bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
On the proof of concept of a ‘Smart’ wind turbine rotor blade for load alleviation
Authors: van Wingerden J. W. , Hulskamp A. W. , Barlas T. , Marrant B. , van Kuik G. A. M. , Molenaar D.‐P. , Verhaegen M. 
Published: January 2008

AbstractThe trend with offshore wind turbines is to increase the rotor diameter as much as possible to decrease the costs per kilowatt‐hour. The increasing dimensions have led to the relative increase of the loads on the wind turbine structure. Because of the increasing rotor size and the spatial load variations along the blade, it is necessary to react to turbulence in a more detailed way; each blade separately and at several separate radial distances. In this paper, a proof of concept study is performed to show the feasibility of the load alleviation abilities of a ‘Smart’ blade, i.e. a blade equipped with a number of control devices that locally change the lift profile on the blade, combined with appropriate sensors and feedback controllers. Theoretical and experimental models are developed of a scaled non‐rotating rotor blade which is equipped with two trailing edge flaps and strain sensors to facilitate feedback control. A pitch actuator is used to induce disturbances with a similar character as a gust or turbulence. A feedback controller based on classical loop shaping is designed that minimizes the root bending moment in the flapping direction. We show that with appropriate control techniques, the loads for periodic disturbances and for turbulence generated disturbances can be reduced up to 90 and 55%, respectively. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Low‐dose erythropoietin improves cardiac function in experimental heart failure without increasing haematocrit
Authors: Lipšic Erik , Westenbrink B. Daan , van der Meer Peter , van der Harst Pim , Voors Adriaan A. , van Veldhuisen Dirk J. , Schoemaker Regien G. , van Gilst Wiek H. 
Published: January 2008

AbstractBackground:Erythropoietin (EPO) may improve cardiac function and induce neovascularisation in experimental models of chronic heart failure (CHF). However, the increased haematocrit associated with EPO treatment might exert concomitant deleterious effects.Aim:To investigate the haematocrit independent effects of EPO on cardiac function.Methods and results:Rats underwent permanent coronary artery ligation to induce myocardial infarction (MI) or sham surgery. Three weeks after MI, rats were randomly allocated to treatment with vehicle (MI) or the long‐acting EPO analogue darbepoetin alfa administered in a high (40 μg/kg/3 weeks, MI‐EPO‐high) or a low‐dose (0.4 μg/kg/3 weeks, MI‐EPO‐low). After 9 weeks, haemodynamic parameters, myocardial histology and Myosin Heavy Chain (MHC) isoforms were determined. High‐dose EPO resulted in a significant increase in haematocrit (p<0.01) while low‐dose EPO had no effect on haematocrit levels. EPO significantly improved cardiac function in both EPO groups, reflected by increased left ventricular (LV)‐developed pressure and improved contractility (dP/dtmax) and relaxation (dP/dtmin) indices of the LV at 9‐weeks (all p<0.05 compared to MI). The improved cardiac function was associated with increased capillary growth (38% in MI‐EPO‐high (p<0.01) and 27% in MI‐EPO‐low (p<0.05)) and an attenuated switch to slow β‐MHC isoforms in both EPO groups.Conclusions:EPO improves cardiac function and induces neovascularisation at a dose that does not increase haematocrit, thereby circumventing the possible deleterious effects of increased erythropoiesis.
Ile164 variant of β2‐adrenoceptor does not influence outcome in heart failure but may interact with β blocker treatment
Authors: Littlejohn Mathew D. , Palmer Barry R. , Richards A. Mark , Frampton Chris M. , Pilbrow Anna P. , Troughton Richard W. , Cameron Vicky A. , Kennedy Martin A. 
Published: January 2008

