bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Atmospheric Meridional Moisture Flux over the Southern Ocean: A Story of the Amundsen Sea
Authors: Tsukernik Maria , Lynch Amanda H.
Published: May 2013

The Antarctic ice sheet constitutes the largest reservoir of freshwater on earth, representing tens of meters of sea level rise if it were to melt completely. However, because of the remote location of the continent and the concomitant sparse data coverage, much remains unknown regarding the climate variability in Antarctica and the surrounding Southern Ocean. This study uses the high-resolution ECMWF Interim Re-Analysis (ERA-Interim) data during 1979–2010 to calculate the meridional moisture transport associated with the mean circulation, planetary waves, and synoptic-scale systems. The resulting moisture flux, which is dominated by the synoptic scales, is largely consistent with results from theoretical assumptions and previous studies. Here, high interannual and regional variability in the total meridional moisture flux is found, with no significant trend over the last 30 years. Further, the variability of the meridional moisture flux cannot be explained by the southern annular mode or El Niño–Southern Oscillation, even in the Pacific sector. In addition, the Amundsen Sea sector experiences the highest variability in meridional moisture transport and reveals a statistically significant decrease in the moisture flux at synoptic scales along the coastal zone. These results suggest that the Amundsen Sea provides a window on the complex nature of atmospheric moisture transport in the high southern latitudes.
Megadroughts in Southwestern North America in ECHO-G Millennial Simulations and Their Comparison to Proxy Drought Reconstructions*
Authors: Coats Sloan , Smerdon Jason E. , Seager Richard , Cook Benjamin I. , González-Rouco J. F.
Published: May 2013

Simulated hydroclimate variability in millennium-length forced transient and control simulations from the ECHAM and the global Hamburg Ocean Primitive Equation (ECHO-G) coupled atmosphere–ocean general circulation model (AOGCM) is analyzed and compared to 1000 years of reconstructed Palmer drought severity index (PDSI) variability from the North American Drought Atlas (NADA). The ability of the model to simulate megadroughts in the North American southwest is evaluated. (NASW: 25°–42.5°N, 125°–105°W). Megadroughts in the ECHO-G AOGCM are found to be similar in duration and magnitude to those estimated from the NADA. The droughts in the forced simulation are not, however, temporally synchronous with those in the paleoclimate record, nor are there significant differences between the drought features simulated in the forced and control runs. These results indicate that model-simulated megadroughts can result from internal variability of the modeled climate system rather than as a response to changes in exogenous forcings. Although the ECHO-G AOGCM is capable of simulating megadroughts through persistent La Niña–like conditions in the tropical Pacific, other mechanisms can produce similarly extreme NASW moisture anomalies in the model. In particular, the lack of low-frequency coherence between NASW soil moisture and simulated modes of climate variability like the El Niño–Southern Oscillation, Pacific decadal oscillation, and Atlantic multidecadal oscillation during identified drought periods suggests that stochastic atmospheric variability can contribute significantly to the occurrence of simulated megadroughts in the NASW. These findings indicate that either an expanded paradigm is needed to understand multidecadal hydroclimate variability in the NASW or AOGCMs may incorrectly simulate the strength and/or dynamics of the connection between NASW hydroclimate variability and the tropical Pacific.
The Evolution of Inhomogeneous Wave Statistics through a Variable Medium
Authors: Smit P. B. , Janssen T. T.
Published: May 2013

The interaction of ocean waves with variable currents and topography in coastal areas can result in inhomogeneous statistics because of coherent interferences, which affect wave-driven circulation and transport processes. Stochastic wave models, invariably based on some form of the radiative transfer equation (or action balance), do not account for these effects. The present work develops and discusses a generalization of the radiative transfer equation that includes the effects of coherent interferences on wave statistics. Using multiple scales, the study approximates the transport equation for the (complete) second-order wave correlation matrix. The resulting model transports the coupled-mode spectrum (a form of the Wigner distribution) and accounts for the generation and propagation of coherent interferences in a variable medium. The authors validate the model through comparison with analytic solutions and laboratory observations, discuss the differences with the radiative transfer equation and the limitations of this approximation, and illustrate its ability to resolve coherent interference structures in wave fields such as those typically found in refractive focal zones and around obstacles.
A Comparison of Statistical Approaches for Seasonal Precipitation Prediction in Pakistan
Authors: Ding Ting , Ke Zongjian
Published: May 2013

