bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Validation Study of Administrative Data Algorithms to Identify Patients with Parkinsonism with Prevalence and Incidence Trends
Authors: Butt Debra A. , Tu Karen , Young Jacqueline , Green Diane , Wang Myra , Ivers Noah , Jaakkimainen Liisa , Lam Robert , Guttman Mark
Published: October 2014

Background: Epidemiological studies for identifying patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) or Parkinsonism (PKM) have been limited by their nonrandom sampling techniques and mainly veteran populations. This reduces their use for health services planning. The purpose of this study was to validate algorithms for the case ascertainment of PKM from administrative databases using primary care patients as the reference standard. Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart abstraction using a random sample of 73,003 adults aged ≥20 years from a primary care Electronic Medical Record Administrative data Linked Database (EMRALD) in Ontario, Canada. Physician diagnosis in the EMR was used as the reference standard and population-based administrative databases were used to identify patients with PKM from the derivation of algorithms. We calculated algorithm performance using sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values and then determined the population-level prevalence and incidence trends with the most accurate algorithms. Results: We selected, ‘2 physician billing codes in 1 year' as the optimal administrative data algorithm in adults and seniors (≥65 years) due to its sensitivity (70.6-72.3%), specificity (99.9-99.8%), positive predictive value (79.5-82.8%), negative predictive value (99.9-99.7%), and prevalence (0.28-1.20%), respectively. Conclusions: Algorithms using administrative databases can reliably identify patients with PKM with a high degree of accuracy.
Normalized Mini-Mental State Examination for Assessing Cognitive Change in Population-Based Brain Aging Studies
Authors: Philipps Viviane , Amieva Hélène , Andrieu Sandrine , Dufouil Carole , Berr Claudine , Dartigues Jean-François , Jacqmin-Gadda Hélène , Proust-Lima Cécile
Published: October 2014

Background: The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) is widely used in population-based longitudinal studies to quantify cognitive change. However, its poor metrological properties, mainly ceiling/floor effects and varying sensitivity to change, have largely restricted its usefulness. We propose a normalizing transformation that corrects these properties, and makes possible the use of standard statistical methods to analyze change in MMSE scores. Methods: The normalizing transformation designed to correct at best the metrological properties of MMSE was estimated and validated on two population-based studies (n = 4,889, 20-year follow-up) by cross-validation. The transformation was also validated on two external studies with heterogeneous samples mixing normal and pathological aging, and samples including only demented subjects. Results: The normalizing transformation provided correct inference in contrast with models analyzing the change in crude MMSE that most often lead to biased estimates of risk factors and incorrect conclusions. Conclusions: Cognitive change can be easily and properly assessed with the normalized MMSE using standard statistical methods such as linear (mixed) models.
Population-Based Surveillance of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in New Jersey, 2009-2011
Authors: Jordan Heather , Fagliano Jerald , Rechtman Lindsay , Lefkowitz Daniel , Kaye Wendy
Published: October 2014

Background: Limited epidemiological data exist about amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in the United States (US). The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry maintains the National ALS Registry and funded state and metropolitan surveillance projects to obtain reliable, timely information about ALS in defined geographic areas. Methods: Neurologists submitted case reports for ALS patients under their care between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2011 who were New Jersey residents. A medical record verification form and electromyogram (EMG) report were requested for a sample of case reports. Incidence rates were standardized to the 2000 US Standard Population. Results: The average crude annual incidence rate was 1.87 per 100,000 person-years, the average age-adjusted annual incidence rate was 1.67 per 100,000 person-years, and the point prevalence rate on December 31, 2011 was 4.40 per 100,000 persons. Average annual incidence rates and point prevalence rates were statistically higher for men compared with women; Whites compared with Blacks/African Americans and Asians; and non-Hispanics compared with Hispanics. Conclusions: The project findings contribute new, population-based, state-specific information to epidemiological data regarding ALS. The findings are generally consistent with previously published surveillance studies conducted in the US and abroad.
Stereotactic Neurosurgery for Writer's Cramp: Report of Two Cases with an Overview of the Literature
Authors: Asahi Takashi , Koh Masaki , Kashiwazaki Daina , Kuroda Satoshi
Published: October 2014

Background: Writer's cramp is a specific movement disorder with hand muscle cramps in writing, being classified into focal and action-specific dystonia. Stereotactic surgery, such as thalamotomy and deep brain stimulation (DBS), has been reported for writer's cramp; however, the number of reported cases is still scarce and surgical procedures are also controversial. Objectives: In this study, therefore, we present 2 patients who underwent thalamotomy for writer's cramp and systematically review the literature on stereotactic surgery for writer's cramp. Methods: Case reports and literature review are presented. Results: Both patients underwent ventral oral nucleus (Vo) thalamotomy safely. Their symptoms completely disappeared after surgery and did not recur during follow-up periods. In the literature, a total of 31 cases were surgically treated for writer's cramp. Stereotactic surgery included thalamotomy in 25 cases and DBS in 6. The target included the Vo in 17 cases, the ventral intermediate nucleus (Vim) in 3, and both Vo and Vim in 7. Both procedures markedly improved or resolved the symptoms. Transient neurological deficits were observed in 16.0% of patients after thalamotomy. Conclusions: The Vo may be the most effective target to treat writer's cramp. Both thalamotomy and DBS are feasible and effective, but thalamotomy would be a better option, especially in younger or high-risk patients.
Prenatal Malnutrition Leads to Deficits in Attentional Set Shifting and Decreases Metabolic Activity in Prefrontal Subregions that Control Executive Function
Authors: McGaughy Jill A. , Amaral Ana C. , Rushmore R. Jarrett , Mokler David J. , Morgane Peter J. , Rosene Douglas L. , Galler Janina R.
Published: October 2014

