddies*
Authors: Early Jeffrey J. , Samelson R. M. , Chelton Dudley B.
Published: March 2011

The long-term evolution of initially Gaussian eddies is studied in a reduced-gravity shallow-water model using both linear and nonlinear quasigeostrophic theory in an attempt to understand westward-propagating mesoscale eddies observed and tracked by satellite altimetry. By examining both isolated eddies and a large basin seeded with eddies with statistical characteristics consistent with those of observed eddies, it is shown that long-term eddy coherence and the zonal wavenumber–frequency power spectral density are best matched by the nonlinear model. Individual characteristics of the eddies including amplitude decay, horizontal length scale decay, and zonal and meridional propagation speed of a previously unrecognized quasi-stable state are examined. The results show that the meridional deflections from purely westward flow (poleward for cyclones and equatorward for anticyclones) are consistent with satellite observations. Examination of the fluid transport properties of the eddies shows that an inner core of the eddy, defined by the zero relative vorticity contour, contains only fluid from the eddy origin, whereas a surrounding outer ring contains a mixture of ambient fluid from throughout the eddy’s lifetime.
Controlling Overestimation of Error Covariance in Ensemble Kalman Filters with Sparse Observations: A Variance-Limiting Kalman Filter
Authors: Gottwald Georg A. , Mitchell Lewis , Reich Sebastian
Published: March 2011

The problem of an ensemble Kalman filter when only partial observations are available is considered. In particular, the situation is investigated where the observational space consists of variables that are directly observable with known observational error, and of variables of which only their climatic variance and mean are given. To limit the variance of the latter poorly resolved variables a variance-limiting Kalman filter (VLKF) is derived in a variational setting. The VLKF for a simple linear toy model is analyzed and its range of optimal performance is determined. The VLKF is explored in an ensemble transform setting for the Lorenz-96 system, and it is shown that incorporating the information of the variance of some unobservable variables can improve the skill and also increase the stability of the data assimilation procedure.
Socioeconomic Status and the Increased Prevalence of Autism in California
Authors: King Marissa D. , Bearman Peter S.
Published: March 2011

The prevalence of autism has increased precipitously—roughly 10-fold in the past 40 years—yet no one knows exactly what caused this dramatic rise. Using a large and representative dataset that spans the California birth cohorts from 1992 through 2000, we examine individual and community resources associated with the likelihood of an autism diagnosis over time. This allows us to identify key social factors that have contributed to increased autism prevalence. While individual-level factors, such as birth weight and parental education, have had a fairly constant effect on likelihood of diagnosis over time, we find that community-level resources drive increased prevalence. This study suggests that neighborhoods dynamically interact with the people living in them in different ways at different times to shape health outcomes. By treating neighborhoods as dynamic, we can better understand the changing socioeconomic gradient of autism and the increase in prevalence.
Courtesy Stigma and Monetary Sanctions
Authors: Harris Alexes , Evans Heather , Beckett Katherine
Published: March 2011

Recent research suggests that the use of monetary sanctions as a supplementary penalty in state and federal criminal courts is expanding, and that their imposition creates substantial and deleterious legal debt. Little is known, however, about the factors that influence the discretionary imposition of these penalties. This study offers a comprehensive account of the role socio-cultural factors, especially race and ethnicity, have in this institutional sanctioning process. We rely on multilevel statistical analysis of the imposition of monetary sanctions in Washington State courts to test our theory. The theoretical framework emphasizes the need to treat race and ethnicity as complex cultural categories, the meaning and institutional effects of which may vary across time and space. Findings indicate that racialized crime scripts, such as the association of Latinos with drugs, affect defendants whose wrong-doing is stereotype congruent. Moreover, all individuals accused of committing racially and ethnically stigmatized offenses in racialized contexts may experience the courtesy stigma that flows from racialization. We find that race and ethnicity are not just individual attributes but cultural categories that shape the distribution of stigma and the institutional consequences that flow from it.
Cultural Anchors and the Organization of Differences
Authors: Ghaziani Amin , Baldassarri Delia
Published: March 2011

