bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Design and Interaction Control of a New Bilateral Upper-Limb Rehabilitation Device
Authors: Miao Qing , Zhang Mingming , Wang Yupu , Xie Sheng Q.
Published: September 2017

This paper proposed a bilateral upper-limb rehabilitation device (BULReD) with two degrees of freedom (DOFs). The BULReD is portable for both hospital and home environment, easy to use for therapists and patients, and safer with respect to upper-limb robotic exoskeletons. It was implemented to be able to conduct both passive and interactive training, based on system kinematics and dynamics, as well as the identification of real-time movement intention of human users. Preliminary results demonstrate the potential of the BULReD for clinical applications, with satisfactory position and interaction force tracking performance. Future work will focus on the clinical evaluation of the BULReD on a large sample of poststroke patients.
Effects of Mechanical Alloying on Sintering Behavior of Tungsten Carbide-Cobalt Hard Metal System
Authors: Gezerman Ahmet Ozan , Çorbacıoğlu Burcu Didem
Published: September 2017

During the last few years, efforts have been made to improve the properties of tungsten carbides (WCs) by preparing composite materials. In this study, we prepared WC particles by mechanical alloying and investigated the effects of mechanical alloying conditions, such as mechanical alloying time and mechanically alloyed powder ratio, on the properties of 94WC-6Co. According to experimental studies, increasing the mechanical alloying time causes an increase in the density of tungsten carbide samples and a decrease of crystal sizes and inner strength of the prepared materials. With the increase of mechanical alloying time, fine particle concentrations of tungsten carbide samples have increased. It is observed that increasing the mechanical alloying time caused a decrease of the particle surface area of tungsten carbide samples. Besides, the amount of specific phases such as Co3W3C and Co6W6C increases with increasing mechanical alloying time. As another subject of this study, increasing the concentration of mechanically alloyed tungsten carbides caused an increase in the densities of final tungsten carbide materials. With the concentrations of mechanically alloyed materials, the occurrence of Co6W6C and Co3W3C phases and the increase of crystallization are observed.
Atypical Afta Major Healing after Photodynamic Therapy
Authors: Casu Cinzia , Mannu Carla
Published: September 2017

The aim of this study is to report a case of atypical Afta Major healing in a patient with recurrent aphthous stomatitis (SAR) with a type of photodynamic therapy. A female patient with SAR affected for about 2 years reported a history of hypothyroidism treated with Levothyroxine. The oral cavity clinical examination showed several major symptomatic ulcers, previously treated with topical and systemic therapies without any benefit. The largest of them is present for more than 40 days, in spite of topical cortisone applications, with significant pain symptoms reported by the patient. It was decided to perform a session of photodynamic therapy with a device that emits a LED light used in combination with a photosensitive reagent (Toluidine blue). The dye was applied on the entire surface of the lesion beyond the margins and even encroaching on healthy tissue. The light diode was turned on with a wavelength of 630 nm with cycles from 30 seconds, 10 consecutive times above it. After a few days, a curious phenomenon happened: healing of Afta Major starting from the center, which was almost completely healed towards the borders of the lesion. No previous literature reports this type of healing. Photodynamic therapy could be a successful treatment for SAR.
Fault Activity Aware Service Delivery in Wireless Sensor Networks for Smart Cities
Authors: Zhang Xiaomei , Dong Xiaolei , Wu Jie , Cao Zhenfu , Lyu Chen
Published: September 2017

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are increasingly used in smart cities which involve multiple city services having quality of service (QoS) requirements. When misbehaving devices exist, the performance of current delivery protocols degrades significantly. Nonetheless, the majority of existing schemes either ignore the faulty behaviors’ variability and time-variance in city environments or focus on homogeneous traffic for traditional data services (simple text messages) rather than city services (health care units, traffic monitors, and video surveillance). We consider the problem of fault-aware multiservice delivery, in which the network performs secure routing and rate control in terms of fault activity dynamic metric. To this end, we first design a distributed framework to estimate the fault activity information based on the effects of nondeterministic faulty behaviors and to incorporate these estimates into the service delivery. Then we present a fault activity geographic opportunistic routing (FAGOR) algorithm addressing a wide range of misbehaviors. We develop a leaky-hop model and design a fault activity rate-control algorithm for heterogeneous traffic to allocate resources, while guaranteeing utility fairness among multiple city services. Finally, we demonstrate the significant performance of our scheme in routing performance, effective utility, and utility fairness in the presence of misbehaving sensors through extensive simulations.
Adaptive Sliding Mode Control of MEMS AC Voltage Reference Source
Authors: Ranjbar Ehsan , Mehrnezhad Ali , Suratgar Amir Abolfazl
Published: September 2017

