bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
We're All in This Together: Context, Contacts, and Social Trust in Canada
Authors: Phan Mai B.
Published: September 2008

How do conditions of diversity and inequality affect the sense of solidarity with each other that is manifested as social trust? This article brings together the literatures on racial heterogeneity, inter‐group contact and relative deprivation to test and enrich the existing theoretical understanding of trust. It explores the effects of city and neighborhood contexts, individual experiences of inter‐group relations, and their moderating effects on social trust. Findings suggest that the influence of a city's level of ethnic/racial diversity and income inequality is conditioned by inter‐group social ties and experiences of discrimination. By considering the characteristics of neighborhoods, racial diversity of cities no longer has any significant association with trust in others. However, income inequality at the city level interacts with experiences of discrimination to undermine trust. Public policies aimed at improving social cohesion would benefit from considering the joint impact of economic and social policies that regulate resource distribution and hence shape inter‐group relations.
Dealing in Toxins on the Wrong Side of the Tracks: Lessons from a Hazardous Waste Controversy in Phoenix*
Authors: Sicotte Diane
Published: September 2008

Objective.The controversial expansion of a hazardous waste facility in a poor, minority neighborhood in Phoenix illustrates the unanticipated consequences of siting hazardous facilities in vulnerable communities, and the need to recognize neighborhood health/safety issues such as drug‐related crime as environmental justice struggles.

Methods.Qualitative methods include participant observation, document analysis, Census data, GIS mapping, and interviews.

Results.South Central Phoenix's history reveals a disproportionate share of poverty, pollution, and drug crimes. Most commercial hazardous waste facilities in Phoenix were sited in minority areas. Residents contended that the siting, permitting process, and expansion of the facility and the drug crimes that later occurred there were all due to environmental racism.

Conclusions.The expansion of the facility exacerbated environmental injustice in Phoenix through distributional and participative injustice, and was criminogenic. The dual impact on the community of hazardous waste and drug crime argues for a more holistic understanding of environmental justice.
Encouraging Pollution‐Free Energy: The Diffusion of State Net Metering Policies*
Authors: Stoutenborough James W. , Beverlin Matthew
Published: September 2008

Objective. As the price of energy swells, renewable energy sources will serve as important alternatives to fossil fuels. Identifying what influences a state to adopt a policy that promotes the construction of renewable energy sources is an important step toward understanding the nature of our future energy supplies.

Methods. Using an event‐history analysis, we examine three competing diffusion explanations on the likelihood of a state adopting net metering.

Results. We find that regional policy diffusion influences the likelihood of a state to adopt a net metering policy.

Conclusions. The results suggest that states are learning from one another and that the EPA's regional offices help facilitate this diffusion.
The Potential of Tree Rings for the Study of Forest Succession in Southern Mexico
Authors: Brienen Roel J. W. , Lebrija‐Trejos Edwin , Van Breugel Michiel , Pérez‐García Eduardo A. , Bongers Frans , Meave Jorge A. , Martínez‐Ramos Miguel
Published: September 2008

Studies of tropical secondary forest succession face strong limitations due to the slow pace of succession and the time‐consuming task of monitoring processes. The occurrence of tree rings in secondary forest trees may help expand our knowledge on succession in these systems and may be useful for fallow dating in chronosequence studies. We examine here the potential of tree rings to study forest succession by sampling 70 species along chronosequences of dry and wet forests in southern Mexico. Based on wood anatomical features, we estimated that about 37 percent of the species presented distinct growth rings useful for ring studies. Overall, maximum number of rings matched well the interview‐based fallow ages but, at some sites, trees had consistently higher numbers of rings, probably due to errors in fallow ages derived from interviews. Best fallow age estimations were obtained by examining rings in both pioneer and nonpioneer species. Reconstruction of species' establishment dates revealed that pioneer and nonpioneer species establish early during succession, and that species of both groups continue to recruit after many years. Our study clearly shows that tree ring analysis is a promising tool for studies on secondary forest succession in the tropics.
Litter Biomass and Nutrient Determinants of Ant Density, Nest Size, and Growth in a Costa Rican Tropical Wet Forest
Authors: McGlynn Terrence P. , Fawcett Ryan M. , Clark Deborah A.
Published: September 2008

The nutritional demands of animals vary by taxon. Across landscapes, communities of animals experience variability in the stoichiometry of carbon and nutrients within their resource base. Thus, we expect stoichiometry to contribute to the spatial variance in the demographic parameters of animal communities. Here, we measure how the composition of a litter‐nesting tropical rainforest ant community is influenced by spatial variation in environmental stoichiometry relative to litter biomass, a known predictor of ant density. We found the density of ants and their nests were strongly related to litter biomass and carbon: phosphorus stoichiometry. The spatial variation in soil nutrients, which determines leaf litter stoichiometry, was an excellent predictor of nest size in the two most common genera of ants. We found a negative relationship between species' growth rate and local soil stocks of phosphorus. Overall, the density of litter‐dwelling ants varied greatly across this tropical forest landscape and environmental stoichiometry can account for limits on ant density independent of the biomass of the leaf litter resource base.
Population and Genetic Consequences of Hurricanes for Three Species of West Indian Phyllostomid Bats
Authors: Fleming Theodore H. , Murray Kevin L.
Published: September 2008

