bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Estimating the Effects of Anthropogenic Modification on Water Balance in the Aral Sea Watershed Using GRACE: 2003–12
Authors: Zmijewski Kirk , Becker Richard
Published: December 2013

The decrease in size the Aral Sea in central Asia, seen as both lower water levels and reduction in areal extent, has been one of the greatest examples of anthropogenic modification of a natural system in recent history. Many studies have monitored the extent and rate of this water loss and provided estimates on the expected life span of the remaining water. However, with little data for groundwater monitoring in the post-Soviet era, it is unclear what the water balance currently is in the remainder of the watershed. Redistribution of water upstream in the watershed including damming to create reservoirs and groundwater recharge from irrigation has not only deprived the sea of water but also increased evapotranspiration and altered local climate patterns. Using Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) and Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC) data, rainfall trends for the Aral Sea watershed were analyzed over 10- and 30-yr periods and only minimal changes in rainfall were detected. Using Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) gravity data from 2003 to 2012, trends in equivalent water mass were determined for the entire watershed. Estimates show up to 14 km3 of equivalent water mass has been lost from the watershed annually from 2002 to 2013. The mass loss throughout the basin is most likely attributable to increased evapotranspiration due to the inefficient irrigation systems and other human modification increasing the need for international cooperation and conservation programs to minimize negative impacts throughout the region.
Objective Identification of Tornado Seasons and Ideal Spatial Smoothing Radii
Authors: Dixon P. Grady , Mercer Andrew E. , Grala Katarzyna , Cooke William H.
Published: December 2013

The fundamental purpose of this research is to highlight the spatial seasonality of tornado risk. This requires the use of objective methods to determine the appropriate spatial extent of the bandwidth used to calculate tornado density values (i.e., smoothing the raw tornado data). With the understanding that a smoothing radius depends partially upon the period of study, the next step is to identify objectively ideal periods of tornado analysis. To avoid decisions about spatial or temporal boundaries, this project makes use of storm speed and tornado pathlength data, along with statistical cluster analysis, to establish tornado seasons that display significantly different temporal and spatial patterns. This method yields four seasons with unique characteristics of storm speed and tornado pathlength.

The results show that the ideal bandwidth depends partially upon the temporal analysis period and the lengths of the tornadoes studied. Hence, there is not a “one size fits all,” but the bandwidth can be quantitatively chosen for a given dataset. Results from this research, based upon tornado data for 1950–2011, yield ideal bandwidths ranging from 55 to 180 km. The ideal smoothing radii are then applied via a kernel density analysis of each new tornado season.
Evaluation of ERA-Interim and MERRA Cloudiness in the Southern Ocean
Authors: Naud Catherine M. , Booth James F. , Del Genio Anthony D.
Published: December 2013

The Southern Ocean cloud cover modeled by the Interim ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-Interim) and Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) reanalyses are compared against Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Multiangle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR) observations. ERA-Interim monthly mean cloud amounts match the observations within 5%, while MERRA significantly underestimates the cloud amount. For a compositing analysis of clouds in warm season extratropical cyclones, both reanalyses show a low bias in cloud cover. They display a larger bias to the west of the cyclones in the region of subsidence behind the cold fronts. This low bias is larger for MERRA than for ERA-Interim. Both MODIS and MISR retrievals indicate that the clouds in this sector are at a low altitude, often composed of liquid, and of a broken nature. The combined CloudSat–Cloud–Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) cloud profiles confirm these passive observations, but they also reveal that low-level clouds in other parts of the cyclones are also not properly represented in the reanalyses. The two reanalyses are in fairly good agreement for the dynamic and thermodynamic characteristics of the cyclones, suggesting that the cloud, convection, or boundary layer schemes are the problem instead. An examination of the lower-tropospheric stability distribution in the cyclones from both reanalyses suggests that the parameterization of shallow cumulus clouds may contribute in a large part to the problem. However, the differences in the cloud schemes and in particular in the precipitation processes, which may also contribute, cannot be excluded.
Impacts of Postdam Land Use/Land Cover Changes on Modification of Extreme Precipitation in Contrasting Hydroclimate and Terrain Features
Authors: Woldemichael Abel T. , Hossain Faisal , Pielke Roger
Published: December 2013

Understanding the impact of postdam climate feedbacks, resulting from land use/land cover (LULC) variability, on modification of extreme precipitation (EP) remains a challenge for a twenty-first-century approach to dam design and operation. In this study, the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS, version 6.0) was used, involving a number of predefined LULC scenarios to address the important question regarding dams and their impoundments: How sensitive are the hydroclimatology and terrain features of a region in modulating the postdam response of climate feedbacks to EP? The study region covered the Owyhee Dam/Reservoir on the Owyhee River watershed (ORW), located in eastern Oregon. A systematic perturbation of the relative humidity in the initial and boundary condition of the model was carried out to simulate EP. Among the different LULC scenarios used in the simulation over the ORW, irrigation expansion in the postdam era resulted in an increase in EP up to 6% in the 72-h precipitation total. The contribution of the reservoir on EP added 8% to the 72-h total when compared to the predam LULC conditions. To address the science question, a previously completed investigation on the Folsom Dam [American River watershed (ARW)] in California was compared with the ORW findings on the basis of contrasting differences in hydroclimatology and terrain features. The results indicate that the postdam LULC change scenarios impact EP of ORW (Owyhee Dam) much greater than the EP of the ARW (Folsom Dam) because of its semiarid climate and flat terrain. EP was less sensitive to LULC changes on the windward side of the mountainous terrain of ARW as compared to the leeward side of the flat terrain of ORW.
Annular Typhoons in the Western North Pacific
Authors: Chu Kekuan , Tan Zhe-Min
Published: December 2013

