bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
SMART CITIES INTELLIGENCE SYSTEM (SMACiSYS) INTEGRATING SENSOR WEB WITH SPATIAL DATA INFRASTRUCTURES (SENSDI)
Authors: Bhattacharya D. , Painho M.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. The paper endeavours to enhance the Sensor Web with crucial geospatial analysis capabilities through integration with Spatial Data Infrastructure. The objective is development of automated smart cities intelligence system (SMACiSYS) with sensor-web access (SENSDI) utilizing geomatics for sustainable societies. There has been a need to develop automated integrated system to categorize events and issue information that reaches users directly. At present, no web-enabled information system exists which can disseminate messages after events evaluation in real time. Research work formalizes a notion of an integrated, independent, generalized, and automated geo-event analysing system making use of geo-spatial data under popular usage platform. Integrating Sensor Web With Spatial Data Infrastructures (SENSDI) aims to extend SDIs with sensor web enablement, converging geospatial and built infrastructure, and implement test cases with sensor data and SDI. The other benefit, conversely, is the expansion of spatial data infrastructure to utilize sensor web, dynamically and in real time for smart applications that smarter cities demand nowadays. Hence, SENSDI augments existing smart cities platforms utilizing sensor web and spatial information achieved by coupling pairs of otherwise disjoint interfaces and APIs formulated by Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) keeping entire platform open access and open source. SENSDI is based on Geonode, QGIS and Java, that bind most of the functionalities of Internet, sensor web and nowadays Internet of Things superseding Internet of Sensors as well. In a nutshell, the project delivers a generalized real-time accessible and analysable platform for sensing the environment and mapping the captured information for optimal decision-making and societal benefit.
PROJECT CI-NERGY: TOWARDS AN INTEGRATED ENERGY URBAN PLANNING SYSTEM FROM A DATA MODELLING AND SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE PERSPECTIVE
Authors: Agugiaro G. , Robineau J.-L. , Rodrigues P.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. Growing urbanisation, its related environmental impacts, and social inequalities in cities are challenges requiring a holistic urban planning perspective that takes into account the different aspects of sustainable development. One crucial point is to reconcile urban planning with environmental targets, which include decreasing energy demand and CO2 emissions, and increasing the share of renewable energy. Within this context, the project CI-NERGY aims to develop urban energy modelling, simulation and optimisation methods and tools to support decision making in urban planning. However, there are several barriers to the implementation of such tools, such as: fragmentation of involved disciplines, different stakeholders, multiplicity of scales in a city and extreme heterogeneity of data regarding all the processes to be addressed. Project CI-NERGY aims, among other goals, at overcoming these barriers, and focuses on two case study cities, Geneva in Switzerland and Vienna in Austria. In particular, project CI-NERGY faces several challenges starting with different cities, heterogeneous data sources and simulation tools, diverse user groups and their individual needs. This paper describes the experiences gathered during the project. After giving a brief overview of the project, the two case study cities, Geneva and Vienna, are briefly presented, and the focus shifts then on overall system architecture of the project, ranging from urban data modelling topics to the implementation of a Service-Oriented Architecture. Some of the challenges faced, the solutions found, as well some plans for future improvements are described and commented.
HOW TO PINPOINT ENERGY-INEFFICIENT BUILDINGS? AN APPROACH BASED ON THE 3D CITY MODEL OF VIENNA
Authors: Skarbal B. , Peters-Anders J. , Faizan Malik A. , Agugiaro G.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. This paper describes a methodology to assess the energy performance of residential buildings starting from the semantic 3D city model of Vienna. Space heating, domestic hot water and electricity demand are taken into account. The paper deals with aspects related to urban data modelling, with particular attention to the energy-related topics, and with issues related to interactive data exploration/visualisation and management from a plugin-free web-browser, e.g. based on Cesium, a WebGL virtual globe and map engine. While providing references to existing previous works, only some general and introductory information is given about the data collection, harmonisation and integration process necessary to create the CityGML-based 3D city model, which serves as the central information hub for the different applications developed and described more in detail in this paper. The work aims, among the rest, at developing urban decision making and operational optimisation software tools to minimise non-renewable energy use in cities. The results obtained so far, as well as some comments about their quality and limitations, are presented, together with the discussion regarding the next steps and some planned improvements.
ANALYSIS OF SOLAR POTENTIAL OF ROOFS BASED ON DIGITAL TERRAIN MODEL
Authors: Gorički M. , Poslončec-Petrić V. , Frangeš S. , Bačić Ž.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. One of the basic goals of the smart city concept is to create a high-quality environment that is long sustainable and economically justifiable. The priority and concrete goal today is to promote and provide sustainable sources of energy (SSE). Croatia is rich with sun energy and as one of the sunniest European countries, it has a huge insufficiently used solar potential at its disposal. The paper describes the procedure of analysing the solar potential of a pilot area Sveti Križ Začretje by means of digital surface model (DSM) and based on the data available in the Meteorological and Hydrological Service of the Republic of Croatia. Although a more detailed analysis would require some additional factors, it is clear that the installation of 19,6m2 of solar panels in each household could cover annual requirements of the household in the analysed area, the locality Sveti Križ Začretje.
ABOUT EXTERNAL GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION AND KNOWLEDGE IN SMART CITIES
Authors: Laurinia R. , Favetta F.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. Any territory can easily be considered as an open system in which external effects can greatly influence its evolution in addition to inner dynamics. However, in practically all local authorities, their so-called geographic information or knowledge systems are bounded by the jurisdiction’s limit, and therefore are closed systems. In this paper, we advocate the necessity not only to consider but also to include external influences within any GIS or GKS. Therefore, among external influences, we will consider beyond intra muros knowledge, extra muros knowledge divided in two categories, nearby neighboring knowledge, for instance located in an outer crown around the jurisdiction territory, but also farther knowledge for instance from technology watch. After having analyzed the semantics of borderlines, we suggest some element for the design of the crown and we analyze how the various components of a geographic knowledge base (objects, relations, ontologies, gazetteers, rules, etc.) can be integrated. Then some aspects regarding updating external knowledge are rapidly sketched. As a conclusion, we evoke the necessity of designing administrative protocols so that administration can negotiate the exchange of external knowledge bunches. In other words, this is an attempt to fully integrate the so-called Tobler’s first law of geography.
GENERIC MODULE FOR COLLECTING DATA IN SMART CITIES
Authors: Martinez A. , Ramirez F. , Estrada H. , Torres L. A.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. The Future Internet brings new technologies to the common life of people, such as Internet of Things, Cloud Computing or Big Data. All this technologies have change the way people communicate and also the way the devices interact with the context, giving rise to new paradigms, as the case of smart cities. Currently, the mobile devices represent one of main sources of information for new applications that take into account the user context, such as apps for mobility, health, of security. Several platforms have been proposed that consider the development of Future Internet applications, however, no generic modules can be found that implement the collection of context data from smartphones. In this research work we present a generic module to collect data from different sensors of the mobile devices and also to send, in a standard manner, this data to the Open FIWARE Cloud to be stored or analyzed by software tools. The proposed module enables the human-as-a-sensor approach for FIWARE Platform.
A CLOUD-BASED ARCHITECTURE FOR SMART VIDEO SURVEILLANCE
Authors: Valentín L. , Serrano S. A. , Oves García R. , Andrade A. , Palacios-Alonso M. A. , Enrique Sucar L.
Published: September 2017

