bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interpretation and use of BVA/KC hip scores in dogs
Authors: Dennis Ruth
Published: April 2012

Hip dysplasia is a potentially debilitating orthopaedic disease in which laxity of the coxofemoral joint often leads to secondary osteoarthritis, a reduction in joint function and pain. It has been recognised for many years as being of particular importance in pedigree dogs, especially in larger breeds, and is known to be partly governed by genetic factors. In order to try to control canine hip dysplasia and to reduce its incidence, a number of radiographic screening programmes have been developed worldwide. In 1983, a scheme was established by the British Veterinary Association and supported by the Kennel Club to examine radiographs of dogs' hips by assessing different anatomical features and giving them a numerical score. This article describes the process of scoring in this scheme, explains how to interpret the score and gives advice on the use of hip scores in the selection of breeding animals.
SYNTHESIS, STRUCTURAL, OPTICAL AND ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES OF IN-SITU SYNTHESIZED POLYANILINE/SILVER NANOCOMPOSITES
Authors: ALAM FAHAD , ANSARI SAJID ALI , KHAN WASI , EHTISHAM KHAN M. , NAQVI A. H.
Published: April 2012

Polyaniline (PANI) is recognized as one of the most important conducting polymers due to its high conductivity and good stability. In this paper, polyaniline/silver (PANI/Ag) nanocomposites were synthesized by in-situ polymerization of aniline using ammonium peroxydisulphate (APS) as oxidizing agent with varying concentration of Ag nanoparticles colloids (0 ml, 25 ml and 50 ml). Silver nanoparticles were synthesized separately in colloidal form from silver nitrate (Ag2NO3) with the help of reducing agent sodium borohydride (NaBH4). The PANI/ Ag nanocomposites were characterized by XRD, SEM, AFM, UV-visible, temperature dependent resistivity and dielectric measurements. All samples show a single phase nature of the nanoparticles. The electrical resistivity as function of temperature was measured in the temperature range 298–383 K, which indicates a semiconducting to metallic transition at 373 K and 368 K for 25 ml and 50 ml silver colloid samples, respectively.
Naturally occurring hypothermia is more advantageous than fever in severe forms of lipopolysaccharide- and Escherichia coli-induced systemic inflammation
Authors: Liu Elaine , Lewis Kevin , Al-Saffar Hiba , Krall Catherine M. , Singh Anju , Kulchitsky Vladimir A. , Corrigan Joshua J. , Simons Christopher T. , Petersen Scott R. , Musteata Florin M. , Bakshi Chandra S. , Romanovsky Andrej A. , Sellati Timothy J. , Steiner Alexandre A.
Published: April 2012

The natural switch from fever to hypothermia observed in the most severe cases of systemic inflammation is a phenomenon that continues to puzzle clinicians and scientists. The present study was the first to evaluate in direct experiments how the development of hypothermia vs. fever during severe forms of systemic inflammation impacts the pathophysiology of this malady and mortality rates in rats. Following administration of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 5 or 18 mg/kg) or of a clinical Escherichia coli isolate (5 × 109or 1 × 1010CFU/kg), hypothermia developed in rats exposed to a mildly cool environment, but not in rats exposed to a warm environment; only fever was revealed in the warm environment. Development of hypothermia instead of fever suppressed endotoxemia in E. coli -infected rats, but not in LPS-injected rats. The infiltration of the lungs by neutrophils was similarly suppressed in E. coli -infected rats of the hypothermic group. These potentially beneficial effects came with costs, as hypothermia increased bacterial burden in the liver. Furthermore, the hypotensive responses to LPS or E. coli were exaggerated in rats of the hypothermic group. This exaggeration, however, occurred independently of changes in inflammatory cytokines and prostaglandins. Despite possible costs, development of hypothermia lessened abdominal organ dysfunction and reduced overall mortality rates in both the E. coli and LPS models. By demonstrating that naturally occurring hypothermia is more advantageous than fever in severe forms of aseptic (LPS-induced) or septic ( E. coli -induced) systemic inflammation, this study provides new grounds for the management of this deadly condition.
Vascular function in rats with adenine-induced chronic renal failure
Authors: Nguy Lisa , Nilsson Holger , Lundgren Jaana , Johansson Maria E. , Teerlink Tom , Scheffer Peter G. , Guron Gregor
Published: April 2012