Annular hurricanes, characterized by annular structure, are a subset of mature-stage intense tropical cyclones, and they tend to be stronger and persist longer than average tropical cyclones. The characteristics of annular hurricanes in the North Atlantic and eastern-central North Pacific Oceans are well documented by Knaff et al. However, little is known about the annular typhoons in the western North Pacific (WNP). This study investigates the general features of annular typhoons in the WNP based on a 20-yr analysis (1990–2009) of global storm-centered infrared brightness temperature and passive microwave satellite datasets. Similar to annular hurricanes, annular typhoons also only form under a specific combination of environmental conditions, resulting in a quite low occurrence rate (~4%), and only 12 annular typhoons occur during this period. The concentric eyewall replacement is one effective pathway to annular typhoon formation. Three annular typhoons experienced the concentric eyewall replacement within 24 h prior to their annular phases during this period. There are two seedbeds, located east of Taiwan and in the central WNP, for annular typhoon formation within a narrow zonal belt (20°–30°N). The former is conducive to the landfall of annular typhoons, in particular six of the nine annular typhoons that formed in this region eventually made landfall. Because the average time interval between landfall of the annular typhoons and the end of their annular phase is relatively short, about 30 h, they can maintain near-peak intensities and hit the landfalling areas with record intensities. They present a unique threat to eastern Asia but have received little attention from the scientific community so far.
Satellite-Derived Tropical Cyclone Intensity in the North Pacific Ocean Using the Deviation-Angle Variance Technique
Authors: Ritchie Elizabeth A. , Wood Kimberly M. , Rodríguez-Herrera Oscar G. , Piñeros Miguel F. , Tyo J. Scott
Published: December 2013

The deviation-angle variance technique (DAV-T), which was introduced in the North Atlantic basin for tropical cyclone (TC) intensity estimation, is adapted for use in the North Pacific Ocean using the “best-track center” application of the DAV. The adaptations include changes in preprocessing for different data sources [Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-East (GOES-E) in the Atlantic, stitched GOES-E–Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-West (GOES-W) in the eastern North Pacific, and the Multifunctional Transport Satellite (MTSAT) in the western North Pacific], and retraining the algorithm parameters for different basins. Over the 2007–11 period, DAV-T intensity estimation in the western North Pacific results in a root-mean-square intensity error (RMSE, as measured by the maximum sustained surface winds) of 14.3 kt (1 kt ≈ 0.51 m s−1) when compared to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center best track, utilizing all TCs to train and test the algorithm. The RMSE obtained when testing on an individual year and training with the remaining set lies between 12.9 and 15.1 kt. In the eastern North Pacific the DAV-T produces an RMSE of 13.4 kt utilizing all TCs in 2005–11 when compared with the National Hurricane Center best track. The RMSE for individual years lies between 9.4 and 16.9 kt. The complex environment in the western North Pacific led to an extension to the DAV-T that includes two different radii of computation, producing a parametric surface that relates TC axisymmetry to intensity. The overall RMSE is reduced by an average of 1.3 kt in the western North Pacific and 0.8 kt in the eastern North Pacific. These results for the North Pacific are comparable with previously reported results using the DAV for the North Atlantic basin.
The Relationship between Dividend Payout Policy and Foreign Institutional Investment in India
Authors: Lahiri Poulomi
Published: December 2013

This article tries to explore the link between dividend payout policy and foreign institutional investment (FII). Using panel data of 150 listed Indian companies for the period 2001–2010, this article tries to explore the impact of FII on dividend payout policy and vice versa. The outcomes indicate the FIIs, as a whole, increase the chance of paying cash-dividend, but the marginal impact is quite small in economic terms and also FIIs increase the probability of paying more dividend payouts. Our analysis has further shown that the foreign institutional investors are attracted towards cash-dividend paying firms. Thus, our study does not support the traditional agency cost problems but do support the clientele theory. Our results further reveal that our firm-level characteristics do support the free-cash flow theory and the pecking order theory firmly but the maturity theory partially. However, the financial recession, which has started since 2007, has shown its usual negative impact on the level of dividend payments.
Classification of Fault Diagnosis Methods for Control Systems
Authors: Mouzakitis Alexandros
Published: December 2013

