bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Extrahippocampal Desynchronization in Nonlesional Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
Authors: Pastor Jesús , Navarrete Eduardo G. , Sola Rafael G. , Ortega Guillermo J.
Published: January 2012

Although temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is traditionally associated with both hypersynchronous activity in the form of interictal epileptic discharges and hippocampal sclerosis, recent findings suggest that desynchronization also plays a central role in the dynamics of this pathology. The objective of this work is to show the imbalance existing between mesial activities in patients suffering from mesial TLE, with normal mesial structures. Foramen ovale recordings from six patients with mesial TLE and one with lateral TLE were analyzed through a cluster analysis and synchronization matrices. None of the patients present findings in the MRI presurgical evaluation. Numerical analysis was carried out in three different situations: awake and sleep interictal and also during the preictal stage. High levels of desynchronization ipsilateral to the epileptic side were present in mesial TLE patients. Low levels of desynchronization were present in the lateral TLE patient during the interictal stage and almost zero in the preictal stage. Implications of these findings in relation with seizure spreading are discussed.
Use of Indicator Kriging to Investigate Schistosomiasis in Minas Gerais State, Brazil
Authors: Guimarães Ricardo J. P. S. , Freitas Corina C. , Dutra Luciano V. , Felgueiras Carlos A. , Drummond Sandra C. , Tibiriçá Sandra H. C. , Oliveira Guilherme , Carvalho Omar S.
Published: January 2012

Geographic Information Systems (GISs) are composed of useful tools to map and to model the spatial distribution of events that have geographic importance as schistosomiasis. This paper is a review of the use the indicator kriging, implemented on the Georeferenced Information Processing System (SPRING) to make inferences about the prevalence of schistosomiasis and the presence of the species ofBiomphalaria, intermediate hosts ofSchistosoma mansoni, in areas without this information, in the Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The results were two maps. The first one was a map ofBiomphalariaspecies, and the second was a new map of estimated prevalence of schistosomiasis. The obtained results showed that the indicator kriging can be used to better allocate resources for study and control of schistosomiasis in areas with transmission or the possibility of disease transmission.
Abiotic Factors Affecting Canola Establishment and Insect Pest Dynamics
Authors: Nansen Christian , Trostle Calvin , Angadi Sangu , Porter Patrick , Martini Xavier
Published: January 2012

Canola is grown mainly as an oil-seed crop, but recently the interest in canola has increased due to its potential as a biodiesel crop. The main objectives of this paper were to evaluate effects of abiotic factors and seed treatment on canola plant establishment and pest pressure in the Southern High Plains of Texas. Data was collected at two field locations during the first seven months of two field seasons. Based on multi-regression analysis, we demonstrated that precipitation was positively associated with ranked plant weight, daily minimum relative humidity and maximum temperature were negatively associated with plant weight, and that there may be specific optimal growth conditions regarding cumulative solar radiation and wind speed. The outlined multi-regression approach may be considered appropriate for ecological studies of canola establishment and pest communities elsewhere and therefore enable identification of suitable regions for successful canola production. We also demonstrated that aphids were about 35% more abundant on non-treated seeds than on treated seeds, but the sensitivity to seed treatment was only within four months after plant emergence. On the other hand, seed treatment had negligible effect on presence of thrips.
Acute Hyperglycemia Does Not Impair Microvascular Reactivity and Endothelial Function during Hyperinsulinemic Isoglycemic and Hyperglycemic Clamp in Type 1 Diabetic Patients
Authors: Horová Eva , Mazoch Jiří , HiIgertová Jiřina , Kvasnička Jan , Škrha Jan , Šoupal Jan , Prázný Martin
Published: January 2012

Aims. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of acute glycemia increase on microvasculature and endothelium in Type 1 diabetes during hyperinsulinemic clamp.Patients and Methods. Sixteen patients (51±7 yrs) without complications were examined during iso- and hyperglycemic clamp (glucose increase 5.5 mmol⋅L−1). Insulin, lipid parameters, cell adhesion molecules and fibrinogen were analyzed. Microvascular reactivity (MVR) was measured by laser Doppler flowmetry.Results. Maximum perfusion and the velocity of perfusion increase during PORH were higher in hyperglycemia compared to baseline (47±16versus40±16 PU,P<0.01, and10.4±16.5versus2.6±1.5 PU⋅s−1,P<0.05, resp.). Time to the maximum perfusion during TH was shorter and velocity of perfusion increase during TH higher at hyperglycemia compared to isoglycemic phase (69±15versus77±16 s,P<0.05, and1.4±0.8versus1.2±0.7 PU⋅s−1,P<0.05, resp.). An inverse relationship was found between insulinemia and the time to maximum perfusion during PORH (r=−0.70,P=0.007).Conclusion. Acute glycemia did not impair microvascular reactivity in this clamp study in Type 1 diabetic patients. Our results suggest that insulin may play a significant role in the regulation of microvascular perfusion in patients with Type 1 diabetes through its vasodilation effect and can counteract the effect of acute glucose fluctuations.
Serial FEM/XFEM-Based Update of Preoperative Brain Images Using Intraoperative MRI
Authors: Vigneron Lara M. , Noels Ludovic , Warfield Simon K. , Verly Jacques G. , Robe Pierre A.
Published: January 2012