Social scientists describe culture as either coherent or incoherent and political dissent as either unifying or divisive. This article moves beyond such dichotomies. Content, historical, and network analyses of public debates on how to organize four lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Washington marches provide evidence for an integrative position. Rather than just describe consistencies or contradictions, we contend that the key analytic challenge is to explain the organization of differences. We propose one way of doing this using the mechanism of a cultural anchor. Within and across marches, a small collection of ideas remains fixed in the national conversation, yet in a way that allows activists to address their internal diversity and respond to unfolding historical events. These results suggest that activists do not simply organize around their similarities but, through cultural anchors, they use their commonalities to build a thinly coherent foundation that can also support their differences. Situated at the nexus of culture, social movements, sexualities, and networks, this article demonstrates how the anchoring mechanism works in the context of LGBT political organizing.
The Relation Between School Leadership From a Distributed Perspective and Teachers’ Organizational Commitment
Authors: Hulpia Hester , Devos Geert , Van Keer Hilde
Published: March 2011

Purpose: In this study the relationship between school leadership and teachers’ organizational commitment is examined by taking into account a distributed leadership perspective. The relation between teachers’ organizational commitment and contextual variables of teachers’ perceptions of the quality and the source of the supportive and supervisory leadership function, participative decision making, and cooperation within the leadership team are examined. Research Design: A survey was set up involving 1,522 teachers from 46 large secondary schools in Flanders (Belgium). Because the data in the present study have an inherent hierarchical structure, that is, teachers are nested into schools, hierarchical linear modeling techniques are applied. Findings: The analyses reveal that 9% of the variance in teachers’ organizational commitment is attributable to differences between schools. Teachers’ organizational commitment is mainly related to quality of the supportive leadership, cooperation within the leadership team, and participative decision making. Who performed the supportive leadership function plays only a marginally significant positive role. The quality of the supervisory leadership function and the role of the leadership team members in this function were not significantly related to teachers’ organizational commitment. Conclusions: The implications of the findings are that to promote teachers’ organizational commitment teachers should feel supported by their leadership team and that this leadership team should be characterized by group cohesion, role clarity, and goal orientedness. Recommendations for further research are provided.
Cognitive and Psychosocial Characteristics of Gifted Students With Written Language Disability: A Reply to Lovett’s Response
Authors: Assouline Susan G. , Foley Nicpon Megan , Whiteman Claire S.
Published: March 2011

Our article describing the characteristics of gifted students with a specific learning disability (SLD) in written language was criticized for emphasizing an ability achievement discrepancy as an indication of a written language disability and for not ruling out alternative explanations for the observed difficulties. The three primary alternative explanations include measurement error, (lack of) motivation, and/or past experiences. In our reply, we offer extensive evidence that refutes these alternative explanations. The critique also offers an interpretation, which we determined to be inaccurate, of our data; therefore, we correct the misinterpretation. We conclude with a confirmation of our original findings: identification of gifted students with specific learning disabilities requires a comprehensive psycho-educational evaluation that includes an examination of the cognitive profile generated from individually-administered tests of ability and achievement. In combination with a psychosocial profile that addresses behavior, self-concept, interests, and motivation, educators have the necessary information to guide them in identifying and developing the unique talents of gifted children with SLD.
Disordered Eating in African American and Caucasian Women: The Role of Ethnic Identity
Authors: Shuttlesworth Mary E. , Zotter Deanne
Published: March 2011

