bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sociedad civil: más allá del non profit
Authors: De Haro Serrano Miguel
Published: April 2016

Para un grupo de autores, numeroso y de autoridad probada, la sociedad civil termina en las organizaciones no lucrativas. El non profit es el gran límite, la frontera rígida y estática. El limes del Imperio Romano era bastante menos contundente que el non profit de ciertos académicos. Dura lex, e injusta ley, que deja fuera del ámbito de la sociedad civil a las entidades de la economía social y a todo el mercado que gira en torno a la empresa mercantil. Sin embargo, los nuevos cambios en la misma sociedad y el nuevo concepto de empresa orientada hacia la sociedad sin abandonar la búsqueda del beneficio, plantean una sociedad civil más allá del non profit.
Usos del tiempo de mujeres y hombres en La Gomera: un estudio de caso
Authors: Gutiérrez Barroso Josué
Published: April 2016

En esta investigación, financiada por el Excmo. Cabildo Insular de La Gomera, se analizarán las diferencias y semejanzas de mujeres y hombres de la Isla de La Gomera a través del estudio de los usos del tiempo. La importancia del estudio viene dada por el análisis de una zona con peculiaridades demográficas que influyen en el plano de la igualdad de género y la posibilidad de establecer diferencias con el resto del territorio español. Para ello, se aplicó la técnica de la encuesta a los hombres y mujeres habitantes de La Gomera, obteniendo unos resultados interesantes a la hora de observar las diferencias entre ambos sexos según los diferentes usos del tiempo estudiados (tiempo al día dedicado a necesidades personales, trabajo doméstico, cuidado de la familia, mantenimiento del hogar, tareas del hogar fuera del mismo, tiempo libre y trabajo remunerado). Además, se compararon los resultados con otro estudio similar realizado por el Instituto de la Mujer.
La integración de los inmigrantes a través de la comunicación
Authors: Clemente Miguel , Espinosa Pablo , Fernández Antón Mercedes
Published: April 2016

La comunicación es fundamental a la hora de conseguir la integración de los inmigrantes. Se parte de la hipótesis de que a mayor nivel de contacto comunicativo de los inmigrantes con personas y elementos de comunicación de la cultura española, mayor nivel de integración; y de que dicho nivel de integración será mayor en los hijos que en los padres. Para ello se creó una encuesta en la que se investigó hasta qué punto los hijos de tres colectivos de inmigrantes (chinos, marroquíes y rumanos) estaban integrados más a la cultura de origen de sus padres o a la española. Se utilizó una muestra de 900 sujetos, 150 padres y 150 hijos de cada nacionalidad. Los resultados indican cómo la mayor integración se produce en el colectivo rumano y la menor en el chino, y cómo los padres están menos integrados que sus hijos. Se discuten los resultados.
Tendencias globales de la transversalidad de género
Authors: Martínez Boyé Ángeles
Published: April 2016

Desde la década de los ochenta del siglo pasado, la transversalidad de género irrumpió como un objeto de estudio emergente en las ciencias sociales, y sobre todo en los ámbitos de la intervención política y social. Se trata de un periodo temporal suficiente para llevar a cabo un análisis crítico de un proceso de cambio cultural en sentido sociológico cuyas perspectivas de continuación y profundización están sujetas, de modo considerable, a las consecuencias de la crisis económica y financiera sistémica padecida a escala global desde 2008 y producida por el neoliberalismo hegemónico.
Reflexiones sobre el trabajo sanitario con personas mayores en la administración pública. Estudio de casos
Authors: Nieto-Morales Concepción , Nieto-Cabrera Lourdes , Díaz González Manuel Francisco
Published: April 2016

En este trabajo se analiza el discurso de profesionales sanitarias vocacionales que trabajan en residencias públicas, desde una perspectiva de empleo público y cuidados personales. La crisis ha destruido empleos, derechos sociales, ha precarizado el trabajo que se realiza en todos los ámbitos y de forma especial en la Administración, se comienza a externalizar y subcontratar el trabajo, a flexibilizar las condiciones laborales, se crea inestabilidad lo que conlleva empeorar las condiciones de los profesionales públicos y sanitarios en particular. Hay que preguntarse dónde quedan la estabilidad laboral, la vocación y trabajar en lo que cada persona se ha especializado. Cada vez más se empeoran las condiciones laborales, produciéndose gran precariedad laboral, las estadísticas reflejan que a más formación menor desempleo, pero también es cierto que existen muchos universitarios trabajando en sectores diferentes a los que se han formado. Para centrarse en este trabajo se ha realizado un grupo de discusión compuesto por 6 personas, Diplomadas Universitarias en Enfermería y Auxiliares de Enfermería que trabajan en residencias públicas para personas mayores; dicho grupo de discusión se realiza fuera del centro laboral.
EFFECT OF GARLIC POWDER ADDITION TO GELATIN BIOCOMPOSITE ON ITS ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY
Authors: Kusuma Pramudita Putri
Published: April 2016

