bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stratégie logistique : aller au-delà des pratiques exemplaires
Authors: Roy Jacques , Beaulieu Martin , Véronneau Simon
Published: April 2015

Le présent article traite d’une série d’études de cas réalisées entre 2010 et 2011 dans le domaine de la logistique. L’objectif est de faire ressortir l’expérience de cinq entreprises installées au Québec quant à leurs « pratiques exemplaires » implantées au cours des dernières années et qui les ont amenées à une performance logistique supérieure. Après une brève présentation de chaque cas, les auteurs soulignent les éléments les plus importants découlant d’une trentaine d’entrevues, à savoir : l’importance de tenir compte des attentes du marché, la pertinence d’avoir une intention stratégique claire, les fruits d’une bonne gestion du talent et, enfin, les gains dus à la collaboration avec les partenaires d’affaires. Les auteurs expliquent que c’est l’assemblage et le maintien de ces pratiques qui génèrent des gains appréciables et procurent une performance supérieure, et non la simple somme de celles-ci. Cet assemblage est crucial, car il oblige les gestionnaires à saisir la complémentarité entre les pratiques et à faire des choix. La création de conditions personnalisées à chaque entreprise est difficile à reproduire, ce qui expliquerait la difficulté et l’inefficacité d’une simple copie et application des « pratiques exemplaires » dans d’autres entreprises, tel que souligné par des études dans la littérature. À la fin, les auteurs mentionnent les limites de la généralisation du travail vers la construction de consignes plus normatives ; toutefois, les auteurs proposent, comme travail futur, de faire un sondage de plus grande envergure auprès d’un échantillon plus représentatif du milieu d’affaires québécois.
Les compétences au service de l’excellence professionnelle
Authors: Ostaficzuk Yanneck , Gagnon Suzanne
Published: April 2015

Le secteur des services professionnels couvre de nombreux volets de l’activité économique du Québec. Pour les ordres professionnels qui réglementent l’exercice de nombreuses professions, le développement des compétences représente un levier permettant d’assurer la qualité des services rendus ainsi que la protection du public. L’article propose un regard critique sur la conception traditionnelle de la formation continue, basée sur un nombre minimal d’heures de formation devant être accomplies, et propose de nouveaux axes d’intervention permettant aux ordres professionnels de mettre en œuvre une approche réflexive du développement des compétences.
De l’opportunité d’une présence sur Facebook : le cas d’une enseigne de distribution traditionnelle
Authors: Gonzalez-Lafaysse Linda , Lapassouse-Madrid Catherine
Published: April 2015

Cet article étudie l’opportunité, pour une enseigne de distribution alimentaire multimarque, d’une présence sur les médias sociaux, dans le cadre de sa stratégie de communication. Elle s’appuie sur l’étude des actes communicationnels se déroulant durant une année entière sur la page Facebook du distributeur Intermarché. Les conclusions portent sur la nature de ces interactions et sur la cohérence de l’image de l’enseigne avec ses objectifs, et débouchent sur des pistes d’applications managériales.
Vos vendeurs savent-ils gérer les objections de leurs clients ? Attention : c’est une arme à double tranchant !
Authors: Lussier Bruno , Ouellet Jean-François , Guizani Haithem
Published: April 2015

Les entreprises dépensent des sommes colossales à former leurs vendeurs à gérer efficacement les objections soulevées par leurs clients potentiels ou à argumenter avec ceux-ci. Or, nos recherches démontrent qu’il s’agit là d’une arme à double tranchant. En gros, leurs aptitudes à gérer les objections ne joueront en faveur des vendeurs que si ces derniers sont perçus par leurs clients comme techniquement compétents, capables de faire autre chose que de réciter ce qu’ils ont lu dans le manuel de vente et, surtout, comme ayant d’abord à cœur de trouver une vraie solution et non pas seulement de leur vendre quelque chose à tout prix.
L’impact du pouvoir d’agir des cadres intermédiaires sur la construction du bien-être au travail d’équipes en centres d’appels
Authors: Benion Alexandre
Published: April 2015

Considérant la ligne hiérarchique composée de la direction, des cadres intermédiaires, des gestionnaires de proximité et enfin des opérateurs, notre objectif est de mettre en relief l’impact du pouvoir d’agir de cadres intermédiaires sur l’émergence de modes de management de proximité salutogènes pour les opérateurs en centres d’appels. Ce pouvoir d’agir peut se définir comme la capacité de ces cadres à réguler les attentes de leur direction pour diriger au mieux leurs subordonnés. À partir de quatre études de cas, nous essayerons de comprendre la construction de ce pouvoir d’agir des cadres ou, à l’inverse, les empêchements qu’ils peuvent rencontrer.
Stroke Prevention in Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation: Update on Target-Specific Oral Anticoagulants
Authors: Patrick Carol , Clarke Randi
Published: April 2015

Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia in adults, and the risk for stroke is increased five-fold. Efforts should be made to educate health care providers to understand the importance of using risk stratification tools. New oral anticoagulants are available for thromboembolic stroke prevention, and knowledge of their clinical indications and use is essential.