The influential roles of culture and ethnic identity are frequently cited in developing disordered eating and body dissatisfaction, constituting both protective and risk factors. For African American women, strongly identifying with African American cultural beauty ideals may protect against disordered eating to lose weight, but may actually increase risk in development of disordered eating directed at weight gain, such as binge eating. This study compares African American and Caucasian women on disordered eating measures, positing that African American women show greater risk for binge eating due to the impact of ethnic identity on body dissatisfaction. Findings indicate low levels of ethnic identity represent a risk factor for African American women, increasing the likelihood of showing greater binge eating and bulimic pathology. In Caucasian women, high levels of ethnic identity constitute a risk factor, leading to higher levels of both binge eating and global eating pathology. Implications for prevention and treatment are discussed.
Colonialism and Contemporary African Migration: A Phenomenological Approach
Authors: Adeyanju Charles T. , Oriola Temitope B.
Published: March 2011

Scholars of international migration have paid scant attention to the phenomenon of bifurcated social identity of African migrants and their efforts to reinvent or re- and deconstruct a certain image of self in their everyday life. This article aims to offer a more nuanced approach to studying the phenomenon of Africans’ involvement in voluntary migration to the West. Drawing on Goffman’s idea of “dramaturgy,” the article enunciates ways that African immigrants and migrants manage their impression and represent themselves to their peers and social groups in home societies. Using selected cases of African immigrants and migrants in the West, the article enunciates, first, how African migrants (re) present their myriad of experiences to their peers and social groups in home societies as well as the effect of those representations on prospective migrants and, second, why African migrants construe themselves in a particular way to their peers and social groups in home societies. A speculative application of phenomenology to existing qualitative data on African immigration and migration is offered to explicate the lifeworld of African migrants in their oscillation between ancestral and current societies and their seemingly insatiable desire for Euro-American countries.
Reevaluation of Moxifloxacin Pharmacokinetics and Their Direct Effect on the QT Interval
Authors: Grosjean Philippe , Urien Saïk
Published: March 2011

The objectives of this study were to investigate the population pharmacokinetics of moxifloxacin and their relationship with the observed QT interval as well as the effect of covariates in healthy subjects using nonlinear mixed‐effects modeling. A pool of 4 thorough QT studies were used, representing 99 healthy subjects who received moxifloxacin. The data were modeled using Monolix. Moxifloxacin pharmacokinetics were ascribed a 2‐compartment open model. The TRANSIT model provided a better description of the delay in absorption than did the LAG model. The most significant covariate was lean body mass (LBM). The population estimates for clearance and central volume of distribution were 10.0 L/h per 60 kg of LBM and 131 L per 60 kg of LBM, respectively. The effect of moxifloxacin on QT was investigated using a direct effect model. The SLOPE model, relating the QT increase as a linear function of concentration, provided a better description of the pharmacodynamic effect than did the Emax model. The unique covariate was gender for both baseline QT and individual heart rate correction factor. The pharmacokinetics of moxifloxacin were satisfactorily described by an open 2‐compartmental model with linear elimination. The trigonometric equation with a direct and proportional concentration effect satisfactorily described the effect on QT.
Multiculturalism’s new fault lines: Religious fundamentalisms and public policy
Authors: Singh Gurnam , Cowden Stephen
Published: March 2011

This paper seeks to critically examine the emergence of contemporary religious fundamentalisms and how they have been able to acquire influence in a way that has opened new ‘fault lines’ within multiculturalist public policy discourse. Specifically, the paper is interested in understanding the curiously paradoxical place of religion and faith based groupings in the contemporary multicultural polity, and the confusion, and in some instances conflicts, this has caused amongst the Left. This is illustrated through an extended examination of the Shabina Begum case concerning a Muslim schoolgirl and her demands to wear the jilbab, a specific religious headscarf, to school. It is argued that, in part, these ideological fault lines have resulted from an uncritical embrace by some progressives of ideas associated with postmodernist thinking; in particular the uncritical assertion of virtues of anti-universalism and cultural relativism. This then leaves an urgent task for progressives to think through some alternatives based on a re-articulation of a new political discourse of egalitarianism which is unashamedly universalist and secular.
Leader, president, person: Lexical ambiguities and interpretive implications
Authors: Mancini Paolo
Published: March 2011