The present study focuses on two statistical approaches for improving seasonal precipitation prediction skills for Pakistan. Precipitation over Pakistan is concentrated in July–August (JA), when droughts and floods occur recurrently and cause disasters. Empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis is used to assess spatial patterns of precipitation, and two precipitation patterns are identified: a consistent pattern and a north–south dipole pattern. Two statistical approaches, the statistical regression method using prewinter predictors and statistical downscaling, are employed to perform rainfall predictions for JA in Pakistan. Linear regression (LR) and optimal subset regression (OSR) are used for each approach, and the regression forecast methods are compared with the raw model outputs. Historical data for large-scale variables from the NCEP–NCAR reanalysis and version 1.0 of the coupled atmosphere–ocean general circulation model from the Beijing Climate Center (CGCM1.0/BCC) outputs in 1986–2011 are used as predictors for the statistical prewinter method and statistical downscaling, respectively. In the majority of the years, the statistical prewinter method and statistical downscaling are able to correct the erroneous signs of the raw dynamical model output for the consistent pattern. The statistical prewinter method is found to provide more skillful predictions than the statistical downscaling on the prediction of the dipolelike pattern. The best prediction skills for the consistent pattern and dipolelike pattern are provided by NCEP-OSR and NCEP-LR, which have significant correlations of 0.39 and 0.40, respectively. For all the forecast methods in this study, prewinter prediction and downscaled prediction show considerable improvements when compared with model output. These statistical methods provide valuable approaches for studying local climates.
Migration and Intergenerational Responsibilities
Authors: Mondain Nathalie , Diagne Alioune , Randall Sara
Published: May 2013

Migration to Europe has become a major source of financial and social resources for an increasing number of Senegalese men who are the main providers for their natal households. European migration is seen as a transitory phase, since most of them plan to return to Senegal. We use qualitative interviews conducted in 2007 in a small town in northwest Senegal to explore the dynamics of migration among young Senegalese men, identifying their goals and examining how migration affects their lives and families. Motivations to migrate for these young men are related both to the social prestige associated with being a successful migrant and to the obligations they feel toward their elders to enable them to live out their old age in the best conditions. Because migrating is costly and demands mobilization of social networks, most migrants require the support of their elders to leave, thus reinforcing their obligations toward them and contributing to transforming the relationships between generations.
Mexican Adolescent Migration to the United States and Transitions to Adulthood
Authors: Zenteno René , Giorguli Silvia E. , Gutiérrez Edith
Published: May 2013

This article contributes to our understanding of how the motivation to migrate varies depending on the stage in the life course, particularly during the youth-to-adult transition. Using data from the Mexican Migration Project, we estimate discrete-time-hazard models of the probabilities of a first migration, using individual, household, community, and macroeconomic variables during and after adolescence for both men and women. We show that the determinants of migration are different for adolescents than they are for adults. While migration-related social capital has proved to be an important factor in increasing and perpetuating migration, we find that its effect is even stronger for teenagers than for other age groups. We also shed light on how adolescent migration is influenced by other major markers of the transition to adulthood, such as education, labor force experience, and family formation.
Exploring Associations between Mobility and Sexual Experiences among Unmarried Young People
Authors: Acharya Rajib , Santhya K. G. , Jejeebhoy Shireen J.
Published: May 2013

This study examines mobility (short-term movement involving stays away from home) among unmarried youths in India and its association with their sexual experiences. We look at unmarried young women and men aged 15 to 24 from rural and urban areas in six states in India—Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu. Data are drawn from a subnationally representative study of Indian youths, in which 11,522 young men and 17,362 young women were interviewed face-to-face at their usual residences. The study finds that one-third and one-fifth of young men and women, respectively, had experienced mobility. Mobile youths were more likely than nonmobile youths to experience romantic relationships and initiate sex before marriage. Moreover, among the sexually experienced, mobile young men were more likely than others to report multiple sexual partners.
Female Migrants and the Transition to Adulthood in Greater Jakarta
Authors: Utomo Ariane , Reimondos Anna , Utomo Iwu Dwisetyani , McDonald Peter , Hull Terence
Published: May 2013

This article examines the impact of internal migration, and its timing, on young women’s transition to adulthood. Using the 2010 Greater Jakarta Transition to Adulthood Survey, we identify five key groups of women living in Greater Jakarta: those who were born there, those who migrated before the age of 10, those who migrated between ages 10 to 17, those who migrated after age 17, and circular migrants. Using retrospective quantitative data, we examine the timing of five key adulthood markers for each of these groups: leaving the parental home, leaving the education system, entering the workforce, marrying, and having children. We then explore the extent to which variation in education, marriage, and fertility patterns explain the women’s current employment outcomes. Qualitative findings are also discussed to provide insights on migration motivation and the life strategies that these women adopt to navigate their transition to adulthood.
Adolescent Migration in Rural Africa as a Challenge to Gender and Intergenerational Relationships
Authors: Hertrich Véronique , Lesclingand Marie
Published: May 2013

Labor migration has become common for adolescents in many African populations, where it is a key event in the transition into adulthood for both genders. This article examines the experiences of, expectations of, and perceptions about adolescent migration from different perspectives, taking into account their gender and generation. It is based on qualitative data, collected from a rural population in Mali, where labor migration is experienced by most adolescents (70–90 percent). Despite a convergence of migratory practices between genders, the subjective experience and the social construction around youth migration appear to be in contrast for girls and boys. Male migration is part of family economics, and adolescent boys use migration to strengthen their family status. Female migration is a personal project and includes strong expectations about learning and obtaining life skills. Social judgment of female migration is negative, but new lines of solidarity are emerging between female generations.
Reconsidering predictors of punitiveness in Australia: A test of four theories
Authors: Kornhauser Ryan
Published: May 2013

