bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Communicating through Probabilities: Does Quantum Theory Optimize the Transfer of Information?
Authors: Wootters William
Published: August 2013

A quantum measurement can be regarded as a communication channel, in which the parameters of the state are expressed only in the probabilities of the outcomes of the measurement. We begin this paper by considering, in a non-quantum-mechanical setting, the problem of communicating through probabilities. For example, a sender, Alice, wants to convey to a receiver, Bob, the value of a continuous variable, θ, but her only means of conveying this value is by sending Bob a coin in which the value of θ is encoded in the probability of heads. We ask what the optimal encoding is when Bob will be allowed to flip the coin only a finite number of times. As the number of tosses goes to infinity, we find that the optimal encoding is the same as what nature would do if we lived in a world governed by real-vector-space quantum theory. We then ask whether the problem might be modified, so that the optimal communication strategy would be consistent with standard, complex-vector-space quantum theory.
Common Beans and Their Non-Digestible Fraction: Cancer Inhibitory Activity—An Overview
Authors: Campos-Vega Rocio , Oomah B , Loarca-Piña Guadalupe , Vergara-Castañeda Haydé
Published: August 2013

The US Department of Agriculture’s MyPyramid guidelines introduced a near doubling of the dietary recommendations for vegetables including dry beans—an important food staple in many traditional diets that can improve public health and nutrition. Populations with high legume (peas, beans, lentils) consumption have a low risk of cancer and chronic degenerative diseases. Common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) are known as a rich, reliable source of non-digested compounds like fiber, phenolics, peptides and phytochemicals that are associated with health benefits. Emerging evidence indicates that common bean consumption is associated with reduced cancer risk in human populations, inhibiting carcinogenesis in animal models and inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in cell cultures. Fiber may reduce the risk of premature death from all causes, whereas the whole non-digestible fraction from common beans exhibits anti-proliferative activity and induces apoptosis in vitro and in vivo colon cancer. The mechanisms responsible for this apparently protective role may include gene-nutrient interactions and modulation of proteins’ expression. This review investigates the potential health benefits and bioactivity of beans on tumor inhibition, highlighting studies involving functional compounds, mainly non-digestible fractions that modulate genes and proteins, thereby, unraveling their preventive role against the development of cancer.
An Experimental Analysis of Asymmetric Power in Conflict Bargaining
Authors: Sieberg Katri , Clark David , Holt Charles , Nordstrom Timothy , Reed William
Published: August 2013

Demands and concessions in a multi-stage bargaining process are shaped by the probabilities that each side will prevail in an impasse. Standard game-theoretic predictions are quite sharp: demands are pushed to the precipice with nothing left on the table, but there is no conflict regardless of the degree of power asymmetry. Indeed, there is no delay in reaching an agreement that incorporates the (unrealized) costs of delay and conflict. A laboratory experiment has been used to investigate the effects of power asymmetries on conflict rates in a two-stage bargaining game that is (if necessary) followed by conflict with a random outcome. Observed demands at each stage are significantly correlated with power, as measured by the probability of winning in the event of disagreement. Demand patterns, however, are flatter than theoretical predictions, and conflict occurs in a significant proportion of the interactions, regardless of the degree of the power asymmetry. To address these deviations from the standard game-theoretic predictions, we also estimated a logit quantal response model, which generated the qualitative patterns that are observed in the data. This one-parameter generalization of the Nash equilibrium permits a deconstruction of the strategic incentives that cause demands to be less responsive to power asymmetries than Nash predictions.
Risk of Spina Bifida and Maternal Cigarette, Alcohol, and Coffee Use during the First Month of Pregnancy
Authors: Benedum Corey , Yazdy Mahsa , Mitchell Allen , Werler Martha
Published: August 2013

This study was conducted to assess the association between the risks of spina bifida (SB) in relation to cigarette, alcohol, and caffeine consumption by women during the first month of pregnancy. Between 1988–2012, this multi-center case-control study interviewed mothers of 776 SB cases and 8,756 controls about pregnancy events and exposures. We evaluated cigarette smoking, frequency of alcohol drinking, and caffeine intake during the first lunar month of pregnancy in relation to SB risk. Logistic regression models were used to calculate adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Levels of cigarette smoking (1–9 and ≥10/day), alcohol intake (average ≥4 drinks/day) and caffeine intake (<1, 1, and ≥2 cups/day) were not likely to be associated with increased risk of SB. Further, results were similar among women who ingested less than the recommended amount of folic acid (400 μg/day).
Antimicrobial Activity of a Neem Cake Extract in a Broth Model Meat System
Authors: Del Serrone Paola , Nicoletti Marcello
Published: August 2013