The accuracy of physical parameters of a tunable MEMS capacitor, as the major part of MEMS AC voltage reference, is of great importance to achieve an accurate output voltage free of the malfunctioning noise and disturbance. Even though strenuous endeavors are made to fabricate MEMS tunable capacitors with desiderated accurate physical characteristics and ameliorate exactness of physical parameters’ values, parametric uncertainties ineluctably emerge in fabrication process attributable to imperfections in micromachining process. First off, this paper considers applying an adaptive sliding mode controller design in the MEMS AC voltage reference source so that it is capable of giving off a well-regulated output voltage in defiance of jumbling parametric uncertainties in the plant dynamics and also aggravating external disturbance imposed on the system. Secondly, it puts an investigatory comparison with the designed model reference adaptive controller and the pole-placement state feedback one into one’s prospective. Not only does the tuned adaptive sliding mode controller show remarkable robustness against slow parameter variation and external disturbance being compared to the pole-placement state feedback one, but also it immensely gets robust against the external disturbance in comparison with the conventional adaptive controller. The simulation results are promising.
The Multiplex Dependency Structure of Financial Markets
Authors: Musmeci Nicolò , Nicosia Vincenzo , Aste Tomaso , Di Matteo Tiziana , Latora Vito
Published: September 2017

We propose here a multiplex network approach to investigate simultaneously different types of dependency in complex datasets. In particular, we consider multiplex networks made of four layers corresponding, respectively, to linear, nonlinear, tail, and partial correlations among a set of financial time series. We construct the sparse graph on each layer using a standard network filtering procedure, and we then analyse the structural properties of the obtained multiplex networks. The study of the time evolution of the multiplex constructed from financial data uncovers important changes in intrinsically multiplex properties of the network, and such changes are associated with periods of financial stress. We observe that some features are unique to the multiplex structure and would not be visible otherwise by the separate analysis of the single-layer networks corresponding to each dependency measure.
Complete Resection of a Massive Synovial Osteochondromatosis of the Hip Using an Anterior Approach: A Report of Two Cases
Authors: Kataoka Masanao , Goto Koji , Kuroda Yutaka , Kawai Toshiyuki , Murata Ouki , Sugimoto Masayuki , Matsuda Shuichi
Published: September 2017

Arthroscopic excision of synovial osteochondromatosis of the hip is commonly performed. However, when the lesion extends to the extra-articular space of the hip joint, excision using arthroscopy becomes difficult. Although surgical dislocation of the hip with a trochanteric flip osteotomy is commonly used, manual access to the inferomedial portion of the acetabulum remains difficult. In this case report, we describe arthroscopic resection followed by open surgery using an anterior approach with or without surgical dislocation to excise a synovial osteochondromatosis of the hip that had extended to the extra-articular space and formed a herniation sac. Excision was completed without complications. An anterior approach with or without surgical dislocation should be considered as a surgical option for the treatment of a massive synovial osteochondromatosis of the hip joint.
The Immune-microenvironment Confers Chemoresistance of Colorectal Cancer through Macrophage-Derived IL6
Authors: Yin Yuan , Yao Surui , Hu Yaling , Feng Yuyang , Li Min , Bian Zehua , Zhang Jiwei , Qin Yan , Qi Xiaowei , Zhou Leyuan , Fei Bojian , Zou Jian , Hua Dong , Huang Zhaohui
Published: September 2017

Purpose: Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are frequently associated with poor prognosis in human cancers. However, the effects of TAMs in colorectal cancer are contradictory. We therefore investigated the functions, mechanisms, and clinical significance of TAMs in colorectal cancer.

Experimental Design: We measured the macrophage infiltration (CD68), P-gp, and Bcl2 expression in colorectal cancer tissues using IHC staining. Coculture of TAMs and colorectal cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo models was used to evaluate the effects of TAMs on colorectal cancer chemoresistance. Cytokine antibody arrays, ELISA, neutralizing antibody, and luciferase reporter assay were performed to uncover the underlying mechanism.

Results: TAM infiltration was associated with chemoresistance in patients with colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer–conditioned macrophages increased colorectal cancer chemoresistance and reduced drug-induced apoptosis by secreting IL6, which could be blocked by a neutralizing anti-IL6 antibody. Macrophage-derived IL6 activated the IL6R/STAT3 pathway in colorectal cancer cells, and activated STAT3 transcriptionally inhibited the tumor suppressor miR-204-5p. Rescue experiment confirmed that miR-204-5p is a functional target mediating the TAM-induced colorectal cancer chemoresistance. miR-155-5p, a key miRNA regulating C/EBPβ, was frequently downregulated in TAMs, resulting in increased C/EBPβ expression. C/EBPβ transcriptionally activated IL6 in TAMs, and TAM-secreted IL6 then induced chemoresistance by activating the IL6R/STAT3/miR-204-5p pathway in colorectal cancer cells.

