bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Analytical validation of a human particle‐enhanced nephelometric assay for cystatinCmeasurement in feline serum and urine
Authors: Ghys Liesbeth F. E. , Meyer Evelyne , Paepe Dominique , Delanghe Joris , Daminet Sylvie
Published: April 2014

Background

In people and dogs, Cystatin C (CysC), a renal glomerular and tubular marker, seems superior to serum creatinine to estimate the glomerular filtration rate (GFR). A particle‐enhanced nephelometric immunoassay is available to measure human CysC, but there are no reports in cats.

Objective

The goal of this study was the validation of the human CysC nephelometric assay with feline serum and urine, and to perform a pilot study comparing serum and urine CysC between healthy cats and cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Methods

Western blot analysis was used to assess cross‐reactivity between the polyclonal rabbit anti‐human CysC antibody and feline CysC. Imprecision and linearity were determined for feline serum and urine CysC. Serum and urine CysC were measured in 10 healthy and 10CKDcats.

Results

Cross‐reactivity between the polyclonal rabbit anti‐human CysC antibody and feline CysC was demonstrated. Intra‐ and inter‐assay coefficients of variation in feline serum and urine were 1.3% and 0.4%, and 12.5%, and 4.1%, respectively. Cats with CKD had a significantly higher serum CysC concentration (1.24 [0.63–2.99] vs 0.79 [0.43–1.05] mg/L;P = .02) and urine CysC/urinary Creatinine (uCr) ratio (565.6 [0–1311] vs < 0.049/uCr mg/mol;P = .005) compared with healthy cats.

Conclusions

The human nephelometric assay showed satisfactory validation results for feline CysC. Cats with CKD had a significantly highersCysC concentration anduCysC/uCr ratio compared with healthy cats. Additional studies are necessary to evaluate CysC as an early marker of renal damage in cats.
Plasma biochemistry and urinalysis variables of koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) with and without oxalate nephrosis
Authors: Speight K. Natasha , Haynes Julie I. , Boardman Wayne , Breed William G. , Taggart David A. , Rich Brian , Woolford Lucy
Published: April 2014

Background

Oxalate nephrosis is a highly prevalent disease in the Mount Lofty Ranges koala population in South Australia, but associated clinicopathologic findings remain undescribed.

Objectives

The aims of this study were to determine plasma biochemical and urinalysis variables, particularly for renal function and urinary crystal morphology and composition, in koalas with oxalate nephrosis.

Methods

Blood and urine samples from Mount Lofty Ranges koalas with oxalate nephrosis were compared with those unaffected by renal oxalate crystal deposition from Mount Lofty and Kangaroo Island, South Australia and Moggill, Queensland. Plasma and urine biochemistry variables were analyzed using a Cobas Bio analyzer, and urinary oxalate by high‐performance liquid chromatography. Urinary crystal composition was determined by infrared spectroscopy and energy dispersive X‐ray analysis.

Results

Azotemia (urea > 6.6 mmol/L, creatinine > 150 μmol/L) was found in 93% of koalas with oxalate nephrosis (n = 15). All azotemic animals had renal insufficiency (urine specific gravity [USG] < 1.035), and in 83%, USG was < 1.030. Koalas with oxalate nephrosis were hyperoxaluric compared with Queensland koalas (P < .01). Urinary crystals from koalas with oxalate nephrosis had atypical morphology and were composed of calcium oxalate. Mount Lofty Ranges koalas unaffected by renal oxalate crystal deposition had renal insufficiency (43%), although only 14% had USG < 1.030 (n = 7). Unaffected Mount Lofty Ranges and Kangaroo Island koalas were hyperoxaluric compared with Queensland koalas (P < .01).

Conclusions

Koalas with oxalate nephrosis from the Mount Lofty Ranges had renal insufficiency, hyperoxaluria, and pathognomonic urinary crystals. The findings of this study will aid veterinary diagnosis of this disease.
Immersive Computing Technology to Investigate Tradeoffs Under Uncertainty in Disassembly Sequence Planning
Authors: Behdad Sara , Berg Leif , Vance Judy , Thurston Deborah
Published: April 2014

The scientific and industrial communities have begun investigating the possibility of making product recovery economically viable. Disassembly sequence planning may be used to make end-of-life product take-back processes more cost effective. Much of the research involving disassembly sequence planning relies on mathematical optimization models. These models often require input data that is unavailable or can only be approximated with high uncertainty. In addition, there are few mathematical models that include consideration of the potential of product damage during disassembly operations. The emergence of Immersive Computing Technologies (ICT) enables designers to evaluate products without the need for physical prototypes. Utilizing unique 3D user interfaces, designers can investigate a multitude of potential disassembly operations without resorting to disassembly of actual products. The information obtained through immersive simulation can be used to determine the optimum disassembly sequence. The aim of this work is to apply a decision analytical approach in combination with immersive computing technology to optimize the disassembly sequence while considering trade-offs between two conflicting attributes: disassembly cost and damage estimation during disassembly operations. A wooden Burr puzzle is used as an example product test case. Immersive human computer interaction is used to determine input values for key variables in the mathematical model. The results demonstrate that the use of dynamic programming algorithms coupled with virtual disassembly simulation is an effective method for evaluating multiple attributes in disassembly sequence planning. This paper presents a decision analytical approach, combined with immersive computing techniques, to optimize the disassembly sequence. Future work will concentrate on creating better methods of estimating damage in virtual disassembly environments and using the immersive technology to further explore the feasible design space.
A curious case of spontaneous duodenal haematoma presenting a diagnostic challenge
Authors: Wong Keith , Thomas Rebecca
Published: April 2014

