bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Who Has Higher Readmission Rates for Heart Failure, and Why?
Authors: Joynt Karen E. , Jha Ashish K. 
Published: December 2010

Background—
Reducing readmissions for heart failure is an important goal for policymakers. Current national policies financially penalize hospitals with high readmission rates, which may have unintended consequences if these institutions are resource-poor, either financially or clinically.

Methods and Results—

We analyzed national claims data for Medicare patients with heart failure discharged from US hospitals in 2006 to 2007. We used multivariable models to examine hospital characteristics, 30-day all-cause readmission rates, and likelihood of performing in the worst quartile of readmission rates nationally. Among 905 764 discharges in our sample, patients discharged from public hospitals (27.9%) had higher readmission rates than nonprofit hospitals (25.7%,
P
<0.001), as did patients discharged from hospitals in counties with low median income (29.4%) compared with counties with high median income (25.7%,
P
<0.001). Patients discharged from hospitals without cardiac services (27.2%) had higher readmission rates than those from hospitals with full cardiac services (25.1%,
P
<0.001); patients discharged from hospitals in the lowest quartile of nurse staffing (28.5%) had higher readmission rates than those from hospitals in the highest quartile (25.4%,
P
<0.001). Patients discharged from small hospitals (28.4%) had higher readmission rates than those discharged from large hospitals (25.2%,
P
<0.001). These same characteristics identified hospitals that were likely to perform in the worst quartile nationally.

Conclusions—
Given that many poor-performing hospitals also have fewer resources, they may suffer disproportionately from financial penalties for high readmission rates. As we seek to improve care for patients with heart failure, we should ensure that penalties for poor performance do not worsen disparities in quality of care.
On the Use of Geometric Moments to Examine the Continuum of Sudden Stratospheric Warmings
Authors: Hannachi A. , Mitchell D. , Gray L. , Charlton-Perez A. 
Published: December 2010

AbstractThe polar winter stratospheric vortex is a coherent structure that undergoes different types of deformation that can be revealed by the geometric invariant moments. Three moments are used—the aspect ratio, the centroid latitude, and the area of the vortex based on stratospheric data from the 40-yr ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-40) project—to study sudden stratospheric warmings. Hierarchical clustering combined with data image visualization techniques is used as well. Using the gap statistic, three optimal clusters are obtained based on the three geometric moments considered here. The 850-K potential vorticity field, as well as the vertical profiles of polar temperature and zonal wind, provides evidence that the clusters represent, respectively, the undisturbed (U), displaced (D), and split (S) states of the polar vortex. This systematic method for identifying and characterizing the state of the polar vortex using objective methods is useful as a tool for analyzing observations and as a test for climate models to simulate the observations. The method correctly identifies all previously identified major warmings and also identifies significant minor warmings where the atmosphere is substantially disturbed but does not quite meet the criteria to qualify as a major stratospheric warming.
A Cloud-Resolving Model with an Adaptive Vertical Grid for Boundary Layer Clouds
Authors: Marchand Roger , Ackerman Thomas 
Published: December 2010

Abstract
Accurate cloud-resolving model simulations of cloud cover and cloud water content for boundary layer clouds are difficult to achieve without vertical grid spacing well below 100 m, especially for inversion-topped stratocumulus. The need for fine vertical grid spacing presents a significant impediment to global or large regional simulations using cloud-resolving models, including the Multiscale Modeling Framework (MMF), in which a two-dimensional or small three-dimensional cloud-resolving model is embedded into each grid cell of a global climate model in place of more traditional cloud parameterizations. One potential solution to this problem is to use a model with an adaptive vertical grid (i.e., a model that is able to add vertical layers where and when needed) rather than trying to use a fixed grid with fine vertical spacing throughout the boundary layer. This article examines simulations with an adaptive vertical grid for three well-studied stratocumulus cases based on observations from the second Dynamics and Chemistry of Marine Stratocumulus (DYCOMS-II) experiment, the Atlantic Stratocumulus Transition Experiment (ASTEX), and the Atlantic Trade Cumulus Experiment (ATEX). For each case, three criteria are examined for determining where to add or remove vertical layers. One criterion is based on the domain-averaged potential temperature profile; the other two are based on the ratio of the estimated subgrid-scale to total water flux and turbulent kinetic energy. The results of the adaptive vertical grid simulations are encouraging in that these simulations are able to produce results similar to simulations using fine vertical grid spacing throughout the boundary layer, while using many fewer vertical layers.
Global Sea Surface Temperature Forecasts Using a Pairwise Dynamic Combination Approach
Authors: Chowdhury Shahadat , Sharma Ashish 
Published: December 2010