Conclusions: Our data indicate that the maladjusted miR-155-5p/C/EBPβ/IL6 signaling in TAMs could induce chemoresistance in colorectal cancer cells by regulating the IL6R/STAT3/miR-204-5p axis, revealing a new cross-talk between immune cells and tumor cells in colorectal cancer microenvironment. Clin Cancer Res; 23(23); 7375–87. ©2017 AACR.
HIF-3α Promotes Metastatic Phenotypes in Pancreatic Cancer by Transcriptional Regulation of the RhoC–ROCK1 Signaling Pathway
Authors: Zhou Xianfei , Guo Xingjun , Chen Meiyuan , Xie Chencheng , Jiang Jianxin
Published: September 2017

Hypoxia contributes to pancreatic cancer progression and promotes its growth and invasion. Previous research principally focused on hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α) and HIF-2α (HIF1A and EPAS1) as the major hypoxia-associated transcription factors in pancreatic cancer. However, the role of HIF-3α (HIF3A) has not been investigated. Therefore, HIF-1α, HIF-2α, and HIF-3α expression levels were measured under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. In addition, HIF-3α expression was measured in human pancreatic cancer tissue specimens and the impact of altered HIF-3α expression on cell invasion and migration was investigated in vitro and in vivo, as well as the underlying mechanisms. Under hypoxic conditions, HIF-3α expression was stimulated in pancreatic cancer cells to a greater degree than HIF-1α and HIF-2α expression. HIF-3α protein levels were also elevated in pancreatic cancer tissues and correlated with reduced survival and greater local invasion and distant metastasis, whereas knockdown of HIF-3α, under hypoxic conditions, suppressed pancreatic cancer cell invasion and migration. Under normoxia, HIF-3α overexpression promoted pancreatic cancer cell invasion and migration and stimulated F-actin polymerization. In summary, HIF-3α promotes pancreatic cancer cell invasion and metastasis in vivo and promotes pancreatic cancer cell invasion and metastasis by transcriptionally activating the RhoC–ROCK1 signaling pathway.

Implications: HIF3α is overexpressed in pancreatic cancer, and targeting the HIF3α/RhoC–ROCK1 signaling pathway may be a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of pancreatic cancer invasion and metastasis. Mol Cancer Res; 16(1); 124–34. ©2017 AACR.
Efficacy and Safety of Capecitabine, Irinotecan, Gemcitabine, and Bevacizumab as Second-Line Treatment in Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer: A Phase II Study
Authors: Larsen Finn Ole , Markussen Alice , Diness Laura V. , Nielsen Dorte
Published: September 2017

Objective: Since 2010, gemcitabine and cisplatin have been considered standard first-line treatment in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer. Many centers have replaced cisplatin with oxaliplatin, which seems to obtain similar results. While first-line treatment has been well established, there are no phase III trials supporting second-line treatment, and the phase II trials with chemotherapy do not show any clear benefit. In this study, we investigated the effect of adding bevacizumab to chemotherapy in second-line treatment. Methods: From November 2013 to January 2016, 50 patients with advanced biliary tract cancer were enrolled in this prospective phase II trial. All patients had received a gemcitabine-platinum combination as first-line treatment. The patients received capecitabine, irinotecan, gemcitabine, and bevacizumab in a 2-week schedule as second-line treatment. Results: The combination was well tolerated with a median progression-free survival of 3.6 months, a median overall survival of 6.4 months, and a response rate of 6%. Conclusion: The combination of capecitabine, irinotecan, gemcitabine, and bevacizumab as a second-line treatment for advanced biliary tract cancer is well tolerated but with a modest, if any, benefit.
Antinociceptive Effect of Ghrelin in a Rat Model of Irritable Bowel Syndrome Involves TRPV1/Opioid Systems
Authors: Mao Yuqing , Li Zhengyang , Chen Kan , Yu Huafang , Zhang Shaoren , Jiang Miao , Ma Yuanhua , Liang Chunli , Liu Hongyan , Li Huanqing , Hua Qian , Zhou Hao , Sun Yonghong , Fan Xiaoming
Published: September 2017

Background/Aims: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), defined as recurrent abdominal pain and changes in bowel habits, seriously affects quality of life and ability to work. Ghrelin is a brain-gut hormone, which has been reported to show antinociceptive effects in peripheral pain. We investigated the effect of ghrelin on visceral hypersensitivity and pain in a rat model of IBS. Methods: Maternal deprivation (MD) was used to provide a stress-induced model of IBS in Wistar rats. Colorectal distension (CRD) was used to detect visceral sensitivity, which was evaluated by abdominal withdrawal reflex (AWR) scores. Rats that were confirmed to have visceral hypersensitivity after MD were injected with ghrelin (10 µg/kg) subcutaneously twice a week from weeks 7 to 8. [D-Lys3]-GHRP-6 (100 nmol/L) and naloxone (100 nmol/L) were administered subcutaneously to block growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1α (GHS-R1α) and opioid receptors, respectively. Expression of transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) and µ and κ opioid receptors (MOR and KOR) in colon, dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and cerebral cortex tissues were detected by western blotting, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), immunohistochemical analyses and immunofluorescence. Results: Ghrelin treatment increased expression of opioid receptors and inhibited expression of TRPV1 in colon, dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and cerebral cortex. The antinociceptive effect of ghrelin in the rat model of IBS was partly blocked by both the ghrelin antagonist [D-Lys3]-GHRP-6 and the opioid receptor antagonist naloxone. Conclusion: The results indicate that ghrelin exerted an antinociceptive effect, which was mediated via TRPV1/opioid systems, in IBS-induced visceral hypersensitivity. Ghrelin might potentially be used as a new treatment for IBS.
High Expression of CCR7 Predicts Lymph Node Metastasis and Good Prognosis in Triple Negative Breast Cancer
Authors: Li Xuelu , Sun Siwen , Li Ning , Gao Jiyue , Yu Jing , Zhao Jinbo , Li Man , Zhao Zuowei
Published: September 2017

