bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Validating a work group climate assessment tool for improving the performance of public health organizations
Authors: Perry Cary , LeMay Nancy , Rodway Greg , Tracy Allison , Galer Joan 
Published: October 2005

Abstract
Background
This article describes the validation of an instrument to measure work group climate in public health organizations in developing countries. The instrument, the Work Group Climate Assessment Tool (WCA), was applied in Brazil, Mozambique, and Guinea to assess the intermediate outcomes of a program to develop leadership for performance improvement. Data were collected from 305 individuals in 42 work groups, who completed a self-administered questionnaire.

Methods
The WCA was initially validated using Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient and exploratory factor analysis. This article presents the results of a second validation study to refine the initial analyses to account for nested data, to provide item-level psychometrics, and to establish construct validity. Analyses included eigenvalue decomposition analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and validity and reliability analyses.

Results
This study confirmed the validity and reliability of the WCA across work groups with different demographic characteristics (gender, education, management level, and geographical location). The study showed that there is agreement between the theoretical construct of work climate and the items in the WCA tool across different populations. The WCA captures a single perception of climate rather than individual sub-scales of clarity, support, and challenge.

Conclusion
The WCA is useful for comparing the climates of different work groups, tracking the changes in climate in a single work group over time, or examining differences among individuals' perceptions of their work group climate. Application of the WCA before and after a leadership development process can help work groups hold a discussion about current climate and select a target for improvement. The WCA provides work groups with a tool to take ownership of their own group climate through a process that is simple and objective and that protects individual confidentiality.
Seeking new methodology for palliative care research: challenging assumptions about studying people who are approaching the end of life
Authors: Hopkinson Jane B , Wright David NM , Corner Jessica L 
Published: October 2005

Palliative care researchers face many ethical and practical challenges. In particular, recruitment has proven difficult. New methodologies and methods need to be developed if barriers are to be overcome. This paper presents an example of a participatory approach to research with people receiving palliative care services. The approach was used for recruitment into an in-depth multi-methods study of weight loss and eating difficulties experienced by people with advanced cancer. Methods included a survey of patients on the case-loads of two community palliative care teams working in the South of England in 2003. The questionnaire was returned by 199 patients, 58% of the total patient population under the care of the two teams. Benefits of the approach taken are detailed, but also issues that emerged across the course of recruitment, thus highlighting points of interest for palliative care researchers. It is proposed that the success of the recruitment process can be attributed to the adoption of a context specific participatory approach. Successful recruitment into the study challenges the widely held belief that, for practical and ethical reasons, it is inappropriate to study people who are approaching the end of life. It demonstrates that a participatory approach enables clinical practice and research to share decision making and values, leading to a feasible and successful recruitment process that is acceptable to clinicians, researchers and patients.
Painful bone metastases: a prospective observational cohort study
Authors: Clare Charlotte , Royle Deborah , Saharia Kirsten , Pearse Hazel , Oxberry Stephen , Oakley Kath , Allsopp Leslie , Rigby Alan S , Johnson Miriam J 
Published: October 2005

Incident pain related to bone metastases is a problematic symptom to treat. The difficulty in treating this type of pain is reflected in the wide variety of treatment modalities recommended. The aims of this prospective observational study were to determine the patterns of pain severity at rest and on movement over time and which treatment modalities are employed. In addition, we were interested in ascertaining any correlations between bone pain at rest, bone pain on movement and functional ability. Thirty-two patients were followed up for a mean of 22 weeks (range: 2-52). In total, there were 704 patient follow-up weeks. Patients were followed up for one year or until death. A total of 19 different treatment modalities were employed. There were strong correlations between pain at rest and pain on movement. There were no significant correlations between functional ability and pain at rest or movement. Our study demonstrates the complex management of patients with bone pain. This is the first study that highlights the correlation between pain at rest and pain on movement in patients with bone metastases in a palliative care population. It highlights the need for intensive follow-up of these patients, as they require multiple interventions to help control their pain. These data can also be used to power further interventional studies.
Semi‐implicit time‐integrators for a scalable spectral element atmospheric model
Authors: Giraldo Francis X. 
Published: October 2005

