bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
DEFINING SOFTWARE PROCESS MODEL CONSTRAINTS WITH RULES USING OWL AND SWRL
Authors: RODRÍGUEZ DANIEL , GARCÍA ELENA , SÁNCHEZ SALVADOR , NUZZI CARLOS RODRÍGUEZ-SOLANO
Published: October 2010

The Software & Systems Process Engineering meta-model (SPEM) allows the modelling of software processes using OMG (Object Management Group) standards such as the MOF (Meta-Object Facility) and UML (Unified Modelling Language) making it possible to represent software processes using tools compliant with UML. Process definition encompasses both the static and dynamic structure of roles, tasks and work products together with imposed constraints on those elements. However, the latter requires support for constraint enforcement that is not always directly available in SPEM. Such constraint-checking behaviour could be used to detect possible mismatches between process definitions and the actual processes being carried out in the course of a project. This paper approaches the modelling of such constraints using the SWRL (Semantic Web Rule Language), which is a W3C recommendation. To do so, we need to first represent generic processes modelled with SPEM using an underlying ontology based on the OWL (Ontology Web Language) representation together with data derived from actual projects.
THE STRUCTURE OF THIN LIE ALGEBRAS WITH CHARACTERISTIC TWO
Authors: AVITABILE MARINA , JURMAN GIUSEPPE , MATTAREI SANDRO
Published: October 2010

Thin Lie algebras are graded Lie algebras [Formula: see text] with dim Li≤ 2 for all i, and satisfying a more stringent but natural narrowness condition modeled on an analogous condition for pro-p-groups. The two-dimensional homogeneous components of L, which include L1, are named diamonds. Infinite-dimensional thin Lie algebras with various diamond patterns have been produced, over fields of positive characteristic, as loop algebras of suitable finite-dimensional simple Lie algebras, of classical or of Cartan type depending on the location of the second diamond. The goal of this paper is a description of the initial structure of a thin Lie algebra, up to the second diamond.

Specifically, if Lkis the second diamond of L, then the quotient L/Lkis a graded Lie algebras of maximal class. In odd characteristic p, the quotient L/Lkis known to be metabelian, and hence uniquely determined up to isomorphism by its dimension k, which ranges in an explicitly known set of possible values: 3, 5, a power of p, or one less than twice a power of p. However, the quotient L/Lkneed not be metabelian in characteristic two. We describe here all the possibilities for L/Lkup to isomorphism. In particular, we prove that k + 1 equals a power of two.
COUPLING OF MICROSCOPIC AND MACROSCOPIC TRAFFIC MODELS AT BOUNDARIES
Authors: LATTANZIO CORRADO , PICCOLI BENEDETTO
Published: October 2010

In this paper, we investigate boundary coupling of microscopic–macroscopic models in the study of traffic flows. We propose a definition of solution through coupling of initial boundary value problems for the discrete Follow the Leader model and the fluidodynamic second-order Aw–Rascle–Zhang model in the two quadrants t > 0, x ≶ 0. Moreover, new connections between these two models are pointed out, showing another fluidodynamical interpretation of the microscopic Follow the Leader model.
The steroid glycoside H.g.-12 from Hoodia gordonii activates the human bitter receptor TAS2R14 and induces CCK release from HuTu-80 cells
Authors: Le Nevé Boris , Foltz Martin , Daniel Hannelore , Gouka Robin
Published: October 2010

Steroid glycosides extracted from the succulent plant Hoodia gordonii are suggested to have appetite-suppressant effects both in animals and humans. Yet, the mechanisms underlying the putative satiety action of Hoodia steroid glycosides are not fully understood. We found that H.g.-12, a steroid glycoside purified from H. gordonii extract, initiated cholecystokinin (CCK) secretion both ex vivo in rat intestine and in vitro in the human enteroendocrine (EC) cell line HuTu-80. CCK is known to exert central effects on appetite suppression via the vagus nerve which afferents terminate in the gut wall. Recent data show that G protein-coupled receptors signaling bitter taste (T2Rs) are expressed in both rodent and human gastrointestinal tract. It was further demonstrated that bitter sensing is functional in mouse STC-1 EC cells and leads to CCK secretion via increased intracellular Ca2+ concentrations. Based on the bitter taste of H. gordonii purified extracts, we assessed whether H.g.-12 could activate human bitter receptors. The steroid glycoside activated selectively TAS2R7 and TAS2R14, both heterologously expressed in HEK 293 cells. Removing an essential structural feature from the steroid glycoside inhibited H.g.-12-induced Ca2+ increase in TAS2R14-expressing HEK cells and abolished H.g.-12-induced CCK secretion from human EC cells. Similarly, a nonspecific bitter receptor antagonist abolished H.g.-12-induced CCK secretion in HuTu-80 cells. These results point to a potential route of action by which components of Hoodia might influence appetite control. Our data also provide additional evidence that bitter taste-sensing mechanisms are coupled to hormone release from EC cells in the intestine. Moreover, we identified a natural agonist of TAS2R7 and TAS2R14 for further studies on the role of bitter receptors in satiety control and food intake.
Increased training loads do not magnify cancellous bone gains with rodent jump resistance exercise
Authors: Swift J. M. , Gasier H. G. , Swift S. N. , Wiggs M. P. , Hogan H. A. , Fluckey J. D. , Bloomfield S. A.
Published: October 2010

