bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How the Charter Has Failed Non-citizens in Canada: Reviewing Thirty Years of Supreme Court of Canada Jurisprudence
Authors: Dauvergne Catherine
Published: September 2013

This article reviews the Supreme Court of Canada’s treatment of claims by non-citizens since the introduction of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. While the early decisions in Singh and Andrews were strongly supportive of rights for non-citizens, the subsequent jurisprudence has been strikingly disappointing. This study shows that the decline in rights protections for non-citizens is a predictable consequence of some of the Court’s early interpretative positions about the Charter. This study considers all Supreme Court of Canada decisions in the thirty-year time frame. The analysis is rounded out by a consideration of cases that were not granted leave and cases that engage directly with an issue of non-citizens’ rights even where a non-citizen was not a party. The concluding section shows that non-citizens in Canada now have less access to rights protections than do non-citizens in some key comparator countries.
Women, Letter-Writing and the Life of the Mind in England, c.1650–1750
Authors: Hannan Leonie
Published: September 2013

Drawing on national and regional letter collections dating from the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, this article explores women's experiences of the life of the mind through an analysis of their letter-writing. This study also highlights the shortcomings of the compartmentalised nature of scholarship on women's writing and intellectual lives and proposes the letter both as a beneficial historical source and methodological tool for research on women's mental worlds. By employing an inclusive definition of intellectual and creative life, and eschewing traditional benchmarks of achievement, this article contends that women took a full part in the cultures of knowledge of their time.
Machine Learning in Non-Stationary Environments
Authors: Sugiyama Masashi , Kawanabe Motoaki
Published: September 2013

Theory, algorithms, and applications of machine learning techniques to overcome “covariate shift” non-stationarity.

As the power of computing has grown over the past few decades, the field of machine learning has advanced rapidly in both theory and practice. Machine learning methods are usually based on the assumption that the data generation mechanism does not change over time. Yet real-world applications of machine learning, including image recognition, natural language processing, speech recognition, robot control, and bioinformatics, often violate this common assumption. Dealing with non-stationarity is one of modern machine learning's greatest challenges. This book focuses on a specific non-stationary environment known as covariate shift, in which the distributions of inputs (queries) change but the conditional distribution of outputs (answers) is unchanged, and presents machine learning theory, algorithms, and applications to overcome this variety of non-stationarity.

After reviewing the state-of-the-art research in the field, the authors discuss topics that include learning under covariate shift, model selection, importance estimation, and active learning. They describe such real world applications of covariate shift adaption as brain-computer interface, speaker identification, and age prediction from facial images. With this book, they aim to encourage future research in machine learning, statistics, and engineering that strives to create truly autonomous learning machines able to learn under non-stationarity.
Eiger triggers death from afar
Authors: Morata Ginés , Herrera Salvador C
Published: September 2013

Cells undergoing programmed cell death release signals that can trigger the death of cells at remote locations.
Resonant Frequency of Tunable Microstrip Ring Antenna Printed on Isotropic or Uniaxially Anisotropic Substrate
Authors: Bedra S. , Benkouda S. , Amir M. , Fortaki T.
Published: September 2013

In this study, the resonant frequency of annular ring microstrip resonator with uniaxial anisotropic substrate and air gap layer is analyzed. The cavity model for simple ring microstrip antenna is extended with some modifications for the tunable geometry taking into account the anisotropy in the layer. The theoretical resonant frequency results are in very good agreement with the experimental results reported elsewhere. The air gap tuning effect on the resonant characteristics is also investigated for fundamental and higher order modes.
Implanting Metal Fiducials to Guide Stereotactic Liver Radiation: McGill Experience and Review of Current Devices, Techniques and Complications
Authors: Valentine Kristina , Cabrera Tatiana , Roberge David
Published: September 2013

In this work we report our technique and outcomes placing percutaneous liver fiducials, summarize the literature on the risks of this procedure and present the various fiducials available today. Thirty-nine subjects, 27 males and 12 females who had received liver fiducial implants between November 2006 and September 2010 were retrospectively studied. Eighty-five gold cylinders (15%) and platinum coils (85%) were inserted under computed tomography (CT) guidance. All fiducials placed proved adequate to proceed with radiation image guidance. With one notable exception of gross migration, fiducials were inserted without serious complications. Although fiducial implantation in the liver has proven successful, the procedure does carry a variety of risks.
Transcranial Doppler Investigation of Hemodynamic Alterations Associated With Blunt Cervical Vascular Injuries in Trauma Patients
Authors: Purvis Dianna L. , Crutchfield Kevin , Trickey Amber W. , Aldaghlas Tayseer , Rizzo Anne , Sikdar Siddhartha
Published: September 2013

Objectives

Blunt cervical vascular injuries, often missed with current screening methods, have substantial morbidity and mortality, and there is a need for improved screening. Elucidation of cerebral hemodynamic alterations may facilitate serial bedside monitoring and improved management. Thus, the objective of this study was to define cerebral flow alterations associated with single blunt cervical vascular injuries using transcranial Doppler sonography and subsequent Doppler waveform analyses in a trauma population.