Current neuronavigation systems cannot adapt to changing intraoperative conditions over time. To overcome this limitation, we present an experimental end-to-end system capable of updating 3D preoperative images in the presence of brain shift and successive resections. The heart of our system is a nonrigid registration technique using a biomechanical model, driven by the deformations of key surfaces tracked in successive intraoperative images. The biomechanical model is deformed using FEM or XFEM, depending on the type of deformation under consideration, namely, brain shift or resection. We describe the operation of our system on two patient cases, each comprising five intraoperative MR images, and we demonstrate that our approach significantly improves the alignment of nonrigidly registered images.
Multi-Resolution Multimedia QoE Models for IPTV Applications
Authors: Calyam Prasad , Chandrasekaran Prashanth , Trueb Gregg , Howes Nathan , Ramnath Rajiv , Yu Delei , Liu Ying , Xiong Lixia , Yang Daoyan
Published: January 2012

Internet television (IPTV) is rapidly gaining popularity and is being widely deployed in content delivery networks on the Internet. In order to proactively deliver optimum user quality of experience (QoE) for IPTV, service providers need to identify network bottlenecks in real time. In this paper, we develop psycho-acoustic-visual models that can predict user QoE of multimedia applications inreal timebased on online network status measurements. Our models are neural network based and cater to multi-resolution IPTV applications that include QCIF, QVGA, SD, and HD resolutions encoded using popular audio and video codec combinations. On the network side, our models account for jitter and loss levels, as well as router queuing disciplines: packet-ordered and time-ordered FIFO. We evaluate the performance of our multi-resolution multimedia QoE models in terms of prediction characteristics, accuracy, speed, and consistency. Our evaluation results demonstrate that the models are pertinent for real-time QoE monitoring and resource adaptation in IPTV content delivery networks.
Statistical Approach for Optimization of Physiochemical Requirements on Alkaline Protease Production from Bacillus licheniformis NCIM 2042
Authors: Bhunia Biswanath , Dey Apurba
Published: January 2012

The optimization of physiochemical parameters for alkaline protease production using Bacillus licheniformis NCIM 2042 were carried out by Plackett-Burman design and response surface methodology (RSM). The model was validated experimentally and the maximum protease production was found 315.28 U using optimum culture conditions. The protease was purified using ammonium sulphate (60%) precipitation technique. The HPLC analysis of dialyzed sample showed that the retention time is 1.84 min with 73.5% purity. This enzyme retained more than 92% of its initial activity after preincubation for 30 min at 37∘C
in the presence of 25% v/v DMSO, methanol, ethanol, ACN, 2-propanol, benzene, toluene, and hexane. In addition, partially purified enzyme showed remarkable stability for 60 min at room temperature, in the presence of anionic detergent (Tween-80 and Triton X-100), surfactant (SDS), bleaching agent (sodium perborate and hydrogen peroxide), and anti-redeposition agents (Na2CMC, Na2CO3). Purified enzyme containing 10% w/v PEG 4000 showed better thermal, surfactant, and local detergent stability.
An Optimal Iteration Method for Strongly Nonlinear Oscillators
Authors: Marinca Vasile , Herişanu Nicolae
Published: January 2012

We introduce a new method, namely, the Optimal Iteration Perturbation Method (OIPM), to solve nonlinear differential equations of oscillators with cubic and harmonic restoring force. We illustrate that OIPM is very effective and convenient and does not require linearization or small perturbation. Contrary to conventional methods, in OIPM, only one iteration leads to high accuracy of the solutions. The main advantage of this approach consists in that it provides a convenient way to control the convergence of approximate solutions in a very rigorous way and allows adjustment of convergence regions where necessary. A very good agreement was found between approximate and numerical solutions, which prove that OIPM is very efficient and accurate.
212Pb-Radioimmunotherapy Induces G2 Cell-Cycle Arrest and Delays DNA Damage Repair in Tumor Xenografts in a Model for Disseminated Intraperitoneal Disease
Authors: Yong Kwon Joong , Milenic Diane E. , Baidoo Kwamena E. , Brechbiel Martin W.
Published: January 2012