Strong hurricanes can cause population reductions in West Indian birds and bats, but the genetic consequences of such reductions have not been documented. For three species of phyllostomid bats, we report on the genetic effects of three strong hurricanes that struck the northern West Indies in 2004. Hurricane Ivan devastated Grand Cayman and severely depressed populations of several bat species. Despite being smaller than pre‐hurricane levels, the population of Artibeus jamaicensis (the only species we could resample) on Grand Cayman contained greater mitochondrial haplotype diversity but similar microsatellite allelic diversity compared to pre‐Ivan levels. We suggest that hurricane‐aided dispersal from Cayman Brac introduced two new haplotypes into the Grand Cayman population. In the Bahamas, two other phyllostomids (Erophylla sezekorni and Macrotus waterhousii) did not suffer population losses or changes in genetic diversity as a result of Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne. Our results suggest that strong hurricanes usually have greater demographic than genetic effects but that hurricane‐aided dispersal can occasionally introduce new genotypes or haplotypes into island bat populations.
What did we learn from gamma-ray burst 080319B?
Authors: Kumar P. , Panaitescu A.
Published: September 2008

The optical and gamma-ray observations of GRB 080319B allow us to provide a broad-brush picture for this remarkable burst. The data indicate that the prompt optical and gamma-ray photons were possibly produced at the same location but by different radiation processes: synchrotron and synchrotron self-Compton, respectively (but we note that this interpretation of the gamma-ray data faces some difficulties). We find that the burst prompt optical emission was produced at a distance of 1016.3 cm by an ultrarelativistic source moving at Lorentz factor of ∼500. A straightforward inference is that about 10 times more energy must have been radiated at tens of GeV than that released at 1 MeV. Assuming that the GRB outflow was baryonic and the gamma-ray source was shock-heated plasma, the collimation-corrected kinetic energy of the jet powering GRB 080319B was larger than 1052.3 erg. The decay of the early afterglow optical emission (up to 1 ks) is too fast to be attributed to the reverse-shock crossing the GRB ejecta but is consistent with the expectations for the ‘large-angle’ emission released during the burst. The pure power-law decay of the optical afterglow flux from 1 ks to 10 d is most naturally identified with the (synchrotron) emission from the shock propagating into a wind-like medium. However, the X-ray afterglow requires a departure from the standard blast-wave model.
In Vitro Activity of the Antifungal Plant Defensin RsAFP2 against
Candida
Isolates and Its In Vivo Efficacy in Prophylactic Murine Models of Candidiasis
Authors: Tavares Patricia M. , Thevissen Karin , Cammue Bruno P. A. , François Isabelle E. J. A. , Barreto-Bergter Eliana , Taborda Carlos P. , Marques Alexandre F. , Rodrigues Marcio L. , Nimrichter Leonardo
Published: September 2008

We show that RsAFP2, a plant defensin that interacts with fungal glucosylceramides, is active against
Candida albicans
, inhibits to a lesser extent other
Candida
species, and is nontoxic to mammalian cells. Moreover, glucosylceramide levels in
Candida
species correlate with RsAFP2 sensitivity. We found RsAFP2 prophylactically effective against murine candidiasis.
Inhibition of
Toxoplasma gondii
by Indirubin and Tryptanthrin Analogs
Authors: Krivogorsky Bogdana , Grundt Peter , Yolken Robert , Jones-Brando Lorraine
Published: September 2008

New drugs are needed for treatment of
Toxoplasma gondii
infections. We tested derivatives of principles found in
Isatis indigotica
for in vitro efficacy against
T. gondii
infection. Indirubin-3′-oxime analogs showed modest micromolar activity, while tryptanthrin derivatives displayed 50% inhibitory doses in the low nanomolar range. Tryptanthrins have potential as anti-
Toxoplasma
infection therapeutics.
Schistosoma mansoniEgg Antigen-Mediated Modulation of Toll-Like Receptor (TLR)-Induced Activation Occurs Independently of TLR2, TLR4, and MyD88
Authors: Kane Colleen M. , Jung Euihye , Pearce Edward J.
Published: September 2008

Unlike most pathogens, helminth parasites and their products induce strong Th2 responses, and dendritic cells (DCs) and macrophages exposed to helminth antigens generally fail to produce interleukin-12. Rather, it has been shown that helminth products such as soluble egg antigens (SEA; a soluble extract fromSchistosoma mansonieggs) inhibit the activation of DCs in response to classical Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands such as lipopolysaccharide or CpG. Nevertheless, recent work has suggested that TLR4 and/or TLR2 plays an important role in the recognition of helminth products by DCs and macrophages and in the development of Th2 responses. Using DCs derived from TLR4−/−, TLR2−/−, or MyD88−/−mice, we have demonstrated that the ability of SEA to modulate DC activation is MyD88 independent and requires neither TLR4 nor TLR2. Moreover, TLR2 and TLR4 are not required for SEA-pulsed DCs to induce Th2 responses in naïve mice.
Schistosoma mansoniAntigens Modulate Experimental Allergic Asthma in a Murine Model: a Major Role for CD4+CD25+Foxp3+T Cells Independent of Interleukin-10
Authors: Pacífico Lucila G. G. , Marinho Fábio A. V. , Fonseca Cristina T. , Barsante Michele M. , Pinho Vanessa , Sales-Junior Policarpo A. , Cardoso Luciana S. , Araújo Maria Ilma , Carvalho Edgar M. , Cassali Geovanni D. , Teixeira Mauro M. , Oliveira Sergio C.
Published: September 2008