This article discusses the possible ambiguities that exist between three different words: personalization, presidentialization and leader. In recent times, and mostly in Europe, the first two words have been used very frequently by media scholars and political scientists to point out changes taking place both in the decision-making process and in the public arena. At the same time, the older word, leader, is still alive and very much used. Do these words, and the processes they involve, have the same meaning? Do they refer to different changes? Are they used without the sufficient cognitive awareness? The article proposes three dimensions that may be useful to understand similarities and differences in the use of these three words.
Together, nevertheless? Television memories in mainstream Jewish Israel
Authors: Bourdon Jérôme , Kligler-Vilenchik Neta
Published: March 2011

Drawing on 40 life-stories of Jewish-Israeli television viewers collected over the years 2004—6, this article makes three claims. First, it suggests that the formation of memory is tightly intertwined with television viewing, both at the individual level and the collective levels of the family and the nation. It elaborates on a typology of television memories, differentiating between wallpaper memories, flashbulb memories, media events and close encounters. Second, it asserts that in Israel, the nation remains a major framework for apprehending collective memory. Nevertheless, fragmentation can be felt: immigration and ethnicity play a role, as does commercialization. Finally, it makes a methodological claim about the ways collective memory can best be studied. Examining the reception of audiences, in addition to the common focus on memory texts, reveals that even with commercialized, fragmentized television, Jewish-Israeli viewers share a strong sense of common memories and a collective past.
Sustaining learning for LIS through use of a virtual world
Authors: Webber Sheila , Nahl Diane
Published: March 2011

The virtual world (VW) online education movement is well underway, and librarians have become major participants by developing services and resources for this novel information ground. In this paper we identify ways in which the VW Second Life (SL) is being used by librarians, and describe our teaching of LIS students in SL, and the value of SL for sustainable Continuing Professional Development (CPD). The VW has become the new LIS laboratory for innovation, outreach, career development, research and curriculum development, offering sustainable learning opportunities by saving space, time, funds, and resource consumption, and by increasing international and interdisciplinary interaction among programs, educators, librarians and students. LIS education can develop sustainable education practices by optimizing interaction with the VW library and educator and discipline-based communities active in SL, thereby providing a vibrant VW educational environment for students, educators and researchers. The benefits to students include, unprecedented access to geo-distant tutors, professionals and experts in every field; flexible meeting times; experiencing content in unique forms; and acquiring VW information literacy.
Worse renal outcome of lupus nephritis in male patients: a case–control study
Authors: Resende AL , Titan SM , Barros RT , Woronik V
Published: March 2011

Background: Progression and long-term renal outcome of lupus nephritis (LN) in male patients is a controversial subject in the literature. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of male gender on the renal outcome of LN.

Methods: All male (M) LN patients who fulfilled American College of Rheumatology lupus criteria and who were referred for a kidney biopsy from 1999 to 2009 were enrolled in the study. Subjects with end-stage renal disease at baseline, or follow-up time below 6 months, were excluded. Cases were randomly matched to female (F) patients according to the class of LN, baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR, Modification of Diet in Renal Disease simplified formula) and follow-up time. Treatment was decided by the clinical staff based on usual literature protocols. The primary endpoint was doubling of serum creatinine and/or end-stage renal disease. The secondary endpoint was defined as a variation of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) per year (ΔGFR/y index), calculated as the difference between final and initial eGFR adjusted by follow-up time for each patient.

Results: We included 93 patients (31 M : 62 F). At baseline, M and F patients were not statistically different regarding WHO LN class (II 9.7%, IV 71%, V 19.3%), eGFR (M 62.4 ± 36.4 ml/min/1.73  m2 versus F 59.9 ± 32.7 ml/min/1.73 m2), follow-up time (M 44.2 ± 27.3 months versus F 39.9 ± 27.9 months), and 24-hour proteinuria (M 5.3 ± 4.6 g/day versus F 5.2 ± 3.0 g/day), as well as age, albumin, C3, antinuclear antibody, anti-DNA antibody and haematuria. There was no difference in the primary outcome (M 19% versus F 13%, log-rank p = 0.62). However, male gender was significantly associated with a worse renal function progression, as measured by ΔGFR/y index (β coefficient for male gender −12.4, 95% confidence interval −22.8 to −2.1, p = 0.02). The multivariate linear regression model showed that male gender remained statistically associated with a worse renal outcome even after adjustment for eGFR, proteinuria, albumin and C3 complement at baseline.