The addition of garlic powder to gelatin from chicken claw waste was potentially developed as a natural preservative in food, especially for meat. Preparation of gelatin/garlic biocomposite was performed in three stages: synthesis of gelatin from chicken claw, garlic powder preparation as allicin source and preparation of biocomposite gelatin/garlic. The preparation of dry biocomposites was done by weighing the gelatin and garlic powder in weight ratio of 1 : 1 and 1 : 2 (w/w) in the total mass of 0.75 grams. For wet biocomposite preparation, the mixture of the powder was solved in 5 mL of lactic acid 2 %. Functional groups of gelatin, garlic and biocomposite were analyzed by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The antibacterial activity of biocomposite against Staphylococcus aureus were tested using disc diffusion method. This test was performed on garlic powder, solvent and gelatin/garlic biocomposites powder in the ratio of 1 : 1 and 1 : 2 in 2 % lactic acid solvent. The biocomposite with a weight ratio of gelatin : garlic of  1 : 1 had the optimum diameter of inhibition zone. The effectiveness of biocomposite gelatin/garlic as natural preservative applied in meat was also physically studied by organoleptic analysis. Organoleptic analysis through the hedonic test was conducted on the parameters of color, smell, and texture of gelatin/garlic biocomposites-coated meat. The results showed that the addition of garlic can increase the effectiveness of gelatin as a natural preservative of meat for four days stored in closed packaging at room temperature.
BACTERIAL CELLULOSE FROM RICE WASTE WATER AND ITS COMPOSITE WHICH ARE DEPOSITED NANOPARTICLE AS AN ANTIMICROBIAL MATERIAL
Authors: Rohaeti Eli
Published: April 2016

Bacterial cellulose (C) and its composites were synthesized from rice waste water with addition of glycerol (G) and chitosan (Ch).Antibacterial activity of the C, the bacterial cellulose-chitosan composite (CCh), and the bacterial  cellulose – glycerol - chitosan composite (CGCh) which were deposited silver nanoparticles against S. aureus, E. coli,  and yeast C. albicans has been conducted. Silver nanoparticles was prepared by chemical reduction of a silver nitrate solution, a trisodium citrate as a reductor, and a PVA as a stabilizer. The UV-Vis spectroscopy is used to determine the formation of silver nanoparticles. The characterization was conducted on the bacterial celluloses and those composites including the functional groups by the FTIR, the mechanical properties by Tensile Tester, photos surfaces by SEM, and the test of the antibacterial activity against S. aureus, E. coli, and C. albicans by diffusion method. The silver nanoparticle characterization indicates that the silver nanoparticles are formed at a wavelength of 418.80 nm. The antibacterial test showed an inhibitory effect of the C, the CCh, and the CGCh which are deposited  the silver nanoparticles against of S. aureus, E. coli,  and C.albicans. The CGChs which are deposited silver nanoparticles has the highest antimicrobial activity against the Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923. The CGs which are deposited silver nanoparticles provide the highest antimicrobial activity against the E. coli ATCC 25922 and the yeast Candida albicans ATCC 10231.
Arsenic concentration in drinking water of Bihar: health issues and socio-economic problems
Authors: Thakur Barun Kumar , Gupta Vijaya
Published: April 2016

More than 10 million people residing in 13 districts of the state of Bihar are facing the acute problem of arsenic contamination in drinking water. The objective of this paper is to quantify arsenic in drinking water, and to understand the associated health problems, health costs and socio-economic issues in the region. In the study, a field test kit was used to test the arsenic concentration in drinking water collected from 276 households. It was revealed that 63% of the households' drinking water contained arsenic in the excess of 10 ppb, 19.6% had arsenic concentration between 100 and <300 ppb, and 5% of the water samples contained arsenic between 300 and 500 ppb. Also, incidences of illness were found to be more frequent among children and females than among males. Monthly household cost and monthly per capita costs for the affected households and for all the surveyed households were found to be US$ 33.8 and US$ 3.9, and US$ 11.6 and US$ 1.3, respectively. The excess concentration of arsenic in drinking water over prolonged periods is likely to cause primary, secondary and tertiary health effects, and is a serious cause of concern.
When behavior change fails: evidence for building WASH strategies on existing motivations
Authors: Marshall Lia , Kaminsky Jessica
Published: April 2016

Despite increased efforts, an estimated 30–40% of rural drinking water initiatives in developing countries fail to provide sustainable solutions. The Sustainable Development Goal for water (SDG 6) challenges us to solve this problem to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. In this paper, we explore one possible barrier to success: a potential misalignment between local and outside motivations. We address this problem by analyzing how strategies used to successfully (n = 148) and unsuccessfully (n = 70) deliver drinking water to rural areas align with known motivations of local stakeholders. As one tool and starting point, we use definitions in Maslow's theory of motivation to learn and share how to more consistently and successfully build comprehensive motivations into solutions. The results reveal that successful strategies rarely focus on physiological needs (2/148) and often focus on higher-level needs, including self-esteem (75/148), love and belonging (46/148), and safety (69/148). Successful strategies also typically address multiple needs and are designed to meet the actualization (fulfill potential) of both communities and donors. Unsuccessful strategies focus on needs of outside stakeholders above local stakeholders (46/70), fail to address higher-level or multiple needs, and/or unsuccessfully address existing needs.
Sewage pollution in New York, USA: impact of the ‘Right to Know’ Act
Authors: Vedachalam Sridhar , Singh Parmeet , Riha Susan J.
Published: April 2016