Globally, over 25% of all children under the age of 5 years experience malnutrition leading to cognitive and emotional impairments that can persist into adulthood and beyond. We use a rodent model to determine the impact of prenatal protein malnutrition on executive functions in an attentional set-shifting task and metabolic activity in prefrontal cortex (PFC) subregions critical to these behaviors. Long-Evans dams were provided with a low (6% casein) or adequate (25% casein) protein diet 5 weeks before mating and during pregnancy. At birth, the litters were culled to 8 pups and fostered to control dams on the 25% casein diet. At postnatal day 90, prenatally malnourished rats were less able to shift attentional set and reverse reward contingencies than controls, demonstrating cognitive rigidity. Naive same-sexed littermates were assessed for regional brain activity using the metabolic marker 14C-2-deoxyglucose (2DG). The prenatally malnourished rats had lower metabolic activity than controls in prelimbic, infralimbic, anterior cingulate, and orbitofrontal cortices, but had comparable activity in the nearby piriform cortex and superior colliculus. This study demonstrates that prenatal protein malnutrition in a well-described animal model produces cognitive deficits in tests of attentional set shifting and reversal learning, similar to findings of cognitive inflexibility reported in humans exposed to early childhood malnutrition.
Unusual Dispersion of Histone Repeats on the Whole Chromosomal Complement and Their Colocalization with Ribosomal Genes in Rachycentron canadum (Rachycentridae, Perciformes)
Authors: Costa Gideão W.W.F. , Cioffi Marcelo B. , Bertollo Luiz A.C. , Molina Wagner F.
Published: October 2014

Rachycentron canadum, the only representative of the family Rachycentridae, has been the focus of biotechnological interest due to its significant potential in marine fish farming. The chromosome set of this species has been widely investigated with respect to the location of genes and multigene families. A FISH analysis was performed using 4 multigene families as probes, represented by 5S and 18S ribosomal genes and histones H2B-H2A and H3. Earlier data suggested that differential replication of heterochromatin could be partially associated with functional genes. Indeed, our results showed that the DNA contained in heterochromatic regions of R. canadum contains 5S and 18S ribosomal genes as well as the gene sequences of histones H2B-H2A and H3, which were colocalized. The distribution of H3 sequences in all heterochromatic regions, except in 13q, could indicate an important evolutionary role for this class of repetitive sequences. Besides, the presence of chromosome regions bearing multifunctional repetitive sequences formed by H2B-H2A/H3/18S rDNA and H2B-H2A/H3/5S rDNA clusters was demonstrated for the first time in fishes. The implications of differential histone gene extension and its functionality in the karyotype of R. canadum remain unknown.
Exercise Training-Based Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program Is Clinically Beneficial for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
Authors: Vainshelboim Baruch , Oliveira Jose , Yehoshua Liora , Weiss Israela , Fox Benjamin Daniel , Fruchter Oren , Kramer Mordechai Reuven
Published: October 2014

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, devastating, interstitial lung disease, with few therapeutic options. IPF is characterized by pulmonary restriction, dyspnea, hypoxemia, exercise intolerance and poor quality of life (QOL). Objectives: We aimed to examine the effect of exercise training (ET) on clinical outcomes in IPF patients. Methods: A randomized controlled study included thirty-two IPF patients (aged 68 ± 8 years) who were allocated either to the ET group (n = 15), participating in a 12-week, twice-weekly 60-min supervised ET-based pulmonary rehabilitation program, or to a control group (n = 17) continuing with regular medical treatment alone. Cardiopulmonary exercise test, 6-min walking distance (6MWD) test, 30-second chair-stand test, pulmonary function tests, dyspnea and QOL were assessed at baseline and at the end of the 12-week intervention. Results: Significant differences were observed between the ET and the control groups in raw mean deltas (Δ = post- - pre-intervention): Δ6MWD, 81 m, p < 0.001; ΔVO2 peak, 2.6 ml/kg/min, p = 0.002; Δwork rate, 22 W, p < 0.001; Δanaerobic threshold, 3.1 ml/kg/min, p < 0.001, and ΔFVC % predicted, 6%, p = 0.038. Dyspnea, QOL and 30-second chair-stand were also improved significantly following the program. Conclusions: ET improves exercise tolerance, functional capacity, pulmonary function, dyspnea and QOL in patients with IPF, suggesting a short-term treatment efficacy for clinical improvement, and should be considered the standard care for IPF.
Cytogenetic Studies on Gonatodes (Reptilia, Squamata, Sphaerodactylidae)
Authors: Schmid Michael , Steinlein Claus , Feichtinger Wolfgang , Haaf Thomas , Mijares-Urrutia Abraham , Schargel Walter E. , Hedges S. Blair
Published: October 2014