In preclinical studies, targeted radioimmunotherapy using 212Pb-TCMC-trastuzumab as an in vivo generator of the high-energy α-particle emitting radionuclide 212Bi is proving an efficacious modality for the treatment of disseminated peritoneal cancers. To elucidate mechanisms associated with this therapy, mice bearing human colon cancer LS-174T intraperitoneal xenografts were treated with 212Pb-TCMC-trastuzumab and compared with the nonspecific control 212Pb-TCMC-HuIgG, unlabeled trastuzumab, and HuIgG, as well as untreated controls. 212Pb-TCMC-trastuzumab treatment induced significantly more apoptosis and DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) at 24 hours. Rad51 protein expression was downregulated, indicating delayed DNA double-strand damage repair compared with 212Pb-TCMC-HuIgG, the nonspecific control. 212Pb-TCMC-trastuzumab treatment also caused G2-M arrest, depression of the S phase fraction, and depressed DNA synthesis that persisted beyond 120 hours. In contrast, the effects produced by 212Pb-TCMC-HuIgG seemed to rebound by 120 hours. In addition, 212Pb-TCMC-trastuzumab treatment delayed open chromatin structure and expression of p21 until 72 hours, suggesting a correlation between induction of p21 protein and modification in chromatin structure of p21 in response to 212Pb-TCMC-trastuzumab treatment. Taken together, increased DNA DSBs, impaired DNA damage repair, persistent G2-M arrest, and chromatin remodeling were associated with 212Pb-TCMC-trastuzumab treatment and may explain its increased cell killing efficacy in the LS-174T intraperitoneal xenograft model for disseminated intraperitoneal disease. Mol Cancer Ther; 11(3); 639–48. ©2012 AACR.
Exemestane for Breast Cancer Prevention: A Critical Shift?
Authors: DeCensi Andrea , Dunn Barbara K. , Puntoni Matteo , Gennari Alessandra , Ford Leslie G.
Published: January 2012

The Mammary Prevention 3 (MAP.3) placebo-controlled randomized trial in 4,560 high-risk postmenopausal women showed a 65% reduction in invasive breast cancer with the use of exemestane at 35 months median follow-up. Few differences in adverse events were observed between the arms, suggesting a promising risk:benefit balance with exemestane for use in chemoprevention. Yet, the MAP.3 design and implementation raise concerns regarding limited data maturity and not prospectively including key bone-related and other toxicities as study end points. Exemestane for prevention is juxtaposed against selective estrogen receptor modulators and the other aromatase inhibitors. Additional issues for prevention, including the influence of obesity, alternative dosing, and biomarker use in phase III trials, are addressed.

Significance: The recently completed MAP.3 trial of exemestane for breast cancer prevention offers a potential new standard for pharmaceutical risk reduction in high-risk postmenopausal women. In addition to describing key findings from the publication of MAP.3 and related trials, our review undertakes a detailed analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of MAP.3 as well as the implications for future prevention research. Cancer Discovery; 2(1); 25–40. ©2012 AACR.
Mass Transfer Limitations in Embryoid Bodies during Human Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation
Authors: Van Winkle Allison P. , Gates Ian D. , Kallos Michael S.
Published: January 2012

Due to their ability to differentiate into cell types from all the three germ layers and their potential unlimited capacity for expansion, embryonic stem cells have tremendous potential to treat diseases and injuries. Spontaneous differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) is influenced by the size of the differentiating embryoid bodies (EBs). To further understand the dynamics between nutrient mass transfer, EB size, and stem cell differentiation, a transient mass diffusion model of a single hESC EB was constructed. The results revealed that the oxygen concentration at the centers of large EBs (400-µm radius) was 50% lower when compared to that in smaller EBs (200-µm radius). In addition, the concentration profile of cytokines within an EB depended strongly on their depletion rate, with higher depletion rates resulting in cytokine concentrations that varied significantly throughout the EB. A comparison of the results of our model with published experimental data reveals a close correlation between the fraction of cells that differentiate to a given lineage and the fraction of cells exposed to different oxygen or cytokine concentrations. This, along with other data from the literature, suggests that diffusive mass transfer influences the differentiation of hESCs within EBs by controlling the spatial distribution of soluble factors. This has important implications for research involving the differentiation of embryonic stem cells in EBs, as well as for bioprocess design and the development of robust differentiation protocols where mass transfer could be altered to control the cell differentiation trajectory.
Transgenic Overexpression of Tartrate-Resistant Acid Phosphatase Is Associated with Induction of Osteoblast Gene Expression and Increased Cortical Bone Mineral Content and Density
Authors: Gradin Per , Hollberg Karin , Cassady A. Ian , Lång Pernilla , Andersson Göran
Published: January 2012

Bone remodeling is a central event in the maintenance of skeletal tissue, and involves cycles of resorption followed by the formation of bone tissue. The activity of osteoclasts and osteoblasts during these cycles is tightly regulated by systemic and local factors coupling the action of these cells. Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) is predominantly expressed in bone by osteoclasts but has also been detected in osteoblasts and osteocytes. Moreover, TRAP can stimulate the differentiation of mesenchymal lineage cells, i.e. progenitors of osteoblasts and adipocytes. In order to further explore the effects of TRAP on bone turnover, the structural and molecular phenotypes of osteoclasts and osteoblasts were assessed in TRAP-overexpressing transgenic mice. Transgenic mice of both sexes display increased cortical bone mineral content and density, which cannot be accounted for by decreased bone resorption since osteoclast numbers and resorptive activity do not differ from wild-type mice. Examination of the osteoblast phenotype revealed that markers of bone formation, i.e. procollagen type I N-terminal propeptides, and osteoblast lineage markers as well as the TRAP 1B mRNA transcript are increased in TRAP-overexpressing mice. Expression of the osteoclast-selective TRAP 1C mRNA is not increased in TRAP transgenic mice. Elevated expression of TRAP mRNA and protein were detected in osteoblasts, osteocytes and in the bone matrix of TRAP transgenic mice, suggesting that TRAP overexpression in osteoblast lineage cells is associated with increased cortical bone mineral content and density. The data presented here support the hypothesis that TRAP overexpression in the osteoblastic cell lineage stimulates the differentiation and/or activation of these cells.
Diffuse Endocrine System, Neuroendocrine Tumors and Immunity: What’s New?
Authors: Ameri Pietro , Ferone Diego
Published: January 2012