This study assesses and compares, in an Australian context, four explanations which have emerged to explain punitive attitudes. Each purports these attitudes have different origins: concerns over crime and a lack of trust in the state to deal with it (‘crime-distrust’ model); a desire to reinforce social cohesion or express discontent with society (‘social discontent’ model); an outlet for dissatisfaction over one’s own life (‘personal discontent’ model); and a wish to suppress or express prejudice towards disliked racial minorities (‘racial animus’ model). The study finds support for each of the crime-distrust, social discontent and racial animus models (but not the personal discontent model). Despite rarely being considered in Australia, it also suggest that social discontent and racial animus may have as great, if not greater, an impact on punitiveness as concerns over crime and the state’s response to it.
Do Parties “Playing the Race Card” Undermine Natives’ Support for Redistribution? Evidence From Europe
Authors: Schmidt Alexander W. , Spies Dennis C.
Published: May 2013

In this article, we address the question of whether the policy statements of political parties with regard to migration affect the link between individual anti-immigrant sentiment and support for redistributive policies. While the effect of political parties “playing the race card” is well documented and repeatedly discussed in the American context, it has received little attention in comparative studies. We test our measurements of issue-salience with regard to migration and welfare-related matters by conducting multilevel models for a sample of 14 European countries. We also control for the potential effects of the countries’ welfare regimes—which is so far the most prominent contextual variable. Our results strongly indicate a moderating party-effect: The more parties accentuate crucial migration issues, the less general support there is for welfare programs by native anti-immigrant groups. In contrast, we find no effect of the repeatedly discussed welfare regime on this relationship, once controlled for party statements.
Literary register and historical consciousness in Kalhaṇa: A hypothesis
Authors: Cox Whitney
Published: May 2013

This article is self-consciously framed as a hypothesis, a suggestion of how we might go about the work of understanding Kalhaṇa’s Rājataraṅgiṇī (RT), as well as certain other works of Kashmirian Sanskrit. I propose that Kalhaṇa’s poem be understood as the crowning achievement of a local literary form which I term the Kashmirian ślokakathā . After a brief review of the style’s major diagnostic features, I analyse a passage drawn from the earliest extant example of the ślokakathā, Abhinanda’s Kādambarīkathāsāra, a reworking of Bāṇa’s influential seventh century prose romance. Turning to Kalhaṇa, I show the instantiation of the ślokakathā style in the RT and his particular authorial impress upon it; in particular, I suggest that Kalhaṇa modulates his reliance on the diagnostic ślokakathā features over the course of his poem, the density of which increases as the events narrated grow closer to the poet’s lifetime. Finally and most speculatively, I suggest that this increasing density (and difficulty) of Kalhaṇa’s verse suggests a connection between the RT’s stylistic realisation and his implicitly articulated theory of the nature of history and that this in turn supplies a lens through which we may view the fraught question of Kalhaṇa’s authorial project in a new way.
History at the end of history: Śrīvara’s Jainataraṅgiṇī
Authors: Obrock Luther
Published: May 2013

This article focuses on the relationship between Śrīvara’s fifteenth century Jainataraṅgiṇī and Kalhaṇa’s twelfth century Rājataraṅgiṇī . Writing in the court of Sultan Zayn ul-‘Ābidīn, Śrīvara relies on Kalhaṇa’s work as the literary and theoretical model for the Jainataraṅgiṇī, but proceeds to adapt the form to reflect needs specific to a sort of biography of Zayn. I show that Śrīvara carefully orders and rearranges the events of the Sultan’s life in order to create a narrative that largely follows the aesthetic and moral expectations articulated in Kalhaṇa’s earlier Rājataraṅgiṇī . Yet despite Śrivara’s attempts to make his own work philosophically conformable to that of his predecessor, the historiographical background implicit in the Jainataraṅgiṇī shows subtle shifts in conceptions of royal representation and the agency of fate. I argue that these shifts provide important clues to understand the specific moment in Kashmiri political and literary history made possible by a unique relationship between patron and poet. Śrīvara’s Jainataraṅgiṇī shows the elastic possibilities of the Rājataraṅgiṇī form as it operates in the vastly changed political and social circumstances of Sultanate Kashmir.
Past as tradition, past as history: The Rajatarangini narratives in Kashmir’s Persian historical tradition
Authors: Zutshi Chitralekha
Published: May 2013