This study sought to elucidate the effects of a low- and high-load jump resistance exercise (RE) training protocol on cancellous bone of the proximal tibia metaphysis (PTM) and femoral neck (FN). Sprague-Dawley rats (male, 6 mo old) were randomly assigned to high-load RE (HRE; n = 16), low-load RE (LRE; n = 15), or sedentary cage control (CC; n = 11) groups. Animals in the HRE and LRE groups performed 15 sessions of jump RE during 5 wk of training. PTM cancellous volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD), assessed by in vivo peripheral quantitative computed tomography scans, significantly increased in both exercise groups (+9%; P < 0.001), resulting in part from 130% (HRE; P = 0.003) and 213% (LRE; P < 0.0001) greater bone formation (measured by standard histomorphometry) vs. CC. Additionally, mineralizing surface (%MS/BS) and mineral apposition rate were higher (50–90%) in HRE and LRE animals compared with controls. PTM bone microarchitecture was enhanced with LRE, resulting in greater trabecular thickness ( P = 0.03) and bone volume fraction (BV/TV; P = 0.04) vs. CC. Resorption surface was reduced by nearly 50% in both exercise paradigms. Increased PTM bone mass in the LRE group translated into a 161% greater elastic modulus ( P = 0.04) vs. CC. LRE and HRE increased FN vBMD (10%; P < 0.0001) and bone mineral content (∼20%; P < 0.0001) and resulted in significantly greater FN strength vs. CC. For the vast majority of variables, there was no difference in the cancellous bone response between the two exercise groups, although LRE resulted in significantly greater body mass accrual and bone formation response. These results suggest that jumping at minimal resistance provides a similar anabolic stimulus to cancellous bone as jumping at loads exceeding body mass.
Sex Hormone Receptors in Vocal Fold Tissue: A Theory about the Influence of Sex Hormones in the Larynx
Authors: Nacci Andrea , Fattori Bruno , Basolo Fabio , Filice Maria E. , De Jeso Katia , Giovannini Luca , Muscatello Luca , Matteucci Fabio , Ursino Francesco
Published: October 2010

Objective: The larynx is considered a secondary sexual organ. To demonstrate that sex hormones can directly influence laryngeal function, specific receptors in the vocal cord must be identified. Materials and Methods: We searched for estrogen, progesterone and androgen receptors, using an immunohistochemical method, in normal human vocal cords (from 3 cadavers) and in samples of healthy vocal cords and of laryngeal carcinomas from 15 live subjects. Breast and prostate carcinoma were used as controls. Results: In all the normal samples tested, the results were negative; there was only a nonspecific cytoplasmatic response in the subepithelial glands (false positives). In the neoplastic tissue, 2 samples had a weak nuclear focal positivity for estrogen and progesterone receptors; all 15 subjects studied were negative for androgen receptors. Conclusions: Since our data show that sex hormone receptors are absent in the vocal cords, other theories must be considered to explain the fact that hormones influence the quality of the voice. This study discusses the possibility that the changes of voice according to gender and throughout life might be linked with a different expression of some growth factors in the laryngeal tissue and that this expression might in turn be influenced by hormonal variations.
Comparison of Subjective Assessment of Voice Disorders and Objective Voice Measurement
Authors: Hanschmann Holger , Lohmann Anja , Berger Roswitha
Published: October 2010

Background: Apart from perceptual and acoustic parameters of a voice disorder, the patient’s individual concerns are important because dysphonia can lead to relevant mental and physical stress. The purpose of our study was to analyze the relationship between patients’ self-assessed concerns over different voice disorders and objective acoustic parameters of their voice. Methods: The Voice Handicap Index 12 (VHI-12) and the Göttingen Hoarseness Diagram (GHD) were evaluated in 226 patients with voice disorders. Individual VHI-12 items were correlated with the parameters of acoustic sound analysis. Result: The frequencies of items classified as negative voice experiences ranked one to three. Patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis were most affected by their voice disorder. Partially significant Pearson’s correlations were found between the VHI-12 items and the acoustic parameters from the GHD. Discussion: The results of our studies show that voice disorders are very impairing to the affected patients and that vocalizing was rated as particularly strenuous. However, self-assessment and sound analysis provide different information about voice function. Both findings have an important role in comprehensive voice diagnostics.
Voice Activity and Participation Profile in Assessing the Effects of Voice Disorders on Quality of Life: Estimation of the Validity, Reliability and Responsiveness of the Finnish Version
Authors: Kleemola Leenamaija , Helminen Mika , Rorarius Eija , Isotalo Elina , Sihvo Marketta
Published: October 2010

Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity, reliability and responsiveness of the Finnish version of the Voice Activity and Participation Profile (VAPP), a self-assessment questionnaire to measure psychosocial limitations caused by voice disorders. Methods: The study was conducted in Tampere University Hospital in 2004 and 2005. Voice patients (n = 142) with diverse chronic voice pathologies received 3–5 sessions of voice therapy. Controls were known individuals with healthy voices (n = 127). The VAPP form was completed before attending hospital, at the first visit to hospital and before and after voice therapy. Results: When comparing patients with healthy controls significant differences were found in score means. After brief voice therapy, the VAPP values improved moderately as 60% of patients had effect size of 0.27 or over. Physicians’ advice did not improve VAPP scores. The VAPP question profile was regarded as consistent. Cronbach’s alpha for the question profile was 0.958 and for the subsections 0.865. Conclusions: VAPP appeared to be valid and responsive to the intervention. In test-retest reliability, although intraclass correlation was high (0.905), there was a trend for the second answers to be better than the first. Some proposals are given to improve the practicality of the VAPP form.
Lyapunov Exponents for Japanese Vowels in Normal Adult and Cleft Palate Speakers
Authors: Mishima Katsuaki , Sugii Asuka , Yamada Tomohiro , Matsumura Tatsushi , Moritani Norifumi
Published: October 2010

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the possibility of using Lyapunov exponents (LE) to evaluate the voice and speech in cleft palate (CP) patients. Subjects and Methods: Fifty healthy adults (25 males and 25 females) and 17 adult patients (10 males and 7 females) with repaired CP, who had no hypernasality, were enrolled. Five Japanese vowels were recorded at 44.1 kHz. Nasalance scores were measured simultaneously. The first LE was computed for each 1-second interval, and the mean for the first LE from all intervals (mLE1) was then calculated. The delay time and embedding dimension were estimated at 13, 40, 34, 27 and 22 points for the vowels /a/, /i/, /u/, /e/ and /o/, respectively, and at 8 points for all vowels. Results: The mLE1s for all vowels did not differ between normal males and females. The mLE1s for /a/ were significantly higher both in males and females with CP than in normal individuals. The correlation coefficient between the mLE1s and nasalance scores for all vowels was not significant for both normal and CP subjects. Conclusion: The LE seemed to be related to pathological disorders of the vocal cords in CP patients, but was independent of resonance parameters.
Effect of Nonlinguistic Auditory Training on Phonological and Reading Skills
Authors: Murphy C.F.B. , Schochat E.
Published: October 2010

Objective: To analyze the effect of nonverbal auditory training on reading and phonological awareness tasks in children with dyslexia and the effect of age in relation to post-training learning considering the ages from 7 to 14. Methods: In experiment 1, one group with dyslexia (total = 12) was trained and compared with a group of untrained dyslexic subjects (total = 28). In experiment 2, the performance of the trained dyslexic group (total = 18) was compared at three different moments: 2 months before, at the beginning, and at the end of training. Training was carried out for 2 months using a computer program responsible for training discrimination skills. Results: The group receiving nonverbal auditory training demonstrated significant improvements (mainly for the group from 7 to 10 years old), not only in the nonverbal auditory skills trained (p < 0.001), but also in phonological awareness syllable tasks (synthesis, segmentation, manipulation and syllable transposition) in experiment 1 (p < 0.003), and phonemic tasks (p < 0.001) and text reading (p < 0.001) in experiment 2. Conclusion: The results suggest a link between verbal and nonverbal skills, in addition to corroborating studies regarding the existence of a critical learning period.
Speech and Voice after Laryngectomy: Perceptual and Acoustical Analyses of Tracheoesophageal Speech Related to Voice Handicap Index
Authors: Lundström Elisabet , Hammarberg Britta
Published: October 2010

Objective: To perform perceptual and acoustical analyses of tracheoesophageal (TE) speech and relate these analyses to self-reported voice handicap. Methods: Recordings of 35 TE speakers were perceptually assessed by 5 speech-language pathologists. Acoustical analyses were made of voice aspects and temporal speech aspects. Self-assessments of voice were made with the Voice Handicap Index (VHI). Results: Perceptual assessment of TE speech showed significant correlations between overall degree of deviation and low speaking rate, deviant articulation, monotonous intonation, roughness and low pitch. The overall degree of deviation correlated significantly with acoustical measurements of speaking rate, articulation rate, and phrase length. Significant correlations were also found between assessed pitch and measured fundamental frequency, between assessed speaking rate and measured number of words per minute, and between assessed phrase length and measured number of syllables per breath. Self-assessments of VHI were significantly correlated with voice intensity and temporal speech aspects such as total reading time, phrase length, and percent pause time. No significant correlations were found between perceptual assessment and VHI degree. Conclusion: The listeners’ ratings of overall degree of deviation in TE speech showed relations to both voice quality and temporal aspects in speech. The TE speakers’ voice handicap degree were mainly related to changes in temporal aspects of speech.
Vowel Selection and Its Effects on Perturbation and Nonlinear Dynamic Measures
Authors: MacCallum Julia K. , Zhang Yu , Jiang Jack J.
Published: October 2010