During the last two decades, research into the modulation of immunity by the neuroendocrine system has flourished, unravelling significant effects of several neuropeptides, including somatostatin (SRIH), and especially cortistatin (CST), on immune cells. Scientists have learnt that the diffuse neuroendocrine system can regulate the immune system at all its levels: innate immunity, adaptive immunity, and maintenance of immune tolerance. Compelling studies with animal models have demonstrated that some neuropeptides may be effective in treating inflammatory disorders, such as sepsis, and T helper 1-driven autoimmune diseases, like Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis. Here, the latest findings concerning the neuroendocrine control of the immune system are discussed, with emphasis on SRIH and CST. The second part of the review deals with the immune response to neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). The anti-NET immune response has been described in the last years and it is still being characterized, similarly to what is happening for several other types of cancer. In parallel with investigations addressing the mechanisms by which the immune system contrasts NET growth and spreading, ground-breaking clinical trials of dendritic cell vaccination as immunotherapy for metastatic NETs have shown in principle that the immune reaction to NETs can be exploited for treatment.
Primary Focal Hyperhidrosis in a New Family Not Linked to Known Loci
Authors: Del Sorbo Francesca , Brancati Francesco , De Joanna Gabriella , Valente Enza Maria , Lauria Giuseppe , Albanese Alberto
Published: January 2012

Background: Primary focal hyperhidrosis (PFH) is a disabling disorder. A first locus has been mapped in families with only palmar involvement, raising the question whether other unknown genes are responsible for more diffuse phenotypes. Objective: We investigated a PFH family with a new phenotype, providing evidence that PFH is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous condition. Methods: Family members were examined by autonomic tests, skin biopsy and genetic analysis, and followed up for 4 years. Results: Age at onset was early, involving the axillae, palms and soles. Affected members had dysautonomic features also at onset. Cardiovascular dysautonomia was present in affected and unaffected members. Skin biopsy revealed impairment of intraepidermal nerve fibers and reduced innervation of sweat glands. There was no linkage to PFH and aquaporin-5 loci. Conclusion: This pedigree may serve as a basis for identifying a novel unmapped gene. Skin biopsy and cardiovascular autonomic tests provide important additions to the characterization of PFH.
Recombinant Human TSH for Thyroid Remnant Ablation with 131I in Children and Adolescents with Papillary Carcinoma
Authors: Rosario Pedro Weslley , Mineiro Filho Augusto Flávio Campos , Lacerda Rafaela Xavier , Calsolari Maria Regina
Published: January 2012

Background: The objective of this study was to report the results of a series of 12 patients with papillary carcinoma aged 16 years or younger, who were prepared with recombinant human TSH (rhTSH) for remnant ablation with 131I. The TSH levels achieved and the safety of 24 cycles of rhTSH administration (ablation and control assessment) are reported. Methods: All patients were prepared using the same protocol as recommended for adults. Eight to 12 months after initial therapy, the patients were submitted to neck ultrasound, measurement of stimulated Tg and anti-Tg antibodies (TgAb), and diagnostic whole-body scanning (DxWBS). Results: TSH levels >50 mIU/l were achieved in all patients. An adverse reaction (mild nausea and headache) was observed in 1/24 cycles (4.1%). Eight (88.8%) of 9 patients with uptake in the thyroid bed in post-therapy whole-body scanning (RxWBS) achieved complete remission. One patient presented TgAb in the absence of apparent disease. In addition, imaging methods showed no apparent disease in the 2 patients with lymph node metastases in RxWBS. Elevated Tg persisted in 1 patient with pulmonary micrometastases. Conclusion: The present results demonstrate the efficacy and safety of rhTSH in children and adolescents.
Effect of Acidulated Phosphate Fluoride Gel Application Time on Enamel Demineralization of Deciduous and Permanent Teeth
Authors: Calvo A.F.B. , Tabchoury C.P.M. , Del Bel Cury A.A. , Tenuta L.M.A. , da Silva W.J. , Cury J.A.
Published: January 2012