Duodenal haematomas are uncommon. They are usually diagnosed on CT of the abdomen. The established treatment strategies are conservative management, surgical evacuation and percutaneous drainage. We present a case of spontaneous duodenal haematoma in a patient with no risk factors posing as a diagnostic challenge due to atypical CT findings. This case also illustrates the utility of ultrasound-guided needle aspiration as a practical treatment option for such haematomas.
Common femoral vein canal lipoma causing chronic unilateral lower limb swelling
Authors: Lowry Danielle , Kay Mark Darren , Tiwari Alok
Published: April 2014

A 64-year-old woman presented to vascular clinic with a 2-year history of right ankle swelling, associated with pain on walking. Initial venous duplex imaging showed no obvious cause. Further imaging showed a lipoma compressing the common femoral vein. We consider the relative merits of the imaging modalities of the groin and the literature available on lipomas causing compression.
Adult intussusception presenting as rectal prolapse
Authors: Mahmood Arshad , Ruan Qing Zhao , O'Hara Richard , Canna Khalid
Published: April 2014

We present a case of an elderly man with what appeared to be an episode of rectal prolapse following straining while defaecating. Laparotomy revealed the prolapse to be an intussusception of large bowel with a villous adenoma as its lead point. Reduction resection was performed with primary anastomosis, and the patient recovered well from the surgery. Rectal prolapse has often been viewed as a benign condition in the elderly, but more thought needs to be put into the diagnosis in patients with risks of malignancy. Prolapse of an intussuscepted bowel segment in adults is an exceedingly rare presentation, often signifying a risk of malignancy. Appropriate investigations and surgical techniques need to be employed in effectively resolving symptoms while minimising the chances of tumour seeding.
Flucytosine-induced colitis
Authors: Adnan Sohail Muhammad , Ikram Umaira
Published: April 2014

A 52-year-old man with a history of HIV (CD4 count 155, and viral load 154 K), who is on antiretroviral treatment presented in the emergency room with acute onset of headache. The patient had lumbar puncture and found to have elevated intracranial pressure and cryptococcal antigen was positive. The patient was started on flucytosine. After 10 days of treatment, the patient developed watery diarrhoea. An extensive infectious workup was carried out, which did not reveal any infectious aetiology. A colonoscopy was carried out which revealed acute colitis in the colon and the pathology confirmed the colonoscopic findings with severe colitis in the colon. At this time, the patient's diarrhoea was attributed to flucytosine and it was stopped. The patient's diarrhoea improved after 5 days of stopping flucytosine.
Acquired gynatresia
Authors: Kunwar Shipra , Khan Tamkin , Gupta Hemprabha
Published: April 2014

Vaginal stenosis (gynatresia) is commonly congenital, occurring as a part of Mayer-Kustner-Hauser syndrome. Those occurring postabortal or postpartum are rarely seen nowadays. Here, we report two cases, one in which there was complete stenosis postpartum following a retained gauze and another case, with chemical vaginal burns following attempted abortion by a local untrained midwife.
Three cases of Spontaneous Vertebral Artery Dissection (SVAD), resulting in two cases of Wallenberg syndrome and one case of Foville syndrome in young, healthy men
Authors: Canepa Raggio Carlo , Dasgupta Aban
Published: April 2014

First patient, presented with sudden onset of headache, left hypoacusia and right hemiparesis, posteriorly developing gaze-evoked nystagmus and worsening right-sided weakness. Diagnosis of vertebral artery dissection and Foville Syndrome were made through clinical assessment and CT-carotid angiogram–MR angiography. Second patient, presented with four episodes of pain over left side of the nose and left eye pain over 1 month; admitted for acute facial pain without limb weakness. During admission, tingling over V1/V2 facial territory, vertigo, hypotension, uvula deviation and right lower limb numbness. CT-carotid angiogram confirmed vertebral artery with dissection. MRI revealed left lateral medullary infarct. Third patient, presented with sudden onset of left facial numbness and right upper limb weakness; 1 day after, right arm and leg hypoesthesia with hoarseness. MRA revealed dissection of left distal vertebral artery and MRI showed infarction in lower medulla oblongata.
Successful treatment of bleeding large duodenal gastrointestinal stromal tumour in a patient under dual antiplatelet therapy after recent drug-eluting coronary stent implantation
Authors: Fukuyama Keita , Fujikawa Takahisa , Kuramitsu Shoichi , Tanaka Akira
Published: April 2014