Objective: Acoustic analysis of voice is typically conducted on recordings of sustained vowel phonation. This study applied perturbation and nonlinear dynamic analyses to the vowels /a/, /i/, and /u/ in order to determine vowel selection effects on analysis. Patients and Methods: Forty subjects (20 males and 20 females) with normal voices participated in recording. Traditional parameters of fundamental frequency, signal-to-noise ratio, percent jitter, and percent shimmer were calculated for the signals using CSpeech. Nonlinear dynamic parameters of correlation dimension and second-order entropy were also calculated. Results: Perturbation analysis results were largely incongruous in this study and in previous research. Fundamental frequency results corroborated previous work, indicating higher fundamental frequency for /i/ and /u/ and lower fundamental frequency for /a/. Signal-to-noise ratio results showed that /i/ and /u/ have greater harmonic levels than /a/. Results of nonlinear dynamic analysis suggested that more complex activity may be evident in /a/ than in /i/ or /u/. Conclusion: Percent jitter and percent shimmer may not be useful for description of acoustic differences between vowels. Fundamental frequency, signal-to-noise ratio, and nonlinear dynamic parameters may be applied to characterize /a/ as having lower frequency, higher noise, and greater nonlinear components than /i/ and /u/.
Role of PECAM-1 in Arteriogenesis and Specification of Preexisting Collaterals
Authors: Chen Zhongming , Rubin Janet , Tzima Ellie
Published: October 2010

Rationale:

Hemodynamic forces caused by the altered blood flow in response to an occlusion lead to the induction of collateral remodeling and arteriogenesis. Previous work showed that platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule (PECAM)-1 is a component of a mechanosensory complex that mediates endothelial cell responses to shear stress.

Objective:

We hypothesized that PECAM-1 plays an important role in arteriogenesis and collateral remodeling.

Methods and Results:

PECAM-1 knockout (KO) and wild-type littermates underwent femoral artery ligation. Surprisingly, tissue perfusion and collateral-dependent blood flow were significantly increased in the KO mice immediately after surgery. Histology confirmed larger caliber of preexisting collaterals in the KO mice. Additionally, KO mice showed blunted recovery of perfusion from hindlimb ischemia and reduced collateral remodeling, because of deficits in shear stress–induced signaling, including activation of the nuclear factor κB pathway and inflammatory cell accumulation. Partial recovery was associated with normal responses to circumferential wall tension in the absence of PECAM-1, as evidenced by the upregulation of ephrin B2 and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, which are 2 stretch-induced regulators of arteriogenesis, both in vitro and in vivo.

Conclusions:

Our findings suggest a novel role for PECAM-1 in arteriogenesis and collateral remodeling. Furthermore, we identify PECAM-1 as the first molecule that determines preexisting collateral diameter.
Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Enhances Microvascular Tone and Reduces Blood Flow in the Cochlea via Enhanced Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Signaling
Authors: Scherer Elias Q. , Yang Jingli , Canis Martin , Reimann Katrin , Ivanov Karolina , Diehl Christian D. , Backx Peter H. , Wier W. Gil , Strieth Sebastian , Wangemann Philine , Voigtlaender-Bolz Julia , Lidington Darcy , Bolz Steffen-Sebastian
Published: October 2010

Background and Purpose—

We sought to demonstrate that tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, via sphingosine-1-phosphate signaling, has the potential to alter cochlear blood flow and thus, cause ischemic hearing loss.

Methods—

We performed intravital fluorescence microscopy to measure blood flow and capillary diameter in anesthetized guinea pigs. To measure capillary diameter ex vivo, capillary beds from the gerbil spiral ligament were isolated from the cochlear lateral wall and maintained in an organ bath. Isolated gerbil spiral modiolar arteries, maintained and transfected in organ culture, were used to measure calcium sensitivity (calcium-tone relationship). In a clinical study, a total of 12 adult patients presenting with typical symptoms of sudden hearing loss who were not responsive or only partially responsive to prednisolone treatment were identified and selected for etanercept treatment. Etanercept (25 mg
s.c.
) was self-administered twice a week for 12 weeks.

Results—

TNF-α induced a proconstrictive state throughout the cochlear microvasculature, which reduced capillary diameter and cochlear blood flow in vivo. In vitro isolated preparations of the spiral modiolar artery and spiral ligament capillaries confirmed these observations. Antagonizing sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 2 subtype signaling (by 1 μmol/L JTE013) attenuated the effects of TNF-α in all models. TNF-α activated sphingosine kinase 1 (Sk1) and induced its translocation to the smooth muscle cell membrane. Expression of a dominant-negative Sk1 mutant (Sk1
G82D
) eliminated both baseline spiral modiolar artery calcium sensitivity and TNF-α effects, whereas a nonphosphorylatable Sk1 mutant (Sk1
S225A
) blocked the effects of TNF-α only. A small group of etanercept-treated, hearing loss patients recovered according to a 1-phase exponential decay (half-life=1.56±0.20 weeks), which matched the kinetics predicted for a vascular origin.

Conclusions—

TNF-α indeed reduces cochlear blood flow via activation of vascular sphingosine-1-phosphate signaling. This integrates hearing loss into the family of ischemic microvascular pathologies, with implications for risk stratification, diagnosis, and treatment.
The Acute STroke Registry and Analysis of Lausanne (ASTRAL)
Authors: Michel Patrik , Odier Céline , Rutgers Matthieu , Reichhart Marc , Maeder Philippe , Meuli Reto , Wintermark Max , Maghraoui Ali , Faouzi Mohamed , Croquelois Alexandre , Ntaios George
Published: October 2010

Background and Purpose—

Stroke registries are valuable tools for obtaining information about stroke epidemiology and management. The Acute STroke Registry and Analysis of Lausanne (ASTRAL) prospectively collects epidemiological, clinical, laboratory and multimodal brain imaging data of acute ischemic stroke patients in the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV). Here, we provide design and methods used to create ASTRAL and present baseline data of our patients (2003 to 2008).