AbstractBackground:The Ile164 variant of the β2‐adrenoceptor has been shown to alter cardiovascular phenotypes and adversely affect survival in heart failure patients.Aims:We aimed to replicate this observation by genotyping a cohort of 451 heart failure patients for the Ile164 polymorphism.Methods:Patient outcome was recorded over a median follow‐up period of 3.09 years, and genotypes were derived by multiplex amplification refractory mutation system PCR.Results:Genotypes were obtained for 443 patients, and 3.2% of these (14 patients) were heterozygous for the Ile164 SNP. Demographic data, cardiac function and neurohormonal profiles did not differ between genotype groups. Ile164 genotype did not significantly affect survival in this cohort (Thr164 homozygotes 48.9%, Ile164 heterozygous 42.9%, p=0.66), although multivariate analysis suggested that β‐blocker treatment may negatively impact survival in the heterozygote group.Conclusion:This study suggests that the Ile164 polymorphism of the β2‐adrenoceptor does not have a major impact on outcome in individuals with heart failure, although it's potential interaction with β‐blockers requires further examination.
Attenuation of senescence‐induced oxidative exacerbations in aged rat brain by (−)‐epigallocatechin‐3‐gallate
Authors: Srividhya Ravichandran , Jyothilakshmi Vasavan , Arulmathi Karpagavinayagam , Senthilkumaran Vadivel , Kalaiselvi Periandavan 
Published: January 2008

AbstractAging is a complex biological phenomenon which involves free radicals and oxidative stress. Brain is more susceptible and vulnerable to oxidative damage due to its high‐polyunsaturated fatty acid content and high rate of aerobic metabolism. Since the antioxidant defense system is diminished during aging, antioxidant supplementation might be a protective strategy against age‐associated oxidative damage. The present study evaluates the antioxidant potential of (−)‐epigallocatechin‐3‐gallate (EGCG), a major polyphenol present in green tea against age‐associated oxidative damage in rat brain. Male albino rats of Wistar strain were used in the study. Group I (young) and Group II (aged) rats received saline alone orally for 30 days. Group III (young) and Group IV (aged) rats received EGCG (2 mg/kg body weight/day) orally for 30 days. Antioxidant status and oxidative damage were assessed. EGCG brought about an augmentation in the activities of enzymic antioxidants like superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, glucose‐6‐phosphate dehydrogenase and improved the non‐enzymic antioxidants like tocopherol, ascorbic acid and glutathione. EGCG ameliorated the malondialdehyde and protein carbonyl levels. Thus, EGCG has emerged out as a good antioxidant neutraceutical and a neuroprotective agent in alleviating the age‐associated oxidative damage in aged rat brain.
On the Extreme Variability and Change of Cold-Season Temperatures in Northwest Canada
Authors: Szeto Kit K. 
Published: January 2008

Abstract
The Mackenzie River basin (MRB) in northwestern Canada is a climatologically important region that exerts significant influences on the weather and climate of North America. The region exhibits the largest cold-season temperature variability in the world on both the intraseasonal and interannual time scales. In addition, some of the strongest recent warming signals have been observed over the basin. To understand the nature of these profound and intriguing observed thermal characteristics of the region, its atmospheric heat budget is assessed by using the NCEP–NCAR reanalysis dataset. The composite heat budgets and large-scale atmospheric conditions that are representative of anomalous winters in the region are examined in unison to study the processes that are responsible for the development of extreme warm/cold winters in the MRB. It is shown that the large winter temperature variability of the region is largely a result of the strong variability of atmospheric circulations over the North Pacific, the selective enhancement/weakening of latent heating of the cross-barrier flow for various onshore flow configurations, and synoptic-scale feedback processes that accentuate the thermal response of the basin to the changes in upwind conditions. The improved understanding of mechanisms that govern the thermal response of the basin to changes in the upstream environment provides a theoretical basis to interpret the climate change and modeling results for the region. In particular, the large recent warming trend observed for the region can be understood as the enhanced response of the basin to the shift in North Pacific circulation regime during the mid-1970s. The strong cold bias that affected the region in some climate model results can be attributed to the underprediction of orographic precipitation and associate latent heating of the cross-barrier flow, and the subsequent weakening of mean subsidence and warming over the basin in the models.
Origin of Pacific Multidecadal Variability in Community Climate System Model, Version 3 (CCSM3): A Combined Statistical and Dynamical Assessment
Authors: Zhong Yafang , Liu Zhengyu , Jacob R. 
Published: January 2008

