bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessing the efficiency of secondary schools in Chile: a data envelopment analysis
Authors: Munoz David Andres , Queupil Juan Pablo
Published: July 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper was to evaluate the efficiency of secondary education schools in Chile. Since the early 1980s, several educational reforms have been passed with the main objective of improving the quality, equity and efficiency of the Chilean education system. This has initiated a debate about the efficient use of public educational resources. In response, this study provides insights into identifying the most efficient types of schools based on a set of different inputs and outputs.

Design/methodology/approach

This quantitative research study used data envelopment analysis (DEA), which estimates a single index of efficiency to identify schools performing at superior levels compared to other schools with similar characteristics. Two sets of models are created for evaluating efficiency. The first set of analyses provides a longitudinal efficiency comparison based on student performance on two national standardized tests as outputs, and the second model incorporates socioeconomic characteristics of students attending different schools as inputs in the efficiency estimation.

Findings

Based on the longitudinal models, it was found that private schools are more efficient and more consistent in maintaining their efficiency over time than other types of schools. In addition, when accounting for socioeconomic factors, publicly subsidized schools were more efficient than public schools.

Practical implications

The Chilean parliament is currently discussing new educational reforms that focus on more efficient use of educational resources to improve educational quality and equity. The results provided in this study generate useful evidence for policymakers and other stakeholders regarding school efficiency and the appropriate allocation of public resources to support diverse students served by different types of secondary educational institutions.

Social implications

Education is a key factor affecting social mobility and socioeconomic improvement of societies. Schools are called upon to improve their performance to promote these social goals. Accordingly, more novel forms of research on efficiency are necessary to assess how well schools are transforming their inputs into performance outputs.

Originality/value

This study provides a longitudinal analysis of educational efficiency using DEA with a national data set of Chilean schools to evaluate how consistent the schools are in maintaining their levels of efficiency over time. In addition, one DEA model accounts for a social “vulnerability” index at the student level to better understand how efficiently secondary schools use their resources. The insights gained provide data-driven answers to support more informed educational decision-making and policy processes in Chile.
SERVQUAL application and adaptation for educational service quality assessments in Russian higher education
Authors: Galeeva Railya B.
Published: July 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate an adaptation of the SERVQUAL survey method for measuring the quality of higher educational services in a Russian university context. We use a new analysis and a graphical technique for presentation of results.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology of this research follows the classic SERVQUAL method in terms of data acquisition but provides a new approach for data analysis and presentation of findings. The technique is intended to improve upon the original method by including an importance-quality analysis grid and extending it with an innovative graphical tool for presenting results to decision-makers that is based on area-based ratios rather than difference scores.

Findings

The report includes survey results of two waves of research conducted in 2009 and 2014. Each wave consisted of 1,000 respondents from 20 branches of study and 11 higher education institutions, respectively.

Research limitations/implications

It is argued that the SERVQUAL method can be improved significantly with the proposed technique. However, the validity and reliability of the importance, expectation and perception summary scores need to be further investigated. Also, alternative methods for quality assessment (SERVPERF/HEdPERF) should be tested and compared with the modified SERVQUAL method in Russian and other international education contexts.

Practical implications

Educational service quality assessments allow the management to acquire an image of the overall quality of an institution, as well as its strengths and weaknesses, thereby improving its strategic positioning to make improvements. It is hoped that the proposed improvement to the SERVQUAL technique will increase adoption of the method among academic institutions.

Originality/value

The improved SERVQUAL methodology demonstrated in this research replaces the widely criticised “difference scores” with an easily applied graphical display. The methodology also incorporates an importance-quality analysis providing a new perspective on the SERVQUAL data. The current findings provide valuable insights into the perceived quality of the Republic of Tatarstan’s higher education system in Russia, as given by its student customers.
Impact of quality management systems on teaching-learning processes
Authors: Fernández Cruz Francisco José , Egido Gálvez Inmaculada , Carballo Santaolalla Rafael
Published: July 2016

Purpose

Quality management systems are being used more frequently in educational institutions, although their application has generated a certain amount of disagreement among education experts, who have at times questioned their suitability and usefulness for improving schools. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to this discussion by providing additional knowledge on the effects in educational institutions of implementing quality management systems. Specifically, this study investigates teachers’ and managers’ perception of the impact that quality management systems have on one essential dimension of schools, the teaching–learning processes, with impact being understood as sustained medium- and long-term organisational change.

Design/methodology/approach

The responses were analysed and classified into a set of sub-dimensions linked to quality management processes in a total of 29 Spanish primary and secondary education schools that have used such systems for at least three years.

Findings

The results showed that, according to the respondents, the following sub-dimensions were improving as a result of implementing quality management plans: teaching and learning processes, the analysis of student results, tutoring, consideration of attitudes and values and assessment processes. Conversely, quality management systems did not seem to have a clear impact on the teaching methodologies used by teachers or on family involvement in student learning. In fact, the perceived impact in these sub-dimensions varied among teachers of public and private schools as well as when comparing different regional autonomous communities.