Kalhana’s Rajatarangini and its Sanskrit continuations are usually regarded as sui generis—unique historical compositions in a landscape otherwise barren of historical production in Kashmir and South Asia. As a result, the Persian tarikhs that followed them are dismissed as unhistorical imitations of these texts. This article approaches the Persian historical tradition in Kashmir from the perspective of the multilayered engagement between Persian tarikhs and their Sanskrit predecessors. Through an examination of three Persian tarikhs composed in seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth-century Kashmir, it argues that far from blindly translating the Rajatarangini narratives, the tarikhs were in active dialogue with the Sanskrit texts as they articulated their own ideas about the meaning and purpose of historical narration. By placing themselves within a long tradition of historical composition in Kashmir, the Persian narratives not only acquired legitimacy, but also redefined the tradition itself.
Analysis of classical and first-order shear deformable cracked orthotropic plates
Authors: Szekrényes András
Published: May 2013

The Kirchhoff and Mindlin plate theories are applied in this study to calculate the stresses and the energy release rates in delaminated orthotropic composite plates. A novel double-plate system is developed with the imposition of the kinematic continuity constraints in the interface plane. The governing equations of the system were derived in both cases. As a demonstrative example a simply-supported plate subjected to a point force was analyzed using Lévy plate formulation and the problem was solved by a state-space model. The distribution of the stress resultants and the interlaminar stresses in the uncracked part were also determined. Moreover, the distributions of the mode-II and mode-III energy release rates along the crack front were calculated by the J-integral. The 3D finite element model of the plate was created providing reference data for the analytical model. The results show that the displacement and stress fields obtained from the Kirchhoff and Mindlin theories are quite similar, but in the case of the energy release rates, transverse shear effect is necessary to consider to obtain reasonably good agreement between the analytical and numerical results.
The Impact of Preservice Preparation and Early Career Support on Novice Teachers’ Career Intentions and Decisions
Authors: DeAngelis Karen J. , Wall Andrew F. , Che Jing
Published: May 2013

A rationale for providing high-quality support during teachers’ early years is to develop further the skills teachers acquire during preparation and to help overcome weaknesses that might lead them to abandon the profession. Yet, almost no consideration has been given to potential interactions between preservice preparation and induction support received. This study utilizes survey and administrative data to examine the effects, including interactions, of preservice preparation and early career support on new teachers’ career intentions and decisions. Consistent with previous research, we find a direct association between perceived preparation quality and leaving teaching. Moreover, we find the quality and comprehensiveness of mentoring and induction to be related to teachers’ intentions and decisions. Our results also suggest that comprehensive support moderates the relationship between preservice preparation and intentions to leave. The findings point to the importance of considering preservice preparation in combination with induction support in efforts to address teacher attrition.
John the Baptist as exemplar for the understanding: Reading Kierkegaard’s Philosophical Fragments alongside an upbuilding discourse
Authors: Nowachek Matthew T.
Published: May 2013

In the appendix to Chapter 3 of Philosophical Fragments, Søren Kierkegaard’s pseudonym Johannes Climacus describes a fictional encounter between personified versions of the understanding and the paradox. Although Climacus provides an extensive account of the unhappy result of this meeting, what he calls offence, he offers little by way of concrete description concerning the alternative to offence, namely, the happy meeting that leads towards faith. My purpose in this paper is to fill out in greater depth the happy meeting in Philosophical Fragments, and I do so by drawing on the concrete image of John the Baptist and his relation to the Messiah that Kierkegaard develops in his 1844 discourse ‘He Must Increase; I Must Decrease’. I argue that John, with his disposition of humble self-denial and his task of preparation, can serve as an exemplar for the understanding in its relation to the paradox. Not only does this reading provide us with a more concrete picture of the happy meeting that is compatible with Climacus’s own account but, as I suggest in the concluding section, it also affords us a manner by which to conceive the relationship between faith and reason in Kierkegaard that need not lead to the conclusions of the irrationalist or radical fideist interpretations.
Humour: A signpost virtue for authentic Christian moral conversion
Authors: Slovikovski John J.
Published: May 2013

Conversion has been challenged as inauthentic and not easily observable by a number of modern philosophers and contemporary secular humanists. Christianity contends otherwise, discerning moral conversion as a well-turned movement towards God, neighbour, self and world by means of evolving, free personal choice that unfolds in the narrative of human existence imaginatively and with an awareness of and desire for that which is truly valuable and not merely personally satisfying. Humour or eutrapelia as virtue indispensably establishes the authenticity and attractiveness of conversion, especially when informed by the theological virtues of faith, hope and love.
Resisting the obfuscation of ‘race’: The importance of acknowledging the sociopolitical in normative data research
Authors: van Ommen Clifford
Published: May 2013