Mitotic and meiotic chromosomes of 5 species of the reptile genus Gonatodes are described by means of conventional staining, banding analyses and in situ hybridization using a synthetic telomeric DNA probe. The amount, location and fluorochrome affinities of constitutive heterochromatin, the number and positions of nucleolus organizer regions, and the patterns of telomeric DNA sequences were determined for most of the species. The karyotypes of G. falconensis and G. taniae from northern Venezuela are distinguished by their extraordinarily reduced diploid chromosome number of 2n = 16, which is the lowest value found so far in reptiles. In contrast to most other reptiles, both species have exclusively large biarmed (meta- and submetacentric) chromosomes. Comparison of the karyotypes of G. falconensis and G. taniae with those of other Gonatodes species indicates that the exceptional 2n = 16 karyotype originated by a series of 8 centric fusions. The karyotypes of G. falconensis and G. taniae are further characterized by the presence of considerable amounts of (TTAGGG)n telomeric sequences in the centromeric regions of all chromosomes. These are probably not only relics of the centric fusion events, but a component of the highly repetitive DNA in the constitutive heterochromatin of the chromosomes. The genome sizes of 4 Gonatodes species were determined using flow cytometry. For comparative purposes, all previously published cytogenetic data on Gonatodes and other sphaerodactylids are included and discussed.
Relationships Between Fine Particulate Air Pollution, Cardiometabolic Disorders, and Cardiovascular Mortality
Authors: Pope C. Arden , Turner Michelle C. , Burnett Richard T. , Jerrett Michael , Gapstur Susan M. , Diver W. Ryan , Krewski Daniel , Brook Robert D.
Published: October 2014

Rationale:

Growing evidence suggests that long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM
2.5
) air pollution contributes to risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. There is uncertainty about who are most susceptible. Individuals with underlying cardiometabolic disorders, including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and obesity, may be at greater risk. PM
2.5
pollution may also contribute to cardiometabolic disorders, augmenting CVD risk.

Objective:

This analysis evaluates relationships between long-term PM
2.5
exposure and cardiometabolic disease on risk of death from CVD and cardiometabolic conditions.

Methods and Results:

Data on 669 046 participants from the American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Study II cohort were linked to modeled PM
2.5
concentrations at geocoded home addresses. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate adjusted hazards ratios for death from CVD and cardiometabolic diseases based on death-certificate information. Effect modification by pre-existing cardiometabolic risk factors on the PM
2.5
–CVD mortality association was examined. PM
2.5
exposure was associated with CVD mortality, with the hazards ratios (95% confidence interval) per 10 μg/m
3
increase in PM
2.5
equal to 1.12 (1.10–1.15). Deaths linked to hypertension and diabetes mellitus (mentioned on death certificate as either primary or contributing cause of death) were also associated with PM
2.5
. There was no consistent evidence of effect modification by cardiometabolic disease risk factors on the PM
2.5
–CVD mortality association.

Conclusions:

Pollution-induced CVD mortality risk is observed for those with and without existing cardiometabolic disorders. Long-term exposure may also contribute to the development or exacerbation of cardiometabolic disorders, increasing risk of CVD, and cardiometabolic disease mortality.
Distensibility of the Aorta and Carotid Artery and Left Ventricular Mass From Childhood to Early Adulthood
Authors: Mikola Hanna , Pahkala Katja , Rönnemaa Tapani , Viikari Jorma S.A. , Niinikoski Harri , Jokinen Eero , Salo Pia , Simell Olli , Juonala Markus , Raitakari Olli T.
Published: October 2014

Abstract—

In adults, arterial distensibility decreases with age and relates to changes in cardiac left ventricular mass. Longitudinal data on changes in arterial distensibility from childhood to adulthood are lacking. Our aim was to study the effect of age and sex, and low-saturated fat dietary counseling on arterial distensibility from childhood to early adulthood. In addition, we assessed the association of arterial distensibility with left ventricular mass. Distensibility of the abdominal aorta and common carotid artery was measured repeatedly at ages 11, 13, 15, 17, and 19 years (n=395–472) in an atherosclerosis prevention trial (Special Turku Coronary Risk Factor Intervention Project [STRIP]). Aortic and carotid distensibility decreased with age (both
P
<0.0001). In boys, distensibility values were generally lower (
P
<0.0001) and showed steeper decrease by age (age and sex interaction: both
P
<0.01). The low-saturated fat dietary counseling given in STRIP was not significantly associated with arterial distensibility. Left ventricular mass increased with age (
P
<0.0001), and it was greater in boys (
P
<0.0001). In conclusion, a marked age-related decrease in vascular distensibility was found already at this young age, and this decrease was more pronounced in boys than girls. The longitudinal progression of aortic and carotid distensibility was related with changes in left ventricular mass.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT00223600.
Ivabradine Improves Left Ventricular Function During Chronic Hypertension in Conscious Pigs
Authors: Rienzo Mario , Melka Jonathan , Bizé Alain , Sambin Lucien , Jozwiak Mathieu , Su Jin Bo , Hittinger Luc , Berdeaux Alain , Ghaleh Bijan
Published: October 2014