In areas where schistosomiasis is endemic, a negative correlation is observed between atopy and helminth infection, associated with a low prevalence of asthma. We investigated whetherSchistosoma mansoniinfection or injection of parasite eggs can modulate airway allergic inflammation in mice, examining the mechanisms of such regulation. We infected BALB/c mice with 30S. mansonicercariae or intraperitoneally injected 2,500 schistosome eggs, and experimental asthma was induced by ovalbumin (OVA). The number of eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was higher in the asthmatic group than in asthmatic mice infected withS. mansonior treated with parasite eggs. Reduced Th2 cytokine production, characterized by lower levels of interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-5, and immunoglobulin E, was observed in bothS. mansoni-treated groups compared to the asthmatic group. There was a reduction in the number of inflammatory cells in lungs ofS. mansoni-infected and egg-treated mice, demonstrating that bothS. mansoniinfection and the egg treatment modulated the lung inflammatory response to OVA. Only allergic animals that were treated with parasite eggs had increased numbers of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+T cells and increased levels of IL-10 and decreased production of CCL2, CCL3, and CCL5 in the lungs compared to the asthmatic group. Neutralization of IL-10 receptor or depletion of CD25+T cells in vivo confirmed the critical role of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+regulatory T cells in experimental asthma modulation independent of IL-10.
Approximate bivariate gamma generator with prespecified correlation and different marginal shapes
Authors: Rosenfeld Simon
Published: September 2008

A new algorithm is proposed for generating approximate bivariate gamma random samples with a prespecified correlation coefficient and different marginal shapes. A distinctive feature of this approach is computational simplicity and ease of control. Extensive testing demonstrates high accuracy of the proposed algorithm. An S-PLUS code implementing the algorithm is provided. Regression lines produced by the technique are nearly linear, even when marginal shapes are drastically different. This feature makes the approach especially useful in simulation studies associated with linear regression problems. A real-life example of application to the analysis of heteroscedastic regression models is presented. This analysis is a part of a bigger study aimed at quantification of risk factors in cancer research. Two-dimensional probabilistic patterns produced by the algorithm are compared to those generated by the well-known technique by Schmeiser and Lal [1982].
Design issues in client-server software maintenance
Authors: Mishra Deepti , Mishra Alok
Published: September 2008

Software requires maintenance because there are often some errors remaining in the system that must be removed as they are discovered. Even without errors, software frequently undergoes change. The main reason is that software must be enhanced to include more features. Client-server software maintenance is not as simple as centralized software maintenance because client-server software systems are more complex than software for centralized systems.

Cost associated with software maintenance is top most cost in software development, so there is a need to develop software which has maintainability i.e. the ease with which a system can be maintained. Therefore, the design and development of client-server software systems should be done keeping in mind the maintainability of the resultant software systems. There are various design issues related with the maintainability of the software. If we take care of these issues at the time of design, then the resultant system will have better maintainability and thus maintenance efforts of such system will be reduced.
A gentle introduction to OSGi
Authors: Tavares Andre L.C. , Valente Marco Tulio
Published: September 2008

The Open Services Gateway Initiative (OSGi) is a framework that supports the implementation of component-based, service-oriented applications in Java. The framework man- ages the life-cycle of modules (called bundles in OSGi) and provides means to publish and search for services. Moreover, it supports the dynamic install and uninstall of bundles. Nowadays, OSGi is used in many application domains, including mobile phones, embedded devices, and application servers. In this paper, we provide a gentle introduction to the basic services provided by OSGi. The presentation is guided by a simple case study, involving the implementation of a Dictionary System.
On reverse engineering an object-oriented code into UML class diagrams incorporating extensible mechanisms
Authors: Vinita  , Jain Amita , Tayal Devendra K.
Published: September 2008

Reverse engineering is the key idea for reconstruction of any existing system. In this paper, we propose an algorithm to reverse engineer an object-oriented code into Unified Modeling Language (UML) class diagram. Our algorithm is very general in nature and can be applied to any object-oriented code irrespective of the object-oriented programming language. In our paper we consider an object-oriented pseudocode similar to C++ to implement our algorithm. Some of the researchers have dealt in the past the problem of reverse engineering an object-oriented code to UML class diagrams. However, none of these researchers have treated all the constructs available in UML class diagrams. Unlike the previously done work on reverse engineering into UML, our algorithm generates rules for a complete set of constructs available in UML class diagrams. It includes classes, relationships, objects, attributes, operations, inheritance, associations, interfaces & other extensible mechanisms also. This algorithm can be viewed as a solution to reverse engineer any available object-oriented software. An application for the implementation of above said rules using C++ code is also included in the paper. We thoroughly compare our work with the similar type of earlier work in this area and uncover the deficiencies in these previous available works. Moreover our motive in this paper is to prepare rules to reverse engineer C++ code into UML class diagrams and not to generate any tools.
Programming scilab in ARM linux
Authors: Xia Feng , Ma Longhua , Peng Zhe
Published: September 2008