Abstract. Turning a city into a smart city has attracted considerable attention. A smart city can be seen as a city that uses digital technology not only to improve the quality of people’s life, but also, to have a positive impact in the environment and, at the same time, offer efficient and easy-to-use services. A fundamental aspect to be considered in a smart city is people’s safety and welfare, therefore, having a good security system becomes a necessity, because it allows us to detect and identify potential risk situations, and then take appropriate decisions to help people or even prevent criminal acts. In this paper we present an architecture for automated video surveillance based on the cloud computing schema capable of acquiring a video stream from a set of cameras connected to the network, process that information, detect, label and highlight security-relevant events automatically, store the information and provide situational awareness in order to minimize response time to take the appropriate action.
Silver Circulation Worldwide: Initial Steps in Comprehensive Research
Authors: Manning Patrick , Flynn Dennis O. , Wang Qiyao
Published: September 2017

Published data on silver flows and stocks, gathered in volumes published by Moneta, provide a basis for initial steps in documenting flows of silver production and commerce from the sixteenth through the nineteenth century. Collection and publication of comprehensive data on silver flows will generate the first comprehensive study of flows of a commodity in the world economy of recent centuries, and will facilitate advances in global economic history. This article presents estimates from 1400 through 1900, showing annual flows of production, cumulative stocks (accounting for various levels of wear and tear), and the long-term rate of growth in silver stocks.Recent economic historical study of silver in the world economy, from the 15th century onward, has stopped short of comprehensive quantitative analysis. This group uses recently published date from the nineteenth-century silver boom and the international meetings associated with the gold standard to begin such comprehensive analysis. Results indicate that, while world population grew at an annual rate of 0.45% per year, 1700– 1900, silver stock rose at an approximate 0.7% per year in the same period. To support this confirmation of rapid monetization of the world economy, the article describes the procedure of estimating global flows and stocks out of competing estimates of silver flows.
Projects in Documenting World History and Next Steps for JWHI
Authors: Izmirlioglu Ahmet , Manning Patrick , Mostern Ruth , Zadorozhny Vladimir
Published: September 2017

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Contributors
Authors: Ruvolo David T.
Published: September 2017

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El supuesto digital: 10 Tesis
Authors: Lovink Geert , Rossiter Ned
Published: September 2017

Como hiciera con el fenómeno Wikileaks, Lovink y sus colegas nos presentan diez tesis fundamentales que forman la base de diversas argumentaciones en torno a los ya establecidos medios digitales, discutiendo su importancia y su desarrollo, desde ángulos críticos y polémicos, analizando las dimensiones ocultas del mundo digital así como el potencial no desarrollado de posibilidades políticas y sociales que aparecen con ellos.
Los algoritmos de nuestras vidas
Authors: Manovich Lev
Published: September 2017