J Contin Educ Nurs.
2015;46(4):152–154.
El análisis del coste del ciclo de vida como herramienta para la evaluación económica de la edificación sostenible. Estado de la cuestión
Authors: García-Erviti F. , Armengot-Paradinas J. , Ramírez-Pacheco G.
Published: April 2015

El presente trabajo expone el estado actual de la cuestión en referencia al análisis del coste del ciclo de vida (CCV) aplicado a la edificación. Las diferentes metodologías desarrolladas en torno a este concepto constituye una herramienta destinada a la evaluación de las distintas opciones de proyecto desde una perspectiva de eficiencia económica medioambientalmente sostenible. Basado en la obtención del valor actual de los costes y beneficios futuros asociados a las decisiones del proceso de edificación, el análisis CCV representa un cambio de paradigma: opone una visión a largo plazo frente a la perspectiva tradicional que aspira a la obtención de una rentabilidad inmediata con una mínima inversión inicial, ignorando sus efectos económicos y medioambientales futuros. El objetivo del artículo es la revisión de la metodología CCV y su implantación en un contexto global, analizando su proceso de desarrollo y los criterios de discusión de resultados. Se concluye con un estudio crítico de las posibilidades de adaptación del método a la estructura del sector inmobiliario español, proponiendo su integración en un sistema de contratación pública sostenible.
Evaluación y análisis de propiedades estructurales de productos de madera
Authors: Hermoso E. , Mateo R. , Cabrero J. C. , Fernández-Golfín J. I.
Published: April 2015

Los productos de madera destinados a la construcción están dotados de normativa de apoyo para la evaluación de sus propiedades y el control y seguimiento de su calidad. Por las particularidades del material, es necesario disponer de laboratorios especializados que aporten el equipamiento adecuado para la ejecución de dichas tareas y de personal experimentado que valore correctamente los resultados obtenidos.

En este trabajo se presentan los resultados de las evaluaciones desarrolladas durante el año 2012 sobre las propiedades estructurales en distintos productos de madera destinados a la construcción (tableros contrachapados, tableros de partículas, suelos de madera para exterior, madera laminada encolada y madera contralaminada) y se debate sobre los aspectos que afectan a su calidad y adecuación al uso, aportando a la industria las medidas necesarias para la corrección de fallos o la optimización del producto y su diseño, así como proporcionar indicaciones precisas a los usuarios de los productos.
Are Signals a Solution to Perceived Risk and Opportunism in Mobile Shopping?
Authors: San-Martín Sonia
Published: April 2015

There is usually a situation of information asymmetry in mobile shopping. According to signaling theory and applying it to a mobile commerce context, the authors propose a model with some cognitive and experiential quality signals from the vendor and the site that can reduce shopper perceived risk and fear of opportunism: vendor reputation, site design, personalized service, and personalized information. However, as some literature states that male and female behaviour is somewhat different, the authors analyze differences and similarities between men and women in those perceptions of signals, risk, and opportunism. The authors collected information from 447 mobile shoppers, and results show some gender differences, which involve implications for managers when segmenting their potential market of mobile shoppers by gender. Women are more sensitive to signals, whereas for men the reduction of risk is key to less perceived opportunism.
Models and Approaches for Web Information Extraction and Web Page Understanding
Authors: Fayzrakhmanov Ruslan R.
Published: April 2015

This chapter discusses the main challenges addressed within the fields of Web information extraction and Web page understanding and considers different utilized Web page representations. A configurable Java-based framework for implementing effective methods for Web Page Processing (WPP) called WPPS is presented as the result of this analysis. WPPS leverages a Unified Ontological Model (UOM) of Web pages that describes their different aspects, such as layout, visual features, interface, DOM tree, and the logical structure in the form of one consistent model. The UOM is a formalization of certain layers of a Web page conceptualization defined in the chapter. A WPPS API provided for the development of WPP methods makes it possible to combine the declarative approach, represented by the set of inference rules and SPARQL queries, with the object-oriented approach. The framework is illustrated with one example scenario related to the identification of a Web page navigation menu.
We Have Good Information for You
Authors: Côgo Filipe Roseiro , Pereira Roberto
Published: April 2015

Through the concept of Cognitive Authority, information relevance and quality have been related to the expertise/skill of those who publish and share information on the Web. This chapter discusses how the concept of cognitive authority can be used in order to improve the information retrieval on folksonomy-based systems. The hypothesis is that a ranking scheme that takes into account the cognitive authority of the information sources provides results of higher relevance and quality to users. To verify this hypothesis, the Folkauthority approach is adopted; a ranking scheme called AuthorityRank is proposed; and an information retrieval system, named AuthoritySearch, is built. A real social network is used to simulate the authority relationship among users, and the AuthorityRank scheme is compared with the tf-idf scheme using the NDCG metric. The results indicate a statistically significant improvement in the quality and relevance of the information obtained through the use of the AuthorityRank scheme.
Tribocorrosion in Metal Matrix Composites
Authors: Toptan Fatih , Rocha Luís A.
Published: April 2015