Although the effect of acidulated phosphate fluoride gel (APF gel) on caries reduction in permanent teeth is based on evidence, the relevance of the clinical application time is still under debate. Also, the effect of 4- versus 1-min application has not been evaluated in deciduous enamel. In a blind, crossover, in situ study of 14 days, 16 adult volunteers wore palatal appliances containing slabs of human permanent and deciduous enamel. At the beginning of each phase, the slabs were submitted to one of the following treatments: no APF application (negative control); APF gel (1.23% F) application for 1 or 4 min. Biofilm accumulation on the slab surface was allowed and the slabs were subjected eight times a day to 20% sucrose, simulating a high cariogenic challenge condition. On the 15th day of each phase, fluoride retained as CaF2 and fluorapatite (FAp) was determined on the enamel of the slabs and demineralization was assessed by cross-sectional microhardness. Fluoride as CaF2 and FAp, formed by APF gel application on the enamel slabs not subjected to the cariogenic challenge, was also determined. APF gel reduced demineralization in both enamel types (p < 0.05), but the difference between 1 and 4 min was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). CaF2 and FAp formed and retained on deciduous and permanent enamel was significantly higher in APF gel groups (p < 0.05), but no significant difference was found between 1 and 4 min (p > 0.05). The findings suggest that 1 min of APF gel application provides a similar effect on inhibition of demineralization as 4 min, for both permanent and deciduous enamel.
Differences in Susceptibility to Oxidative Stress in the Skin of Japanese and French Subjects and Physiological Characteristics of Their Skin
Authors: Yamashita Y. , Okano Y. , Ngo T. , Buche P. , Sirvent A. , Girard F. , Masaki H.
Published: January 2012

Background: Many researchers have studied differences in conditions of ethnic skin using biophysical measurements. However, few studies to date have focused on the antioxidative capacity of the skin. Methods: We measured two parameters of oxidative stress in the stratum corneum, catalase activity and protein carbonylation of the stratum corneum (SCCP), in two ethnic groups, Japanese and French subjects, to characterize the susceptibility to oxidative stress. We also measured several physiological parameters at three different skin sites, two sun-exposed sites (cheek and dorsal aspect of the hand) and a sun-protected site (inner upper arm), in both ethnic groups. Results: Transepidermal water loss (TEWL), the size of corneocytes and skin color showed differences between sun-exposed and sun-protected sites regardless of ethnicity. Regarding ethnic differences, catalase activities and parameters of skin hydration and barrier function of Japanese subjects were higher than those of French subjects. However, SCCP values showed a trend contrary to catalase activity. The difference in the b* value indicated that the melanin content of Japanese skin was higher than that of French skin. Pearson’s correlation analyses showed that catalase activity and SCCP values had weak relationships with water content, TEWL and skin color in both ethnic groups. Conclusion: Differences in susceptibility to oxidative stress, namely melanin content and catalase activity in the skin, induce the better skin condition of Japanese compared with French subjects.
Correction of Excessive Precipitation over Steep and High Mountains in a GCM
Authors: Chao Winston C.
Published: January 2012

Excessive precipitation over steep and high mountains (EPSM) is a well-known problem in GCMs and mesoscale models. This problem impairs simulation and data assimilation products. Among the possible causes investigated in this study, it was found that the most important one, by far, is a missing upward transport of heat out of the boundary layer due to the vertical circulations forced by the daytime upslope winds, which are forced by heated boundary layer on the subgrid-scale slopes. These upslope winds are associated with large subgrid-scale topographic variation, which is found over steep and high mountains. Without such subgrid-scale heat ventilation, the resolvable-scale upslope flow in the boundary layer generated by surface sensible heat flux along the mountain slopes is excessive. Such an excessive resolvable-scale upslope flow combined with the high moisture content in the boundary layer results in excessive moisture transport toward mountaintops, which in turn gives rise to EPSM. Other possible causes investigated include 1) a poorly designed horizontal moisture flux in the terrain-following coordinates, 2) the conditions for cumulus convection being too easily satisfied at mountaintops, 3) conditional instability of the computational kind, and 4) the absence of blocked flow drag. They are all minor or inconsequential.

The ventilation effects of the subgrid-scale heated-slope-induced vertical circulation (SHVC) have been parameterized by removing heat from the boundary layer and depositing it in the layers higher up when topographic variance exceeds a critical value. Test results using the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System GCM version 5 (GEOS-5) have shown that the EPSM problem is largely solved.
The Structure of Low-Altitude Clouds over the Southern Ocean as Seen by CloudSat
Authors: Huang Yi , Siems Steven T. , Manton Michael J. , Hande Luke B. , Haynes John M.
Published: January 2012

A climatology of the structure of the low-altitude cloud field (tops below 4 km) over the Southern Ocean (40°–65°S) in the vicinity of Australia (100°–160°E) has been constructed with CloudSat products for liquid water and ice water clouds. Averaging over longitude and time, CloudSat produces a roughly uniform cloud field between heights of approximately 750 and 2250 m across the extent of the domain for both winter and summer. This cloud field makes a transition from consisting primarily of liquid water at the lower latitudes to ice water at the higher latitudes. This transition is primarily driven by the gradient in the temperature, which is commonly between 0° and −20°C, rather than by direct physical observation.