Interest in fault diagnosis of systems has grown significantly in recent years as modern control systems are becoming more complex and control algorithms more sophisticated. Research and development engineers very often face the challenge to find out what fault diagnosis methods exist and what are their main benefits. Classification of fault diagnosis methods is presented in this paper based in three main categories, namely, model-based, hardware-based and history-based fault diagnoses.
Conversations in International Relations: Interview with Andrew Linklater
Authors: Devetak Richard , Kaempf Sebastian , Weber Martin
Published: December 2013

This in-depth conversation with Professor Andrew Linklater engages with his academic biography, his intellectual contribution to the field of International Relations (IR) and his reflections on the current state of, and challenges facing, the discipline of (IR). It thereby traces his biography from his undergraduate days in Aberdeen, via his first lectureships in Australia, back to the United Kingdom and eventually to Aberystwyth University; it engages with his main oeuvres from the 1982 book Men and Citizens in the Theory of International Relations to his most recent work on The Problem of Harm in World Politics, and covers the development of IR as a global discipline from the 1970s until today.
(Why) Was Jesus the Galilean Cruciﬁed Alone? Solving a False Conundrum
Authors: Bermejo-Rubio Fernando
Published: December 2013

One of the objections raised against the hypothesis that Jesus was involved in anti-Roman seditious activity runs as follows: if Jesus was put to death as an insurrectionist, why was he arrested and cruciﬁed alone, whilst his followers were left unharmed? Although this is regarded as a real conundrum by the guild, the present article proposes that the question has been incorrectly formulated, because it uncritically assumes that Jesus was indeed cruciﬁed alone. The article argues that both sound reasoning and signiﬁcant evidence point to the fact that some followers of Jesus—or at least people related to him through a shared ideology and/or activities—were sought after and cruciﬁed along with him. In turn, this allows us to understand in a novel way the reasons for the collective cruciﬁxion at Golgotha.
Romans 4: A Critique of N.T. Wright
Authors: Lambrecht Jan
Published: December 2013

In Romans 4 Paul reinterprets data from Gen. 15 and 17. He no longer respects the original context of these chapters but employs the Genesis material for his own reasoning. It would seem that Rom. 4.1 consists of only one question, while the positive answer to it is implied. In Rom. 4.5 Paul states that the still uncircumcised and, according to vv. 6-8, sinful Abraham is justiﬁed through faith. In this way he has become the father of all believers. These conclusions differ from what N.T. Wright claims in his JSNT article.
Taking the Jews out of the Equation: Galatians 6.12-17 as a Summons to Cease Evading Persecution
Authors: Prokhorov Alexander V.
Published: December 2013

This reading of Gal. 6.12-17 presents an alternative to theories that consider the ‘problem of the Galatians’ to be the result of the activity of Judaizers. Rhetorical clues in 6.12-17 point to an intra-Gentile issue and lead to the conclusion that Paul’s discourse is not concerned with matters of Jewish religion and culture. Paul’s rhetoric deals with a distinctly socio-logistical issue that had confronted the Galatian neophytes. The ‘Galatian problem’ is construed as a tendency to evade intimidation and maltreatment which often befell Gentile Christians who reduced or discontinued their participation in Roman imperial rituals. Paul makes it plain to his audience that the reception of outward signs indicating afﬁliation with the synagogue, despite all the immediate beneﬁts of such an action, is tantamount to a betrayal of the gospel whose essence is linked to suffering.
The formation and growth of Google: A firm-level triple helix perspective
Authors: Steiber Annika , Alänge Sverker
Published: December 2013

The Triple Helix model of innovation systems is widely diffused. The fundamental idea of the model is that ‘university’ can play an enhanced role in innovation in knowledge-based societies and that the three helices – ‘university’, ‘industry’ and ‘government’ – interact in order to produce innovation and therefore regional and national economic growth. This is, however, only one model among several different systemic approaches for explaining regional differences in innovativeness. While the triple helix model emphasizes the role of the university for regional innovativeness, the other systemic approaches call attention to either industry or government as having the lead role in innovation. Further, the triple helix model is developed and primarily explored from a macro-level perspective and not from a firm-level perspective. Finally, while the theoretical value of triple helix interactions are reasonably confirmed, there are still gaps in the triple helix concept, and the practical value is only just beginning to realize its potential. From a firm-level perspective, the purpose of this article is therefore to test the applicability and practical value of the triple helix model when exploring the formation and growth of firms using the case of Google Inc. Useful when exploring a firm’s formation and growth, the triple helix model forces the exploration to start even before the entrepreneur enters the scene, which provides a more holistic picture of firm formation. The three helices were all found to play important but changing roles in the different phases of firm formation and growth. The Google case contributes further understanding of the nature and historical evolution of interactions between the three helices, thereby filling some gaps in the triple helix concept. The Google case also identifies a number of mechanisms for interaction and the important role of the bridging organizations that connect the helices and contribute to the development of interactions. Finally, the concept of ‘spaces’ proved relevant and useful, although in the perspective of a firm, the concept has a broader meaning and exists on different levels.
From white gold to silicon chips: Hydraulic technology, electric power and Silicon Valley
Authors: Williams James C
Published: December 2013

