bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Dangerous Liaisons of the Responsibility to Protect and the Protection of Civilians in Peacekeeping Operations
Authors: Tardy Thierry 
Published: February 2013

The parallel conceptual development and shared normative basis of the Responsibility to Protect (RtoP) and civilian protection in peacekeeping operations have led to a rapprochement between the two emerging norms. In 2009, in his efforts to operationalize RtoP, the UN Secretary-General explicitly called for the mainstreaming of the goals relating to RtoP in the areas of peacekeeping and peacebuilding.
This article argues that the interdependence between RtoP and protection of civilians in peacekeeping operations should not be interpreted as being necessarily conducive to their parallel promotion or mutual strengthening. On the contrary, issue-linkage between them is likely to be counterproductive for three sets of reasons. First, RtoP is characterized by its exceptional nature and narrow agenda – in relation to the four threshold crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and ethnic cleansing – while the civilian protection in peacekeeping agenda is broad-ranging. Second, there are differences in the degrees of coercion that the two concepts can produce that make them sufficiently distinct not to be amalgamated in the conflict management toolbox. Third, the contentious nature of the two concepts, and in particular the coercive dimension of pillar three of RtoP, is such that a two obvious issue-linkage would be counterproductive as it would exacerbate the norm localisation challenge of two already resisted emerging norms.
‘Monitoring the Frog’ in Africa: Conflict Early Warning with Structural Data
Authors: O’Bannon Brett R. 
Published: February 2013

There is in both the theory and practice of early warning a clear preference for tracking and analysing proximate or immediate causes of conflict, sometimes referred to as ‘triggers’ or ‘accelerators’, over factors that might generate earlier warnings, such as shifts in deep-rooted, structural determinants of conflict. This preference reflects common assumptions made about the nature of structural factors (viz. that they are static and/or too indirectly linked to outcomes) and the relative ease with which less deeply rooted factors may be monitored. I suggest that structural factors are indeed variables, the value of which can be indirectly assessed with proxy indicators. Adopting a method from conservation biology, the monitoring of a ‘species’ of conflict (low intensity herder-farmer conflict), allows one to assess how well society is bearing political, economic, environmental and cultural stress. Normally considered too difficult to track in their own right for use as data in early warning systems, monitoring patterns in herder-farmer relations allows the observer to tap into otherwise inaccessible structural data that can be useful in anticipating the onset of wider-scale conflict.
A taxonomic revision of the genus Bocatella Villiers, 1948 with redescription and notes on the systematic position of Sphedanolestes nigripennis (Fairmaire, 1858) (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Harpactorinae)
Authors: Chłond Dominik 
Published: February 2013

The African genus Bocatella Villiers, 1948 is revised. The type species of Bocatella by original designation is Harpactor nigripennis (non Fairmaire, 1858): Villiers, 1948 (misidentification). A lectotype is designated for H. nigripennis and the new combination Sphedanolestes nigripennis (Fairmaire, 1858), comb.n. is proposed. The taxonomic species Harpactor nigripennis (non Fairmaire, 1858): Villiers, 1948 is recognized as representing an undescribed species and is described as Bocatella nigra sp.n. Since the type species of Bocatella was misidentified, B. nigra sp.n. is fixed as the type species of Bocatella. An additional new species, B. femorata sp.n. is described, both species and S. nigripennis are illustrated, species of Bocatella are keyed. Sphedanolestes fenestriculatus Karsch, 1892, erroneously synonymized with H. nigripennis (non Fairmaire, 1858): Villiers, 1948 by Villiers (1948) is synonymized with H. nigripennis Fairmaire, 1858.
Production, Communication, and Comprehension of Knowledge of the New World: Ethnographic Descriptions in Caspar Barlaeus’ Rerum per Octennium
Authors: Dams Britt 
Published: February 2013