Originality/value

As the main objective of a school is to guarantee student learning, one of the essential purposes of school quality assurance systems is to perform all the activities aimed at ensuring high levels of student performance.
Intermetallic growth and shear strength of SAC305/EN-Boron
Authors: Kahar Hardinnawirda , Abd Malek Zetty Akhtar , Idris Siti Rabiatull Aisha , Ishak Mahadzir
Published: July 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to study the effect of aging and cooling rate on the reliability of the solder joint using electroless nickel boron (EN-Boron) as a surface finish in the electronic packaging area.

Design/methodology/approach

EN-Boron was plated on a Cu substrate through electroless plating method. This process was followed by reflow soldering of Sn–3.0Ag–0.5Cu solder alloy on metallized Cu substrate to form a joining. Then, the specimens were cooled using different cooling mediums such as air (slow cooling) with 15.7 °C/min and water (fast cooling) with 110.5 °C/min. After that, the specimens were subjected to isothermal aging at 150°C for 0, 250 and 1,000 h. Finally, they went through a lap shear test following ASTM D1002. Optical microscope and scanning electron microscopy were used for intermetallic compound (IMC) characterization. The type of IMC formed was confirmed by field emission scanning electron microscope-energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (FESEM-EDX).

Findings

The results showed that the IMC type changed from the combination of Ni3Sn4 and (Ni, Cu)3Sn4 after reflow soldering into fully (Ni, Cu)3Sn4 when aged for 1,000 h. The formation of (Ni, Cu)3Sn4 and Cu3Sn underneath the IMC layer played a role in reducing the shear strength of joining. Overall, water cooling was reported to provide higher shear strength of solder joint compared to air cooling medium.

Originality/value

The shear strength when using EN-Boron as the surface finish is comparable to the surface finish conventionally used.
Direct bonding of silicon with solders type Sn-Ag-Ti
Authors: Kolenak Roman , Kostolný Igor , Sahul Martin
Published: July 2016

Purpose

The work aims to study the direct bonding of silicon substrate with solders type Sn-Ag-Ti.

Design/methodology/approach

During the bonding process with ultrasound assistance, the active element (Ti,Ce,Mg) is distributed from the solder to interface with a silicon substrate, where it supports the bond formation.

Findings

Formation of a reaction layer, 1-2 μm in thickness, was observed. The new Si2Ti phases and Mg2Si phase were identified in the reaction layer.

Originality/value

The results of analysis suggest that the Si/Sn-Ag-Ti joint is of diffusion character. The highest average strength on silicon substrate (39 MPa) was achieved with Sn-Ag-Ti(Mg) solder.
Providing foraging resources for solitary bees on farmland: current schemes for pollinators benefit a limited suite of species
Authors: Wood Thomas J. , Holland John M. , Goulson Dave
Published: July 2016

Changes in agricultural practice across Europe and North America have been associated with range contractions and a decline in the abundance of wild bees. Concerns at these declines have led to the development of flower‐rich agri‐environment schemes as a way to enhance bee diversity and abundance. Whilst the effect of these schemes on bumblebee species (Bombus spp.) has been well studied, their impact on the wider bee community is poorly understood.

We used direct observations of foraging bees and pollen load analysis to quantify the relative contribution that sown flowers (i.e. those included in agri‐environment scheme seed mixes) make to the pollen diets of wild solitary bees on Higher Level Stewardship farms (HLS) implementing pollinator‐focused schemes and on Entry Level Stewardship farms (ELS) without such schemes in southern England, UK.

HLS management significantly increased floral abundance, and as the abundance of sown flowers increased, these sown plants were utilized for pollen by a greater proportion of the solitary bee species present. However, the overall proportion of pollen collected from sown plants was low for both direct observations (27·0%) and pollen load analysis (23·3%).

At most only 25 of the 72 observed species of solitary bee (34·7%) were recorded utilizing sown plants to a meaningful degree. The majority of solitary bee species did not collect pollen from flower species sown for pollinators.

Total bee species richness was significantly associated with plant species richness, but there was no difference in the total species richness of either bee or flowering plant species between HLS and ELS farms.