Unlike most accounts of the origins of Silicon Valley, this essay insists that the valley today is rooted in the Gold Rush, and only through understanding this can scholars fully comprehend the roots of the innovation process that so characterizes the region today. The Gold Rush began a long gestation period in the region’s technical sciences that, with its physical, economic and geographic characteristics, comprised a petri dish in which innovations flourished. Early on communities of interest emerged among the original Argonauts around hydraulic engineering and among later adventurers around hydroelectric power, electric-power transmission, radio technology and microwave electronics. Over the years their members included mechanics, inventors, engineers, academics and entrepreneurs, and they found like-minded souls in San Francisco Bay Area technical and scientific organizations, social clubs and educational institutions, where they all overlapped with each other and created the foundations for the modern Silicon Valley.
StartX and the ‘Paradox of Success’: Filling the gap in Stanford’s entrepreneurial culture
Authors: Etzkowitz Henry
Published: December 2013

Stanford University’s legendary success in technology transfer, based upon a relatively small group of serial faculty entrepreneurs, masked unrealized potential residing in the underutilized inventions of less entrepreneurially experienced faculty and students. An optimum academic entrepreneurship and technology-transfer regime matches various levels of inventor interest and involvement with appropriate organizational competence and support. The ‘Paradox of Success’ is that great organizational success in licensing, or other activities, may reduce the motivation to further advancement, in the Stanford case, introducing support structures for research commercialization that are commonplace in aspiring entrepreneurial universities. Stanford had largely bought into an ideology of a self-organizing innovation ecosystem in Silicon Valley that implied lack of need for explicit entrepreneurial support structures on campus, such as incubator facilities. This belief inhibited policy intervention until a student-organized accelerator project actualizing underutilized entrepreneurial capacity demonstrated that a step change in promoting entrepreneurship at Stanford was necessary and feasible. Case studies based on archival and interview data show the development of Stanford’s entrepreneurial academic culture and university development strategy.
Silicon Valley at risk? Sustainability of a global innovation icon: An introduction to the Special Issue
Authors: Etzkowitz Henry
Published: December 2013

The increasing dependence of Silicon Valley on external sources of human capital and technological innovation is a potential Achilles’ heel if competitive regions achieve ‘stickiness’ and retain these assets. Silicon Valley developed in a successive triple helix format, each helix building upon and reinforcing the other. A single helix university development model morphed into a dual helix university–industry symbiotic relationship that became a triple helix university–industry–government format through the provision of government funding, sporadically in the pre-war and consistently in the post-war eras, expanding the innovation dynamic and fostering growth firms. In the early 2000s, a patient advocate-driven social movement provided an alternative engine for stem-cell development in the face of federal government opposition, creating a new model for S&T financing and innovation. Bond issues that treat science as infrastructure, if diffused and replicated, have the potential to revivify the original pro bono venture model. A counter-cyclical innovation dynamic, originated during the great depression of the 1930s, may yet fulfill the promise of the triple helix model as a driver of economic and social development by providing an antidote for its successor economic crisis.
The unattainable politics of child benefits policy in Spain
Authors: Bianculli Andrea , Jordana Jacint
Published: December 2013

Within the Southern European social model, Spain stands out because of the absence of a coherent child benefit policy. Spain not only constitutes a remarkable case of policy deactivation in the 1970s and 1980s, but also of a continuous series of instable decisions for more than three decades up until the present time. To account for the erratic child benefit policy in Spain since the country’s transition to democracy, this article goes beyond functionalist and institutional explanations. Our main contention is that intra-party configurations, namely different power resources and conflicting preferences about redistributive issues, prevented political parties from holding consistent and stable stances over this policy sector, even when in office. In turn, this triggered a non-decision-making dynamic in the public arena, setting the path for the non-development of child benefit policies in Spain. The argument relies on quantitative data on regulatory changes in child benefits in Spain and Portugal from 1976 to 2005, and qualitative evidence on the Spanish domestic policy process through a wide range of primary and secondary resources.
From Suburbanization to Counterurbanization?
Authors: Jain Manisha , Siedentop Stefan , Taubenböck Hannes , Namperumal Sridharan
Published: December 2013

Despite the long tradition of planning to manage urban growth in the National Capital Region (NCR) Delhi, the region is often criticized by the scholars for facing severe urban problems caused not only by an increasing population but also by a lack of infrastructure provision coupled with outward spatial expansion. Identification of urban development stages provides policy makers with a tool to devise reforms in order to effectively and efficiently manage urban growth. In this article, taking NCR-Delhi as a case study using the urban growth model conceptualized by Klaassen–van den Berg as a cycle, we not only identify its urban development stage but also attempt to predict its future stage, in order to provide planners a platform to revisit the formulated policies to manage urban growth effectively. The investigations identified that NCR-Delhi has been in absolute suburbanization since 1981 and had sprawled over the decades. In the prevalent deficient infrastructure environment and institutional capacity it is most likely to skip counterurbanization and go directly to reurbanization.
Is Motherhood Important? Imprisoned Women’s Maternal Experiences Before and During Confinement and Their Postrelease Expectations
Authors: Barnes Sandra L. , Stringer Ebonie Cunningham
Published: December 2013