During chronic hypertension, increases in heart rate (HR) or adrenergic stimulation are associated with maladaptive left ventricular responses as isovolumic contraction and relaxation durations failed to reduce, impeding filling. We, therefore, investigated the effects of acute selective HR reduction with ivabradine on left ventricular dysfunction during chronic hypertension. Accordingly, chronically instrumented pigs received angiotensin II infusion during 4 weeks to induce chronic hypertension. Left ventricular function was investigated while angiotensin II infusion was stopped. A single intravenous dose of ivabradine was administered at days 0 and 28. Dobutamine infusion was also performed. HR was increased at day 28 versus day 0. Paradoxically, both isovolumic contraction and relaxation times failed to reduce and remained unchanged (57±3 versus 58±3 ms and 74±3 versus 70±3 at day 28 versus day 0, respectively). At day 28, ivabradine significantly reduced HR by 27%. Concomitantly, abnormal ventricular responses were corrected because both isovolumic contraction and relaxation times were significantly reduced while filling time was improved. Similarly at day 28, maladaptive responses of isovolumic contraction and relaxation to dobutamine were no longer observed during HR reduction with ivabradine. Correction of HR reduction with pacing showed that non-HR–related mechanisms also participated to these beneficial effects. In this model of chronic hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy, acute HR reduction with ivabradine corrects the maladaptive responses of cardiac cycle phases by restoring a normal profile for isovolumic contraction and relaxation both at rest and under adrenergic stimuli, ultimately favoring filling.
The Personal Status in French Law: With Special Focus on Overseas Territories
Authors: Uimonen Jari
Published: October 2014

France has reputation as a highly centralised unitary state. In the background there is, however, a long history of particularism: during the pre-Revolutionary ancien régime, the country had a large number of local coutumes. The colonies formed another question: even after the Revolution of 1789 they were considered as an exception to the major rule. From the 18th century France has used the notion spécialité legislative, which recognises the legal difference in overseas areas. This policy continues in modern France as a different legal treatment of more integrated overseas regions (former territories) belonging to the European Union, and the other overseas collectivities, more loosely connected to Metropolitan France. Signs of legal pluralism can be found from both Metropolitan France and overseas collectivities, but three of the last-mentioned are of special interest to this article: New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna and Mayotte. In all of them the French Constitution recognises the existence of separate personal status. In New Caledonia and Wallis and Futuna this status is closely related to indigenous custom, dominating the daily life in family relations and land owning. In Mayotte, the personal status is a mixture of Islamic law and African customary law. In other overseas collectivities there are also remnants, or pockets, of personal status visible, but they have no constitutional or official legal recognition. The article shows that although the official French policy has considered the personal status a transitory measure, it is not completely vanishing. In the Pacific region it is even strengthening, as the example of New Caledonia well indicates.
Structural Violence: A Tale of Three Women from Marginalized Communities in Bangladesh
Authors: Khan Ashrafuzzaman
Published: October 2014

The notion of structural violations of human rights is increasingly gaining currency in international human rights arenas. Structural violence yields a complex picture of inequality in terms of social, economic, political and human rights arenas. The study intended to understand the extent of structural violence with a special reference to the state of human rights of the women of the marginalized communities Bihari, Garo and Ahmadiyya in Bangladesh. The study employed a qualitative approach, applying a case study technique that dealt with three women of these communities and aiming to substantiate structural violence in relation to human rights perspectives. The study revealed that the women of the three marginalized communities experienced diverse forms of violence, including psychological, physical, sexual, etc., that violated their human rights. There was also a failure to restore their peace and security. The theory of structural violence provides a useful framework for understanding the structural inequalities that systematically deny marginalized communities, especially women of these communities, from achieving basic human rights in their daily lives.
Language, Ethnicity and Conflict: Applying Linguistic Measure to Prevent Ethnic Violence in Middle Belt Nigeria
Authors: Ioratim-Uba Godwin
Published: October 2014

This research highlights the efficacy of community-based language planning initiatives in ethnic conflict and violence prevention. As a threshold which elucidates how linguistic measures can help to prevent inter-ethnic violence, the research illustrates that where ethnic safeguarding reaches the extremity of violence, language issues are found to have covert but very strong causal roles as manifested in the ethnic violent conflicts affecting Nigeria’s Middle-Belt including the Berom/Afizere/Anaguta versus Hausa/Fulani; Taroh versus Hausa/Fulani (Plateau State); Tiv versus Etulo (Benue State); Tiv versus Jukun (Benue and Taraba States); and Jukun versus Kuteb (Taraba State). Paired t-test values set at a confidence interval of 95 per cent indicate that the statistical mean differences (1.60 in Tiv/Jukun and 9.60 in the Jos area) are close to the true difference occurrences in the randomly sampled populations. More significant are the two tailed P values of 0.5895 (Tiv/Jukun) showing low bilingualism; and 0.3477 (Jos area) depicting more acute bilingualism decline associated with the ethnic violence. The research then considers the application of linguistic measures vital to prevent ethnic violence. In particular, critiqued aspects of the Expanded Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scales (EGIDS) are recommended to ethnic communities, voluntary organisations and governments for implementation in dealing with violent conflicts.
To their Fullest Potential?
Authors: Redmond Gerry
Published: October 2014

