bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Concentration, Size Distribution, and Formation of Trimethylaminium and Dimethylaminium Ions in Atmospheric Particles over Marginal Seas of China*
Authors: Hu Qingjing , Yu Peiran , Zhu Yujiao , Li Kai , Gao Huiwang , Yao Xiaohong
Published: May 2015

In this paper, the concentration, the size distribution, and the formation of dimethylaminium (DMA+) and trimethylaminium (TMA+) ions in atmospheric particles were studied during a cruise campaign over the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea of China in May 2012. The concentrations of DMA+ and TMA+ in particles smaller than 11 µm were 4.4 ± 3.7 and 7.2 ± 7.1 nmol m−3, respectively. The two ions had a good correlation (R2 = 0.86), and both had a moderately good correlation with chlorophyll a fluorescence (R2 = 0.66–0.67). The observed concentrations were from one to three orders of magnitude larger than the concentrations reported in other marine atmospheres. They were also much larger than the values observed at a coastal site neighboring the Yellow Sea in May–June 2013. The high concentrations of DMA+ and TMA+ observed in the marine atmosphere were probably associated with local biogenic activity instead of the long-range transport of these species from adjacent continents. The calculated mole ratios of (DMA+ + TMA+) to in different-sized particles over the seas indicated that (DMA+ + TMA+) most likely played an important role in neutralizing acidic species in particles less than 0.43 µm but not in particles of other sizes. Size distributions of DMA+ and TMA+ in the marine and coastal atmospheres were analyzed in terms of the respective contribution of gas–particle partitioning, cloud/fog processing of TMA+ and DMA+, bioaerosols, and sea-salt aerosols to the observed concentrations of the two ions over the seas.
Projected Changes in the Annual Cycle of High-Intensity Precipitation Events over West Africa for the Late Twenty-First Century*
Authors: Sylla Mouhamadou Bamba , Giorgi Filippo , Pal Jeremy S. , Gibba Peter , Kebe Ibourahima , Nikiema Michel
Published: May 2015

In this study, the response of the annual cycle of high-intensity daily precipitation events over West Africa to anthropogenic greenhouse gas for the late twenty-first century is investigated using an ensemble of high-resolution regional climate model experiments. For the present day, the RCM ensemble substantially improves the simulation of the annual cycle for various precipitation statistics compared to the driving Earth system models. The late-twenty-first-century projected changes in mean precipitation exhibit a delay of the monsoon season, consistent with previous studies. In addition, these projections indicate a prevailing decrease in frequency but increase in intensity of very wet events, particularly in the premonsoon and early mature monsoon stages, more pronounced over the Sahel and in RCP8.5 than the Gulf of Guinea and in RCP4.5. This is due to the presence of stronger moisture convergence in the boundary layer that sustains intense precipitation once convection is initiated. The premonsoon season experiences the largest changes in daily precipitation statistics, particularly toward an increased risk of drought associated with a decrease in mean precipitation and frequency of wet days and an increased risk of flood associated with very wet events. Both of these features can produce significant stresses on important sectors such as agriculture and water resources at a time of the year (e.g., the monsoon onset) where such stresses can have stronger impacts. The results thus point toward the importance of analyzing changes of precipitation characteristics as a function of the regional seasonal and subseasonal cycles of rainfall.
Estimating Planetary Boundary Layer Heights from NOAA Profiler Network Wind Profiler Data
Authors: Molod A. , Salmun H. , Dempsey M.
Published: May 2015

An algorithm was developed to estimate planetary boundary layer (PBL) heights from hourly archived wind profiler data from the NOAA Profiler Network (NPN) sites located throughout the central United States. Unlike previous studies, the present algorithm has been applied to a long record of publicly available wind profiler signal backscatter data. Under clear-sky conditions, summertime averaged hourly time series of PBL heights compare well with Richardson number–based estimates at the few NPN stations with hourly temperature measurements. Comparisons with estimates based on clear-sky reanalysis show that the wind profiler (WP) PBL heights are lower by approximately 250–500 m. The geographical distribution of daily maximum PBL heights corresponds well with the expected distribution based on patterns of surface temperature and soil moisture. Wind profiler PBL heights were also estimated under mostly cloudy-sky conditions, and are generally comparable to the Richardson number–based PBL heights and higher than the reanalysis PBL heights. WP PBL heights have a smaller clear–cloudy condition difference than either of the other two. The algorithm presented here is shown to provide a reliable summertime climatology of daytime hourly PBL heights throughout the central United States.
Empirical Localization Functions for Ensemble Kalman Filter Data Assimilation in Regions with and without Precipitation
Authors: Lei Lili , Anderson Jeffrey L. , Romine Glen S.
Published: May 2015