Methods

In this prospective pilot study, patients with suspected blunt cervical vascular injuries had diagnoses by computed tomographic angiography and were examined using transcranial Doppler sonography to define cerebral hemodynamics. Multiple vessel injuries were excluded for this analysis, as the focus was to identify hemodynamic alterations from isolated injuries. The inverse damping factor characterized altered extracranial flow patterns; middle cerebral artery flow velocities, the pulsatility index, and their asymmetries characterized altered intracranial flow patterns.

Results

Twenty‐three trauma patients were evaluated: 4 with single internal carotid artery injuries, 5 with single vertebral artery injuries, and 14 without blunt cervical vascular injuries. All internal carotid artery injuries showed a reduced inverse damping factor in the internal carotid artery and dampened ipsilateral mean flow and peak systolic velocities in the middle cerebral artery. Vertebral artery injuries produced asymmetry of a similar magnitude in the middle cerebral artery mean flow velocity with end‐diastolic velocity alterations.

Conclusions

These data indicate that extracranial and intracranial hemodynamic alterations occur with internal carotid artery and vertebral artery blunt cervical vascular injuries and can be quantified in the acute injury phase by transcranial Doppler indices. Further study is required to elucidate cerebral flow changes resulting from a single blunt cervical vascular injury, which may guide future management to preserve cerebral perfusion after trauma.
Corticomedullary Strain Ratio
Authors: Gao Jing , Min Robert , Hamilton James , Weitzel William , Chen Johnson , Juluru Krishna , Rubin Jonathan M.
Published: September 2013

Objectives

To quantitatively assess the correlation between the corticomedullary strain ratio and cortical fibrosis in renal transplants.

Methods

Using quasistatic ultrasound elasticity imaging, we prospectively assessed the corticomedullary strain ratio in renal allografts of 33 patients who underwent renal transplant sonography and biopsy. Based on Banff score criteria for renal cortical fibrosis, 33 allografts were divided into 2 groups: group 1 (n = 19), with mild (<25%) fibrosis; and group 2 (n = 14), with moderate (>26%) fibrosis. We used 2‐dimensional speckle‐tracking software to perform offline analysis of cortical and medullary strain induced by external compression by the ultrasound transducer. We then calculated the corticomedullary strain ratio (cortical normalized strain/medullary normalized strain; normalized strain = developed strain/applied strain [deformation from the abdominal wall to the pelvic muscles]). An unpaired 2‐tailed t test was used to determine differences in normalized strain and the strain ratio between the groups. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to determine the best strain ratio cutoff value for identifying moderate fibrosis.

Results

Normalized strain differed between the cortex and medulla (mean ± SD: group 1, 4.58 ± 2.02 versus 2.58 ± 1.38; P = .002; group 2, 1.71 ± 0.42 versus 2.60 ± 0.87; P = .0011). The strain ratio in group 1 was higher than in group 2 (2.06 ± 1.33 versus 0.70 ± 0.20; P = .0007). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.964. The sensitivity and specificity of a strain ratio cutoff value of 0.975 for determining moderate fibrosis were 92.9% and 94.7%, respectively.

Conclusions

Strain values vary in different compartments of the kidney. The corticomedullary strain ratio on ultrasound elasticity imaging decreases with increasing renal cortical fibrosis, which makes it potentially useful as a noninvasive quantitative marker for monitoring the progression of fibrosis in renal transplants.
How to Measure Substantia Nigra Hyperechogenicity in Parkinson Disease
Authors: Walter Uwe
Published: September 2013

The detection of an enlarged echogenic size (“hyperechogenicity”) of the substantia nigra on transcranial sonography is increasingly used for the early and differential diagnosis of Parkinson disease. However, the diagnostic value of substantia nigra sonography depends on the quality of its execution. This article with an accompanying video presents a step‐by‐step description and demonstration of ultrasound system settings, typical errors in assessment of the substantia nigra, planimetric measurement of substantia nigra echogenicity according to current guidelines, and its diagnostic implications in 2 exemplary patients with parkinsonism. Published cutoff values for grading substantia nigra hyperechogenicity with different ultrasound systems and novel technologies are reviewed.
A Novel Technique for Teaching Challenging Ultrasound‐Guided Breast Procedures to Radiology Residents
Authors: Sutcliffe Joseph , Hardman Rulon L. , Dornbluth Nella Carol , Kist Ken A.
Published: September 2013

Ultrasound‐guided breast interventions (core biopsies, needle‐wire localizations, and fine‐needle cyst aspirations) are common procedures performed by radiologists. Residents must gain competency in these interventions during training. Phantoms and simulations have been advocated for teaching interventions, and various systems are available for standard breast interventions. However, simulations for difficult/high‐risk interventions are not readily available. We describe an inexpensive method for simulating difficult ultrasound‐guided breast procedures, including masses over breast implants, deep masses along the chest wall, and lymph nodes adjacent to axillary vessels.
High‐Intensity Focused Ultrasound Ablation for Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Hypersplenism
Authors: Zhu Jing , Zhu Hui , Mei Zhechuan , Jin Chengbing , Ran Lifeng , Zhou Kun , Yang Wei , Zhang Lian , She Chaokun
Published: September 2013