In 2012, New York, USA enacted the Sewage Pollution Right to Know (SPRtK) Act, which requires public notification of untreated and partially treated sewage discharges. With the passing of this law, New York joined 12 other states that have similar laws but none as comprehensive as New York's. As part of the SPRtK Act requirements, aggregated sewage discharge reports (SDRs) are made available on the web. For this study, we made use of one year's worth of SDRs to identify spatial and temporal patterns in sewage discharge incidents. The SDRs were strongly associated with the type of municipality, density and age of the treatment plant. New York has some of the oldest infrastructure in the USA, and this law enables the state environmental agency to document instances of failure and take corrective action. Proper implementation of the law would place information in the hands of the people and protect public health.
Rationalising water policy and the institutional and water governance arrangements in Sao Paulo, Brazil
Authors: Barbosa Marina Costa , Mushtaq Shahbaz , Alam Khorshed
Published: April 2016

Integrated water resources management approaches have been developed worldwide to improve water resources management practices. There are however, lingering issues with reference to the applicability of its integrated principles, especially when shifting from policy to practice (action). By conducting an exploratory case study in the Sao Paulo State, Brazil, this paper explores different stakeholders' perspectives regarding the water policy (Water Act of 1991). Through analysing institutional and water governance arrangements, the research assesses if current water policy is being translated into practice. Analysis suggests that the water policy and proposed principles are aligned with international approaches for water resources management. However, results also indicate that the principles by themselves are not sufficient to guarantee successful practice of a decentralised, participatory and integrated water resources management system. In a complex water management system, such as the one in the Sao Paulo State, coordination among different government levels and sectors is considered to be a key element to improve the likelihood of water policy implementation.
Endocrine Disruptors: a Real Concern for Humans?
Authors: Mita Damiano Gustavo
Published: April 2016

The role of Endocrine Disruptors as real risk for ecosystems, wildlife and humans represents a concern and the debate on this issue is open owing the conflicting interests between the producers of these products and the scientific community. A concise overview of the nature, presence and adverse effects induced in wildlife and humans by Endocrine Disruptors is illustrated. Some indications to reduce the exposure risk to Endocrine Disruptors are suggested.
Simulation of Well Wall Stress Distribution Model and Well Stability
Authors: Liang Lixi , Yuan Wen , Liu Xiangjun , Wu Tao
Published: April 2016

Horizontal well has gained increasing importance in oil and gas development. Thus stress distribution models around the horizontal well attract more people than earlier. In the last few years, a lot of stress distribution models have been proposed by domestic and international scholars. Through numerical simulation analysis, the differences between five models have been analyzed. The classic model suits for qualitative characterization. Using D-P principle to judge well wall stability of different models instructs that the differences between models decrease with the increase of stability factor.
Wastewater Colloidal Organic Carbon: Characterization of Filtration Fractions Using 1H NMR
Authors: McPhedran Kerry N. , Seth Rajesh
Published: April 2016

The current study separates colloidal organic carbon (COC) of municipal wastewater using membrane and ultrafiltration filters followed by characterization using 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and UV absorbance with the goal of determination of size‐specific characteristics, which may be used to correlate contaminant partitioning to natural COC. Passing fractions included 49.7, 44.8, 39.3, and 33.1 mg/L COC for filter sizes 1.5 μm, 0.45 μm, 100 kDa, and 1 kDa, respectively. The methodology used for processing COC prior to 1H NMR characterization was novel and successful in concentrating COC without modification of structures, which is the general drawback of other separation techniques such as resin extractions. This concentration technique is quite simple (i.e., not dependent on specialized instrumentation) and allows much shorter NMR experimental durations saving time and cost of analysis. Further work using NMR techniques will allow for greater understanding of COC molecular characteristics and be valuable for use in predictive modeling improvements.
Risk Assessment of Organochlorines in Mollusk from the Mediterranean and Red Sea Coasts of Egypt
Authors: El Nemr Ahmed , El‐Said Ghada F. , Khaled Azza
Published: April 2016

Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) residues were studied in different mollusk species from the Egyptian Mediterranean and Red Sea coasts. The average levels of OCPs in mollusks comprised chlordanes, dieldrins, total endrin, endosulfan compounds, and methoxychlor (DECEM), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs), and, hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs). The averages of HCHs, DDTs, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in mollusks from the Mediterranean Sea were 1.13 ± 1.21, 1.30 ± 1.27, and 1.40 ± 0.93 ng/g, respectively; from the Red Sea, they were 0.62 ± 0.90, 1.77 ± 1.82, and 6.44 ± 5.05 ng/g, respectively. The analysis of HCHs, DDTs, and PCBs in mollusks indicates a new usage of lindane, PCB congeners, and the input of technical HCH and aged DDT. The data showed that the Red Sea Coast was more affected by PCBs congeners than the Mediterranean Sea Coast, which may be attributed to the different activities along the two coastal areas. Mollusks in the Mediterranean Sea had higher dieldrins, total endrin, endosulfan compounds, and methoxychlor contents than those in the Red Sea. Interestingly, HCHs, DDTs, and PCBs levels were lower than those recommended for Swedish Food Regulation and U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which means that mollusks from these two coastal areas are safe as food.
Co-generation potentials of municipal solid waste landfills in Serbia
Authors: Boskovic Goran , Josijevic Mladen , Jovicic Nebojsa , Babic Milun
Published: April 2016