The concept of ‘race’ is, rightly, associated with a myriad of discriminatory practices, including its ontological justification through the misuse of science, including that of Psychology. Seeking to distance the discipline and profession from such a problematic history, most psychologists have abandoned the notion of ‘race’ or, as in social psychology, have turned to the study of racism. Within the context of contemporary South Africa, now almost two decades beyond the legislated presence of apartheid, the abandonment of the term ‘race’ has been especially motivated. This article asks the apparently controversial question of whether such an urgent distancing is justified. This is especially salient given that it has resulted in some researchers turning to alternate terms such as ‘culture’ and ‘ethnicity’ as though the simple exchange of these seemingly apolitical terms for ‘race’ will allow the business of traditional research to continue as usual. However, we cannot escape the effects of the past so easily; these terms are themselves not innocent but are in a complex relationship with each other and society. Furthermore, ‘race’ is more than a word, and its consequences lie well entrenched via past and present ideologically based social and material engineering. In this article, I argue that we need to return, as an ethically and conceptually sound act, to the concept of ‘race’ in normative data research. This requires that we abandon naïve notions of scientific practice and acknowledge both the sociopolitical context in which we conduct scientific research and the historically embedded and contingent nature of the concepts we utilise in our work and the data we produce.
Understanding the Five-Factor Model and Five-Factor Theory through a South African cultural lens
Authors: Laher Sumaya
Published: May 2013

Despite the vast body of evidence accumulated for the Five-Factor Model worldwide, it is often criticised for being atheoretical, too descriptive, and lacking reference to personality development across the lifespan. In response to these critiques, McCrae and Costa proposed the Five-Factor Theory. This article introduces the reader briefly to the Five-Factor Model and Five-Factor Theory. The Five-Factor Theory refers to the five factors of the Five-Factor Model as Basic Tendencies and postulates that the five factors of the Five-Factor Model are innate, heritable, and universal structures. This article debates whether the Five-Factor Theory is correct in arguing for five Basic Tendencies by providing local and international literature that suggests that five factors do not form the topmost hierarchy in personality. In African and Asian cultures, specifically, it has been argued that the collectivist dimension in particular is not captured in the Five-Factor Model and Five-Factor Theory. This article explores these arguments with particular reference to the Individualism\Collectivism dimensions and concludes by suggesting that both Five-Factor Theory and the Five-Factor Model take more cognisance of other cultural perspectives on personality at both the theoretical and empirical levels.
Recent advances in false memory research
Authors: Laney Cara , Loftus Elizabeth F
Published: May 2013

In the last few years, substantial gains have been made in our understanding of human memory errors and the phenomenon of false memory, wherein individuals remember entire events that did not happen at all. Research had established that false memories can be consequential and emotional, that they can last for long periods of time, and that they are not merely the product of demand characteristics or the recovery of extant but hidden memories. These recent advances are discussed as extensions of earlier foundational research.
Wellness without fairness: The missing link in psychology
Authors: Prilleltensky Isaac
Published: May 2013

To promote human welfare, psychologists must advance two important goals: wellness and fairness. Hitherto, research on wellness or well-being has discovered connections among overall satisfaction with life and important facets of life, such as relationships, income, and physical health, but the connections among various types of wellness and specific aspects of fairness remain obscure. Research on justice in psychology, in turn, has focused largely on the impact of distributive, procedural, and interactional justice on job performance and not so much on wellness outcomes. I argue that psychologists must explore in depth the association among various types of wellness, such as interpersonal, occupational, physical, and psychological, and diverse kinds of fairness, such as distributive, procedural, interpersonal, cultural, developmental, retributive, and intrapersonal. The pursuit of wellness without fairness will not yield the outcomes individuals and communities need. We must make more explicit the relationship between justice or injustice and flourishing in life.
The Social Validation and Coping Model of Organizational Identity Development
Authors: Smith Laura G. E. , Amiot Catherine E. , Smith Joanne R. , Callan Victor J. , Terry Deborah J.
Published: May 2013

Considerable research has explored the variables that affect the success of newcomer on-boarding, socialization, and retention. We build on this research by examining how newcomer socialization is affected by the degree to which newcomers’ peers and leaders provide them with positive feedback. We refer to newcomers’ perceptions of this feedback as “social validation.” This study examines the impact of social validation from peers and leaders on the development of organizational identification over time and the turnover attitudes of new employees. We found that perceptions of social validation significantly predicted how new employees used coping strategies to adapt to their new role over time, and consequently the development of identification and turnover intentions. Specifically, increased peer social validation predicted a greater use of positive coping strategies to engage with the new organization over time, and less use of disengagement coping strategies. In contrast, initial leader validation decreased newcomers’ disengagement from the organization over time. These results highlight the role of the social environment in the workplace in temporally shaping and validating newcomers’ adaptation efforts during transitions.
Hybrid pseudo-relevance feedback for microblog retrieval
Authors: Chen Lin , Chun Lin , Ziyu Lin , Quan Zou
Published: May 2013

