bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Erasmus and the Non-Christian World
Authors: van Herwaarden Jan
Published: February 2013

Throughout his writings, Erasmus emphasized the necessity of reform within the Latin Christian world in order to protect Christian community better against Schismatics and Turks on the eastern and south-eastern borders and to bring Christianity to the New World, which was in Erasmus’ eyes a Land of Promise. All this places Erasmus in an oppressive dilemma: the defence of Latin Christianity and the mission to the New World could not be realized without the violence of war, which Eramus abhorred but nevertheless justified.
Hobbes’s Demanding Consequentialism: Comments on Bernard Gert’s Hobbes: Prince of Peace
Authors: Anderson Jeremy
Published: February 2013

I take issue with Bernard Gert’s interpretation of Hobbes on two main points. First, I argue that Hobbes’s moral theory reduces to a sophisticated form of consequentialism. Second, I argue that Hobbes’s moral theory is more demanding than Gert’s interpretation, and some of Hobbes’s own remarks, make it appear. I focus on Gert’s reading of Hobbes’s second law of nature, and argue that the law presents us with a Hobson’s choice—that is, the appearance of a choice of how much liberty to relinquish when really there is none.
Local Politics and International Partnerships: The UN Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI)
Authors: Bellamy Alex J. , Williams Paul D.
Published: February 2013

This article examines the UN mission in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI) by applying the framework set out by Paul Diehl and Dan Druckman. It does so in two main parts. The first describes the course and direction of UNOCI until the end of 2011. The second applies elements of the Diehl-Druckman framework to evaluate UNOCI. It argues that two particular issues stand out from the UNOCI case, and are reflected in the title of this essay. First, that in considering the evaluation of peacekeeping missions, the mandate itself needs to be front and centre and more thought needs to be given to the attribution of responsibility when the mandate calls for peacekeepers to ‘assist’ others. Second, peace processes involve multiple foreign actors and UN peace operations are only one part of the puzzle. Overlapping mandates and complex partnerships are becoming a more common feature of UN peace operations. Accounting for these in the evaluation of missions is one of the key challenges for the future.
Evaluating the Timor-Leste Peace Operation
Authors: Braithwaite John
Published: February 2013

We might evaluate not so much what a peace operation accomplishes itself, but how it succeeds or fails in enriching a network of action that sustains peace. Framed in this way, Diehl and Druckman’s1 evaluation model proves successful in application to peace and conflict in East Timor/Timor-Leste between 1975 and 2012. Its evaluation goals capture most of the crucial aims in play in Timor-Leste and most relationships among them. No model can capture all goals that become contextually important. The Diehl and Druckman approach proves useful as a sensitizing repertoire, but must be complemented by thinking in time and place about other goals and their interactions.
Political and Ecclesiological Contexts for the Early English Translations of Grotius’s De Veritate (1632-1686)
Authors: Barducci Marco
Published: February 2013

Grotius’s attempt to find a compromise both between reason and revelation, and between free will and predestination, his philological approach to the reading of Scripture, his refusal to engage in doctrinal disputes, and his insistence on ethics as the core of Christian teaching, were increasingly important in shaping a powerful strand of thinking about the Anglican church from the Great Tew circle to post-Restoration latitudinarianism. The references to Grotius’s apologetic work which appeared in moderate Anglican writing should be understood by setting them in a broader context encompassing the settlement of Anglican Church, its religious doctrine, and its relations with civil authority. In order to recover the complexity of the political and ecclesiological context for the English translations of De veritate, I will divide the period from 1632 to 1686 into three distinct phases: the initial phase goes back to the 1630s, when the members of the Great Tew circle at Oxford facilitated the circulation of the early translations and editions of De veritate in England within the context of Caroline/Laudian religious policy. The second covers the 1650s, when a number of Grotius’s works were translated by the Anglican theologian Clement Barksdale in order to provide a new ideology for the post-Laudian Anglican Church. The third phase spans from the Restoration until 1686, when De veritate converged in the complex political and intellectual background of ‘latitudinarianism’.
‘Socinianism Truly Stated’: John Toland, Jean Leclerc and the Eighteenth-Century Reception of Grotius’s De Veritate
Authors: Champion Justin
Published: February 2013

This paper investigates the later seventeenth reception of Grotius De veritate, contextualising the presentation of editions with the various theological attempts to identify and defend a ‘reasonable’ religion. In particular it focuses on the intellectual relationships between the projects for a ‘non-mysterious’ Christianity advanced by John Toland, and the more sincere ambitions of the most learned editor of Grotius in the eighteenth century, Jean Leclerc. The major themes context the theological arguments and reception to changing conceptions of the power and function of the established Church.
A preliminary phylogeny of the lichen moth tribe Lithosiini (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae) based on morphological characters
Authors: Scott Clare H. , Branham Marc A.
Published: February 2013