El autor reflexiona sobre la llegada de nuevas categorías de reflexión en el mundo de los estudios de los medios, y cómo el software y los códigos de programación del lenguaje digital se insertan en la cultura de masas para cambiar radicalmente nuestra capacidad de análisis y de comprensión crítica de la evolución de la cultura digital. Plantea la necesidad de pensar en los “actos” de software y su carácter performativo y dinámico, considerándolos un “habla” más que un lenguaje. Y apela a la necesidad de capacitarse para comprender críticamente las dimensiones de poder que este nuevo instrumento comunicativo tiene sobre nuestras vidas.
Existence and nonexistence results for weighted fourth order eigenvalue problems with variable exponent
Authors: Ayoujil Abdesslem
Published: September 2017

This paper presents sufficient conditions for the existence and nonexistence of eigenvalues for a $p(x)$-biharmonic equation with Navier boundary conditions and weight function on a bounded domain in $\mathbb{R}^N$. Our approach is mainly based on a adequate variational techniques.
Certain families of integral formulas involving Struve functions
Authors: Choi Junesang , Sooppy Nisar Koottakkaran
Published: September 2017

Recently, a large number of integral formulas involving Bessel functions and their extensions have been investigated. The objective of this paper is to establish four classes of integral formulas associated with the Struve functions, which are expressed in terms of the Fox-Wright function. Among a variety of special cases of the main results, we present only six integral formulas involving trigonometric and hyperbolic functions.
Cryptography based on the Matrices
Authors: Zeriouh M. , Chillali A. , Boua Abdelkarim
Published: September 2017

In this work we introduce a new method of cryptography based on the matrices over a finite field $\mathbb{F}_{q}$, were $q$ is a power of a prime number $p$. The first time we construct thematrix $M=\left(\begin{array}{cc}A_{1} & A_{2} \\0 & A_{3} \\\end{array}\right)$ were \ $A_{i}$ \ with $i \in \{1, 2, 3 \}$ is the matrix oforder $n$ \ in \ $\mathcal{M}(\mathbb{F}_{q})$ - the set ofmatrices with coefficients in $\mathbb{F}_{q}$ - and $0$ is the zero matrix of order $n$. We prove that $M^{l}=\left(\begin{array}{cc}A_{1}^{l} & (A_{2})_{l} \\0 & A_{3}^{l} \\\end{array}\right)$ were $(A_{2})_{l}=\sum\limits_{k=0}^{l-1}A_{1}^{l-1-k}A_{2}A_{3}^{k}$ for all $l\in \mathbb{N}^{\ast}$. After we will make a cryptographic scheme between the two traditional entities Alice and Bob.
Reviewer Acknowledgements for International Business Research, Vol. 10, No. 10
Authors: Duran Kevin
Published: September 2017

International Business Research wishes to acknowledge the following individuals for their assistance with peer review of manuscripts for this issue. Their help and contributions in maintaining the quality of the journal are greatly appreciated.International Business Research is recruiting reviewers for the journal. If you are interested in becoming a reviewer, we welcome you to join us. Please find the application form and details at http://recruitment.ccsenet.org and e-mail the completed application form to ibr@ccsenet.org.Reviewers for Volume 10, Number 10Alina Badulescu, University of Oradea, RomaniaAshford C Chea, Benedict College, USAAtallah Ahmad Alhosban, Aqaba University of Technology, JordanAurelija Burinskiene, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, LithuaniaBenjamin James Inyang, University of Calabar, NigeriaCelina Maria Olszak, University of Economics in Katowice, PolandDea’a Al-Deen Al-Sraheen, Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan, JordanEjindu Iwelu MacDonald Morah, University of Westminster, London, UKEva Mira Bolfíková, Univerzity of P. J. Šafárik in Košice, Slovak RepublicFederica De Santis, University of Pisa , ItalyFlorin Ionita, The Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies, RomaniaFoued Hamouda, Ecole Supérieure de Commerce, TunisiaFrancesco Ciampi, Florence University, ItalyHanna Trojanowska, Warsaw University of Technology, PolandHerald Monis, Milagres College, IndiaHongliang Qiu, Tourism College of Zhejiang, ChinaHsiao-Ching Kuo, Washington and Jefferson College, USAHung-Che Wu, Nanfang College of Sun Yat-sen University, ChinaJoanna Katarzyna Blach, University of Economics in Katowice, PolandJorge Mongay-Hurtado, ESIC Business and Marketing School, SpainMansour Esmaeil Zaei, Panjab University, India/IranMarcelino José Jorge, Evandro Chagas Clinical Research Institute of Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, BrazilMaria Teresa Bianchi, University of Rome “LA SAPIENZA”, ItalyMithat Turhan, Mersin University, TurkeyMuath Eleswed, American University of Kuwait, USAPascal Stiefenhofer, University of Brighton, UKRadoslav Jankal, University of Zilina, SlovakiaRafiuddin Ahmed, James Cook University, AustraliaRoberto Campos da Rocha Miranda, University Center Iesb, BrazilRoxanne Helm Stevens, Azusa Pacific University, USASang-Bing Tsai, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, ChinaSerhii Kozlovskiy, Donetsk National University, UkraineShun Mun Helen Wong, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong KongSumathisri Bhoopalan, Sastra University, IndiaVassili JOANNIDES de LAUTOUR, Grenoble École de Management (France) and Queensland University of Technology School of Accountancy (Australia), FranceVincent Grèzes, University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland (HES-SO Valais-Wallis), SwitzerlandWejdene Yangui, Institute of High Business Studies of Sfax _ Tunisia (IHEC), Tunisia
PORÓWNANIE ROZWIĄZAŃ INTELIGENTNEGO BUDYNKU NA WYBRANYCH PLATFORMACH SPRZĘTOWYCH
Authors: Pańczyk Piotr , Smołka Jakub
Published: September 2017