Abstract
Observations indicate that Pacific multidecadal variability (PMV) is a basinwide phenomenon with robust tropical–extratropical linkage, though its genesis remains the topic of much debate. In this study, the PMV in the Community Climate System Model, version 3 (CCSM3) is investigated with a combined statistical and dynamical approach. In agreement with observations, the modeled North Pacific climate system undergoes coherent multidecadal atmospheric and oceanic variability of a characteristic quasi-50-yr time scale, with apparent connections to the tropical Indo-Pacific.
The statistical assessment based on the CCSM3 control integration cannot exclusively identify the origin of the modeled multidecadal linkage, while confirming the two-way interactions between the tropical and extratropical Pacific. Two sensitivity experiments are performed to further investigate the origin of the PMV. With the atmosphere decoupled from the tropical ocean, multidecadal variability in the North Pacific climate remains outstanding. In contrast, without midlatitude oceanic feedback to atmosphere, an experiment shows much reduced multidecadal power in both extratropical atmosphere and surface ocean; moreover, the tropical multidecadal variability seen in the CCSM3 control run virtually disappears. The combined statistical and dynamical assessment supports a midlatitude coupled origin for the PMV, which can be described as follows: extratropical large-scale air–sea interaction gives rise to multidecadal variability in the North Pacific region; this extratropical signal then imprints itself in the tropical Indo–Pacific climate system, through a robust tropical–extratropical teleconnection. This study highlights a midlatitude origin of multidecadal tropical–extratropical linkage in the Pacific in the CCSM3.
On the Assessment of Nonlocal Climate Feedback. Part I: The Generalized Equilibrium Feedback Assessment*
Authors: Liu Zhengyu , Wen Na , Liu Yun 
Published: January 2008

Abstract
A statistical method is developed to assess the full climate feedback of nonlocal climate feedbacks. The method is a multivariate generalization of the univariate equilibrium feedback assessment (EFA) method of Frankignoul et al. As a pilot study here, the generalized EFA (GEFA) is applied to the assessment of the feedback response of sea surface temperature (SST) on surface heat flux in a simple ocean–atmosphere model that includes atmospheric advection. It is shown that GEFA can capture major features of nonlocal climate feedback and sheds light on the dynamics of the atmospheric response, as long as the spatial resolution (or spatial degree of freedom) is not very high.
Given a sample size, sampling error tends to increase significantly with the spatial resolution of the data. As a result, useful estimates of the feedback can only be obtained at sufficiently low resolution. The sampling error is also found to increase significantly with the spatial scale of the atmospheric forcing and, in turn, the SST variability. This implies the potential difficulty in distinguishing the nonlocal feedbacks arising from small-scale SST variability. These deficiencies call for further improvements on the assessment methods for nonlocal climate feedbacks.
Caring for the Elderly: A European Perspective on Today and Tomorrow
Authors: Culyer A. J. , Birch Stephen 
Published: January 2008

There is always a temptation to suppose that one's own problems (whether personal or national) are unique. They rarely are. The “problem” of the elderly is no exception and so there is no particular point in looking to the specific characteristics of one's own health, social service, and social security systems for causes. There is, however, every reason to be looking at them for the consequences. They can also exacerbate the causes. In this paper we sketch the principal features (economic, social, and demographic) that have contributed to the “problem” of the elderly in Europe and then outline the main intellectual issues that need to be explored and resolved. That sounds a bit pompous but, if one is to avoid an intellectual morass consisting of the various assertions about needs, obligations, and so on that emanate from rival concerned parties and various professional interests on the one hand, and simplistic political slogans whose only virtue is that they cut the Gordian Knot (but provide no real enlightenment) on the other, then we need to be doing just this.
We shall take a few things for granted: that cost-containment is not the be-all-and-end-all of policy; that value for money depends equally on what you get as on what you spend; that overall expenditure per head is mainly determined by income per head (though some countries have managed to get and stay below the regression line); and that it “ain't so” that all one needs to do is to “leave it to the market.” To have justified each of these would have taken too much space so we can only assert them and trust that, in swallowing these camels, you won't strain at the gnats to come.
National Health Insurance and Noncovered Services
Authors: Bayles Michael D. 
Published: January 2008