One of the biggest motivations behind the development of the metal matrix composites (MMCs) is the improvement of the mechanical wear resistance of the unreinforced metallic matrix material mainly by the load-bearing effect of the hard reinforcement phases. However, in a large number of applications, MMCs are also required to operate in intimate contact with aqueous environments, which may lead to complex electrochemical phenomena that eventually may result in the degradation or pulling out of the reinforcement phases. Therefore, under these circumstances, MMCs may suffer a catastrophic degradation due to the joint action of electrochemical corrosion and mechanical wear (i.e. tribocorrosion), which is a multifaceted irreversible process where synergism or antagonism effects between the mechanical and electrochemical degradation phenomena may occur. Thus, this chapter aims to give an overview of the current knowledge of the mechanisms involved in the tribocorrosion degradation of MMCs and on the available testing procedures.
Quickstep Processing of Polymeric Composites
Authors: Khan Laraib Alam
Published: April 2015

This chapter gives an overview of Quickstep processing method, which is relatively a new technique for manufacturing composites. In this chapter, different aspects of Quickstep processing are highlighted. Since Quickstep processing is an Out-Of-Autoclave (OOA) technique, a brief description of autoclave processing is provided. Basic principle of Quickstep processing and functionality of typical Quickstep plant are also explained. Due to changed chemo-rheology, methodology for cure optimization of different prepregs and composites are discussed with examples. This chapter also includes the literature survey of different aerospace materials being investigated in Quickstep, the potential of new materials development for this process, the melding technique, in service capabilities of Quickstep cured samples and journey of Quickstep from patent to commercialization. Although the technique is commercialized now, few suggestions in the end are provided for the improvement of process.
Macroeconomic Risks in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region
Authors: Taguchi Hiroyuki
Published: April 2015

This paper investigated the macroeconomic risks in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) from the perspectives of their external balances and monetary policies. The main findings are: 1) especially in Vietnam, the continuous deficit in current account accompanied with the decline in financial-account surplus and foreign reserves has increased economic risks in external balance, which seems to be a quite similar picture to the pre-crisis (1996-97) Thailand; 2) the rising real exchange rate, i.e. the loss of price competitiveness caused by domestic high inflation has been deteriorating the current account, except for Thailand; 3) the domestic high inflation can be attributed to the inability for central bank to manage monetary base against external capital flows through the sterilization, except for Thailand; 4) the clear contrast between the resilience of monetary policy to capital-flow shock in Thailand in 2000-2011 and its fragility in Vietnam in 2000-2011 and Thailand in 1986-1996, was also identified by the impulse response estimation in the analytical framework of VAR model.
Extending Care Outside of the Hospital Walls
Authors: Khuntia Jiban , Tanniru Mohan , Zervos John
Published: April 2015

In healthcare settings knowledge exchange among important stakeholders such as doctors, family and patients, and other care providers is a critical imperative. However, such a community modelled approach is missing, limited in scope or its business value not well understood. In this study, the authors illustrate the value potential and subsequent development of a business model for knowledge exchange within the healthcare delivery model outside a hospital setting. Specifically, they illustrate how Synchronous Video Consultation with social media features, in a staged approach, can support knowledge exchange among a network of community health care professionals who address global health disparities and sustain this exchange through resource generation. The authors discuss the contributions and implications of the proposed framework towards value creation in a collaborative setting in general and suggest opportunities for future research.
A Fixed Pricing Group Buying Decision Model
Authors: Kim Jin Baek
Published: April 2015

In order to explain the consumer decision process in the fixed pricing group buying (FPGB) context, this study proposed an FPGB decision model from the social perspective. To reflect the social perspective, the proposed FPGB decision model included social factors such as network externalities and subjective norm as triggers for shopping motivations. According to the analysis results, all social factors directly or indirectly affected consumers' buying intention at FPGB websites. To be more specific, of the social factors, perceived complementarity was the most significant determinant of FPGB buying intention not just in the direct influential paths but in the indirect influential paths. Subjective norm did not directly affect FPGB buying intention, but it did indirectly. These results imply that the managers of FPGB websites should carefully consider social factors as triggers for shopping motivations when designing and operating FPGB websites.
Determining of Level Sets for a Fuzzy Surface Using Gröbner Basis
Authors: Farahani Hamed , Rahmany Sajjad , Basiri Abdolali
Published: April 2015

In this paper, a manner to determine the level sets of a fuzzy surface using the benefits of Gröbner basis is presented. Fuzzy surfaces are constructed from incomplete datasets or from data that contain uncertainty which has not statistical nature. The authors firstly define the concept of level sets for the fuzzy surfaces. Then, employing Gröbner bases benefits a criterion is proposed for when the level sets of the fuzzy surface are nonempty sets. Moreover, a new algorithm is designed to determine the level sets. The big advantage of the proposed method lies in the fact that it attains all members of the level sets of the fuzzy surface at a time. Finally, some applied numerical examples are illustrated to demonstrate the proficiency of the given approach.
Multi-Fuzzy Complex Numbers and Multi-Fuzzy Complex Sets
Authors: Dey Asit , Pal Madhumangal
Published: April 2015

This paper presents a method to construct more general fuzzy complex numbers and sets from ordinary fuzzy complex numbers by introduced the ordered sequences of membership functions. It is concluded that multi-fuzzy complex set is an extension of Buckley fuzzy complex set. Also, two types of multi-fuzzy complex numbers based on the forms and are investigated.
Bounded and Semi Bounded Inverse Theorems in Fuzzy Normed Spaces
Authors: Moradi Hamid Reza
Published: April 2015