We report a case of a 69-year-old man who started dual antiplatelet therapy (APT) with aspirin and clopidogrel after recent implantation of drug-eluting coronary stent and developed massive bleeding due to large duodenal gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST). Following endoscopic haemostasis and discontinuation of dual APT, neoadjuvant chemotherapy with imatinib was started under continuation of ‘single’ APT with aspirin. A good chemotherapeutic response was achieved without recurrence of bleeding, and subsequent less invasive surgical resection of the tumour was performed, while preoperative single APT was continued for prevention of stent thrombosis. The patient recovered well without any thromboembolic or bleeding events. Neoadjuvant imatinib therapy and subsequent less invasive surgery under continuation of APT is one of the preferred approaches for patients with duodenal GIST with severe thromboembolic comorbidities, as in the current case.
Cascadiacarpa exilissp. nov.: new fruits of Fagaceae from the Eocene of British Columbia
Authors: Mindell Randal A. , Stockey Ruth A. , Beard Graham
Published: April 2014

More than 800 permineralized fagaceous fruits have been studied from the Eocene Appian Way locality of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. These cupulate nuts are the most common fruits preserved at the locality. They occur in calcareous concretions and were studied using the cellulose acetate peel technique. Cupules are borne on a spiny stalk and are broadly ovate in both longitudinal and transverse section. Cupules are evalvate and have both branching and simple spines. A single, ovoid, sclerotic nut is enclosed entirely by the cupule, except at the apex, where a stylar protrusion is free from any surrounding tissues. The nut is bilocular with a glabrous endocarp lining. At maturity, a single seed occupies the locular cavity. The embryo is straight and no endosperm is evident. The single-fruited, spiny cupule is most similar to fruits of Fagaceae subfamily Castaneoideae. Bicarpellate fruits and a glabrous endocarp place them within the fossil genus Cascadiacarpa; however, they differ from Cascadiacarpa spinosa in nut wall anatomy, cupule ornamentation, shape, and size. Fruits of Cascadiacarpa exilis sp. nov. are compared with spiny, small compression and impression fossil fruits from the Eocene Taneum Creek locality of Washington State. The characters of the Washington State fossils overlap with those observed in the anatomically preserved Appian Way cupulate fruits and, as such, may represent compression and impression fossils of the same genus. The permineralized fruits document that evalvate, spiny, cupulate nuts of Fagaceae were present and common in the Eocene of western North America.
The development of a microwave-assisted extraction method for the determination of sulfonamide antibiotics in sediments and soils
Authors: Balakrishnan Vimal K. , Exall Kirsten N. , Toito John M.
Published: April 2014

A microwave-assisted extraction technique was developed for the determination of nine sulfonamide antibiotics (sulfaguanidine, sulfacetamide, sulfadiazine, sulfathiazole, sulfapyridine, sulfamethazine, sulfamerazine, sulfamethoxazole, and sulfadimethoxine) in six sediments and soils of varying organic carbon content. Method optimization was performed using Lake Erie sediment and revealed the optimum extraction solvent to be methanol, with an extraction time of 45 min. After extraction, samples were “cleaned up” via filtration and quantified using LC-MS/MS spectroscopy. Method calibration curves were constructed in each environmental solid with sulfonamides ranging from 10 to 2000 ng/g; method detection limits were typically in the sub- to low nanograms per gram range. Method validation entailed spiking each solid at three different concentrations spanning the calibration curve (40, 300, and 800 ng/g); generally, method accuracy for spiked solids exceeded 80%, with precision being within 20%. Finally, we extracted sulfonamides from environmental solids (two sediments and one soil) that had been aged for 21 days and found that our method accuracy remained in excess of 80%. Moreover, absolute recoveries generally agreed with method accuracies (at the 95% confidence interval) in all environmental solids, demonstrating the efficiency of our microwave-assisted extraction procedure and its suitability for application to environmental samples.
Wildfire-contingent effects of fuel treatments can promote ecological resilience in seasonally dry conifer forests
Authors: Stevens Jens T. , Safford Hugh D. , Latimer Andrew M.
Published: April 2014

Fire suppression has made many seasonally dry conifer forests more susceptible to high-severity wildfires, which cause large changes in forest structure and function. In response, management agencies are applying fuel reduction treatments to millions of acres of forest, with the goal of moderating fire behavior by reducing tree density and understory fuel loads. However, despite their wide application, we still lack basic information about the extent to which these treatments contribute to forest restoration by increasing forest resilience to recurring wildfire events. To address this question, we established 664 plots across 12 different sites in California, USA, where wildfire burned through fuel treatments, and measured a suite of forest characteristics relating to overstory structure, understory cover, and woody plant regeneration. We tested a “wildfire-contingency” hypothesis that there should be strong interactions between treatment and fire, specifically that the direction and magnitude of fuel treatment effects on forest characteristics will depend on subsequent disturbance. This interaction hypothesis had strong support, driven largely by effects on trees: without wildfire, live-tree cover was lower in treated stands than in untreated stands, but after wildfire, it was higher in treated stands than in untreated stands. Treated stands had higher soil moisture and more shrub seedlings than untreated stands without wildfire but had greater soil moisture and fewer shrub seedlings than untreated stands after wildfire. Conversely, litter depth, litter cover, and tree seedling abundance were lower in treated stands than in untreated stands without wildfire but higher in treated stands than in untreated stands after wildfire. Ordination revealed that the magnitude of ecological change attributable to wildfire is lower in treated stands than in untreated stands. We conclude that properly implemented treatments can promote resilience to both first-entry and subsequent wildfires.
Multi-decadal establishment for single-cohort Douglas-fir forests
Authors: Freund James A. , Franklin Jerry F. , Larson Andrew J. , Lutz James A.
Published: April 2014