This work reports on the antimicrobial activity of an ethyl acetate extract of neem (Azadirachta indica) cake (NCE) against bacteria affecting the quality of retail fresh meat in a broth model meat system. NCE (100 µg) was also tested by the agar disc diffusion method. It inhibited the growth of all tested microorganisms. The NCE growth inhibition zone (IZ) ranged 11.33–22.67 mm while the ciprofloxacin (10 µg) IZ ranged from 23.41–32.67 mm. There was no significant difference (p ≤ 0.05) between the antimicrobial activity of NCE and ciprofloxacin vs. C. jejuni and Leuconostoc spp. The NCE antibacterial activity was moreover determined at lower concentrations (1:10–1:100,000) in micro-assays. The percent growth reduction ranged from 61 ± 2.08–92 ± 3.21. The higher bacterial growth reduction was obtained at 10 µg concentration of NCE. Species-specific PCR and multiplex PCR with the DNA dye propidium monoazide were used to directly detect viable bacterial cells from experimentally contaminated meat samples. The numbers of bacterial cells never significantly (p ≤ 0.05) exceeded the inocula concentration used to experimentally contaminate the NCE treated meat. This report represents a screening methodology to evaluate the antimicrobial capability of a herbal extract to preserve meat.
Transition Pathway and Its Free-Energy Profile: A Protocol for Protein Folding Simulations
Authors: Lee In-Ho , Kim Seung-Yeon , Lee Jooyoung
Published: August 2013

We propose a protocol that provides a systematic definition of reaction coordinate and related free-energy profile as the function of temperature for the protein-folding simulation. First, using action-derived molecular dynamics (ADMD), we investigate the dynamic folding pathway model of a protein between a fixed extended conformation and a compact conformation. We choose the pathway model to be the reaction coordinate, and the folding and unfolding processes are characterized by the ADMD step index, in contrast to the common a priori reaction coordinate as used in conventional studies. Second, we calculate free-energy profile as the function of temperature, by employing the replica-exchange molecular dynamics (REMD) method. The current method provides efficient exploration of conformational space and proper characterization of protein folding/unfolding dynamics from/to an arbitrary extended conformation. We demonstrate that combination of the two simulation methods, ADMD and REMD, provides understanding on molecular conformational changes in proteins. The protocol is tested on a small protein, penta-peptide of met-enkephalin. For the neuropeptide met-enkephalin system, folded, extended, and intermediate sates are well-defined through the free-energy profile over the reaction coordinate. Results are consistent with those in the literature.
Acetylcholinesterase Reactivators (HI-6, Obidoxime, Trimedoxime, K027, K075, K127, K203, K282): Structural Evaluation of Human Serum Albumin Binding and Absorption Kinetics
Authors: Zemek Filip , Zdarova Jana , Sepsova Vendula , Kuca Kamil
Published: August 2013

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) reactivators (oximes) are compounds predominantly targeting the active site of the enzyme. Toxic effects of organophosphates nerve agents (OPNAs) are primarily related to their covalent binding to AChE and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), critical detoxification enzymes in the blood and in the central nervous system (CNS). After exposure to OPNAs, accumulation of acetylcholine (ACh) overstimulates receptors and blocks neuromuscular junction transmission resulting in CNS toxicity. Current efforts at treatments for OPNA exposure are focused on non-quaternary reactivators, monoisonitrosoacetone oximes (MINA), and diacylmonoxime reactivators (DAM). However, so far only quaternary oximes have been approved for use in cases of OPNA intoxication. Five acetylcholinesterase reactivator candidates (K027, K075, K127, K203, K282) are presented here, together with pharmacokinetic data (plasma concentration, human serum albumin binding potency). Pharmacokinetic curves based on intramuscular application of the tested compounds are given, with binding information and an evaluation of structural relationships. Human Serum Albumin (HSA) binding studies have not yet been performed on any acetylcholinesterase reactivators, and correlations between structure, concentration curves and binding are vital for further development. HSA bindings of the tested compounds were 1% (HI-6), 7% (obidoxime), 6% (trimedoxime), and 5%, 10%, 4%, 15%, and 12% for K027, K075, K127, K203, and K282, respectively.
Antisense Therapy in Neurology
Authors: Lee Joshua , Yokota Toshifumi
Published: August 2013

Antisense therapy is an approach to fighting diseases using short DNA-like molecules called antisense oligonucleotides. Recently, antisense therapy has emerged as an exciting and promising strategy for the treatment of various neurodegenerative and neuromuscular disorders. Previous and ongoing pre-clinical and clinical trials have provided encouraging early results. Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), Huntington’s disease (HD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), Fukuyama congenital muscular dystrophy (FCMD), dysferlinopathy (including limb-girdle muscular dystrophy 2B; LGMD2B, Miyoshi myopathy; MM, and distal myopathy with anterior tibial onset; DMAT), and myotonic dystrophy (DM) are all reported to be promising targets for antisense therapy. This paper focuses on the current progress of antisense therapies in neurology.
Krempfielins J-M, New Eunicellin-Based Diterpenoids from the Soft Coral Cladiella krempfi
Authors: Lee Yan-Ning , Tai Chi-Jen , Hwang Tsong-Long , Sheu Jyh-Horng
Published: August 2013

New four eunicellin-based diterpenoids, krempfielins J–M (1–4) were isolated from the organic extract of a Taiwanese soft coral Cladiella krempfi. The structures of the new metabolites were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis. The structure of compound 2 is rare due to the presence of the highly oxygenated pattern. Anti-inflammatory activity of 1–6 to inhibit the superoxide anion generation and elastase release in FMLP/CB-induced human neutrophils was also evaluated, and 2 and 4 were shown to possess the ability to inhibit the elastase release.
Contributions of NMR to the Understanding of the Coordination Chemistry and DNA Interactions of Metallo-Bleomycins
Authors: Lehmann Teresa , Topchiy Elena
Published: August 2013