In this paper, the author introduces the notion of the complete fuzzy norm on a linear space. And the author considers some relations between the fuzzy completeness and ordinary completeness on a linear space, moreover a new form of fuzzy compact spaces, namely b-compact spaces, b-closed space is introduced. Some characterization of their properties is obtained. Also some basic properties for linear operators between fuzzy normed spaces are further studied. The notions of fuzzy vector spaces and fuzzy topological vector spaces were introduced in Katsaras and Liu (1977). These ideas were modified by Katsaras (1981), and in (1984) Katsaras defined the fuzzy norm on a vector space. In (1991) Krishna and Sarma discussed the generation of a fuzzy vector topology from an ordinary vector topology on vector spaces. Also Krishna and Sarma (1992) observed the convergence of sequence of fuzzy points. Rhie et al. (1997) Introduced the notion of fuzzy a-Cauchy sequence of fuzzy points and fuzzy completeness.
Usage of Comprehensive Learning Particle Swarm Optimization for Parameter Identification of Structural System
Authors: Tang Hesheng , Xie Lijun , Xue Songtao
Published: April 2015

This paper introduces a novel swarm intelligence based algorithm named comprehensive learning particle swarm optimization (CLPSO) to identify parameters of structural systems, which could be formulated as a multi-modal numerical optimization problem with high dimension. With the new strategy in this variant of particle swarm optimization (PSO), historical best information for all other particles is used to update a particle's velocity. This means that the particles have more exemplars to learn from, as well as have a larger potential space to fly, avoiding premature convergence. Simulation results for identifying the parameters of a five degree-of-freedom (DOF) structural system under conditions including limited output data, noise polluted signals, and no prior knowledge of mass, damping, or stiffness are presented to demonstrate improved estimation of these parameters by the CLPSO when compared with those obtained from standard PSO. In addition, the efficiency and applicability of the proposed method are experimentally examined by a twelve-story shear building shaking table model.
Technology Development through Knowledge Assimilation and Innovation
Authors: Di Caprio Debora , Santos-Arteaga Francisco J. , Tavana Madjid
Published: April 2015

The current paper studies an endogenous growth model driven by the technological development level of a country, which conditions both its factor productivity and the financial investment decisions of agents. Heterogeneity in the level of technological development among countries may not only lead to temporal divergences in income and productivity levels but also to divergent growth paths and poverty traps for identical available technologies. The authors illustrate the structural instability resulting from differences in the technological development level of countries and the subsequent financial constraints arising from such differences. Consequently, a strong national system of innovation should prove vital to ameliorate the negative real effects that follow from a severe financial shock. The obvious and imminent implications regarding the expected evolution of the European Monetary Union are derived both formally and numerically.
An NK Cell Population Lacking FcRγ Is Expanded in Chronically Infected HIV Patients
Authors: Zhou Jingling , Amran Fathiah S. , Kramski Marit , Angelovich Tom A. , Elliott Julian , Hearps Anna C. , Price Patricia , Jaworowski Anthony
Published: April 2015

We previously demonstrated that NK cells from HIV-infected individuals have elevated expression of activation markers, spontaneously degranulate ex vivo, and decrease expression of a signal-transducing protein for NK-activating receptors, FcRγ. Importantly, these changes were maintained in virologically suppressed (VS) individuals receiving combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). In this study, we show that loss of FcRγ is caused by the expansion of a novel subset of FcRγ−CD56dim NK cells with an altered activation receptor repertoire and biological properties. In a cross-sectional study, FcRγ− NK cells as a proportion of total CD56dim NK cells increased in cART-naive viremic HIV-infected individuals (median [interquartile range] = 25.9 [12.6–56.1] compared with 3.80 [1.15–11.5] for HIV− controls, p < 0.0001) and in VS HIV-infected individuals (22.7 [13.1–56.2] compared with 3.80 [1.15–11.5], p = 0.0004), with no difference between cART-naive and VS patients (p = 0.93). FcRγ− NK cells expressed no NKp30 or NKp46. They showed greater Ab-dependent cellular cytotoxicity activity against rituximab-opsonized Raji cells and in a whole-blood assay measuring NK responses to overlapping HIV peptides, despite having reduced CD16 expression compared with conventional NK cells. Their prevalence correlated with CMV Ab titers in HIV− subjects but not in HIV+ individuals, and with the inflammatory marker CXCL10 in both groups. The expansion of a subset of NK cells that lacks NKp30 and NKp46 to ∼90% of CD56dim NK cells in some VS HIV+ individuals may influence NK-mediated immunosurveillance in patients receiving cART.
Cutting Edge: Differential Regulation of PTEN by TCR, Akt, and FoxO1 Controls CD4+ T Cell Fate Decisions
Authors: Hawse William F. , Sheehan Robert P. , Miskov-Zivanov Natasa , Menk Ashley V. , Kane Lawrence P. , Faeder James R. , Morel Penelope A.
Published: April 2015