Waste management in the Republic of Serbia is based on landfilling. As a
result of such year-long practice, a huge number of municipal waste landfills
has been created where landfill gas has been generated. Landfill gas, which
is essentially methane (50-55%) and carbon dioxide (40-45%) (both GHGs), has
a great environmental impact which can be reduced by using landfill gas in
cogeneration plants to produce energy. The aim of this paper is to determine
economic and environmental benefits from such energy production. For that
purpose, the database of cogeneration potentials (CP) of 51 landfills in the
Republic of Serbia (RS) was created. Amount of landfill gas generated at each
municipal landfill was calculated by applying a first order decay equation
which requires the data about solid waste production and composition and
about some landfill characteristics. For all landfills, which have over
100,000 m3 each, a techno-economic analysis about building a CHP plant was
conducted. The results have shown, that the total investment in 14 CHP plants
with payback period of less than 7 years amounts ? 11,721,288. The total
nominal power of these plants is 7 MW of electrical power and 7.9 MW of
thermal power, and an average payback period is about 61 months. In addition,
using landfill biogas as energy source in proposed plants would reduce
methane emission for 161,000 tons of CO2 equivalent per year.
Evaporation of Renewable Fuels in a Lean Premixed Prevaporized Burner
Authors: Józsa Viktor , Csemány Dávid
Published: April 2016

The last decades have emphasized the requirement for alternative energy sources, particularly in the transport sector, where combustible liquid fuels are expected to dominate in the foreseeable future. In such applications, the fuel must be efficiently atomized, evaporated, and mixed with the combustion air before it reaches the flame front, in order to meet the latest pollutant emission standards.Hence, this paper investigates the utilization of nine different fossil and renewable liquid fuels. The domain of the analysis is a lean premixed prevaporized burner equipped with an air blast atomizer and a mixing tube. Analytical calculations are performed to determine the evaporation process after the atomization; then the evaporation time is compared to the residence time of the droplets in the mixing tube. The effect of preheating both the fuel and the combustion air is also examined to determine proper combustion conditions even for the low volatile crude vegetable oils.
Postbuckling Analysis of Functionally Graded Beams Using Nonlinear Model
Authors: Amara Khaled , Bouazza Mokhtar , Fouad Bourada
Published: April 2016

The major novelty of the paper in the study, post-buckling of simply supported FGM beams using various theory, classical beam theory (CBT), first-order shear deformation beam theory (FSDBT), parabolic shear deformation beam theory (PSDBT) and exponential shear deformation beam theory (ESDBT). Governing equations of FGM beam for post-buckling problem were found by applying Hamilton principle and Navier type solution method was used to solve post-buckling problem. It is assumed that elasticity modulus is changing in the thickness direction and all other material properties are taken to be constant. Variation of elasticity modulus in the thickness direction, are described by a simple power law distribution in terms of the volume fractions of constituents. The shear effect is shown to have a significant contribution to both the buckling and post-buckling behaviors. Results of this analysis show that classical and first-order theories underestimate the amplitude of buckling while all higher order theories, considered in this study, yield very close results for the static post-buckling response.
Intravenous caffeine versus intravenous ketorolac for the management of moderate to severe migraine headache
Authors: Baratloo Alireza , Bafarani Sara Arab , Forouzanfar Mohammad Mehdi , Hashemi Behrooz , Friedman Benjamin Wolkin , Abdalvand Ali
Published: April 2016

The aim of this study was to determine if intravenous caffeine is as effective as intravenous ketorolac for the treatment of moderate to severe migraine headaches. Eligible patients randomly received 60 mg caffeine citrate or 60 mg ketorolac infused intravenously. Their pain score were measured at baseline, one hour and two hours after infusion. Therapeutic success was defined as decreasing of at least 3 points on the pain score. In total 110 patients were enrolled (75.5% women). Therapeutic success after 60 min was achieved by 63.6% of patients in the caffeine and 70.1% of patients in the ketorolac group (p = 0.23). After 120 min, 87.3% of the caffeine group and 83.6% of the ketorolac group achieved therapeutic success (p = 0.49). In this multi-center, randomized double blind study, intravenous caffeine was as effective as intravenous ketorolac for first line abortive management of acute migraine.