The microblog has become a new global hot spot. Information retrieval (IR) technologies are necessary for accessing the massive amounts of valuable user-generated contents in the microblog sphere. The challenge in searching relevant microblogs is that they are usually very short with sparse vocabulary and may fail to match queries. Pseudo-relevance feedback (PRF) via query-expansion has been proven in previous studies to successfully increase the number of matches in IR. However, a critical problem of PRF is that the pseudo-relevant feedback may not be truly relevant, and thus may introduce noise to query expansion. In this paper, we exploit the dynamic nature of microblogs to address this problem. We first present a novel dynamic PRF technique, which is capable of expanding queries with truly relevant keywords by extracting representative terms based on the query’s temporal profile. Next we present query expansion from external knowledge sources based on negative and positive feedbacks. We further consider that the choice of PRF strategy is query-dependent. A two-level microblog search framework is presented. At the high level, a temporal profile is constructed and categorized for each query; at the low level, hybrid PRF query expansion combining dynamic and external PRF is adopted based on the query category. Experiments on a real data set demonstrate that the proposed method significantly increases the performance of microblog searching, compared with several traditional retrieval models, various query expansion methods and state-of-art recency-based models for microblog searching.
References-enriched Concept Map: a tool for collecting and comparing disparate definitions appearing in multiple references
Authors: Rodriguez-Priego Emilio , García-Izquierdo Francisco J. , Rubio Ángel Luis
Published: May 2013

Finding and sharing a common vocabulary is a critical task for the development of any area of knowledge. However, it is very common to find heated debate in the literature on the meaning of particular terms. Different authors propose different definitions, some of them even contradictory. This situation, while enriching the scientific process, may hinder the understanding of fundamental concepts regarding a certain subject. To address this problem, we propose a technique called References-enriched Concept Maps (RCM), inspired by concept maps. RCM can be used to compare definitions and therefore improve the understanding of terms, keeping track of the publications in which the different definitions were proposed. We present a method of RCM construction as well as different metrics for analysing them. An analysis carried out using the proposed metrics allows one to find answers while also raising new questions about the discussed concepts.
Mutation Spectra of Kras and Tp53 in Urethral and Lung Neoplasms in B6C3F1 Mice Treated with 3,3′,4,4′-Tetrachloroazobenzene
Authors: Bhusari Sachin , Malarkey David E. , Hong Hue-Hua , Wang Yu , Masinde Tiwanda , Nolan Michael , Hooth Michelle J. , Lea Isabel A. , Vasconcelos Daphne , Sills Robert C. , Hoenerhoff Mark J.
Published: May 2013

3,3′,4,4′-tetrachloroazobenzene (TCAB) is a contaminant formed during manufacture of various herbicide compounds. A recent National Toxicology Program study showed B6C3F1 mice exposed to TCAB developed a treatment-related increase in lung carcinomas in the high-dose group, and urethral carcinomas, an extremely rare lesion in rodents, in all dose groups. As the potential for environmental exposure to TCAB is widespread, and the mechanisms of urethral carcinogenesis are unknown, TCAB-induced urethral and pulmonary tumors were evaluated for alterations in critical human cancer genes, Kras and Tp53. Uroplakin III, CK20, and CK7 immunohistochemistry was performed to confirm the urothelial origin of urethral tumors. TCAB-induced urethral carcinomas harbored transforming point mutations in K-ras (38%) and Tp53 (63%), and 71% displayed nuclear TP53 expression, consistent with formation of mutant protein. Transition mutations accounted for 88% of Tp53 mutations in urethral carcinomas, suggesting that TCAB or its metabolites target guanine or cytosine bases and that these mutations are involved in urethral carcinogenesis. Pulmonary carcinomas in TCAB-exposed animals harbored similar rates of Tp53 (55%) and Kras (36%) mutations as urethral carcinomas, suggesting that TCAB may induce mutations at multiple sites by a common mechanism. In conclusion, TCAB is carcinogenic at multiple sites in male and female B6C3F1 mice through mechanisms involving Tp53 and Kras mutation.
Autologous Fat Injection Combined with Palatoplasty and Pharyngoplasty for Velopharyngeal Insufficiency and Cleft Palate: Preliminary Experience
Authors: Cao Yimei , Ma Tingting , Wu Di , Yin Ningbei , Zhao Zhenmin
Published: May 2013

Objective

The aim was to evaluate clinical application of autologous fat transplantation in the posterior pharynx to treat velopharyngeal incompetence and cleft palate.

Study Design

Case series with chart review.

Setting

Cleft Lip and Palate Center of Plastic Surgery Hospital, an academic medical center.

Subjects and Methods

We studied 11 patients (age, 5‐26 years) with a cleft palate and velopharyngeal insufficiency who underwent autologous fat injection. Patients were followed for 9 to 40 months. Pronunciation evaluation, visual appearance of the palatopharyngeal area, nasopharyngeal fibroscopy (NPF), palatopharyngeal lateral radiography, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were undertaken before and after the operation.

Results

Speech intelligibility was markedly increased in all patients. Pronunciation was good to excellent compared with the preoperative level (P=. 001). Mean velopharyngeal insufficiency rate was significantly reduced from 26.05% to 6.96% (P=. 028) by NPF and from 26.42% to 7.11% (P=. 017) by MRI (axial plane). Magnetic resonance imaging indicated significantly reduced mean minimum velopharyngeal distance, from 10.39 to 3.65 mm (P=. 012) in the sagittal plane, and markedly increased thickness of transplanted fat in the posterior pharyngeal wall (sagittal, 5.43 mm; axial, 4.74 mm). There were few complications (sleep apnea, nasopharyngeal regurgitation).