For ensemble-based data assimilation, localization is used to limit the impact of observations on physically distant state variables to reduce spurious error correlations caused by limited ensemble size. Traditionally, the localization value applied is spatially homogeneous. Yet there are potentially larger errors and different covariance length scales in precipitation systems, and that may justify the use of different localization functions for precipitating and nonprecipitating regions. Here this is examined using empirical localization functions (ELFs). Using output from an ensemble observing system simulation experiment (OSSE), ELFs provide estimates of horizontal and vertical localization for different observation types in regions with and without precipitation. For temperature and u- and υ-wind observations, the ELFs for precipitating regions are shown to have smaller horizontal localization scales than for nonprecipitating regions. However, the ELFs for precipitating regions generally have larger vertical localization scales than for nonprecipitating regions. The ELFs are smoothed and then applied in three additional OSSEs. Spatially homogeneous ELFs are found to improve performance relative to a commonly used localization function with compact support. When different ELFs are applied in precipitating and nonprecipitating regions, performance is further improved, but varying ELFs by observation type was not found to be as important. Imbalance in initial states caused by use of different localization functions is diagnosed by the domain-averaged surface pressure tendency. Forecasts from analyses with ELFs have smaller surface pressure tendencies than the standard localization, indicating improved initial balance with ELFs.
Does parole supervision reduce the risk of re-offending?
Authors: Wan Wai-Yin , Poynton Suzanne , Weatherburn Don
Published: May 2015

Although a large number of offenders are released to parole each year, little is known about the effectiveness of parole supervision in reducing re-offending. The few studies that have been conducted provide mixed results and, for the most part, have been unable to rule out the possibility of selection bias. The present study is the first to evaluate the effectiveness of parole supervision using propensity score matching techniques. It compares two groups of offenders, carefully matched in terms of factors likely to affect re-offending but differing in terms of whether they are supervised. The results suggest that parole supervision does reduce the risk of re-offending.
‘Real men don't hit women’: Constructing masculinity in the prevention of violence against women
Authors: Salter Michael
Published: May 2015

The primary prevention of violence against women has become a national and international priority for researchers and policy makers. While optimistic about the potential of the prevention agenda, this paper advances two related critiques of the construction of masculinities within violence against women primary prevention in high-income countries. The first is that it affords gender norms an unjustified priority over gender inequality as determinants of violence against women. The second critique is that the myopic focus of violence against women prevention efforts on gender norms results in a ‘one-dimensional’ view of masculinity. Nationally and internationally prominent violence against women prevention activities are grounded in a view of masculinity as a normative phenomenon disembedded from economic and political processes. As the paper argues, such a sanitised and one-dimensional account of masculinity is unable to explicable the practical steps necessary to achieve the aims of primary prevention. The paper argues that primary prevention efforts should be reorientated away from decontextualised and quasi-transcendental accounts of masculinity and towards non-violence as a suppressed possibility within the existing social order, and one that requires economic and political as well as cultural change if it is to be realised.
Childhood predictors of lifetime suicide attempts and non-suicidal self-injury in depressed adults
Authors: Johnstone Jeanette M , Carter Janet D , Luty Suzanne E , Mulder Roger T , Frampton Christopher M , Joyce Peter R
Published: May 2015

Objective:

Adverse childhood experiences are well-recognized risk factors for a variety of mental health issues, including depression, suicide attempts and non-suicidal self-injury. However, less is known about whether childhood adversity, in the form of low parental care, overprotection and abuse, is associated with suicide attempt and non-suicidal self-injury within a sample of depressed adults.

Method:

The sample of outpatients ( n = 372) was drawn from two randomized depression trials. Childhood adversity variables, depression severity, age of first depressive episode (major depression episode onset), lifetime suicide attempt and non-suicidal self-injury were recorded at baseline. The association between variables and outcome measures was examined using partial correlations, univariate and multivariate logistic regressions.

Results:

Low maternal care was significantly associated with suicide attempt; low paternal care was associated with non-suicidal self-injury; overprotection was not associated with either outcome. Other risk factors for suicide attempt were major depression episode onset and baseline depression severity. Major depression episode onset was also a risk factor for non-suicidal self-injury. Abuse, regardless of how it was measured, was not significantly associated with either behaviour after adjusting for its correlations with low maternal or paternal care.

Conclusion:

In this sample of depressed adults, the quality of ongoing, intra-familial relationships, as measured by levels of parental care, had a greater impact on suicide attempt and non-suicidal self-injury than abuse. As the findings were not a priori hypotheses, they require replication. Although the cross-sectional study design limits causal determination, the findings suggest different childhood risk factors for suicide attempt and non-suicidal self-injury and underscore the impact of low parental care on these two behaviours. These findings signal to clinicians the importance of asking specifically about suicide attempts, and non-suicidal self-injury, as well as levels of parental care in childhood. When endorsed, low parental care may be considered an important factor in contextualizing a patient’s depression and potential risk for suicide and non-suicidal self-injury.
Bazaars, landlords and the Company government in late eighteenth-century Calcutta
Authors: Sengupta Kaustubh Mani
Published: May 2015

This article focuses on the bazaars of Calcutta in the late eighteenth century to bring out the tussle between the Company and the landowners over issues of land and customary collection. The debate regarding the bazaar reveals the concerns of the Company about rent and tax. Who had the right to tax, the individual proprietor of the land or the state? What were the limits of landowners’ rights? These questions, I suggest, were linked to deeper debates over the meaning of terms and definition of categories. In this article, I explore how Company officials sought to understand the notion of the ‘bazaar’. My discussion will develop through a focus on a particular dispute between two landowners in Calcutta where the Company had to intervene. Together, the long discussions in the Council, the examination of the sites, testimonies by the witnesses and the arguments put forward by the proprietors themselves—created a maze of documents, from which the Company tried to glean out the ‘bazaar’.
The geography of weaving in early nineteenth-century south India
Authors: Wielenga Karuna Dietrich
Published: May 2015