 
Acute kidney injury is a common complication after acute stroke in Mymensingh Medical College Hospital
Authors: Ray Nitai Chandra , Chowdhury Md Ayub Ali , Roy Ashutosh Saha , Muqueet Md Abdul , Paul Binoy , Bhuiyan Mohammad Monzurul Alam , Sarkar Santana Rani
Published: April 2016

Stroke represents a continuously evolving medical and social problem, being the third leading cause of death after heart disease and cancer in developed countries. Acute kidney injury (AKI) may develop as a possible complication after acute stroke. Insufficient care of acute stroke patients is an important factor behind it. It may be associated with a significant burden of morbidity and mortality. This cross sectional observational study was conducted in Mymensingh Medical College & Hospital, Mymensingh from July 2012 to June 2014. A total of 240 patients with newly detected acute stroke confirmed by CT scan of brain were included in this study. According to this study, 15.42% of acute stroke patients developed AKI. Majority (54.05%) of the AKI patients were in >60 years age group. 17.93 % of male patients developed AKI and 11.58% of female patients developed AKI. So, AKI was a common complication after acute stroke. Early diagnosis and management of AKI may be an important part of management of these stroke patients.Bangladesh Med J. 2015 May; 44 (2): 82-86
Pregnancy related skin changes and skin diseases
Authors: Hassan Tahmida , Mohsena Masuda , Sultana Abida , Khondoker Lubna , Islam Shiropa , Sultana Razia
Published: April 2016

The skin and related structures undergo changes during pregnancy and peurperium. They can be separated into three categories - hormone related pregnancy specific and preexisting. the physiologic changes are mainly of cosmetic importance. The pregnancy specific skin diseases have associated symptoms. Most skin conditions resolve post partum and only require symptomatic treatment. Some of them are associated with an increase in both fetal and/or maternal morbidity and mortality.Bangladesh Med J. 2015 May; 44 (2): 112-116
Hourly Calculation Method of Air Source Heat Pump Behavior
Authors: Danza Ludovico , Belussi Lorenzo , Meroni Italo , Mililli Michele , Salamone Francesco
Published: April 2016

The paper describes an hourly simplified model for the evaluation of the energy performance of heat pumps in cooling mode maintaining a high accuracy and low computational cost. This approach differs from the methods used for the assessment of the overall energy consumption of the building, normally placed in the so-called white or black box models, where the transient conduction equation is deterministically and stochastically solved, respectively. The present method wants to be the expression of the grey box model, taking place between the previous approaches. The building envelope is defined using a building thermal model realized with a 3 Resistance 1 Capacitance (3R1C) thermal network based on the solution of the lumped capacitance method. The simplified model evaluates the energy efficiency ratio (EER) of a heat pump through the determination of the hourly second law efficiency of a reversed Carnot cycle. The results of the simplified method were finally compared with those provided by EnergyPlus, a dynamic building energy simulation program, and those collected from an outdoor test cell in real working conditions. The results are presented in temperatures and energy consumptions profiles and are validated using the Bland-Altman test.
Ferritin Levels in Colombian Children: Findings from the 2010 National Nutrition Survey (ENSIN)
Authors: Ramírez-Vélez Robinson , Correa-Bautista Jorge , Martínez-Torres Javier , González-Ruíz Katherine , Lobelo Felipe
Published: April 2016

Low ferritin is associated with many adverse health outcomes and is highly prevalent worldwide. The aim of this study was to describe the key findings related to plasma ferritin levels to identify the prevalence and associated sociodemographic factors in a representative sample of children in Colombia, based on the 2010 National Nutrition Survey. We analyzed cross-sectional data from 6650 Colombian children between the ages of 5 and 12. Plasma ferritin levels were determined by chemiluminescence. Sociodemographic data was assessed by computer-assisted personal interview technology. All analyses were conducted considering the complex nature of the sample. Of the children assessed, 3.5% had low ferritin, defined as levels <12 µg/L. A multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed increased risks for low ferritin levels among black or Afro-Colombian ethnic group and for those living in the northern, western and southern regions of the country. In conclusion, a significant prevalence of anemia caused by low ferritin levels was found and various sociodemographic factors were associated with this finding in Colombia. Continued surveillance and implementation of interventions to improve dietary patterns among the identified high-risk groups should be considered. Implementing these recommendations can help reduce manifestations of iron deficiency (e.g., delays in infant and child development) and thus improve public health.
Association between Pre-Transplant Serum Malondialdehyde Levels and Survival One Year after Liver Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Lorente Leonardo , Rodriguez Sergio , Sanz Pablo , Abreu-González Pedro , Díaz Dácil , Moreno Antonia , Borja Elisa , Martín María , Jiménez Alejandro , Barrera Manuel
Published: April 2016

Previous studies have found higher levels of serum malondialdehyde (MDA) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients compared to healthy controls and higher MDA concentrations in tumoral tissue of HCC patients than in non-tumoral tissue. However, the association between pre-transplant serum levels of MDA and survival in HCC patients after liver transplantation (LT) has not been described, and the aim of the present study was to determine whether such an association exists. In this observational study we measured serum MDA levels in 127 patients before LT. We found higher pre-LT serum MDA levels in 15 non-surviving than in 112 surviving patients one year after LT (p = 0.02). Exact binary logistic regression analysis revealed that pre-LT serum levels of MDA over 3.37 nmol/mL were associated with mortality after one year of LT (Odds ratio = 5.38; 95% confidence interval (CI) = from 1.580 to infinite; p = 0.007) adjusting for age of the deceased donor. The main finding of our study was that there is an association between serum MDA levels before LT for HCC and 1-year survival after LT.
The “Dead-End Tract” and Its Role in Arrhythmogenesis
Authors: De Vries Lennart , Hendriks Astrid , Szili-Torok Tamas
Published: April 2016