This paper analyzes the political justifiability of not covering services under national health insurance. Policies are justified by what reasonable, informed, and self-interested persons with limited benevolence would accept. Three basic justifiable purposes of national health insurance are (a) to distribute health care costs over time, (b) to protect against rare but expensive illness, and (c) to provide everyone basic health care. Both cost sharing and maximum limits to coverage to contain costs fails to satisfy all three purposes.
The following principle of noncovered services is proposed: services for specific conditions under medically determined circumstances should not be covered by national health insurance if a substantial number of reasonable persons (more than 50 percent) would not choose them for themselves were they in similar situations, taking into consideration the proportional increase in the cost of insurance. Compulsory payment for coverage of such services appears to require that people have more concern for others' health than for their own. The principle's application to cosmetic, extraordinary, and diagnostic or preventive services is illustrated. It is suggested that the principle should be implemented by regional panels of representative citizens determining what services should be covered in their regions, given a proportional share of health insurance revenues. Other difficulties of implementation are considered.
The New York State Nurses Association 1985 Proposal: Who Needs It?
Authors: Dolan Andrew K. 
Published: January 2008

In 1974 the New York State Nurses Association passed a resolution requiring the bachelors in nursing degree as a condition for Registered Nurse licensure by the year 1985. This paper critically examines the rationale of this proposal as set out by the Association and other supporters, and offers an alternate mode of evaluating proposals for stricter requirements for professional licensure.
The three relevant issues to be explored in each case are: whether there is a proven connection between the proposed requirement and quality of care; what the cost of the change would be both in terms of cost of compliance with the new requirement and its impact on the supply of practitioners; and what impact the new requirement will have on accessibility to the profession, particularly for historically disadvantaged groups.
Only tentative answers to these questions are offered; the burden of proof is on the proposal's proponents to demonstrate that the requirement will improve the status quo in a cost-effective fashion. However, it is shown that on the basis of available information, the proposal “fails” all three of the suggested criteria.
Less costly mechanisms for improving the quality of license holders are recommended such as tougher and more relevant examination procedures, more rigorous accreditation of schools and more active post-licensing review. Output variables are preferable to input variables for insuring quality of care. In short, it is questionable whether professionals should be able to set entrance requirements to their professions without vigorous public evaluation of those requirements.
A Model for the Coordination of International Donor Activities with National Government Health Services
Authors: Nalli G. A. , Pearson David A. 
Published: January 2008

This study is a descriptive analysis of an attempt to coordinate donor agency and government activities in the national leprosy control program of the Philippine Islands. A twofold strategy is employed to realize this purpose: (1) the evolution of the present coordinated program as recorded in both published and unpublished documents is described, and (2) an opinion survey of Philippine personnel active in the present leprosy control program is reported.
The most significant finding, in terms of relating the Philippine experience to other areas of donor-recipient exchange, is the emergence of a model of coordinated effort where a donor agency's assistance to a foreign national government is transmitted through a third indigenous and intermediary organization. By advancing the interests of both donor and recipient organizations, this approach has the potential of promoting a successful coordination of activities which might not otherwise be attained.
Medicaid Reimbursement of Teaching Hospitals
Authors: Hadley Jack 
Published: January 2008