A phylogeny of the lichen moth tribe Lithosiini has been constructed based on adult morphological characters. Specimens of 76 species representing 49 genera and each of the seven subtribes that have been proposed, as well as genera that have yet to be placed within a subtribe, were examined. When possible the type species of each genus was included in the analysis. Eighty-two characters from the external morphology and male and female genitalia were coded. The dataset was analyzed using both Maximum Parsimony and Bayesian phylogenetic methods with outgroup taxa selected from the subfamily Aganainae and tribe Arctiini. The morphological characters show the tribe Lithosiini as a monophyletic lineage, but could not assess the monophyly of the seven subtribes that have been hypothesized. The clades that are resolved by our phylogenetic analysis were composed only of genera representing a single subtribe or those that have not previously been placed in a subtribe. These results provide support for the existence of subtribes within the Lithosiini and represent the most extensive examination of the phylogeny of this tribe to date.
An Interview on Innovations in Social Governance: The Wuxi Experiment
Authors: Yingzi Hu
Published: February 2013

Editor’s Notes

Professor Wang Ming, Director of the NGO Research Center of the School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University led a team to conduct field research in Wuxi County, Chongqing City, in early August, 2011. The team discovered several innovations implemented in the local social governance. First, there is the “Lehe Homeland”, a community building model that stimulates the initiative of grassroots citizens and enthusiasm for participation in local affairs by setting up the Lehe Mutual Support Group as a platform for mutual communication and support between urban and rural populations. Second, there is the “general mass work” mechanism. A Mass Work Department (群工部) was set up by the county party committee as a liaison between the party committee and government organizations with horizontal coordination and supervision functions to engage in social governance from the mass work. Third, a “grid-style management” scheme was implemented. This refers to a comprehensive, service-oriented grid-style administrative system that meets both rural and urban demands on public services, and serves the purpose of building a service-oriented government. Fourth, different participants including the village governing committee, village party committee, Lehe Mutual Support Group, departments included in the grid-style system, NGOs, the Mass Work Department, etc., were brought together under a “joint council” system to hold meetings on a regular basis for the purpose of communication and cooperation. These new features in Wuxi’s social governance experiment intrigued Professor Wang Ming so much that he invited Zheng Xiangdong (郑向东), Party Secretary of Wuxi County, and Liao Xiaoyi (廖晓义), founder of Global Village of Beijing to Tsinghua University in mid-November for a public dialogue on the practice of and experiences with Wuxi’s innovative social governance experiments, using the example of community building at Lehe Homeland. The following is the edited transcript of the dialogue.
Beijing’s Innovations in Social Management: An Interview with Song Guilun (宋贵伦)
Authors: Li Yang
Published: February 2013

Abstract

In the afternoon of September 9, 2010, the Tsinghua University Social Management Innovation Research Group led by Professor Wang Ming (王名) conducted an interview with Song Guilun, the Party Secretary of the Beijing Municipal Social Work Committee of Chinese Communist Party and Director of the Beijing Municipal Social Development Office in which they discussed in-depth recent Beijing innovations in social management. The interview covered topics related to social management systemic and institutional innovations in Beijing, including resolution of acute local-level issues; “pivotal” social organizations; social worker team building; party building in the social field; network-style social service management; and management of foreign NGOs.
The Ambassador, the General, and the President: FDR’s Mismanagement of Interdepartmental Relations in Wartime China
Authors: Burt Sally
Published: February 2013

China played an important part in Franklin Roosevelt’s vision for the post-World War II world. The president, however, lacked a clear and coherent plan of the tactics he should use to help turn his vision into a reality. The relationship between the U.S. ambassador in China, Clarence Gauss, and the U.S. commander of the China-Burma-India Theater, General Joseph Stilwell, provides an instructive case study of FDR’s mismanagement of the relations between the War and State Departments over China. This article argues that the president’s mismanagement resulted from the failure to develop a clear plan to bring about the conditions in China that would see his vision succeed.
Atlantic Dimensions of the American Revolution: Imperial Priorities and the Portuguese Reaction to the North American Bid for Independence (1775-83)
Authors: Walker Timothy
Published: February 2013

This article explains and contextualizes the reaction of the Portuguese monarchy and government to the rebellion and independence of the British colonies in North America. This reaction was a mixed one, shaped by the simultaneous but conflicting motivations of an economic interest in North American trade, an abhorrence on the part of the Portuguese Crown for democratic rebellion against monarchical authority and a fundamental requirement to maintain a stable relationship with long-time ally Great Britain. Although the Lisbon regime initially reacted very strongly against the Americans’ insurrection, later, under a new queen, the Portuguese moderated their position so as not to damage their long-term imperial political and economic interests.

This article also examines the economic and political power context of the contemporary Atlantic World from the Portuguese perspective, and specifically outlines the multiple ties that existed between Portugal and the North American British colonies during the eighteenth century. The argument demonstrates that Portugal reacted according to demands created by its overseas empire: maximizing trading profits, manipulating the balance of power in Europe among nations with overseas colonies and discouraging the further spread of aspirations toward independence throughout the Americas, most notably to Portuguese-held Brazil.