The aim of the present study was to characterize the function of resistance arteries, and the aorta, in rats with adenine-induced chronic renal failure (A-CRF). Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized to chow with or without adenine supplementation. After 6–10 wk, mesenteric arteries and thoracic aortas were analyzed ex vivo by wire myography. Plasma creatinine concentrations were elevated twofold at 2 wk, and eight-fold at the time of death in A-CRF animals. Ambulatory systolic and diastolic blood pressures measured by radiotelemetry were significantly elevated in A-CRF animals from week 3 and onward. At death, A-CRF animals had anemia, hyperphosphatemia, hyperparathyroidism, and elevated plasma levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine and oxidative stress markers. There were no significant differences between groups in the sensitivity, or maximal response, to ACh, sodium nitroprusside (SNP), norepinephrine, or phenylephrine in either mesenteric arteries or aortas. However, in A-CRF animals, the rate of aortic relaxation was significantly reduced following washout of KCl (both in intact and endothelium-denuded aorta) and in response to ACh and SNP. Also the rate of contraction in response to KCl was significantly reduced in A-CRF animals both in mesenteric arteries and aortas. The media of A-CRF aortas was thickened and showed focal areas of fragmented elastic lamellae and disorganized smooth muscle cells. No vascular calcifications could be detected. These results indicate that severe renal failure for a duration of less than 10 wk in this model primarily affects the aorta and mainly slows the rate of relaxation.
Adverse effects of α-ketoglutarate/malate in a rat model of acute kidney injury
Authors: Bienholz Anja , Petrat Frank , Wenzel Patricia , Ickerott Philipp , Weinberg Joel M. , Witzke Oliver , Kribben Andreas , de Groot Herbert , Feldkamp Thorsten
Published: April 2012

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is the most common kidney disease in hospitalized patients with high mortality. Ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) is one of the major causes of AKI. The combination of α-ketoglutarate+malate (αKG/MAL) showed the ability to reduce hypoxia-induced damage to isolated proximal tubules. The present study utilizes a rat model of I/R-induced AKI accompanied by intensive biomonitoring to examine whether αKG/MAL provides protection in vivo. AKI was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats by bilateral renal clamping (40 min) followed by reperfusion (240 min). αKG/MAL was infused continuously for 60 min before and 45 min after ischemia. Normoxic and I/R control groups received 0.9% NaCl solution. The effect of αKG/MAL was evaluated by biomonitoring, blood and plasma parameters, histopathology, and immunohistochemical staining for kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), as well as by determination of tissue ATP and nonesterified fatty acid concentrations. Intravenous infusion of αKG/MAL at a cumulative dose of 1 mmol/kg each (146 mg/kg αKG and 134 mg/kg MAL) did not prevent I/R-induced increases in plasma creatinine, histopathological alterations, or cortical ATP depletion. On the contrary, the most notable adverse affect in animals receiving αKG/MAL was the decrease in mean arterial blood pressure, which was also accompanied by a reduction in heart rate. Supplementation with αKG/MAL, which is very protective against hypoxia-induced injury in isolated proximal tubules, does not protect against I/R-induced renal injury in vivo, possibly due to cardiovascular depressive effects.
Friction-based stabilization of juxtacellular recordings in freely moving rats
Authors: Herfst Lucas , Burgalossi Andrea , Haskic Kurt , Tukker John J. , Schmidt Martin , Brecht Michael
Published: April 2012

Virtually nothing is known about the activity of morphologically identified neurons in freely moving mammals. Here we describe stabilization and positioning techniques that allow juxtacellular recordings from labeled single neurons in awake, freely moving animals. This method involves the use of a friction-based device that allows stabilization of the recording pipette by friction forces. Friction is generated by a clamplike mechanism that tightens a sliding pipette holder to a preimplanted pipette guide. The interacting surfaces are smoothed to optical quality (<5-nm roughness) to enable micrometer stepping precision of the device during operation. Our method allows recordings from identified neurons in freely moving animals, and thus opens new perspectives for analyzing the role of identified neurons in the control of behavior.
Faulty Suppression of Irrelevant Material in Patients with Thought Disorder Linked to Attenuated Frontotemporal Activation
Authors: Arcuri S. M. , Broome M. R. , Giampietro V. , Amaro E. , Kircher T. T. J. , Williams S. C. R. , Andrew C. M. , Brammer M. , Morris R. G. , McGuire P. K.
Published: April 2012

Formal thought disorder is a feature schizophrenia that manifests as disorganized, incoherent speech, and is associated with a poor clinical outcome. The neurocognitive basis of this symptom is unclear but it is thought to involve an impairment in semantic processing classically described as a loosening of meaningful associations. Using a paradigm derived from the n400 event-related, potential, we examined the extent to which regional activation during semantic processing is altered in schizophrenic patients with formal thought disorder. Ten healthy control and 18 schizophrenic participants (9 with and 9 without formal thought disorder) performed a semantic decision sentence task during an event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment. We employed analysis of variance to estimate the main effects of semantic congruency and groups on activation and specific effects of formal thought disorder were addressed using post-hoc comparisons. We found that the frontotemporal network, normally engaged by a semantic decision task, was underactivated in schizophrenia, particularly in patients with FTD. This network is implicated in the inhibition of automatically primed stimuli and impairment of its function interferes with language processing and contributes to the production of incoherent speech.
Incretin Effect in Women with Former Gestational Diabetes within a Short Period after Delivery
Authors: Pacini G. , Tura A. , Winhofer Y. , Kautzky-Willer A.
Published: April 2012