The rate at which trees regenerate following stand-replacing wildfire is an important but poorly understood process in the multi-century development of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) and western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) forests. Temporal patterns of Douglas-fir establishment reconstructed from old-growth forests (>450 year) have generated contradictory models of either rapid (<25 year) or prolonged (>100 year) periods of establishment, while patterns of tree establishment in mid-aged (100 to 350 year) forests remains largely unknown. To determine temporal patterns of Douglas-fir establishment following stand-replacing fire, increment cores were obtained from 1455 trees in 18 mature and early old-growth forests in western Washington and northwestern Oregon, USA. Each of the stands showed continuous regeneration of Douglas-fir for many decades following initiating fire. The establishment period averaged 60 years (range: 32–99 years). These results contrast both with the view of rapid (one- to two-decade) regeneration of Douglas-fir promoted in the early forestry literature and with reports of establishment periods exceeding 100 years in older (>400 year) Douglas-fir–western hemlock stands. These results have important implications for management designed to create and promote early-seral forest characteristics.
A NEW CONSTRUCTION OF IDENTITY-BASED SIGNCRYPTION WITHOUT RANDOM ORACLES
Authors: FAN JIA , ZHENG YULIANG , TANG XIAOHU
Published: April 2014

Identity-based signcryption is a primitive that combines the functions of identity-based encryption and identity-based signature. In this paper, we first attack two of the existing identity-based signcryption schemes which are claimed to be provably secure without random oracles. Then we construct a new identity-based signcryption scheme and proves its security without random oracles.
A scenario planning approach for disasters on Swiss road network
Authors: Mendes G. A. , Axhausen K. W. , Andrade J. S. , Herrmann H. J.
Published: April 2014

We study a vehicular traffic scenario on Swiss roads in an emergency situation, calculating how sequentially roads block due to excessive traffic load until global collapse (gridlock) occurs and in this way displays the fragilities of the system. We used a database from Bundesamt für Raumentwicklung which contains length and maximum allowed speed of all roads in Switzerland. The present work could be interesting for government agencies in planning and managing for emergency logistics for a country or a big city. The model used to generate the flux on the Swiss road network was proposed by Mendes et al. [Physica A 391, 362 (2012)]. It is based on the conservation of the number of vehicles and allows for an easy and fast way to follow the formation of traffic jams in large systems. We also analyze the difference between a nonlinear and a linear model and the distribution of fluxes on the Swiss road.
Statistical analysis on multifractal detrended cross-correlation coefficient for return interval by oriented percolation
Authors: Deng Wei , Wang Jun
Published: April 2014

We investigate and quantify the multifractal detrended cross-correlation of return interval series for Chinese stock markets and a proposed price model, the price model is established by oriented percolation. The return interval describes the waiting time between two successive price volatilities which are above some threshold, the present work is an attempt to quantify the level of multifractal detrended cross-correlation for the return intervals. Further, the concept of MF-DCCA coefficient of return intervals is introduced, and the corresponding empirical research is performed. The empirical results show that the return intervals of SSE and SZSE are weakly positive multifractal power-law cross-correlated, and exhibit the fluctuation patterns of MF-DCCA coefficients. The similar behaviors of return intervals for the price model is also demonstrated.
THE SENSING OF HUMIDITY BY SURFACE-TYPE Ag/FORMYL-TIPPCu(II)/Ag SENSOR FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING
Authors: KHAN DIL NAWAZ , SAYYAD MUHAMMAD HASSAN , TAHIR MUHAMMAD , WAHAB FAZAL , YASEEN MUHAMMAD , ALI MUKHTAR , MUNAWAR MUNAWAR ALI
Published: April 2014

In this paper, we have studied the effects of changing relative humidity on the electrical parameters and their multi frequency response of the surface type Ag /formyl- TIPPCu ( II )/ Ag humidity sensors. The silver electrodes of thickness 100 nm were primarily deposited on cleaned glass substrates by thermal evaporator. A gap of 40 μm was created between the electrodes of each device by using mask during the evaporation process. Thin films of formyl- TIPPCu ( II ) of 140 nm thickness were grown on silver electrodes by thermal sublimation technique. The values of capacitance and resistance of the sensors were found at different humidity levels at frequency of 1, 10 and 100 kHz of AC input signal. A remarkable increase in capacitance and decrease in resistance were observed during the rise of relative humidity from 45% to 95% RH. The hysteresis response of these humidity sensors was also studied at 1 kHz AC signal.
EXPANSION FORMULAS FOR BIVARIATE PAYOFFS WITH APPLICATION TO BEST-OF OPTIONS ON EQUITY AND INFLATION
Authors: GOBET EMMANUEL , HOK JULIEN
Published: April 2014