The purpose of this work was to preliminarily investigate the efficacy and safety of high‐intensity focused ultrasound treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma and hypersplenism. Nine patients with hepatocellular carcinoma complicated by hypersplenism (5 male and 4 female; median age, 56 years; range, 51–66 years) were treated with ultrasound‐guided high‐intensity focused ultrasound. Complications were recorded. Laboratory examination and magnetic resonance imaging were used to evaluate the efficacy. After high‐intensity focused ultrasound treatment, mean spleen ablation ± SD of 28.76% ± 6.1% was discovered; meanwhile, the white blood cell count, platelet count, and liver function of the patients were substantially improved during the follow‐up period. In addition, symptoms such as epistaxis and gingival bleeding were ameliorated or even eliminated, and the quality of life was improved. Follow‐up imaging showed a nonperfused volume in the spleen and an absence of a tumor blood supply at the treated lesions in the liver. For the first time to our knowledge, high‐intensity focused ultrasound ablation was used to treat hepatocellular carcinoma complicated by hypersplenism. High‐intensity focused ultrasound may be an effective and safe alternative for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma complicated by hypersplenism, but further studies are necessary to clarify the mechanisms.
The Inner Heliosphere at Fifty
Authors: Luhmann Janet G.
Published: September 2013

Recent observations show that the Sun's magnetic field is flipping, marking one of the weakest sunspot cycle maxima in recent history. Many consequences have been observed and are under study, from a significant diminishing of the upper atmosphere's density [Solomon et al., 2010] to record low levels of geomagnetic activity [Richardson, 2013] to the large increase of local galactic cosmic ray fluxes starting in the preceding solar minimum [Mewaldt et al., 2010].
Mapping Earth Science Week 2013
Authors: Camphire Geoff
Published: September 2013

What do geoscience students see in maps? Land formations. Bodies of water. Deposits of natural resources. Faults and fissures in the Earth. Quake zones and volcanoes. Weather patterns. Population centers, territorial boundaries, travel routes, and more. Maybe most important, maps can help show how major Earth systems—geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere—interact.
Slingerland Receives 2012 G. K. Gilbert Award: Response
Authors: Slingerland Rudy L.
Published: September 2013

I'm deeply honored to receive the Earth and Planetary Surface Processes G. K. Gilbert Award, in no small part because Gilbert's application of simple physical principles to Earth surface processes has always been an inspiration to me. My desire to study the transportation of debris by running water started a long time ago on our family farm, where re‐engineering the local stream with a backhoe was a rewarding afternoon activity.
Gravity waves could explain powerful thermospheric cooling
Authors: Schultz Colin
Published: September 2013

For the past few decades the upper reaches of Earth's atmosphere have been cooling much faster than researchers anticipated. While the rising atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide is heating the air near the ground, that same increase is expected to cool the thermosphere—the atmospheric band that stretches from around 80 kilometers altitude to the exosphere at 500 kilometers—by emitting heat into space. However, while carbon dioxide should theoretically cool the thermosphere by around 2 kelvins per decade, the observed cooling was around 10 times this rate. Building on recent theoretical and modeling work, Oliver et al. lay out a mechanism that could explain the observed cooling.
Achieving numerical accuracy and high performance using recursive tile LU factorization with partial pivoting
Authors: Dongarra Jack , Faverge Mathieu , Ltaief Hatem , Luszczek Piotr
Published: September 2013

The LU factorization is an important numerical algorithm for solving systems of linear equations in science and engineering and is a characteristic of many dense linear algebra computations. For example, it has become the de facto numerical algorithm implemented within the LINPACK benchmark to rank the most powerful supercomputers in the world, collected by the TOP500 website. Multicore processors continue to present challenges to the development of fast and robust numerical software due to the increasing levels of hardware parallelism and widening gap between core and memory speeds. In this context, the difficulty in developing new algorithms for the scientific community resides in the combination of two goals: achieving high performance while maintaining the accuracy of the numerical algorithm. This paper proposes a new approach for computing the LU factorization in parallel on multicore architectures, which not only improves the overall performance but also sustains the numerical quality of the standard LU factorization algorithm with partial pivoting. While the update of the trailing submatrix is computationally intensive and highly parallel, the inherently problematic portion of the LU factorization is the panel factorization due to its memory‐bound characteristic as well as the atomicity of selecting the appropriate pivots. Our approach uses a parallel fine‐grained recursive formulation of the panel factorization step and implements the update of the trailing submatrix with the tile algorithm. Based on conflict‐free partitioning of the data and lockless synchronization mechanisms, our implementation lets the overall computation flow naturally without contention. The dynamic runtime system called QUARK is then able to schedule tasks with heterogeneous granularities and to transparently introduce algorithmic lookahead. The performance results of our implementation are competitive compared to the currently available software packages and libraries. For example, it is up to 40% faster when compared to the equivalent Intel MKL routine and up to threefold faster than LAPACK with multithreaded Intel MKL BLAS. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Time‐resolved confocal analysis of antibody penetration into living, solid tumor spheroids
Authors: Myrdal S. , Foster M.
Published: September 2013