Background and Aims. Women with former gestational diabetes (fGDM) are characterized by impaired beta-cell function (BC). Incretin hormones contribute to insulin secretion after oral administration of glucose. We aimed to assess the possible role of incretins on altered insulin release in fGDM.Materials and Methods. We studied 104 fGDM women within 6 months after delivery and 35 healthy women after normal pregnancy (CNT) with a 75 g oral (OGTT) and a 0.33 g/kg intravenous (IVGTT) glucose test, both lasting 3 h. The ratio of suprabasal areas under the concentration curves for glucose (dAUCGL) and C-peptide (dAUCCP) evaluated BC during OGTT (BCOG) and IVGTT (BCIV). Incretin effect was computed in all fGDM and in fGDM with normal tolerance (fGDMNGT) and with impaired glucose regulation (fGDMIGR).Results.dAUCGLof fGDM was higher (P<0.0001) than CNT for both tests; whiledAUCCPwere not different.BCOGandBCIVwere lower in fGDM versus CNT (1.42±0.17nmolCP/mmolGLUCversus2.53±0.61,P=0.015and0.41±0.03versus0.68±0.10,P=0.0006, respectively). IE in CNT (66±4 %) was not different from that of all fGDM (59±3) andfGDMNGT(60±3), but higher than that offGDMIGR(52±6;P=0.03). IE normalized to BMI was2.77±0.19 % m2/kg in CNT, higher than that offGDMIGR(1.75±0.21;P=0.02) and also offGDMNGT  (2.33±0.11;P=0.038).Conclusion. Compromised IE characterizesfGDMIGR. In both fGDM categories, regardless their glucose tolerance, IE normalized to BMI was reduced, signifying an intrinsic characteristic of fGDM. Therefore, the diminished IE of fGDM seems to reflect an early abnormality of the general beta-cell dysfunction in the progression toward type 2 diabetes.
High-Velocity Impact Behaviour of Prestressed Composite Plates under Bird Strike Loading
Authors: Heimbs Sebastian , Bergmann Tim
Published: April 2012

An experimental and numerical analysis of the response of laminated composite plates under high-velocity impact loads of soft body gelatine projectiles (artificial birds) is presented. The plates are exposed to tensile and compressive preloads before impact in order to cover realistic loading conditions of representative aeronautic structures under foreign object impact. The modelling methodology for the composite material, delamination interfaces, impact projectile, and preload using the commercial finite element code Abaqus are presented in detail. Finally, the influence of prestress and of different delamination modelling approaches on the impact response is discussed and a comparison to experimental test data is given. Tensile and compressive preloading was found to have an influence on the damage pattern. Although this general behaviour could be predicted well by the simulations, further numerical challenges for improved bird strike simulation accuracy are highlighted.
Are Expert Patients an Untapped Resource for ART Provision in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Authors: Decroo Tom , Van Damme Wim , Kegels Guy , Remartinez Daniel , Rasschaert Freya
Published: April 2012

Since the introduction of antiretroviral treatment, HIV/AIDS can be framed as a chronic lifelong condition, requiring lifelong adherence to medication. Reinforcement of self-management through information, acquisition of problem solving skills, motivation, and peer support is expected to allow PLWHA to become involved as expert patients in the care management and to decrease the dependency on scarce skilled medical staff. We developed a conceptual framework to analyse how PLWHA can become expert patients and performed a literature review on involvement of PLWHA as expert patients in ART provision in Sub-Saharan Africa. This paper revealed two published examples: one on trained PLWHA in Kenya and another on self-formed peer groups in Mozambique. Both programs fit the concept of the expert patient and describe how community-embedded ART programs can be effective and improve the accessibility and affordability of ART. Using their day-to-day experience of living with HIV, expert patients are able to provide better fitting solutions to practical and psychosocial barriers to adherence. There is a need for careful design of models in which expert patients are involved in essential care functions, capacitated, and empowered to manage their condition and support fellow peers, as an untapped resource to control HIV/AIDS.
Constrained Wiki: The WikiWay to Validating Content
Authors: Di Iorio Angelo , Draicchio Francesco , Vitali Fabio , Zacchiroli Stefano
Published: April 2012

The “WikiWay” is the open editing philosophy of wikis meant to foster open collaboration and continuous improvement of their content. Just like other online communities, wikis often introduce and enforce conventions, constraints, and rules for their content, but do so in a considerably softer way, expecting authors to deliver content that satisfies the conventions and the constraints, or, failing that, having volunteers of the community, the WikiGnomes, fix others' content accordingly. Constrained wikis is our generic framework for wikis to implement validators of community-specific constraints and conventions that preserve the WikiWay and their open collaboration features. To this end, specific requirements need to be observed by validators and a specific software architecture can be used for their implementation, that is, as independent functions (implemented as internal modules or external services) used in a nonintrusive way. Two separate proof-of-concept validators have been implemented for MediaWiki and MoinMoin, respectively, providing an annotated view functions, that is, presenting content authors with violation warnings, rather than preventing them from saving a noncompliant text.
Molecular Pathways: Old Drugs Define New Pathways: Non-Histone Acetylation at the Crossroads of the DNA Damage Response and Autophagy
Authors: Botrugno Oronza Antonietta , Robert Thomas , Vanoli Fabio , Foiani Marco , Minucci Saverio
Published: April 2012