In this paper a framework is proposed for conceptualising ‘fullest potential’ towards which, according to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (crc), children’s education should be directed (Article 29). Children’s development to their fullest potential is linked explicitly to their right to a standard of living adequate for their development (Article 27). The paper argues that focus on ‘fullest potential’ as a human rights issue exposes a tension between the rights of children, the obligations of parents to their children and the obligations of the state to support all children’s development.
What Inequality means for Children
Authors: Woodhead Martin , Dornan Paul , Murray Helen
Published: October 2014

Understanding how poverty and inequalities impact on children is the major goal of Young Lives, a unique longitudinal, mixed-methods study. Two cohorts totaling 12,000 children are being tracked since 2001, growing-up in Ethiopia, the state of Andhra Pradesh (ap) India, Peru and Vietnam. Earlier versions of this paper were prepared as Young Lives contribution to aunicef/unWomen consultation on the post-2015 Development agenda (www.worldwewant2015.org/inequalities) and published as Woodhead, Dornan and Murray (2013).

We summarise Young Lives evidence to date on eight research issues that are central to any child rights agenda:

1.

How inequalities interact in their impact on children’s development and the vulnerability of the most disadvantaged households.

2.

The ways inequalities rapidly undermine the development of human potential.

3.

How gender differences interconnect with other inequalities, but do not always advantage boys in Young Lives countries.

4.

The links between poverty, early ‘stunting’, and later outcomes, including psycho-social functioning, as well as emerging evidence that some children recover.

5.

Inequalities that open up during the later years of childhood, linked to transitions around leaving school, working, and anticipating marriage etc.

6.

Children’s own perceptions of poverty and inequality, as these shape their well-being and long-term prospects.

7.

Evidence of the growing significance of education, including the ways school systems can increase as well as reduce inequalities.

8.

The potential of social protection programmes in poverty alleviation.

We conclude that since inequalities are multidimensional, so too must be the response. Equitable growth policies, education and health services, underpinned by effective social protection, all have a role to play.
A revision of the Annulariidae of Central America (Gastropoda: Littorinoidea)
Authors: WATTERS G. THOMAS
Published: October 2014

Twenty annulariid taxa are reviewed from Central America, including three new species and one new genus. One species is regarded as an incertae sedis and two as mislabeled lots of Cuban origin. Many species are highly endemic. Although not speciose, Central America has a high diversity of conchological forms and may represent the ancestral source of annulariids in general.
A new species of Forcipomyia (Microhelea) Meigen (Insecta: Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) from the Neotropical region
Authors: FALASCHI RAFAELA LOPES , ALBERTONI FABIANO FABIAN , MARIA FUSARI LÍVIA
Published: October 2014

We describe and illustrate a new species of biting midge belonging to the subgenus Forcipomyia (Microhelea), from the Estação Biológica de Boracéia, São Paulo State, Brazil. We include illustrations of the mouthparts, head, thorax, legs, abdominal setae, and habitus. The new species is similar to the few other recorded Neotropical species of biting midges, such as Forcipomyia (Microhelea) alleni, Forcipomyia (Microhelea) castneri, Forcipomyia (Microhelea) grandcolasi, and Forcipomyia (Microhelea) tettigonaris. However, it can be distinguished by the combination of external characters, such as the number of plates on the maxilla, the number of denticles on the mandible, the size of the labellum, and the morphology of the palpus. The two female specimens examined were found biting on a female stick bug, Paraphasma paulense (Phasmida: Pseudophasmatidae), which was attracted to a light trap.
Nomenclature and taxonomy of Telmatoscopus Eaton and Seoda Enderlein; with a discussion of parameral evolution in Paramormiini and Pericomaini (Diptera: Psychodidae, Psychodinae)
Authors: KVIFTE GUNNAR MIKALSEN
Published: October 2014

Historically, Telmatoscopus Eaton, 1904 has been a nomenclaturally and taxonomically problematic taxon as different authors have used different type species to define their concepts of the genus. Here it is shown that Pericoma advena Eaton, 1893 is the valid type species rather than Pericoma morula Eaton, 1893. Furthermore, the genus Seoda Enderlein, 1935 is revived for the genus comprising Pericoma labeculosa Eaton, 1893, P. morula and their relatives. The differences between Telmatoscopus and Seoda are described in detail based on historical and freshly collected material of the three putative type species. Four new synonymies are proposed: Panimerus havelkai Wagner, 1975 and Telmatoscopus seguyi Vaillant, 1990 are synonymized with Telmatoscopus advena, and Telmatoscopus incanus Nielsen, 1964 and Telmatoscopus vaillanti Withers, 1986 are synonymized with Seoda morula.    A potential phylogenetic pattern in the male genital sclerites is discussed in detail. In Telmatoscopus, the jointed appendages of the gonocoxally derived parameral complex are separate small sclerites found near the bases of the distiphallic lobes of the aedeagus. In Seoda, they are fused medially to form a small, moveable triangular or arrow-shaped sclerite. Medial parameral sclerite fusion in Psychodinae is otherwise known to occur only in Pericomaini and the paramormiine genus Psychomasina Ježek, 2004; however, many genera of Paramormiini show an apparently intermediate condition where the parameres are fused in one end to form a V- or U-shaped "furca". It is hypothesized that Paramormiini is paraphyletic with respect to Pericomaini, as suggested in a previous phylogenetic hypothesis based on molecular data.
A Study on the Asymmetric Rapid Intensification of Hurricane Earl (2010) Using the HWRF System
Authors: Chen Hua , Gopalakrishnan Sundararaman G.
Published: October 2014