The in vivo function of a biologically active molecule is governed in part by the dynamics of its distribution within its target tissue. To enhance our ability to probe living cells, we have endeavored to improve live confocal microscopy methods and to develop analytical methods that simplify the handling of the resulting complex data sets. To do this we attached a recently developed micro‐incubation system to the stage of a Leica confocal laser scanning microscope and were able to maintain physiologic culture conditions over several hours. Axial stability was achieved by modifying the room air conditioning. Laser illumination was low enough to retain cell viability through several hours of continuous scanning. With this setup, planar, time‐resolved data sets (xyt) were produced by continuously rescanning a single xy plane at the rate of one scan/min. As an alternative, volumetric data sets (xyz) were acquired by stepping the scanned plane through the z axis. In both types of data sets, a semi‐quantitative determination of the concentration of a fluorescent reporter molecule (e.g., FITC) over a gray level range of 0‐‐255 was recorded along with the positional information. Thus, concentration (as intensity of fluorescence, or i) gave a fourth variable by either scan method, resulting in high‐density xyti or xyzi data sets. The biological model we used to examine these methods was the penetration of a FITC‐labeled, anti‐carcinoma monoclonal antibody into cultured spheroids of tumor cells bearing the antibody‐binding epitope. In one case, the distribution of antibody‐FITC conjugate was compared with that of a long wavelength membrane dye. DiIC18(5). Several different software analyses were compared, including examining xyt data sets as “volumes.” We observed that by increasing the displayed resolution of one variable, the demonstrable resolution of the other variables was reduced. For example, with high temporal resolution, either quantitative or positional resolution had to be sacrificed. Thus, we needed to perform several different analyses of a single data set to compare all of the variables properly. In these experiments, the dynamic aspects of the changes in antibody‐FITC distribution were examined. Along with comparison of antibody‐FITC penetration with that of DiI, these data suggest an as yet unexplained biological transport of antibody into a tumor spheroid, which is not consistent with mere passive diffusion through the fluid of extracellular clefts. Using this model system, we have performed and analyzed highly time‐resolved confocal microscopy on living specimens maintained under physiologic conditions.
Mitigation of switching‐induced transient electromagnetic interference on control cable using Ni–Zn ferrite rings over cable sheath in gas‐insulated substations
Authors: Shahabi Saeed , Gholami Ahmad
Published: September 2013

The transient electromagnetic fields during switching operation in gas‐insulated substations (GISs) have rise times on the order of nanoseconds. These fields leak into the external environment through the discontinuities of gas‐insulated modules and affect the control cables and induce the transient voltage on cables, which results in malfunctioning of the equipment. The amplitudes of the electric and magnetic fields could be a few tens of kilovolts per meter and a few hundred amperes per meter according to layout of GIS, respectively. In this work, the induced voltage in the central conductor of a control cable and the induced current in its sheath, which is parallel to bus duct in a GIS with rated voltage of 230 kV, are calculated. Influence of the sheath material on the induced voltage and the type of its grounding on the induced current are analyzed. Furthermore, the impact of installing ferrite rings over the control cable sheath in mitigating the induced voltage and current is investigated. © 2013 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
On messengers couplings in extended GMSB models
Authors: Jelinski T.
Published: September 2013

Abstract

We discuss, for the first time, the role of the superpotential couplings of three messenger fields in a GMSB-type unification model in which messenger sector consists of both 5+
$ \overline{5} $
and 10+
$ \overline{10} $
of SU(5). It turns out that these interactions are relevant when coexist with appropriate messenger-MSSM couplings. Then they induce extra contributions to 2-loop soft masses. In the present model, we derive all such soft terms and discuss constraints which have to be satisfied to avoid rapid proton decay and μ/B

μ
problem. As an example, it is shown how superpotential couplings of three messengers influence mass spectra when the model is restricted by additional global U(1)
q
symmetry. We find that masses of the lightest sleptons are the most sensitive to those new interactions, what in some cases results in the NLSP/NNLSP pattern in which stau or selectron is lighter than the lightest neutralino.
Process parameter optimization for hydantoinase-mediated synthesis of optically pure carbamoyl amino acids of industrial value using Pseudomonas aeruginosa resting cells
Authors: Engineer Anupama S , Dhakephalkar Anita P , Gaikaiwari Raghavendra P , Dhakephalkar Prashant K
Published: September 2013

Hydantoinase-mediated enzymatic synthesis of optically pure carbamoyl amino acids was investigated as an environmentally friendly, energy-efficient alternative to the otherwise energy-intensive, polluting chemical synthesis. Hydantoinase-producing bacterial strain was identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and biochemical profiling using the BIOLOG Microbial Identification System. Hydantoinase activity was assessed using hydantoin analogs and 5-monosubstituted hydantoins as substrates in a colorimetric assay. The hydantoinase gene was PCR amplified using gene-specific primers and sequenced on an automated gene analyzer. Hydantoinase gene sequence of P. aeruginosa MCM B-887 revealed maximum homology of only 87 % with proven hydantoinase gene sequences in GenBank. MCM B-887 resting cells converted >99 % of substrate into N-carbamoyl amino acids under optimized condition at 42 °C, pH 8.0, and 100 mM substrate concentration in <120 min. Hydantoin hydrolyzing activity was d-selective and included broad substrate profile of 5-methyl hydantoin, 5-phenyl hydantoin, 5-hydroxyphenyl hydantoin, o-chlorophenyl hydantoin, as well as hydantoin analogs such as allantoin, dihydrouracil, etc. MCM B-887 resting cells may thus be suitable for bio-transformations leading to the synthesis of optically pure, unnatural carbamoyl amino acids of industrial importance.
Viability of calcifying bacterial formulations in fly ash for applications in building materials
Authors: Dhami Navdeep Kaur , Mukherjee Abhijit , Reddy M Sudhakara
Published: September 2013