Scilab is a free and open source alternative to commercial scientific software packages for numerical computations. It provides an open programming environment along with a large number of powerful primitives. To realize the full potential of Scilab in embedded systems, this paper presents programming techniques essential for using Scilab in the ARM Linux environment. The Scilab package that usually runs on general-purpose computers is ported to the embedded Linux platform with an ARM9 processor. The programming of embedded software and hardware drivers using the ported Scilab package is addressed. Examples are given for illustrating the programming techniques. The cost of the embedded platform developed in this work is very low thanks to the free nature of the software packages used. The flexibility of embedded software built on this platform can be maximized since the source code is open.
The Five-Minute Rule 20 Years Later: and How Flash Memory Changes the Rules
Authors: Graefe Goetz
Published: September 2008

In 1987, Jim Gray and Gianfranco Putzolu published their now-famous five-minute rule for trading off memory and I/O capacity. Their calculation compares the cost of holding a record (or page) permanently in memory with the cost of performing disk I/O each time the record (or page) is accessed, using appropriate fractions of prices for RAM chips and disk drives. The name of their rule refers to the break-even interval between accesses. If a record (or page) is accessed more often, it should be kept in memory; otherwise, it should remain on disk and read when needed.
Review of “RailsSpace: Building a Social Networking Website with Ruby on Rails (Addison-Wesley Professional Ruby Series) by Michael Hartl, Aurelius Prochazka”, Addison-Wesley Professional, 2007, $44.99, ISBN: 0321480791
Authors: Hinze Annika
Published: September 2008

Review of “RailsSpace: Building a Social Networking Website with Ruby on Rails (Addison-Wesley Professional Ruby Series) by Michael Hartl, Aurelius Prochazka”, Addison-Wesley Professional, 2007, $44.99, ISBN: 0321480791
Interview with Jim Thatcher, winner of the 2008 SIGCAS Making a Difference Award
Authors: North Matt
Published: September 2008

On March 28, 2008, the Association for Computer Machinery's Special Interest Group for Computers and Society (ACM SIGCAS) conferred the 2008 Making a Difference Award on Dr. Jim Thatcher. Dr. Thatcher's work in the area of assistive technologies has spanned four decades, and has enabled many blind and visually impaired individuals throughout the world to expand their use of computers in their daily lives. This summer, I had the opportunity to talk with Dr. Thatcher about his extraordinary career and this acknowledgement he has received from the ACM. --- MN
The ethical dilemma of internet pornography in the state of Kuwait
Authors: Abbas Hasan A. , Fadhli Salah M.
Published: September 2008

The necessity of having effective and socially sound networks is trivial. It is clear that information technology (IT) is now a necessary tool that has well understood advantages. The same technology carries negative side-effects. It is our social and ethical duty to examine the possibly negative side effects of IT, especially as IT becomes prevalent in a conservative society such as Kuwait. In our research Kuwait forms a case study as we try to understand what ethical theories underlie the attitude toward one problematic aspect of IT, online pornography, in Muslim/Arab societies. In this paper we review several ethical theories and then present the results of experimental research aimed at determining the concepts that underlie the Kuwaiti response to pornography online.
Risk Model of Thoracic Aortic Surgery in 4707 Cases From a Nationwide Single-Race Population Through a Web-Based Data Entry System
Authors: Motomura Noboru , Miyata Hiroaki , Tsukihara Hiroyuki , Takamoto Shinichi ,   from the Japan Cardiovascular Surgery Database Organization
Published: September 2008

Background—

The objective of this study was to collect integrated data from nationwide hospitals using a web-based national database system to build up our own risk model for the outcome from thoracic aortic surgery.

Methods and Results—

The Japan Adult Cardiovascular Surgery Database was used; this involved approximately 180 hospitals throughout Japan through a web-based data entry system. Variables and definitions are almost identical to the STS National Database. After data cleanup, 4707 records were analyzed from 97 hospitals (between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2005). Mean age was 66.5 years. Preoperatively, the incidence of chronic lung disease was 11%, renal failure was 9%, and rupture or malperfusion was 10%. The incidence of the location along the aorta requiring replacement surgery (including overlapping areas) was: aortic root, 10%
;
ascending aorta, 47%; aortic arch, 44%; distal arch, 21%; descending aorta, 27%; and thoracoabdominal aorta, 8%. Raw 30-day and 30-day operative mortality rates were 6.7% and 8.6%, respectively. Postoperative incidence of permanent stroke was 6.1%, and renal failure requiring dialysis was 6.7%. OR for 30-day operative mortality was as follows: emergency or salvage, 3.7; creatinine >3.0 mg/dL, 3.0; and unexpected coronary artery bypass graft, 2.6. As a performance metric of the risk model, C-index of 30-day and 30-day operative mortality was 0.79 and 0.78, respectively.