Background/Aims: Previous preclinical and clinical studies have reported a positive correlation between the expression of the C-C chemokine receptor 7 (CCR7) and the incidence of lymph node metastasis in breast cancer. However, the prognostic relevance of CCR7 expression in breast cancer remains contradictory till now. The aim of this study is to assess the correlation of the CCR7 expression with other clinicopathological features and prognosis in breast cancer. Methods: The CCR7 gene amplification and mRNA expression levels from approximately 3,000 patients were retrieved from human breast cancer databases and analyzed. Furthermore, a total of 188 primary triple negative breast cancer patients were enrolled in this study (diagnosed since January 2009 to January 2013 from the Second Hospital of Dalian Medical University). The protein levels of CCR7 were examined by immunohistochemistry using paraffin-embedded tumor tissues. Results: The analysis of gene amplification and mRNA levels showed the expression of CCR7 in breast cancer correlated with better prognosis. When we compared the CCR7 expressions in different subtypes, the basal-like group showed the highest expression of CCR7 and exhibited a better prognosis. Consistently, Kaplan–Meier analysis of 188 triple negative breast cancer patients showed that the prognosis of patients with positive CCR7 expression was significantly better than those with negative expression (HR=0.642, p=0.0275). Additionally, we also observed a positive correlation between lymph node metastasis and the CCR7 expression (p=0.0096). Conclusions: Our results indicated that elevated CCR7 expression as a marker for increased lymph node metastasis, in addition to serve as an independent prognostic indicator for better overall survival in triple negative breast cancer patients.
Subverting Nationalism
Authors: Akingbe Niyi
Published: September 2017

The thematics of Femi Fatoba’s They Said I Abused the Government (2001) and Wole Soyinka’s Samarkand and Other Markets I Have Known (2002) demonstrate the potential of art to bear witness to the bizarre, depressing anomie bedevilling Nigeria between 1993 and 1998. This anomie was ruinously orchestrated by the power-hungry military, who annulled the free and fair presidential election won by Chief M.K.O. Abiola. This military incursion into Nigeria’s political sphere was facilitated by a nebulous nationhood plagued by contending differences among its federating units. The notorious brutality of General Abacha’s regime was a cavalcade of incarceration and killings of real and imagined political dissidents. Especially, outspoken politicians who fell victim to unstable power-plays were kept in detention facilities across the country. They Said I Abused the Government and Samarkand and Other Markets I Have Known’s articulation of these ‘years of the locusts’ is epitomized by the closing of newspapers, brain drain, and the imagery of stasis and displacement. These occurrences are captured by the accusatory tone of Femi Fatoba and Wole Soyinka’s poetics as they protest the military brigandage in their works. The essay seeks to explicate how protest and satire have been harnessed to articulate the subversion of nationalism in postcolonial Nigeria.
Worms in the sand: Systematic revision of the Australian blindsnake Anilios leptosoma (Robb, 1972) species complex (Squamata: Scolecophidia: Typhlopidae) from the Geraldton Sandplain, with description of two new species
Authors: ELLIS RYAN J. , DOUGHTY PAUL , DONNELLAN STEPHEN C. , MARIN JULIE , VIDAL NICOLAS
Published: September 2017

The blindsnake genus Anilios (formerly Ramphotyphlops) is the largest and most diverse genus of snakes in Australia with 45 currently recognized species. Recent molecular genetic studies of the genus have identified high levels of cryptic diversity within many taxa, suggesting true species diversity is greatly underestimated. Anilios leptosoma is a slender blindsnake endemic to the mid-west of Western Australia. Although morphological variation has been identified within the species in the past, the systematics and true diversity remained unstudied. Here we use recent molecular data to guide a reappraisal of morphology in order to provide a taxonomic revision of the A. leptosoma species complex. We redescribe A. leptosoma and describe two new species that occur to the south of most of true A. leptosoma’s distribution: A. systenos sp. nov. and A. obtusifrons sp. nov. Anilios systenos sp. nov. is known from the Geraldton region with the furthest record only 100 km to the north-east, a very small range for a species of snake. Anilios obtusifrons sp. nov. has an even smaller distribution, as it is only known from a small coastal area south of Kalbarri and may represent a range-restricted taxa. All species are genetically divergent from each other and can be distinguished by consistent morphological characteristics, including the shape of the snout, the termination point of the rostral cleft and number of mid-body scale rows and ventral scales.
A major range extension for Carcharhinus altimus (Springer, 1950) in the South Pacific Ocean
Authors: DUFFY CLINTON A. J. , STRUTHERS CARL D.
Published: September 2017