The Portuguese role as a fundamental player in the early modern Atlantic World is chronically underappreciated and understudied in modern English-language historiography. Despite the significance of Portugal as a trading partner to the American colonies, and despite the importance of the Portuguese Atlantic colonial system to British commercial and military interests in the eighteenth century, no scholarly treatment of this specific subject has ever appeared in the primary journals that regularly consider Atlantic World imperial power dynamics or the place of the incipient United States within them. This contribution, then, helps to fill an obvious gap in the historical literature of the long eighteenth century and the revolutionary era in the Americas.
The Muslim World League in Europe: An Islamic Organization to serve the Saudi Strategic Interests?
Authors: Amghar Samir
Published: February 2013

Abstract

In order to struggle against the growing influence in the Arab world of the secular nationalism promoted in Egypt by President Nasser, Saudi Arabia decided in the ‘60s to appear as a center of religious and ideological influence. The cornerstone of the hegemonic politics of Saudi Arabia for the world leadership of Islam was the creation, in 1962, of the Muslim World League. This organization was in charge of financing projects related to the development of Islam in the world. It is probably in Europe that the proselyte activities of the League are the most important. If the League holds a predominant position in the soft power politics of the Saudi kingdom, its mission is also to struggle against ideologies that are likely to threaten the stability of the regime. It funds projects of mosques construction, distributes Korans and brochures, organizes Islamic classes and conferences, hoping to create networks of clientele and of non-critical allegiances to the Saudi kingdom in the Muslim populations. The League advocates a heterogeneous salafism, which indeed resembles, at least on a dogmatic level, the salafism advocated by theologists of Saudi Arabia but dissociates itself from it on a social and a political level. Confronted to the multiplication of international risks (the Iraq War, al-Qaeda, Saudi jihadists . . .), the League takes part in a vast institutional ensemble “of protection of the Saudi throne,” like the Dar al Ifta, Council of the Saudi ulamas, which pledges allegiance to the authority and fight against anti-establishment Islamism and Islamic terrorism with its different fatwas.
The Fear of Small Numbers: Eurabia Literature and Censuses on Religious Belonging
Authors: Larsson Göran
Published: February 2013

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyse and compare the census statistics on Muslims in Europe provided by the Yearbook of Muslims in Europe with anti-Muslim estimates of the possible numbers of Muslims in Europe in order to give a comprehensive picture of how many individuals actually identify themselves as Muslims. Contrary to popular figures estimating that there are approximately forty to fifty million Muslims living in Europe (including Russia, but leaving out Turkey) the official census data provided by nineteen countries in the Yearbook gives a figure closer to five million. The findings in my article are based on the available censuses from 2000 until today (that is, summer 2012), and the results give a presentation of census statistics on individuals who identify themselves as Muslims in Europe. The results from the Yearbook of Muslims in Europe are critically discussed and related to estimates and popular assumptions about the number of Muslims in Europe that circulate in the media, especially among anti-Muslim writers who adhere to the so-called Eurabia theory. In conclusion it is clear that there is a large gap between popular anti-Muslim estimates of the number of Muslims and the figures presented in official census data. It is argued that this gap may have a negative impact on how Islam and Muslims are framed, discussed and debated in Europe today.
Anopheles coluzzii and Anopheles amharicus, new members of the Anopheles gambiae complex
Authors: COETZEE MAUREEN , HUNT RICHARD H. , WILKERSON RICHARD , TORRE ALESSANDRA DELLA , COULIBALY MAMADOU B. , BESANSKY NORA J.
Published: February 2013

Two new species within the Anopheles gambiae complex are here described and named. Based on molecular and bionomical evidence, the An. gambiae molecular "M form" is named Anopheles coluzzii Coetzee & Wilkerson sp. n., while the "S form" retains the nominotypical name Anopheles gambiae Giles. Anopheles quadriannulatus is retained for the southern African populations of this species, while the Ethiopian species is named Anopheles amharicus Hunt, Wilkerson & Coetzee sp. n., based on chromosomal, cross-mating and molecular evidence.
Southern Annular Mode Dynamics in Observations and Models. Part II: Eddy Feedbacks
Authors: Simpson Isla R. , Shepherd Theodore G. , Hitchcock Peter , Scinocca John F.
Published: February 2013

Many global climate models (GCMs) have trouble simulating southern annular mode (SAM) variability correctly, particularly in the Southern Hemisphere summer season where it tends to be too persistent. In this two-part study, a suite of experiments with the Canadian Middle Atmosphere Model (CMAM) is analyzed to improve the understanding of the dynamics of SAM variability and its deficiencies in GCMs. Here, an examination of the eddy–mean flow feedbacks is presented by quantification of the feedback strength as a function of zonal scale and season using a new methodology that accounts for intraseasonal forcing of the SAM.

In the observed atmosphere, in the summer season, a strong negative feedback by planetary-scale waves, in particular zonal wavenumber 3, is found in a localized region in the southwest Pacific. It cancels a large proportion of the positive feedback by synoptic- and smaller-scale eddies in the zonal mean, resulting in a very weak overall eddy feedback on the SAM. CMAM is deficient in this negative feedback by planetary-scale waves, making a substantial contribution to its bias in summertime SAM persistence. Furthermore, this bias is not alleviated by artificially improving the climatological circulation, suggesting that climatological circulation biases are not the cause of the planetary wave feedback deficiency in the model.