Synthesis and applications. Our results show that the majority of solitary bee species present on farmland in the south‐east of England collect most of their pollen from plants that persist unaided in the wider environment, and not from those included in agri‐environment schemes focused on pollinators. If diverse bee communities are to be maintained on farmland, existing schemes should contain an increased number of flowering plant species and additional schemes that increase the diversity of flowering plants in complementary habitats should be studied and trialled.
Perspectives for microbial community composition in anaerobic digestion: from abundance and activity to connectivity
Authors: De Vrieze Jo , Verstraete Willy
Published: July 2016

Microbial management in anaerobic digestion is mainly focused on physically present and metabolically active species. Because of its complexity and operation near the thermodynamic equilibria, it is equally important to address functional regulation, based on spatial organisation and interspecies communication. Further establishment of the knowledge on microbial communication in anaerobic digestion through quorum sensing and nanowires is needed. Methods to detect centres of concentrated activity, related to the presence of highly active and well‐connected species that take a central role in the anaerobic digestion process, have to be optimized. Bioaugmentation could serve as a crucial tool to introduce keystone species that may create or sustain such centres. Functional stability can be maintained by keeping the microbial community active. This results in a clear trade‐off between functionally active and redundant microorganisms as primary basis for microbial community organization. Finally, a microbial community based prediction strategy for advanced process control is formulated.
Effects of diadenylate cyclase deficiency on synthesis of extracellular polysaccharide matrix of Streptococcus mutans revisit
Authors: Peng Xian , Michalek Suzanne , Wu Hui
Published: July 2016

An emerging secondary messenger c‐di‐AMP plays an important role in bacterial physiology. It was reported by Cheng et al. that inactivation of a gene coding for diadenylate cyclase (DAC), a c‐di‐AMP producing enzyme, resulted in enhanced synthesis of extracellular polysaccharides (EPS) by a cariogenic bacterium, Streptococcus mutans (Cheng et al., 2016). We constructed a similar mutant and observed a completely different effect, the DAC deficiency resulted in a decrease in the production of EPS. Our studies provided the following compelling evidence, (1) the DAC mutant we constructed can be readily complemented for the production of EPS, while the mutant from the Cheng group cannot; (2) Our mutant exhibits the regular pattern of key enzymes that produce EPS, glucosyltransferases (Gtfs), while Cheng et al. reported an irregular pattern, which was inconsistent with their earlier studies. (3) We demonstrated that the response of the DAC mutant to oxidative stress is independent of GtfB, the key enzyme producing EPS, while the Cheng report suggests that overproduction of EPS is a responsive mechanism for the DAC mutant to adapt to the oxidative stress. Therefore, the validity of the relationship between DAC and EPS reported by Cheng et al. warrants further investigation and clarification.
They Sell Skulls Online?! A Review of Internet Sales of Human Skulls on eBay and the Laws in Place to Restrict Sales
Authors: Halling Christine L. , Seidemann Ryan M.
Published: July 2016

Internet sales of human remains occur despite the existence of laws prohibiting such action in most jurisdictions. The most popular public platform for online sales, eBay, allows users to postskeletal material for sale, largely anonymously and without much fear of legal repercussions. This survey of skeletal sales was conducted 10 years after the first article published about online human remains sales. A review of current laws reveals that, while many states have laws that restrict any sale of human remains, those laws have questionable deterrent effect. Assessing the skeletal material posted for sale provides law enforcement agencies with a necessary starting point to curtail the sale of human remains through enforcement of existing laws. Ultimately, the goal is to stem the commodification of such items and to recover skeletal material, especially that which may be of archaeological or forensic significance, and provide the proper final disposition for such material.
A Comparison Study of Frying Conditions on Furan Formation in 3 Potato Varieties
Authors: Yuan Yuan , Chen Dongyan , Liu Huangyou , Wu Sijia , Yan Haiyang
Published: July 2016

Furan, a typical food contaminant formed by heating process, is classified as a possible carcinogen to humans. Many factors lead to the formation of furan in food processing. In our present study, 3 potato varieties, white potato, sweet potato, and purple potato were selected to investigate the effect of thermal processing temperature and time on furan formation. The results showed that the formation of furan was highly correlated with frying temperature and time. Among the 3 potato varieties, sweet potato resulted in the highest furan concentration when fried at 200 °C for 5 min. In addition, the frying temperature and time also influenced the water activity and the color of the 3 kinds of potato slices, which had significant correlation with the formation of furan. Furan concentration decreased along with the increasing of water activity in the 3 potato varieties and the changes presented regression relationships. Meanwhile, there was an inverse correlation between furan content and color changes in the 3 potato varieties. The level of furan decreased as total color changes (ΔE) increased and the changes also presented regression relationships. These results could be used to estimate the possibility of furan formation in the 3 varieties of potato slices systems.
The red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, modifies predation at the soil surface and in cotton foliage
Authors: Wickings K. , Ruberson J.R.
Published: July 2016