In this study, the results of a forecast from the operational Hurricane Weather Research and Forecast (HWRF) system for Hurricane Earl (2010) are verified against observations and analyzed to understand the asymmetric rapid intensification of a storm in a sheared environment. The forecast verification shows that HWRF captured well Earl’s observed evolution of intensity, convection asymmetry, wind field asymmetry, and vortex tilt in terms of magnitude and direction in the pre rapid and rapid intensification (RI) stages. Examination of the high-resolution forecast data reveals that the tilt was large at the RI onset and decreased quickly once RI commenced, suggesting that vertical alignment is the result instead of the trigger for RI. The RI onset is associated with the development of upper-level warming in the eye, which results from upper-level storm-relative flow advecting the warm air caused by subsidence warming in the upshear-left region toward the low-level storm center. This scenario does not occur until persistent convective bursts (CB) are concentrated in the downshear-left quadrant. The temperature budget calculation indicates that horizontal advection plays an important role in the development of upper-level warming in the early RI stage. The upper-level warming associated with the asymmetric intensification process occurs by means of the cooperative interaction of the convective-scale subsidence, resulting from CBs in favored regions and the shear-induced mesoscale subsidence. When CBs are concentrated in the downshear-left and upshear-left quadrants, the subsidence warming is maximized upshear and then advected toward the low-level storm center by the storm-relative flow at the upper level. Subsequently, the surface pressure falls and RI occurs.
Regional Simulation of the October and November MJO Events Observed during the CINDY/DYNAMO Field Campaign at Gray Zone Resolution
Authors: Wang Shuguang , Sobel Adam H. , Zhang Fuqing , Sun Y. Qiang , Yue Ying , Zhou Lei
Published: October 2014

This study investigates the October and November MJO events observed during the Cooperative Indian Ocean Experiment on Intraseasonal Variability in the Year 2011 (CINDY)/Dynamics of the MJO (DYNAMO) field campaign through cloud-permitting numerical simulations. The simulations are compared to multiple observational datasets. The control simulation at 9-km horizontal grid spacing captures the slow eastward progression of both the October and November MJO events in surface precipitation, outgoing longwave radiation, zonal wind, humidity, and large-scale vertical motion. The vertical motion shows weak ascent in the leading edge of the MJO envelope, followed by deep ascent during the peak precipitation stage and trailed by a broad second baroclinic mode structure with ascent in the upper troposphere and descent in the lower troposphere. Both the simulation and the observations also show slow northward propagation components and tropical cyclone–like vortices after the passage of the MJO active phase. Comparison with synthesized observations from the northern sounding array shows that the model simulates the passage of the two MJO events over the sounding array region well. Sensitivity experiments to SST indicate that daily SST plays an important role for the November MJO event, but much less so for the October event.

Analysis of the moist static energy (MSE) budget shows that both advection and diabatic processes (i.e., surface fluxes and radiation) contribute to the development of the positive MSE anomaly in the active phase, but their contributions differ by how much they lead the precipitation peak. In comparison to the observational datasets used here, the model simulation may have a stronger surface flux feedback and a weaker radiative feedback. The normalized gross moist stability in the simulations shows an increase from near-zero values to ~0.8 during the active phase, similar to what is found in the observational datasets.
On the Challenges of Tomography Retrievals of a 2D Water Vapor Field Using Ground-Based Microwave Radiometers: An Observation System Simulation Experiment
Authors: Meunier Véronique , Turner David D. , Kollias Pavlos
Published: October 2014

Two-dimensional water vapor fields were retrieved by simulated measurements from multiple ground-based microwave radiometers using a tomographic approach. The goal of this paper was to investigate how the various aspects of the instrument setup (number and spacing of elevation angles and of instruments, number of frequencies, etc.) affected the quality of the retrieved field. This was done for two simulated atmospheric water vapor fields: 1) an exaggerated turbulent boundary layer and 2) a simplified water vapor front. An optimal estimation algorithm was used to obtain the tomographic field from the microwave radiometers and to evaluate the fidelity and information content of this retrieved field.