Analysis of the summertime eddy feedbacks in the models from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) confirms that this is indeed a common problem among GCMs, suggesting that understanding this planetary wave feedback and the reason for its deficiency in GCMs is key to improving the fidelity of simulated SAM variability in the summer season.
Sensitivity of CAM5-Simulated Arctic Clouds and Radiation to Ice Nucleation Parameterization
Authors: Xie Shaocheng , Liu Xiaohong , Zhao Chuanfeng , Zhang Yuying
Published: February 2013

Sensitivity of Arctic clouds and radiation in the Community Atmospheric Model, version 5, to the ice nucleation process is examined by testing a new physically based ice nucleation scheme that links the variation of ice nuclei (IN) number concentration to aerosol properties. The default scheme parameterizes the IN concentration simply as a function of ice supersaturation. The new scheme leads to a significant reduction in simulated IN concentration at all latitudes while changes in cloud amounts and properties are mainly seen at high- and midlatitude storm tracks. In the Arctic, there is a considerable increase in midlevel clouds and a decrease in low-level clouds, which result from the complex interaction among the cloud macrophysics, microphysics, and large-scale environment. The smaller IN concentrations result in an increase in liquid water path and a decrease in ice water path caused by the slowdown of the Bergeron–Findeisen process in mixed-phase clouds. Overall, there is an increase in the optical depth of Arctic clouds, which leads to a stronger cloud radiative forcing (net cooling) at the top of the atmosphere. The comparison with satellite data shows that the new scheme slightly improves low-level cloud simulations over most of the Arctic but produces too many midlevel clouds. Considerable improvements are seen in the simulated low-level clouds and their properties when compared with Arctic ground-based measurements. Issues with the observations and the model–observation comparison in the Arctic region are discussed.
Loop Current Mixed Layer Energy Response to Hurricane Lili (2002). Part II: Idealized Numerical Simulations
Authors: Uhlhorn Eric W. , Shay Lynn K.
Published: February 2013

In this second part of a two-part study, details of the upper-ocean response within an idealized baroclinic current to a translating tropical cyclone are examined in a series of nonlinear, reduced-gravity numerical simulations. Based on observations obtained as part of a joint NOAA–National Science Foundation (NSF) experiment in Hurricane Lili (2002), the preexisting ocean mass and momentum fields are initialized with a Gulf of Mexico Loop Current–like jet, which is subsequently forced by a vortex whose wind stress field approximates that observed in the Lili experiments. Because of 1) favorable coupling between the wind stress and preexisting current vectors, and 2) wind-driven currents flowing across the large horizontal pressure gradient, wind energy transfer to the mixed layer can be more efficient in such a regime as compared to the case of an initially horizontally homogeneous ocean. However, nearly all energy is removed by advection and wave flux by two local inertial periods after storm passage, consistent with the observational results. Experiments are performed to quantify differences in one-dimensional and three-dimensional linearized approximations to the full model equations. In addition, sensitivity experiments to variations in the initial geostrophic current structure are performed to develop a parameter space over which a significant energy response could optimally be observed.
Aircraft Regional-Scale Flux Measurements over Complex Landscapes of Mangroves, Desert, and Marine Ecosystems of Magdalena Bay, Mexico
Authors: Zulueta Rommel C. , Oechel Walter C. , Verfaillie Joseph G. , Hastings Steven J. , Gioli Beniamino , Lawrence William T. , Paw U Kyaw Tha
Published: February 2013

Natural ecosystems are rarely structurally simple or functionally homogeneous. This is true for the complex coastal region of Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, Mexico, where the spatial variability in ecosystem fluxes from the Pacific coastal ocean, eutrophic lagoon, mangroves, and desert were studied. The Sky Arrow 650TCN environmental research aircraft proved to be an effective tool in characterizing land–atmosphere fluxes of energy, CO2, and water vapor across a heterogeneous landscape at the scale of 1 km. The aircraft was capable of discriminating fluxes from all ecosystem types, as well as between nearshore and coastal areas a few kilometers distant. Aircraft-derived average midday CO2 fluxes from the desert showed a slight uptake of −1.32 μmol CO2 m−2 s−1, the coastal ocean also showed an uptake of −3.48 μmol CO2 m−2 s−1, and the lagoon mangroves showed the highest uptake of −8.11 μmol CO2 m−2 s−1. Additional simultaneous measurements of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) allowed simple linear modeling of CO2 flux as a function of NDVI for the mangroves of the Magdalena Bay region. Aircraft approaches can, therefore, be instrumental in determining regional CO2 fluxes and can be pivotal in calculating and verifying ecosystem carbon sequestration regionally when coupled with satellite-derived products and ecosystem models.
Evaluation and Improvement of an Iterative Scattering Correction Scheme for in situ Absorption and Attenuation Measurements
Authors: McKee David , Piskozub Jacek , Röttgers Rüdiger , Reynolds Rick A.
Published: February 2013