Red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta, are generalist predators that can have major impacts on foliar arthropod communities in agricultural systems; however, their effects as predators at the soil surface have not been adequately characterized. We examined the contribution of fire ants to predation at the soil surface and in cotton foliage at two sites and over the course of two field seasons in Georgia, using egg masses of the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua. To assess interactions between fire ants and other arthropod species, we also measured the densities of edaphic predators and honeydew‐producing hemipterans at both sites. The sites occurred in different growing regions (Piedmont and Coastal Plain), and allowed us to characterize the importance of fire ants as predators under different climatic and soil conditions. Fire ant suppression decreased egg predation at both field sites, and predation by fire ants at the soil surface was equal to if not greater than that in cotton foliage. However, the impact of fire ants on predation varied between sites, likely due to differences in climate and the composition and activity of the extant arthropod communities. Our study also indicates that fire ant suppression is associated with decreases in the density of honeydew‐producing insects, and increasing abundance of whiteflies on the plants coincided with a decrease in egg predation at the soil surface. This finding suggests the mutualism between ants and whiteflies may lead to a shift in predation intensity from edaphic towards plant‐based food webs.
Randomized controlled trial of a messaging intervention to increase fruit and vegetable intake in adolescents: Affective versus instrumental messages
Authors: Carfora Valentina , Caso Daniela , Conner Mark
Published: July 2016

Objective

The present research aimed to test the efficacy of affective and instrumental text messages compared with a no‐message control as a strategy to increase fruit and vegetable intake (FVI) in adolescents.

Design

A randomized controlled trial was used test impact of different text messages compared with no message on FVI over a 2‐week period.

Method

A total of 1,065 adolescents (14–19 years) from a high school of the South of Italy completed the baseline questionnaire and were randomly allocated to one of three conditions: instrumental messages (N = 238), affective messages (N = 300), and no messages (N = 521). Students in the message conditions received one message each day over a 2‐week period. The messages targeted affective (affective benefits) or instrumental (instrumental benefits) information about FVI. Self‐reported FVI at 2 weeks was the key dependent variable. Analyses were based on the N = 634 who completed all aspects of the study.

Results

Findings showed that messages significantly increased FVI, particularly in the affective condition and this effect was partially mediated by changes in affective attitude and intentions towards FVI.

Conclusion

Text messages can be used to increase FVI in adolescents. Text messages based on affective benefits are more effective than text messages based on instrumental benefits.

Statement of contribution

What is already known on this subject?

Text messages have been shown to promote positive change in health behaviours. However, the most appropriate target for such text messages is less clear although targeting attitudes may be effective.

What does this study add?

This randomized controlled study shows that text messages targeting instrumental or affective attitudes produce changes in fruit and vegetable intake (FVI) in adolescents.

Text messages targeting affective attitudes are shown to be more effective than text messages targeting instrumental attitudes.

The effect of affective text messages on FVI was partially mediated by changes in affective attitudes.
Reverse migration of lithofacies boundaries and shoreline in response to sea‐level rise
Authors: Baumanis Carolina , Kim Wonsuck
Published: July 2016

The migration of the lithofacies boundaries preserved in the sedimentary record is key to interpreting changes in depositional environments. Grain size is one of the most recognizable physical characteristics of lithofacies. The advance and retreat of grain‐size breaks, as a proxy for lithofacies boundaries (e.g. gravel–sand transition), is commonly attributed to variations in external controls (e.g. climate, sea level and tectonic subsidence). While most models of fluviodeltaic systems focus on predicting the response of the shoreline to these forcings, none have thoroughly incorporated the migration of grain‐size transitions (GST) that coevolve with the shoreline. We present a numerical delta evolution model that treats both the shoreline and GST as moving boundaries to provide quantitative understanding of the dynamic interaction between the downstream boundary (shoreline) and the upstream lithofacies boundaries (GSTs) of the fluviodeltaic system under relative sea‐level rise. We tested a range of relative sea‐level rise rates in the model. The shoreline and GST gradually reduced their progradation rates and eventually retreated landward as the fluviodeltaic topset and foreset elongated. However, their timings of retreat were different, resulting in a counterintuitive case for a quicker retreat of GST while the shoreline still continued to advance. A series of scaled flume experiments with a sand and crushed walnut sediment mixture captured the same behaviours of these two moving boundaries. We found that GST experienced higher relative sea‐level rise (RSLR) rates than the shoreline. This additional RSLR rate scales with the downstream river slope and the shoreline progradation rate to cause earlier GST retreat in comparison to the shoreline. The fundamental understanding from this study of migration of both the GST and shoreline in fluviodeltaic systems will aid in accurately assessing the trajectories of GST in sedimentary strata as a proxy for environmental change.
Natural history, risk factors and clinical features of primary hypogonadism in ageing men: Longitudinal Data from the European Male Ageing Study
Authors: Ahern Tomás , Swiecicka Agnieszka , Eendebak Robert J.A.H. , Carter Emma L. , Finn Joseph D. , Pye Stephen R. , O'Neill Terence W. , Antonio Leen , Keevil Brian , Bartfai György , Casanueva Felipe F. , Forti Gianni , Giwercman Aleksander , Han Thang S. , Kula Krzysztof , Lean Michael E.J. , Pendleton Neil , Punab Margus , Rastrelli Giulia , Rutter Martin K , Vanderschueren Dirk , Huhtaniemi Ilpo T. , Wu Frederick C.W. ,   the EMAS study group
Published: July 2016

Objective

In ageing men, the incidence and clinical significance of testosterone (T) decline accompanied by elevated luteinizing hormone (LH) are unclear. We describe the natural history, risk factors and clinical features associated with the development of biochemical primary hypogonadism (PHG, T < 10·5 nmol/l and LH>9·4U/l) in ageing men.