Methods—

All consecutive patients admitted to CHUV between January 1, 2003 and December 31, 2008 with acute ischemic stroke within 24 hours of symptom onset were included in ASTRAL. Patients arriving beyond 24 hours, with transient ischemic attack, intracerebral hemorrhage, subarachnoidal hemorrhage, or cerebral sinus venous thrombosis, were excluded. Recurrent ischemic strokes were registered as new events.

Results—

Between 2003 and 2008, 1633 patients and 1742 events were registered in ASTRAL. There was a preponderance of males, even in the elderly. Cardioembolic stroke was the most frequent type of stroke. Most strokes were of minor severity (National Institute of Health Stroke Scale [NIHSS] score ≤4 in 40.8% of patients). Cardioembolic stroke and dissections presented with the most severe clinical picture. There was a significant number of patients with unknown onset stroke, including wake-up stroke (n=568, 33.1%). Median time from last-well time to hospital arrival was 142 minutes for known onset and 759 minutes for unknown-onset stroke. The rate of intravenous or intraarterial thrombolysis between 2003 and 2008 increased from 10.8% to 20.8% in patients admitted within 24 hours of last-well time. Acute brain imaging was performed in 1695 patients (97.3%) within 24 hours. In 1358 patients (78%) who underwent acute computed tomography angiography, 717 patients (52.8%) had significant abnormalities. Of the 1068 supratentorial stroke patients who underwent acute perfusion computed tomography (61.3%), focal hypoperfusion was demonstrated in 786 patients (73.6%).

Conclusions—

This hospital-based prospective registry of consecutive acute ischemic strokes incorporates demographic, clinical, metabolic, acute perfusion, and arterial imaging. It is characterized by a high proportion of minor and unknown-onset strokes, short onset-to-admission time for known-onset patients, rapidly increasing thrombolysis rates, and significant vascular and perfusion imaging abnormalities in the majority of patients.
Discarding Heparins as Treatment for Progressive Stroke in Sweden 2001 to 2008
Authors: Eriksson Marie , Stecksén Anna , Glader Eva-Lotta , Norrving Bo , Appelros Peter , Hulter Åsberg Kerstin , Stegmayr Birgitta , Terént Andreas , Asplund Kjell
Published: October 2010

Background and Purpose—

High-dose heparin has been used extensively to treat patients with progressive ischemic stroke, but the scientific support is poor and the current stroke guidelines advise against its use. We studied how heparin treatment for progressive stroke has been discarded in Sweden.

Methods—

All 78 hospitals in Sweden that admit acute stroke patients participate in Riks-Stroke, the Swedish Stroke Register. During 2001 to 2008, information on the use of high-dose heparin was available for 155 344 patients with acute ischemic stroke. The determinants as to region, patient characteristics, and stroke service settings were analyzed.

Results—

Use of heparin for progressive stroke declined from 7.5% (2001) to 1.6% (2008) of all patients with ischemic stroke. The marked regional differences present in 2001 were reduced over time. The use of heparin declined at a similar rate in all types of hospital settings, in stroke units vs nonstroke units, and in neurological vs medical wards. Independent predictors of use of heparin included younger age, first-ever stroke, independence in activities of daily living before stroke, atrial fibrillation, no aspirin treatment, and lowered consciousness on admission.

Conclusions—

There is no immediate, stepwise effect of new scientific information and national guidelines on clinical practice. Rather, the phasing out of heparin has followed a linear course over several years, with less variation between hospitals. We speculate that open comparisons between hospitals in a national stroke register may have helped to reduce the variations in clinical practice.
Predictors of Hospital Readmission After Stroke
Authors: Lichtman Judith H. , Leifheit-Limson Erica C. , Jones Sara B. , Watanabe Emi , Bernheim Susannah M. , Phipps Michael S. , Bhat Kanchana R. , Savage Shantal V. , Goldstein Larry B.
Published: October 2010

Background and Purpose—

Risk-standardized hospital readmission rates are used as publicly reported measures reflecting quality of care. Valid risk-standardized models adjust for differences in patient-level factors across hospitals. We conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature to identify models that compare hospital-level poststroke readmission rates, evaluate patient-level risk scores predicting readmission, or describe patient and process-of-care predictors of readmission after stroke.

Methods—

Relevant studies in English published from January 1989 to July 2010 were identified using MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, and all Ovid Evidence-Based Medicine Reviews. Authors of eligible publications reported readmission within 1 year after stroke hospitalization and identified ≥1 predictors of readmission in risk-adjusted statistical models. Publications were excluded if they lacked primary data or quantitative outcomes, reported only composite outcomes, or had <100 patients.

Results—

Of 374 identified publications, 16 met the inclusion criteria for this review. No model was specifically designed to compare risk-adjusted readmission rates at the hospital level or calculate scores predicting a patient’s risk of readmission. The studies providing multivariable models of patient-level and/or process-of-care factors associated with readmission varied in stroke definitions, data sources, outcomes (all-cause and/or stroke-related readmission), durations of follow-up, and model covariates. Few characteristics were consistently associated with readmission.