Histone deacetylases (HDAC) modulate acetylation and the function of histone and non-histone proteins. HDAC inhibitors have been developed to block the aberrant action of HDACs in cancer, and several are in clinical use (vorinostat, romidepsin, and valproic acid). Detailed understanding of their action is lacking, however, and their clinical activity is limited in most cases. Recently, HDACs have been involved in the control of the DNA damage response (DDR) at several levels and in directly regulating the acetylation of a number of DDR proteins (including CtIP and Exo1). Mechanistically, acetylation leads to the degradation of double-strand break repair enzymes through autophagy, providing a novel, direct link between DDR and autophagy. These observations, obtained in yeast cells, should now be translated to mammalian model systems and cancer cells to reveal whether this acetylation link is maintained in mammals, and if and how it is deregulated in cancer. In addition to HDACs, DDR and autophagy have been addressed pharmacologically, suggesting that the acetylation link, if involved in cancer, can be exploited for the design of new anticancer treatments. Clin Cancer Res; 18(9); 2436–42. ©2012 AACR.
Troponin for the Estimation of Infarct Size: What Have We Learned?
Authors: Hallén Jonas
Published: April 2012

In acute myocardial infarction (AMI), the extent of myocardial damage is closely linked to prognosis. Early determination of infarct size is therefore key to assessing the future risk of patients and instructive for optimization of therapeutic strategies. The cardiac troponins, by allowing the physician to track the extent of injury suffered by the myocardium, provide a window into the heart. This article addresses the relationship between the cardiac troponins and the infarct size in AMI. Taken together, the data suggest that the cardiac troponins provide very useful information in this respect and especially in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction. More studies are needed to understand how cardiac troponin-estimated infarct size may be integrated with other prognostic assessments and employed systematically in risk stratification. Early data are promising and indicate that cardiac troponins could provide useful information for early risk assessment that is complementary to the determination of cardiac function and volumes.
Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Treatment for Retinal Vein Occlusions
Authors: Campochiaro Peter A.
Published: April 2012

Retinal vein occlusion (RVO) encompasses two conditions: central RVO, in which the major outflow vessel of the retina is obstructed, and branch RVO, in which a proximal branch of the central retinal vein is obstructed. In both conditions, there is increased intraluminal and interstitial pressure throughout the retina drained by the obstructed vessels, resulting in reduced arterial perfusion, which is exacerbated by preexistent arterial insufficiency, and in variable amounts of retinal ischemia. Retinal ischemia causes increased production of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which causes vascular leakage and macular edema. High levels of VEGF also promote retinal hemorrhages and exacerbate capillary nonperfusion. Intraocular injections of a VEGF-binding protein reduce vascular leakage, resulting in improvement in macular edema, accelerate resorption of retinal hemorrhages, and prevent worsening of capillary nonperfusion. The ideal regimen has not been defined, but it appears that monthly injections early in the course control edema and may help to limit disease severity in a large percentage of patients. Over time, treatment should be individualized based upon timing and severity of recurrent edema and/or progression of nonperfusion. The role of adjunctive treatments is yet to be defined, but it is clear that VEGF antagonists provide excellent first-line treatment that has dramatically improved visual outcomes in patients with RVO.
Mutans Streptococci and Lactobacilli Colonization in Predentate Children from the Neonatal Period to Seven Months of Age
Authors: Plonka K.A. , Pukallus M.L. , Barnett A.G. , Walsh L.J. , Holcombe T.H. , Seow W.K.
Published: April 2012

Background/Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the colonization of mutans streptococci (MS) and lactobacilli (LB) in predentate children from the neonatal period to 7 months. Methods: A total of 957 mother-and-child pairs were recruited from birth and followed up at 7 months. The 283 children who did not have erupted teeth at the second visit were included in the study. Oral mucosal swabs were taken, and the presence of MS and LB was determined using a commercial microbiological culture kit. Results: At mean ages of 34 days and 7 months, 9 and 11% of the infants, respectively, showed the presence of MS. In contrast, LB presence increased from 24 to 47% (p < 0.0001). MS presence in the neonatal period was associated with maternal MS counts of >105 CFU/ml (p = 0.05), while LB presence was associated with natural birth (p = 0.03) and maternal LB presence (p = 0.02). At 7 months, MS presence was associated with maternal MS counts (p = 0.02) and LB counts of >105 CFU/ml (p = 0.007). Additional predictors of MS presence at 7 months were a child’s MS counts of >105 CFU/ml at the neonatal visit (p = 0.019) and nighttime bottle feeding (p = 0.024). LB presence at 7 months was associated with maternal LB (p < 0.001) and MS presence (p = 0.02). Conclusions: MS and LB can be detected by culture in the oral cavity as early as 34 days after birth. Their infection rates increase to 11 and 47%, respectively, by the time the children reach the end of the predentate stage of oral development.
Influence of Family Structure on Dental Caries Experience of Preschool Children in Sri Lanka
Authors: Wellappuli N. , Amarasena N.
Published: April 2012