In recent years, sharp increases in the female prison population have landed more mothers behind bars. While the experiences of imprisoned women may differ substantially from free mothers, studies suggest that motherhood is important for many imprisoned mothers. The current study uses a sample of 210 imprisoned mothers and multivariate modeling to investigate how familial relationships before and during imprisonment and mothers’ postrelease expectations influence the salience of maternal identity. Findings suggest that regardless of demographic factors, close mother–caregiver relationships, contact with family during imprisonment, and expecting to have custody of children upon release positively impacts imprisoned women’s mothering identities.
What determines international tourist arrivals to Peru? A gravity approach
Authors: Velasquez Maritza Elizabeth Bermeo , Oh Jinhwan
Published: December 2013

Using the gravity model, this study examines Peru’s tourism patterns by analyzing a panel dataset of the country’s international tourism flows from 59 countries over 22 years (1990–2011). The empirical results for the entire dataset are consistent with the general prediction of the gravity model (positive coefficients for economic size and negative coefficients for distance). Peru mainly has potential to expand tourism flows from European countries like Portugal, Belgium, Russia, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy, Germany and France. Although Peru offers no visa requirements for such countries, this policy seems to not be sufficient to increase tourism flows from them. Further collaboration between Peru and its neighboring countries in providing coordinated investment in transport infrastructure is necessary to create economies of scale that allow benefits from the cluster effect.
China moving up the value chain: What can be learned from the Asian NICs?
Authors: Chen Lurong , De Lombaerde Philippe
Published: December 2013

The excess supply of labor in China will be exhausted in the near future as the growth of the population slows down and the share of working-age people shrinks. Once the country crosses the “Lewis Turning Point”, the mobilization of resources can no longer drive growth. In order to compensate for the increasing labor cost and sustain its growth, Chinese firms will need to increase profitability by moving up the value chain. Although the overall strategic objective of upgrading is widely shared and the logic of the globally fragmented production system is now well understood, a strategic impetus is missing to make the transition happening in China. The article contributes some ideas to this debate. Since the challenges that China faces today are similar to the ones faced by South Korea and Malaysia 30 years ago, their experience can shed light to help China find a solution to upgrade its industry. As an impetus, China needs to shift its emphasis from “opening the market in exchange for technology” to “exchanging advanced technologies for other advanced technologies”. It is crucial to give priority to establishing a leading position in several technology-advance frontiers. This will require the Chinese government to take a proactive role in market orientation, resource allocation and the promotion of close collaboration between the public and private sector.
Biocomposite boards from wheat straw without addition of bonding agent
Authors: Zhao L. , Xia W. , Tarverdi K. , Song J.
Published: December 2013

The present paper reports work in development of biocomposite boards compression moulded from wheat straw. Unlike most traditional wood based fibre/chip boards with addition of adhesives or bonding agents, attempt was made to utilise the lignin–hemicellulosic natural resin within straw as bonding agent, resulting in a class of ‘binderless’ and more natural biocomposite boards. The effects of straw preparation and compression moulding conditions on structural and mechanical properties of the binderless straw boards were studied systematically in terms of size of chopped straw, pretreatment and the combination of pressure and temperature during compression moulding. The bonding mechanisms of the natural resin in the straw biocomposites were investigated in terms of its mobilisation using NaOH pretreatment of straw and its redistribution to the straw interfaces during compression moulding process. Without any fractionation of straw or any additional adhesive bonding agent, the mechanical properties of the binderless straw boards were comparable to some commercially available wood and straw board products using addition of adhesives.
Risk factors for contracting watery diarrhoea in Kadoma City, Zimbabwe, 2011: a case control study
Authors: Maponga Brian A , Chirundu Daniel , Gombe Notion T , Tshimanga Mufuta , Shambira Gerald , Takundwa Lucia
Published: December 2013

Background

Kadoma City experienced an increase in watery diarrhoea from 27 cases during week beginning 5th September, to 107 cases during week beginning 26th September 2011. The weekly diarrhoea cases crossed the threshold action line during week beginning 5th September at the children’s clinic in Rimuka Township, and the remaining four clinics reported cases crossing threshold action lines between week beginning 12th September and week beginning 26th September. Eighty-two percent of the cases were children less than 5 years old. We conducted a case controlstudy to determine risk factorsfor contracting watery diarrhoea in children less than 5 years in Kadoma City.

Methods

An unmatched 1:1 case control study was conducted in Ngezi and Rimuka townships in Kadoma City, Zimbabwe. A case was a child less than 5 years old, who developed acute watery diarrhoea between 5th September and 1st October 2011. A control was a child less than 5 years old who stayed in the same township and did not suffer from diarrhoea. A structured questionnaire was administered to caregivers of cases and controls.Laboratory water quality tests and stool test results were reviewed.Epi Info™ statistical software was used to analyse data.