Bleomycins are a family of glycopeptide antibiotics that have the ability to bind and degrade DNA when bound to key metal ions, which is believed to be responsible for their antitumor activity. Knowledge of the structures of metallo-bleomycins is vital to further characterize their mechanism of action. To this end, numerous structural studies on metallo-bleomycins have been conducted. NMR spectroscopy has had a key role in most of these studies, and has led to very important findings involving the coordination chemistry of metallo-bleomycins, and the details of many metallo-bleomycin-DNA spatial correlations for this important drug. This paper reviews the most important contributions of NMR to the bleomycin field.
Advances in Kinetic Isotope Effect Measurement Techniques for Enzyme Mechanism Study
Authors: Gu Hong , Zhang Shuming
Published: August 2013

Kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) are a very powerful tool for investigating enzyme mechanisms. Precision of measurement is the most important factor for KIE determinations, especially for small heavy atom KIEs. Internal competition is commonly used to measure small KIEs on V/K. Several methods, including such as liquid scintillation counting, mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and polarimetry have been used to determine KIEs. In this paper, which does not aspire to be an exhaustive review, we briefly review different experimental approaches for the measurement of KIEs on enzymatic reaction with an emphasis on newer techniques employing mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry as well as some corresponding examples.
Non-Viable Lactobacillus reuteri DSMZ 17648 (Pylopass™) as a New Approach to Helicobacter pylori Control in Humans
Authors: Mehling Heidrun , Busjahn Andreas
Published: August 2013

Prevalence of infections by Helicobacter pylori, a pathogen involved in a number of gastrointestinal diseases, remains high in developing countries. Management of infections by eradication is not always an option. Lactobacillus reuteri (L. reuteri) DSMZ17648 (Pylopass™/Lonza) specifically co-aggregates H. pylori in vitro and was shown to reduce 13C urea breath test in vivo. In this pilot study, we tried to replicate previous findings in an independent sample and to evaluate effects of spray-drying vs. freeze-drying of cultures. A single-blinded, placebo-controlled study was done in 22 H. pylori positive, asymptomatic adults. H. pylori levels were determined by 13C-urea-breath method after 14 days of supplementation, as well as after 6, 12, and 24 weeks follow-up. In the test group, but not in the placebo group, a significant reduction of H. pylori was observed. For the first time, spray-dried cells of L. reuteri DSMZ17648 have been used in a human study and results are in line with the first study results, supplementing with freeze-dried material. This is of special interest as spray-drying results in dead cell material, meaning that the effect of L. reuteri must be independent of its probiotic activity. These results confirm the potential of Pylopass™ as a novel way to reduce the load of H. pylori.
Targeting Platelet Thrombin Receptor Signaling to Prevent Thrombosis
Authors: Wallace Eric , Smyth Susan
Published: August 2013

Platelets contribute fundamentally to ischemic heart disease, and antiplatelet therapy has been critical to reducing acute thrombotic complications of atherosclerotic disease. Thrombin, by acting on protease activated receptors (PAR), is one of the most potent platelet activators. PAR-1 antagonists may therefore provide more comprehensive antithrombotic effects. We review the pathophysiology of atherothrombosis, platelet activation by thrombin, the role of platelet protease activated receptors (PAR), and the clinical data supporting their use.
The Normalization of Citation Counts Based on Classification Systems
Authors: Bornmann Lutz , Marx Werner , Barth Andreas
Published: August 2013

If we want to assess whether the paper in question has had a particularly high or low citation impact compared to other papers, the standard practice in bibliometrics is to normalize citations in respect of the subject category and publication year. A number of proposals for an improved procedure in the normalization of citation impact have been put forward in recent years. Against the background of these proposals, this study describes an ideal solution for the normalization of citation impact: in a first step, the reference set for the publication in question is collated by means of a classification scheme, where every publication is associated with a single principal research field or subfield entry (e.g., via Chemical Abstracts sections) and a publication year. In a second step, percentiles of citation counts are calculated for this set and used to assign the normalized citation impact score to the publications (and also to the publication in question).
Application of Landsat to Evaluate Effects of Irrigation Forbearance
Authors: Cuenca Richard , Ciotti Shannon , Hagimoto Yutaka
Published: August 2013

Thirty-meter resolution Landsat data were used to evaluate the effects of irrigation management in the Wood River Valley, Upper Klamath Basin, Oregon. In an effort to reduce water use and leave more of the water resource in-stream, 4,674 ha of previously flood irrigated pasture was managed as dryland pasture. Ground-based measurements over one irrigated and one unirrigated pasture site were used to monitor the difference in evapotranspiration (ET) using the Bowen ratio-energy balance method. These data sets represent point measurements of the response to irrigation, but do not allow for the spatial integration of effects of irrigated versus unirrigated land treatment. Four Landsat scenes of the Wood River Valley during the 2004 growing season were evaluated using reconstructed METRIC algorithms. Comparisons of ET algorithm output with ground-based data for all components of the energy balance, including net radiation, soil heat flux, sensible heat flux and evapotranspiration, were made for the four scenes. The excellent net radiation estimates, along with reasonable estimates of the other components, are demonstrated along with the capability to integrate results to the basin scale.
Dynamic Assessment of Soil Erosion Risk Using Landsat TM and HJ Satellite Data in Danjiangkou Reservoir Area, China
Authors: Wang Lihui , Huang Jinliang , Du Yun , Hu Yanxia , Han Pengpeng
Published: August 2013