The uniform lower boundary is a consequence of the CloudSat cloud detection algorithm being unable to reliably separate radar returns because of the bright surface versus returns due to clouds, in the lowest four range bins above the surface. This is potentially very problematic over the Southern Ocean where the depth of the boundary layer has been observed to be as shallow as 500 m. Cloud fields inferred from upper-air soundings at Macquarie Island (54.62°S, 158.85°E) similarly suggest that the peak frequency lies between 260 and 500 m for both summer and winter. No immediate explanation is available for the uniformity of the cloud-top boundary. This lack of a strong seasonal cycle is, perhaps, remarkable given the large seasonal cycles in both the shortwave (SW) radiative forcing experienced and the cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentration over the Southern Ocean.
Simulated Links between Deforestation and Extreme Cold Events in South America
Authors: Medvigy David , Walko Robert L. , Avissar Roni
Published: January 2012

Many modeling studies have indicated that deforestation will increase the average annual temperature in the Amazon. However, few studies have investigated the potential for deforestation to change the frequency and intensity of extreme events. This problem is addressed here using a variable-resolution GCM. The characteristic length scale (CLS) of the model’s grid mesh over South America is 25 km, comparable to that used by limited-area models. For computational efficiency, the CLS increases to 200 km over the rest of the world. It is found that deforestation induces large changes in the frequency of wintertime extreme cold events. Large increases in cold event frequency and intensity occur in the western Amazon and, surprisingly, in parts of southern South America, far from the actual deforested area. One possible mechanism for these remote effects involves changes in the position of the subtropical jet, caused by temperature changes in the Amazon. Increased understanding of these potential changes in extreme events will be important for local agriculture, natural ecosystems, and the human population.
Forecast Skill of the South American Monsoon System
Authors: Jones Charles , Carvalho Leila M. V. , Liebmann Brant
Published: January 2012

The South American monsoon system (SAMS) is the most important climatic feature in South America and is characterized by pronounced seasonality in precipitation. This study uses the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Climate Forecast System, reforecasts version 2 (CFSRv2), to investigate the skill of probabilistic forecasts of onset and demise dates, duration, and amplitude of SAMS during 1982–2009. A simple index based on the empirical orthogonal function of precipitation anomalies is employed to characterize onsets, demises, durations, and amplitudes of SAMS. The CFSv2 model has useful skill to forecast seasonal changes in SAMS. Probabilistic forecasts of onset and demise dates have 16.5% and 43.3% improvements, respectively, over climatological forecasts. Verification of hindcasts of durations and amplitudes of SAMS shows relatively small biases and root-mean-square errors.
Evaluation of Global Satellite Rainfall Products over Continental Europe
Authors: Stampoulis Dimitrios , Anagnostou Emmanouil N.
Published: January 2012

An extensive evaluation of two global-scale high-resolution satellite rainfall products is performed using 8 yr (2003–10) of reference rainfall data derived from a network of rain gauges over Europe. The comparisons are performed at a daily temporal scale and 0.25° spatial grid resolution. The satellite rainfall techniques investigated in this study are the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) 3B42 V6 (gauge-calibrated version) and the Climate Prediction Center morphing technique (CMORPH). The intercomparison and validation of these satellite products is performed both qualitatively and quantitatively. In the qualitative part of the analysis, error maps of various validation statistics are shown, whereas the quantitative analysis provides information about the performance of the satellite products relative to the rainfall magnitude or ground elevation. Moreover, a time series analysis of certain error statistics is used to depict the temporal variations of the accuracy of the two satellite techniques. The topographical and seasonal influences on the performance of the two satellite products over the European domain are also investigated. The error statistics presented herein indicate that both orography and seasonal variability affect the efficiency of the satellite rainfall retrieval techniques. Specifically, both satellite techniques underestimate rainfall over higher elevations, especially during the cold season, and their performance is subject to seasonal changes. A significant difference between the two satellite products is that TRMM 3B42 V6 generally overestimates rainfall, while CMORPH underestimates it. CMORPH’s mean error is shown to be of higher magnitude than that of 3B42 V6, while in terms of random error variance, CMORPH exhibits lower (higher) values than those of 3B42 V6 in the winter (summer) months.
Echocardiographic Epicardial Adipose Tissue Predicts Subclinical Atherosclerosis
Authors: Comert Nuri , Yucel Oguzhan , Ege Meltem Refiker , Yaylak Barıs , Erdogan Guney , Yilmaz Mehmet Birhan
Published: January 2012

We examined the relationship between coronary flow rate and epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) in patients with slow coronary flow (SCF) and normal coronary arteries. The study included 40 consecutive patients with stable angina pectoris who had normal coronary arteries. All patients underwent echocardiography. To determine the SCF, thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) frame count method was used. Half of the patients had SCF at least in 1 coronary artery. Thrombolysis in myocardial infarction frame counts, the mean TIMI frame count, and EAT thickness were significantly higher in patients with SCF. Slow coronary flow showed a significantly positive correlation with EAT thickness. Epicardial adipose tissue thickness was the only independent predictor of SCF. Our findings suggest that there is a significant correlation between the SCF and EAT. Therefore, echocardiographic EAT may become a predictor of subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with stable angina pectoris.
The Effect of Apparent Latency on Simulator Sickness While Using a See-Through Helmet-Mounted Display
Authors: Buker Timothy J. , Vincenzi Dennis A. , Deaton John E.
Published: January 2012

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of head movement frequency and predictive compensation on (a) latency produced in a monocular see-through helmet-mounted display (HMD) test bed and (b) simulator sickness experienced by users wearing the HMD.

Background: There is conflicting research regarding latency as a significant factor in the onset of simulator sickness. Predictive compensation has been shown to mitigate the magnitude of latency, but little is known about the extent of its effect on simulator sickness.