Conclusion: In our study, male gender presented a worse evolution of LN (measured by an under GFR recovering) when compared with female patients with similar baseline features and treatment. Factors that influence the progression of LN in men and sex-specific treatment protocols should be further addressed in new studies.
Judges and Their Work
Authors: Fielding Nigel G.
Published: March 2011

The article discusses judicial activism in the light of research into the attitudes of English judges, and a comparator group of US judges, towards judicial selection, judicial training and sentencing practice. Noting commonalities and shared perspectives, it is argued that the findings indicate enduring features of occupational culture that originate in relations within the legal workgroup and the practical craft of judging. Against the context of highly conventional attitudes, a conservative form of judicial activism is found in respect of resistance to legislative and policy innovation.
Patient Satisfaction with Care Received from Emergency Department of Ali-Ebne-Abitaleb Hospital, Iran
Authors: Zia Tabatabaei Seyed , Mohsen Rezaeian , Riji Haliza Mohd , Abbas Esmaeili , Mostafa Langarizadeh
Published: March 2011

Background: A hospital’s Emergency Department (ED) plays a crucial role in the healthcare delivery system. Its operation has an impact on patients’ general and specific satisfaction.

Methodology: Through a survey, a study to determine the satisfaction of patients attending the Ali-Ebne-Abitaleb Hospital (ED) was carried out. Out of 12,000 patients who were referred to the ED, 392 patients and 608 of their relatives were included in the study. The data were analysed by SPSS version 14.

Results: The findings showed that 191 (19.1 per cent) of the patients were ‘satisfied with medical care’ while 719 (71.9 per cent) were ‘somewhat satisfied’ and 90 (9 per cent) were ‘unsatisfied’. With regard to nursing care in particular, 265 (26.5 per cent) of the patients were ‘satisfied with nursing care’, while 630 (63 per cent) were ‘somewhat satisfied’ and 105 (10.5 per cent) were ‘unsatisfied’. The chi-square tests showed that a statistical significant relationship existed between patient’s satisfaction with medical and nursing care and the shift work.

Conclusion and Recommendations: Paying proper attention to the ED patients’ expectations is highly important to make them satisfied. Therefore, it is suggested that more efforts should be made to improve the quality of services within the ED.
Health Infrastructure in India
Authors: Pradhan Rudra Prakash , Kumar Manish , Sanyal G.S.
Published: March 2011

The article investigates the link between health infrastructural inputs and outputs and their impact on economic growth in India during 1980–2005. The empirical investigation has been carried out by simple regression technique and Granger causality test. The findings confirmed that health infrastructural inputs have substantial impact on health infrastructural outputs such as crude birth rate (CBR), crude death rate (CDR), infant mortality rate (IMR), life expectancy at birth (LER) and couple protection rate (CPR). The Granger causality further confirms that there is presence of unidirectional causality from economic growth to CBR, CDR, IMR and LER at birth. But it does not find any causality between economic growth and CPR. The study also finds no causality from CDR to IMR, CDR to CPR, IMR to CPR and LER at birth to CPR.
An Operations Research Study for Implementation of Public Private Mix Partnership in Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) in the State of Rajasthan
Authors: Tiwari V.K. , Kumar Pardeep
Published: March 2011