Danjiangkou reservoir area is the main water source and the submerged area of the Middle Route South-to-North Water Transfer Project of China. Soil erosion is a factor that significantly influences the quality and transfer of water from the Danjiangkou reservoir. The objective of this study is to assess the water erosion (rill and sheet erosion) risk and dynamic change trend of spatial distribution in erosion status and intensity between 2004 and 2010 in the Danjiangkou reservoir area using a multicriteria evaluation method.The multicriteria evaluation method synthesizes the vegetation fraction cover, slope gradient, and land use. Based on the rules and erosion risk assessment results of the study area in 2004 and 2010, the research obtained the conservation priority map. This study result shows an improvement in erosion status of the study area, the eroded area decreased from 32.1% in 2004 to 25.43% in 2010. The unchanged regions dominated the study area and that the total area of improvement grade erosion was larger than that of deterioration grade erosion. The severe, more severe, and extremely severe areas decreased by 4.71%, 2.28%, and 0.61% of the total study area, respectively. The percentages of regions where erosion grade transformed from extremely severe to slight, light and moderate were 0.18%, 0.02%, and 0.30%, respectively. However, a deteriorated region with a 2,897.60 km2 area was still observed. This area cannot be ignored in the determination of a general governance scheme. The top two conservation priority levels cover almost all regions with severe erosion and prominent increase in erosion risk, accounting for 7.31% of the study area. The study results can assist government agencies in decision making for determining erosion control areas, starting regulation projects, and making soil conservation measures.
Enhancing Indoor Inertial Pedestrian Navigation Using a Shoe-Worn Marker
Authors: Placer Mitja , Kovačič Stanislav
Published: August 2013

We propose a novel hybrid inertial sensors-based indoor pedestrian dead reckoning system, aided by computer vision-derived position measurements. In contrast to prior vision-based or vision-aided solutions, where environmental markers were used—either deployed in known positions or extracted directly from it—we use a shoe-fixed marker, which serves as positional reference to an opposite shoe-mounted camera during foot swing, making our system self-contained. Position measurements can be therefore more reliably fed to a complementary unscented Kalman filter, enhancing the accuracy of the estimated travelled path for 78%, compared to using solely zero velocities as pseudo-measurements.
A Survey on Temperature-Aware Routing Protocols in Wireless Body Sensor Networks
Authors: Oey Christian , Moh Sangman
Published: August 2013

The rapid growth of the elderly population in the world and the rising cost of healthcare impose big issues for healthcare and medical monitoring. A Wireless Body Sensor Network (WBSN) is comprised of small sensor nodes attached inside, on or around a human body, the main purpose of which is to monitor the functions and surroundings of the human body. However, the heat generated by the node’s circuitry and antenna could cause damage to the human tissue. Therefore, in designing a routing protocol for WBSNs, it is important to reduce the heat by incorporating temperature into the routing metric. The main contribution of this paper is to survey existing temperature-aware routing protocols that have been proposed for WBSNs. In this paper, we present a brief overview of WBSNs, review the existing routing protocols comparatively and discuss challenging open issues in the design of routing protocols.
A Wireless Passive Pressure Microsensor Fabricated in HTCC MEMS Technology for Harsh Environments
Authors: Tan Qiulin , Kang Hao , Xiong Jijun , Qin Li , Zhang Wendong , Li Chen , Ding Liqiong , Zhang Xiansheng , Yang Mingliang
Published: August 2013

A wireless passive high-temperature pressure sensor without evacuation channel fabricated in high-temperature co-fired ceramics (HTCC) technology is proposed. The properties of the HTCC material ensure the sensor can be applied in harsh environments. The sensor without evacuation channel can be completely gastight. The wireless data is obtained with a reader antenna by mutual inductance coupling. Experimental systems are designed to obtain the frequency-pressure characteristic, frequency-temperature characteristic and coupling distance. Experimental results show that the sensor can be coupled with an antenna at 600 °C and max distance of 2.8 cm at room temperature. The senor sensitivity is about 860 Hz/bar and hysteresis error and repeatability error are quite low.
Social Life Cycle Assessment as a Management Tool: Methodology for Application in Tourism
Authors: Arcese Gabriella , Lucchetti Maria , Merli Roberto
Published: August 2013

As is widely known, sustainability is an important factor in competition, increasing the added value of a company in terms of image and credibility. However, it is important that sustainability assessments are effectively addressed in a global perspective. Therefore, life cycle tools are adopted to evaluate environmental and social impacts. Among these, and of particular significance, appears the Social Life Cycle Assessment (SLCA), which, although in its early stage of development, seems to have extremely promising methodological features. For this reason, it seemed interesting to propose a first application to the tourism sector, which could be better than other methods, studied in terms of social sustainability data. The particular characteristics of service delivery lend themselves more to the development of data related to social sustainability than other sectors. In this paper the results of a case study carried out using social accounting and business management tools are shown.
Occurrence of Deoxynivalenol in Wheat in Slovakia during 2010 and 2011
Authors: Šliková Svetlana , Gavurníková Soňa , Šudyová Valéria , Gregová Edita
Published: August 2013