Niniejszy artykuł prezentuje porównanie dwóch platform sprzętowych pod kątem możliwości implementacji systemu inteligentnego domu: minikomputera Raspberry Pi i mikrokontrolera AVR. Analiza porównawcza została wykonana na podstawie dwóch niezależnych, autorskich implementacji o tych samych założeniach. Wyniki zaprezentowano w postaci zestawień tabelarycznych i opisów. We wnioskach wskazano korzyści i potencjalne problemy wynikające z zastosowania obu platform.
BADANIE PARAMETRÓW GLEBY Z TERENÓW PRZYWODNYCH
Authors: Nesteruk Olena , Łabut Mirosław , Wal Andrzej
Published: September 2017

W artykule zaprezentowano wyniki badań próbek gleby z obszaru Podkarpacia pod kątem zawartości wybranych pierwiastków oraz jej składu procentowego. W badaniach wykorzystano zestawy testów kolorymetrycznych oraz spektrometr fluorescencji rentgenowskiej z dyspersją energii, ARL Quart’X EDXRF. Opisano metodologię pobierania próbek oraz stosowane metody badawcze.
WDROŻENIE SYSTEMU WWS WARUNKIEM ROZWOJU ELEKTROMOBILNOŚCI
Authors: Polakowski Krzysztof
Published: September 2017

Narasta szybko negatywny wpływ na ekosystem skutków emisji toksycznych spalin stosowanych w transporcie samochodowym silników spalinowych. Abstrahując od problemów związanych z zanieczyszczaniem atmosfery oraz środowiska naturalnego na etapie wydobywania, transportu i przetwarzania ciekłych i gazowych węglowodorowych paliw kopalnych, największy problem związany jest z masowym zatruwaniem atmosfery produktami wydobywających się z rur wydechowych wszystkich (lądowych, morskich i powietrznych) środków transportu. Napęd elektryczny może być skutecznym remedium na te negatywne skutki. Silniki elektryczne są praktycznie bezemisyjne a pod względem sprawności w procesie zamiany energii elektrycznej na mechaniczną trzykrotnie przewyższają silniki cieplne. Aby elektryczne środki transportu były w pełni ekologiczne energia niezbędna do ładowania ich zasobników energii, w formie akumulatorów elektrochemicznych, musi pochodzić z odnawialnych źródeł energii. Podstawowym warunkiem rozwoju elektromobilności jest konieczność powszechnego i szybkiego przejścia na produkcję energii elektrycznej z bezemisyjnych odnawialnych źródeł: wiatru, wody i słońca. Opublikowane (przez jeden z wiodących na świecie ośrodków naukowych) wyniki badań i analiz pokazują, że jest realna szansa stworzenia alternatywnego (w stosunku do tradycyjnego systemu wytwarzania energii elektrycznej, opartego głównie na elektrowniach cieplnych spalających paliwa), nowego bezemisyjnego systemu WWS (Wiatr, Woda, Słońce), bazującego na wykorzystaniu energii zawartej w wietrze, wodzie i promieniowaniu słonecznym. Z przedstawionych danych wynika, że istnieje realna szansa przejścia na system WWS w perspektywie 30 – 50 lat.
ROZPOZNAWANIE EMOCJI W TEKSTACH POLSKOJĘZYCZNYCH Z WYKORZYSTANIEM METODY SŁÓW KLUCZOWYCH
Authors: Nowaczyk Adrian , Jackowska-Strumiłło Lidia
Published: September 2017

Dynamiczny rozwój sieci społecznościowych sprawił, że Internet stał się najpopularniejszym medium komunikacyjnym. Zdecydowana większość komunikatów wymieniana jest w postaci widomości tekstowych, które niejednokrotnie odzwierciedlają stan emocjonalny autora. Identyfikacja emocji w tekstach znajduje szerokie zastosowanie w handlu elektronicznym, czy telemedycynie, stając się jednocześnie ważnym elementem w komunikacji człowiek-komputer. W niniejszym artykule zaprezentowano metodę rozpoznawania emocji w tekstach polskojęzycznych opartą o algorytm detekcji słów kluczowych i lematyzację. Uzyskano dokładność rzędu 60%. Opracowano również pierwszą polskojęzyczną bazę słów kluczowych wyrażających emocje.
ANALIZA LOGARYTMICZNEGO ANALOGOWO-CYFROWEGO PRZETWORNIKA Z SUKCESYWNĄ APROKSYMACJĄ Z UWZGLĘDNIENIEM PASOŻYTNICZYCH POJEMNOŚCI
Authors: Szcześniak Adam , Myczuda Zynowij
Published: September 2017

W artykule przedstawiono analizę logarytmicznego analogowo-cyfrowego przetwornika (LPAC) z sukcesywną aproksymacją
z uwzględnieniem pasożytniczych pojemności przetwornika. Dla założonych parametrów struktury przetwornika przeprowadzono analizę matematyczną przy wybranych pojemnościach kondensatorów akumulujących. Określono kryterium, jakie powinno się stosować przy doborze pojemności kondensatorów akumulujących.
TESTING FOR REVEALING OF DATA STRUCTURE BASED ON THE HYBRID APPROACH
Authors: Mosorov Volodymyr , Panskyi Taras , Biedron Sebastian
Published: September 2017