Conclusion

Autologous fat transplantation in the posterior pharyngeal wall was a good method for treating velopharyngeal incompetence. The safety profile was good in our sample, and we got a consistent result in the follow‐up period. In addition, it also could be combined with routine surgery.
Conflict of Interest Reporting in Otolaryngology Clinical Practice Guidelines
Authors: Sun Gordon H.
Published: May 2013

Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) have become increasingly important in recent years due to an increasing emphasis on evidence‐based practice, as well as serious discussions in academic, medical, and legal circles about their possible role in measuring physician performance, setting provider reimbursement strategy, and establishing protection from litigation in the future. At the same time, CPGs are costly to develop. Thus, as CPGs gain influence in medical practice, it will become essential that CPGs are developed using trustworthy standards and that the authors of CPGs are not being unduly influenced by financial pressures from external stakeholders. Since 2004, the 9 CPGs sponsored by the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Foundation have been developed with full disclosure and appropriate management of potential financial conflicts of interest. This commentary discusses the potential for conflict of interest in otolaryngology CPGs and how the otolaryngology guideline development process can serve as a model for other professional medical organizations.
A reflective conversation with Terry Friedrichs on teaching academics to gifted students with Asperger Syndrome
Authors: Friedrichs Terence Paul , Shaughnessy Michael F
Published: May 2013

In this reflective interview with Terry Friedrichs—a hands-on academic-learning specialist and researcher with gifted students with Asperger Syndrome—he defines these pupils, describes their “straightforward” and confusing traits, and recounts his initial and later instructional experiences with them over several decades. The piece proceeds to explain, for educators and parents, specific scholastic assets and challenges that high-potential young people with Asperger Syndrome may present within their hallmark definitional categories of social development, restrictive interests, and communication skills. The article also describes other frequently seen challenges for, and strengths of, these students in sensory and cognitive functioning. The interview closes with overall considerations for the contemporary schooling of these twice-exceptional pupils, and with the author's views on future educational possibilities for them.
A Reflective Conversation with Deborah Ruf, President of TalentIgniter, USA
Authors: Shaughnessy Michael F , Ruf Deborah
Published: May 2013

This article is an interview with award-winning author and gifted children consultant, Deborah Ruf, PhD. In the interview, Ruf emphasizes the importance of parental planning for gifted children's growth and development. She speaks to children's social, emotional, and cognitive abilities and needs as factors in developing a balanced plan. She explains IQ tests and what they mean, discusses the role of mentors, access to true peers, and the importance of the arts and experiences outside of the classroom to augment children's development. Ruf explains that the pace and depth of daily learning experiences need to be matched to the child's ability and interests. She talks of her personal experience as a parent and teacher which guided her professional development and formed her perspectives. Ruf tells parents how to notice children's reactions to their experiences and provides parenting tips on how to use this information to provide appropriate support and guidance. She discusses her book, 5 Levels of Gifted: School Issues and Educational Options, her consultancy, Educational Options, her online business, Talent Igniter, and suggests additional references for parents.
BBC Arabic, Social Media and Citizen Production: An Experiment in Digital Democracy before the Arab Spring
Authors: Gillespie Marie
Published: May 2013

This article examines an innovative experiment in democratizing international broadcasting through embracing a participatory model of production. In spring 2010, a political debate television series was co-created by BBC Arabic and citizen producers, using social media tools. Based around interviews with prominent political and controversial public figures, the programme (G710) was broadcast weekly on satellite TV across the Middle East and the Arabic-speaking world. Combining collaborative ethnography with corporate ‘big data’ analysis, the research team followed the experiment from conception to premature closure. The article argues that the kinds of digital tools deployed in producing the programme, and used by BBC audience research to monitor user practices in real time, have become essential to corporate processes of BBC World Service governance and management procedures, business strategy, accountability measures, marketing practices and editorial decision-making. They act as change agents, presenting methodological problems and opportunities for the BBC’s audience researchers and academic researchers, as well as symbolizing the contradictory logic of empowerment and surveillance.
SSRIs and the female brain – potential for utilizing steroid-stimulating properties to treat menstrual cycle-linked dysphorias
Authors: Lovick Thelma
Published: May 2013