In this study, a total of 299 grain samples of wheat were collected from four production regions: the maize, sugar beet, potato and feed sectors of Slovakia. The samples were analyzed for deoxynivalenol (DON) content by using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay Ridascreen® Fast DON. Analysis of variance revealed a significant difference between years in DON contents (p < 0.027). The occurrence of samples with DON was 82.2% in 2010, with maximum DON content of 7.88 mg kg−1, and 70.7% in 2011, with maximum DON content of 2.12 mg·kg−1. The total mean DON content was 0.62 mg·kg−1; in the feed region 0.22 mg·kg−1; 0.63 mg·kg−1 in the maize region; 0.78 mg·kg−1 in the sugar beet region; 0.45 mg·kg−1 the potato region. The limit of 1.25 mg·kg−1 imposed by the European Union (EU) for DON content was exceeded in 13.7% of the studied samples. The average monthly rainfall for May to June played a critical role in DON content of wheat grains for maize and sugar beet producing regions. The present results indicate that DON content was at a high level in grains from wheat grown during 2010.
Immunization against Small Ruminant Lentiviruses
Authors: Reina Ramsés , Andrés Damián , Amorena Beatriz
Published: August 2013

Multisystemic disease caused by Small Ruminant Lentiviruses (SRLV) in sheep and goats leads to production losses, to the detriment of animal health and welfare. This, together with the lack of treatments, has triggered interest in exploring different strategies of immunization to control the widely spread SRLV infection and, also, to provide a useful model for HIV vaccines. These strategies involve inactivated whole virus, subunit vaccines, DNA encoding viral proteins in the presence or absence of plasmids encoding immunological adjuvants and naturally or artificially attenuated viruses. In this review, we revisit, comprehensively, the immunization strategies against SRLV and analyze this double edged tool individually, as it may contribute to either controlling or enhancing virus replication and/or disease.
The USE IT-adoption-model to Predict and Evaluate Adoption of Information and Communication Technology in Healthcare
Authors: Spil T. A. M. , Michel-Verkerke M. B.
Published: August 2013

Background and Objective: The USE IT-model integrates theories about adoption and diffusion of innovations and is suitable to predict and evaluate the success of an information system from a user’s perspective. The USE IT-model consists of four determinants: relevance, requirements, resources and resistance, which are measured at the macro-level (organizational), and at the micro-level (individual). After applying the USE IT approach in several researches we evaluated and updated the USE IT-model.

Methods: We used the USE IT-model in ten case studies in healthcare and compared the results of the studies with the determinants and dimensions of the USE IT-model.

Results: The quality of the implementation process is part of the innovation process- dimension and therefore relocated as a dimension of macro-resistance. The improvements and value in the relevance determinant are made more concrete by quality, efficiency, effectiveness, and task support. The dimensions of micro-resistance are reduced, and the dimension negative consequences is added. Also the dimensions of macro- and micro-requirements are made more specific to express the importance of information quality, availability and accessibility.

Discussion and Conclusion: The research resulted in the updated USE IT-adoption-model to predict and evaluate the adoption of information systems in healthcare. The structure and determinants of the original USE IT-model with a distinction between the macro- and micro-level remained unchanged.
Distance Measures for Surgical Process Models
Authors: Bühligen U. , Neumuth T. , Schumann S.
Published: August 2013

Background: The development of new resources, such as surgical techniques and approaches, results in continuous modification of surgery. To assess these modifications, it is necessary to use measures that quantify the impact of resources on surgical processes.

Objectives: The objective of this work is to introduce and evaluate distance measurements that are able to represent differences in the courses of surgical interventions as processes.

Methods: Hence, we present four different distance measures for surgical processes: the Jaccard distance, Levenshtein distance, Adjacency distance, and Graph matching distance. These measures are formally introduced and evaluated by applying them to clinical data sets from laparoscopic training in pediatric surgery.

Results: We analyzed the distances of 450 surgical processes using these four measures with a focus on the difference in surgical processes performed by novices and by experienced surgeons. The Levenshtein and Adjacency distances were best suited to measure distances between surgical processes.

Conclusion: The measurement of distances between surgical processes is necessary to estimate the benefit of new surgical techniques and strategies.
Minor Salivary Gland Inflammatory Lesions in Sjögren Syndrome: Do They Evolve?
Authors: Kapsogeorgou Efstathia K. , Christodoulou Maria I. , Panagiotakos Demosthenes B. , Paikos Spyros , Tassidou Anna , Tzioufas Athanasios G. , Moutsopoulos Haralampos M.
Published: August 2013

Objective.

The lymphocytic infiltrates of minor salivary gland (MSG) lesions of Sjögren syndrome (SS) vary in grade and composition and are generally thought to develop in stepwise manner. Their progression over time is not well defined.

Methods.

We studied repetitive MSG biopsy specimens from 28 patients with primary SS.