The occurrence of the bignose shark Carcharhinus altimus at Ducie Island, Pitcairn Islands is reported for the first time based upon re-identification of four museum voucher specimens. The presence of a pregnant female and a juvenile confirms C. altimus breeds at Ducie Island and should be considered resident there. The specimens had been misidentified as the grey reef shark, C. amblyrhynchos, emphasising the ongoing value of collecting museum voucher specimens of supposedly common species. The occurrence of C. altimus at Ducie Island suggests resident populations of C. altimus are likely to occur throughout the tropical and subtropical Pacific Ocean but may have been overlooked due to their preference for deep demersal habitats during the day, or misidentification as other Carcharhinus species.
A new species of Cirrhicera Thomson, 1857 from Mexico, and redescription of Anisopodus acutus Thomson, 1865 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae)
Authors: SANTOS-SILVA ANTONIO , GALILEO MARIA HELENA M. , TIRANT STÉPHANE LE
Published: September 2017

A new species of Cirrhicera Thomson, 1857 is described from Mexico and included in a previous key. Anisopodus acutus Thomson, 1865 is redescribed and recorded for the first time in Ecuador.
Cutting a Gordian knot of tubeworms with DNA data: the story of the Hydroides operculata-complex (Annelida, Serpulidae)
Authors: SUN YANAN , AL-KANDARI MANAL , KUBAL PRITI , WALMIKI NITIN , KUPRIYANOVA ELENA K.
Published: September 2017

Hydroides operculata (Treadwell, 1929) was originally very briefly described from a single specimen as Eupomatus operculata, collected in the Gulf of Aden, Somalia. Later the species was reported from the Mediterranean as a potential Lessepsian migrant. The taxa Hydroides inornata Pillai (1960) from Sri Lanka, as well as H. basispinosa and H. gradata described by Straughan (1967) from Australia, were synonymised with H. operculata based only on their similar opercular morphology, making the latter species’ distribution to include South and East Africa, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, tropical Australia, and the eastern Mediterranean. Here we examined the taxonomic status of H. operculata using standard molecular techniques to determine whether this species is a global invader, a complex of regionally distributed morphologically similar species, or a combination of both. The study revealed three well supported clades suggesting a natural phylogeographic pattern. Thus, we argue that the taxa H. inornata (India and Hong Kong) and H. basispinosa (Australia) should be re-instated to full species, but that the Australian H. gradata should be synonymised with H. basispinosa.
Euconnus (Rhomboconnus) of Panama (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae)
Authors: JAŁOSZYŃSKI PAWEŁ
Published: September 2017

To date, the subgenus Rhomboconnus Franz of Euconnus Thomson was represented by two species known to occur in Venezuela and Ecuador. For the first time this subgenus is reported to occur in Panama, and eight new species are described: Euconnus plaumannioloides sp. n., E. timstruyvei sp. n., E. silvafortunensis sp. n., E. rhombopanamensis sp. n., E. rhombocartianus sp. n., E. meteti sp. n., E. rhombomiramaranus sp. n., and E. rhomboimitator sp. n. Some characters of the new species were found more variable than those previously included in the diagnosis of Rhomboconnus; they are discussed and the presence or absence of the pronotal antebasal groove or pits is excluded from the diagnosis, as variable within Rhomboconnus.
Which Temperature and Precipitation Extremes Best Explain the Variation of Warm versus Cold Years and Wet versus Dry Years?
Authors: Ye Jian-Sheng , Gong Yan-Hong , Zhang Feng , Ren Jiao , Bai Xiao-Ke , Zheng Yang
Published: September 2017

Intensifying climate extremes are one of the major concerns with climate change. Using 100-yr (1911–2010) daily temperature and precipitation records worldwide, 28 indices of extreme temperature and precipitation are calculated. A similarity percentage analysis is used to identify the key indices for distinguishing how extreme warm and cold years (annual temperature above the 90th and below the 10th percentile of the 100-yr distribution, respectively) differ from one another and from average years, and how extreme wet and dry years (annual precipitation above the 90th and below the 10th percentile of the 100-yr distribution, respectively) differ from each other and from average years. The analysis suggests that extreme warm years are primarily distinguished from average and extreme cold years by higher occurrence of warm nights (annual counts when night temperature >90th percentile), which occur about six more counts in extreme warm years compared with average years. Extreme wet years are mainly distinguished from average and extreme dry years by more occurrences of heavy precipitation events (events with ≥10 mm and ≥20 mm precipitation). Compared with average years, heavy events occur 60% more in extreme wet years and 50% less in extreme dry years. These indices consistently differ between extreme and average years across terrestrial ecoregions globally. These key indices need to be considered when analyzing climate model projections and designing climate change experiments that focus on ecosystem response to climate extremes.
Evaluation of High-Resolution Gridded Precipitation Data in Arid and Semiarid Regions: Heihe River Basin, Northwest China
Authors: Yang Yi , Tang Jianping , Xiong Zhe , Dong Xinning
Published: September 2017