AbstractThe Naval Research Laboratory's spectral element atmospheric model (NSEAM) for scalable computer architectures is presented. This new dynamical core is based on a high‐order spectral element (SE) method in space and uses semi‐implicit methods in time based on either the traditional second‐order leapfrog (LF2) or second‐order backward difference formulas (BDF2). The novelties of NSEAM are: it is geometrically flexible and thereby can accommodate any type of grid; LF2 or BDF2 are used to construct the semi‐implicit method; and the horizontal operators are written, discretized, and solved in three‐dimensional Cartesian space. The semi‐implicit NSEAM is validated using: five baroclinic test cases; direct comparisons to the explicit version of NSEAM which has been extensively tested and the results previously reported in the literature; and comparisons with operational weather prediction and well‐established climate models. A comparison with the US Navy's spectral transform global forecast model illustrates that NSEAM is 60% faster on an IBM SP4 using 96 processors for the current operational resolution of T239 L30. However, NSEAM can accommodate many more processors while continuing to scale efficiently even at higher grid resolutions. In fact, we show that at T498 L60, NSEAM scales linearly up to 384 processors. Copyright © 2005 Royal Meteorological Society
Tropical plumes and extreme precipitation in subtropical and tropical West Africa
Authors: Knippertz Peter , Martin Jonathan E. 
Published: October 2005

AbstractThree cases of extreme precipitation in October, January and March/April over subtropical north‐western and tropical West Africa have been selected in order to study the moisture transports, precipitation generation mechanisms and large‐scale dynamics involved. All cases show strong tropical–extratropical interactions and elongated cloud bands extending from the Tropics into the subtropics, usually referred to as tropical plumes (TPs). Investigations are based on observational data and high‐resolution output from simulations using the University of Wisconsin–Nonhydrostatic Modeling System. Trajectory analyses show that moisture is transported from the tropical easterly mid‐level flow, the monsoonal southerlies and the north‐easterly trade winds to provide precipitable water and potential instability at mid‐tropospheric levels. The instability is released through ascent related both to weak quasi‐geostrophic forcing to the east of an upper‐level trough and to the strong, inertially unstable and highly divergent upper‐level subtropical jet (STJ) accompanying the TP. In the January and March cases the passage of a precursor upper‐level trough over the same location precedes the development and initiates the moisture transport from the deep Tropics. The associated north‐westerly cold advection supports the generation of precipitation by triggering convection over the tropical Atlantic Ocean, whose outflow feeds into the STJ over Africa, and by enhancing the vertical mass transport within the intertropical discontinuity over and near West Africa. In October, when the still active African monsoon facilitates the extraction of tropical moisture, a wave in the tropical easterlies and strong trade winds from the southern hemisphere are dominant factors. Low‐level cyclogenesis and frontogenesis only play roles in the late stages of the developments. The elongated, mostly positively tilted potential‐vorticity (PV) streamers associated with the observed troughs form as a result of an equatorward transport of high‐PV air downstream of a large ridge over the North Atlantic. The rapid amplification of the ridge is achieved through a combination of negative horizontal PV advection and diabatic reduction of upper‐level PV through latent heating within a cloud band that forms in connection with an explosive baroclinic development near the east coast of North America. Copyright © 2005 Royal Meteorological Society
The diurnal variation of the marine surface wind in an offshore flow
Authors: A. Lapworth  
Published: October 2005

AbstractData from a number of light vessels moored off the English coast have been used to show that the marine near‐surface wind within a distance of 40 km to 80 km from the coast varies diurnally when the wind is blowing in an offshore direction and the sea is cooler than the maximum overland air temperature. This variation is such that the maximum wind speed is overnight while the minimum wind speed is during the afternoon. This is in distinction to overland surface winds where the diurnal maximum in the wind strength occurs during the afternoon. A numerical model of the stable boundary layer has been used to simulate the variation, and the mechanisms involved are compared with those operating in stable layers over the land. This gives evidence that the main reason for the variation is the difference in boundary‐layer temperature profiles between the daytime and night‐time offshore flows. During the day the stable layer formed advectively over the sea reduces downward momentum transfer and hence the surface wind. During the night the stable layer preformed over the land evolves during advection to form an elevated inversion over the sea which, for reasons discussed, causes the overnight maximum. As well as having implications for maritime forecasting, model results show that vertical wind shears in the stable layers affect the performance of sailing vessels. © Crown copyright, 2005. Royal Meteorological Society
The effect of the continental boundary layer on the dynamics of fronts in a 2D model of baroclinic instability. I: An insulated lower surface
Authors: Tory Kevin J. , Reeder Michael J. 
Published: October 2005

AbstractThe effect of boundary‐layer turbulence on the structure and evolution of the surface front that develops in the finite‐amplitude Eady wave is examined. A no‐slip condition is imposed at the lower boundary, and the boundary‐layer turbulence is parametrized using either the Blackadar scheme, the Mellor–Yamada 2¼ scheme or the ECMWF scheme. The study builds on the influential work of Keyser and Anthes. It is shown that the low‐level structure of the front, and especially the pre‐frontal updraught, is sensitive to the depth of the boundary layer. In particular, the pre‐frontal updraught intensifies when the boundary layer deepens because the vertically integrated cross‐isobaric mass flux increases. The numerical experiments also show that the frictionally induced convergence strengthens the cross‐front potential temperature gradient, and that the convergence itself is determined by the horizontal variation in net pressure gradient force (that part of the pressure gradient force not balanced by the Coriolis force). While surface sensible heat fluxes are neglected here, their effect is explored in a companion paper. Copyright © 2005 Royal Meteorological Society
The sting at the end of the tail: Model diagnostics of fine‐scale three‐dimensional structure of the cloud head
Authors: Clark P. A. , Browning K. A. , Wang C. 
Published: October 2005