Conclusion—

This is the first report of risk stratification on thoracic aortic surgery using a nationwide surgical database. Although condition of these patients undergoing thoracic aortic surgery was much more serious than other procedures, the result of this series was excellent.
Ventricular–Vascular Stiffening in Patients With Repaired Coarctation of Aorta
Authors: Senzaki Hideaki , Iwamoto Yoichi , Ishido Hirotaka , Masutani Satoshi , Taketazu Mio , Kobayashi Toshiki , Katogi Toshiyuki , Kyo Shunei
Published: September 2008

Background—

Despite successful repair, patients with coarctation of the aorta (COA) often show persistent hypertension at rest and/or during exercise. Previous studies indicated that the hypertension is mainly due to abnormalities in the arterial bed and its regulatory systems. We hypothesized that ventricular systolic stiffness also contributes to the hypertensive state in these patients in addition to increased vascular stiffness.

Methods and Results—

The study involved 43 patients with successfully repaired COA and 45 age-matched control subjects. Ventricular systolic stiffness (end systolic elastance) and arterial stiffness (effective arterial elastance) were measured invasively by ventricular pressure–area relationship during varying preload before and after β-adrenergic stimulation. The mean systolic blood pressure was significantly higher with concomitant increases in both end systolic elastance and effective arterial elastance in patients with COA compared with control subjects (113.2±16.8 versus 91.0±9.1 mm Hg, 44.5±17.0 versus 19.2±6.7 mm Hg/mL/m
2
, and 27.8±11.4 versus 20.2±4.8 mm Hg/mL/m
2
, respectively;
P
<0.01 for each). End systolic elastance and effective arterial elastance of patients with COA showed exaggerated responses to β-adrenergic stimulation, further amplifying blood pressure elevation. Quantification analyses assuming that ventricular systolic stiffness of patients with COA is equal to that of the control revealed that ventricular systolic stiffness accounts for approximately 50% to 70% of the elevated blood pressure in patients with COA. Furthermore, combined ventricular–arterial stiffening amplified systolic pressure sensitivity to increased preload during abdominal compression and limited stroke volume gain/relaxation improvement induced by β-adrenergic stimulation.

Conclusions—

Increased ventricular systolic stiffness, coupled with increased arterial stiffness, plays important roles in hypertension in patients with repaired COA. Thus, ventricular systolic stiffness is a potentially suitable target for reduction of blood pressure and improvement of prognosis of patients with COA.
Depression and Coronary Heart Disease
Authors: Lichtman Judith H. , Bigger J. Thomas , Blumenthal James A. , Frasure-Smith Nancy , Kaufmann Peter G. , Lespérance François , Mark Daniel B. , Sheps David S. , Taylor C. Barr , Froelicher Erika Sivarajan
Published: September 2008

Depression is commonly present in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and is independently associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Screening tests for depressive symptoms should be applied to identify patients who may require further assessment and treatment. This multispecialty consensus document reviews the evidence linking depression with CHD and provides recommendations for healthcare providers for the assessment, referral, and treatment of depression.
Early and Late Preeclampsia
Authors: Valensise Herbert , Vasapollo Barbara , Gagliardi Giulia , Novelli Gian Paolo
Published: September 2008

Because early and late preeclampsia (PE) are thought to be different disease entities, we compared maternal cardiac function at 24 weeks gestation in a group of normotensive asymptomatic patients with subsequent development of early (<34 weeks gestation) and late (≥34 weeks gestation) PE (blood pressure >140/90+proteinuria >300 mg/dL) to detect possible early differences in the hemodynamic state. A group of 1345 nulliparous normotensive asymptomatic women underwent at 24 weeks gestation uterine artery Doppler evaluation and maternal echocardiography calculating total vascular resistance. In the subsequent follow-up 107 patients showed PE: 32 patients had late and 75 had early PE. Five of 32 patients with late PE and 45 of 75 patients with early PE had bilateral notching of the uterine artery at 24 weeks (15.6% versus 60.0%;
P
<0.05). Total vascular resistance was 1605±248 versus 739±244 dyn · s · cm
−5
, and cardiac output was 4.49±1.09 versus 8.96±1.83 L in early versus late PE (
P
<0.001). Prepregnancy body mass index was higher in late versus early PE (28±6 versus 24±2 kg/m
2
;
P
<0.001). Early and late PE appear to develop from different hemodynamic states. Late PE appears to be more frequent in patients with high body mass index and low total vascular resistance; earlier forms of PE appear to be more frequent in patients with lower BMI and with bilateral notching of the uterine artery. These findings support the hypothesis of different hemodynamics and origins for early PE (placental mediated, linked to defective trophoblast invasion with high percentage of altered uterine artery Doppler) and late PE (linked to constitutional factors such as high body mass index).
Inter-Coder Agreement for Computational Linguistics
Authors: Artstein Ron , Poesio Massimo
Published: September 2008