Results

A total of 109 cases and 109 controls were enrolled. Independent protective factors were: having been exclusively breastfed for six months [AOR = 0.44; 95% CI (0.24-0.82)]; using municipal water [AOR = 0.38; 95% CI (0.18-0.80)]; using aqua tablets, [AOR = 0.49; 95% CI (0.26–0.94)] and; storing water in closed containers, [AOR = 0.24; 95% CI (0.07–0.0.83). The only independent risk factor for contracting watery diarrhoea was hand washing in a single bowl, [AOR = 2.89; 95% CI (1.33–6.28)]. Salmonella, Shigella, Rotavirus, and Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli were isolated in the stool specimens. None of the 33 municipal water samples tested showed contamination with Escherichia coli, whilst 23 of 44 (52%) shallow well water samples and 3 of 15(20%) borehole water samples tested were positive for Escherichia coli.

Conclusions

The outbreak resulted from inadequate clean water and use of contaminated water. Evidence from this study was used to guide public health response to the outbreak.
Estimation of glomerular filtration rate from serum creatinine and cystatin C in octogenarians and nonagenarians
Authors: Lopes Marcelo B , Araújo Lara Q , Passos Michelle T , Nishida Sonia K , Kirsztajn Gianna M , Cendoroglo Maysa S , Sesso Ricardo C
Published: December 2013

Background

Equations to estimate GFR have not been well validated in the elderly and may misclassify persons with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We measured GFR and compared the performance of the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD), the Chronic Kidney Disease-Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-Epi) and the Berlin Initiative Study (BIS) equations based on creatinine and/or cystatin C in octogenarians and nonagenarians.

Methods

Using cross-sectional analysis we assessed 95 very elderly persons (mean 85 years) living in the community. GFR was measured by iohexol (mGFR) and compared with estimates using six equations: MDRD, CKD-Epi_creatinine, CKD-Epi_cystatin, CKD-Epi_creatinine-cystatin, BIS_creatinine and BIS_creatinine-cystatin.

Results

Mean mGFR was 55 (range,19–86) ml/min/1.73 m2. Bias was smaller with the CKD-Epi_creatinine-cystatin and the CKD-Epi_creatinine equations (-4.0 and 1.7 ml/min/1.73 m2). Accuracy (percentage of estimates within 30% of mGFR) was greater with the CKD-Epi_creatinine-cystatin, BIS_creatinine-cystatin and BIS_creatinine equations (85%, 83% and 80%, respectively). Among the creatinine-based equations, the BIS_creatinine had the greatest accuracy at mGFR < 60 ml/min/1.73 m2 and the CKD-Epi_creatinine was superior at higher GFRs (79% and 90%, respectively). The CKD-Epi_creatinine-cystatin, BIS_creatinine-cystatin and CKD-Epi_cystatin equations yielded the greatest areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve at GFR threshold = 60 ml/min/1.73 m2 (0.88, 0.88 and 0.87, respectively). In participants classified based on the BIS_creatinine, CKD-Epi_cystatin, or BIS_creatinine-cystatin equations, the CKD-Epi_creatinine-cystatin equation tended to improve CKD classification (net reclassification index: 12.7%, p = 0.18; 6.7%, p = 0.38; and 15.9%; p = 0.08, respectively).

Conclusions

GFR-estimating equations CKD-Epi_creatinine-cystatin and BIS_creatinine-cystatin showed better accuracy than other equations using creatinine or cystatin C alone in very elderly persons. The CKD-Epi_creatinine-cystatin equation appears to be advantageous in CKD classification. If cystatin C is not available, both the BIS_cr equation and the CKD-Epi_cr equation could be used, although at mGFR < 60 ml/min/1.73 m2, the BIS_cr equation seems to be the best alternative.
Fluid overload in hemodialysis patients: a cross-sectional study to determine its association with cardiac biomarkers and nutritional status
Authors: Antlanger Marlies , Hecking Manfred , Haidinger Michael , Werzowa Johannes , Kovarik Johannes J , Paul Gernot , Eigner Manfred , Bonderman Diana , Hörl Walter H , Säemann Marcus D
Published: December 2013

Background

Chronic fluid overload is associated with higher mortality in dialysis patients; however, the link with cardiovascular morbidity has not formally been established and may be influenced by subclinical inflammation. We hypothesized that a relationship exists between fluid overload and [i] cardiovascular laboratory parameter as well as between fluid overload and [ii] inflammatory laboratory parameters. In addition, we aimed to confirm whether volume status correlates with nutritional status.

Methods

We recorded baseline characteristics of 244 hemodialysis patients at three hemodialysis facilities in Vienna (Austria) and determined associations with volume measurements using the body composition monitor (Fresenius/Germany). In one facility comprising 126 patients, we further analyzed cardiovascular, inflammatory and nutritional parameters.

Results

We detected predialysis fluid overload (FO) in 39% of all patients (n = 95) with FO defined as ≥15% of extracellular water (ECW). In this subgroup, the absolute FO was 4.4 +/-1.5 L or 22.9 ± 4.8% of ECW. A sub-analysis of patients from one center showed that FO was negatively associated with body mass index (r = -0.371; p = <0.001), while serum albumin was significantly lower in fluid overloaded patients (p = 0.001). FO was positively associated with D-Dimer (r = 0.316; p = 0.001), troponin T (r = 0.325; p < 0.001), and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (r = 0.436; p < 0.001), but not with investigated inflammatory parameters.