While the retrieval of the simplified front was reasonably successful, the retrieval could not reproduce the details of the turbulent boundary layer field even using up to nine instruments and 25 elevation angles. In addition, the vertical profile of the variability of the water vapor field could not be captured. An additional set of tests was performed using simulated data from a Raman lidar. Even with the detailed lidar measurements, the retrieval did not succeed except when the lidar data were used to define the a priori covariance matrix. This suggests that the main limitation to obtaining fine structures in a retrieved field using tomographic retrievals is the definition of the a priori covariance matrix.
Diagnosis of the Source of GFS Medium-Range Track Errors in Hurricane Sandy (2012)
Authors: Torn Ryan D. , Whitaker Jeffrey S. , Pegion Philip , Hamill Thomas M. , Hakim Gregory J.
Published: October 2014

Medium-range forecasts of Hurricane Sandy’s track were characterized by widely diverging solutions, with some suggesting that Sandy would make landfall over the mid-Atlantic region of the United States, while others forecast the storm to move due east to the north of Bermuda. Here, dynamical processes responsible for the eastward-tracking forecasts are diagnosed using an 80-member ensemble of experimental Global Forecast System (GFS) forecasts initialized five days prior to landfall. Comparing the ensemble members with tracks to the east against those with tracks to the west indicates that the eastern members were characterized by a lower-amplitude upper-tropospheric anticyclone on the poleward side of Sandy during the first 24 h of the forecast, which in turn was associated with a westerly perturbation steering wind. The amplification of this ridge in each set of members was modulated by differences in the advection of potential vorticity (PV) by the irrotational wind associated with Sandy’s secondary circulation and isentropic lift along a warm front that formed on the poleward side of Sandy. The amplitude of the irrotational wind in this region was proportional to the 0-h water vapor mixing ratio, and to a lesser extent the 0-h upper-tropospheric horizontal divergence. These two quantities modulated the vertical profile of grid-scale condensation within the model and subsequent upper-tropospheric divergence. The results from this study suggest that additional observations within regions of large-scale precipitation outside the tropical cyclone (TC) core could benefit TC track forecasts, particularly when the TC is located near an upper-tropospheric PV gradient.
The Psychology of Encouragement
Authors: Wong Y. Joel
Published: October 2014

Despite the frequent use of encouragement in everyday social life, encouragement remains an understudied topic in positive psychology and counseling psychology. To address this gap, this article resolves ambiguity in terminology and synthesizes diverse streams of theorizing and research to propose an integrative psychological science of encouragement. The author offers a definition of encouragement, delineates its conceptual boundaries, and proposes a conceptual model that provides a taxonomy of encouragement processes. Known as the Tripartite Encouragement Model (TEM), this model charts the foci, features, and levels of encouragement. Encouragement is conceptualized, at different levels, as an act of interpersonal communication, a character strength, as well as an ecological group norm. The author explains how encouragement can enhance the quality of counseling practice as well as practical applications in other areas of psychology. Finally, the author delineates how the TEM can guide future research on the psychology of encouragement.
Self-care management among patients with type 2 diabetes in East Jerusalem
Authors: Daoud Nihaya , Osman Amira , Hart Trevor A , Berry Elliott M , Adler Bella
Published: October 2014

Objective:

Little research exists on diabetes self-care management (DSCM) in Arab populations. We examined the contribution of health belief constructs, socioeconomic position (SEP) and clinical factors (glycated haemoglobin [HbA1C] level, type of diabetes treatments, and receiving professional guidance) to DSCM among Arab patients in East Jerusalem with type 2 diabetes.

Method:

Using a structured questionnaire, we conducted face-to-face interviews with a random sample of 230 patients with type 2 diabetes in a large diabetes clinic. DSCM included engagement in any of the following in the last week: physical activity, consumption of low-fat and low-sugar diet, self-monitoring of blood glucose, medication uptake and foot care. We obtained HbA1C levels from the clinic’s patient registry. We used linear regression to examine the contribution of health beliefs, SEP and clinical factors to explaining DSCM.

Results:

Adherence to DSCM was low. Most patients (84.8%) were physically inactive, 64.3% did not consume a low-fat or low-sugar diet (46.5%) and 51% did not self-monitor blood glucose. However, medication adherence (95.7%) and foot care were high (77.4%). About 71% of participants had high HbA1C (>7.0%). In the multivariate analysis, total DSCM scores were higher among patients with low financial barriers, high perception of the benefits of DSCM and higher self-efficacy. Patients using oral medication (vs insulin) had significantly lower DSCM scores.

Conclusion:

Among Arab patients with diabetes, more interventions are needed to encourage DSCM, specifically in areas of lifestyle (diet and physical activity). Patients’ financial barriers, benefits of DSCM and patient self-efficacy should be emphasised.
Perceptual Load in Different Regions of the Visual Scene and Its Relevance for Driving
Authors: Marciano Hadas , Yeshurun Yaffa
Published: October 2014

Objective:

The aim of this study was to better understand the role played by perceptual load, at both central and peripheral regions of the visual scene, in driving safety.

Background:

Attention is a crucial factor in driving safety, and previous laboratory studies suggest that perceptual load is an important factor determining the efficiency of attentional selectivity. Yet, the effects of perceptual load on driving were never studied systematically.

Method:

Using a driving simulator, we orthogonally manipulated the load levels at the road (central load) and its sides (peripheral load), while occasionally introducing critical events at one of these regions.

Results:

Perceptual load affected driving performance at both regions of the visual scene. Critically, the effect was different for central versus peripheral load: Whereas load levels on the road mainly affected driving speed, load levels on its sides mainly affected the ability to detect critical events initiating from the roadsides. Moreover, higher levels of peripheral load impaired performance but mainly with low levels of central load, replicating findings with simple letter stimuli.