Abstract
This paper dynamically combined three multivariate forecasts where spatially and temporally variant combination weights are estimated using a nearest-neighbor approach. The case study presented combines forecasts from three climate models for the period 1958–2001. The variables of interest here are the monthly global sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTA) at a 5° × 5° latitude–longitude grid, predicted 3 months in advance. The forecast from the static weight combination is used as the base case for comparison. The forecasted sea surface temperature using the dynamic combination algorithm offers consistent improvements over the static combination approach for all seasons. This improved skill is achieved over at least 93% of the global grid cells, in four 10-yr independent validation segments. Dynamically combined forecasts reduce the mean-square error of the SSTA by at least 25% for 72% of the global grid cells when compared against the best-performing single forecast among the three climate models considered.
Extratropical Atmospheric Response to the Atlantic Niño Decaying Phase
Authors: García-Serrano Javier , Losada Teresa , Rodríguez-Fonseca Belén 
Published: December 2010

Abstract
The Atlantic Niño or Atlantic Equatorial Mode (EM) is the dominant coupled variability phenomenon in the tropical Atlantic basin during boreal summer. From the 1970s, the mode has changed, evolving in time from east to west and without persisting until the following winter. In a previous observational work, the authors have studied the atmospheric response to the EM during the 1979–2005 period, proposing three main issues along the decaying phase of this mode: 1) the continuous confinement of the anomalous deep convection over northeastern Brazil following the thermal-forcing decay; 2) an increasing dipole-like precipitation anomaly with dry conditions in the Florida–Gulf of Mexico region; and 3) the excitation of Rossby waves forced by the remaining upper-tropospheric divergence that are trapped into the subtropical jet but do not show a robust impact on the European sector.
In this work, a 10-member ensemble simulation for the recent EM with the University of California, Los Angeles AGCM model has been analyzed for assessing the evolution of the atmospheric response to the summer Atlantic Niño decay. Results from the sensitivity experiment support that the former and the latter findings can be interpreted in terms of the Atlantic thermal forcing; while the negative rainfall anomalies in the western subtropical basin require an external forcing outside the tropical Atlantic. Prior studies point at the peaking Pacific El Niño as a potential player.
An important conclusion of this work is that the seasonal atmospheric response to the Atlantic Niño decaying phase is mainly determined by the climatological jet stream’s position and intensity. In this way, this response shows an arching pattern over the North Atlantic region during summer–autumn and a zonally oriented wave train during autumn–winter.
Improved Methods for PCA-Based Reconstructions: Case Study Using the Steig et al. (2009) Antarctic Temperature Reconstruction
Authors: O’Donnell Ryan , Lewis Nicholas , McIntyre Steve , Condon Jeff 
Published: December 2010

Abstract
A detailed analysis is presented of a recently published Antarctic temperature reconstruction that combines satellite and ground information using a regularized expectation–maximization algorithm. Though the general reconstruction concept has merit, it is susceptible to spurious results for both temperature trends and patterns. The deficiencies include the following: (i) improper calibration of satellite data; (ii) improper determination of spatial structure during infilling; and (iii) suboptimal determination of regularization parameters, particularly with respect to satellite principal component retention. This study proposes two methods to resolve these issues. One utilizes temporal relationships between the satellite and ground data; the other combines ground data with only the spatial component of the satellite data. Both improved methods yield similar results that disagree with the previous method in several aspects. Rather than finding warming concentrated in West Antarctica, the authors find warming over the period of 1957–2006 to be concentrated in the peninsula (≈0.35°C decade−1). This study also shows average trends for the continent, East Antarctica, and West Antarctica that are half or less than that found using the unimproved method. Notably, though the authors find warming in West Antarctica to be smaller in magnitude and find that statistically significant warming extends at least as far as Marie Byrd Land. This study also finds differences in the seasonal patterns of temperature change, with winter and fall showing the largest differences and spring and summer showing negligible differences outside of the peninsula.
Trend Singular Value Decomposition Analysis and Its Application to the Global Ocean Surface Latent Heat Flux and SST Anomalies
Authors: Li Gen , Ren Baohua , Zheng Jianqiu , Yang Chengyun 
Published: December 2010