Most research on the handloom industry is focused upon the export trade and production for export, and, by extension, upon the Coromandel Coast. This article, by contrast, explores the physical and human geography of weaving for the ‘domestic’ market in the ‘inland’ regions of south India. Using visual sources such as Company paintings, together with archival materials and statistical data, it reconstructs everyday modes of dress and clothing in the early nineteenth century in order to obtain a picture of the ‘kinds’ of cloth produced: this analysis shows that the largest proportion was white or predominantly white, and of coarse to middling quality. It goes on to map different systems of cloth production, and the pattern of weaver settlements, and shows that both were significantly different from those described for the Coromandel Coast. In the inland regions, coarse and durable kinds of cloth were woven almost everywhere by plebeian weavers scattered through the countryside; patterned and fine varieties were woven by specialist, full-time weavers who usually lived in large settlements. The article describes a diversity of markets and production systems, unpicks the meanings of part-time and full-time work, and their significance. The data and analysis serve to complicate the debate on the nature of the textile economy in early modern India.
Universal self, equality and hierarchy in Swami Vivekananda
Authors: Raghuramaraju A.
Published: May 2015

In the context of analysing the relation between the master and the disciple, Ramakrishna Pramahamsa and Swami Vivekananda, the article brings together different unconnected writings for a systematic and cumulative argumentation on this important relation. This is undertaken with reference to Ramakrishna’s strict adherence to equality amongst all religions and his disciple’s claim for the superiority of Hinduism in general and Advaita Vedanta in particular. Having set the background, it further embarks on explaining the possible reasons for deviations by the pupil from the master by brining into the centre-stage the whole sale claims of the entire nineteenth-century scholarship as derivative by Indologists like Hacker. The failure to recognise these important dimensions imbricated in this relation is traced firstly to the general failure in reading the nature and logic of modernity, particularly, the invariance between its attitude towards both its own pre-modern and those non-Western societies like India which it sought to colonise. Second, to treating modern Indian thinkers as authors in the modern sense of the term when they are not strictly so.
Pre-modern intellectual debates on the knowledge of history and Ẓiyā͗ al-Dīn Baranī’s Tārīkh-i Fīrūzshāhī
Authors: Auer Blain
Published: May 2015

This article connects the Delhi Sultanate historian Ẓiyāʾ al-Dīn Baranī (ca. 684–758/1285–1357) and his thinking on the knowledge of history (ʿilm-i tārīkh) to the broader intellectual milieu developing across South Asia and the Middle East during the seventh/thirteenth and eighth/fourteenth centuries. It situates his contributions within intense debates to define knowledge and the various fields of knowledge traditionally divided between the al-ʿulūm al-naqliyya, the ‘transmitted fields of knowledge,’ and the al-ʿulūm al-ʿaqliyya, the ‘rational fields of knowledge’. Here Baranī is shown to classify historiography within the al-ʿulūm al-naqliyya and to defend history writing against its critics. Understanding his efforts to integrate historiography within the transmitted fields of knowledge sheds new light on the intellectual history of Islamic South Asia and wider debates about the knowledge of history in the Middle East.
Book Review: Awadhendra Sharan, In the City, Out of Place: Nuisance, Pollution, and Dwelling in Delhi, c. 1850–2000
Authors: Kishore Raghav
Published: May 2015

Awadhendra Sharan, In the City, Out of Place: Nuisance, Pollution, and Dwelling in Delhi, c. 1850–2000, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2014, pp. 288.
Book Review: Michael S. Dodson, Orientalism, Empire and National Culture: India, 1770–1880
Authors: Banerjee Ishita
Published: May 2015

Michael S. Dodson, Orientalism, Empire and National Culture: India, 1770–1880, New Delhi: Foundation Books, 2010, pp. 211.
Book Review: Faisal Devji, The Impossible Indian: Gandhi and the Temptation of Violence
Authors: Kumar Nita
Published: May 2015

Faisal Devji, The Impossible Indian: Gandhi and the Temptation of Violence, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2012, pp. 191.
Book Review: Kathinka Sinha-Kerkhoff, Colonising Plants in Bihar (1760–1950): Tobacco Betwixt Indigo and Sugarcane and Prakash Kumar, Indigo Plantations and Science in Colonial India
Authors: Chakravarty-Kaul Minoti
Published: May 2015

Kathinka Sinha-Kerkhoff, Colonising Plants in Bihar (1760–1950): Tobacco Betwixt Indigo and Sugarcane, Delhi: A Penguin Random House Publication, 2014, pp. 464.