Signaling via the Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin pathway influences CD4+ T cell differentiation; low levels favor regulatory T cell induction and high levels favor Th induction. Although the lipid phosphatase phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) suppresses Akt activity, the control of PTEN activity is poorly studied in T cells. In this study, we identify multiple mechanisms that regulate PTEN expression. During Th induction, PTEN function is suppressed via lower mRNA levels, lower protein levels, and an increase in C-terminal phosphorylation. Conversely, during regulatory T cell induction, PTEN function is maintained through the stabilization of PTEN mRNA transcription and sustained protein levels. We demonstrate that differential Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin signaling regulates PTEN transcription via the FoxO1 transcription factor. A mathematical model that includes multiple modes of PTEN regulation recapitulates our experimental findings and demonstrates how several feedback loops determine differentiation outcomes. Collectively, this work provides novel mechanistic insights into how differential regulation of PTEN controls alternate CD4+ T cell fate outcomes.
Effect of immobilization on urine calcium excretion in orthopedic patients with pelvic fracture treated by skin traction
Authors: Derakhshan Ali , Derakhshan Nima , Namazi Hamid , Ghaffarpasand Fariborz
Published: April 2015

Objectives: To determine the effects on urine calcium excretion of immobilization by skin traction in patients with pelvic fracture. Methods: In a prospective study, a consecutive series of patients with pelvic fracture treated by skin traction were enrolled. Serum (calcium, phosphorous, alkaline phosphatase, sodium, potassium, uric acid, BUN, creatinine) and fasting urine calcium, creatinine, sodium, potassium and uric acid were checked within 48 hours of hospitalization and at 7, 14 and 21 days of immobilization and then after 3 months of mobilization. Trends in changes of variables were recorded. Results: Fifty five patients were enrolled in this study; they were 45 (81.8%) males and 10 (18.2%) females with a mean age 19.4 ± 12.7 years. We found that serum levels of calcium (p = 0.004), phosphorous (p = 0.047) and alkaline phosphatase (p = 0.001) increased significantly during the 3 weeks of immobilization. In the same way, urine calcium/ urine creatinine ratio increased significantly in the study period (p = 0.004). No symptomatic renal stone formation was observed during the study period. Conclusions: Immobilization even in short term causes hypercalciuria in orthopedic patients. Although it is transient and improves with subsequent mobilization, it is needed to be considered specifically by the team caring for this group of patients.
Is routine ureteral stenting really necessary after retrograde intrarenal surgery?
Authors: Ozyuvali Ekrem , Resorlu Berkan , Oguz Ural , Yildiz Yildiray , Sahin Tolga , Senocak Cagri , Bozkurt Omer Faruk , Damar Erman , Yildirim Murat , Unsal Ali
Published: April 2015

Objectives: To investigate the situations in which ureteral double-J stent should be used after retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS). Patients and Methods: Patients with no ureteral double-J stent after RIRS constituted Group 1, and those with double- J stent after RIRS constituted Group 2. Patients’ age and gender, renal stone characteristics (location and dimension), stone-free status, VAS score 8 hours after surgery, post-procedural renal colic attacks, length of hospitalization, requirement for re-hospitalization, time to rehospitalization and secondary procedure requirements were analyzed. Results: RIRS was performed on 162 renal units. Double-J stent was used in 121 (74.6%) of these after RIRS, but not in the other 41 (25.4%). At radiological monitoring at the first month postoperatively after RIRS, complete stone-free status was determined in 122 (75.3%) renal units, while residual stone was present in 40 (24.6%). No significant differences were observed between the groups in terms of duration of fluoroscopy (p = 0.142), operation (p = 0.108) or hospitalization times (p = 0.798). VAS values determined routinely on the evening of surgery were significantly higher in Group 1 than in Group 2 (p = 0.025). Twenty-eight (17.2%) presentations were made to the emergency clinic due to renal colic within 1 month after surgery. Double-J catheter was present in 24 (85.7%) of these patients. Conclusions: Routine double-J stent insertion after RIRS is not essential since it increases costs, morbidity and operation time.
Relevance of prostate cancer in patients with synchronous invasive bladder urothelial carcinoma: a monocentric retrospective analysis
Authors: Dell’Atti Lucio
Published: April 2015

Objectives: We retrospectively reviewed data of patients with incidental prostate cancer (PCa) who underwent radical cystoprostatectomy (RCP) for invasive bladder cancer and we analyzed their features with regard to incidence, pathologic characteristics, clinical significance, and implications for management. Material and Methods: Clinical data and pathological features of 64 patients who underwent standard RCP for bladder cancer were included in this study. Besides the urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder, the location and tumor volume of the PCa, prostate apex involvement, Gleason score, pathological staging and surgical margins were evaluated. Clinically significant PCa was defined as a tumor with a Gleason 4 or 5 pattern, stage ≥ pT3, lymph node involvement, positive surgical margin or multifocality of three or more lesions. Postoperative follow-up was scheduled every 3 months in the first year, every 6 months in the second and third year, annually thereafter. Results: 11 out of 64 patients (17.2%) who underwent RCP had incidentally diagnosed PCa. 3 cases (27.3%) were diagnosed as significant PCa, while 8 cases (72.7%) were clinically insignificant. The positive surgical margin of PCa was detected in 1 patient with significant disease. The prostate apex involvement was present in 1 patient of the significant PCa group. Median follow-up period was 47.8 ± 29.2 (range 4-79). During the follow-up, biochemical recurrence occurred in 1 patient (9%). Concernig the cancer specific survival there was no statistical significance (P = 0.326) between the clinically significant and clinical insignificant cancer group. Conclusions: In line with published studies, incidental PCa does not impact on the prognosis of bladder cancer of patients undergoing RCP.
Effect of microorganisms on etiology of hematospermia
Authors: Saracoglu Musa , Ozturk Hakan , Duran Arzu , Atalay Sabri
Published: April 2015