The performance of several scattering correction schemes for reflecting-tube absorption and beam attenuation measurements is evaluated with data collected in European shelf seas. Standard scattering correction procedures for absorption measurements perform poorly because of nonzero absorption in the near infrared and wavelength-dependent scattering phase functions. A previously described iterative correction procedure based on Monte Carlo simulations of the Western Environmental Technologies Laboratories (WET Labs) ac-9 and independent estimates of particle backscattering initially performs poorly, but is greatly improved when realistic losses at flow-tube walls are incorporated into the model. The updated Monte Carlo scattering correction provides excellent agreement with independent absorption and attenuation measurements made with a point-source integrating-cavity absorption meter (PSICAM) and a Laser In Situ Scattering and Transmissometer (LISST, Sequoia Scientific), respectively. Implications for historic datasets and requirements for application to future datasets are discussed.
Dust Accumulation Biases in PIRATA Shortwave Radiation Records*
Authors: Foltz Gregory R. , Evan Amato T. , Freitag H. Paul , Brown Sonya , McPhaden Michael J.
Published: February 2013

Long-term and direct measurements of surface shortwave radiation (SWR) have been recorded by the Prediction and Research Moored Array in the Tropical Atlantic (PIRATA) since 1997. Previous studies have shown that African dust, transported westward from the Sahara and Sahel regions, can accumulate on mooring SWR sensors in the high-dust region of the North Atlantic (8°–25°N, 20°–50°W), potentially leading to significant negative SWR biases. Here dust-accumulation biases are quantified for each PIRATA mooring using direct measurements from the moorings, combined with satellite and reanalysis datasets and statistical models. The SWR records from five locations in the high-dust region (8°, 12°, and 15°N along 38°W; 12° and 21°N along 23°W) are found to contain monthly-mean accumulation biases as large as −200 W m−2 and record-length mean biases on the order of −10 W m−2. The other 12 moorings, located mainly between 10°S and 4°N, are in regions of lower atmospheric dust concentration and do not show statistically significant biases. Seasonal-to-interannual variability of the accumulation bias is found at all locations in the high-dust region. The moorings along 38°W also show decreasing trends in the bias magnitude since 1998 that are possibly related to a corresponding negative trend in atmospheric dust concentration. The dust-accumulation biases described here will be useful for interpreting SWR data from PIRATA moorings in the high-dust region. The biases are also potentially useful for quantifying dust deposition rates in the tropical North Atlantic, which at present are poorly constrained by satellite data and numerical models.
Adolescent and Young Adult Understanding of the Differences Between Chlamydia, HIV, and AIDS
Authors: Anderson James G. , Lemay Celeste A. , Maranda Louise , Blake Diane R.
Published: February 2013

Objective. To explore young people’s understanding of the differences between Chlamydia, HIV, and AIDS. Methods. Participants from a hospital-based adolescent clinic completed a self-administered written survey. Three questions assessed participants’ understanding of the differences between Chlamydia, HIV, and AIDS. Results. Nearly half of the 119 participants selected “No” or “Don’t know” when asked if there are differences between Chlamydia and HIV and between HIV and AIDS. Increasing age was associated with correct response. Conclusions. A large proportion of youth in this sample did not know that there are differences between Chlamydia, HIV, and AIDS. Previous research suggests that some young people are afraid to be screened for Chlamydia because they fear that a Chlamydia diagnosis has the same ramifications as an AIDS diagnosis. Findings from this study indicate that more education about the differences between Chlamydia, HIV, and AIDS is needed.
Generationing relations in challenging times: Americans and Canadians in mid-life in the Great Recession
Authors: McDaniel Susan A , Gazso Amber , Um Seonggee
Published: February 2013

Generation can be seen as a crossroads where multiple socioeconomic influences intersect with individual life courses. Conceptualized as a process, performed dynamically and relationally, rather than a static category, generationing builds self-identities and concepts of how the social order is expected to work. In this article the authors ask how the multilayered processes of generationing, as experienced by those in mid-life, are affected by the shock of the 2008 economic crisis in the United States and in Canada, two countries very differently touched by the crisis. The US has suffered greatly with home foreclosures, bankruptcies, continuing high unemployment and spreading poverty. Canada, by contrast, has had negligible levels of home foreclosures, few bankruptcies and lower unemployment. The data are qualitative interviews conducted specifically with those in mid-life in working and middle classes in comparable medium-sized cities in the two countries, from fall 2008 through spring 2010. The authors’ findings suggest that the shock of the economic crisis has deeply transformed the lives of those in the middle of generations and all those whose lives are linked to theirs, as well as the processes of generationing, particularly in the US, with implications for families, for societal cohesion and social order.
Studying Differential Item Functioning via Latent Variable Modeling
Authors: Raykov Tenko , Marcoulides George A. , Lee Chun-Lung , Chang Chi
Published: February 2013