Prakash Kumar, Indigo Plantations and Science in Colonial India, Delhi: Cambridge University Press, 2013, pp. 334.
Book Review: V. Rajesh, Manuscripts, Memory and History: Classical Tamil Literature in Colonial India
Authors: Wilden Eva
Published: May 2015

V. Rajesh, Manuscripts, Memory and History: Classical Tamil Literature in Colonial India, New Delhi: Foundation Books, Cambridge University Press, 2014, pp. 294.
Dspp-independent Effects of Transgenic Trps1 Overexpression on Dentin Formation
Authors: Mobley C.G. , Kuzynski M. , Zhang H. , Jani P. , Qin C. , Napierala D.
Published: May 2015

The Trps1 transcription factor is highly expressed in dental mesenchyme and preodontoblasts, while in mature, secretory odontoblasts, it is expressed at low levels. Previously, we have shown that high Trps1 levels in mature odontoblasts impair their function in vitro and in vivo. Col1a1-Trps1 transgenic (Trps1-Tg) mice demonstrate defective dentin secretion and mineralization, which are associated with significantly decreased Dspp expression due to direct repression of the Dspp gene by Trps1. Here, by crossing Trps1-Tg and Col1a1-Dspp transgenic (Dspp-Tg) mice, we generated Col1a1-Trps1;Col1a1-Dspp double transgenic (double-Tg) mice in which Dspp was restored in odontoblasts overexpressing Trps1. Comparative micro–computed tomography analyses revealed partial correction of the dentin volume and no improvement of dentin mineralization in double transgenic mice in comparison with Trps1-Tg and wild-type (WT) mice. In addition, dentin of double-Tg mice has an irregular mineralization pattern characteristic for dentin in hypophosphatemic rickets. Consistent with this phenotype, decreased levels of Phex, Vdr, and Fam20c proteins are detected in both Trps1-Tg and double-Tg odontoblasts in comparison with WT and Dspp-Tg odontoblasts. This suggests that the Dspp-independent dentin mineralization defects in Trps1-Tg mice are a result of downregulation of a group of proteins critical for mineral deposition within the dentin matrix. In summary, by demonstrating that Trps1 functions as a repressor of later stages of dentinogenesis, we provide functional significance of the dynamic Trps1 expression pattern during dentinogenesis.
Spontaneous rupture of pyometra manifesting as an acute abdomen: a case report
Authors: Singh Alpana , Mundhra Rajlaxmi , Agarwal Tannavi , Radhakrishnan Gita
Published: May 2015

Spontaneous perforation of pyometra is a rare entity with a reported incidence in the range of 0.01–0.05%. The clinical picture is similar to peritonitis arising from intestinal perforation and commonly the correct diagnosis is only made perioperatively. We report a case in an elderly postmenopausal woman presenting with an acute abdomen.
Climate Change, Violence, and Film
Authors: Hobbs-Morgan Chase
Published: May 2015

While debates over the existence of climate change rage on, impacts thereof have begun to unfold. Yet such impacts are uneven: for some, the impacts of climate change comprise direct threats, while for others it remains a relatively abstract idea. In this essay, I suggest that conceptualizing climate change as violence rather than exclusively an environmental or technological problem brings it closer to everyday life by exposing it as a concrete social and political issue, and that film provides a medium through which audiences might profitably grapple with climate change as violence. I first situate climate change amidst theories of structural violence and slow violence. I then argue that film represents the violence of climate change in a way that invites its audiences to locate their own corporeal and psychic lives in relation to climate change impacts. I demonstrate these claims through readings of The Day after Tomorrow and Half-Life.
An adaptive strong tracking Kalman filter for position and orientation system
Authors: Cao Quan , Zhong Maiying
Published: May 2015

A position and orientation systems (POS) plays an important role in aerial mapping applications. It integrates the inertial navigation system and global positioning system to provide high-precision position, velocity and attitude for various aerial mapping sensors. However, in severe environment of temperature, magnetic field and vibration in the application of aerial mapping, the precision of gyroscopes and accelerometers may degrade. The traditional Kalman filter may perform poorly when the model of gyroscope and accelerometer errors is uncertain. This paper highlights the use of multiple fading factors for a strong tracking Kalman filter (STKF) to accommodate the model uncertainty of gyroscope and accelerometer errors. Through utilizing the information of the sensitivity matrix of a two-stage Kalman filter, the multiple fading factors are obtained adaptively. Therefore, a more accurate covariance matrix is obtained in the proposed algorithm, and a better state tracking ability is achieved than with the Kalman filter and the STKF. Finally, a flight experiment is demonstrated to validate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. It is shown from the experimental results that the proposed algorithm can more accurately estimate the time-varying errors of gyroscopes and accelerometers than Kalman filters or the STKF; the accuracy of position, velocity and attitude of POS is also improved correspondingly.
Epistemic Commitments
Authors: Granjou Céline , Arpin Isabelle
Published: May 2015