Background: Hematospermia is the presence of blood in the ejaculate. Its etiology is congenital, inflammatory, infectious, obstructive, tumoral, vascular, traumatic, iatrogenic or related to systemic disease. It is a quite irritating and life-quality-disturbing condition for men. It is significant to demonstrate infectious-based hematospermia due to the fact that its treatment is easier than for other reasons. Methods: 30 patients, having spontaneous hematospermia, were taken to our study. The serum total PSA levels of the patients were examined and microbiological examinations such as direct inspection for ejaculate, routine bacteriological and mycetes culture, Gram staining, trichrome staining and Mycoplasma hominis/Ureaplasma urealyticum culture (Mycofast Evolution 3, ELITech, France) were performed. Results: Bacteria was isolated in 11 (36%) of 30 patients with hematospermia. S.aureus occurred in five patients (45.5%), U.urealyticum in three patients (27.2%) and E.coli and K.pneumoniae in one each (9.1%). U.urealyticum and S.aureus occurred together in one patient. No statistical difference of scores of National Institute of Health-Chronic Prostatitis Symptoms Index (CPSI) and serum total PSA levels between the patients with and without infection was observed. Conclusions: Hematospermia mostly affects micturition functions of young men and it can be due to infection in one-third of the cases.
Unusual case of locally advanced and metastatic paratesticular liposarcoma: a case report and review of the literature
Authors: Chiodini Stefano , Luciani Lorenzo G. , Cai Tommaso , Molinari Alberto , Morelli Luca , Cantaloni Chiara , Barbareschi Mattia , Malossini Gianni
Published: April 2015

Liposarcoma accounts for 20% of all sarcomas and is a rare occurrence in the paratesticular region. We present the case of a 66-year-old man with a massive liposarcoma of the right scrotum invading the lower limb and the abdominal wall skin. The case concerns an unusually large and aggressive liposarcoma (25 cm), presenting with multiple lung and nodal metastases. The patient had an unfavourable evolution with rapid progression of metastases, although there were no signs of local disease. In this case, a wide local excision was performed in order to obtain local control of the disease. Even though paratesticular sarcomas might have a more favourable evolution, the association with lung involvement carries an ominous prognosis. Diagnosis of paratesticular sarcoma should be kept in mind in case of irregular necrotic masses in the inguinal and scrotal region.
Previous acute polio and post-polio syndrome: recognizing the pathophysiology for the establishment of rehabilitation programs
Authors: Orsini Marco , De Souza Jano Alves , Leite Marco Antonio Araújo , Teixeira Silmar , De Sá Ferreira Arthur , Bastos Victor Hugo , De Freitas Marcos R.G. , Oliveira Acary Bulle
Published: April 2015

Not required
Permian conodont biostratigraphy of the Harper Ranch Beds, near Kamloops, south-central British Columbia
Authors: Orchard M J , Forster P J L
Published: April 2015

ln the area around the Kamloops quarry of Canada Cernent Lafarge Ltd., the Permian Harper Ranch beds comprise a succession of structurally stacked, bedded carbonate. 84 new conodont collec­tions include 21 conodont taxa and are assigned to 5 faunas and 2
subfaunas which are dated as Late Wolfcampian (Late Sakmarian) through Late Leonardian. Sorne of the Harper Ranch conodonts are not known within autochthonous American sequences but are known from Japan and China, implying a western paleo-Pacific influence. Similarly, the range of some taxa,
particularly Sweetognathus, are anomalous compared with North American sequences but are similar to Asialie records. Early Permian geographic separation from North America is favoured as an explanation, although divergent species concepts may also account for some discrepancies. The taxonomy of the
stratigraphically important Neos­treptognathodus, Neogondolella and Sweetognathus is reviewed. A study of fauna, conodont biofacies, and carbonate lithofacies of the Harper Ranch beds indicate a progressive increase in water depth in the study area during the Early Permian.
Dielectric Constant Measurements of Soil With Portable Dielectric Probes and TDR Techniques
Authors: Brisco B , Pultz T J , Brown R J , Topp G
C , Zebchuk W D
Published: April 2015

Portable Dielectric Probe (PDP) and Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) instruments are now available for rapid in-situ estimation of a targets' dielectric properties. These techniques can be very useful in field
experiments where the logistics of gravimetric sampling can restrict the number of samples obtained. A number of experiments were conducted to relate the real part of the dielectric constant, measured by P-, L-, C-, and X-band PDP's, to soil water content for soils with a range of soil textures. The
results were also compared to TDR measurements for the P- and L-band PDP's. The TDR and P- and L-band probes produced very comparable and good results while the C- and X-band probes were more sensitive to variability within a soil and to the effects of soil texture. Both TDR and PDP instruments may
be useful for field soil moisture measurement campaigns as they sample different volumes. In general the TDR is best used for 0-5cm or deeper layers while the PDP can be used for measuring smaller volumes/layers.
Towards an understanding of crisis episodes in Latin America: a post-Keynesian approach
Authors: Caldentey Esteban Pérez , Vernengo Matías
Published: April 2015