In this paper testing for revealing data structure based on a hybrid approach has been presented. The hybrid approach used during the testing suggests defining a pre-clustering hypothesis, defining a pre-clustering statistic and assuming the homogeneity of the data under pre-defined hypothesis, applying the same clustering procedure for a data set of interest, and comparing results obtained under the pre-clustering statistic with the results from
the data set of interest. The pros and cons of the hybrid approach have been also considered.
A qualitative assessment of adolescents’ attitudes to health and seeking help for health-related problems
Authors: Dahli Mina Piiksi , Brekke Mette , Haavet Ole Rikard
Published: September 2017

Background and Objectives: Adolescence is a time of substantial change, bringing about the transition from childhood into adulthood. Patterns for future health behaviors are developed and continue into adult life. Little is known about adolescents’ perceptions of health and help-seeking within healthcare services. The objective of this study was to explore adolescents’ attitudes to health and seeking help for health-related problems. Methods: A qualitative design was chosen. Interviews were conducted with 5 adolescents visiting a youth health clinic in Moss, Norway. The interviews were audiotaped, transcribed and analyzed according to systematic text condensation.   Results: The participants were 2 boys and 3 girls, ranging from 17-19 years of age. We found that all adolescents incorporated psychological and social qualities in their view on health. Positive social connections with family and friends were the most important factors for good health for all participants. They all conveyed resistance to disclosing mental health issues, although this was recognized as the most important barrier for good health. Establishing a trusting relationship with a healthcare provider was necessary before disclosing mental health issues and receiving help. Conclusion: In our small qualitative assessment of adolescents’ attitudes to health and seeking help for health-related problems, we found that adolescents’ focus was on mental and social aspects of health and that a trusting relationship with healthcare providers was necessary for the adolescents to seek help within the healthcare system. Future research should be conducted to study more deeply what characterizes the relationship between adolescents and healthcare providers in order to provide the most effective and appropriate healthcare to patients during this particular period of life.
Defining elements of patient-centered care for therapeutic relationships: a literature review of common themes
Authors: Clarke Stephen , Ells Carolyn , Thombs Brett D , Clarke David
Published: September 2017

Rationale and aims: Patient-centered care is a recognized clinical method and ideal for patient - health professional relationships. Many definitions have influenced its evolution. For this research, our aim was: (1) to assess definitions and descriptions of patient-centered care to draw out elements of patient-centered care that are considered to be important markers of successful patient-centered care in the patient - health professional relationship and (2) to propose a set of elements that collectively reflect the diversity of ‘patient-centered’ definitions that describe the patient-professional relationship in this literature. A secondary aim was (3) to provide elements that could be used for development of a quality assessment tool.Methods: We conducted a critical interpretive review of patient-centered care and patient-centered communication literature, beginning with a critical synthesis that yielded 12 articles that introduced new theoretical and definitional work on patient-centered care and patient-centered communication. We used an inductive and iterative analysis process to identify and group common themes. We used operational language to describe these themes. Results: We identified 6 elements (each with 2 or more sub-elements) of the patient - health professional relationship that are considered important markers of successful patient-centered care (as found in this literature). The 6 elements are: (1) Engaging the Patient as a Whole Person, (2) Recognizing and Responding to Emotions, (3) Fostering a Therapeutic Alliance, (4) Promoting an Exchange of Information, (5) Sharing Decision-Making and (6) Enabling Continuity of Care, Self-Management and Patient Navigation. Conclusions: Comparable fundamental elements were common among most authors within this literature: we found that variation in theory was typically a matter of degree and language. This work contributes analyses towards greater theoretical consistency for conceptions of patient-centered care. It also provides avenues for future development of quality assurance benchmarks.
Encouraging clinicians to work effectively with people with medically unexplained symptoms - is a change in underlying attitudes required?
Authors: Buszewicz Marta J
Published: September 2017

Medically unexplained symptoms are defined as physical symptoms for which there is no clear diagnosis of organic pathology, including after relevant investigations. Several other terms are also used to describe such symptoms and will be briefly described, although none is ideal. The present paper summarizes the current research, illustrating how patients consulting clinicians in both primary and secondary care often present with symptoms which, while undoubtedly distressing for the patient, do not link with any clear organic pathology. This raises difficult issues for clinicians in terms of how much they should investigate and how to manage the patient’s problems in a way which will be helpful and mean they will feel their symptoms have been appropriately recognised and addressed. Failure to do this can lead to many negative consequences, including a breakdown in trust between patients and clinicians, over-investigation or inappropriate treatments, a loss of normal function for the patient and significant costs to the health service and economy. Despite this, the evidence is that doctors receive very little if any training about how to manage such symptoms at either the undergraduate or postgraduate level. This paper will focus on the attitudes of both junior and more senior doctors across a range of specialities to working with people with unexplained symptoms and how these may affect their management. The implications for clinical practice and recommendations for future training will be discussed and in particular the need to consider the psychosocial as well as the biomedical aspects of patients’ presentations from the outset.
The value of patient and provider reported experiences in evaluating home-based assisted peritoneal dialysis
Authors: Bevilacqua Micheli U , Chiu Helen H.L. , Saunders Sushila , Turnbull Linda , Taylor Paul A , Singh Rajinder S , Salyers Vincent
Published: September 2017