Results.

The infiltration grade and prevalence of the major infiltrating cell types (T and B cells, macrophages, dendritic cells, natural killer cells) remained largely unchanged during a median 55 month biopsy time interval followup (quartiles 42–81).

Conclusion.

We found significant disease progression involving the development of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma in patients expressing adverse serologic prognostic factors, such as low serum C4 complement levels and cryoglobulinemia.
Adhérents, militants et dirigeants : les conflits internes
Authors: Boudic Goulven , Haegel Florence , Lecœur Erwan , Béja Alice , Padis Marc-Olivier
Published: August 2013

Ces dernières années, les partis politiques se sont ouverts sur la société, à travers la mise en place de primaires ouvertes et le recours à des structures externes, par exemple pour la production d’idées (think tanks) . Quel est alors le rôle des militants ? Les partis ne risquent-ils pas de devenir des coquilles vides ayant pour seule fonction la désignation du candidat à l’élection présidentielle et la réélection d’élus installés ?
Faut-il attendre une refondation de la social-démocratie ?
Authors: Sente Christophe
Published: August 2013

La gauche européenne, loin de faire figure de modèle, semble aujourd’hui à bout de souffle. Pourtant, la social-démocratie a plus d’une fois traversé des crises majeures, et a toujours réussi à rebondir. Quelles peuvent être aujourd’hui les pistes d’une nouvelle alliance progressiste ?
Beppe Grillo : quand les étoiles s’éteignent
Authors: Béja Alice
Published: August 2013

Le Mouvement 5 étoiles du comique Beppe Grillo a créé la surprise aux élections législatives italiennes de février 2013, et le désordre dans la formation du gouvernement. Mais ce « recours » contre les partis traditionnels, leur corruption et leur incompétence, a lui aussi déçu les électeurs. Cette expérimentation offre-t-elle des perspectives pour un renouvellement de l’action collective ?
Quels espaces pour la démocratie ?
Authors: Monod Jean-Claude
Published: August 2013

La démocratie est toujours associée à l’idée de l’agora, de l’espace clos de la cité dans lequel le peuple délibère, en particulier en période de crise de la représentation, lorsque celle-ci apparaît comme une usurpation. Ce retour à l’agora, cependant, peut se faire aussi bien sur le mode d’une démocratie fermée et xénophobe que sur celui d’une réappropriation concrète de l’espace public : c’est à ces deux mouvements que l’on assiste aujourd’hui.
Pourquoi la crise économique s’éternise-t-elle en Europe ?
Authors: Pisani-Ferry Jean , Mongin Olivier , Padis Marc-Olivier , Zurita Victoria
Published: August 2013

Alors que les États-Unis voient leur taux de chômage baisser et leur croissance repartir, l’Europe semble enlisée dans la crise. Est-ce parce que les dirigeants européens n’en ont pas perçu l’ampleur ? Parce qu’ils ont favorisé la réduction des déficits sans voir les conséquences qu’elle pourrait avoir sur des économies déjà affaiblies ? Quel avenir peut-on dessiner pour la solidarité européenne, à l’heure où l’Europe semble irrémédiablement divisée entre pays du Nord et pays du Sud ?
Michel de Certeau, la mystique et l’écriture
Authors: Giard Luce , Schlegel Jean-Louis , Lalaut Clémence , Padis Marc-Olivier
Published: August 2013

L’expérience mystique échappe aux catégories théologiques traditionnelles. Dans son œuvre, Michel de Certeau a cherché à rendre compte de cette expérience, en l’approchant par le prisme des sciences sociales, sans nier la singularité du sujet mystique, fidèle en cela à son approche toujours plurielle, à la marge, refusant d’adopter un discours unique et surplombant.
Le court terme de la légitimité : prises de position, rumeurs et perceptions entre janvier et septembre 2012 à Bamako
Authors: Gavelle Julien , Siméant-Germanos Johanna , Traoré Laure
Published: August 2013

En concentrant la focale d’observation sur la capitale malienne, et dans le temps court, cet article examine plusieurs aspects de la crise qui ne se résument pas à la rébellion au Nord ou à la déréliction des institutions politiques. Après avoir montré ce qui a contribué à la délégitimation rapide du président Amadou Toumani Touré au début de l’année 2012, l’article examine les opportunités offertes par la crise à certains secteurs de la société, observe de quelle façon se déploient les mobilisations et le recours à la violence, et envisage les formes d’autocensure et de recours aux rumeurs. L’article suggère de ne pas considérer la multiplication des rumeurs et récits concurrents comme un seul obstacle à l’analyse, mais au contraire d’en faire un des matériaux de la compréhension des luttes de sens, des ralliements et des affrontements, tactiques aussi bien que moraux, qui se déploient à Bamako.
La gestion des migrations de retour, un paramètre négligé de la grille d'analyse de la crise malienne
Authors: Gary-Tounkara Daouda
Published: August 2013