Conclusions

Fluid overload in HD patients was found to be lower in patients with high body mass index, indicating that dry weight was inadequately prescribed and/or difficult to achieve in overweight patients. The association with parameters of cardiovascular compromise and/or damage suggests that fluid overload is a biomarker for cardiovascular risk. Future studies should determine if this applies to patients prior to end-stage renal disease.
Some coincidence point results for generalized "Equation missing"-weakly contractive mappings in ordered G-metric spaces
Authors: Mustafa Zead , Parvaneh Vahid , Abbas Mujahid , Roshan Jamal Rezaei
Published: December 2013

The aim of this paper is to present some coincidence point results for six mappings satisfying the generalized(ψ,φ)-weakly contractive condition in the framework of partially orderedG-metric spaces. To elucidate our results, we present two examples together with an application of a system of integral equations.

MSC:47H10, 54H25.
A first-order adjoint and a second-order hybrid method for an energy output least-squares elastography inverse problem of identifying tumor location
Authors: Cahill Nathan D , Jadamba Baasansuren , Khan Akhtar A , Sama Miguel , Winkler Brian C
Published: December 2013

In this paper we investigate the elastography inverse problem of identifying cancerous tumors within the human body. From a mathematical standpoint, the elastography inverse problem consists of identifying the variable Lamé parameter μ in a system of linear elasticity where the underlying object exhibits nearly incompressible behavior. This problem is subsequently posed as an optimization problem using an energy output least-squares (EOLS) functional, but the nonlinearity that arises makes the computation of the EOLS functional’s derivatives challenging. We employ an adjoint method for the computation of the gradient, something shown to be an efficient method in recent studies, and also give a parallelizable hybrid method for the computation of the EOLS functional’s second derivative. Detailed discrete formulas and nontrivial computational examples are provided to show the feasibility of both the adjoint and hybrid approaches. Furthermore, all results are given in the framework of a general saddle point problem allowing easy adaptation to numerous other inverse problems.

MSC:35R30, 65N30.
Identification of broadly neutralizing antibody epitopes in the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein using evolutionary models
Authors: Lacerda Miguel , Moore Penny L , Ngandu Nobubelo K , Seaman Michael , Gray Elin S , Murrell Ben , Krishnamoorthy Mohan , Nonyane Molati , Madiga Maphuti , Wibmer Constantinos Kurt , Sheward Daniel , Bailer Robert T , Gao Hongmei , Greene Kelli M , Karim Salim S Abdool , Mascola John R , Korber Bette TM , Montefiori David C , Morris Lynn , Williamson Carolyn , Seoighe Cathal ,   the CAVD-NSDP Consortium
Published: December 2013

Background

Identification of the epitopes targeted by antibodies that can neutralize diverse HIV-1 strains can provide important clues for the design of a preventative vaccine.

Methods

We have developed a computational approach that can identify key amino acids within the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein that influence sensitivity to broadly cross-neutralizing antibodies. Given a sequence alignment and neutralization titers for a panel of viruses, the method works by fitting a phylogenetic model that allows the amino acid frequencies at each site to depend on neutralization sensitivities. Sites at which viral evolution influences neutralization sensitivity were identified using Bayes factors (BFs) to compare the fit of this model to that of a null model in which sequences evolved independently of antibody sensitivity. Conformational epitopes were identified with a Metropolis algorithm that searched for a cluster of sites with large Bayes factors on the tertiary structure of the viral envelope.

Results

We applied our method to ID50 neutralization data generated from seven HIV-1 subtype C serum samples with neutralization breadth that had been tested against a multi-clade panel of 225 pseudoviruses for which envelope sequences were also available. For each sample, between two and four sites were identified that were strongly associated with neutralization sensitivity (2ln(BF) > 6), a subset of which were experimentally confirmed using site-directed mutagenesis.

Conclusions

Our results provide strong support for the use of evolutionary models applied to cross-sectional viral neutralization data to identify the epitopes of serum antibodies that confer neutralization breadth.
Common sense: folk wisdom that ethnobiological and ethnomedical research cannot afford to ignore
Authors: Erren Thomas C , Koch Melissa S , Meyer-Rochow V Benno
Published: December 2013

Abstract

Common sense [CS], especially that of the non-scientist, can have predictive power to identify promising research avenues, as humans anywhere on Earth have always looked for causal links to understand, shape and control the world around them. CS is based on the experience of many individuals and is thus believed to hold some truths. Outcomes predicted by CS are compatible with observations made by whole populations and have survived tests conducted by a plethora of non-scientists. To explore our claim, we provide 4 examples of empirical insights (relevant to probably all ethnic groups on Earth) into causal phenomena predicted by CS: (i) “humans must have a sense of time”, (ii) “at extreme latitudes, more people have the winter blues”, (iii) “sleep is a cure for many ills” and (iv) “social networks affect health and disease”. While CS is fallible, it should not be ignored by science – however improbable or self-evident the causal relationships predicted by CS may appear to be.
Sonoporation as an enhancing method for boron neutron capture therapy for squamous cell carcinomas
Authors: Yamatomo Naofumi , Iwagami Takaki , Kato Itsuro , Masunaga Shin-Ichiro , Sakurai Yoshinori , Iwai Soichi , Nakazawa Mitsuhiro , Ono Koji , Yura Yoshiaki
Published: December 2013

Background

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a selective radiotherapy that is dependent on the accumulation of 10B compound in tumors. Low-intensity ultrasound produces a transient pore on cell membranes, sonoporation, which enables extracellular materials to enter cells. The effect of sonoporation on BNCT was examined in oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) xenografts in nude mice.