We contribute to the exploration of diversity in interdisciplinary science by elaborating the notion of epistemic commitments to address researchers’ different views of knowledge that matters and how these views are embedded in research practices and networks. Based on previous science and technology studies and science-policy literature, we define epistemic commitments as reflexive commitments to regimes of relevant research. Drawing on an in-depth enquiry in the case of biodiversity studies in France, we describe four regimes of research, each of them bringing together certain disciplinary approaches and technologies, certain scenarios about environmental changes (from species loss to an explosion of ecological engineering possibilities) and certain contributions to decision making and management. We distinguish between an environmentalist regime, a management-oriented regime, a function-based regime, and an ecoengineering regime. We give insights into how researchers’ commitments to these regimes are shaped, stabilized, and maintained over time, suggesting the coevolution of research practices, practical contributions, and environmental scenarios. We emphasize pluralism rather than hegemony of a type of knowledge over the others. Our results show that environmental research’s diversity does not result only from the complexity of reality itself but is also embedded in various views of scientific advancement, future scenarios, and useful contributions to environmental governance.
Mapping Functions in Health-Related Quality of Life
Authors: Young Tracey A. , Mukuria Clara , Rowen Donna , Brazier John E. , Longworth Louise
Published: May 2015

Background. Clinical trials in cancer frequently include cancer-specific measures of health but not preference-based measures such as the EQ-5D that are suitable for economic evaluation. Mapping functions have been developed to predict EQ-5D values from these measures, but there is considerable uncertainty about the most appropriate model to use, and many existing models are poor at predicting EQ-5D values. This study aims to investigate a range of potential models to develop mapping functions from 2 widely used cancer-specific measures (FACT-G and EORTC-QLQ-C30) and to identify the best model. Methods. Mapping models are fitted to predict EQ-5D-3L values using ordinary least squares (OLS), tobit, 2-part models, splining, and to EQ-5D item-level responses using response mapping from the FACT-G and QLQ-C30. A variety of model specifications are estimated. Model performance and predictive ability are compared. Analysis is based on 530 patients with various cancers for the FACT-G and 771 patients with multiple myeloma, breast cancer, and lung cancer for the QLQ-C30. Results. For FACT-G, OLS models most accurately predict mean EQ-5D values with the best predicting model using FACT-G items with similar results using tobit. Response mapping has low predictive ability. In contrast, for the QLQ-C30, response mapping has the most accurate predictions using QLQ-C30 dimensions. The QLQ-C30 has better predicted EQ-5D values across the range of possible values; however, few respondents in the FACT-G data set have low EQ-5D values, which reduces the accuracy at the severe end. Conclusions. OLS and tobit mapping functions perform well for both instruments. Response mapping gives the best model predictions for QLQ-C30. The generalizability of the FACT-G mapping function is limited to populations in moderate to good health.
The Educational Dimension of Global Hegemony
Authors: Hartmann Eva
Published: May 2015

This article seeks to further strengthen a sociological turn within International Relations (IR), which aims to make classical social theory fruitful for analysing the transnationalisation of societies. The focus is on the contribution of Antonio Gramsci’s analysis in this regard. A number of scholars have transferred his theory of hegemony to the global level in order to gain a more sophisticated understanding of global power and its transformation in reaction to the deepening of global economic integration. Surprisingly, most neo-Gramscian scholars have devoted little attention to education, despite the importance Gramsci assigned to this social sphere. The article seeks to overcome this lacuna with a study of the internationalisation of higher education since the end of the Second World War. Against the backdrop of the insights this case study provides, it will suggest some modifications of the neo-Gramscian account of hegemony with a view to taking the sociological turn more seriously, and to deepening our understanding of the social quality and the scale of the emerging postnational hegemony.
Higher, faster, worse? An event-related potentials study of affective picture processing in migraine
Authors: Steppacher Inga , Schindler Sebastian , Kissler Johanna
Published: May 2015

Background

Migraine is a disorder of periodic disabling headache. Facilitated cortical responsivity has been suggested as one predisposing factor. Although the underlying mechanisms of migraine attack onsets are not fully understood, facilitated cortical responsivity has been suggested as one predisposing factor. Here, we investigate if enhanced cortical responsivity is reflected in altered event-related potentials during processing of complex pictures.

Method

Altogether, 16 migraine patients and 16 healthy volunteers participated in this study. Each patient had a diagnosed migraine and was headache- and medication-free for the study. Participants watched positive, negative and neutral pictures from the international affective picture system. An electroencephalogram was recorded during picture presentation. Afterwards, participants were asked to rate the pictures for valence and arousal.

Results

Migraine patients showed significantly more negative-going early event-related potential components from 100 ms to 180 ms to all picture categories over occipital regions as well as more positive-going late potentials over central regions. Patients and controls did not differ in valence and arousal ratings for the international-affective picture system.

Discussion

Patients with migraine seem to react cortically more intensely to all kinds of pictorial stimuli, regardless of emotional content. This facilitated processing may be related to the high cortical responsivity shown in various other event-related potential studies and might contribute to the recurring intense headache attacks.
Diurnal Salivary Cortisol and Regression Status in MECP2 Duplication Syndrome
Authors: Peters Sarika U. , Byiers Breanne J. , Symons Frank J.
Published: May 2015