A wide class of hybrid products are evaluated with a model where one of the underlying price follows a local volatility diffusion and the other asset value a log-normal process. Because of the generality for the local volatility function, the numerical pricing is usually much time consuming. Using proxy approximations related to log-normal modeling, we derive approximation formulas of Black–Scholes type for the price, that have the advantage of giving very rapid numerical procedures. This derivation is illustrated with the best-of option between equity and inflation where the stock price follows a local volatility model and the inflation rate a Hull–White process. The approximations possibly account for Gaussian HJM (Heath-Jarrow-Morton) models for interest rates. The experiments show an excellent accuracy.
VECTOR-VALUED COHERENT RISK MEASURE PROCESSES
Authors: TAHAR IMEN BEN , LÉPINETTE EMMANUEL
Published: April 2014

Introduced by Artzner et al. (1998) the axiomatic characterization of a static coherent risk measure was extended by Jouini et al. (2004) in a multi-dimensional setting to the concept of vector-valued risk measures. In this paper, we propose a dynamic version of the vector-valued risk measures in a continuous-time framework. Particular attention is devoted to the choice of a convenient risk space. We provide dual characterization results, we study different notions of time consistency and we give examples of vector-valued risk measure processes.
A vertical Liouville subfoliation on the cotangent bundle of a Cartan space and some related structures
Authors: Ida Cristian , Manea Adelina
Published: April 2014

In this paper, we study some problems related to a vertical Liouville distribution (called vertical Liouville–Hamilton distribution) on the cotangent bundle of a Cartan space. We study the existence of some linear connections of Vrănceanu type on Cartan spaces related to some foliated structures. Also, we identify a certain (n, 2n-1)-codimensional subfoliation [Formula: see text] on T*M0given by vertical foliation [Formula: see text] and the line foliation [Formula: see text] spanned by the vertical Liouville–Hamilton vector field C* and we give a triplet of basic connections adapted to this subfoliation. Finally, using the vertical Liouville foliation [Formula: see text] and the natural almost complex structure on T*M0we study some aspects concerning the cohomology of c-indicatrix cotangent bundle.
NONLINEAR ANALYSIS OF FRICTIONAL THERMO-VISCOELASTIC CONTACT PROBLEMS USING FEM
Authors: ATTIA MOHAMED A. , EL-SHAFEI AHMED G. , MAHMOUD FATIN F.
Published: April 2014

This study presents a numerical finite element model to analyze the response of frictional thermo-viscoelastic contact systems, which experience material and geometrical nonlinearities. Thermo-rheologically complex behavior of the contacting bodies is assumed. The nonlinear viscoelastic constitutive model is expressed by an integral form of a creep function, whose elastic and time-dependent properties vary with stresses and temperatures. Adopting the assumption that the hydrostatic and deviatoric responses are uncoupled, the constitutive equation is expressed in an incremental form, with the hereditary integral updated at the end of each time increment by recursive computation. The Lagrange multiplier approach is applied to incorporate the inequality contact constraints, while friction effect along the contact interface is modeled using a local nonlinear friction law. The material and geometrical nonlinearities are modeled in the framework of the total Lagrangian formulation. The developed nonlinear viscoelastic model is verified using the available benchmarks. The applicability of the developed model is demonstrated by solving two thermo-viscoelastic frictional contact problems with different contact natures. Results show a distinct effect of the thermo-rheological behavior on viscoelastic contact status.
TOWARD A UNIFIED ENGLISH-LIKE REPRESENTATION OF SEMANTIC MODELS, DATA, AND GRAPH PATTERNS FOR SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS
Authors: CRAPO ANDREW , MOITRA ABHA
Published: April 2014

The Semantic Application Design Language (SADL) combines advances in standardized declarative modeling languages based on formal logic with advances in domain-specific language (DSL) development environments to create a controlled-English language that translates directly into the Web Ontology Language (OWL), the SPARQL graph query language, and a compatible if/then rule language. Models in the SADL language can be authored, tested, and maintained in an Eclipse-based integrated development environment (IDE). This environment offers semantic highlighting, statement completion, expression templates, hyperlinking of concepts to their definition, model validation, automatic error correction, and other advanced authoring features to enhance the ease and productivity of the modeling environment. In addition, the SADL language offers the ability to build in validation tests and test suites that can be used for regression testing. Through common Eclipse functionality, the models can be easily placed under source code control, versioned, and managed throughout the life of the model. Differences between versions can be compared side-by-side. Finally, the SADL-IDE offers an explanation capability that is useful in understanding what was inferred by the reasoner/rule engine and why those conclusions were reached. Perhaps more importantly, explanation is available of why an expected inference failed to occur. The objective of the language and the IDE is to enable domain experts to play a more active and productive role in capturing their knowledge and making it available as computable artifacts useful for automation where appropriate and for decision support systems in applications that benefit from a collaborative human-computer approach. SADL is built entirely on open source code and most of SADL is itself released to open source. This paper explores the concepts behind the language and provides details and examples of the authoring and model lifecycle support facilities.
HIGH CONSEQUENCE SYSTEMS AND SEMANTIC COMPUTING
Authors: WINTER VICTOR , CUKIC BOJAN , KHOSHGOFTAAR TAGHI , MORI KINJI , PAUL RAY , PÉREZ-LEGUÍZAMO CARLOS , SEDIGH SARVESTANI SAHRA , SLOAN JOHN C. , VOUK MLADEN , YEN I-LING
Published: April 2014