One unexpected property of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors is their ability, at doses well below those that effect 5-HT systems, to raise brain concentrations of neuroactive steroids such as the progesterone metabolite allopregnanolone. In women, rapid withdrawal from allopregnanolone when progesterone secretion drops sharply in the late luteal phase precipitates menstrual cycle-linked disorders such as premenstrual syndrome and catamenial epilepsy. Short-term, low-dose fluoxetine during the late luteal phase has the potential to prevent the development of such disorders, by raising brain allopregnanolone concentration. In female rats, withdrawal from allopregnanolone, as ovarian progesterone secretion falls rapidly in the late diestrus phase (similar to late luteal phase in women), induces upregulation of extrasynaptic GABAA receptors on GABAergic neurons in brain regions involved in mediating anxiety-like behaviors. The functional consequence of this receptor plasticity is disinhibition of principal neurons, hyperexcitable neuronal circuitry and increased behavioral responsiveness to anxiogenic stress. These withdrawal responses were prevented by short-term treatment with fluoxetine during the late diestrus phase, which raised brain allopregnanolone concentration, so blunting the rapid physiological fall. The steroid-stimulating properties of fluoxetine offer untapped opportunities for developing new treatments for menstrual cycle-linked disorders in women, which are precipitated by abrupt falls in brain concentration of allopregnanolone.
From Galaxies to Universe
Authors: Van der Wal Zeger , Nabatchi Tina , de Graaf Gjalt
Published: May 2013

The study of public values (PVs) is generating growing interest in public administration and public management, yet many challenges and unanswered questions remain. For the study of PVs to progress, we need to go beyond the traditional boundaries of public administration and management, to explore how and why scholars in different disciplines use the concept, and how and where approaches to the concept differ and overlap. This article represents the first step in that effort. Specifically, the article uses a meta-analysis of 397 PVs publications from across 18 disciplines to generate a preliminary map of the PVs research terrain. Our findings show an increasing number of PVs publications over the decades, but with particular growth since 2000. Moreover, although PVs research is flourishing in public administration, it appears to be subsiding in other disciplines. Implications of these and other findings are discussed.
Impact of adaptive iterative dose reduction (AIDR) 3D on low-dose abdominal CT: comparison with routine-dose CT using filtered back projection
Authors: Matsuki Mitsuru , Murakami Takamichi , Juri Hiroshi , Yoshikawa Shushi , Narumi Yoshifumi
Published: May 2013

Background

While CT is widely used in medical practice, a substantial source of radiation exposure is associated with an increased lifetime risk of cancer. Therefore, concerns to dose reduction in CT examinations are increasing and an iterative reconstruction algorithm, which allow for dose reduction by compensating image noise in the image reconstruction, has been developed.

Purpose

To investigate the performance of low-dose abdominal CT using adaptive iterative dose reduction 3D (AIDR 3D) compared to routine-dose CT using filtered back projection (FBP).

Material and Methods

Fifty-eight patients underwent both routine-dose CT scans using FBP and low-dose CT scans using AIDR 3D in the abdomen. The image noise levels, signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs), and contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs) of the aorta, portal vein, liver, and pancreas were measured and compared in both scans. Visual evaluations were performed. The volume CT dose index (CTDIvol) was measured.

Results

Image noise levels on low-dose CT images using AIDR 3D were significantly lower than, or not significantly different from, routine-dose CT images using FBP in reviewing the data on the basis of all patients and the three BMI groups. SNRs and CNRs on low-dose CT images using AIDR 3D were significantly higher than, or not significantly different from, routine-dose CT images using FBP in reviewing the data on the basis of all patients and the three BMI groups. In visual evaluation of the images, there were no statistically significant differences between the scans in all organs independently of BMI. The average CTDIvol at routine-dose and low dose CT was 21.4 and 10.8 mGy, respectively.

Conclusion

Low-dose abdominal CT using AIDR 3D allows for approximately 50% reduction in radiation dose without a degradation of image quality compared to routine-dose CT using FBP independently of BMI.
A novel needle guide system to perform percutaneous laser ablation of liver tumors using the multifiber technique
Authors: Di Costanzo Giovan Giuseppe , D'Adamo Giuseppe , Tortora Raffaella , Zanfardino Filomena , Mattera Silvana , Francica Giampiero , Pacella Claudio Maurizio
Published: May 2013

Background

Previous studies have shown that laser ablation with the multifiber technique is effective in the treatment of liver tumors. However, the correct positioning of multiple needles may be challenging.

Purpose

To investigate the use of a novel needle guide system that was developed to perform percutaneous laser ablation of liver tumors with the multifiber technique under ultrasonographic guidance.

Material and Methods

Between February 2009 and June 2011, 116 patients (104 hepatocellular carcinomas and 12 metastases) with 127 liver nodules (median diameter, 3.0 cm; range, 1.5–6.0) were treated. Nineteen nodules were in high-risk locations. A needle guide with separate channels to insert two needles in a parallel position and at a prefixed distance was used.

Results

Needles were positioned inside the target nodule easily and quickly, and correct spacing (1.5–1.8 cm) between light sources was immediately achieved. Complete tumor ablation was achieved in a single session in 112 (88.2%) lesions. In nodules ≤3.0 cm and >3.0 cm in size, ablation was complete in 93.6% and 79.6% of cases, respectively. Of note, complete ablation was achieved in 91.7% of nodules up to 5.0 cm.

Conclusion

With the new guidance system, needles could be inserted in parallel fashion, which facilitated positioning the needles in geometrical configurations to maximize the ablative effect. Worthy of note, the complete ablation rate in nodules >3.0 cm using the new guide system was higher than what has been reported in the literature so far.