Design, Patients and Measurements

A prospective observational cohort survey of 3,369 community‐dwelling men aged 40‐79 years, followed up for 4·3 years. Men were classified as incident (i) PHG (eugonadal [EUG, T ≥ 10·5 nmol/l] at baseline, PHG at follow‐up), persistent (p) PHG (PHG at baseline and follow‐up), pEUG (EUG at baseline and follow‐up) and reversed (r) PHG (PHG at baseline, EUG at follow‐up). Predictors and changes in clinical features associated with the development of PHG were analysed by regression models.

Results

Of 1,991 men comprising the analytical sample, 97·5% had pEUG, 1·1% iPHG, 1·1% pPHG and 0·3% rPHG. The incidence of PHG was 0·2%/year. Higher age (>70 years) [OR 12·48 (1·27–122·13), P = 0·030] and chronic illnesses [OR 4·24 (1·08–16·56); P = 0·038] predicted iPHG. Upon transition from EUG to PHG, erectile function, physical vigour and haemoglobin worsened significantly. Men with pPHG had decreased morning erections, sexual thoughts and haemoglobin with increased insulin resistance.

Conclusions

Primary testicular failure in men is uncommon and predicted by old age and chronic illness. Some clinical features attributable to androgen deficiency, but not others, accompanied the T decline in men who developed biochemical PHG. Whether androgen replacement can improve sexual and/or physical function in elderly men with PHG merits further study.
Enhancing Scatterplots with Multi‐Dimensional Focal Blur
Authors: Staib J. , Grottel S. , Gumhold S.
Published: July 2016

Scatterplots directly depict two dimensions of multi‐dimensional data points, discarding all other information. To visualize all data, these plots are extended to scatterplot matrices, which distribute the information of each data point over many plots. Problems arising from the resulting visual complexity are nowadays alleviated by concepts like filtering and focus and context. We present a method based on depth of field that contains both aspects and injects information from all dimensions into each scatterplot. Our approach is a natural generalization of the commonly known focus effects from optics. It is based on a multidimensional focus selection body. Points outside of this body are defocused depending on their distance. Our method allows for a continuous transition from data points in focus, over regions of blurry points providing contextual information, to visually filtered data. Our algorithm supports different focus selection bodies, blur kernels, and point shapes. We present an optimized GPU‐based implementation for interactive exploration and show the usefulness of our approach on several data sets.
Exploring Items and Features with IF, FI‐Tables
Authors: van der Corput Paul , van Wijk Jarke J.
Published: July 2016

The exploration of high‐dimensional data is challenging because humans have difficulty to understand more than three dimensions. We present a new visualization concept that enables users to explore such data and, specifically, to learn about important items and features that are unknown or overlooked, based on the items and features that are already known. The visualization consists of two juxtaposed tables: an IF‐Table, showing all items with a selection of features; and an FI‐Table, showing all features with a selection of items. This enables the user to limit the number of visible items and features to those needed for the exploration. The interaction is kept simple: each selection of items and features results in a complete overview of similar and relevant items and features.
Arcs, Angles, or Areas: Individual Data Encodings in Pie and Donut Charts
Authors: Skau Drew , Kosara Robert
Published: July 2016

Pie and donut charts have been a hotly debated topic in the visualization community for some time now. Even though pie charts have been around for over 200 years, our understanding of the perceptual factors used to read data in them is still limited. Data is encoded in pie and donut charts in three ways: arc length, center angle, and segment area. For our first study, we designed variations of pie charts to test the importance of individual encodings for reading accuracy. In our second study, we varied the inner radius of a donut chart from a filled pie to a thin outline to test the impact of removing the central angle. Both studies point to angle being the least important visual cue for both charts, and the donut chart being as accurate as the traditional pie chart.
Visualizing Co‐occurrence of Events in Populations of Viral Genome Sequences
Authors: Sarikaya A. , Correli M. , Dinis J. M. , O'Connor D. H. , Gleicher M.
Published: July 2016