Background: The prevalence of dental caries in preschool children has not been declining in the recent past. A growing body of research suggests that social and behavioural factors may play a considerable role in the aetiology of dental caries. Aims: The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between the family structure and dental caries experience in preschool children. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in children aged 3–5 years in Wattala Divisional Secretariat area in Colombo district of Sri Lanka. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information from the parents on family structure including the size, birth rank, age spacing between the next oldest and youngest sibling and age of parent at birth of the subject. The dental caries status of the children was assessed using WHO standard criteria for primary teeth. Results: Family size, birth rank, age difference between the subject and next oldest sibling and parent’s age at birth of the subject were significantly associated with the dental caries experience of the preschool children at bivariate level. In a stepwise multiple linear regression analysis family size, birth rank and the parent’s age at birth of the child remained statistically significant. Conclusion: The present findings suggest that family structure might significantly affect the caries experience of preschool children.
Racial Differences in Outcomes of the Evaluation of Potential Live Kidney Donors: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Weng Francis L. , Dhillon Navdeep , Lin Yong , Mulgaonkar Shamkant , Patel Anup M.
Published: April 2012

Background: In the USA, the lower rate of live donor kidney transplant among Black transplant candidates may stem from lower rates of donation among potential live donors who are Black. We determined whether outcomes of the evaluation of potential live kidney donors varied according to the potential donors’ demographic characteristics. Methods: We performed a single-center, retrospective observational cohort study of 1,179 potential live kidney donors, who came forward between 2000 and 2007. Potential donors’ intended recipients were first-time transplant recipients who were evaluated between 2000 and 2005. Results: There were 268 (22.7%) potential live kidney donors who were Black, of whom 93.7% were recruited by Black transplant candidates. Donor outcomes included actual donation (38.3%), exclusion due to blood group or crossmatch incompatibility (20.4%), exclusion due to medical contraindication to donation (13.7%), and lack of further donor interest (11.2%). Black (vs. non-Black) potential donors were less likely to actually donate (27.2 vs. 41.6%, p < 0.001). Black potential donors were more likely to stop pursuing live donation (p = 0.047) or be excluded from donation for medical reasons (p = 0.008) or blood group or crossmatch incompatibility (p = 0.01). These racial differences persisted in a multivariable multinomial logistic regression model of factors associated with outcomes of the donor evaluation. Conclusions: Potential live kidney donors who are Black are less likely to actually donate. Future studies should determine whether paired exchange and desensitization programs decrease these racial differences and why Black potential donors appear more likely to stop pursuing live donation.
Towards an Animal Model of Food Addiction
Authors: de Jong Johannes W. , Vanderschuren Louk J.M.J. , Adan Roger A.H.
Published: April 2012

The dramatically increasing prevalence of obesity, associated with potentially life-threatening health problems, including cardiovascular diseases and type II diabetes, poses an enormous public health problem. It has been proposed that the obesity epidemic can be explained by the concept of ‘food addiction’. In this review we focus on possible similarities between binge eating disorder (BED), which is highly prevalent in the obese population, and drug addiction. Indeed, both behavioral and neural similarities between addiction and BED have been demonstrated. Behavioral similarities are reflected in the overlap in DSM-IV criteria for drug addiction with the (suggested) criteria for BED and by food addiction-like behavior in animals after prolonged intermittent access to palatable food. Neural similarities include the overlap in brain regions involved in food and drug craving. Decreased dopamine D2 receptor availability in the striatum has been found in animal models of binge eating, after cocaine self-administration in animals as well as in drug addiction and obesity in humans. To further explore the neurobiological basis of food addiction, it is essential to have an animal model to test the addictive potential of palatable food. A recently developed animal model for drug addiction involves three behavioral characteristics that are based on the DSM-IV criteria: i) extremely high motivation to obtain the drug, ii) difficulty in limiting drug seeking even in periods of explicit non-availability, iii) continuation of drug-seeking despite negative consequences. Indeed, it has been shown that a subgroup of rats, after prolonged cocaine self-administration, scores positive on these three criteria. If food possesses addictive properties, then food-addicted rats should also meet these criteria while searching for and consuming food. In this review we discuss evidence from literature regarding food addiction-like behavior. We also suggest future experiments that could further contribute to our understanding of behavioral and neural commonalities and differences between obesity and drug addiction.
What was Contemporary Art?
Authors: Esanu Octavian
Published: April 2012

This article contributes to a recent debate around the question “What Is Contemporary Art?” It brings into discussion certain key aspects of the activities of the Soros Centers for Contemporary Art (SCCA)—a network of contemporary art centers established by the Open Society Institute in Eastern Europe during the 1990s. The author draws upon distinctions between this new type of art institution and the Union of Artists (the organizations which represented the interests of artists under socialism), highlighting distinct artistic, aesthetic and economic characteristics of each institutional model.
Disintegrating Progress: Bolshevism, National Modernism, and the Emergence of Contemporary Art Practices in Armenia
Authors: Azatyan Vardan
Published: April 2012