Method: A video camera recorded HMD and simulator imagery to accurately measure apparent latency produced at three head movement frequencies. Predictive compensation strategies were manipulated to measure the difference in apparent latency produced by the test bed in various conditions. Similar methodology was employed with human participants to measure simulator sickness experienced by users of this test bed.

Results: In Experiment 1, apparent latency increased significantly as head movement frequency increased. Predictive compensation strategies significantly reduced apparent latency present in the test bed. In Experiment 2, predictive compensation significantly reduced the magnitude of simulator sickness.

Conclusion: Predictive compensation can be effectively implemented to reduce apparent latency, resulting in a lower magnitude of simulator sickness.

Application: Potential applications include HMD use in which head position is tracked and visual imagery is linked to head or body movement, such as in virtual and augmented reality systems, and is thus critical to functionality and performance.
An Adaptive Driver Support System
Authors: Dijksterhuis Chris , Stuiver Arjan , Mulder Ben , Brookhuis Karel A. , de Waard Dick
Published: January 2012

Objective:

The aim of this study was to test the implementation of an adaptive driver support system.

Background:

Providing support might not always be desirable from a safety perspective, as support may lead to problems related to a human operator being out of the loop. In contrast, adaptive support systems are designed to keep the operator in the loop as much as possible by providing support only when necessary.

Method:

A total of 31 experienced drivers were exposed to three modes of lane-keeping support: nonadaptive, adaptive, and no support. Support involved continuously updated lateral position feedback shown on a head-up display. When adaptive, support was triggered by performance-based indications of effort investment. Narrowing lane width and increasing density of oncoming traffic served to increase steering demand, and speed was fixed in all conditions to prevent any compensatory speed reactions.

Results:

Participants preferred the adaptive support mode mainly as a warning signal and tended to ignore nonadaptive feedback. Furthermore, driving behavior was improved by adaptive support in that participants drove more centrally, displayed less lateral variation and drove less outside the lane’s delineation when support was in the adaptive mode compared with both the no-support mode and the nonadaptive support mode.

Conclusion:

A human operator is likely to use machine-triggered adaptations as an indication that thresholds have been passed, regardless of the support that is initiated. Therefore supporting only the sensory processing stage of the human information processing system with adaptive automation may not feasible.

Application:

These conclusions are relevant for designing adaptive driver support systems.
United We Are Strong
Authors: Wombacher Joerg , Felfe Joerg
Published: January 2012

This study examines how military leaders can contribute to building a sense of community among navy crews and how this, in turn, may affect unit potency as an important prerequisite of unit performance. Given the crew’s structural and functional differentiation into various subunits and nested groups, the idea of there being multiple senses of community operating dynamically onboard will be addressed. A survey of 272 members of two German Navy frigates reveals that subgroup leaders can strengthen the sense of community among their subordinates by behaving respectfully toward them and taking a personal interest in their needs. This, in turn, is likely to increase subgroup members' belief that the crew as a whole can perform successfully, provided the subgroup is part of the formal, intended structure of the ship.
Generating design reference years from the UKCP09 projections and their application to future air-conditioning loads
Authors: Du H , Underwood CP , Edge JS
Published: January 2012

A method is developed to generate future design reference year (DRY) data from the United Kingdom Climate Impact Programme's 2009 (UKCP09) climate change projections for a variety of future time horizons and carbon emission assumptions. The method selects three near-extreme summer months and three near-extreme winter months and weaves them into an existing test reference year (TRY). Risk levels associated with the 85th percentile (broadly equivalent to existing Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers [CIBSE] design summer years) of the cumulative distribution function of dry-bulb temperature and, for comparison, the 99th percentile are used. A comparison is made with DRYs generated using alternative methods from other research groups. The data are applied to future air-conditioning (cooling) loads analysis for a wide range of non-domestic case study building types. Simulations using a control DRY set applied to these buildings are used to develop a simplified regression-based calculation method for predicting future air-conditioning loads. The simplified model is shown to be applicable to future weather data without loss of accuracy, which makes it possible to carry out large numbers of future cooling loads predictions without the need to perform extensive and complex energy simulations.

Practical applications: It is becoming increasingly necessary to design energy and comfort services for buildings with a whole-life perspective. To assist with this, the CIBSE future weather years can be used for building simulations through to the 2080s. In June 2009, the UK’s Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) with the support of the United Kingdom Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP) published updated climate change projections using a probabilistic method. In future, the responsibility will rest with designers to select design data from a large number of probabilistic outcomes. This work develops a technique to select design weather data called a DRY at two alternative risk levels for use in building simulations through to the 2080s. A simplified method is also proposed to allow practitioners to generate large numbers of probabilistic design cooling loads without the need to perform extensive simulations.
An Ex Post Facto Evaluation Framework for Place-Based Police Interventions
Authors: Braga Anthony A. , Hureau David M. , Papachristos Andrew V.
Published: January 2012