This article deals with the textual legacy of Dutch Brazil, in particular the ethnographic descriptions in one of the most popular works about the colony: Barlaeus’ Rerum per Octennium in Brasilia et alibi nuper gestarum. Barlaeus never set foot in Brazil, but was an important Dutch intellectual authority in the seventeenth century. To compose the Rerum per Octennium, he relied on a wide variety of available sources, not only firsthand observations, but also classical, biblical and other contemporary sources. From these, he made a careful selection to produce his descriptions.
Recent research shows that the Dutch participated in networks of knowledge and imagination as well as in a more familiar early modern trading network. This article reveals that Barlaeus’ descriptions not only circulated as knowledge, but also produced new knowledge. The Rerum soon became one of the standard works about the colony due to the importance of its author and its composition.
Furthermore, the article discusses the rhetorical techniques used in some selected descriptions in order to shed light upon the strategies Barlaeus used in his discourse on the strange reality of the New World. For example, his ethnographic descriptions employed parallel customs or events from the classical Antiquity or the Bible. In these comparisons he displays both his intellectual capacities and shows his desire to comprehend this exotic reality.
A Satellite Study of Tropical Moist Convection and Environmental Variability: A Moisture and Thermal Budget Analysis
Authors: Masunaga Hirohiko 
Published: February 2013

Abstract
The thermodynamic variability associated with moist convection over tropical oceans is analyzed by making use of a variety of satellite sensors including radars, an infrared and microwave sounder unit, and a microwave radiometer and scatterometer aboard different platforms. Satellite measurements of atmospheric parameters including air temperature, water vapor, cumulus cloud cover, and surface wind are composited with respect to the temporal lead or lag from Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM)-detected convection to obtain statistically continuous time series on hourly to daily time scales. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS)-observed temperature and humidity profiles, representing cloud-cleared sounding, are combined with semitheoretical estimates of in-cloud temperature and humidity to construct the large-scale mean field. Those measurements are ingested to the moisture and thermal budget equations integrated vertically over each layer separated by cloud base. This strategy makes it possible to evaluate the free-tropospheric (FT) convergence of moisture and dry static energy and their vertical flux at cloud base from satellite observations alone. The main findings include the following: 1) vertical moisture transport at cloud base is the dominant source of FT moistening prior to isolated cumulus development while overwhelmed by horizontal moisture convergence for highly organized systems; 2) FT diabatic heating is largely offset on an instantaneous basis; and 3) FT moistening by convective eddies amounts to a half of the total cloud-base moisture flux in the background state, while large-scale mean updrafts modulate the variability of cloud-base flux when highly organized systems develop. The known correlation between congestus clouds and FT moisture before deep convection may be accounted for by large-scale mean moisture updraft rather than congestus eddy moistening.
A Nonlinear Response of Sahel Rainfall to Atlantic Warming
Authors: Neupane Naresh , Cook Kerry H. 
Published: February 2013

Abstract
The response over West Africa to uniform warming of the Atlantic Ocean is analyzed using idealized simulations with a regional climate model. With warming of 1 and 1.5 K, rainfall rates increase by 30%–50% over most of West Africa. With Atlantic warming of 2 K and higher, coastal precipitation increases but Sahel rainfall decreases substantially. This nonlinear response in Sahel rainfall is the focus of this analysis. Atlantic warming is accompanied by decreases in low-level geopotential heights in the Gulf of Guinea and in the large-scale meridional geopotential height gradient. This leads to easterly wind anomalies in the central Sahel. With Atlantic warming below 2 K, these easterly anomalies support moisture transport from the Gulf of Guinea and precipitation increases. With Atlantic warming over 2 K, the easterly anomalies reverse the westerly flow over the Sahel. The resulting dry air advection into the Sahel reduces precipitation. Increased low-level moisture provides moist static energy to initiate convection with Atlantic warming at 1.5 K and below, while decreased moisture and stable thermal profiles suppress convection with additional warming. In all simulations, the southerly monsoon flow onto the Guinean coast is maintained and precipitation in that region increases. The relevance of these results to the global warming problem is limited by the focus on Atlantic warming alone. However, confident prediction of climate change requires an understanding of the physical processes of change, and this paper contributes to that goal.
Understanding Prediction Skill of Seasonal Mean Precipitation over the Tropics
Authors: Kumar Arun , Chen Mingyue , Wang Wanqiu 
Published: February 2013