Socioeconomic needs combined with technological advances are creating a demand for an increasing number of systems for which high-assurance is an essential attribute. These system designs, which increasingly include semantic computing components, span a broad spectrum of applications. They are incredibly diverse and their complexity is growing. The conditions under which these systems operate are such that system faults will occur and must be comprehensively accounted for in the systems' designs.

This article investigates the landscape of high-assurance systems, the challenges these systems face, and what must be done to address those challenges. Challenges include societal needs, scientific frontiers, dynamics of technological evolution, and drivers of current research models.
Photo activated disinfection efficiency of low-intensity laser and comprehensive prevention of caries and gingivitis in adolescents using bracket system
Authors: Suetenkov Dmitry Ye. , Petrova Anna P. , Kharitonova Tatyana L.
Published: April 2014

It is very important to study the problem of caries and gingivitis in adolescents who are being treated for orthodontic pathology with bracket systems. The method of combined treatment which incorporates the use of medicine and laser therapy has been proved effective in caries prevention. This research aims to study clinical aspects of the effectiveness of the combined influence of the low-intensity laser "OPTODAN" with a wavelength of 0.85 μm (Scientific Development and Production Center "VEND", Saratov, Russia) in caries prevention. The research also aims to study the disinfection method of PAD with "FotoSan" ("CMS Dental", Denmark, with a wavelength of 625–635 nm, where toluidine blue is used as photosensitizer molecules) combined with regular measure to prevent gingivitis in adolescents being treated for orthodontic pathology with bracket systems. This paper presents the results of 1.5 years of clinical study of 60 12–13-year-old children. They were examined before and after the orthodontic treatment: their decayed, missing, filled teeth (DMFT), decayed, missing, filled tooth surfaces (DMFS) index and hygiene status (OHI-S) were calculated, gum inflammations were detected. Before the orthodontic treatment, their mouths were sanitized. After orthodontic appliances were placed, the children were randomly divided into two groups of 30 each. Children of the first group, while being treated with braces, took traditional preventative measures against gum inflammation and caries: occupational hygiene, local antiseptics (0.05% chlorhexidine solution), the use of remineralizing and phosphorus containing applications four times a year. The children of the second group, along with the traditional scheme of preventive measures, were treated with the devices "FotoSan" and "Optodan". Results of clinical examination of the second group have accurately proved decrease in the growth of dental caries intensity and surface caries intensity (ΔDMFT, ΔDMFS) and in gingivitis level at the end of the orthodontic treatment. So the results of our clinical research have proved the effectiveness of laser therapy and comprehensive prevention of caries and gingivitis in adolescents using bracket system.
Simple synthesis and enhanced photocatalytic performance of La-modified ZnO nanosheet-assembled flower-like microstructures
Authors: Zhang W. L. , Sun Y. G. , Ding D. R. , Rao P. H. , Cai L. Y. , Xu J. N.
Published: April 2014

La -modified ZnO nanosheet-assembled flower-like microstructures, were successfully obtained through a facile two-step solution-based strategy including a simple aqueous solution and subsequent impregnation technique. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and ultraviolet-visible spectrometer (UV-Vis) were employed to characterize the morphology, composition, crystal structure and photocatalytic properties of prepared products in detail. The photocatalysis test results revealed that the La -modified ZnO nanoflowers displayed greatly enhanced catalytic performance and the decomposition efficiency was up to about 99.60%, which was mainly ascribed to the increased charge separation rate on the La -modified surface of ZnO nanosheets and the high surface area of the flower-like structure.
Divide and conquer
Authors: Lyons Kathy M. , Sharpe Ryan T.
Published: April 2014

"Work smarter not harder." "Do more with less." These are phrases we all hear on a daily basis as we face difficult budgets. The CITES Help Desk at the University of Illinois took the opportunity to redesign itself to create efficiencies, provide better services without increasing the budget, and begin creating career paths for its IT professionals. To support new services, more services, more groups, and larger audiences we focused on two major areas. The Help Desk full time staff is now broken into two groups: student management & project support. This presentation will focus not just on why, but what in regards to this move. The Student Management Team has helped refine the hiring, training and disciplining of the ever evolving student consultant. The Project support team now has direct involvement in the rollout of new services including Unified Communications which will replace our entire email and phone infrastructure and services. With a clear understanding of each group's responsibilities, the Help Desk has seen improved morale, better communication, and has slowed down the always expanding "duties as assigned" role.
What is communication design?
Authors: Spinuzzi Clay
Published: April 2014