This note is concerned with a latent variable modeling approach for the study of differential item functioning in a multigroup setting. A multiple-testing procedure that can be used to evaluate group differences in response probabilities on individual items is discussed. The method is readily employed when the aim is also to locate possible sources of differential item functioning in homogenous behavioral measuring instruments across two or more populations under investigation. The approach is readily applicable using the popular software Mplus and R and is illustrated with a numerical example.
Approaches to the Afro-Colombian Experience in Chile
Authors: Segovia Jimena Silva , Lufin Marcelo
Published: February 2013

This article proposes to characterize the situation of Afro-Colombian immigrant families, with emphasis on women living in the Region of Antofagasta, Chile. A mixed methodology was used, with interviews, conversation groups, and surveys of groups of men and women born in Colombia who have settled in Chile. It was sought to describe their experiences in two contexts: the first, from outside in, as a context of emigration from Colombia, and the second, the current context of immigration in Chile. The principal findings include a description of what the displacement means for the women based on their motivations to migrate and the relevant experiences they had in accessing Chilean territory and in the normalization of their migratory status. Transversally, the authors observed whether or not their basic, social, and economic rights were prevalent and the constant impact that the contextual and ethnic systems that affect them had on the immigrant women.
In vitro study of poly(ethylene terephthalate) implants for long-term durability
Authors: Rahman Mashiur
Published: February 2013

In vitro investigation was carried out using two loading conditions (applied and pre-loading) and three aqueous chemicals to study the in vivo formation of longitudinal and circumferential cracks in poly(ethylene terephthalate) or PET implants. Scanning electron microscopy determined that in vivo formation of longitudinal cracks can be detected by treating the PET with aqueous NaOH in relaxed and loading conditions; both longitudinal and circumferential cracks can be detected by treating the PET with aqueous NaOH under applied and pre-loading conditions above the yield load. The detected longitudinal and circumferential cracks were similar to those found in PET implants in vivo. Treatments using acid and ammonium hydroxide did not produce any longitudinal or circumferential cracks either in relaxed (zero load) or applied loading conditions. The calculated lifetime was approximately 50 years under zero applied loading conditions and pH of 10–11. The major contributing factor for the premature rupture of medical-grade PET implants resulting in numerous human deaths was physiological load.
Improvement in antibacterial activity of moxa oil containing gelatin-arabic gum microcapsules
Authors: Li Li , Au Waiman , Hua Tao , Zhao Diandong , Wong Kwokshing
Published: February 2013

In the present study, moxa oil was encapsulated into the gelatin-arabic gum microcapsules using a complex coacervation technique in order to improve the antibacterial property of moxa oil. The physical properties including surface morphology, particle size, drug loading as well as release profile and anti-Staphylococcus aureus activity of moxa oil containing microcapsules were investigated. The results showed that the moxa oil containing microcapsules had relatively spherical appearance with the average particle size (6.42 µm) and the average oil loading (0.20 ± 0.01 mg/ml). The moxa oil was demonstrated to be gradually released from the microcapsules. The antibacterial study revealed that the moxa oil microcapsule-treated cotton fabrics showed a significantly stronger growth inhibition towards Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus).
Trajectories of Adolescent Alcohol Use by Gender and Early Initiation Status
Authors: Bolland Kathleen A. , Bolland John M. , Tomek Sara , Devereaux Randolph S. , Mrug Sylvie , Wimberly Joshua C.
Published: February 2013

Within the adolescent risk behavior literature, questions remain about relationships among behaviors in early adolescence, gender, context, and negative social and health outcomes. Additionally, little attention has focused on trajectories of adolescent risk behavior among impoverished African American youth. Using data from the Mobile Youth Survey, a multiple cohort longitudinal study of adolescents living in impoverished neighborhoods, we have reduced gaps in the literature by identifying trajectories of alcohol use for males and females separately as a function of early initiation of alcohol use. Our findings indicate that early initiation of alcohol use predicts escalating use at least through age 17. Results are especially notable for females who begin drinking before age 12: They drink significantly more than any other group at age 12 and their trajectory remains the highest through age 17. Our findings about the escalation of drinking have implications for efforts to improve the lives of impoverished adolescents.
Social Strain, Self-Control, and Juvenile Gambling Pathology
Authors: Cheung Nicole W. T.
Published: February 2013

Despite recent concerns over youthful problem gambling, few gambling studies have looked into Asian adolescent populations. This study of a stratified, random sample of high school students in Hong Kong is designed to estimate the prevalence of gambling pathology among Chinese adolescents and to examine the relationships between social strain, self-control and gambling pathology. Based on the DSM-IV-J gambling screen, the rates of probable pathological gambling and at-risk gambling in this sample are 1.1% and 2.4%, respectively. Social strain and low self-control are predictive of gambling pathology, and a higher level of self-control can dilute the adverse effect of social strain on gambling pathology. These findings suggest that besides the social control, support and learning mechanisms often emphasized in juvenile gambling research, a greater understanding of the role that social strain plays and how it interacts with personality traits such as self-control may be informative in the management of gambling-related addictions in adolescents.
State of the Science
Authors: Brennan Caitlin W. , Daly Barbara J. , Jones Katherine R.
Published: February 2013