MECP2 duplication syndrome is an X-linked genomic disorder that is characterized by infantile hypotonia, intellectual disability, and recurrent respiratory infections. Regression affects a subset of individuals, and the etiology of regression has yet to be examined. In this study, alterations in the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, including diurnal patterns in salivary cortisol, were examined in 4 males with MECP2 duplication syndrome who had regression and 4 males with the same syndrome without regression (aged 3-22 years). Individuals who had experienced regression do not exhibit typical diurnal cortisol rhythms, and their profiles were flatter through the day. In contrast, individuals with MECP2 duplication syndrome who had not experienced regression showed more typical patterns of higher cortisol levels in the morning with linear decreases throughout the day. This study is the first to suggest a link between atypical diurnal cortisol rhythms and regression status in MECP2 duplication syndrome and may have implications for treatment.
Voiceover Interactive PowerPoint Catheter Care Education for Home Parenteral Nutrition
Authors: Emery Dorothy , Pearson Annette , Lopez Rocio , Hamilton Cindy , Albert Nancy M.
Published: May 2015

Background: In home infusions via tunneled catheter/peripherally inserted central catheter (TC/PICC) the risk of catheter‐related bloodstream infection (CRBSI) and complications contribute to rehospitalization and costs. It is unknown if voiceover interactive PowerPoint (VOIPP) via digital video disc education improves clinical outcomes. Materials and Methods: In a quaternary care medical center and using a randomized, controlled, 2‐group design, hospitalized patients with TC/PICC received usual care education or usual care (UC) plus VOIPP education prehospital discharge. A multiple‐choice 6‐item knowledge questionnaire was administered preeducation, immediately posteducation, and 7–10 days postdischarge. At 90 days, patients were assessed for CRBSI incidence rates per 1000 catheter‐days, rehospitalization, CRBSI‐related hospitalization, non‐CRBSI complications and patient calls to the home parenteral nutrition (HPN) clinicians. Analysis of variance, Pearson χ2, and Kruskal‐Wallis test were used to compare results between groups. Results: Of 51 patients (UC, n = 27; UC+VOIPP, n = 24), mean ± SD age was 46.3 ± 14.3 years, 68.6% were female, HPN duration was 2.2 ± 1.01 months, and time to postdischarge test completion was 11.5 ± 5.2 days. There were no baseline differences between groups. Between‐group knowledge and changes in knowledge were similar at preeducation, immediate posteducation, and postdischarge (P = .88, 0.30, and 0.37, respectively). There were no differences in CRBSI incidence, rehospitalization, CRBSI‐related rehospitalization rates, and non‐CRBSI complications between groups. The UC+VOIPP group had more patient calls than did the UC group (21.8 vs 7.7 calls/1000 catheter‐days, P < .001). Conclusion: Recorded education led to more patient calls to the HPN clinicians; however, there were no differences between groups in other outcomes.
Multidisciplinary mission design optimization for space launch vehicles based on sequential design process
Authors: Shu Jung-Il , Kim Jin-Wook , Lee Jae-Woo , Kim Sangho
Published: May 2015

In this study, a mission design process for space launch vehicles was established based on the systems engineering process and implemented to obtain the system baseline and the mission profiles. The process was sophisticatedly developed for users to make necessary decisions and to obtain design results rapidly. Database for the world's competitive rocket systems was built for the use of data mining. Seven disciplinary modules, such as the Weight Estimation, Mission Velocity, Staging, Propulsion, Configuration, Aerodynamics, and Trajectory, were developed for low fidelity analysis, and integrated as a system level process. In addition, several data mining techniques were adapted to the process as an alternative method of the requirements analysis, and utilized to provide the initial values of design parameters. Based on the established process, a design was optimized, and it was successfully converged. Through the multidisciplinary design optimization, it was possible to obtain the system baseline and the trajectory.
Adaptive backstepping control for a multi-vectored thrust stratospheric airship with thrust saturation in wind
Authors: Han Ding , Wang Xiao-Liang , Chen Li , Duan Deng-Ping
Published: May 2015

In this article, an output-feedback control law is designed for a multi-vectored thrust stratospheric airship. The proposed control law is designed using the adaptive backstepping method and with few model aerodynamics parameters besides the qualitative physical properties. The resulting feedback controller is able to follow the given references in three Cartesian positions [Formula: see text] and yaw angle by actuating four thrusters and their deflection angles. Lyapunov function analysis is introduced to compensate for the engine physical limits and guarantees closed-loop system stability. A degraded scenario (wind disturbance) which renders the airship statically unstable is also considered to show the adaptation capabilities of the control law. The simulations are carried out using a realistic multi-vectored thrust stratospheric airship model that is also developed in this study. Simulation results are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed adaptive backstepping control when saturations are present even in wind disturbance.
HIV co-receptor tropism prediction remains stable over time in treatment-naïve patients
Authors: Philip Keir EJ , Macartney Malcolm J , Conibear Tim CR , Smith Colette J , Marshall Neal , Johnson Margaret A , Haque Tanzina , Webster Daniel P
Published: May 2015