Idiopathic outflow tract ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) represent a significant proportion of all VAs. The mechanism is thought to be catecholamine-mediated delayed after depolarizations and triggered activity, although other etiologies should be considered. In the adult cardiac conduction system it has been demonstrated that sometimes an embryonic branch, the so-called “dead-end tract”, persists beyond the bifurcation of the right and left bundle branch (LBB). Several findings suggest an involvement of this tract in idiopathic VAs (IVAs). The aim of this review is to summarize our current knowledge and the possible clinical significance of this tract.
A Novel Modelling Approach for Condensing Boilers Based on Hybrid Dynamical Systems
Authors: Satyavada Harish , Baldi Simone
Published: April 2016

Condensing boilers use waste heat from flue gases to pre-heat cold water entering the boiler. Flue gases are condensed into liquid form, thus recovering their latent heat of vaporization, which results in as much as 10%–12% increase in efficiency. Modeling these heat transfer phenomena is crucial to control this equipment. Despite the many approaches to the condensing boiler modeling, the following shortcomings are still not addressed: thermal dynamics are oversimplified with a nonlinear efficiency curve (which is calculated at steady-state); the dry/wet heat exchange is modeled in a fixed proportion. In this work we cover these shortcomings by developing a novel hybrid dynamic model which avoids the static nonlinear efficiency curve and accounts for a time-varying proportion of dry/wet heat exchange. The procedure for deriving the model is described and the efficiency of the resulting condensing boiler is shown.
Adsorption and Flame Retardant Properties of Bio-Based Phytic Acid on Wool Fabric
Authors: Cheng Xian-Wei , Guan Jin-Ping , Chen Guoqiang , Yang Xu-Hong , Tang Ren-Cheng
Published: April 2016

Bio-based phytic acid (PA) as a nontoxic naturally occurring compound is a promising prospect for flame-retardant (FR) modifications to polymers. In this work, PA was applied to wool fabric using an exhaustion technique, and the adsorption and FR properties of PA on wool fabric were studied. The flame retardancy of the treated wool fabrics depended greatly on the adsorption quantity of PA, which was related to the pH of treatment solution, immersing temperature and initial PA concentration. The Langmuir adsorption of PA took place due to electrostatic interactions between PA and wool fiber. The limiting oxygen index, vertical burning and pyrolysis combustion flow calorimetry tests revealed that the treated wool fabrics exhibited good flame retardancy. The measurements of the phosphorus content of the burned fabric residues and thermogravimetric analyses suggested that a significant condensed-phase FR action was applicable to the PA treated fabrics. PA treatment was found to have little adverse effect on the whiteness and mechanical performance of wool. Additionally, the washing resistance of the FR fabrics should be further improved.
Monitoring of the Lac Bam Wetland Extent Using Dual-Polarized X-Band SAR Data
Authors: Moser Linda , Schmitt Andreas , Wendleder Anna , Roth Achim
Published: April 2016

Wetlands in semi-arid Africa are vital as water resource for local inhabitants and for biodiversity, but they are prone to strong seasonal fluctuations. Lac Bam is the largest natural freshwater lake in Burkina Faso, its water is mixed with patches of floating or flooded vegetation, and very turbid and sediment-rich. These characteristics as well as the usual cloud cover during the rainy season can limit the suitability of optical remote sensing data for monitoring purposes. This study demonstrates the applicability of weather-independent dual-polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data for the analysis of spatio-temporal wetland dynamics. A TerraSAR-X repeat-pass time series of dual-co-polarized HH-VV StripMap data—with intervals of 11 days, covering two years (2013–2015) from the rainy to the dry season—was processed to normalized Kennaugh elements and classified mono-temporally and multi-temporally. Land cover time series and seasonal duration maps were generated for the following four classes: open water, flooded/floating vegetation, irrigated cultivation, and land (non-wetland). The added value of dual-polarimetric SAR data is demonstrated by significantly higher multitemporal classification accuracies, where the overall accuracy (88.5%) exceeds the classification accuracy using single-polarimetric SAR intensity data (82.2%). For relevant change classes involving flooded vegetation and irrigated fields dual-polarimetric data (accuracies: 75%–97%) are favored to single-polarimetric data (42%–87%). This study contributes to a better understanding of the dynamics of semi-arid African wetlands in terms of water areas including water with flooded vegetation, and the location and timing of irrigated cultivations.
Sustained Remission Improves Physical Function in Patients with Established Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Should Be a Treatment Goal: A Prospective Observational Cohort Study from Southern Sweden
Authors: Einarsson Jon Thorkell , Geborek Pierre , Saxne Tore , Kristensen Lars Erik , Kapetanovic Meliha C.
Published: April 2016

Objective.

It has been proposed that remission should be maintained throughout the course of rheumatoid arthritis (RA); however, the evidence supporting this is limited. Physical function measured by the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) is a major outcome in RA, and HAQ is shown to be one of the strongest predictors of longterm outcomes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the physical function over a long time in patients with RA who achieved sustained remission (SR) compared with that of patients occasionally achieving remission [non-sustained remission (NSR)].

Methods.