Over a decade of research on the relationship between nurse staffing and patient outcomes has demonstrated the important role of nurses in the provision of high-quality, safe care, yet currently, no evidence-based nurse staffing guidelines exist. A systematic review of reviews was conducted to explore reasons why this is the case and recommend directions for future research to improve upon this gap. Authors of the 29 included reviews reported variability in methods and measurement approaches, lack of incorporation of nurse processes and system factors that potentially affect relationships among variables, and overall inconsistencies in results across primary studies. We propose use of an Integrated Framework for a Systems Approach to Nurse Staffing Research to inform the development of applicable conceptual models. Future studies that use a systems approach and focus on establishing causal relationships among variables will potentially strengthen the evidence and advance the science in this area.
Death is not a success: Reflections on business exit
Authors: Coad Alex
Published: February 2013

This article is a critical evaluation of claims that business exits should not be seen as failures, on the grounds that may constitute voluntary liquidation, or because they are learning opportunities. This can be seen as further evidence of bias affecting entrepreneurship research, where failures are repackaged as successes. This article reiterates that the majority of business exits are unsuccessful. Drawing on ideas from the organisational life course, it is suggested that business ‘death’ is a suitable term for describing business closure. Even cases of voluntary ‘harvest liquidation’ such as retirement can be meaningfully described as business deaths.
The survival of newly-incorporated companies and founding director characteristics
Authors: Wilson Nick , Wright Mike , Altanlar Ali
Published: February 2013

This article examines the failure path of newly-incorporated companies and determines the impact of founder director/board characteristics on survival. Hypotheses are tested regarding director characteristics within a discrete-time hazard model which controls for macro-economic conditions, recursive relationships and all non-insolvency exits. Regarding the estimation method, analysis of the variables’ average marginal effects is helpful in unravelling the subtleties of these effects, being used to confirm the magnitude and economic significance of the results. The study utilises a unique dataset of more than 5.8m company-year observations (near population) of newly-incorporated companies and early-stage board characteristics. Results suggest that the background, experience, networking, gender diversity and composition of new boards are important in determining the trajectory of success or failure of new firms.
The ‘dis-ease’ of dying: Challenges in nursing care of the dying in the acute hospital setting. A qualitative observational study
Authors: Bloomer Melissa J , Endacott Ruth , O’Connor Margaret , Cross Wendy
Published: February 2013

Background:

Changes in health care and an ageing population have meant that more people are dying in the acute hospital setting. While palliative care principles have resulted in quality care for the dying, many patients die in an acute care, still receiving aggressive/resuscitative care.

Aims:

The aims were to explore nurses’ ‘recognition of’ and ‘responsiveness to’ dying patients and to understand the nurses’ influence on end-of-life care.

Design:

A qualitative approach was taken utilising non-participant observation to elicit rich data, followed by focus groups and individual semi-structured interviews for clarification.

Setting/participants:

This study was conducted in two acute medical wards in one health service, identified as having the highest rates of death, once palliative care and critical care areas were excluded. Twenty-five nurses consented to participate, and 20 episodes of observation were conducted.

Results:

Nurses took a passive role in recognising dying, providing active care until a medical officer’s declaration of dying. Ward design, nurse allocation and nurses’ attitude to death impacts patient care. End-of-life care in a single room can have negative consequences for the dying. Nurses demonstrated varying degrees of discomfort, indicating that they were underprepared for this role.

Conclusion:

When patients are terminally ill, acknowledgement of dying is essential in providing appropriate care. It should not be assumed that all nurses are adequately prepared to provide dying care. Further work is necessary to investigate how the attitudes of nurses towards caring for dying patients in the acute hospital setting may impact care of the dying patient.
Association between C-reactive Protein Concentration and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Zhang Y , Bunjhoo H , Xiong W , Xu Y , Yang D
Published: February 2013

Objective:

This meta-analysis was conducted to summarize the association between the serum concentration of C-reactive protein (CRP) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Methods:

MEDLINE®, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and EMBASE databases were searched for relevant studies. Data were extracted; pooled weighted mean differences (WMDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated.

Results:

Twenty studies were selected for final inclusion in this analysis. Patients with COPD had higher serum CRP concentrations than healthy controls (WMD 4.72 mg/l, 95% CI 2.98, 6.47). In addition, patients with severe COPD had higher serum CRP concentrations than those with moderate COPD (WMD 1.26 mg/l, 95% CI 0.78, 1.73). There was no significant difference in serum CRP concentration between patients with mild and moderate COPD (WMD 0.67 mg/l, 95% CI -0.08, 1.42).