In 1997, I worked with a team to conduct my first qualitative research project, a study of how software developers used code libraries when developing a common codebase (McLellan et al. 1998; Spinuzzi 2001). In particular, I was interested in how developers used inline comments to understand their own and others' code. At two sites, the developers used comments pretty much as you might expect: as notes for interpreting and communicating information about the code. But at the third site, developers essentially ignored the comments. One compared the comments to an approaching car's blinker: it might or might not indicate intent, but you'd be foolish to trust it. Another set his editor to gray out comments so they wouldn't distract him. A third used comments - not to interpret the code, but as landmarks for navigating it. "If I have 50 lines of code without a comment," he told me, "I get lost. It takes me a while to actually read the code and find out what it's doing. But if I have comments I can separate it into sections, and if I know it's the second section in the function, I can go right to it."
Communication design
Authors: Swarts Jason
Published: April 2014

What is communication design? The term may represent, along with technical communication, information design, and content development, the latest permutation of how the work once known as technical writing has been re-named and re-professionalized. This is a reductive answer, of course, since the terms emphasize different qualities of that work and all are pinchy and baggy as generic descriptors. A different answer is that the term communication design captures an awareness that our field lacks a center. It has its genres and its processes, but as Johnson-Eilola and Selber (in press) argue, it is the focus on defining and solving problems in novel ways and in response to the exigencies of highly varied situations that underscores the importance of what we do. I prefer to see communication design as an embrace of that role, a recognition that the scope of our concern is broad: it is communication. It is also constructive work, aimed at producing concrete effects in the world. It is not just writing; it is design.
Telling the future of information design
Authors: Hayhoe George F.
Published: April 2014

Ask 10 technical communicators to define information design, and you're likely to get as many very different answers (Redish, 2000). Despite the variety, however, I think that most definitions of information design correspond more or less to one of the following approaches.
The next generation on design of communication
Authors: Potts Liza , Albers Michael
Published: April 2014

Supporting the next generation of design of communication scholars is a core mission for Communication Design Quarterly. Beginning with this issue, we hope to highlight the exciting research that our younger generations are contributing to the field.
Prefab interface development and the problem of ease
Authors: Lindsley Tom
Published: April 2014

To elaborate on a recent tweet by Dan Cederholm of the development studio, SimpleBits, and author of the standards-focused
Bulletproof Web Design
, current web development practice, with its many device, format, and user contingencies, is creating an ever-expanding and increasingly complex geography for novice web writers and developers to navigate and learn. For a novice to output the ceremonial "Hello world" in 2013 is to greet a world of web writing barely comparable to the inline-styled, table-formatted, and JavaScript-leery World Wide Web which many veteran developers first learned.
The conference presentation
Authors: Murphy Trevor
Published: April 2014

Presenting at a SIGUCCS conference is an opportunity to share your institution's successes and failures and learn from the experience of others. It starts with an idea that is submitted to the program committee in the form of an abstract. Just 250 words and a title are enough to get the process started. Abstracts are submitted from the SIGUCCS 2013 conference website.
Professional development news
Authors: Rugg Beth
Published: April 2014

DESpring is just around the corner - the days are getting longer and the sun is shining brighter each and every day! I am feeling energized and hope you will be as well once you hear about the exciting professional development opportunities coming your way!
ReaderCentric writing for the prosumer marketplace
Authors: Hailey David E.
Published: April 2014

As usability experts describe the appropriate models for writing in digital, they consistently express the need to write in a user-centric format. While I agree with the importance of efficient navigation in Web content, I suggest that user-centric writing only applies to part of the content we find in a website. Other styles of writing are almost always required. Two additional styles are persuasion-centric and quality-centric writing. These two styles are required by almost all marketing writing and especially marketing writing for the prosumer community. In this article I extend the ideas found in user centered design to include user-centric, persuasion-centric, and quality-centric writing (which combination I call
ReaderCentric writing
).

I believe this impacts information architecture in a number of important ways, perhaps most notably in the way the various writing styles impact the mindset of the information architect.

I will explain why these writing models are important and demonstrate what happens when the models are ignored or not understood, plus how they may be successfully applied to marketing documents on the Internet. Finally, I will speculate on how information architecture may be adjusted to meet the needs of the content, writer, and reader.
Engaging complexity in usability through assemblage
Authors: Zobel Gregory
Published: April 2014

In 2011, I faced a complex research problem: how could mobile device user experience (HCMVX) of visitors to Humboldt County, California, be measured and improved? Mobile visitors are visitors who actively use their smart mobile devices, like smart phones and iPads but not laptops, while on vacation. In 2011, there were no official records or policies regarding mobile visitors and little local awareness of mobile tourism in Humboldt County. No one had measured mobile visitors' experience in Humboldt County and few officials had any idea on how to improve these visitors' experiences. This information and policy gap also meant there was no clear way to contact mobile visitors or arrange for mobile usability tests. I faced a complex system with no clear starting point.