Rationale, aims and objectives: Assisted peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a proven intervention to support patients with functional limitations in performing home-based PD. Previous research has focused on clinical outcomes, but experiences with assisted PD have not been explored from the perspective of patients and providers. Through a 12-month pilot program called PD Assist (PDA), this study elicited these perspectives to improve the program. Methods: A 12-month pilot of PDA delivered by a contracted health service provider delivered across multiple PD units in British Columbia, Canada, was evaluated. A multi-source evaluation model was used, including the semi-structured qualitative feedback in this report. Patients and their families, PD staff and caregiver stakeholders involved in the PDA pilot project, participated in the feedback process. Qualitative feedback was codified and analyzed via a thematic approach to identify values, enablers, barriers and suggestions for PDA program improvement from the perspective of patients andproviders involved in PDA.Results: All stakeholder groups advocated for continuation of PDA services. Key reported values were patient independence, enhanced psychosocial support and relief of treatment-associated burden. Consistency and communication between involved parties were reported as enablers of success, while scheduling conflicts, geographic challenges and staffing inconsistency were viewed as barriers. Areas for program improvement included the need for more personalized services. Conclusions: Semi-structured qualitative feedback provided meaningful insights into the experiences of PDA among patients and providers that were an instrumental part of a successful pilot project and identified opportunities for further program improvement.
Philosophical Explorations for a Concept of Emerging Technologies
Authors: Villaseñor Terán Mauricio ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: September 2017

The term “emerging technologies” is greatly used nowadays in scientific publications, but its conceptual competence is not clear. The term remains poorly studied, especially from a philosophical stance. The following text aims to bring clarity and discussion about the term. First, I critique previous usages of the term. Thereafter, I conduct a lexico-hermeneutical analysis by questioning what it means for technologies to be qualified as “emerging.” Finally, I contrast the term with the akin terms of invention, innovation, and new and disruptive technologies. From the analysis, I defend the term has a conceptual value expressed through its leverage (both present and to come), ascendance, uncertainty, and materiality. “Emerging technologies” is becoming dominant because it overcomes the static and mythical term of “invention,” incorporating the social process meant by innovation; in other words, “emerging technologies” emphasizes the dynamic behaviour of technological development, while pointing towards concrete artefacts and procedures.
TreePics: visualizing trees with pictures
Authors: Puillandre Nicolas , Brisset Julien , Chagnoux Simon , Cavillier Etienne
Published: September 2017

While many programs are available to edit phylogenetic trees, associating pictures with branch tips in an efficient and automatic way is not an available option. Here, we present TreePics, a standalone software that uses a web browser to visualize phylogenetic trees in Newick format and that associates pictures (typically, pictures of the voucher specimens) to the tip of each branch. Pictures are visualized as thumbnails and can be enlarged by a mouse rollover. Further, several pictures can be selected and displayed in a separate window for visual comparison. TreePics works either online or in a full standalone version, where it can display trees with several thousands of pictures (depending on the memory available). We argue that TreePics can be particularly useful in a preliminary stage of research, such as to quickly detect conflicts between a DNA-based phylogenetic tree and morphological variation, that may be due to contamination that needs to be removed prior to final analyses, or the presence of species complexes.
A Student Asks about (–5)!
Authors: Goldenberg E. Paul , Carter Cynthia J.
Published: September 2017

A first-year algebra student's curiosity about factorials of negative numbers became a starting point for an extended discovery lesson into territory not usually explored in secondary school mathematics.
Using Optimization to Redesign a Cylindrical Can Product
Authors: Lim Louis
Published: September 2017

My favorite lesson applies what students learn about optimization in calculus. It is based on the work of Cunningham (1994) and Frantz, Van Gilst, and Osborn (1995). Students work in pairs to think and communicate mathematically, attempting to reduce the amount of packaging in a cylindrical product. This authentic learning opportunity requires students to communicate with an audience (i.e., a packaging company) and can raise students' environmental consciousness.
Every Graph Tells a Story
Authors: Perkins Annie , Wells Pamela J.
Published: September 2017

Solutions to a previous Solve It problem are discussed, and the procedures used with problem solving are explored.
Having Interest in Gold
Authors: Birnie Rhonda
Published: September 2017

A cartoon exploring interest is coupled with a full-page activity sheet.
Working with Noise in Bivariate Data
Authors: Groth Randall E. , Jones Matthew , Knaub Mary
Published: September 2017

Learning to work with bivariate data, a key goal of middle-grades statistics curricula, is aided by a sequence of lessons.
Using Google Apps to Develop the Mathematical Practices
Authors: Layton Rebecca D. , Ann Cady Jo , Layton Christopher A.
Published: September 2017

Students analyze data to ascertain which actor is better, Tom Cruise or Tom Hanks.
Generating Linear Equations Based on Quantitative Reasoning
Authors: Yeon Lee Mi
Published: September 2017

This article describes students' difficulties in generating linear equations and suggests pedagogical strategies that teachers can use to support students' quantitative reasoning in generating linear equations.
Maddie and the 3 by 5 Note Card
Authors: Samide Andrew , Kincaid Dewey Christine
Published: September 2017

This article describes an open-ended problem-solving task that starts with a simple 3 in. × 5 in. note card and leads to a rich discussion of geometry and coordinate graph representations.
Scaling a waterfall: a meta‐ethnography of adolescent progression through the stages of HIV care in sub‐Saharan Africa
Authors: Williams Shannon , Renju Jenny , Ghilardi Ludovica , Wringe Alison
Published: September 2017

Introduction: Observational studies have shown considerable attrition among adolescents living with HIV across the “cascade” of HIV care in sub‐Saharan Africa, leading to higher mortality rates compared to HIV‐infected adults or children. We synthesized evidence from qualitative studies on factors that promote or undermine engagement with HIV services among adolescents living with HIV in sub‐Saharan Africa.