Evidence of bacterial involvement in precipitation of calcium carbonates has brought a revolution in the field of applied microbiology, geotechnical sciences, environmental and civil engineering with its marked success in restoration of various building materials. For applications of these calcite binder-producing bacterial cultures, different expensive carrier materials have been used but their high costs have come in the way of their successful commercialization. In the present study, we have explored the potential of cheap industrial by-product fly ash as a carrier material for bacterial cells and investigated the viability of calcifying bacterial isolates: Bacillus megaterium, Bacillus cereus, and Lysinibacillus fusiformis in fly ash carrier at varying temperatures and moisture conditions along with biomineralization efficacy of these formulations. We used laser scanning confocal microscopy to analyze the viability of bacteria by florescent dye 5-cyano-2,3-ditolyl tetrazolium chloride (CTC) along with the plate count method. Results revealed that fly ash successfully served as an effective carrier material and bacterial formulations stored at 4 °C provided longer shelf life than those stored at higher temperatures. Up to 106 cfu/g was found to sustain in all formulations at 4 °C compared to 104-105 cfu/g in case of higher temperatures up to 1 year. For 4 °C, higher moistures (50 %) were found to provide better survivability while for higher temperatures, lower moistures (30 %) favored higher viability. The biomineralization capability of fresh and formulated bacterial cells was compared on the basis of precipitation of carbonates and it was found that carbonate precipitation efficacy of formulated bacterial cells was comparable to fresh bacterial cells.
Warm and harsh parenting as mediators of the relation between maternal and adolescent emotion regulation
Authors: Sarıtaş Dilek , Grusec Joan E. , Gençöz Tülin
Published: September 2013

Maternal hostility/rejection and warmth were considered as potential mediators of the relation between mothers' and adolescents' emotion regulation. Participants were first‐year high school students living in Ankara, Turkey and their mothers (N = 365). Scales assessing emotion regulation difficulties and maternal hostility/rejection and warmth were administered to both the adolescents and their mothers. Maternal hostility/rejection, but not warmth, mediated the relation between maternal and adolescent emotion regulation. For girls there was, additionally, a direct effect of maternal emotion regulation. The different roles played by parental rejection and parental warmth in the development of adolescents' emotion regulation accord with arguments that socialization occurs in different domains and that rejection and warmth are not aspects of the same domain.
Sleep patterns and psychological functioning in families in northeastern Iran; evidence for similarities between adolescent children and their parents
Authors: Bajoghli Hafez , Alipouri Aazam , Holsboer‐Trachsler Edith , Brand Serge
Published: September 2013

Sleep and well‐being of adolescents and their parents are related, but data from non‐Western countries are scarce. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between adolescents' and their parents' sleep patterns and psychological functioning in northeastern Iran.

A total of 81 families (81 mothers, 78 fathers, 130 children aged 12–20 years) took part in the study. They individually and separately completed questionnaires related to sleep and psychological functioning.

Sleep quality was related within families. Poor sleep among children and parents was related in each case to more depressive symptoms and stress. Mothers' sleep and psychological functioning were more related to adolescent children's sleep and psychological functioning than were those of fathers.

Results confirm research showing that adolescent's and parents' sleep and psychological functioning are inter‐related. This association holds also true for families in northeastern Iran, suggesting that the association reflects universal features of family functioning.
Estrategias de lealtad de clientes en la banca universal
Authors: Baptista María Virginia , León María de Fátima
Published: September 2013

Esta investigación parte de los resultados obtenidos en el estudio previo sobre segmentación de lealtad declientes de la banca universal en el municipio Libertador del estado de Mérida (Venezuela), considerandolas dimensiones de satisfacción y compromiso. El objetivo principal es proponer estrategias dirigidas aincrementar los niveles de satisfacción y compromiso en cada segmento identificado en dicho estudio.A través de la investigación cuantitativa apoyada en el análisis estadístico correlacional se analizan losatributos que los usuarios consideraron más importantes y que al mismo tiempo no valoraron satisfacto-riamente; asimismo, se identifican las fallas del servicio en estos atributos, elementos del compromiso quetuviesen baja presencia y las correlaciones moderadas positivas entre satisfacción y compromiso. Todoesto permite proponer estrategias en el contexto del marketing relacional que pueden ser adoptadas porla banca para mejorar la lealtad de sus clientes.
Correlation between central corneal thickness and myopia in Taiwan
Authors: Chen Yi‐Chun , Kasuga Toshimitsu , Lee Hsin‐Jui , Lee Shwu‐Huey , Lin Szu‐Yuan
Published: September 2013