Virologists are not only interested in point mutations in a genome, but also in relationships between mutations. In this work, we present a design study to support the discovery of correlated mutation events (called co‐occurrences) in populations of viral genomes. The key challenge is to identify potentially interesting pairs of events within the vast space of event combinations. In our work, we identify analyst requirements and develop a prototype through a participatory process. The key ideas of our approach are to use interest metrics to create dynamic filtering that guides the viewer to interesting and relevant correlations of genome mutations, and to provide visual encodings designed to fit scientists' mental map of the data, along with dynamic filtering techniques. We demonstrate the strength of our approach in virology‐situated case studies, and offer suggestions for extending our strategy to other sequence‐based domains.
Visual Analysis of Tumor Control Models for Prediction of Radiotherapy Response
Authors: Raidou R.G. , Casares‐Magaz O. , Muren L.P. , van der Heide U.A. , Rørvik J. , Breeuwer M. , Vilanova A.
Published: July 2016

In radiotherapy, tumors are irradiated with a high dose, while surrounding healthy tissues are spared. To quantify the probability that a tumor is effectively treated with a given dose, statistical models were built and employed in clinical research. These are called tumor control probability (TCP) models. Recently, TCP models started incorporating additional information from imaging modalities. In this way, patient‐specific properties of tumor tissues are included, improving the radiobiological accuracy of models. Yet, the employed imaging modalities are subject to uncertainties with significant impact on the modeling outcome, while the models are sensitive to a number of parameter assumptions. Currently, uncertainty and parameter sensitivity are not incorporated in the analysis, due to time and resource constraints. To this end, we propose a visual tool that enables clinical researchers working on TCP modeling, to explore the information provided by their models, to discover new knowledge and to confirm or generate hypotheses within their data. Our approach incorporates the following four main components: (1) It supports the exploration of uncertainty and its effect on TCP models; (2) It facilitates parameter sensitivity analysis to common assumptions; (3) It enables the identification of inter‐patient response variability; (4) It allows starting the analysis from the desired treatment outcome, to identify treatment strategies that achieve it. We conducted an evaluation with nine clinical researchers. All participants agreed that the proposed visual tool provides better understanding and new opportunities for the exploration and analysis of TCP modeling.
Dynamic Change Arcs to Explore Model Forecasts
Authors: Jean C. St. , Ware C. , Gamble R.
Published: July 2016

In many planning applications, a computational model is used to make predictions about the effects of management or engineering decisions. To understand the implications of alternative scenarios, a user typically adjusts one or more of the input parameters, runs the model, and examines the outcomes using simple charts. For example, a time series showing changes in productivity or revenue might be generated. While this approach can be effective in showing the projected effects of changes to the model's input parameters, it fails to show the mechanisms that cause those changes. In order to promote understanding of model mechanics using a simple graphical device, we propose dynamic change arcs. Dynamic change arcs graphically reveal the internal model structure as cause and effect linkages. They are signed to show both positive and negative effects. We implemented this concept using a species interaction model developed for fisheries management based on a system of Lotka‐Volterra equations. The model has 10 economically important fish species and incorporates both predation and competition between species. The model predicts that changing the catch of one species can sometimes result in changes in biomass of another species through multi‐step causal chains. The dynamic change arcs make it possible to interpret the resulting complex causal chains and interaction effects. We carried out an experiment to evaluate three alternative forms of arcs for portraying causal connections in the model. The results show that all linkage representations enabled participants to reason better about complex chains of causality than not showing linkages. However, none of them were significantly better than the others.
PhysioEx: Visual Analysis of Physiological Event Streams
Authors: Kamaleswaran Rishikesan , Collins Christopher , James Andrew , McGregor Carolyn
Published: July 2016

In this work, we introduce a novel visualization technique, the Temporal Intensity Map, which visually integrates data values over time to reveal the frequency, duration, and timing of significant features in streaming data. We combine the Temporal Intensity Map with several coordinated visualizations of detected events in data streams to create PhysioEx, a visual dashboard for multiple heterogeneous data streams. We have applied PhysioEx in a design study in the field of neonatal medicine, to support clinical researchers exploring physiologic data streams. We evaluated our method through consultations with domain experts. Results show that our tool provides deep insight capabilities, supports hypothesis generation, and can be well integrated into the workflow of clinical researchers.
There is More to Streamgraphs than Movies: Better Aesthetics via Ordering and Lassoing
Authors: Di Bartolomeo Marco , Hu Yifan
Published: July 2016

Streamgraphs were popularized in 2008 when The New York Times used them to visualize box office revenues for 7500 movies over 21 years. The aesthetics of a streamgraph is affected by three components: the ordering of the layers, the shape of the lowest curve of the drawing, known as the baseline, and the labels for the layers. As of today, the ordering and baseline computation algorithms proposed in the paper of Byron and Wattenberg are still considered the state of the art. However, their ordering algorithm exploits statistical properties of the movie revenuedatathat may not hold in otherdata. In addition, the baseline optimization is based on a definition of visual energy that in some cases results in considerable amount of visual distortion. We offer an ordering algorithm that works well regardless of the properties of the inputdata, and propose a 1‐norm based definition of visual energy and the associated solution method that overcomes the limitation of the original baseline optimization procedure. Furthermore, we propose an efficient layer labeling algorithm that scales linearly to thedatasize in place of the brute‐force algorithm adopted by Byron and Wattenberg. We demonstrate the advantage of our algorithms over existing techniques on a number of real worlddatasets.
Similarity Voting based Viewpoint Selection for Volumes
Authors: Tao Yubo , Wang Qirui , Chen Wei , Wu Yingcai , Lin Hai
Published: July 2016