Conclusions—

This review identified no risk-standardized models for comparing hospital readmission performance or predicting readmission risk after stroke. Patient-level and system-level factors associated with readmission were inconsistent across studies. The current literature provides little guidance for the development of risk-standardized models suitable for the public reporting of hospital-level stroke readmission performance.
Climate, Weather, and Tourism: Issues and Opportunities
Authors: Curtis Scott , Long Patrick , Arrigo Jennifer
Published: October 2010

No abstract available.
Comparison of Estimators for Parameters of Gamma Distributions with Left-Truncated Samples
Authors: Johnson Roger W. , Kliche Donna V. , Smith Paul L.
Published: October 2010

When fitting a raindrop size distribution using a gamma model from data collected by a disdrometer, some consideration needs to be given to the small drops that fail to be recorded (typical disdrometer minimum size thresholds being in the 0.3–0.5-mm range). To this end, a gamma estimation procedure using maximum likelihood estimation has recently been published. The current work adds another procedure that accounts for the left-truncation problem in the data; in particular, an L-moments procedure is developed. These two estimation procedures, along with a traditional method-of-moments procedure that also accounts for data truncation, are then compared via simulation of volume samples from known gamma drop size distributions. For the range of gamma distributions considered, the maximum likelihood and L-moments procedures—which perform comparably—are found to outperform the procedure of method-of-moments. As these three procedures do not yield simple estimates in closed form, salient details of the R statistical code used in the simulations are included.
The Role of the Indonesian Throughflow on ENSO Dynamics in a Coupled Climate Model
Authors: Santoso A. , Cai W. , England M. H. , Phipps S. J.
Published: October 2010

The effects of the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) on ENSO dynamics are studied in a coupled climate model by comparing two simulations, one with an open ITF and the other with a closed ITF. Closing the ITF results in an El Niño–like climate state in the Pacific, which is characterized by weakened trade winds, a flatter equatorial thermocline, and weaker equatorial upwelling. A weakened South Equatorial Current allows the western Pacific warm pool to extend eastward, thereby reducing the zonal temperature gradient along the equator. The interdecadal component of the ENSO-like variability collapses, although the interannual variability is maintained. The core region of the ENSO SST anomalies becomes confined farther east. This results from Bjerknes feedback processes that are shifted eastward. This study conducts an analysis utilizing the Bjerknes coupled stability index as formulated by Jin et al. and finds that the relative importance of the thermocline feedback is enhanced in the closed ITF experiment. This indicates a more prominent ENSO thermocline mode, thus explaining the existence of more prevalent eastward-propagating anomalies. A weaker zonal advective feedback due to the reduced mean zonal temperature gradient contributes to the dominance of the thermocline mode. The strength of the thermocline feedback itself is maintained by enhanced coupling between the zonal wind stress and the east–west thermocline slope. However, an increased thermal damping by air–sea heat flux dominates the overall ENSO feedback process.
Tidal Effects on Intermediate Waters: A Case Study in the East/Japan Sea
Authors: Lee Ho Jin , Park Jae-Hun , Wimbush Mark , Jung Kyung Tae , Jang Chan Joo , Cho Yang-Ki , Seo Young-Kyo , Nam Jong Ho
Published: October 2010

Although tides are believed to be the most important source for diapycnal mixing in the ocean, few studies have directly simulated open-ocean circulation including tides. Because the East/Japan Sea (EJS) has been considered to be a “miniature ocean,” tidal effects on the intermediate water of the EJS are investigated by using an eddy-resolving ocean general circulation model that can take account of M2 and K1 tides as well as oceanic flows. The simulated temperature and salinity in the intermediate layer are significantly improved by including tides. The improvement results from the combined effect of two internal tides. The M2 internal tide, propagating into the interior of the EJS, enhances vertical mixing and brings watermass characteristics closer to those observed. The K1 internal tide, trapped along the coast, induces southwestward flow along the Russian coast in the upper layer and thereby enhances the so-called Liman Current, which transports fresh waters with density conducive to the ventilation of intermediate waters in the EJS.
Parameterization of Riming Intensity and Its Impact on Ice Fall Speed Using ARM Data
Authors: Lin Yanluan , Donner Leo J. , Colle Brian A.
Published: October 2010

Riming within mixed-phase clouds can have a large impact on the prediction of clouds and precipitation within weather and climate models. The increase of ice particle fall speed due to riming has not been considered in most general circulation models (GCMs), and many weather models only consider ice particles that are either unrimed or heavily rimed (not a continuum of riming amount). Using the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program dataset at the Southern Great Plains (SGP) site of the United States, a new parameterization for riming is derived, which includes a diagnosed rimed mass fraction and its impact on the ice particle fall speed. When evaluated against a vertical-pointing Doppler radar for stratiform mixed-phase clouds, the new parameterization produces better ice fall speeds than a conventional parameterization.