This paper examines current Medicaid policies on the reimbursement of hospitals' medical education expenses. These policies are of interest because of the pressure on Medicaid programs to reduce expenditures. Data for the paper come mainly from two sources: a survey of Medicaid programs and a survey of teaching hospitals.
Teaching hospitals receive a disproportionate share, nearly 70 percent in 1978, of Medicaid short-term hospital payments. Nevertheless, most Medicaid programs either have no explicit policies in this area or have not acted aggressively to limit reimbursement of hospitals' teaching expenses. Revenues from Medicaid are most important to public teaching hospitals. Thus, across-the-board reductions in Medicaid's reimbursement of teaching expenses would most severely affect public institutions, many of which already face cuts in their local government appropriations. Savings to Medicaid would also be short-lived, since teaching hospitals would have the incentive to reduce teaching program size and substitute reimbursable personnel (nurses and staff physicians) for residents.
Bags, Buckles, and Belts: The Debate Over Mandatory Passive Restraints in Automobiles
Authors: Warner Kenneth E. 
Published: January 2008

Seatbelt-wearing occupants of motor vehicles experience a death rate that is half that of nonbelted occupants, yet fewer than 10 percent of the population regularly wear their seatbelts. The potential of effective passenger-restraint systems to substantially reduce mortality and disability has led the federal government to consider requiring all new vehicles to come equipped with restraint systems that take effect without active participation from the passenger–airbags or automatic seatbelts. Since 1969, the government has issued several rulemakings to that effect, but each has been delayed or rescinded, the result of an ongoing debate about the policy's wisdom. Political and economic interests are at stake, as are matters of principle; and disputes over basic facts remain unresolved.
Both advocates and opponents of a mandatory passive-restraint requirement agree that restraints can prevent deaths and disabilities, though there are differences of opinion as to the degree of protection afforded. Opponents of the requirement concentrate their substantive concerns on the propensity of the public to disconnect passive belts and the reluctance of prospective car buyers to pay the additional cost that airbags would entail. Cost-benefit analyses of a passive-restraint requirement find the requirement socially desirable; but they fail to take distributional issues into account, and several of their assumptions have been challenged by the automobile industry, the only major organized opposition to the requirement.
This paper examines the central issues and evidence in the debate, including a consideration of alternative means of achieving effective, efficient passenger restraint.
Skeletal Fluorosis From Instant Tea
Authors: Whyte Michael P , Totty William G , Lim Vivienne T , Whitford Gary M 
Published: January 2008

Abstract
Introduction: Skeletal fluorosis (SF) can result from prolonged consumption of well water with &gt;4 ppm fluoride ion (F−; i.e., &gt;4 mg/liter). Black and green teas can contain significant amounts of F−. In 2005, SF caused by drinking 1–2 gallons of double-strength instant tea daily throughout adult life was reported in a 52-yr-old woman.
Materials and Methods: A 49-yr-old woman developed widespread musculoskeletal pains, considered fibromyalgia, in her mid-30s. Additionally, she had unexplained, increasing, axial osteosclerosis. She reported drinking 2 gallons of instant tea each day since 12 yr of age. Fluoxetine had been taken intermittently for 5 yr. Ion-selective electrode methodology quantitated F− in her blood, urine, fingernail and toenail clippings, tap water, and beverage.
Results: Radiographs showed marked uniform osteosclerosis involving the axial skeleton without calcification of the paraspinal, intraspinal, sacrotuberous, or iliolumbar ligaments. Minimal bone excrescences affected ligamentous attachments in her forearms and tibias. DXA Z-scores were +10.3 in the lumbar spine and +2.8 in the total hip. Her serum F− level was 120 μg/liter (reference range, 20–80 μg/liter), and a 24-h urine collection contained 18 mg F−/g creatinine (reference value, &lt;3). Fingernail and toenail clippings showed 3.50 and 5.58 mg F−/kg (control means, 1.61 and 2.02, respectively; ps &lt; 0.001). The instant tea beverage, prepared as usual extra strength using tap water with ∼1.2 ppm F−, contained 5.8 ppm F−. Therefore, the tea powder contributed ∼35 mg of the 44 mg daily F− exposure from her beverage. Fluoxetine provided at most 3.3 mg of F− daily.
Conclusions: SF from habitual consumption of large volumes of extra strength instant tea calls for recognition and better understanding of a skeletal safety limit for this modern preparation of the world's most popular beverage.