Conclusions:

This meta-analysis suggested that patients with stable COPD had higher serum CRP concentrations than healthy controls. CRP might be an indicator of disease severity in patients with COPD, thus highlighting the importance of measuring serum CRP concentrations in patients with stable COPD.
Decreased Expression of MicroRNA-375 in Nonsmall Cell Lung Cancer and its Clinical Significance
Authors: Li Y , Jiang Q , Xia N , Yang H , Hu C
Published: February 2013

Objective:

Emerging evidence has shown the association of aberrant microRNA-375 (miR-375) expression with tumourigenesis in many types of human malignancy. This prospective study characterized the contribution of miR-375 to the initiation and progression of nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods:

The real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was used to examine miR-375 levels prospectively in 96 pairs of samples of NSCLC tissue and adjacent noncancerous tissue (> 2 cm from cancer tissue). The relationship between miR-375 levels and clinico pathological features was also explored.

Results:

MiR-375 was downregulated in 89% (85/96) of NSCLC samples compared with matched noncancerous tissue samples. Decreased miR-375 correlated significantly with advanced disease stage and lymphatic metastasis. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analyses revealed that underexpression of miR-375 was an unfavourable prognostic factor for overall survival in NSCLC.

Conclusions:

This study suggested that miR-375 is a novel prognostic indicator in NSCLC and might be a potential target for diagnosis and gene therapy.
Relationship between Symptoms and Gastric Emptying of Solids in Functional Dyspepsia
Authors: Guo W-J , Yao S-K , Zhang Y-L , Yan J , Yin L-J , Li3 H-L
Published: February 2013

Objective:

Functional dyspepsia is a heterogeneous disorder and different pathophysiological mechanisms underlie its symptom patterns. This study investigated the relationship between dyspepsia symptoms and overall and proximal gastric emptying in patients with functional dyspepsia.

Methods:

A total of 93 patients with functional dyspepsia and 32 healthy subjects were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Prevalence and severity of eight dyspepsia symptoms were recorded. Gastric emptying was measured using single photon emission computed tomography scanning.

Results:

Overall and proximal gastric emptying were delayed in 47.3% (44/93) and 46.2% (43/93) of the patients, respectively. Logistic regression analyses showed that presence of nausea was associated with delayed proximal gastric emptying (odds ratio 4.951; 95% confidence interval 1.321, 18.558). There were no significant differences between normal and delayed overall gastric emptying according to presence of symptoms.

Conclusions:

Presence of nausea might indicate delayed gastric emptying of the proximal stomach. Promotion of proximal gastric emptying may constitute an effective therapy for patients with functional dyspepsia who report nausea as the dominant symptom.
Inverse Correlation between Caveolin-1 Expression and Clinical Severity in Psoriasis Vulgaris
Authors: Ma WY , Zhuang L , Cai DX , Zhong H , Zhao C , Sun Q
Published: February 2013

Objective:

This study investigated the clinical significance of expression of caveolin-1 - a plasma membrane protein involved in caveola formation, endocytosis, signal transduction and angiogenesis - inthe pathogenesis of psoriasis vulgaris.

Methods:

A total of 20 patients with psoriasis vulgaris and 20 healthy volunteers were recruited. The expressions of caveolin-1, Ki-67 (marker of cell proliferation) and CD34 (marker of angiogenesis) in skin biopsies were detected by immunohistochemistry, and the level of caveolin-1 protein was quantified by Western blotting. Clinical severity was assessed using the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score. Correlations between caveolin-1 expression and psoriasis severity, cell proliferation and angiogenesis were analysed using the Spearman rank correlation test.

Results:

Expression of caveolin-1 was significantly lower in psoriasis samples than in healthy skin samples. In psoriasis lesions, the level of caveolin-1 expression was inversely correlated with the severity of psoriasis, cell proliferation and angiogenesis.

Conclusions:

The level of caveolin-1 expression seems to be related to the clinical severity of psoriasis, and may play a role in the abnormal keratinocyte hyperplasia and angiogenesis seen in this condition.
Elevated Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Levels Induce Hyperpermeability of Endothelial Cells in Hantavirus Infection
Authors: Li Y , Wang W , Wang J-P , Pan L , Zhang Y , Yu H-T , Jiang W , Wang P-Z , Bai X-F
Published: February 2013

Objective:

To investigate the role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS).

Methods:

VEGF, soluble VEGF receptor (sVEGFR)-2, angiopoietin (Ang)-1, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interferon (IFN)-γ levels were measured in serum samples from 68 patients with HFRS. Cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUEVCs) were infected by Hantaan virus (HTNV) and/or stimulated with recombinant VEGF; dextran permeability of the cells was determined. Claudin-1 and vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin levels were determined by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analyses.

Results:

Serum VEGF, TNF-α and IFN-γ levels were significantly elevated, whereas sVEGFR2 and Ang-1 levels were reduced, during the acute phase of HFRS. In vitro cell permeability was unaffected by HTNV infection or VEGF stimulation alone, but the combination of HTNV infection and VEGF treatment significantly increased the permeability of endothelial cell monolayers in a time-dependent manner. Claudin-1 and VE-cadherin were downregulated at both the mRNA and protein level by combined HTNV infection and VEGF stimulation.

Conclusions:

Elevated VEGF induced by HTNV infection may play an important role in the vascular hyperpermeability that is characteristic of HFRS.