This article provides a genealogy of the emergence of contemporary art practices in Armenia, arguing that the very history of emersion of these practices can be seen as a complex process of disintegration of the Bolshevik political project, particularly its agenda to base art on a subtle dialectical reconciliation between the nation and the class. After this dialectic was brutally instrumentalized by Stalinist Socialist Realism, it was attacked by the National Modernists during Khrushchev's Thaw. Later, in 1970s, from within the National Modernism itself, the first tendencies of contemporary art practices emerged. They began to challenge the conventional notions of artistic practice along the lines of a conception of art as a performative practice of liberatory subjectivization. This marked the point of the ultimate disintegration of both triumphant and tragic Bolshevik project that became a haunting specter of post-Soviet contexts.
Satzspaltung im Avestischen und Altpersischen (mit einem Ausblick auf das Mittelpersische)
Authors: Widmer Paul
Published: April 2012

This paper investigates the formal and functional properties of cleft sentences in Avestan and Old Persian, a construction whose existence has not been recognised in these languages hitherto. In Avestan, cleft sentences mainly function as focussing device, whereas in Old Persian, their principal function consists in the structuring of information on a text level. It is, furthermore, pointed to the fact that the usage of cleft sentences increases considerably in Middle Persian where this construction developed a much wider range of formal and functional properties as compared to the older stages of Iranian.
On the Difference Between a Pupil and a Historian of Ideas
Authors: Green Jeffrey Edward
Published: April 2012

Abstract

This essay takes up the fundamental question of the proper place of history in the study of political thought through critical engagement with Mark Bevir’s seminal work, The Logic of the History of Ideas. While I accept the claim of Bevir, as well as of other exponents of the so-called “Cambridge School,” that there is a conceptual difference between historical and non-historical modes of reading past works of political philosophy, I resist the suggestion that this conceptual differentiation itself justifies the specialization, among practicing intellectuals, between historians of ideas and others who read political-philosophical texts non-historically. Over and against the figure of the historian of ideas, who interprets political thought only in the manner of a historian, I defend the ideal of the pupil, who in studying past traditions of political thought also seeks to extend and modify them in light of contemporary problems and concerns. Against Bevir, I argue that the mixture of historical and non-historical modes of learning, in the manner of the pupil, need not do damage to the historian of ideas’ commitment to scholarship that is non-anachronistic, objective, and non-indeterminate.
The Paradoxes of Kozheozero
Authors: Kleimola A. M.
Published: April 2012

The Kozheozero Monastery of the Epiphany was founded by the monk Nifont in the mid-16th century. Located in the impenetrable swamps west of the Onega River, it was one of the most remote religious houses in the Russian North and should have remained small in size and insignificant in cultural history. Yet it came to exemplify the complex and seemingly contradictory character of Muscovite religious life in the 17th century, when it attracted about a hundred seekers after solitude to a wilderness community where they found wooden churches surrounded by huts but also a rich sacristy, an extensive library, and an icon collection that reflected the fashions of the capital. Thanks to the support of the new Romanov dynasty, the long residence of the noted ascetic Nikodim, the brief abbacy of the future Patriarch Nikon, and the Moscow connections of the community’s most well-known monk Bogolep L’vov, Kozheozero surprisingly grew into a significant literary and artistic center. The spread of Western cultural influence in court circles and major provincial centers has received considerable attention, but the achievements of Kozheozero demonstrate that the new trends also penetrated the most isolated areas of the Muscovite state.
“To Erect a Collonie of Scottish Subjects in Aney Pairt of America”: The Quest for a Scottish Colony in North America in the 1680s
Authors: Gingrich Kurt
Published: April 2012

In the 1680s Scots attempted to found new settlements within the colonies of Carolina and East Jersey. Though these efforts failed, they are important. The efforts of the 1680s were challenged by the fact that king Charles II of England and Scotland refused to grant new proprieties. Undaunted, Scots devised plans to establish autonomous settlements within Carolina and East Jersey, hoping to swamp the proprieties with new settlers and to sustain effective sovereignty of the settlements. To gain effective sovereignty, Scots tried to establish geographic exclusivity, economic viability, constitutional security, and some measure of political power. On the ground in East Jersey and Carolina, Scots tried to effect their plans.
A Successful Introduction of Authentic Research Early in an Undergraduate Atmospheric Science Program
Authors: Quardokus Kathleen , Lasher-Trapp Sonia , Riggs Eric M.
Published: April 2012

Participating in scientific research as an undergraduate student provides an opportunity to increase understanding of how scientific knowledge is advanced, to learn new research tools, to develop the ability to critically analyze new ideas, and to practice disseminating scientific findings. This experience unfortunately has traditionally been limited to students that can participate in select programs (e.g., summer research experiences, undergraduate positions in a faculty member's research group, special topics courses, independent study, or internships).