The aim of the study was to explore the correlation between central corneal thickness (CCT) and the degree of myopia in Taiwanese adults. A total of 528 individuals were enrolled to undergo myopic laser refractive surgery from January 2004 to December 2006. Preoperative CCT was measured using the Orbscan corneal topography system and refractive status was determined by cycloplegic spherical equivalent. The relationship between CCT and refractive error was investigated by interindividual and intraindividual analyses. Participants had a mean age of 34.8 ± 7.3 years, and 79.9% were female. The mean refractive error was −7.27 ± 2.96 diopters and the mean CCT measurement was 560 ± 35 μm. CCT revealed that there was no association with age. However, CCT was significantly (p = 0.012) less in females than in males. The CCT also showed no significant association with refractive error (p = 0.49). Among the 67 participants with myopic anisometropia, the mean difference between both eyes was 3.09 ± 1.06 diopters. There was no association between the intereye CCT difference and refractive error (p = 0.57). The results remained the same after adjusting for age and sex. In conclusion, there was no correlation between CCT and the degree of myopia among adults in Taiwan. These data might contribute to the ongoing discussion about the role of CCT in the higher incidence of development and progression of glaucoma in myopic individuals.
Optimal mode decomposition for unsteady flows
Authors: Wynn A. , Pearson D. S. , Ganapathisubramani B. , Goulart P. J.
Published: September 2013

A new method, herein referred to as optimal mode decomposition (OMD), of finding a linear model to describe the evolution of a fluid flow is presented. The method estimates the linear dynamics of a high-dimensional system which is first projected onto a subspace of a user-defined fixed rank. An iterative procedure is used to find the optimal combination of linear model and subspace that minimizes the system residual error. The OMD method is shown to be a generalization of dynamic mode decomposition (DMD), in which the subspace is not optimized but rather fixed to be the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) modes. Furthermore, OMD is shown to provide an approximation to the Koopman modes and eigenvalues of the underlying system. A comparison between OMD and DMD is made using both a synthetic waveform and an experimental data set. The OMD technique is shown to have lower residual errors than DMD and is shown on a synthetic waveform to provide more accurate estimates of the system eigenvalues. This new method can be used with experimental and numerical data to calculate the ‘optimal’ low-order model with a user-defined rank that best captures the system dynamics of unsteady and turbulent flows.
Stall onset on aerofoils at low to moderately high Reynolds number flows
Authors: Morris Wallace J. , Rusak Zvi
Published: September 2013

The inception of leading-edge stall on stationary, two-dimensional, smooth, thin aerofoils at low to moderately high chord Reynolds number flows is investigated by a reduced-order, multiscale model problem via numerical simulations. The asymptotic theory demonstrates that a subsonic flow about a thin aerofoil can be described in terms of an outer region, around most of the aerofoil’s chord, and an inner region, around the nose, that asymptotically match each other. The flow in the outer region is dominated by the classical thin aerofoil theory. Scaled (magnified) coordinates and a modified (smaller) Reynolds number $(R{e}_{M} )$ are used to correctly account for the nonlinear behaviour and extreme velocity changes in the inner region, where both the near-stagnation and high suction areas occur. It results in a model problem of a uniform, incompressible and viscous flow past a semi-infinite parabola with a far-field circulation governed by a parameter $\tilde {A} $ that is related to the aerofoil’s angle of attack, nose radius of curvature, thickness ratio, and camber. The model flow problem is solved for various values of $\tilde {A} $ through numerical simulations based on the unsteady Navier–Stokes equations. The value ${\tilde {A} }_{s} $ where a global separation zone first erupts in the nose flow, accompanied by loss of peak streamwise velocity ahead of it and change in shedding frequency behind it, is determined as a function of $R{e}_{M} $. These values indicate the stall onset on the aerofoil at various flow conditions. It is found that ${\tilde {A} }_{s} $ decreases with $R{e}_{M} $ until some limit $R{e}_{M} $ (${\sim }300$) and then increases with further increase of Reynolds number. At low values of $R{e}_{M} $ the flow is laminar and steady, even when stall occurs. The flow in this regime is dominated by the increasing effect of the adverse pressure gradient, which eventually overcomes the ability of the viscous stress to keep the boundary layer attached to the aerofoil. The change in the nature of stall at the limit $R{e}_{M} $ is attributed to the appearance of downstream travelling waves in the boundary layer that shed from the marginal separation zone and grow in size with either $\tilde {A} $ or $R{e}_{M} $. These unsteady, convective vortical structures relax the effect of the adverse pressure gradient on the viscous boundary layer to delay the onset of stall in the mean flow to higher values of ${\tilde {A} }_{s} $. Computed results show agreement with marginal separation theory at low $R{e}_{M} $ and with available experimental data at higher $R{e}_{M} $. This simplified approach provides a universal criterion to determine the stall angle of stationary thin aerofoils with a parabolic nose.
Hermann Cohen dans la formation de la pensée d’Ernst Bloch
Authors: PELLETIER LUCIEN
Published: September 2013