Previous viewpoint selection methods in volume visualization are generally based on some deterministic measures of viewpoint quality. However, they may not express the familiarity and aesthetic sense of users for features of interest. In this paper, we propose an image‐based viewpoint selection model to learn how visualization experts choose representative viewpoints for volumes with similar features. For a given volume, we first collect images with similar features, and these images reflect the viewpoint preferences of the experts when visualizing these features. Each collected image tallies votes to the viewpoints with the best matching based on an image similarity measure, which evaluates the spatial shape and appearance similarity between the collected image and the rendered image from the viewpoint. The optimal viewpoint is the one with the most votes from the collected images, that is, the viewpoint chosen by most visualization experts for similar features. We performed experiments on various volumes available in volume visualization, and made comparisons with traditional viewpoint selection methods. The results demonstrate that our model can select more canonical viewpoints, which are consistent with human perception.
A Visual Analytics Framework for Microblog Data Analysis at Multiple Scales of Aggregation
Authors: Zhang Jiawei , Ahlbrand Benjamin , Malik Abish , Chae Junghoon , Min Zhiyu , Ko Sungahn , Ebert David S.
Published: July 2016

Real‐time microblogs can be utilized to provide situational awareness during emergency and disaster events. However, the utilization of these datasets requires the decision makers to perform their exploration and analysis across a range of data scales from local to global, while maintaining a cohesive thematic context of the transition between the different granularity levels. The exploration of different information dimensions at the varied data and human scales remains to be a non‐trivial task. To this end, we present a visual analytics situational awareness environment that supports the real‐time exploration of microblog data across multiple scales of analysis. We classify microblogs based on a fine‐grained, crisis‐related categorization approach, and visualize the spatiotemporal evolution of multiple categories by coupling a spatial lens with a glyph‐based visual design. We propose a transparency‐based spatial context preserving technique that maintains a smooth transition between different spatial scales. To evaluate our system, we conduct user studies and provide domain expert feedback.
Exploratory Visual Analysis for Animal Movement Ecology
Authors: Slingsby A. , van Loon E.
Published: July 2016

Movement ecologists study animals' movement to help understand their behaviours and interactions with each other and the environment. Data from GPS loggers are increasingly important for this. These data need to be processed, segmented and summarised for further visual and statistical analysis, often using predefined parameters. Usually, this process is separate from the subsequent visual and statistical analysis, making it difficult for these results to inform the data processing and to help set appropriate scale and thresholds parameters. This paper explores the use of highly interactive visual analytics techniques to close the gap between processing raw data and exploratory visual analysis. Working closely with animal movement ecologists, we produced requirements to enable data characteristics to be determined, initial research questions to be investigated, and the suitability of data for further analysis to be assessed. We design visual encodings and interactions to meet these requirements and provide software that implements them. We demonstrate these techniques with indicative research questions for a number of bird species, provide software, and discuss wider implications for animal movement ecology.
In Situ Methods, Infrastructures, and Applications on High Performance Computing Platforms
Authors: Bauer A. C. , Abbasi H. , Ahrens J. , Childs H. , Geveci B. , Klasky S. , Moreland K. , O'Leary P. , Vishwanath V. , Whitlock B. , Bethel E. W.
Published: July 2016

The considerable interest in the high performance computing (HPC) community regarding analyzing and visualization data without first writing to disk, i. e., in situ processing, is due to several factors. First is an I/O cost savings, where data is analyzed/visualized while being generated, without first storing to a filesystem. Second is the potential for increased accuracy, where fine temporal sampling of transient analysis might expose some complex behavior missed in coarse temporal sampling. Third is the ability to use all available resources, CPU's and accelerators, in the computation of analysis products. This STAR paper brings together researchers, developers and practitioners using in situ methods in extreme‐scale HPC with the goal to present existing methods, infrastructures, and a range of computational science and engineering applications using in situ analysis and visualization.
A Survey of Topology‐based Methods in Visualization
Authors: Heine C. , Leitte H. , Hlawitschka M. , Iuricich F. , De Floriani L. , Scheuermann G. , Hagen H. , Garth C.
Published: July 2016

This paper presents the state of the art in the area of topology‐based visualization. It describes the process and results of an extensive annotation for generating a definition and terminology for the field. The terminology enabled a typology for topological models which is used to organize research results and the state of the art. Our report discusses relations among topological models and for each model describes research results for the computation, simplification, visualization, and application. The paper identifies themes common to subfields, current frontiers, and unexplored territory in this research area.
A wide mesio‐distal gap in sites of congenitally missing maxillary lateral incisors is related to a thin alveolar ridge
Authors: Bertl Kristina , Grotthoff Verena Schulze , Bertl Michael H. , Heimel Patrick , Gahleitner André , Ulm Christian , Stavropoulos Andreas
Published: July 2016

Objectives

To evaluate (i) a possible correlation between the mesio‐distal gap width and the alveolar ridge (AR) dimensions in patients missing the maxillary lateral incisor (I2) either due to agenesis or loss and (ii) the possibility of straightforward implant placement based on simulation.