Abstract
The connection between the local SST and precipitation (SST–P) correlation and the prediction skill of precipitation on a seasonal time scale is investigated based on seasonal hindcasts from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Climate Forecast System version 2 (CFSv2). The results demonstrate that there is good correspondence between the two: precipitation skill is generally high only over the regions where SST–P correlation is positive and is low where SST–P correlation is small or weakly negative. This result has fundamental implications for understanding the limits of precipitation predictability on seasonal time scale and helps explain spatial variations in the skill of seasonal mean precipitation. Over the regions where atmospheric variability drives the ocean variability (and consequently the local SST–P correlation is weakly negative), the inherently unpredictable nature of atmospheric variability leads to low predictability for seasonal precipitation. On the other hand, over the regions where slow time scale ocean variability drives the atmosphere (and the local SST–P correlation is large positive), the predictability of seasonal mean precipitation is also high.
Evaluation and Uncertainty Estimation of NOAA/NSSL Next-Generation National Mosaic Quantitative Precipitation Estimation Product (Q2) over the Continental United States
Authors: Chen Sheng , Gourley Jonathan J. , Hong Yang , Kirstetter P. E. , Zhang Jian , Howard Kenneth , Flamig Zachary L. , Hu Junjun , Qi Youcun 
Published: February 2013

Abstract
Quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) products from the next-generation National Mosaic and QPE system (Q2) are cross-compared to the operational, radar-only product of the National Weather Service (Stage II) using the gauge-adjusted and manual quality-controlled product (Stage IV) as a reference. The evaluation takes place over the entire conterminous United States (CONUS) from December 2009 to November 2010. The annual comparison of daily Stage II precipitation to the radar-only Q2Rad product indicates that both have small systematic biases (absolute values &gt; 8%), but the random errors with Stage II are much greater, as noted with a root-mean-squared difference of 4.5 mm day−1 compared to 1.1 mm day−1 with Q2Rad and a lower correlation coefficient (0.20 compared to 0.73). The Q2 logic of identifying precipitation types as being convective, stratiform, or tropical at each grid point and applying differential Z–R equations has been successful in removing regional biases (i.e., overestimated rainfall from Stage II east of the Appalachians) and greatly diminishes seasonal bias patterns that were found with Stage II. Biases and radar artifacts along the coastal mountain and intermountain chains were not mitigated with rain gauge adjustment and thus require new approaches by the community. The evaluation identifies a wet bias by Q2Rad in the central plains and the South and then introduces intermediate products to explain it. Finally, this study provides estimates of uncertainty using the radar quality index product for both Q2Rad and the gauge-corrected Q2RadGC daily precipitation products. This error quantification should be useful to the satellite QPE community who use Q2 products as a reference.
Palliative care research: Lessons learned by our team over the last 25 years
Authors: Bruera Eduardo , Hui David 
Published: February 2013

Background: In the last 25 years, palliative care has made major progress as an interdisciplinary specialty that addresses quality-of-life issues for patients with life-limiting illnesses and their families. Research by numerous investigators has contributed to our increasing body of knowledge to support an evidence-based practice. Aim: We highlight some lessons learned by our group in the process of conducting palliative care research, focusing in particular on symptom assessment; the management of pain, fatigue, cachexia, dyspnea, delirium, and opioid-induced neurotoxicity; and outcomes of our palliative care program. Design: Narrative review of selected literature, focusing on studies conducted by our group. Data sources: This article is based on the Second Vittorio Ventafridda Memorial Lecture by Dr Eduardo Bruera, delivered at the European Association for Palliative Care, Trondheim, Norway on 8 June 2012. Results: For each topic, we review some of the pivotal studies in palliative care, discuss the challenges in research design, and outline possible directions for future research. Conclusions: We conclude by sharing some of what we learned about the processes, pearls, and pitfalls of palliative care research.
Tools to measure quality of life and carer burden in informal carers of heart failure patients: A narrative review
Authors: Whittingham Katharine , Barnes Sarah , Gardiner Clare 
Published: February 2013