Patients with RA treated with antitumor necrosis factor and included in the South Swedish Arthritis Treatment Group register were eligible for this study. We identified patients with a Disease Activity Score at 28 joints (DAS28) < 2.6 or Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI) ≤ 3.3 at some point and those who achieved SR, i.e., remission during consecutive visits for at least 6 months. The course of functional status was assessed using the HAQ at each visit.

Results.

Of the 2416 patients, 1177 (48.7%) reached DAS28 remission at some point. SR was achieved by 382 (15.8%) for the DAS28 and 186 (7.7%) for the SDAI criteria. Comparing the SR and NSR groups, HAQ improved during the first 12 months in the DAS28 remission. HAQ continued to improve relatively as long as SR was maintained. A higher proportion of patients in SR reached full physical function.

Conclusion.

In patients with established RA, physical function measured by the HAQ improves in patients reaching SR compared with patients who only occasionally reach remission. The improvement continues while in remission, which supports that maintaining remission should be a treatment goal.
Patients with Gout Treated with Conventional Urate-lowering Therapy: Association with Disease Control, Health-related Quality of Life, and Work Productivity
Authors: Wood Robert , Fermer Steve , Ramachandran Sulabha , Baumgartner Scott , Morlock Robert
Published: April 2016

Objective.

Implications of inadequate gout control were assessed through health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and work productivity of patients with gout adequately controlled while taking conventional urate-lowering therapy (ULT) for ≥ 3 months vs those whose gout was inadequately controlled.

Methods.

Retrospective data were drawn from the Adelphi Disease Specific Programme (DSP), a cross-sectional survey of patients with gout in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Patients completed these questionnaires: EQ-5D (3L), Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), and Work Productivity and Activity Impairment. Inadequate control was defined as the most recent serum uric acid (SUA) level > 6 mg/dl (> 360 µmol/l) or ≥ 2 flares in the last 12 months; adequate control as SUA level ≤ 6 mg/dl (≤ 360 µmol/l) and 0 flares. Appropriate statistical tests were used to assess differences between groups.

Results.

There were 836 (69%) inadequately and 368 (31%) adequately controlled gout cases. Mean age was 61 and 63 years and duration of current ULT was 32 and 57 months, respectively. Patients experiencing inadequate control reported significantly worse functioning and HRQOL, as measured by the EQ-5D (0.790 vs 0.877; difference: −0.087; p < 0.001) and PROMIS HAQ (13.21 vs 6.91; difference: 6.30; p < 0.001) scales. Productivity was also more impaired (work time missed: 4.5% vs 1.3%; impairment while working: 19.1% vs 5.2%; overall work impairment: 20.4% vs 5.6%; activity impairment: 20.3% vs 5.3%; all p < 0.001).

Conclusion.

Less than one-third of patients had gout that was adequately controlled. Those experiencing inadequately controlled gout reported significantly worse functioning, quality of life, and work productivity. Gout treatment strategies to improve disease control may lead to improvements in HRQOL and productivity.
Les relations sociales de travail à l’épreuve de la transaction sociale
Authors: Laport Danielle
Published: April 2016

La Martinique a connu deux conflits majeurs du travail en 1999 et 2009. La Martinique, bloquée partiellement pendant 6 mois pour l’un et bloquée totalement pendant 34 jours pour l’autre, doit prévenir un éventuel 2019. La dégradation des conflits du travail en situation bloquée semble être une constante. Faire du conflit une forme de socialisation dans les relations de travail est le défi à relever pour la Martinique. La transaction sociale, démarche d’analyse conçue par des Belges dans un contexte conflictuel, peut donner à la Martinique des clés de lecture et de compréhension pour transformer en nouvelles légitimités les termes de l’échange social inégal dans cette société à la révolution inachevée qui contredit l’équation économique « croissance = emploi ».
Hauts fonctionnaires et organisations régionales en Amérique centrale : émergence informelle du supranationalisme
Authors: Parthenay Kevin
Published: April 2016

L’objet de cet article est le processus d’institutionnalisation du Système d’Intégration Centraméricain (SICA). Malgré les critiques, l’inefficacité et les échecs de réformes, le SICA s’est transformé en profondeur depuis sa création en 1991. Pour comprendre le changement, nous adoptons une approche sociologique de l’intégration. Ainsi, nous empruntons à la sociologie politique et à la sociologie du changement en organisations internationales afin d’identifier les facteurs du changement au sein du SICA. Dans cet article, nous utilisons deux variables : l’ambigüité institutionnelle et les dispositions individuelles. Nous étudions d’une part le contexte organisationnel dans lequel les acteurs sont amenés à se mouvoir ainsi que les trajectoires socioprofessionnelles de ceux-ci par le biais d’une analyse prosopographique. Les données utilisées dans cet article sont le produit de trois terrains de recherches réalisés en Amérique centrale entre septembre 2009 et juillet 2012.
A Blended Learning Model for Learning Achievement Enhancement of Thai Undergraduate Students
Authors: Banyen Wirachat , Viriyavejakul Chantana , Ratanaolarn Thanin
Published: April 2016