The reliability of three satellite-derived precipitation products, Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) 3B42 V7 and the Climate Prediction Center morphing technique (CMORPH) satellite-only (CMORPH-RAW) and gauge-corrected versions (CMORPH-CRT), and three gauge-based precipitation datasets, Asian Precipitation–Highly Resolved Observational Data Integration Toward Evaluation of Water Resources (APHRODITE), National Climate Center of China Meteorological Administration (CN05.1), and Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ITPCAS), is evaluated via comparisons with rain gauge observations from stations over the Heihe River basin (HRB) for the period from 1998 to 2012. The results show that the observed climatology, interannual variability, the detection of precipitation events, and probability density functions (PDFs) are reasonably well represented by the high-resolution precipitation products (HRPPs), with APHRODITE presenting the best performance, CN05.1 and ITPCAS exhibiting similar performances, and CMORPH-CRT showing a poor performance. The bias-correction algorithms applied in CMORPH-CRT improve the accuracy of CMORPH-RAW slightly but fail to improve the rainfall detection skill. TRMM consistently outperforms CMORPH-CRT at various scales, whereas CMORPH-CRT is comparable to TRMM in summer. The spatial correlations, normalized root-mean-square error (NRMSE), and probability of detection (POD) show that all datasets perform better in summer than in winter. Except for CMORPH-RAW, the HRPPs could adequately reproduce the unimodal characteristics of annual cycle, although they overestimate the magnitude of the warm season precipitation. The HRPPs could capture the overall spatial distribution and decadal trend of extreme precipitation indices. However, the satellite-derived products overestimate the wet day precipitation and underestimate the consecutive dry days, although the TRMM generates relatively better results.
A Three-Step Method for Estimating Vortex Center Locations in Four-Dimensional Space from Radar-Observed Tornadic Mesocyclones
Authors: Xu Qin , Wei Li , Nai Kang
Published: September 2017

The recently developed two-dimensional variational methods for analyzing vortex winds from radar-observed mesocyclones can be extended to analyze three-dimensional vortex winds, but the first task for this extension is to estimate the vortex center location and its continuous variations in four-dimensional space so that the horizontal location of the vortex center can be expressed as a continuous function of height and time. To accomplish this task, a three-step method is developed in this paper. The method is applied to the Moore, Oklahoma, tornadic mesocyclone observed by the operational KTLX radar (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) and the NSSL phased-array radar on 20 May 2013. The estimated vortex center trajectory at the ground level is verified with the tornado damage survey data. The estimated vortex center trajectories above the ground (up to 4-km height) reveal that the vortex core was initially tilted northeastward along the direction of the environmental flow and its vertical shear but became nearly vertical about 16 min later and 4 min before the vortex started to cause EF5 damages.
Sports Team Participation Among US High School Girls, 1999-2015
Authors: Simon Alan E. , Uddin Sayeedha F. G.
Published: September 2017

Sports team participation has myriad benefits for girls. We used the 1999-2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a nationally representative survey of US high school students, to examine time trends in sports team participation. Data from 2015 alone were examined for current differences in participation by sex, race/ethnicity, grade, and weight status. For both analyses, unadjusted and adjusted logistic regressions, with team participation as the dependent variable, were used. In 2015, 53% of US high school girls participated in team sports. Participation was higher among non-Hispanic white (60.7%) compared to Hispanic (40.7%) and Asian (35.6%) girls, and girls with normal-weight status (58.1%) compared to overweight (50.0%) and obese (36.5%) girls ( P < .01 for all comparisons). From 1999 to 2015, the rate of increase in participation was higher among non-Hispanic black girls than non-Hispanic white girls. No increase was observed for Hispanic and Asian girls. Addressing the disparities found in team participation is imperative.
Hispanic Ethnicity and the Risk of Pediatric Leukemia Relapse
Authors: Amankwah Ernest K. , Hale Greg A.
Published: September 2017

Limited knowledge currently exists on the disparity in pediatric leukemia relapse. This study compared the risk of pediatric leukemia relapse between Hispanic and non-Hispanic Whites. Study participants were children (<20 years) diagnosed with leukemia from January 2006 to December 2014 at the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, St. Petersburg, Florida. Hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals for relapse-free survival were calculated using adjusted Cox regression. The study included 35 Hispanic and 94 non-Hispanic Whites. Among patients <10 years old, there was a significantly higher risk of relapse in Hispanic compared to non-Hispanic Whites (hazard ratio = 6.19, 95% confidence interval = 1.15-33.27). No association was observed for patients aged ≥10 years nor all participants combined. Although the finding of this study may suggest that ethnic disparity in pediatric leukemia relapse may exist in younger children, our finding is limited by the small sample size from a single institution. Therefore, future larger multiinstitutional studies are warranted.
Shopping for Clothes and Sensitivity to the Suffering of Others: The Role of Compassion and Values in Sustainable Fashion Consumption
Authors: Geiger Sonja Maria , Keller Johannes
Published: September 2017