L’objet de cet article est d’étudier les relations entre les associations de migrants de retour, l’État et la société au Mali. L’auteur montre que la dimension migratoire constitue un paramètre clé de la grille d’analyse de la crise actuelle. Cette dimension permet en effet de repenser les transformations passées et en cours autour des instances de mobilisation des migrants et d’interroger les modalités pratiques de l’élargissement des positionnements politiques en contexte malien. En revendiquant de nouveaux statuts, les militants associatifs plaident pour une refondation des politiques migratoires et une protection accrue de l’État.
Politique des prix, vie chère et contestation sociale à Niamey : quels répertoires locaux de la colère ?
Authors: Bonnecase Vincent
Published: August 2013

Cet article porte sur le mécontentement social face à l’augmentation des prix des denrées alimentaires dans la ville de Niamey. Alors que ce mécontentement a marqué bon nombre de villes du Sahel et du reste du monde depuis le milieu des années 2000, il interroge ses expressions proprement locales, non seulement dans le cadre de mobilisations collectives face à « la vie chère », mais aussi dans des situations plus ordinaires, en dehors des espaces les plus visibles de la contestation. Il s’attache à montrer que la colère face à l’augmentation des prix, loin de constituer une simple réaction induite par la dégradation des conditions de vie, charrie des imaginaires politiques locaux, eux-mêmes liés à la mémoire des politiques de contrôle des prix et d’approvisionnement des marchés qui ont précédé le tournant libéral de la fin des années 1980. Il s’attache aussi à montrer que les modèles de légitimité bâtis par les autorités nigériennes de l’époque, entretenus par celles qui leur ont succédé, ont alimenté des discours et des pratiques de contestation dès lors que les obligations régulatrices prêtées à l’État n’étaient plus honorées.
“O Governo Está Aqui” : Post-war State-Making in the Angolan Periphery
Authors: Soares de Oliveira Ricardo , Taponier Susan
Published: August 2013

« O Governo Está Aqui » : la formation de l’État en sa périphérie dans l’Angola de l’après-guerre Pendant les 27 années que dura la guerre civile angolaise, jusqu’à 80 % du territoire nominal angolais resta hors du contrôle de l’État central. Cependant, après 2002 et la victoire remportée sur les rebelles de l’Unita, le régime MPLA, riche de son pétrole, s’engagea avec enthousiasme à bâtir un prétendu « État moderne » sur l’ensemble du territoire angolais. L’effort consacré à sortir des enclaves qu’il avait longtemps contrôlées pour occuper un vaste territoire faiblement peuplé, étendre l’administration civile et reconstruire ses infrastructures représente une dynamique politique majeure de l’Angola d’aujourd’hui. Cet article tente d’analyser ce développement à travers le prisme des ambitions de l’État, de sa trajectoire historique et de ses relations centre-périphérie.
Exploring Ways to Use 3D Urban Models to Visualize Multi-Scalar Climate Change Data and Mitigation Change Models for e-Planning
Authors: Danahy John , Wright Robert , Mitchell Jacob , Feick Rob
Published: August 2013

This e-planning visualization case study in the Toronto region investigated the use of 3D urban models as a visualization reference against which analytical models were visualized to identify micro scale mitigation scenarios of urban heat island effects. The case studies were directed to processes of planning decision making. The Toronto region faces problems of urban heat island impacts due to the increasing frequency of extreme heat events (Bass, Krayenhoff & Martilli, 2002). The City of Toronto and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) have each implemented policies and programmes aimed at mitigating urban heat island and climate change effects (City of Toronto 2006). This research explored ways of visualizing remote sensing heat island data to assist with the targeted application of planning policies and programs.
Blind Deconvolution of Sources in Fourier Space Based on Generalized Laplace Distribution
Authors: Waheed M. El-Sayed , Mousa Mohamed-H , Hussein Mohamed-K
Published: August 2013

An approach to multi-channel blind de-convolution is developed, which uses an adaptive filter that performs blind source separation in the Fourier space. The approach keeps (during the learning process) the same permutation and provides appropriate scaling of components for all frequency bins in the frequency space. Experiments indicate that Generalized Laplace Distribution can be used effectively to blind de-convolution of convolution mixtures of sources in Fourier space compared to the conventional Laplacian and Gaussian function.
A Probabilistic Neural Network-Based Module for Recognition of Objects from their 3-D Images
Authors: Abdel Alim Onsy A. , Shoukry Amin , Elboughdadly Neamat A. , Abouelseoud Gehan
Published: August 2013

In this paper, a pattern recognition module that makes use of 3-D images of objects is presented. The proposed module takes advantage of both the generalization capability of neural networks and the possibility of manipulating 3-D images to generate views at different poses of the object that is to be recognized. This allows the construction of a robust 3-D object recognition module that can find use in various applications including military, biomedical and mine detection applications. The paper proposes an efficient training procedure and decision making strategy for the suggested neural network. Sample results of testing the module on 3-D images of several objects are also included along with an insightful discussion of the implications of the results.
Optimal Selection of Korean Dramas for Commercial TV Stations in Taiwan by Using the AHP
Authors: Hsu Pi-Fang , Lin Shu-Yu , Tsai Chia-Wen
Published: August 2013