This article is a survey of methods for measuring agreement among corpus annotators. It exposes the mathematics and underlying assumptions of agreement coefficients, covering Krippendorff's alpha as well as Scott's pi and Cohen's kappa; discusses the use of coefficients in several annotation tasks; and argues that weighted, alpha-like coefficients, traditionally less used than kappa-like measures in computational linguistics, may be more appropriate for many corpus annotation tasks—but that their use makes the interpretation of the value of the coefficient even harder.
Security and Displacement in Iraq: Responding to the Forced Migration Crisis
Authors: Lischer Sarah Kenyon
Published: September 2008

Since the 2006 bombing of the al-Askari Mosque, 4.5 million Iraqis have fled their homes, and displacement has become a central strategy in the civil war. Militant groups have engineered these colossal population movements to consolidate their power and expand their territorial claims. As this crisis demonstrates, displacement can expand and intensify violence during a civil war. In addition, refugee flows increase the risk that conflict will spread across international borders. In some cases, refugee militarization can lead to international war and regional destabilization. Even if the displaced Iraqis do not join militant groups, their mere presence will exacerbate political tensions. To prevent the wide-scale militarization of the displaced Iraqis, donors and host states should heed the following policy recommendations. First, provide a massive infusion of humanitarian aid. Second, resist the temptation to build camps to house the displaced. Third, do not return the displaced people home against their will. Fourth, expand and expedite the resettlement process, especially for vulnerable Iraqis such as those who were once coalition employees.
An Efficient, General-Purpose Technique for Identifying Storm Cells in Geospatial Images
Authors: Lakshmanan Valliappa , Hondl Kurt , Rabin Robert
Published: September 2008

Existing techniques for identifying, associating, and tracking storms rely on heuristics and are not transferrable between different types of geospatial images. Yet, with the multitude of remote sensing instruments and the number of channels and data types increasing, it is necessary to develop a principled and generally applicable technique. In this paper, an efficient, sequential, morphological technique called the watershed transform is adapted and extended so that it can be used for identifying storms. The parameters available in the technique and the effects of these parameters are also explained.

The method is demonstrated on different types of geospatial radar and satellite images. Pointers are provided on the effective choice of parameters to handle the resolutions, data quality constraints, and dynamic ranges found in observational datasets.
The effects of private equity and buy-outs on HRM in the UK and the Netherlands
Authors: Bacon Nicolas , Wright Mike , Demina Natalia , Bruining Hans , Boselie Paul
Published: September 2008

Regulatory authorities, politicians and trade unions across Europe have recently accused private equity institutions of improving the performance of buy-outs merely by reducing employment costs with negative implications for jobs, working conditions and training investments. These claims are assessed by analysing high commitment management practices and changes in these practices in private-equity backed and non-private equity backed buy-outs in the UK and the Netherlands using a large-scale representative sample that combines both questionnaire and archival data. We find that both private equity backed buy-outs compared to non-private equity backed buy-outs, and Dutch buy-outs compared to UK buy-outs, are less likely to report introducing new high commitment management practices but do not on average reduce high commitment management practices. The findings suggest private equity backed buy-outs represent only a limited adaptation of the European social model.
Impact of Neurofibromatosis Type 1 on School Performance
Authors: Krab Lianne C. , Aarsen Femke K. , de Goede-Bolder Arja , Catsman-Berrevoets Coriene E. , Arts Willem F. , Moll Henriette A. , Elgersma Ype
Published: September 2008

School functioning of 86 Dutch neurofibromatosis type 1 children (7-17 years) using teacher questionnaires was analyzed to determine the impact of neurofibromatosis type 1 on school performance. In all, 75% of the neurofibromatosis type 1 children performed more than 1 standard deviation below grade peers in at least one of the domains of spelling, mathematics, technical reading or comprehensive reading. Furthermore, neurofibromatosis type 1 children had a 4-fold increased risk for attending special education and a 6-fold increased risk for receiving remedial teaching for learning, behavior, speech, or motor problems. Children without apparent learning disabilities still frequently displayed neuropsychological deficits. Only 10% of the children did not show any school-functioning problems. Finally, it was found that the clinical severity of neurofibromatosis type 1 correlated with the cognitive deficits. Taken together, it was shown that neurofibromatosis type 1 has profound impact on school performance. Awareness of these problems may facilitate timely recognition and appropriate support.
Validation of the Presence of Comorbidities in a Danish Clinical Cohort of Children With Tourette Syndrome
Authors: Mol Debes Nanette M. M. , Hjalgrim Helle , Skov Liselotte
Published: September 2008

Tourette syndrome (TS) is characterized by the presence of motor and vocal tics and is often accompanied by comorbid symptoms. We assessed the frequency of the comorbid symptoms obsessive-compulsive disorder obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), rage attacks, sleeping disturbances, and depressive symptoms in a Danish clinical cohort of 314 children with TS using validated diagnostic instruments. For the assessment of symptoms of seasonal affective disorder and stuttering, we used a nonvalidated systematic interview. In total, only 10.2% of the children did not have any comorbid symptoms at all. If ADHD and/or obsessive-compulsive disorder were present, the rates of the comorbidities rage, symptoms of seasonal affective disorder, sleep disturbances, and depressive symptoms were significantly higher than if ADHD and/or obsessive-compulsive disorder were absent. The most severe tics were found in the group for which both ADHD and obsessive-compulsive disorder were present. Furthermore, there was a tendency toward more severe tics if other comorbid symptoms were present.
Infected Intraparenchymal Dermoids: An Underestimated Entity
Authors: Mohindra Sandeep , Gupta Rahul , Chhabra Rajesh , Gupta Sunil K. , Pathak Ashis , Bal Amanjit K. , Radotra Bishan D.
Published: September 2008