The positive relation of biospheric and altruistic values as well as the negative relation of egoistic and hedonic values to environmentally responsible behavior, are established findings in environmental psychological research. Recent findings revealed that compassion, the sensitivity to the suffering of other individuals, is also relevant for proenvironmental intentions. We tested the role of compassion in combination with universal altruistic, biospheric, egoistic, and hedonic values concerning an environmentally responsible behavior with an explicit social and hedonic component: sustainable fashion consumption. In a large survey study ( n = 981), we found that compassion was positively linked to sustainable purchase criteria. The manipulation of compassion in an online study ( n = 197) resulted in a small, positive effect on the willingness to pay extra for fair trade clothes. Moreover, we found that hedonic values showed a consistent negative relation to sustainable fashion consumption in both studies, thus corroborating former research on the critical relevance of hedonic values in the context of proenvironmental behavior.
Reconceptualising Gubernatorial ‘Discretionary’ Authority: An Indian Perspective
Authors: Chakraborty Bidyut
Published: September 2017

In constitutional governance, discretionary authority is a source of intense theoretical debate. For the classical liberals, discretion does not seem to be entirely incompatible with the actualisation of constitutional democracy; in fact, it is hailed as an aid to the system of governance, being instituted to realise the politico-ideological goal drawn on the fundamental ethos of liberal democracy. Being paternalistic in their approach, the classical liberals thus greeted British colonialism for its ‘self-assigned’ role of civilising the uncivilised. Guided by its so-called civilising mission, the alien state was allowed to retain the discretionary authority as integral to its primary ideological goal in India. With India’s Independence, the idea was challenged, but not entirely discarded showing perhaps the continuity of some of the major constitutional principles that had evolved in the wake of the British rule in India. The logical justification of gubernatorial discretion needs to be understood in this perspective, though the scene had undergone a sea change in post-Independence India following the democratic upsurges leading to the spreading out of political space in areas which so far had remained peripheral. Discretionary authority is now not only an anathema to democratic governance but also a retrogressive constitutional design. Not only is this argument being forcefully made at the level of demos, this is also being endorsed by the Indian judiciary which discarded discretion as undemocratic and unconstitutional.
A Chequered History of Governors’ Discretionary Powers under Article 163
Authors: Tiwari Atul Kumar
Published: September 2017

This article examines how governors have made more use of their discretionary powers than the president. The reason is found in Article 163 of the Constitution that allows use of discretionary powers of the governors. Despite being antithetical to the responsible governments in the states, such powers were assigned to the governors after contentious debates in the Constituent Assembly in order to retain a strong centre in the aftermath of unification of India. This article recommends that there is a need for some reforms particularly with regard to appointment and tenure of the governors that aid and abet the constitutional transgression by the governors. It also holds that codification of a body of conventions would further bring the actions of the governors within the accepted canons of interpretation of the Constitution.
Autonomous District Councils and the Governor’s Role in the Northeast India
Authors: Patnaik J. K.
Published: September 2017

The office of governor with respect to the Sixth Schedule states does have many important functions unlike the other states of the country, and for that matter even the Fifth Schedule area states. The governor has been endowed with some discretionary power to maintain balance between the Constitution and the autonomy and identity of the smaller minority hill tribes of the northeast region, especially in the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura. The object of the article is to examine the discretionary power of the governor in the context of the autonomous district councils (ADCs) under the Sixth Schedule areas of northeast India. Specifically, the discretionary powers that are bestowed with this office need serious look as to their operation as well as relevance. The second section of this article briefly describes the historical as well as constitutional origin of the ADCs. The third section deals with the relevant constitutional provisions per se vis-à-vis the discretionary powers of the governor under the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution with some examples, especially relating to Mizoram. The concluding section provides some general remarks regarding the relevance of ADCs in ensuring real autonomy of the hill tribes in the context of the various structural and operational constraints.
Context as Pretext: Presidential Discretion in India
Authors: Pandey Rajendra Kumar
Published: September 2017

Despite being one of the most contested themes of Indian constitutional law, debates on presidential discretion have generally remained inconclusive owing to the fair degree of plausibility of both the contending standpoints on the subject. It is undeniable that Indian parliamentary democratic system has been designed on the model of British parliamentary system in which the crown is absolutely bereft of any discretionary power and has to discharge her duties only on ministerial advice. But at the same time, it is equally true that the circumstantial dynamics of Indian political system is markedly different from the British political system in many respects. Moreover, in interpreting the relevant constitutional provisions and figuring out suitable conventions on presidential powers and functions, the Indian juridical and academic scholarship has not been as inimical to an iota of discretion for the president as has been the British to their crown. Yet, keeping in sync with the spirit of the parliamentary system, the Indian Constitution does not provide any explicit discretionary power to the president. Whatever discretionary power a president may derive is purely circumstantial in nature, and precedents vary widely. The article, therefore, seeks to provide a critical analysis of certain circumstances in which the president in India could exercise powers on his discretion either due to absence of a ministerial advice or, in rarest of the rare cases, to obtain a better outcome than the one coming out of ministerial advice.
Discretionary Powers of the Governor: Constitutional Vision and Observed Realities
Authors: Kumar Shashi Bhushan
Published: September 2017