A study sponsored by Central TB Division, MOHFW, Government of India, with the overall objective of enhancing of PPM under RNTCP in the state of Rajasthan was conducted by National Institute of Health and Family Welfare (NIHFW). After completing the diagnostic part of the study, a new approach of horizontal integration of PP and NGO schemes was suggested to overcome implementation constraints at government functionaries level, private providers level and community level. During the study it emerged that under RNTCP, PPs and NGOs are being involved but demand for services and supply of services is not properly matched. It was found that 59.2 per cent of eligible PPs were willing to be involved in various schemes under RNTCP. 51 per cent PPs informed that detection rate and cure rate can be increased if more PPs are involved in the programme. The findings of the study reveal that to fill the gap of demand and supply, NGOs should be given the responsibility of handling the paper work of PPs. Besides, they may be given the task of address verification of TB patients, default retrieval and awareness campaign under RNTCP.
Computation of Homogenized Constitutive Tensor of Elastic Solids Containing Evolving Cracks
Authors: Souza Flavio V. , Allen David H.
Published: March 2011

The determination of the equivalent (homogenized) constitutive tensor is one of the most important steps in multiscale models as well as in the classical homogenization theory. In this article, a procedure for determining the homogenized instantaneous (tangent) constitutive tensor of elastic materials containing growing cracks is proposed. The primary purpose of this procedure is its use in two-way coupled multiscale finite element algorithms that can model crack formation and propagation at the local microstructure. The procedure is basically developed by relating the local displacement field to the global strain tensor at each location and using first-order homogenization techniques. The finite element formulation is developed and some example problems are presented in order to verify and demonstrate the model capabilities.
A Numerical Simulation on Ballistic Penetration Damage of 3D Orthogonal Woven Fabric at Microstructure Level
Authors: Jia Xiwen , Sun Baozhong , Gu Bohong
Published: March 2011

The ballistic impact damages of 3D orthogonal woven fabric (3DOWF) penetrated under a conically cylindrical rigid projectile were investigated from experimental tests and finite element simulations. A microstructure model of the 3DOWF was established and imported into finite element geometrical preprocessor. In the microstructure model, the architecture of the 3DOWF has the same spatial configurations with that of the real 3DOWF, including the spatial distributions and cross-sections of warp, weft yarns, and Z-yarns. Mechanical parameters of the yarns were obtained from high-strain rate tests which near to the impact loading condition in ballistic tests. The impact damage evolutions of the 3DOWF were simulated with the commercial finite element code ABAQUS/Explicit. From the comparisons of damage morphologies and residual velocities of the projectile after perforation between experimental and finite element simulation, it was found that the simulation can reflect the impact damage precisely. Furthermore, the stress wave propagation and damage mechanisms can be revealed from the microstructure model. Insights gained from this study will prove extremely useful in further material and architectural studies that will ultimately lead to optimization of the 3DOWF structure.
Pouring Israel into a Starbucks Cup
Authors: Kalnins Arturs , Stroock Laure
Published: March 2011

An analysis of Starbucks’ failed venture in Israel provides a cautionary tale of emotionally driven decisions gone wrong. For its joint venture, Starbucks worked with Delek Israel Fuel Company (DIFC), an operator of gas stations and convenience stores, among other ventures. While both firms were successful in their own spheres, their competitive advantages and corporate cultures did not mesh in attempting to operate a joint venture—particularly when business went sour. A consideration of why these two firms went forward with their venture, even though it was clear that they were not well matched, provides strong implications for managers. Three factors pushed the deal, once it began: (1) emotional commitment, (2) escalating commitment, and (3) overconfidence. First, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz wanted his firm to open shops in Israel, but the company did not appear to conduct serious market research. Second, once it became known that Starbucks and DIFC were negotiating a deal, it became increasingly difficult for either one to back off. Third, because both firms were successful—and because Starbucks had successfully opened a chain of stores in Arab Middle Eastern nations—the two firms exhibited overconfidence and anticipated that their joint venture would necessarily be successful. The key lessons from the case are for companies to (1) choose their partners carefully, (2) be willing to exit agreements rather than to proceed with partnerships that appear problematic, and (3) avoid substituting emotion for market analysis.