Infection secondary to a dermal sinus most commonly occurs in the form of cutaneous, epidural, or subdural abscesses. Rarely, it can result in an intramedullary abscess as a result of a dermal sinus. This study presents a clinicoradiological profile of 19 cases harboring abscesses within the dermoids and highlights the importance of dermal sinus acting as a pathway for infections to enter the nervous system. Emergent exploration, pus drainage, and minimal abscess wall excision along with prolonged antibiotic administration remained the management of choice in all cases. Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus was the commonest offending organism. In all, 7 patients recovered to normal neurological status, 5 showed no improvement, and 7 improved partially. Improvement in motor power was noted, albeit partially, but bladder functions failed to recover even at long-term follow-up. Even when such infective complications of dermal sinuses are rare, these are potentially serious and disabling.
Use of Intravenous Tissue Plasminogen Activator in a 16-Year-Old Patient with Basilar Occlusion
Authors: Heil Jason W. , Malinowski Laurel , Rinderknecht Andrea , Broderick Joseph P. , Franz David
Published: September 2008

Intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) is currently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of ischemic stroke in patients > 18 years of age who present within 3 hours of stroke onset and meet certain criteria. We report a case of a 16-year-old, previously healthy female who presented with a basilar artery occlusion and pontine ischemic stroke. She was treated with intravenous t-PA approximately 4 hours after the onset of symptoms. The patient demonstrated a remarkable recovery 6 hours after onset of her symptoms and had minimal deficits on discharge from the hospital 1 week later. She was found to have a lupus anticoagulant and was heterozygous for the prothrombin gene G2010A mutation. These were likely contributing causes for her stroke. She was also homozygous for plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) 4G/4G, which at present is a controversial stroke risk factor.
Special Educators' Perceptions of Summer Employment and Community Participation Opportunities for Youth With Disabilities
Authors: Trainor Audrey A. , Carter Erik W. , Owens Laura A. , Swedeen Beth
Published: September 2008

Although connecting youth with disabilities with early work experiences has emerged as a recommended practice in transition education, little is known about the extent to which the summer months might offer a meaningful context for providing such experiences. To understand the perspectives of special educators regarding promoting summer employment and other community activities for youth with disabilities, the authors interviewed 14 teachers from 10 high schools. Although teachers identified the summer months as a promising avenue for engaging youth in career development experiences, they articulated several school-, family-, and employer-related barriers that may hinder youth from accessing these experiences. This article discusses recommendations for engaging youth more meaningfully during the summer months and offers direction for future research.
Toll-like receptors: another player in the pathogenesis of the anti-phospholipid syndrome
Authors: Raschi E , Borghi MO , Grossi C , Broggini V , Pierangeli S , Meroni PL
Published: September 2008

The anti-phospholipid syndrome (APS) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by an adaptive immune response against self phospholipid (PL)--binding proteins. Although APS is considered as an autoantibody-mediated disease, there is now evidence that anti-phospholipid antibodies (aPL) are necessary but not sufficient to trigger some of the clinical manifestations of the syndrome. For example, mediators of the innate immunity are recognized to be additional second hits able to induce the thrombotic events in the presence of aPL. Finally, environmental agents – in particular infectious ones – were reported to act as triggers for the production of autoantibodies cross-reacting with PL-binding proteins as well as inflammatory stimuli that potentiate the aPL thrombogenic effect. Altogether, these findings suggest a role for the innate immunity in APS pathogenesis. Toll-like receptors (TLR) are receptors that induce prompt inflammatory responses and mediate functional activation in immune effector cells. There is evidence that aPL, and in particular anti-β2 glycoprotein I (β2GPI) antibodies, may activate endothelial cells and monocytes through TLR-4-dependent signalling. Whether or not TLR may behave as surface receptors for β2GPI is still matter of research. Drugs or molecules able to interfere with TLR involvement may represent new therapeutic approaches for APS.
Platelets and the antiphospholipid syndrome
Authors: Urbanus RT , Derksen RHWM , de Groot PG
Published: September 2008

The antiphospholipid syndrome is a non-inflammatory autoimmune disease characterised by the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies in the plasma of patients with venous or arterial thrombosis or recurrent complications of pregnancy. The strong relation between the presence of antibodies against anionic phospholipids and thrombo-embolic complications is well established, but how the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies results in the observed clinical manifestations remains a mystery. Experimental observations suggest that an altered regulation of platelet function can cause the thrombotic complications observed in the antiphospholipid syndrome. In this review, we will discuss the evidence that the platelet is an important player in the pathogenesis of the antiphospholipid syndrome.
Tissue factor in the antiphospholipid syndrome
Authors: Kinev AV , Roubey RAS
Published: September 2008