Methods: We systematically searched five databases for studies published between 2005 and 2016 that met pre‐defined inclusion criteria. We used a meta‐ethnographic approach to identify first, second and third order constructs from eligible studies, and applied a socio‐ecological framework to situate our results across different levels of influence, and in relation to each stage of the HIV cascade.

Results and discussion: We identified 3089 citations, of which 24 articles were eligible for inclusion. Of these, 17 were from Southern Africa while 11 were from Eastern Africa. 6 explored issues related to HIV testing, 11 explored treatment adherence, and 7 covered multiple stages of the cascade. Twelve third‐order constructs emerged to explain adolescents' engagement in HIV care. Stigma was the most salient factor impeding adolescents' interactions with HIV care over the past decade. Self‐efficacy to adapt to life with HIV and support from family or social networks were critical enablers supporting uptake and retention in HIV care and treatment programmes. Provision of adolescent‐friendly services and health systems issues, such as the availability of efficient, confidential and comfortable services, were also reported to drive sustained care engagement. Individual‐level factors, including past illness experiences, identifying mechanisms to manage pill‐taking in social situations, financial (in)stability and the presence/absence of future aspirations also shaped adolescents HIV care engagement.

Conclusions: Adolescents' initial and ongoing use of HIV care was frequently undermined by individual‐level issues; although family, community and health systems factors played important roles. Interventions should prioritise addressing psychosocial issues among adolescents to promote individual‐level engagement with HIV care, and ultimately reduce mortality. Further research should explore issues relating to care linkage and ART initiation in different settings, particularly as “test and treat” policies are scaled up.
Infants are superior in implicit crossmodal learning and use other learning mechanisms than adults
Authors: Rohlf Sophie , Habets Boukje , von Frieling Marco , Röder Brigitte
Published: September 2017

During development internal models of the sensory world must be acquired which have to be continuously adapted later. We used event-related potentials (ERP) to test the hypothesis that infants extract crossmodal statistics implicitly while adults learn them when task relevant. Participants were passively exposed to frequent standard audio-visual combinations (A1V1, A2V2, p=0.35 each), rare recombinations of these standard stimuli (A1V2, A2V1, p=0.10 each), and a rare audio-visual deviant with infrequent auditory and visual elements (A3V3, p=0.10). While both six-month-old infants and adults differentiated between rare deviants and standards involving early neural processing stages only infants were sensitive to crossmodal statistics as indicated by a late ERP difference between standard and recombined stimuli. A second experiment revealed that adults differentiated recombined and standard combinations when crossmodal combinations were task relevant. These results demonstrate a heightened sensitivity for crossmodal statistics in infants and a change in learning mode from infancy to adulthood.
Rac1 GTPase activates the WAVE regulatory complex through two distinct binding sites
Authors: Chen Baoyu , Chou Hui-Ting , Brautigam Chad A , Xing Wenmin , Yang Sheng , Henry Lisa , Doolittle Lynda K , Walz Thomas , Rosen Michael K
Published: September 2017

The Rho GTPase Rac1 activates the WAVE regulatory complex (WRC) to drive Arp2/3 complex-mediated actin polymerization, which underpins diverse cellular processes. Here we report the structure of a WRC-Rac1 complex determined by cryo-electron microscopy. Surprisingly, Rac1 is not located at the binding site on the Sra1 subunit of the WRC previously identified by mutagenesis and biochemical data. Rather, it binds to a distinct, conserved site on the opposite end of Sra1. Biophysical and biochemical data on WRC mutants confirm that Rac1 binds to both sites, with the newly identified site having higher affinity and both sites required for WRC activation. Our data reveal that the WRC is activated by simultaneous engagement of two Rac1 molecules, suggesting a mechanism by which cells may sense the density of active Rac1 at membranes to precisely control actin assembly.
Ananke: temporal clustering reveals ecological dynamics of microbial communities
Authors: Hall Michael W. , Rohwer Robin R. , Perrie Jonathan , McMahon Katherine D. , Beiko Robert G.
Published: September 2017