The new parameterization is tested in the recently developed Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) atmospheric model (AM3) using prescribed sea surface temperature (SST) simulations. Compared with the standard (CTL) simulation, the new parameterization increases ice amount aloft by ∼20%–30% globally, which reduces the global mean outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) by ∼2.8 W m−2 and the top-of-atmosphere (TOA) shortwave absorption by ∼1.5 W m−2. Global mean precipitation is also slightly reduced, especially over the tropics. Overall, the new parameterization produces a comparable climatology with the CTL simulation and it improves the physical basis for using a fall velocity larger than a conventional parameterization in the current AM3.
“The Rain Comes Down”: Jean Grae and Hip Hop Heteronormativity
Authors: Paradigm Smalls Shanté
Published: October 2010

This article discusses Brooklyn-based rapper/producer Jean Grae, her music, and the ways in which her art interrupts the fantasy of black heteronormative heterosexuality. This article employs musical, culture and lyrical analysis, as well as utilizing critical queer critique to analyze how Jean Grae exposes the performative nature of gender, race and sexuality as identity place-holders.
Bell’s Palsy
Authors: Maloney W.J.
Published: October 2010

The smile of the famed portrait ‘The Mona Lisa’ has perplexed both art historians and researchers for the past 500 years. There has been a multitude of theories expounded to explain the nature of the model’s enigmatic smile. The origin of the model’s wry smile can be demonstrated through a careful analysis of both documented facts concerning the portrait—some gathered only recently through the use of modern technology—and a knowledge of the clinical presentation of Bell’s palsy. Bell’s palsy is more prevalent in women who are either pregnant or who have recently given birth. This paper postulates that the smile of the portrait’s model was due to Leonardo da Vinci’s anatomically precise representation of a new mother affected by Bell’s palsy subsequent to her recent pregnancy.
Medical Sociology and Technology: Critical Engagements
Authors: Casper Monica J. , Morrison Daniel R.
Published: October 2010

In this selective review of the literature on medical sociology’s engagement with technology, we outline the concurrent developments of the American Sociological Association section on medicine and advances in medical treatment. We then describe theoretical and epistemological issues with scholars’ treatment of technology in medicine. Using symbolic interactionist concepts, as well as work from the interdisciplinary field of science and technology studies, we review and synthesize critical connections in and across sociology’s intellectual relationship with medical technology. Next, we discuss key findings in these literatures, noting a shift from a focus on the effects of technology on practice to a reconfiguration of human bodies.We also look toward the future, focusing on connections between technoscientific identities and embodied health movements. Finally, we call for greater engagement by medical sociologists in studying medical technology and the process of policy-making—two areas central to debates in health economics and public policy.
Stress and Health: Major Findings and Policy Implications
Authors: Thoits Peggy A.
Published: October 2010

Forty decades of sociological stress research offer five major findings. First, when stressors (negative events, chronic strains, and traumas) are measured comprehensively, their damaging impacts on physical and mental health are substantial. Second, differential exposure to stressful experiences is a primary way that gender, racial-ethnic, marital status, and social class inequalities in physical and mental health are produced. Third, minority group members are additionally harmed by discrimination stress. Fourth, stressors proliferate over the life course and across generations, widening health gaps between advantaged and disadvantaged group members. Fifth, the impacts of stressors on health and well-being are reduced when persons have high levels of mastery, self-esteem, and/or social support. With respect to policy, to help individuals cope with adversity, tried and true coping and support interventions should be more widely disseminated and employed. To address health inequalities, the structural conditions that put people at risk of stressors should be a focus of programs and policies at macro and meso levels of intervention. Programs and policies also should target children who are at lifetime risk of ill health and distress due to exposure to poverty and stressful family circumstances.
Social Relationships and Health: A Flashpoint for Health Policy
Authors: Umberson Debra , Karas Montez Jennifer
Published: October 2010

Social relationships—both quantity and quality—affect mental health, health behavior, physical health, and mortality risk. Sociologists have played a central role in establishing the link between social relationships and health outcomes, identifying explanations for this link, and discovering social variation (e.g., by gender and race) at the population level. Studies show that social relationships have short- and long-term effects on health, for better and for worse, and that these effects emerge in childhood and cascade throughout life to foster cumulative advantage or disadvantage in health. This article describes key research themes in the study of social relationships and health, and it highlights policy implications suggested by this research.
Understanding Racial-ethnic Disparities in Health: Sociological Contributions
Authors: Williams David R. , Sternthal Michelle
Published: October 2010

This article provides an overview of the contribution of sociologists to the study of racial and ethnic inequalities in health in the United States. It argues that sociologists have made four principal contributions. First, they have challenged and problematized the biological understanding of race. Second, they have emphasized the primacy of social structure and context as determinants of racial differences in disease. Third, they have contributed to our understanding of the multiple ways in which racism affects health. Finally, sociologists have enhanced our understanding of the ways in which migration history and status can affect health. Sociological insights on racial disparities in health have important implications for the development of effective approaches to improve health and reduce health inequities.
How Activists “Take Zapatismo Home”
Authors: Andrews Abigail
Published: October 2010

Transnational Zapatismo exemplifies a broader pattern wherein Southern movements inspire discourses and practices in the Global North that challenge lines of economic and political domination. Recent scholars describe South-North mutuality at the level of international framing. Consideration of what this apparent mutuality means to Northern activists on the ground suggests that for many of them espousing Zapatismo entails not only a set of tactics but also the interrogation of their own positions of power. As a symbol of reflexivity, the Zapatista name legitimates Northerners’ commitment to changing the very system that privileges them. Inspiring this reflexivity may prove to be a lasting legacy for the Zapatistas, but it has provoked rifts with some former allies and diverted resources from Chiapas as activists elsewhere focus on problems at home.
The Additive Impact of Group and Individual Publicly Displayed Feedback: Examining Individual Response Patterns and Response Generalization in a Safe-Driving Occupational Intervention
Authors: Ludwig Timothy D. , Geller E. Scott , Clarke Steven W.
Published: October 2010