Abstract
Given the complexity of trends in the actual climate system, distinguishing between different trends and different trend modes is important for climate research. This study introduces a new method called “trend singular value decomposition (TSVD) analysis,” which is designed for systematically extracting coupled trend modes, albeit small, by performing an eigenanalysis of the inverse-rank covariance matrix between two fields. Applications to simple time series models and annual mean surface latent heat flux (LHF) and SST data for 1958–2006 are presented and discussed. Results show that the TSVD analysis can capture different coherent trends into different leading modes. The first TSVD mode between the global LHF and SST anomalies, similar to the first conventional SVD mode, generally represents a large-scale increasing LHF trend induced by a warming SST trend; whereas, interestingly, unlike the second SVD mode that is mainly associated with the familiar ENSO, the second TSVD mode is mainly associated with the Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO). TSVD analysis casts the (global) long-term and (Pacific) decadal trends into the leading two modes, respectively. Compared to SVD analysis, the advantages of the TSVD analysis in detecting coupled low-frequency modes are even more evident in the tropical Pacific (TP), where the coherent trend signals (i.e., the long-term trends and the decadal trends) are smaller than the ENSO-related signals. Thus, TSVD analysis performs better than SVD analysis when focusing on trends rather than on maximum covariance patterns, particularly on relatively small coherent trend patterns, such as the coupled long-term trends and decadal trends in the TP.
Drought and Persistent Wet Spells over South America Based on Observations and the U.S. CLIVAR Drought Experiments
Authors: Mo Kingtse C. , Berbery Ernesto H. 
Published: December 2010

Abstract
This study employs observations and the model simulations from the U.S. Climate Variability and Predictability (CLIVAR) Drought Working Group to examine extreme precipitation events like drought and wet spells that persist more than one season over South America. These events tend to persist over northeastern Brazil, the Guianas, and the west coast of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. They are least likely to persist over southeastern South America, which includes Uruguay, southern Brazil, and northeastern Argentina.
The U.S. CLIVAR simulations, particularly those of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Community Atmosphere Model, version 3.5 (CAM3.5), capture satisfactorily the impact of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the north tropical Atlantic (NTA) sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA) signals on persistent extreme events and reproduce the mechanisms inducing the teleconnection patterns. The cold (warm) ENSO favors wetness (dryness) over Venezuela, Colombia, and northeastern Brazil and dryness (wet spells) over southeastern South America and southern Argentina. The NTA SSTAs alone tend to have a more local impact affecting mostly over northern South America in March–May.
The simulations show that when the two modes (ENSO and NTA) act in concert, the effects may become noticeable in different and remote areas of the continent, as they shift the probability of drought and persistent wet spells over different regions of South America. The impact is strong when the ENSO and the NTA are in opposite phases. For the cold (warm) Pacific and warm (cold) Atlantic, droughts (persistent wet spells) are intensified over southeastern South America, while persistent wet spells (droughts) are favored over the northern part of the continent. The changes in the patterns are regional and not as intense when both oceans are warm (or cold).
Multipatterns of the National Weather Radar Testbed Mitigate Clutter Received via Sidelobes
Authors: Zhang Guifu , Li Yinguang , Doviak Richard J. , Priegnitz Dave , Carter John , Curtis Christopher D. 
Published: December 2010

Abstract
The phased-array radar (PAR) of the National Weather Radar Testbed (NWRT) has a unique hybrid (mechanical and electrical) azimuth scan capability, allowing weather observations with different antenna patterns. Observations show the standard deviation of the sample mean power of weather echoes received through the main lobe of a set of squinted beams is less than the clutter received via sidelobes. This then allows use of a multipattern technique to cancel sidelobe echoes from moving scatterers, echoes that cannot be filtered with a ground-clutter canceler. Although the multipattern technique was developed to cancel clutter received through sidelobes, results show clutter from objects moving within the beam can also be canceled.
Quality Assessment of a 1985–2007 Mediterranean Sea Reanalysis
Authors: Adani Mario , Dobricic Srdjan , Pinardi Nadia 
Published: December 2010

Abstract
A simulation and two reanalyses from 1985 to 2007 have been produced for the Mediterranean Sea using different assimilation schemes: a reduced-order optimal interpolation [System for Ocean Forecast and Analysis (SOFA)] and a three-dimensional variational scheme (OceanVar). The observational dataset consists of vertical temperature and salinity in situ profiles and along-track satellite sea level anomalies; daily mean fields of satellite sea surface temperature are used for correcting the air–sea fluxes. This paper assesses the quality of the reanalyses with respect to observations and the simulation.
Both the SOFA and OceanVar schemes give very similar root-mean-square errors and biases for temperature and salinity fields compared with the assimilated observations. The largest errors are at the thermocline level and in regions of large eddy field variability. However, OceanVar gives 20% better results for sea level anomaly root-mean-square error.
Gifted Girls’ Passion for Fiction: The Quest for Meaning, Growth, and Self-Actualization
Authors: Stutler Susan Lee 
Published: December 2010