HIV co-receptor tropism determination is essential before prescribing the CCR5 antagonist maraviroc. British HIV Association guidelines suggest tropism testing may remain valid for only 90 days in antiretroviral-naïve patients. We aimed to determine the accuracy of this figure. Tropism was assessed in 26 antiretroviral-naïve patients with ongoing viral replication, sampled yearly from first clinic visit. The V3 region of HIV-1 was sequenced in triplicate, then tropism predicted using the Geno2Pheno system. Baseline tropism prediction remained valid for a median of 52 months (range 7–81). For 19/26 individuals baseline tropism remained unchanged throughout a median of 54 months follow-up; 18 R5 tropic and 1 X4 tropic. In seven patients (27%) baseline tropism switched at least once (range 1–4 switches) during follow-up; however, their baseline tropism prediction remained valid for a median of 45 months. Co-receptor tropism in treatment-naïve patients with ongoing viral replication appears highly stable over time, suggesting that baseline genotypic tropism prediction may be valid for a longer duration in patients delaying ART initiation. In this study, baseline tropism prediction remained valid for a median of 52 months, suggesting current guidelines recommending repeat testing after 90 days may be excessively conservative in their assessment of tropism stability.
Which sexually active female students get themselves tested for Chlamydia trachomatis? A cohort study
Authors: Kerry Sarah R , Nightingale Claire M , Hay Phillip , Oakeshott Pippa
Published: May 2015

Using data from the Prevention of Pelvic Infection (POPI) chlamydia screening trial, we compared the characteristics of female students who did or did not get tested for chlamydia outside the trial during 12 months’ follow-up. Of the 2529 women in the trial, we excluded 68 chlamydia positives in the intervention group who were referred for treatment at baseline. Of the remaining 2461 women, 1980 (80%) answered the question about testing during follow-up on their 12 months’ questionnaire and were included in the cohort. Of 1980 respondents, 529 (27%) reported having an independent chlamydia test, including 30 (48%) of 63 women with undiagnosed chlamydia at baseline. Predictors of testing included having undiagnosed chlamydia at baseline (adjusted odds ratio 2.44; 95% confidence interval 1.39–4.28), ≥2 sexual partners in the year prior to baseline (OR 1.99; 95% CI 1.60–2.48), history of sexually transmitted infection (1.63: 1.20–2.22); symptoms of pelvic discomfort, dyspareunia, abnormal vaginal discharge or inter-menstrual bleeding (1.38; 1.09–1.73); and black ethnicity (1.37, 1.06–1.76). Although more women with risk factors got tested, half of women with undiagnosed chlamydia did not get tested. To optimise detection of chlamydia, testing should be offered routinely.
Generating optimal reference kinematic configurations for hyper-redundant parallel robots
Authors: Chibani Abdelhakim , Mahfoudi Chawki , Chettibi Taha , Merzouki Rochdi , Zaatri Abdelouhab
Published: May 2015

In this article, we propose an optimization process able to generate optimal kinematic configuration for spatial hyper-redundant manipulators with multiple rigid parallel modules. The proposed method uses a deterministic optimization scheme that evaluates the score of trial kinematic configurations while accounting for various geometric constraints. This versatile method is based on a simultaneous search for both the best curve capturing the overall kinematic robot posture and the platform distribution along this curve. This process is carried out using the powerful sequential quadratic programming technique. Numerical results are presented to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed approach. Finally, this model was validated by real measurements obtained with the continuum bionic handling arm of a mobile robot called Robotino-XT.
Rater fairness in music performance assessment: Evaluating model-data fit and differential rater functioning
Authors: Wesolowski Brian C. , Wind Stefanie A. , Engelhard George
Published: May 2015

The purpose of this study was to investigate model-data fit and differential rater functioning in the context of large group music performance assessment using the Many-Facet Rasch Partial Credit Measurement Model. In particular, we sought to identify whether or not expert raters’ ( N = 24) severity was invariant across four school levels (middle school, high school, collegiate, professional). Interaction analyses suggested that differential rater functioning existed for both the group of raters and some individual raters based on their expected locations on the logit scale. This indicates that expert raters did not demonstrate invariant levels of severity when rating subgroups of ensembles across the four school levels. Of the 92 potential pairwise interactions examined, 14 (15.2%) interactions were found to be statistically significant, indicating that 10 individual raters demonstrated differential severity across at least one school level. Interpretations of meaningful systematic patterns emerged for some raters after investigating individual pairwise interactions. Implications for improving the fairness and equity in large group music performance evaluations are discussed.
Predictors of Agreement With Writing Advance Directives Among Older Korean Adults
Authors: Park Jaewon , Song Jun-Ah
Published: May 2015

Purpose: To determine the predictors of agreement with writing advance directives (ADs) among older Korean adults. Design: This was a secondary analysis of a study that compared the differences in knowledge, experience, and preference about ADs between community and facility-dwelling older adults. Data were collected through self-reported questionnaires. In this study, after 25 cases were excluded from the original sample ( N = 181) for incomplete data, a sample of 156 was analyzed using multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: Older adults’ experiences with having thought about life-sustaining treatments, odds ratio ( OR) = 4.02, 95% confidence interval (CI) [1.56, 10.38], agreements with legalization of ADs, OR = 4.68, 95% CI [1.69, 12.96], and wishes to obtain information about medical status, OR = 3.78, 95% CI [1.66, 8.64], were identified as the predictors of agreement with writing ADs. Implications for Practice: Discussion channels and educational programs about ADs should be developed for older Korean adults.
Let’s Stop “Staging” Persons Who Are Coping With Loss
Authors: Corr Charles A.
Published: May 2015