AbstractThis is the second in a series of papers on ‘the sting at the end of the tail’—a mesoscale region of potentially damaging surface winds that can occur close to the evaporating tip of a cloud head wrapped around the bent‐back front of an extratropical cyclone. In the first paper the sting phenomenon was identified from a purely observational study of the great storm of October 1987. In the present paper an observationally validated forecast run from a high‐resolution numerical weather prediction model is used to examine the evolving three‐dimensional structure of the sting phenomenon. It is shown that the damaging surface winds in the October 1987 storm were due to a well‐defined mesoscale ‘sting jet’ (SJ), identifiable as a coherent ensemble of trajectories originating in cloudy air at about 650 hPa. There is evidence of multiple mesoscale slantwise circulations, and the SJ appears to form within the descending part of these circulations. Air within the SJ descends to the 900 hPa level over a period of about 4 h, during which time it accelerates from less than 20 to above 45 m s−1 with extremes greater than 50 m s−1. Although the wet‐bulb potential temperature of air in the SJ remains constant during its descent to 900 hPa, evaporation leads to a reduction of up to 5 K or more in dry‐bulb potential temperature in some parts of the jet. The SJ is situated behind the primary cold front, and is distinct from the associated warm‐conveyor‐belt low‐level jet; it is also distinct from the cold‐conveyor‐belt low‐level jet which remains below and behind it as the SJ skirts the bent‐back front. © Crown copyright, 2005.
Hydro Tasmania – Renewable Energy Drivers, Action and Plans
Authors: Gill Roger , Andrews Harry 
Published: October 2005

In Tasmania, the island state of Australia, the generator, Hydro Tasmania, is pushing technical, environmental and business boundaries in its plans to integrate a relatively high proportion (up to 20 percent) of large wind generators into its current complex mix of large and small hydropower plants. Its plans include projects to increase the efficiency of its older hydropower equipment as it prepares to supply much needed peaking capacity to the market in southern Australia via the groundbreaking Basslink undersea cable, which is due for completion in November 2005. Taken as a package these developments are creating a globally significant reference site for renewable energy systems. The paper will describe what is happening, and more importantly what is underpinning the developments, including: the harnessing of Tasmania's world-class wind resource, where recently constructed 1.75 MW wind turbines are achieving capacity factors of over 45 percent – some of the best productivity in the world today; the application of leading environmental science measures to ensure the sustainability of both the new wind farm developments and the transformation of the hydropower system to meet peak capacity demands; the relevance of the existing large hydropower storages that can operate in synergy with the wind resource; the contribution of Australia's renewable energy certificate scheme, which is effectively doubling the value of new renewable energy developments compared with existing generation sources; the application of the latest technology in hydropower turbines, combined with power system expertise from the world's leading manufacturers, to increase the efficiency of older hydropower generators, thereby more effectively harnessing the existing environmental footprint; and the transformation of Hydro Tasmania's business into a significant supplier and trader of premium value peak energy into the sophisticated Australian National Electricity Market.
Robust Control of Markov Decision Processes with Uncertain Transition Matrices
Authors: Nilim Arnab , El Ghaoui Laurent 
Published: October 2005

Optimal solutions to Markov decision problems may be very sensitive with respect to the state transition probabilities. In many practical problems, the estimation of these probabilities is far from accurate. Hence, estimation errors are limiting factors in applying Markov decision processes to real-world problems. We consider a robust control problem for a finite-state, finite-action Markov decision process, where uncertainty on the transition matrices is described in terms of possibly nonconvex sets. We show that perfect duality holds for this problem, and that as a consequence, it can be solved with a variant of the classical dynamic programming algorithm, the “robust dynamic programming” algorithm. We show that a particular choice of the uncertainty sets, involving likelihood regions or entropy bounds, leads to both a statistically accurate representation of uncertainty, and a complexity of the robust recursion that is almost the same as that of the classical recursion. Hence, robustness can be added at practically no extra computing cost. We derive similar results for other uncertainty sets, including one with a finite number of possible values for the transition matrices. We describe in a practical path planning example the benefits of using a robust strategy instead of the classical optimal strategy; even if the uncertainty level is only crudely guessed, the robust strategy yields a much better worst-case expected travel time.
Operations Research 2004 Meritorious Service Award Recipients and Appreciation to 2004 Referees
Authors: Chen Chun-Hung , Kleijnen Jack , Wilson James R. , Ozer Ozalp 
Published: October 2005