To illuminate the nature of the relationship that very able girls have with fiction, this is an interpretive account of the meanings that reading fiction holds for verbally gifted preadolescent girls. Ethnographic field methods were used to uncover the essences of the reading experience in the contexts of their daily lives. Data sources included the researcher’s field notes, the girls’ taped book discussions, parent interviews, and the girls’ reading journals. Major findings were that the girls read and make meaning in and around three interconnected areas of intelligence and intensity: intellectual, imaginational, and emotional. As they read fiction, the girls engage in a process of determined growth in each of these domains of human awareness. The girls challenge themselves with difficult literature, critical and empathic thinking, and problem finding. As the girls read and make meaning, they are involved in constructing their lives’ purpose. They are youthful self-actualizers. Putting the Research to Use Educators should understand the powerful place that fiction holds in the lives of young gifted readers. The verbally gifted learners of this report were passionate about fiction. The girls used fiction as they constructed meaning in and around three domains of human awareness: intellectual, imaginational, and emotional. They read with an intensity that led them to choose challenging fiction to gather knowledge and explore issues, create vivid images, and make connections with characters and authors. The girls experienced flow while reading, which led to an inclination as well as a determination to read. Time spent in solitude reading fiction helped the girls overcome adversity, allowed them to resist enculturation, and caused them to question the split between the way things are and they way things should be. The girls used fiction to self-educate as they began to realize their lives’ purpose.
Rethinking the Dynamics of Abusive Relationships: The Implications of Violence and Resistance for Household Bargaining
Authors: Paterson Stephanie 
Published: December 2010

Integrating insights from strategic bargaining analysis with the cooperative conflicts approach, this paper explores the implications of conjugal violence against women and women’s resistance to violence for bargaining processes and outcomes. It is argued that analyses of conjugal violence must situate strategic behavior in social context, thus problematizing theoretical and empirical analyses that point to a direct negative correlation between women’s economic resources and violence. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of policy implications. JEL classifications: D13, D19
Airway-Rehydrating Agents for the Treatment of Cystic Fibrosis: Past, Present, and Future
Authors: Pettit Rebecca S , Johnson Cary E 
Published: December 2010

Objective To review and evaluate airway-rehydrating agents used for the treatment of cystic fibrosis (CF). Data Sources: Literature was retrieved through MEDLINE (1977-August 2010), Cochrane Library, and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (1977-August 2010). Search terms used included hypertonic saline, inhaled mannitol, denufosol, Moli 1901, lancovutide, and cystic fibrosis. Reference citations from selected articles were reviewed. Study Selection And Data Extraction: All articles published in English identified from the data sources were evaluated for inclusion. Clinical trials in humans and relevant review articles were evaluated for each airway-rehydrating agent, Data Synthesis: Use of airway-rehydrating agents for the treatment of CF is an expanding area. Hypertonic saline (7% NaCl) is currently the only commercially available airway-rehydrating agent recommended for chronic therapy in patients with CF and is being evaluated in younger patients. Inhaled mannitol is an investigational dry-powder inhalation agent that improves mucus clearance in a similar manner to hypertonic saline and produced a statistically significant increase in forced expiratory volume in 1 second in a Phase 3 trial. Denufosol, a P2Y2 agonist, rehydrates the airway surface liquid bypassing the basic CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein defect. It produces improvement in pulmonary function and is being further evaluated in a Phase 3 trial. Lancovutide (Moli 1901) is an investigation at agent in early-phase trials that activates a calcium-dependent chloride channel, allowing chloride to enter the airway. Conclusions: Hypertonic saline is the primary airway-rehydrating agent used in the treatment of CF. Inhaled mannitol may become an alternative to hypertonic saline since it is faster and easier to administer. It remains unclear whether Denufosol and lancovutide will be synergistic or antagonistic with hypertonic saline. Both agents have a unique mechanism of action that bypasses the basic CFTR defect.
Concordance Study of 3 Direct-to-Consumer Genetic-Testing Services
Authors: Imai Kenta , Kricka Larry J , Fortina Paolo 
Published: December 2010

BACKGROUND
Several companies offer direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing to evaluate ancestry and wellness. Massive-scale testing of thousands of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) is not error free, and such errors could translate into misclassification of risk and produce a false sense of security or unnecessary anxiety in an individual. We evaluated 3 DTC services and a genomics service that are based on DNA microarray or solution genotyping with hydrolysis probes (TaqMan® analysis) and compared the test results obtained for the same individual.

METHODS
We evaluated the results from 3 DTC services (23andMe, deCODEme, Navigenics) and a genomics-analysis service (Expression Analysis).

RESULTS
The concordance rates between the services for SNP data were &gt;99.6%; however, there were some marked differences in the relative disease risks assigned by the DTC services (e.g., for rheumatoid arthritis, the range of relative risk was 0.9–1.85). A possible reason for this difference is that different SNPs were used to calculate risk for the same disease. The reference population also had an influence on the relative disease risk.

CONCLUSIONS
Our study revealed excellent concordance between the results of SNP analyses obtained from different companies with different platforms, but we noted a disparity in the data for risk, owing to both differences in the SNPs used in the calculation and the reference population used. The larger issues of the utility of the information and the need for risk data that match the user's ethnicity remain, however.