Taxonomic markers such as the 16S ribosomal RNA gene are widely used in microbial community analysis. A common first step in marker-gene analysis is grouping genes into clusters to reduce data sets to a more manageable size and potentially mitigate the effects of sequencing error. Instead of clustering based on sequence identity, marker-gene data sets collected over time can be clustered based on temporal correlation to reveal ecologically meaningful associations. We present Ananke, a free and open-source algorithm and software package that complements existing sequence-identity-based clustering approaches by clustering marker-gene data based on time-series profiles and provides interactive visualization of clusters, including highlighting of internal OTU inconsistencies. Ananke is able to cluster distinct temporal patterns from simulations of multiple ecological patterns, such as periodic seasonal dynamics and organism appearances/disappearances. We apply our algorithm to two longitudinal marker gene data sets: faecal communities from the human gut of an individual sampled over one year, and communities from a freshwater lake sampled over eleven years. Within the gut, the segregation of the bacterial community around a food-poisoning event was immediately clear. In the freshwater lake, we found that high sequence identity between marker genes does not guarantee similar temporal dynamics, and Ananke time-series clusters revealed patterns obscured by clustering based on sequence identity or taxonomy. Ananke is free and open-source software available at https://github.com/beiko-lab/ananke.
Historical dynamics and current environmental effects explain the spatial distribution of species richness patterns of New World monkeys
Authors: Vallejos-Garrido Paulo , Rivera Reinaldo , Inostroza-Michael Oscar , Rodríguez-Serrano Enrique , Hernández Cristián E.
Published: September 2017

Background

Why biodiversity is not uniformly distributed on the Earth is a major research question of biogeography. One of the most striking patterns of disparity in species distribution are the biodiversity hotspots, which generally do not fit with the distribution of relevant components of the Neotropical biota. In this study, we assess the proximal causes of the species-richness pattern of one of the most conspicuous groups of Neotropical mammals, the New World monkeys the Platyrrhini. We test two complementary hypotheses: (1) there is a historical source-sink dynamic (addressed using macroevolutionary and macroecological approaches); (2) the large number of species in the Amazon basin is due to the constraints imposed by environmental variables occurring outside this area.

Methods

We first characterize spatial patterns of species richness and biodiversity hotspots using a new, objective protocol based on probabilities. Then we evaluate the source-sink hypothesis using BioGeoBEARS analysis and nestedness analysis of species richness patterns. Complementarily, to measure how often different species pairs appear in the same sites, we used null models to estimate the checkerboard score index (C-score). Finally, we evaluate the relationship between several climatic variables and species richness through ordinary least squares (OLS) and spatial autoregressive (SAR) models, and the potential environmental constraints on the pattern.

Results

We found one significant cluster of high values for species richness in the Amazon basin. Most dispersal events occurred from the Amazonian subregion to other Neotropical areas. Temperature (T), discrepancy (BR), and NODF indexes show a significant nesting in the matrix ordered by species richness and available energy. TheC-score observed was significantly smaller than the null expectation for all sites in the Neotropics where there are records of platyrrhine species. Ten climatic variables comprised the best-fitting model that explains species richness. OLS and SAR models show that this set of variables explains 69.9% and 64.2% of species richness, respectively. Potential of evapotranspiration is the most important variable within this model, showing a linear positive relationship with species richness, and clear lower and upper limits to the species richness distribution.

Discussion

We suggest that New World monkeys historically migrated from their biodiversity hotspot (energetically optimal areas for most platyrrine species) to adjacent, energetically suboptimal areas, and that the different dispersal abilities of these species, the lack of competitive interactions at a macroecological scale, and environmental constraints (i.e., energy availability, seasonality) are key elements which explain the non-uniform pattern of species richness for this clade.
MOVEMENT AND EROSION OF ALBERTA BITUMEN ALONG THE BOTTTOM AS A FUNCTION OF TEMPERATURE, WATER VELOCITY AND SALINITY
Authors: GLOEKLER M.D. , BALLESTERO T.P. , DAVE E.V. , GAUDREAU I.P. , WATKINS C.B.R. , KINNER N.E.
Published: September 2017

While many trajectory models exist to predict the movement of oil floating in or on water, few are designed to address heavy oil on the bottom of water bodies. In addition, remobilization (erosion) of the material into the water column is also difficult to predict. While properties such as adhesion, viscosity and density of oil may be readily measured, the critical shear stress (CSS) and the effect of (current) velocity, salinity, and temperature are virtually unknown for most heavy oils. The Coastal Response Research Center (CRRC) has a 4,000 L annular flume, with a water depth of 0.43 m. An inner rectangular flume (1.2 m length, 0.2m width, 0.9 m height), placed inside the annular flume, was preceded by two flow straighteners to reduced turbulence and produce a uniform, one dimensional flow field. The current is generated by an electric thrust motor and measured in 3D by a Nortek AS (Norway) Vectrino II Profiling Velocimeter. A 20g circle of Alberta bitumen (API ~ 10°) was placed on a laminated grid (1cm2 square pattern) at the bottom of the straight flume. A total of 2.3m3 of water was then gradually added to the flume. The electric motor was started and the profiler began collecting data. Two cameras, placed along the side and above the oil, collected video of the erosions and length/width changes of the oil. Conditions were held steady for one hour once the desired current velocity was achieved. Temperatures, current velocity (X, Y, Z), and digital videographic data were collected during each run. Erosions and percent lengthening of the oil was monitored as a function of water temperature, salinity and velocity. The turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) method was used to calculate the bed shear stress (BSS). In addition to the expected impact of higher temperature on the movement along the bed and erosion into the water column, the viscoelastic and shear-thinning properties of the bitumen played a role in its behavior (lowering of viscosity at higher BSS slowing erosions and movement) and must be considered when predicting its behavior during a spill.