Methods

The bucco‐palatal width, area, and height of the AR at the position of I2, and the mesio‐distal gap width between the central incisor and the canine, were assessed in maxillary CT scans of three groups: Patients with (i) agenesis of I2 (TA; n = 40); (ii) I2 regularly erupted but extracted (TL; n = 24); (iii) I2 regularly erupted and in situ (C; n = 40). Further, the possibility of straightforward placement of an implant 3 or 3.5 mm in diameter ×10 mm in length, with 1 mm distance from the buccal and palatal plate of the alveolar ridge was simulated and compared to the actual treatment delivered.

Results

Bucco‐palatal width and area of the AR at I2 and the adjacent teeth was significantly reduced in TA compared to TL and C. Further, in TA, but not TL, an increasing mesio‐distal gap width between the central incisor and canine resulted in a significantly reduced bucco‐palatal width of the edentulous AR. This impeded a simulated straightforward implant placement in >50% of the cases in TA, even with a reduced implant diameter.

Conclusions

In patients congenitally missing I2, an increased mesio‐distal gap width correlates significantly with reduced edentulous AR dimensions. A mesio‐distal gap of >6 mm was associated with thin bucco‐palatal alveolar ridges, precluding straightforward implant placement in 60–80% of the cases.
Primordial germ cell–like cells derived from canine adipose mesenchymal stem cells
Authors: Wei Yudong , Fang Jia , Cai Shufang , Lv Changrong , Zhang Shiqiang , Hua Jinlian
Published: July 2016

Objectives

Previous studies have shown that adipose mesenchymal stem cells (AMSCs) share the potency of typical bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs); however, there is little information concerning characteristics of canine AMSCs (CAMSCs); it has not previously been made clear whether CAMSCs would be able to differentiate into other cell types.

Materials and methods

In this study, typical AMSC lines were established, and their characteristics including morphology, typical markers and differentiation potentiality were tested.

Results

The cells exhibited typical MSC morphology and were positive for CD90, CD44 and CD166, considered to be MSCs surface markers. They were negative for CD34 and CD45. The CAMSCs also exhibited embryonic stem cell (ESC) markers, including Oct4 and Sox2, at passage 2. In an appropriate microenvironment, CAMSCs differentiated into EBs and were able to produce cells of the three germ layers. These results indicate that established cells were putative adipocyte‐derived MSCs, which also displayed properties of ESCs. Moreover, when the CAMSCs were induced by bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4), they differentiated into PGC‐like cells (PGCLCs) and male germ‐like cells, which were positive for PR domain‐containing 1 (Prdm1), PR domain‐containing 14 (Prdm14), doublesex and mab‐3 related transcription factor (Dmrt1), as well as for promyelocytic leukaemia zinc finger (Plzf). Quantitative real‐time PCR (qRT‐PCR) and western blotting analysis verified higher expression levels of these markers.

Conclusion

This study provides an efficient approach to study germ cell development using CAMSCs.
Pushing ‘Global Health’ out of its Comfort Zone: Lessons from the Depoliticization of AIDS Control in Africa
Authors: Hunsmann Moritz
Published: July 2016

By affecting the lives and survival of numerous people, global health initiatives deeply alter local landscapes of inequality. They tackle some conditions at the origin of ill health while leaving others untouched, and they inevitably generate new inequalities. Yet, despite their inherently conflictual nature, global health players often minimize the political dimension of their interventions. Taking international AIDS control efforts in Tanzania as an example, this contribution discusses some modalities — and political causes — of the structural neglect of conflict in global health discourse and practice. It analyses how African HIV epidemics continue to be framed and managed in ways that obscure both the health inequalities at their origin, and those that result from efforts to control them. AIDS policy makers conceal inequalities by framing the epidemic as a problem of individual sexual behaviour, and by implicitly rationing access to HIV‐prevention and ‐treatment services. Furthermore, the imposition of disease hierarchies set by international fora excludes broader health‐related allocation decisions from domestic democratic debate. Drawing on a theoretical consideration of depoliticization as artificial deconflictualization, the article concludes by calling for a more open acknowledgement of conflict in global health policy making, and explores some analytical and practical implications of such a re‐politicization of public health.