A new laboratory course has been developed to provide sophomore- level atmospheric science students with the opportunity to participate in an authentic research project within the structure of an academic semester. The course consists of two modules based upon research topics currently under investigation by faculty (here, specific problems in cloud microphysics and severe weather research). Students participate in learning activities, work as a research team, and formally present research findings. Phenomenological evaluation of the new course through interviews, surveys, and student performance assessments, using constant comparative analysis, suggests these students improve their ability to understand and perform authentic research. The students attribute their success to the “scaffolding” structure of the course, peer collaboration, and their own high level of enthusiasm. Results also imply that students gain some clarification of their career options.
Airborne Doppler Lidar Measurements of Valley Flows in Complex Coastal Terrain
Authors: De Wekker S. F. J. , Godwin K. S. , Emmitt G. D. , Greco S.
Published: April 2012

Three-dimensional winds obtained with an airborne Doppler lidar are used to investigate the spatial structure of topographically driven flows in complex coastal terrain in Southern California. The airborne Doppler lidar collected four hours of data between the surface and 3000 m MSL along a 40-km segment of the Salinas Valley during the afternoon of 12 November 2007. The airborne lidar measurements, obtained at horizontal and vertical resolutions of approximately 1500 and 50 m, respectively, reveal a detailed spatial structure of the atmospheric flows within the valley and their associated aerosol features. Clear skies prevailed on the flight day with northwesterly synoptic flows around 10 m s−1. The data document a shallow sea breeze making a transition into an upvalley flow in the Salinas Valley that accelerates in the upvalley direction. Along with the acceleration of the upvalley wind, the lidar data indicate the presence of enhanced sinking motions. No return flows associated with the sea-breeze or upvalley flows are observed. While synoptic flows are aligned along the valley axis in the upvalley direction, lidar data indicate the presence of a northerly cross-valley flow around the height of the surrounding ridges. This flow intrudes into the valley atmosphere and induces, along with thermally driven slope flows on the sunlit valley sidewall, a cross-valley circulation that causes an asymmetric distribution of the aerosols. This study demonstrates the large potential of airborne Doppler lidar data in describing flows in complex terrain.
Climate Model–Simulated Diurnal Cycles in HIRS Clear-Sky Brightness Temperatures
Authors: MacKenzie Ian A. , Tett Simon F. B. , Lindfors Anders V.
Published: April 2012

Clear-sky brightness temperature measurements from the High-Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS) are simulated with two climate models via a radiative transfer code. The models are sampled along the HIRS orbit paths to derive diurnal climatologies of simulated brightness temperature analogous to an existing climatology based on HIRS observations. Simulated and observed climatologies are compared to assess model performance and the robustness of the observed climatology.

Over land, there is good agreement between simulations and observations, with particularly high consistency for the tropospheric temperature channels. Diurnal cycles in the middle- and upper-tropospheric water vapor channels are weak in both simulations and observations, but the simulated diurnal brightness temperature ranges are smaller than are observed with different phase and there are also intermodel differences. Over sea, the absence of diurnal variability in the models’ sea surface temperatures causes an underestimate of the small diurnal cycles measured in the troposphere.

The simulated and observed climatologies imply similar diurnal sampling biases in the HIRS record for the tropospheric temperature channels, but for the upper-tropospheric water vapor channel, differences in the contributions of the 24- and 12-hourly diurnal harmonics lead to differences in the implied bias. Comparison of diurnal cycles derived from HIRS-like and full model sampling suggests that the HIRS measurements are sufficient to fully constrain the diurnal behavior.

Overall, the results suggest that recent climate models well represent the major processes driving the diurnal behavior of clear-sky brightness temperature in the HIRS channels. This encourages further studies of observed and simulated climate trends over the HIRS era.
Cross-Wavelet Bias Corrected by Normalizing Scales
Authors: Veleda Doris , Montagne Raul , Araujo Moacyr
Published: April 2012

The cross-wavelet transform (XWT) is a powerful tool for testing the proposed connections between two time series. Because of XWT’s skeletal structure, which is based on the wavelet transform, it is suitable for the analysis of nonstationary periodic signals. Recent work has shown that the power spectrum based on the wavelet transform can produce a deviation, which can be corrected by choosing a proper rectification scale. In this study, it is shown that the standard application of the XWT can also lead to a biased result. A corrected version of the standard XWT was constructed using the scale of each series as normalizing factors. This correction was first tested with an artificial example involving two series built from combinations of two harmonic series with different amplitudes and frequencies. The standard XWT applied to this example produces a biased result, whereas the correct result is obtained with the use of the proposed normalization. This analysis was then applied to a real geophysical situation with important implications to climate modulation on the northwestern Brazilian coast. The linkage between the relative humidity and the shortwave radiation measurements, obtained from the 8°S, 30°W Autonomous Temperature Line Acquisition System (ATLAS) buoy of the Southwestern Extension of the Prediction and Research Moored Array in the Tropical Atlantic (PIRATA-SWE), was explored. The analysis revealed the importance of including the correction in order to not overlook any possible connections. The requirements of incorporating this correction in the XWT calculations are emphasized.
Evaluating Methods to Account for System Errors in Ensemble Data Assimilation
Authors: Whitaker Jeffrey S. , Hamill Thomas M.
Published: April 2012

Inflation of ensemble perturbations is employed in ensemble Kalman filters to account for unrepresented error sources. The authors propose a multiplicative inflation algorithm that inflates the posterior ensemble in proportion to the amount that observations reduce the ensemble spread, resulting in more inflation in regions of dense observations. This is justified since the posterior ensemble variance is more affected by sampling errors in these regions. The algorithm is similar to the “relaxation to prior” algorithm proposed by Zhang et al., but it relaxes the posterior ensemble spread back to the prior instead of the posterior ensemble perturbations.