This study develops a model for selecting Korean dramas based on TV station manager’s perceptions. First, the proposed model adopts the modified Delphi method to find out the suitable evaluative criteria of Korean dramas. Next, the model apply the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to determine the relative weights of evaluative criteria, then ranks the alternatives and selects the best Korean dramas. Additionally, a famous Taiwanese commercial TV station is used here in as an example of how a Korean dramas can be selected using this model. The results indicated that concerns think highly of criteria in order are drama content perspective, cast perspective, advertising budget perspective, foreign data of origin perspective. The proposed model helps commercial TV to effectively select Korean dramas, making it highly applicable for academia and commerce.
Modeling the Determinants Affecting Consumers’ Acceptance and Use of Information and Communications Technology
Authors: Alwahaishi Saleh , Snášel Václav
Published: August 2013

Understanding individual acceptance and use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is one of the most mature streams of information systems research. In Information Technology and Information System research, numerous theories are used to understand users’ adoption of new technologies. Various models were developed including the Innovation Diffusion Theory, Theory of Reasoned Action, Theory of Planned Behavior, Technology Acceptance Model, and recently, the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology. Each of these models has sought to identify the factors which influence consumers’ intention or actual use of information technology. This research composes a new hybrid theoretical framework to identify the factors affecting the acceptance and use of Mobile Internet -as an ICT application- in a consumer context. The proposed model incorporates eight constructs: Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, Facilitating Conditions, Social Influences, Perceived Value, Perceived Playfulness, Attention Focus, and Behavioral intention. Individual differences—namely, age, gender, education, income, and experience are moderating the effects of these constructs on behavioral intention and technology use.
Tool for E-Health Preparedness Assessment in the Context of an Influenza Pandemic
Authors: Li Junhua , Ray Pradeep , Bakshi Aishwarya , Seale Holly , MacIntyre Raina
Published: August 2013

E-Health applications may mitigate the impact of a pandemic by facilitating disease surveillance and control activities, and improving performance of medical practices. The implementation of these applications requires proper planning and management. E-Health preparedness assessment represents an important step in change management, and including this step in its planning stage may increase the chances of its implementation success. This article presents a three-phase methodology that was developed and utilised in a collaborative project on E-Health preparedness assessment in the context of an influenza pandemic. Based on this project, a software tool set was newly developed to partially automate the assessment process.
Resource Provisioning for e-Science Environments
Authors: Bosin Andrea
Published: August 2013

Recent works have proposed a number of models and tools to address the growing needs and expectations in the field of e-Science. At the same time, the availability and models of use of networked computing resources needed by e-Science are rapidly changing and see the coexistence of many disparate paradigms: high performance computing, grid and recently cloud, which brings very promising expectations due to its high flexibility. In this paper we suggest a model to promote the convergence and the integration of different computing paradigms and infrastructures for the dynamic on-demand provisioning of the resources needed by e-Science environments, leveraging the Service-Oriented Architecture model. In addition, its design aims at endorsing a flexible, modular, workflow-based collaborative environment for e-Science. A working implementation used to validate the proposed approach is described together with some performance tests.
Replica Placement Strategy for Data Grid Environment
Authors: Madi Mohammed K. , Yusof Yuhanis , Hassan Suhaidi
Published: August 2013

Data Grid is an infrastructure that manages huge amount of data files, and provides intensive computational resources across geographically distributed collaboration. To increase resource availability and to ease resource sharing in such environment, there is a need for replication services. Data replication is one of the methods used to improve the performance of data access in distributed systems by replicating multiple copies of data files in the distributed sites. Replica placement mechanism is the process of identifying where to place copies of replicated data files in a Grid system. Existing work identifies the suitable sites based on number of requests and read cost of the required file. Such approaches consume large bandwidth and increases the computational time. The authors propose a replica placement strategy (RPS) that finds the best locations to store replicas based on four criteria, namely, 1) Read Cost, 2) File Transfer Time, 3) Sites’ Workload, and 4) Replication Sites. OptorSim is used to evaluate the performance of this replica placement strategy. The simulation results show that RPS requires less execution time and consumes less network usage compared to existing approaches of Simple Optimizer and LFU (Least Frequently Used).
An Adaptive-Grained Consistency Maintenance Scheme for Shared Data on Emergency and Rescue Applications
Authors: Chang Jyh-Biau , Chen Po-Cheng , Shieh Ce-Kuen , Yang Jia-Hao , Hsieh Sheng-Hung
Published: August 2013

Efficient information sharing is difficult to achieve in the scenario of emergency and rescue operations because there is no communication infrastructure at the disaster sites. In general, the network condition is relatively reliable in the intra-site environment but relatively unreliable in the inter-site environment. The network partitioning problem may occur between two sites. Although one can exploit the replication technique used in data grid to improve the information availability in emergency and rescue applications, the data consistency problem occurs between replicas. In this paper, the authors propose a middleware called “Seagull” to transparently manage the data availability and consistency issues of emergency and rescue applications. Seagull adopts the optimistic replication scheme to provide the higher data availability in the inter-site environment. It also adopts the pessimistic replication scheme to provide the stronger data consistency guarantee in the intra-site environment. Moreover, it adopts an adaptive consistency granularity strategy that achieves the better performance of the consistency management because this strategy provides the higher parallelism when the false sharing happens. Lastly, Seagull adopts the transparency data consistency management scheme, and thus the users do not need to modify their source codes to run on the Seagull.