Additive effects of publicly posting individual feedback following group goal-setting and feedback were evaluated. The turn-signal use of pizza deliverers was studied in a multiple baseline design across two pizza stores. After baseline observations, pizza deliverers voted on a group turn-signal goal and then received 4 weeks of group feedback on their turn-signal use (i.e., group feedback phase). Then, for the next 4 weeks, individual turn-signal use means were publicly posted along with the group feedback (i.e., individual feedback phase). Deliverers at Store A ( n = 24) increased their use of turn signals from a mean of 5% during baseline to 16.9% during the group feedback phase and then to 30% during the individual feedback phase. Turn-signal use at Store B (n = 20) increased from 28.9% during baseline to 43.6% during group feedback phase and to 56% during the subsequent individual feedback phase. Individual analyses suggested that deliverers who improved the target behavior during group feedback phase did not increase their turn-signal use further when individual feedback was added. Conversely, most deliverers who did not improve during the group feedback phase increased their turn-signal use when individual feedback was added. Complete intersection stopping increased concurrently with the turn-signal intervention phases from baseline means of 12% and 30% at Store A and B, respectively, to means of 21% and 48% during the interventions.
How Does Sport Psychology Actually Improve Athletic Performance? A Framework to Facilitate Athletes’ and Coaches’ Understanding
Authors: Gee Chris J.
Published: October 2010

The popularity of sport psychology, both as an academic discipline and an applied practice, has grown substantially over the past two decades. Few within the realm of competitive athletics would argue with the importance of being mentally prepared prior to an athletic competition as well as the need to maintain that particular mindset during a competitive contest. Nevertheless, recent research has shown that many athletes, coaches, and sporting administrators are still quite reluctant to seek out the services of a qualified sport psychologist, even if they believe it could help. One of the primary reasons for this hesitation appears to be a lack of understanding about the process and the mechanisms by which these mental skills affect performance. Unlike the “harder sciences” of sport physiology and biochemistry where athletes can see the tangible results in themselves or other athletes (e.g., he or she lifted weights, developed larger muscles, and is now stronger/faster as a result), the unfamiliar and often esoteric nature of sport psychology appears to be impeding a large number of athletes from soliciting these important services. As such, the purpose of this article is to provide the reader with a simple framework depicting how mental skills training translates into improved within-competition performance. This framework is intended to help bridge the general “understanding gap” that is currently being reported by a large number of athletes and coaches, while also helping sport psychology practitioners sell their valuable services to individual athletes and teams.
Reliability and Validity of the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills With Youngsters
Authors: Matson Johnny L. , Neal Daniene , Fodstad Jill C. , Hess Julie A. , Mahan Sara , Rivet Tessa T.
Published: October 2010

Social skills are an important part of development, and deficits in this area have long-term impacts on a child. As a result, clinicians should include a measure of social skills as part of a comprehensive assessment. There are a few well-researched measures of social skills that are currently used, including the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters (MESSY). The MESSY has been translated and studied internationally in more than nine countries; however, updated norms for the United States have not been conducted since the inception of the measure. The purpose of this article is to examine the psychometric properties of the MESSY using an updated norm sample and age cohorts. Overall results indicated strong internal consistency and good to strong convergent and divergent validity. Psychometric properties for the older age cohorts were stronger and more consistent than those for the 2- to 5-year-olds. This reflects the variability of development and difficulty of assessing social skills at this young age.
Diagnosis of Subtraction Bugs Using Bayesian Networks
Authors: Lee Jihyun , Corter James E.
Published: October 2010

Diagnosis of misconceptions or ‘‘bugs’’ in procedural skills is difficult because of their unstable nature. This study addresses this problem by proposing and evaluating a probability-based approach to the diagnosis of bugs in children’s multicolumn subtraction performance using Bayesian networks. This approach assumes a causal network relating hypothesized subtraction bugs to the observed test items. Two research questions are tested within this framework. First, it is investigated whether more reliable assessment of latent subtraction bugs can be achieved by hypothesizing and using subskill nodes in the Bayesian network as causal factors affecting bugs. Second, network performance is evaluated using two types of testing situations, one using binary data (items scored as correct or incorrect) and the other simulating a multiple-choice test format with diagnostic use of specific wrong answers. The resulting four types of Bayesian networks are evaluated for their effectiveness in bug diagnosis. All four networks show good performance, with even the simplest network (bug nodes only, binary data) giving overall bug diagnosis rates of at least 85%. Prediction is best with the most complex network (bug and subskill nodes, diagnostic use of specific wrong answers), for which the correct diagnosis rate reaches 99%. These results suggest that stable and reliable bug diagnosis can be achieved using a Bayesian network framework, but that the stability and effectiveness of diagnosis is increased when the network includes latent subskills in addition to bugs as causal factors, and when specific wrong answers are used for diagnostic purposes.