Conventional wisdom about the business cycle in Latin America assumes that monetary shocks cause deviations from the optimal path, and that the triggering factor in the cycle is excess credit and liquidity. Furthermore, in this view the origin of the contraction is ultimately related to the excesses during the expansion. For that reason it follows that avoiding the worst conditions during the bust entails applying restrictive economic policies during the expansion (that is, the boom) in the business cycle including reining in government expenditures and reducing liquidity to private agents. In this paper we develop an alternative approach that suggests that fiscal restraint may not have a significant impact in reducing the risks of a crisis, and that excessive fiscal conservatism might actually exacerbate problems. In the case of Central America, the efforts to reduce fiscal imbalances, in conjunction with the persistent current-account deficits, implied that financial inflows, with remittances being particularly important in some cases, allowed for an expansion of a private spending boom that proved unsustainable once the Great Recession led to a sharp fall in external funds. In the case of South America, the commodity boom created conditions for growth without hitting the external constraint. Fiscal restraint in the South American context has resulted, in some cases, in lower rates of growth than what otherwise would have been possible as a result of the absence of an external constraint. Yet the lower reliance on external funds has made South American countries less vulnerable to the external shock waves of the Great Recession than Central American economies.
The heterodox notion of structural crisis
Authors: Guttmann Robert
Published: April 2015

Long waves of economic activity, also known as ‘Kondratiev cycles,’ have been known to exist for nearly a century without having ever been given a proper theoretical context. In this paper we try to identify various contributions to shed light on this phenomenon, notably Schumpeter's notion of technological bursts and Minsky's notion of a super-cycle where ‘stability breeds instability’ to the point of systemic crisis. A more comprehensive and methodologically innovative approach to the periodization of capitalism is the French Régulation School. This heterodox approach has reframed the story of long waves in terms of period-specific ‘accumulation regimes’ and ‘modes of (self-)regulation.’ Here systemic crises, like the ones we experienced in 1873–1879, 1929–1939, 1973–1982 or 2007–2011, play the role of regime-transforming adjustments in the institutional make-up of the wage relation, forms of competition, state intervention, and money and banking, as well as international context. We apply the Regulationist approach to finance-led capitalism, the latest long-wave accumulation regime emerging around 1982 to find itself confronted with its own systemic crisis starting in 2007. How will that crisis, one of the most profound structural crises to date, change our economic system?
Variability of aerosols forecast over the Mediterranean area during July 2013 (ADRIMED/CHARMEX)
Authors: Menut L. , Réa G. , Mailler S. , Khvorostyanov D. , Turquety S.
Published: April 2015

Abstract. The atmospheric composition was extensively studied in the Euro-Mediterranean region and during the summer 2013, in the framework of the ADRIMED project. During the campaign experiment, the WRF and CHIMERE models were used in forecast mode in order to help scientists to decide whether Intensive Observation Periods should be triggered or not. Each day, a simulation of four days is performed, corresponding to leads from (D−1) to (D+2). The goal of this study is to know the reason why the model does not always simulate in advance what is finally observed: is it due to systematic biases in the models used or to a too large variability due to the real non-linear nature of the meteorology and chemistry? To answer this question, the methodology is to compare the several modelled forecast leads to observations. It was shown that the differences between observations and model is always higher than between the forecast leads. If chemistry-transport model results are not close to the observations, this is mainly due to the model itself (including the meteorology) and its biases. But the forecast variability also acts a lot, mainly due to the modelled wind. This variable is at the origin of the mineral dust and sea salt emissions, as well as the long-range transport of these long-lived species: the wind bias combined to its variability is at the origin of the major part of the aerosols forecast errors.
Source attribution and process analysis for atmospheric mercury in East China simulated by CMAQ-Hg
Authors: Zhu J. , Wang T. , Bieser J. , Matthias V.
Published: April 2015