Background: A small but growing body of research evidence suggests that place-based police interventions generate significant crime control gains. While place-based policing strategies have been adopted by a majority of U.S. police departments, very few agencies make a priori commitments to rigorous evaluations. Objective: Recent methodological developments were applied to conduct a rigorous ex post facto evaluation of the Boston Police Department’s Safe Street Team (SST) hot spots policing program. Research Design: A nonrandomized quasi-experimental design was used to evaluate the violent crime control benefits of the SST program at treated street segments and intersections relative to untreated street segments and intersections. Propensity score matching techniques were used to identify comparison places in Boston. Growth curve regression models were used to analyze violent crime trends at treatment places relative to control places. Units of Analysis: Using computerized mapping and database software, a micro-level place database of violent index crimes at all street segments and intersections in Boston was created. Measures: Yearly counts of violent index crimes between 2000 and 2009 at the treatment and comparison street segments and intersections served as the key outcome measure. Results: The SST program was associated with a statistically significant reduction in violent index crimes at the treatment places relative to the comparison places without displacing crime into proximate areas. Conclusions: To overcome the challenges of evaluation in real-world settings, evaluators need to continuously develop innovative approaches that take advantage of new theoretical and methodological approaches.
Kant’s Open Secret
Authors: Bennington Geoffrey
Published: January 2012

It is argued that Kant’s claimed reconciliation of politics and ethics in the Appendix to ‘Perpetual Peace’ founders on an irreducible element of secrecy that no amount of ‘publicity’ could ever dissipate. This shows up figuratively in images of veiling, and more especially in the paradoxical ‘very transparent veil’ associated with British politics in a footnote to ‘The Contest of Faculties’. This figure suggests that the structure of the ‘public’ itself involves a kind of transcendental secrecy that cannot be ‘publicly’ overcome, and that public space therefore cannot become fully visible to itself. This structural problem, it is claimed, prevents Kant from securing his proposed distinctions between the ‘moral politician’ and the ‘political moralist’, and between ‘political prudence’ or expediency and ‘political wisdom’. A similar problem reappears in the supplementary ‘Secret Article’ that Kant includes in the second edition of ‘Perpetual Peace’, which specifies, ‘secretly’, that heads of state should take secret counsel from the open and public discussions of philosophers. In giving away this secret, even as he declares it to be a secret, Kant essentially repeats the gesture of revealing the violent origin of the state, shown in the ‘ Rechtslehre’ to be illegal, and in so doing condemns the philosopher at best to a kind of exile with respect to political time and space, a marginal place that is here aligned with the place of ‘ ius aequivocum’ addressed in the Appendix to the Introduction to the ‘ Rechtslehre’, where appeals to equity on the one hand and the right of necessity on the other are described as being inaudible in the system of public right. It is suggested that these marginal and equivocal places all show up an internal frontier in the transcendental account of public space, and that this frontier zone, the very place of politics, sets a limit to the prospects of Enlightenment itself. In conclusion, it is proposed that thinking through these problems would require less a turn toward ethics than a rereading of the concept of nature, on the basis of its Heraclitean penchant for hiding or veiling itself.
Facing the Future Enemy
Authors: Anderson Ben
Published: January 2012

In this article I argue that contemporary counterinsurgency functions as a type of violent environmentality that aims to pre-empt or prevent the formation of insurgencies. Counterinsurgency becomes anticipatory as the ‘War on Terror’ morphs into a global counterinsurgency campaign oriented to the threat of insurgency and insurgents. The insurgent is faced as a spectral network that appears and disappears as distinctions between states of war and peace collapse and war is fought ‘amongst the people’. In this context, the population is targeted as an unstable collective of future friends and future enemies that contains an ever present potential to become (counter)insurgent. Through examples of PSYOPS and the dropping of leaflets from above, I describe how preventing or pre-empting the formation of insurgents becomes a question of controlling the environment through the creation of biopolitical ‘effects’.
Transparency, Interrupted
Authors: Birchall Clare
Published: January 2012

Though far from new, the rhetoric of transparency is on the ascent in public and political life. It is cited as the answer to a vast array of social, political, financial and corporate problems. With the backing of a ‘movement’, transparency has assumed the position of an unassailable ‘good’. This article asks whether the value ascribed to transparency limits political thinking, particularly for the radical and socialist Left. What forms of politics, ethics, of being-in-common, might it be possible to think if we pay attention to secrecy rather than transparency?
Residues of a Dream World
Authors: Cataldi Michael , Kelley David , Kuzmich Hans , Maier-Rothe Jens , Tang Jeannine
Published: January 2012

The High Line – a public park on a repurposed railway track in New York City – first opened to the public in 2009, and has been increasingly celebrated as a model public space, and as a democratic project directed by community. Artistic and amateur photographic practices have significantly informed the High Line’s design, landscaping, publicity, urban policy, use and constellations of community. This photo-conceptual essay critically considers the constitutive function of the photographic image, as photography produces, interpellates and defines the public and public sphere of the High Line. However, these imaging practices have also taken increasingly regulated form, and endorse conservative forms of community, personhood and publicness. The new park’s imaging practices may be understood as supplementary to neoliberal forms of property accumulation, in fact diminishing public space even as they purport to represent it. Drawing from the historical avant-garde, feminist critiques of representation and anti-capitalist urban theory, the following photographic series critiques the High Line’s photographic apparatus, from within a practice of photography, and from a position within the field of contemporary art.