Background: Heart failure is a complex cardiac syndrome prevalent in an older population. Caring for heart failure patients through the disease trajectory presents physical and emotional challenges for informal carers. Carers have to deal with clinically unstable patients, the responsibility of managing and titrating medication according to symptoms and frequent admissions to acute care. These challenges compound the demands on caregivers’ physical and psychosocial well-being. Alongside the negative impact of being a carer, positive aspects have also been demonstrated; carers describe feelings of shared responsibility of caring with professional carers and the reward of supporting a loved one, which creates a new role in their relationship. Aim: This review explores the dimensions that impact caregiver burden and quality of life in carers of patients with heart failure and highlights both the negative and positive aspects of being an informal carer for heart failure patients. Design: This review followed the processes recommended for a narrative review. Studies identified were selected systematically following the PRISMA guidelines. Data sources: Searches were conducted using the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and keywords of the following search engines: MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Embase, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts (ASSIA), PsycINFO and Cochrane for literature published until January 2012. Results: Quality assessment of the studies was conducted using quality indicators, and the studies included in this review were categorised as fair or good according to the criteria. Of the 1008 studies initially identified, 16 studies met the inclusion criteria. A thematic synthesis was undertaken, and the following themes were identified Perceived carer control; Mental and emotional well-being; Types and impact of caregiving tasks; Impact of patients’ physical condition; Impact of age/gender/demographic factors; Positive aspects of caregiving. Conclusions: This review highlights evidence that informal carers supporting patients with heart failure face many challenges impacting their physical and mental well-being. The studies described provide an insight into the individual dimensions that make a carer particularly vulnerable, namely, younger carers, female carers and carers with existing physical and emotional health issues. Additionally, there are external influences that increase risk of burden, including New York Heart Association Score status of the patient, if the patient has had recurrent emergency admissions or has recently been discharged home and the level of social support available to the carer. A further finding from conducting this review is that there are still limited measures of the positive aspects of caregiving.
Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Small Interfering RNA and Rapamycin Synergistically Inhibit Tumour Growth in a Mouse Xenograft Model of Human Oesophageal Carcinoma
Authors: Sun MM , Zhang MZ , Chen Y , Li SL , Zhang W , Ya GW , Chen KS 
Published: February 2013

Objectives: To investigate the effect of mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR)-specific small interfering RNA (siRNA) and rapamycin on tumour size and levels of hypoxia inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and mTOR proteins, and mTOR mRNA, in a mouse xenograft model of human oesophageal carcinoma. Methods: Tumours were induced in BALB/c nude mice using the human oesophageal squamous cell carcinomacell line, EC1, injected subcutaneously. Animals were divided into four treatment groups ( n = 5 per group) after 7 days:control (phosphate buffered saline, daily intraperitoneal [i.p.] injection); 50 μg/kg rapamycin, daily i.p. injection; 3 μg/kg mTOR siRNA, daily i.p. injection;combined mTOR siRNA and rapamycin, daily i.p. injections. Tumour volume was measured 21 days after xenograft. Levels of mTOR, VEGF and HIF-1α were assessed via immunohisto chemistry and in situ hybridization. Results: mTOR siRNA and/or rapamycin significantly decreased tumour volume and levels of HIF-1α, VEGF and mTOR protein, and mTOR mRNA. Combination treatment was significantly more effective than either treatment alone. Conclusions: mTOR siRNA and/or rapamycin inhibited the growth of oesophageal carcinoma in vivo. This may represent a novel and effective treatment strategy for oesophageal carcinoma.
Antitumour Effect of Sesquiterpene (+)-chabranol on Four Human Cancer Cell Lines by Inducing Apoptosis and Autophagy
Authors: Liu XY , Lv TH , Xie XD , Li J , Su G , Wu H 
Published: February 2013