Research was undertaken to develop a blended learning model which contained three objectives. They were to 1) study student and teacher input for a blended learning model using a Thai university undergraduate course in information, innovation, and technology in education for the learning management conditions and improvement methods; 2) to research how to effectively improve the blended learning model and instructional media in accordance with the 80/80 criteria and; 3) compare learning achievements and information literacy between student groups using the blended learning method and regular learning method with information literacy as the covariate. The research was divided into three phases consisting of the development of the conceptual framework, a second phase which studied the blended learning model using both e-learning and face-to-face methods with a 60/40 ratio. When applying a technology system to learning management utilizing instructional media, it was determined to be 81.53/80.11. Phase 3 found that blended learning affected learning and information literacy by at least 1 variate which had a different mean score from regular learning with a statistical significance at the 0.05 level. The findings showed that the Thai university undergraduate students were satisfied with the blended learning model which was due to the change in the learning system as well as being tasked with interesting and challenging computer based lessons outside class. This was later enforced through teacher delivered lesson summaries during formal class time. Students understood the content better, enjoyed the self-directed learning and doing things independently.
Blogs as a Means to Enhance Writing Skills in EFL Classes
Authors: Kuimova Marina Valeryevna , Zvekov Oleg Dmitrievich
Published: April 2016

The current trend of higher education is the increasing share of independent individual and group work of students, as well as their practical and creative work. All these inevitably lead to the introduction of innovative educational technologies aimed at reaching syllabus goals. An active use of information and communication technologies enhances the learning in a content area and can be a great help to maintain the desired level of students’ education. It allows advanced, diverse learning, drives motivation, creativity and learning outcomes. The authors make a review of the research on the use of blogs in foreign language teaching, discuss their benefits for both teachers and students, and share their experience of using blogs to promote learners’ writing skills.
Human Resources Management of Track and Field Web Course in College Physical Education
Authors: Lin Weiliang
Published: April 2016

This research aims is to improve the human resources management of track and field (T&F) web courses and its application effects. Methods: The research methods include literature, expert interview, questionnaire survey, mathematical statistics, system settings, software editing etc. Results: The results show that Course Guidance includes basic network technical course and training, Member and Class includes effective setting of students and groups (class, grade and team), which improve the collective management mode of the course teaching activity, Student Evaluation consists of self-study, co-created resources, teaching task and practice course level, which are representative, effective certification of directors, administrators and technicians and effective management of continuous training and co-created resources help the updating of the web course resources. Conclusion: Human resources management of T&F web courses effectively improves the management of students, directors, chief instructors and assistants; it enhances not only the participants' teaching and evaluating organization form, but also helps administrators set courses and create resources.
Study on the Application of Web Information Retrieval in the Teaching of Language Translation
Authors: Zhang Lin
Published: April 2016

The development of information technology at the end of the 20th century fundamentally transformed people’s daily lives and greatly influenced education as well, actually not all the undergraduate students of translation have the skills to access, utilize, and benefit from the continually updating online information. This poses a challenge to traditional orthodox translation teaching which is still dominant. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce Web Information Retrieval (WIR) skills to the translation learners. This research focuses on the translation curriculum reform and the effects of incorporating WIR in translation teaching. From data tests, questionnaires, and curriculum experiment prove that WIR incorporating significantly improves translation quality, translators and translation instructors both request that WIR skills should be incorporated in the teaching of language Translation.
Memórias de exposições: o projeto RaisExpo
Authors: Baião Joana
Published: April 2016

A história das exposições tornou-se num dos temas atualmente mais discutidos e valorizados nos campos da história da arte e da museologia. Esta nova disciplina está a contribuir para uma revisão crítica da historiografia da arte, das práticas museológicas e das políticas de promoção artística e valorização patrimonial. O projeto Catálogo Raisonné Online das Exposições de Arte da Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian insere-se no amplo debate internacional em torno do tema das exposições, participando numa tendência recente de valorização patrimonial destes eventos e de salvaguarda da sua memória. Neste artigo damos a conhecer os objetivos, a estrutura e a metodologia de trabalho deste projeto, tendo em conta os desafios que se colocam à valorização e divulgação deste património.
From Spherical Photogrammetry to 3D Modeling
Authors: Wahbeh Wissam
Published: April 2016

The introduced research is about 3D modeling technique that can be considered as an assembly point of photography, topography, photogrammetry, and computer graphics. The chapter present survey methods based on spherical panoramas produced by image stitching techniques, which are proved efficient in order to obtain a high metric quality. It is an interactive survey system to generating 3D models of architectural structures and urban scenes. Photogrammetric fundamentals are applied using two different approaches to obtain the 3D model: the first one is by using texture-mapping techniques in the way of creating the virtual models; while the second is by using parametric visual programing process.
Models for Design
Authors: Calvano Michele
Published: April 2016

In this chapter, geometrical algorithms are illustrated to resolve problems present in the creative process when designing a product. If it is explicit and automated, the algorithm can serve as a useful tool during the product design process. The objective is to simplify the step between the digital and physical models and vice versa, which is typically a necessary alternation when creating products. Two important operational areas are illustrated. One is related to digitally representing the product. The other deals with resolving the continuous comparison between the digital and real models. The need to compare the two models is due to the designer's need to construct full-scale prototypes. It is important to maintain these initial physical prefigurations of the idea because they may be modified and can inform the continuously evolving digital model.