The new inflation algorithm is compared to the method of Zhang et al. and simple constant covariance inflation using a two-level primitive equation model in an environment that includes model error. The new method performs somewhat better, although the method of Zhang et al. produces more balanced analyses whose ensemble spread grows faster. Combining the new multiplicative inflation algorithm with additive inflation is found to be superior to either of the methods used separately.

Tests with large and small ensembles, with and without model error, suggest that multiplicative inflation is better suited to account for unrepresented observation-network-dependent assimilation errors such as sampling error, while model errors, which do not depend on the observing network, are better treated by additive inflation. A combination of additive and multiplicative inflation can provide a baseline for evaluating more sophisticated stochastic treatments of unrepresented background errors. This is demonstrated by comparing the performance of a stochastic kinetic energy backscatter scheme with additive inflation as a parameterization of model error.
Objective Guidance for Use in Setting Tropical Cyclone Conditions of Readiness
Authors: Sampson Charles R. , Schumacher Andrea B. , Knaff John A. , DeMaria Mark , Fukada Edward M. , Sisko Chris A. , Roberts David P. , Winters Katherine A. , Wilson Harold M.
Published: April 2012

The Department of Defense uses a Tropical Cyclone Conditions of Readiness (TC-CORs) system to prepare bases and evacuate assets and personnel in advance of adverse weather associated with tropical cyclones (TCs). TC-CORs are recommended by weather facilities either on base or at central sites and generally are related to the timing and potential for destructive (50 kt; 1 kt ≈ 0.5144 m s−1) sustained winds. Recommendations are then considered by base or area commanders along with other factors for setting the TC-CORs. Ideally, the TC-CORs are set sequentially, from TC-COR IV (destructive winds within 72 h), through TC-COR III (destructive winds within 48 h) and TC-COR II (destructive winds within 24 h), and finally to TC-COR I (destructive winds within 12 h), if needed. Each TC-COR, once set, initiates a series of preparations and actions. Preparations for TC-COR IV can be as unobtrusive as obtaining emergency supplies, while preparations and actions leading up to TC-COR I are generally far more costly, intrusive, and labor-intensive activities. The purpose of this paper is to describe an objective aid that provides TC-COR guidance for meteorologists to use when making recommendations to base commanders. The TC-COR guidance is based on wind probability thresholds from an operational wind probability product run at the U.S. tropical cyclone forecast centers. An analysis on 113 independent cases from various bases shows the skill of the objective aid and how well it compares with the operational TC-CORs. A sensitivity analysis is also performed to demonstrate some of the advantages and pitfalls of raising or lowering the wind probability thresholds used by this objective aid.
Offense–Defense Balance, War Duration, and the Security Dilemma
Authors: Nilsson Marco
Published: April 2012

The systemic offense–defense theory argues that the security dilemma and the risk of war become doubly severe in offense-dominant eras in the state system. However, the theory assumes in support of its main argument that wars are shorter when offense has the advantage. This article empirically tests the expected connection between the systemic offense–defense balance and war duration. A statistical analysis of wars 1817–1992 disconfirms the theory’s expectations. The article then draws different conclusions about the severity of the security dilemma when offense is dominant: both arms racing and the fear of aggression that the security dilemma thrives on should be less severe than offense–defense theorists assume.
A Hierarchy of Preferences
Authors: Manger Mark S. , Pickup Mark A. , Snijders Tom A. B.
Published: April 2012

Bilateral trade agreements have proliferated rapidly within the last two decades, growing into a dense network of multiple ties between countries. The spread of preferential trade agreements (PTAs), however, is not uniform: some countries have signed a multitude of deals, while others remain much less involved. This article presents a longitudinal network analysis method to analyze the patterns of the formation of trade agreements, based on the mutual codetermination of network structure and agreement formation. The findings suggest that PTAs spread endogenously because of structural arbitrage effects in the network, and that they establish a hierarchy among countries. Rich countries form ties with each other and middle-income countries, who themselves create a horizontal layer of PTAs, but least-developed countries are left behind and do not form many ties. Supplanting the multilateral trade regime with preferential agreements therefore creates a system of highly asymmetrical relationships of weaker spokes around a few hubs.
Education and Class-formation in 20th Century Ireland: A Retrospective Qualitative Longitudinal Analysis
Authors: Gray Jane , O’Carroll Aileen
Published: April 2012

The article presents a retrospective qualitative longitudinal analysis of experiences of education and class amongst three cohorts of Irish people who started out in difficult financial circumstances. It shows how the intersection of education and class-formation in modern Ireland was ‘realized’ in different historical periods during the 20th century. Some groups accumulated economic and cultural resources allowing them to convert education to upward social mobility during key periods, whereas others were ‘shut out’ from the project of the state. We argue that the concept of ‘experience’, understood as the realization of historically situated macro-sociological processes, provides a useful way of linking agency to structural change, bringing the strengths of macro-sociological quantitative analysis together with those of micro-sociological qualitative analysis within a longer temporal frame.