Conclusion:

Perceptual load has a considerable effect on driving, but the nature of this effect depends on the region of the visual scene at which the load is introduced.

Application:

Given the observed importance of perceptual load, authors of future studies of driving safety should take it into account. Specifically, these findings suggest that our understanding of factors that may be relevant for driving safety would benefit from studying these factors under different levels of load at different regions of the visual scene.
The impact of China’s new Labour Contract Law on socioeconomic outcomes for migrant and urban workers
Authors: Cheng Zhiming , Smyth Russell , Guo Fei
Published: October 2014

This article examines the effect of having a labour contract on a range of employee outcomes (wages, hours worked, social insurance coverage and subjective well-being) for a sample of urban and migrant workers in China using data from the Rural-Urban Migration in China (RUMiC) project. Using different methods, we find that the Labour Contract Law has larger effects for urban workers than for migrant workers on receipt of social benefits, subjective well-being and wages, but not for hours worked.
Wide-area collaboration in the aftermath of the March 11 disasters in Japan: Implications for responsible disaster management
Authors: Aoki Naomi
Published: October 2014

On 11 March 2011, an offshore earthquake of magnitude 9.0 and a massive tsunami hit the Tohoku region of Japan, followed by the Fukushima nuclear crisis. Despite these adversities, Tohoku is moving forward, and this extraordinary experience should guide us in the quest for responsible disaster management. A striking development after the disasters was the rise of wide-area collaboration, involving national and local governments, to help Tohoku municipalities. This study documents such collaboration in two areas – manpower support and debris processing. The empirical evidence suggests that the success of wide-area collaboration hinges on the success of both horizontal (interlocal) and vertical (inter-governmental) collaboration and that wide-area collaboration be added to future models predicting the effectiveness of recovery and reconstruction processes.

Points for practitioners

It would be an error to assume that large-scale disasters will not occur in the future, and the challenge of wide-area collaboration faced by Japan this time naturally prompts the question of how to best design such collaborative governance in the country. This study offers a checklist of items policy makers need to specify when they design wide-area collaboration. The findings would seem to be most generalizable to disaster-prone unitary states with decentralized disaster management. The study sounds an alert that a decentralized system devoid of a plan for wide-area collaboration can be dangerous in times of crisis.
The Empty Noose
Authors: McTaggart Ursula
Published: October 2014

Although graphic lynching photographs have become a popular topic of academic study, today’s lynching iconography does not rely on spectacle. This essay explores how the shift to figurative representations of lynching affected anti-racist strategies. In particular, it examines how one organization and two authors of the Black Power/Black Arts Movement era—the Black Panther Party, playwright Ed Bullins, and novelist John Edgar Wideman—responded to this change. The Black Panthers and Bullins employed empty and cartoon noose imagery to retaliate against White power. They put the noose into the hands of a Black mob and made it into a tool of revenge. However, this strategy backfired, replacing one vision of mob violence with another, glossing over the costs of revolutionary violence, and allowing White culture to deny the racist meaning of the empty noose. John Edgar Wideman’s 1973 novel The Lynchers illustrates this, demonstrating that the empty noose image, even reclaimed for anti-racist purposes, has not been useful for African American liberation. Early anti-lynching activists like Ida B. Wells-Barnett were right in their insistence on gruesome spectacle in the fight against lynching, and their strategy remains necessary even in the 21st century, long after the era of frequent lynchings.
Obstacles and Options to Faith-Based HIV Service Delivery to Low-Income Inner City Residents
Authors: Davis Sarita K. , Forge Nicholas , Adams Mary Anne , Rothenberg Richard
Published: October 2014

The growing presence of HIV in urban communities with sizable Black commuter congregations demands that social service providers understand niche opportunities for faith-based HIV service delivery. Focus groups were conducted with 16 clergy serving commuter congregations about the feasibility of faith-based HIV service delivery to low-income residents. Using thematic analysis, four major themes emerged: (a) Clergy see the need, but are not sure how to proceed; (b) prioritized sin; (c) push-back; and (d) niche ministries. These findings contribute new knowledge to our understanding of how Black churches with commuter congregations can respond to HIV service needs of low-income residents. Findings from this study suggest that commuter congregations are less likely to support HIV-related activities. Implications for future interventions are discussed.
The Role of the Media in the Disparate Response to Gun Violence in America
Authors: Parham-Payne Wanda
Published: October 2014

In December 2012, 20 elementary school children fell victim to gun violence. Shortly after the killings occurred, national media outlets instantaneously and simultaneously began covering the tragedy with “calls to action” explicitly voiced by public officials and members of the general citizenry. Gun violence in African American communities has also left an indelible mark on the quality and quantity of life among the youngest members as well. Statistics released by federal law enforcement officials reveal that, collectively, more children of color die each year to gun violence. However, gun-related crimes involving low-income persons and racial and ethnic minorities are framed by the media as a convergence of cultural, environmental, and individual shortcomings and immorality. Consequently, structural and/or policy resolutions to address such crimes involving low-income persons and racial and ethnic minorities are overlooked or even omitted from the national and, more importantly, political discourse.