This article offers a critical analysis of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and David Kessler’s On Grief and Grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief Through the Five Stages of Loss. The goal is to delineate the strengths and limitations of the book’s ostensible framework. Although the five stages of grief are described in Chapter 1, they play little role thereafter. Further, readers are told these stages are neither universal nor linear. Consequently, it would be desirable to stop staging persons who are coping with loss or at least be extremely cautious in using this stage-based model in appreciating their unique journeys.
Drug–drug interaction profile of components of a fixed combination of netupitant and palonosetron: Review of clinical data
Authors: Natale James J , Spinelli Tulla , Calcagnile Selma , Lanzarotti Corinna , Rossi Giorgia , Cox David , Kashef Kimia
Published: May 2015

Neurokinin-1 (NK1) receptor antagonists (RAs) are commonly coadministered with serotonin (5-HT3) RAs (e.g. palonosetron (PALO)) to prevent chemotherapy-induced nausea/vomiting. Netupitant/palonosetron (NEPA), an oral fixed combination of netupitant (NETU)—a new NK1 RA—and PALO, is currently under development. In vitro data suggest that NETU inhibits CYP3A4 and is a substrate for and weak inhibitor of P-glycoprotein (P-gp). This review evaluates potential drug–drug interactions between NETU or NEPA and CYP3A4 substrates/inducers/inhibitors or P-gp substrates in healthy subjects. Pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters were evaluated for each drug when NETU was coadministered with PALO (single doses) and when single doses of NETU or NEPA were coadministered with CYP3A4 substrates (erythromycin (ERY), midazolam (MID), dexamethasone (DEX), or oral contraceptives), inhibitors (ketoconazole (KETO)), or inducers (rifampicin (RIF)), or a P-gp substrate (digoxin (DIG)). Results showed no relevant PK interactions between NETU and PALO. Coadministration of NETU increased MID and ERY exposure and significantly increased DEX exposure in a dose-dependent manner; NETU exposure was unaffected. NEPA coadministration had no clinically significant effect on oral contraception, although levonorgestrel exposure increased. NETU exposure increased after coadministration of NEPA with KETO and decreased after coadministration with RIF; PALO exposure was unaffected. NETU coadministration did not influence DIG exposure. In conclusion, there were no clinically relevant interactions between NETU and PALO, or NEPA and oral contraceptives (based on levonorgestrel and ethinylestradiol exposure). Coadministration of NETU or NEPA with CYP3A4 inducers/inhibitors/substrates should be done with caution. Dose reduction is recommended for DEX. Dose adjustments are not needed for NETU coadministration with P-gp substrates.
Mechanisms of Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes–Induced Oxidative Stress and Genotoxicity in Mouse Fibroblast Cells
Authors: Alarifi Saud , Ali Daoud
Published: May 2015

The extensive production and wide application of carbon nanotubes have made investigations of its toxic potentials necessary. In the present study, we explored the underlying mechanism through which multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) induce toxicity in mouse fibroblast cells (L929). 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide and neutral red uptake viability assays were used to examine mechanisms of cytotoxicity. Dose and time-dependent cytotoxicity was observed in L929 cells. The MWCNTs significantly increased the generation of reactive oxygen species, lipid peroxidation, superoxide dismutase, and decreased glutathione. It was observed that the MWCNTs induced caspase 3 activity. The highest DNA strand breakage was detected by comet assay at 300 µg/mL of MWCNTs. Thus, the data indicate that MWCNTs induced cytotoxicity and apoptosis in L929 cells via oxidative stress.
Reliability of the Force Factor Method in Police Use-of-Force Research
Authors: Hickman Matthew J. , Atherley Loren T. , Lowery Patrick G. , Alpert Geoffrey P.
Published: May 2015

The force factor method has garnered much attention and application in police use-of-force research, but the reliability of the method has yet to be intensively studied. Using official reports from the Seattle Police Department during a two-and-a-quarter-year period ( n = 1,240), officer–suspect interactions were coded from the content of report narratives. Static force factors compared the maximum force applied by the officer with the maximum level of suspect resistance. Dynamic force factors were also recorded, including up to 10 iterations of dyadic action/reaction coded using the same coding scheme. The coding of force factors was completed independently by two teams working at different institutions in a fully crossed design. Evidence on the interrater reliability and subsequent utility of force factors is presented and discussed. Results indicate acceptable levels of agreement across coding teams and support the use of force factors as a central tool for studying asymmetrical social encounters and the proportionality of force.
Between the heroine mother and the absent woman: Motherhood and womanhood in the communist magazine Femeia
Authors: Oprea Denisa-Adriana
Published: May 2015

This article explores the representation of motherhood and womanhood in the Romanian communist magazine Femeia and the extent to which this publication was a mere vehicle of the official pronatalist policy of Ceausescu’s regime. Two phases have been identified, overlapping both the evolution of the magazine itself and the Party’s ideology. The author metaphorically designates them as follows: (a) 1966–1971/1972, Almost the ‘Eternal Feminine’ and (b) 1973–1978/1979, The ‘Steel Woman’ and the ‘Maternal Glory’. Drawing on discourse analysis and social history, the article examines each of these.