Right from the adoption of the Indian Constitution a hot debate is going on regarding discretionary power of governors. The Office of the Governor, not being an elected constitutional functionary, has been in the eye of a storm. Our Constitution makers wanted a governor who would act as a friend and sagacious advisor of the Council of Ministers. He should be a person who is expected to be above party and politics. But very soon these pious hopes were shattered. Arguments and counter-arguments started generating more heat but less light after 1967 because most of the state legislatures were captured by the non-Congress parties. The governors came to be seen or suspected as the agents of the union government. The present article is a brief narration of governor’s discretionary powers as our founding fathers hoped and how governors have actually behaved with such powers just to please the leadership of the party in power at the centre contrary to the vision of the makers.
Reimagining Governor’s Institution and Federalism
Authors: Narayan Jayaprakash
Published: September 2017

Our constitution-makers have consciously chosen the Westminster model of government at both the federal and provincial levels. As an inevitable consequence, we have the ornamental constitutional heads of state at both levels—with largely symbolic roles, except in certain circumstances. In the science of child birth, there is a wise dictum: ‘A good obstetrician is one who observes watchful expectancy and masterly inactivity.’ The president and governors too are mostly expected to play the part without intervening in real governance. On occasion, a wise head of state is expected to give sage counsel to his prime minister/chief minister, and a sensible head of government would give enormous weight to such advice. It is paradoxical that the president, who is elected by both Houses of Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies, and therefore has the widest possible mandate in our polity, is really a figurehead; the governor, who is a mere nominee of the prime minister and appointed by the president and can be dismissed at will, has far greater discretion and latitude in dealing with the elected state government! Therefore, this essay examines the role of president and governors from a reformist’s perspective. In particular, this essay will critically examine the negative consequences of the nominated governor serving at the pleasure of the president, and argue for reimagining federalism and governor’s institution.
Discretionary Powers of the Governor of a State in India
Authors: Singh Mahendra Pal
Published: September 2017

By now it is well established from the provisions of the Constitution, their history, practice and interpretation that the Constitution establishes a parliamentary form of government at the levels of the union and the states in which their decisions are expressed respectively in the name of the president and the governor, while all these decisions are taken by a council of ministers headed by the prime minister in the case of the union and headed by the chief ministers in the states. Doubts have, however, persisted in view of the difference between the wordings of the relevant provisions of the Constitution—Articles 74 and 163, respectively, for the union and the states. But time and again the Supreme Court has held that in view of the parliamentary form of government at the union and in the states, the governor has no discretionary powers except the ones either expressly provided in the Constitution or that can be inferred by necessary implication. Special emphasis has been given to the constitutional scheme of democratic rule both at the union and the states along with the goal of maintaining the unity and integrity of the nation by subjecting the governor to the supervision of the union in the exercise of his discretionary powers so as to exclude every possibility for the governor to exercise any power in his personal capacity.
Governance of the Fifth Schedule Areas: Role of Governor
Authors: Veeresha Nayakara
Published: September 2017

The indigenous communities all over the world are experiencing various forms of alienation. Among all, alienation of rights over land, forest and other natural resources is the most serious one. Indigenous people of India are known as adivasis meaning the ‘first inhabitants’ with official name of ‘Scheduled Tribes’. The socio-economic and political alienation of Scheduled Tribes has manifested itself in the form of insurrections. The issues concerning the political insurrection in central and eastern India are multi-dimensional in nature. To illustrate, these issues relate to land acquisition in Scheduled V Areas, rights over the natural resources, agrarian transformation, governance conflict, socio-economic and political exclusion of the disadvantaged sections of the society, needs of youth, poverty and the role of political ideology.

One of the important aspects of governance which has not been dealt with adequately in the literature is the role of governors and the president in ensuring peace and good governance in Scheduled Areas. The main purpose of the article is to explore the status of governance with particular reference to the role of governor in establishing peace and good government in the Fifth Scheduled Areas. Through discourse and document analysis of Annual Governors’ reports accessed through Centre for Policy Research, it is found that the Office of Governor has failed in fulfilling the constitutional responsibility of ensuring the peace and good governance in Scheduled V Areas. It is high time for the governor’s office to effectively participate in the nation-building process by enabling proper implementation of the progressive laws enacted for the well-being of Scheduled Tribes.
The symbolic survival of the “living dead”: Narrating the LTTE female fighter in post-war Sri Lankan women’s writing
Authors: Heidemann Birte
Published: September 2017

This article examines the lingering presence of the female militant figure in post-war Sri Lankan women’s writing in English. Through a careful demarcation of the formal–aesthetic limits of engaging with the country’s competing ethno-nationalisms, the article seeks to uncover the gendered hierarchies of Sri Lanka’s civil war in two literary works: Niromi de Soyza’s autobiography Tamil Tigress (2011) and Nayomi Munaweera’s debut novel Island of a Thousand Mirrors (2012). The reading draws attention to the writers’ attempt to “historise” the LTTE female fighter and/or suicide bomber within Sri Lanka’s complex colonial past and its implications for the recent history of conflict. The individual motives of the female fighters to join the LTTE, the article contends, remain ideologically susceptible to, if not interpellated by, the gendered hierarchies both within the military movement and Tamil society at large. A literary portrait of such entangled hierarchies in post-war Sri Lankan texts, the article reveals, helps expose the hegemonic (male) discourses of Sri Lankan nationalism that tend to undermine the war experiences of women.