Objective: To investigate the effects and mechanisms of sesquiterpene (+)-chabranol on proliferation of a panel of four human tumour cell lines (BGC-823, SGC-7901, SSMC-7721 and HepG2). Methods: Cell viability was assessed using a standard methyltetrazolium assay; cell-cycle analysis of BGC-823 cells was performed by flow cytometry. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to examine the ultrastructure of BGC-823 cells exposed to (+)-chabranol. Apoptosis was investigated by evaluating DNA laddering, using gel electrophoresis. Results: (+)-Chabranol had a marked time- and concentration-dependent inhibitory effect on BGC-823 cell proliferation. The effect was less marked in SGC-7901, SSMC-7721 and HepG2 cells. Exposure of BGC-823 cells to (+)-chabranol arrested the cell cycle at G1. Evidence of apoptosis and autophagy was observed by TEM; DNA laddering in BGC-823 cells supported the presence of apoptosis. Conclusions: This study suggested that (+)-chabranol has antitumour activity against BGC-823 cells, and may exert its action by inhibition of proliferation and induction of apoptosis and autophagy. With further development, (+)-chabranol may represent a potential novel treatment for poorly differentiated gastric cancer.
Correlation between Oxidative Stress and L-type Calcium Channel Expression in the Ventricular Myocardia of Selenium-deficient Mice
Authors: Cui J , Zhong R , Chu E , Zhang XF , Zhang WG , Fang CF , Dong Q , Li FL , Li H 
Published: February 2013

Objective: Expression of the Cacna1c (calcium channel, voltage-dependent, Ltype, a1C subunit) gene was studied to investigate the relationship between oxidative stress and L-type calcium channels in the myocardium of seleniumdeficient mice. Methods: Selenium levels in liver and heart tissue samples from mice fed normal or selenium-deficientdiets were evaluated by fluorometry. In the same mice, glutathione peroxidase ( GPx) and Cacna1c gene expression were analysed, malondialdehyde (MDA) content and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were measured, oxidoreductase gene expression profiles were analysed (by DNA microarray), and myocardial structural changes were studied. Results: In selenium-deficient versus control mice, GPx expression and SOD activity were decreased, and Cacna1c expression and MDA concentration were increased. Selenoprotein oxidoreductase and nonselenoprotein oxidoreductase gene expression differed significantly between selenium-deficient and control mice. In selenium-deficient mice, myocardial fibres were separated by loose collagenous tissue; electron microscopy showed shortened sarcomeres, dilated sarcoplasmic reticulum, scattered myofibril lysis and increased mitochondria with amorphous matrix densities. Conclusion: L-type calcium channels were involved in selenium deficiency-induced cardiomyocyte injury, which was positively related to oxidative stress.
Absence of Clinically Relevant Interactions between Rivaroxaban - an Oral, Direct Factor Xa Inhibitor - and Digoxin or Atorvastatin in Healthy Subjects
Authors: Kubitza D , Becka M , Roth A , Mueck W 
Published: February 2013

Objective: To investigate potential interactions between rivaroxaban, an oral direct Factor Xa inhibitor approved for the management of thromboembolic disorders, and digoxin or atorvastatin. Methods: Two randomized, phase 1 clinical trials were undertaken in healthy men to assess pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic interactions between rivaroxaban and digoxin or atorvastatin, and the safety of these drug combinations. Results: Steady-state rivaroxaban did not affect the pharmacokinetic profile of steady-state digoxin ( n = 17). Digoxin did not significantly influence the pharmacokinetic profile of single-dose rivaroxaban and had minimal effects on rivaroxaban-induced inhibition of Factor Xa activity and prolongation of clotting time. Similarly, steady-state atorvastatin did not affect the pharmacokinetic profile or the pharmacodynamics of rivaroxaban and vice versa ( n = 19). All drugs (alone or in combination) were well tolerated. Conclusions: There were no clinically relevant pharmacokinetic or pharmaco - dynamic interactions between rivaroxaban and digoxin, or between rivaroxaban and atorvastatin, suggesting that rivaroxaban can be coadministered with either drug. This study also confirmed that rivaroxaban does not interact with substrates for permeability (P)-glycoprotein alone (digoxin) or P-glycoprotein and cytochrome P450(CYP)3A4 (atorvastatin).