Bien que le système criticiste de Hermann Cohen soit opposé à toute métaphysique et toute ontologie et, en cela, diverge radicalement de la philosophie réaliste d’Ernst Bloch, il a tout de même joué un rôle considérable dans la formation de celle-ci. L’appropriation par le jeune Bloch de la pensée de Cohen s’est opérée par l’intermédiaire de la lecture ontologisante qu’en avait faite Oswald Weidenbach. Bloch doit à Cohen les thèmes de l’origine comme question et problème, de l’avenir comme dimension première du temps, et de l’Idée comme hypothèse et destination pratique de la connaissance.
Proteolytic effect of Cynara cardunculus rennet for use in the elaboration of ‘Torta del Casar’ cheese
Authors: Ordiales Elena , Benito Maria José , Martin Alberto , Fernández Margarita , Hernández Alejandro , de Guia Córdoba Maria
Published: September 2013

The purpose of this work was to analyse the influence of rennet from different Cynara cardunculus plants, selected for its clotting and proteolytic activity on caseins, on the characteristics of manufactured ‘Torta del Casar’ cheeses. After classifying the cardoon according to proteolytic activity into five groups of greater or lesser activity, 16 batches of cheeses were made with rennet derived from different wild cardoon plants. We observed a major development of the proteolysis during ripening leading to the generation of non-protein nitrogen compounds. Especially noteworthy was the relationship of amino acid nitrogen (AN) generation with rennet clotting activity after 24 h of maceration, and the fact that the production of biogenic amines was not related to the proteolytic activity of the rennet. The activities of the rennet observed ‘in vitro’ were also developed ‘in vivo’ in the cheeses, with the different rennets used affecting the final sensory characteristics of cheeses. The rennet with high clotting activity after 24 h of maceration was positively correlated with the creaminess, viscosity, and acceptability of the cheese. However, the high proteolytic activity rennet negatively influenced the acidity, bitterness, and creaminess parameters. Therefore the most appropriate cardoons for making this cheese are those with higher clotting activities and moderate proteolytic activities especially on β-casein. The use of controlled and characterised cardoons in the manufacturing process of Torta del Casar is fundamental to obtaining the homogeneous product demanded by the Torta del Casar Registry of the Protected Designation of Origin.
Why Do Hedge Funds Avoid Disclosure? Evidence from Confidential 13F Filings
Authors: Aragon George O. , Hertzel Michael , Shi Zhen
Published: September 2013

We study a sample of Form 13F filings where fund advisors seek confidential treatment for some or all of their 13(f)-reportable positions. Consistent with the hypothesis that managers seek confidentiality to protect proprietary information, we find that confidential positions earn positive and significant abnormal returns over the post-filing confidential period. We also find that managers are more likely to seek confidential treatment of illiquid positions that are more susceptible to front-running. Overall, our analysis highlights important benefits of reduced disclosure that are relevant to the current policy debate on hedge fund transparency.
Paradiplozoon vaalense n. sp. (Monogenea: Diplozoidae) from the gills of moggel, Labeo umbratus (Smith, 1841), in the Vaal River System, South Africa
Authors: Dos Santos Q.M. , van Vuuren B. Jansen , Avenant-Oldewage A.
Published: September 2013

An unidentified monogenean diplozoid species was collected from the gills of moggel in the Vaal River and Vaal Dam, South Africa. Specimens were removed from gills of the hosts and observed using light and electron microscopy to compare these diplozoids with known species. The second internal transcribed spacer (ITS2) of the ribosomal gene was amplified, sequenced and compared to that of other diplozoid taxa. Morphological species delimitation was used to determine the identity of these diplozoids, but they did not match the description of any diplozoid taxa. This species is recognized by the specific size of the hooks, number of plicae in posterior and trapezoid anterior projection of the median sclerite connecting to the clamp jaws via a single sclerite, occasionally with two small additional sclerites. Genetic characteristics based on sequence data from the ITS2 region also distinguish this taxon from all other diplozoid taxa. This South African diplozoid grouped in the same clade as Paradiplozoon ichthyoxanthon Avenant-Oldewage, 2013. Data clearly indicate that diplozoids collected from moggel represent a new, distinct taxon of Paradiplozoon Akhmerov, 1974 and are described here as Paradiplozoon vaalense n. sp.
Identifying key habitat and seasonal patterns of a critically endangered population of killer whales
Authors: Esteban Ruth , Verborgh Philippe , Gauffier Pauline , Giménez Joan , Afán Isabel , Cañadas Ana , García Pedro , Murcia Jose Luis , Magalhães Sara , Andreu Ezequiel , de Stephanis Renaud
Published: September 2013