All too often, the hard work that members of the scholarly community do to support our profession goes unrecognized. For the sixth year, the Editorial Board of Operations Research has decided to reward outstanding service to the journal’s scholarly mission. Associate editors and referees who did an exceptionally professional job by submitting timely, unbiased, and thoughtful reviews were considered for this award. This award is just a small token of the appreciation for exceptional work performed on behalf of Operations Research and our profession. We regret that the following names were inadvertently omitted from the list published in the July–August issue, and we thank these individuals for their effort to make Operations Research the premier journal of the field. The Editorial Board would like to thank the following individual who acted as a referee for papers considered or published during the 2004 calendar year. Without the assistance of our valued referees, it would be impossible for INFORMS to publish a journal of high professional standards. We regret that the following name was inadvertently omitted from the list published in the July-August issue, and we thank him for his effort to make Operations Research the premier journal of the field.
Optimism, positive affectivity, and salivary cortisol
Authors: Lai Julian C. L. , Evans Phil D. , Ng Sik Hung , Chong Alice M. L. , Siu Oswald T. , Chan Cecilia L. W. , Ho Samuel M. Y. , Ho Rainbow T. H. , Chan Plato , Chan Charles C. 
Published: October 2005

Objectives.Research on stress and salivary cortisol has focused almost exclusively on the effects of negative psychological conditions or emotional states. Little attention has been drawn to the impact associated with positive psychological conditions, which have been shown recently to have significant influences on neuroendocrine regulation. The aim of this study is to examine the impact of optimism and positive affect on salivary cortisol with the effects of their negative counterparts controlled for.Design.Optimism and pessimism, and positive and negative affectivity were studied in relation to the diurnal rhythm of salivary cortisol in a group of 80 Hong Kong Chinese, who provided six saliva samples over the course of a day on two consecutive days. The separate effects of optimism and positive affect on two dynamic components of cortisol secretion, awakening response, and diurnal decline were examined.Methods.Optimism and pessimism were measured using the Chinese version of the revised Life Orientation Test while generalized affects and mood states were assessed by the Chinese Affect Scale. An enzyme‐linked immunoabsorbent assay kit (EIA) developed for use in saliva was adopted for the biochemical analysis of cortisol. Testing of major group differences associated with positive psychological conditions was carried out using two‐way (group by saliva collection time) ANOVAs for repeated measures with negative psychological conditions and mood states as covariates.Results.Participants having higher optimism scores exhibited less cortisol secretion in the awakening period when the effect of pessimism and mood were controlled. This effect was more apparent in men than in women who had higher cortisol levels in the awakening period. Optimism did not have similar effect on cortisol levels during the underlying period of diurnal decline. On the other hand, higher generalized positive affect was associated with lower cortisol levels during the underlying period of diurnal decline after the effects of negative affect and mood states had been controlled. Generalized positive affect did not significantly influence cortisol secretion during the awakening period.Conclusions.These findings suggest that positive psychological resources including optimism and generalized positive affect had higher impact on cortisol secretion than their negative counterparts, and point to the need for increased attention to the potential contribution of positive mental states to well‐being.
Understanding affective and cognitive self‐evaluations about the body for adolescent girls
Authors: Bornholt Laurel , Brake Nicki , Thomas Sian , Russell Lesley , Madden Sloane , Anderson Gail , Kohn Michael , Clarke Simon 
Published: October 2005

Objective. The aim of this study was to understand relations between cognitive and affective self‐evaluations about the body for adolescent girls in the context of their diverse experiences of the body.Method. The project involved adolescent girls (N =141), including underweight to overweight schoolgirls, and hospitalized girls with anorexia nervosa (AN). Materials were brief, reliable inventories of self‐concepts about body, movement and appearance, and feelings about the body.Results. Measurement models confirmed the related yet discrete self‐concepts about the body, movement and appearance, and feeling OK, guilt, worry, disgust, and anger about the body. Self‐concepts and feelings were not correlated with body weight, and were sensitive and specific for girls with AN versus low‐weight schoolgirls. Relations among self‐concepts and feelings about the body vary with the context. In particular, self‐concepts and feelings about the body were incongruent for AN girls with acute experiences of making self‐evaluations of their bodies.Discussion. It is clear that self‐evaluations by adolescent girls do not necessarily reflect actual body weight. Findings suggest that associations between thoughts and feelings about the body vary with diverse experiences of the body. Results support brief, reliable, and valid indicators of self‐concepts and feelings about the body that are vital in the design of prevention, intervention, and monitoring, and the evaluation of programmes for girls in clinical and educational settings.