Materials and methods

Tumor-bearing mice were administrated boronophenylalanine (BPA) or boronocaptate sodium (BSH) intraperitoneally. Two hours later, tumors were subjected to sonoporation using microbubbles followed by neutron irradiation.

Results

The 10B concentration was higher in tumors treated with sonoporation than in untreated tumors, although the difference was not significant in BPA. When tumors in mice that received BPA intraperitoneally were treated with sonoporation followed by exposure to thermal neutrons, tumor volume was markedly reduced and the survival rate was prolonged. Such enhancements by sonoporation were not observed in mice treated with BSH-mediated BNCT.

Conclusions

These results indicate that sonoporation enhances the efficiency of BPA-mediated BNCT for oral SCC. Sonoporation may modulate the microlocalization of BPA and BSH in tumors and increase their intracellular levels.
Livin expression is an independent factor in rectal cancer patients with or without preoperative radiotherapy
Authors: Ding Zhen-Yu , Zhang Hong , Adell Gunnar , Olsson Birgit , Sun Xiao-Feng
Published: December 2013

Background

This study was aimed to investigate the expression significance of Livin in relation to radiotherapy (RT), clinicopathological and biological factors of rectal cancer patients.

Methods

This study included 144 primary rectal cancer patients who participated in a Swedish clinical trial of preoperative radiotherapy. Tissue microarray samples from the excised primary rectal cancers, normal mucosa and lymph node metastases were immunostained with Livin antibody. The proliferation of colon cancer cell lines SW620 and RKO was assayed after Livin knock-down.

Results

The expression of Livin was significantly increased from adjacent (P = 0.051) or distant (P = 0.028) normal mucosa to primary tumors. 15.4% (2/13) and 39.7% (52/131) patients with Livin-negative and positive tumors died at 180 months after surgery, and the difference tended to be statistically significant (P = 0.091). In multivariate analyses, the difference achieved statistical significance, independent of TNM stage, local and distant recurrence, grade of differentiation, gender, and age (odds ratio = 5.09, 95% CI: 1.01-25.64, P = 0.048). The in vitro study indicated colon cancer cells with Livin knock-down exhibited decreased proliferation compared with controls after RT.

Conclusions

The expression of Livin was was independently related to survival in rectal cancer patients, suggesting Livin as a useful prognostic factor for rectal cancer patients.
The Bacillus BioBrick Box: generation and evaluation of essential genetic building blocks for standardized work with Bacillus subtilis
Authors: Radeck Jara , Kraft Korinna , Bartels Julia , Cikovic Tamara , Dürr Franziska , Emenegger Jennifer , Kelterborn Simon , Sauer Christopher , Fritz Georg , Gebhard Susanne , Mascher Thorsten
Published: December 2013

Background

Standardized and well-characterized genetic building blocks are a prerequisite for the convenient and reproducible assembly of novel genetic modules and devices. While numerous standardized parts exist for Escherichia coli, such tools are still missing for the Gram-positive model organism Bacillus subtilis. The goal of this study was to develop and thoroughly evaluate such a genetic toolbox.

Results

We developed five BioBrick-compatible integrative B. subtilis vectors by deleting unnecessary parts and removing forbidden restriction sites to allow cloning in BioBrick (RFC10) standard. Three empty backbone vectors with compatible resistance markers and integration sites were generated, allowing the stable chromosomal integration and combination of up to three different devices in one strain. In addition, two integrative reporter vectors, based on the lacZ and luxABCDE cassettes, were BioBrick-adjusted, to enable β-galactosidase and luciferase reporter assays, respectively. Four constitutive and two inducible promoters were thoroughly characterized by quantitative, time-resolved measurements. Together, these promoters cover a range of more than three orders of magnitude in promoter strength, thereby allowing a fine-tuned adjustment of cellular protein amounts. Finally, the Bacillus BioBrick Box also provides five widely used epitope tags (FLAG, His10, cMyc, HA, StrepII), which can be translationally fused N- or C-terminally to any protein of choice.

Conclusion

Our genetic toolbox contains three compatible empty integration vectors, two reporter vectors and a set of six promoters, two of them inducible. Furthermore, five different epitope tags offer convenient protein handling and detection. All parts adhere to the BioBrick standard and hence enable standardized work with B. subtilis. We believe that our well-documented and carefully evaluated Bacillus BioBrick Box represents a very useful genetic tool kit, not only for the iGEM competition but any other BioBrick-based project in B. subtilis.