Killer whales have been described in the Gulf of Cadiz, southern Spain, in spring and in the Strait of Gibraltar in summer. A total of 11,276 cetaceans sightings coming from different sources (dedicated research surveys, whale watching companies and opportunistic observations) were used to create two presence–‘pseudo-absence’ predictive generalized additive models (GAM), where presence data were defined as sightings of killer whales and ‘pseudo-absence’ data as sightings of other cetacean species. One model was created using spring data when killer whales’ main prey, Atlantic bluefin tuna, enter the Mediterranean Sea, and the other model used summer data when Atlantic bluefin tuna return to the Atlantic Ocean. Both model predictions show that killer whales are highly associated with a probable distribution of bluefin tuna during their migration throughout the study area, constraining their distribution to the Gulf of Cadiz in spring and the Strait of Gibraltar in spring and summer. Knowledge of the distribution of killer whales in the study area is essential to establish conservation measures for this population.
The Genitive ὈΔΥΣΕΥΣ (OD. 24.398) and Homer's ‘Awkward’ Parentheses
Authors: Currie Bruno
Published: September 2013

Modern editions read Ὀδυσεῦς, a contracted genitive singular, at Od. 24.398: an anomalous form, which fuels the case for the inauthenticity of the end of the Odyssey. We should consider rather reinstating the reading of the ‘vulgate’, Ὀδυσεῦς (nominative). This yields a different syntax: a rapid double change of subject or, equivalently, a parenthesis interrupting the flow of the sentence. This possibility, raised and dismissed by Eustathius, goes unmentioned by modern scholars, who are often in general (unlike their second-century counterpart Nicanor) ill-disposed to Homeric parentheses. A survey of Homeric parentheses shows the phenomenon in general and the specific instance postulated at Od. 24.398 to be unobjectionable. The validity of the terms ‘parenthesis’ and ‘sentence’ for Homeric discourse is also defended.
Rethinking the Hellenistic Gulf: The New Greek Inscription from Bahrain
Authors: Kosmin Paul
Published: September 2013

The recent discovery in Bahrain of a Greek inscription, dating to the 120s BC, transforms our understanding of the Arab-Persian Gulf in the Hellenistic period. The inscription, recording the dedication of a shrine to the Dioskouroi on behalf of the first independent king of Characene, indicates that Bahrain was a garrisoned node within the Seleucid Empire and the centre of the previously unknown archipelagic administrative district ‘Tylos (Bahrain) and the Islands’. Seleucid and Characenian control of Bahrain is placed within the longue durée political history of relations between southern Mesopotamia and Dilmun. The cultic dedication to the Dioskouroi traces the consciously Hellenizing modalities of Characenian emancipation from the Seleucid Empire and the development of a coherent maritime religious network in the Gulf.
The Aorist Infinitives in -EEIN in Early Greek Hexameter Poetry
Authors: Nikolaev Alexander
Published: September 2013

This paper examines the distribution of thematic infinitive endings in early Greek epic in the context of the long-standing debate about the transmission and development of Homeric epic diction. There are no aorist infinitives in -έμεν in Homer which would scan as ◡◡ – before a consonant or caesura (for example *βαλέμεν): instead we find unexplained forms in -έειν (for example βαλέειν). It is argued that this artificially ‘distended’ ending -έειν should be viewed as an actual analogical innovation of the poetic language, resulting from a proportional analogy to the ‘liquid’ futures. The total absence of aoristic -έειν in Hesiod is unlikely to be coincidental: the analogical form must have been the product of a specifically East Ionic Kunstsprache, and so could have been simply unknown in some other Ionian school of epic poetry where Hesiod was trained. Finally, the striking avoidance of anapaestic aorist infinitives in -έειν is argued to be explained better under the ‘diffusionist’ approach to the Aeolic elements in Homeric diction than under the ‘Aeolic phase’ theory.
The Future Optative in Greek Documentary and Grammatical Papyri
Authors: O'Sullivan Neil
Published: September 2013

The neglected area of later Greek syntax is explored here with reference to the future optative. This form of the verb first appeared early in the classical age but virtually disappeared during the Hellenistic era. Under the influence of Atticism it reappeared in later literary texts, and this paper is concerned largely with its revival in late legal and epistolary texts on papyrus from Egypt. It is used mainly in set legal phrases of remote future conditions, but we also see it in letters to express wishes (again, largely formulaic) for the future, both of which uses are foreign to Attic Greek. Finally, the future optative's appearance in conjugations on grammatical papyri from Egypt is used to demonstrate the form's presence in education even at the end of the classical world there, with the archive of Dioscorus of Aphrodito uniquely showing both this theoretical knowledge of it and examples of its application in legal documents.
Review of doctoral research in language assessment in Canada (2006–2011)
Authors: Cheng Liying , Fox Janna
Published: September 2013

This paper reviews a selected sample of 24 doctoral dissertations in language assessment (broadly defined), completed between 2006 and 2011 in Canadian universities. These dissertations fall into five thematic categories: 1) reliability, validity and factors affecting test performance; 2) washback (impact) and ethics; 3) raters, rating and rating scales; 4) classroom-based research: teaching, learning and assessment; and 5) vocabulary learning, lexical proficiency and lexical richness. The themes were categorized according to the International Language Testing Association (ILTA) bibliographical categorization index. We identify trends such as the methodological strength of complex mixed methods research design, which enhances the validity of the research findings: 16 (67%) took a pragmatic (rather than paradigmatic) approach in their use of mixed methods, with four (17%) opting for multi-method quantitative approaches and four (17%) for qualitative. We also discuss the depth and breadth of these dissertations and situate their scholarly contributions within Canadian and international research on language assessment.