Traditional usability methods did not initially help because the majority of usability methods rely on clearly identified users, tasks, or goals. While I planned to use traditional usability methods once the users and usability problem(s) were identified, it was necessary to first locate and identify the users and their tasks and goals. Using Deleuze's assemblage concept, I approached the complex system of HCMVX, identified potential points of engagement, conducted field research and interviews, analyzed, and wrote up my results in less than six months. Local officials took my results and reshaped part of their policies and merchant training based on my data and conclusion. Deleuze's assemblage offers usability practitioners a means to approach complex systems and rapidly identify points of engagement.
Dynamic system models and the construction of complexity
Authors: Blythe Stuart
Published: April 2014

Humans routinely fail to comprehend complexity and anticipate long-term consequences. Systems dynamicists try to overcome these weaknesses by developing computer-supported models that can account for multiple variables in non-linear relationships. Using programs such as STELLA and Vensim, systems dynamicists create stock-and-flow diagrams, equations, and, ultimately, interfaces that enable others to interact with the model. This paper describes how one such model was developed and speculates on roles that technical communicators might play in future projects.
Researching and communicating the complexity of IT image management
Authors: Shirey Jenny , Charng Ann , Nguyen Quynh
Published: April 2014

Today, the process of image management is extremely time-consuming for IT administrators. Until now, this complicated process has not been extensively explored by design researchers. During a recent research study at Citrix, we interviewed 17 IT professionals. We used a process we call "adaptive interviewing," a flexible methodology that could accommodate the various infrastructures of IT organizations and the diversity of ways that administrators handle image management. While conducting our interviews, we worked with our information designer to create several visualizations of our data. Ultimately, we found that supplementing interviews with information visualizations is a powerful way to explore, understand, and explain the complex system of IT image management.
Mining Check-In History for Personalized Location Naming
Authors: Lian Defu , Xie Xing
Published: April 2014

Many innovative location-based services have been established to offer users greater convenience in their everyday lives. These services usually cannot map user's physical locations into semantic names automatically. The semantic names of locations provide important context for mobile recommendations and advertisements. In this article, we proposed a novel location naming approach which can automatically provide semantic names for users given their locations and time. In particular, when a user opens a GPS device and submits a query with her physical location and time, she will be returned the most appropriate semantic name. In our approach, we drew an analogy between location naming and local search, and designed a local search framework to propose a
spatiotemporal and user preference
(STUP) model for location naming. STUP combined three components, user preference (UP), spatial preference (SP), and temporal preference (TP), by leveraging learning-to-rank techniques. We evaluated STUP on 466,190 check-ins of 5,805 users from Shanghai and 135,052 check-ins of 1,361 users from Beijing. The results showed that SP was most effective among three components and that UP can provide personalized semantic names, and thus it was a necessity for location naming. Although TP was not as discriminative as the others, it can still be beneficial when integrated with SP and UP. Finally, according to the experimental results, STUP outperformed the proposed baselines and returned accurate semantic names for 23.6% and 26.6% of the testing queries from Beijing and Shanghai, respectively.
Detecting Social Media Hidden Communities Using Dynamic Stochastic Blockmodel with Temporal Dirichlet Process
Authors: Tang Xuning , Yang Christopher C.
Published: April 2014

Detecting evolving hidden communities within dynamic social networks has attracted significant attention recently due to its broad applications in e-commerce, online social media, security intelligence, public health, and other areas. Many community network detection techniques employ a two-stage approach to identify and detect evolutionary relationships between communities of two adjacent time epochs. These techniques often identify communities with high temporal variation, since the two-stage approach detects communities of each epoch independently without considering the continuity of communities across two time epochs. Other techniques require identification of a predefined number of hidden communities which is not realistic in many applications. To overcome these limitations, we propose the Dynamic Stochastic Blockmodel with Temporal Dirichlet Process, which enables the detection of hidden communities and tracks their evolution simultaneously from a network stream. The number of hidden communities is automatically determined by a temporal Dirichlet process without human intervention. We tested our proposed technique on three different testbeds with results identifying a high performance level when compared to the baseline algorithm.
A program of research for technical communication
Authors: Longo Bernadette , Coppola Nancy , Elliot Norbert , Klobucar Andrew , Johnson Carol
Published: April 2014

Distinct from prose essays as cultural expression, we use technical communication for functional purposes, addressing questions of how people learn as we craft our communications. Aristotle set out psychological principles of how people learn -- or are persuaded to change their minds -- when he laid down his foundational advice for rhetors to cultivate "the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion on almost any subject presented to us." Building on this foundational principle, technical communicators since World War II have studied how to achieve persuasion (or change) by making information accessible, formatting documents, writing at designated reading levels, and setting out instruction steps clearly. Recently, we have also become interested in how, through the concept of rhetoric, oral and written language acquires poignant social, ethical and technical dimensions, situating Aristotle's "faculties" of persuasion within specific cultural and political contexts.