Antiphospholipid (aPL) antibodies are clinically important acquired risk factors for thrombosis and pregnancy loss and are thought to have a direct prothrombotic effect in vivo. Data suggest that a major mechanism by which aPL antibodies contribute to thrombophilia is the upregulation of tissue factor (TF) (CD142) on blood cells and vascular endothelium. TF is the physiological trigger of normal blood coagulation and thrombosis in many hypercoagulable conditions. This article reviews the physiology of TF, the molecular regulation of TF expression and the effects of aPL antibodies on intravascular TF regulation and expression. Inhibition of TF and the pathways by which aPL antibodies induce TF expression are potentially attractive therapeutic targets in the antiphospholipid syndrome.
Variable Order Modeling of Diffusive-convective Effects on the Oscillatory Flow Past a Sphere
Authors: Pedro H.T.C. , Kobayashi M.H. , Pereira J.M.C. , Coimbra C.F.M.
Published: September 2008

This work advances our understanding of the drag force acting on a particle due to the oscillatory flow of a viscous fluid with finite Reynolds and Strouhal numbers. The drag force is is determined using the novel concept of variable order (VO) calculus, where the order of derivative can vary with the parameters and variables, according to the dynamics of the flow. Using the VO formulation we determine: (i) The region of validity of Tchen's equation for oscillatory flow, (ii) the region where the order of the derivative is fractional but constant, and (iii) the region where the strong non-linearity of the flow requires a variable order derivative to account for the increased complexity of the flow.
Space-time Discretization of an Integro-differential Equation Modeling Quasi-static Fractional-order Viscoelasticity
Authors: Adolfsson K. , Enelund M. , Larsson S.
Published: September 2008

We study a quasi-static model for viscoelastic materials based on a constitutive equation of fractional order. In the quasi-static case this results in a Volterra integral equation of the second kind, with a weakly singular kernel in the time variable, and which also involves partial derivatives of second order in the spatial variables. We discretize by means of a discontinuous Galerkin finite element method in time and a standard continuous Galerkin finite element method in space. To overcome the problem of the growing amount of data that has to be stored and used at each time step, we introduce sparse quadrature in the convolution integral. We prove a priori and a posteriori error estimates, which can be used as the basis for an adaptive strategy.
A Fractional Adaptation Scheme for Lateral Control of an AGV
Authors: Suárez José I. , Vinagre Blas M. , Yangquan Chen
Published: September 2008

Lateral control of an autonomous guided vehicle is influenced strongly by both the longitudinal speed and the position input command (magnitude of the reference signal) of the vehicle. For that reason some suitable strategies for governing the vehicle are adaptive and robust controllers. In this article, an adaptive scheme which combines a model reference approach with a fractional order adjustment rule for a feedforward gain adjustment is proposed. Two parameters can be tuned to obtain robustness with respect to variations in speed and magnitude of the reference signal: Adaptation gain, and derivative order of the adjustment rule. A model is developed for the vehicle, the design procedure is discussed, and simulation results are obtained to show the advantages the proposed fractional adaptation scheme.
Fractional Order Signal Processing of Electrochemical Noises
Authors: Yangquan Chen  , Rongtao Sun  , Anhong Zhou  , Zaveri Nikita
Published: September 2008

The corrosion processes of stainless steel under different solutions were examined using electrochemical noise (ECN). Using rescaled range analysis, we demonstrated that ECN signals produced by corrosion processes have non-stationary and self-similar properties. The comparison and analysis of ECN signals in both the time and frequency domains showed that conventional methods failed to sufficiently distinguish between the ECN signals obtained under different solutions. Therefore, we introduced the use of fractional Fourier transforms, a powerful tool for the time-frequency analysis of self-similar signals, to process ECN signals that can better describe the corrosion behaviours of the electrode in different solutions.
Fractional Multi-models of the Frog Gastrocnemius Muscle
Authors: Sommacal L. , Melchior P. , Oustaloup A. , Cabelguen J.-M. , Ijspeert A.J.
Published: September 2008

In this article, frog gastrocnemius muscles are studied, and a multi-model identification presented. A transfer function is defined with few parameters to simulate striated muscle (Gastroctnemius) behaviour, for inclusion in a future real-time salamander computer model. A two-model structure permits description of both contraction and relaxation properties. Here, two physiological influences, fatigue and fibre types, are taken into account. A multi-model structure for each fibre type (fast (IIB), intermediate (IIA) and slow (I) fibres) is also used for inclusion in a future agonist-antagonist structure computer model.
Fractional Electrical Impedances in Botanical Elements
Authors: Jesus Isabel S. , Tenreiro Machado J.A. , Boaventure Cunha J.
Published: September 2008

Fractional calculus (FC) is no longer considered solely from a mathematical viewpoint, and is now applied in many emerging scientific areas, such as electricity, magnetism, mechanics, fluid dynamics, and medicine. In the field of dynamical systems, significant work has been carried out proving the importance of fractional order mathematical models. This article studies the electrical impedance of vegetables and fruits from a FC perspective. From this line of thought, several experiments are developed for measuring the impedance of botanical elements. The results are analyzed using Bode and polar diagrams, which lead to electrical circuit models revealing fractional-order behaviour.