Abstract. The contribution from different emission sources and atmospheric processes to gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), gaseous oxidized mercury (GOM), particulate bound mercury (PBM) and mercury deposition in East China were quantified using the Community Multi-scale Air Quality (CMAQ-Hg) modeling system run with nested grid resolution of 27 km. Natural source (NAT) and six categories of anthropogenic mercury sources (ANTH) including cement production (CEM), domestic life (DOM), industrial boilers (IND), metal production (MET), coal-fired power plants (PP) and traffic (TRA) were considered for source apportionment. NAT was responsible for 36.6% of annual averaged GEM concentration which was regard as the most important source for GEM in spite of obvious seasonal variation. Among ANTH, the influence of MET and PP on GEM were most evident especially in winter. ANTH dominated the variations of GOM and PBM concentration with a contribution of 86.7 and 79.1% respectively. Among ANTH, IND was the largest contributor for GOM (57.5%) and PBM (34.4%) so that most mercury deposition came from IND. The effect of mercury emitted from out of China was indicated by > 30% contribution to GEM concentration and wet deposition. The contribution from nine processes consisting of emissions (EMIS), gas-phase chemical production/loss (CHEM), horizontal advection (HADV), vertical advection (ZADV), horizontal advection (HDIF), vertical diffusion (VDIF), dry deposition (DDEP), cloud processes (CLDS) and aerosol processes (AERO) were calculated for processes analysis with their comparison in urban and non-urban regions of Yangtze River Delta (YRD). EMIS and VDIF affected surface GEM and PBM concentration most and tended to compensate each other all the time in both urban and non-urban areas. However, DDEP was the most important removal process for GOM with 7.3 and 2.9 ng m−3 reduced in the surface of urban and non-urban areas respectively in a whole day. Diurnal profile variation of processes revealed the transportation of GOM from urban area to non-urban area and the importance of CHEM/AERO in higher altitudes which caused diffusion of GOM downwards to non-urban area partly. Most of the anthropogenic mercury transported and diffused away from urban area by HADV and VDIF and made gain of mercury in non-urban areas by HADV. Natural emissions only influenced CHEM and AERO more significantly than anthropogenic. Local emission in the YRD contributed 8.5% more to GEM and ~ 30% more to GOM and PBM in urban areas compared to non-urban areas.
Modeling the impact of agricultural land use and management on US carbon budgets
Authors: Drewniak B. A. , Mishra U. , Song J. , Prell J. , Kotamarthi V. R.
Published: April 2015

Abstract. Cultivation of the terrestrial land surface can create either a source or sink of atmospheric CO2, depending on land management practices. The Community Land Model (CLM) provides a useful tool for exploring how land use and management impact the soil carbon pool at regional to global scales. CLM was recently updated to include representation of managed lands growing maize, soybean, and spring wheat. In this study, CLM-Crop is used to investigate the impacts of various management practices, including fertilizer use and differential rates of crop residue removal, on the soil organic carbon (SOC) storage of croplands in the continental United States over approximately a 170-year period. Results indicate that total US SOC stocks have already lost over 8 Pg C (10%) due to land cultivation practices (e.g., fertilizer application, cultivar choice, and residue removal), compared to a land surface composed of native vegetation (i.e., grasslands). After long periods of cultivation, individual subgrids (the equivalent of a field plot) growing maize and soybean lost up to 65% of the carbon stored compared to a grassland site. Crop residue management showed the greatest effect on soil carbon storage, with low and medium residue returns resulting in additional losses of 5 and 3.5%, respectively, in US carbon storage, while plots with high residue returns stored 2% more carbon. Nitrogenous fertilizer can alter the amount of soil carbon stocks significantly. Under current levels of crop residue return, not applying fertilizer resulted in a 5% loss of soil carbon. Our simulations indicate that disturbance through cultivation will always result in a loss of soil carbon, and management practices will have a large influence on the magnitude of SOC loss.
Origin and dynamic significance of longitudinal structures ("flow stripes") in the Antarctic Ice Sheet
Authors: Glasser N. F. , Jennings S. J. A. , Hambrey M. J. , Hubbard B.
Published: April 2015

Abstract. Longitudinal ice-surface structures in the Antarctic Ice Sheet can be traced continuously down-ice for distances of up to 1200 km. A map of the distribution of ~ 3600 of these features, compiled from satellite images, shows that they mirror the location of fast-flowing glaciers and ice streams that are dominated by basal sliding rates above tens of metres per annum and are strongly guided by subglacial topography. Longitudinal ice-surface structures dominate regions of converging flow, where ice flow is subject to non-coaxial strain and simple shear. They can be traced continuously through crevasse fields and through blue-ice areas, indicating that they represent the surface manifestation of a three-dimensional structure, interpreted as foliation. Flow lines are linear and undeformed for all major flow units described here in the Antarctic Ice Sheet except for the Kamb Ice Stream and the Institute and Möller Ice Stream areas, where areas of flow perturbation are evident. Parcels of ice along individual flow paths on the Lambert Glacier, Recovery Glacier, Byrd Glacier and Pine Island Glacier may reside in the glacier system for ~ 2500 to 18 500 years. Although it is unclear how long it takes for these features to form and decay, we infer that the major ice-flow configuration of the ice sheet may have remained largely unchanged for the last few hundred years, and possibly even longer. This conclusion has implications for our understanding of the long-term landscape evolution of Antarctica, including large-scale patterns of glacial erosion and deposition.
A MODULAR GEOMETRIC MODEL FOR UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAMMETRY
Authors: Maas H.-G.
Published: April 2015

Abstract. Underwater applications of photogrammetric measurement techniques usually need to deal with multimedia photogrammetry aspects, which are characterized by the necessity of handling optical rays that are broken at interfaces between optical media with different refrative indices according to Snell’s Law. This so-called multimedia geometry has to be incorporated into geometric models in order to achieve correct measurement results. The paper shows a flexible yet strict geometric model for the handling of refraction effects on the optical path, which can be implemented as a module into photogrammetric standard tools such as spatial resection, spatial intersection, bundle adjustment or epipolar line computation. The module is especially well suited for applications, where an object in water is observed by cameras in air through one or more plane parallel glass interfaces, as it allows for some simplifications here.