bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of Ginsenoside Rg1 on the Expression of Toll-Like Receptor 3, 4 and Their Signalling Transduction Factors in the NG108-15 Murine Neuroglial Cell Line
Authors: Zhao Bao-Sheng , Liu Yang , Gao Xiao-Yan , Zhai Hua-Qiang , Guo Jian-You , Wang Xue-Yong
Published: October 2014

As one of the most important components of Panax ginseng, ginsenoside Rg1 has certain anti-aging effects, improving the activity of learning and memory. Studies have showed that ginsenoside Rg1 improves the memory impairment associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In this study, the effects of ginsenoside Rg1 were investigated through the activity of toll-like receptor (TLR) 3, TLR4 and their signaling transduction pathways in amyloid β peptide 25–35 (Aβ25–35) induced AD cell model. Thus we investigated several critical components of the TLR pathway. The neuroglial cell line NG108-15 was stimulated with or without Aβ25–35, while different concentrations of ginsenoside Rg1 were administered. After 24 h, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interferon-β (IFN-β) in cell supernatant and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in cell lysate supernatant were measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). The mRNA and protein expression of TLR3, TLR4, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor-6 (TRAF-6) were detected by real-time PCR and western blot methods, respectively. The experimental results showed that Aβ25–35 could markedly raise the level of TNF-α, IFN-β and iNOS, and increase the expressions of mRNA and TLR3, TLR4, NF-κB and TRAF-6 protein in the NG108-15 cells. At the same time, the ginsenoside Rg1 significantly reduced the expressions of proteins and mRNA of TLR3, TLR4, NF-κB and TRAF-6, and down-regulated the levels of TNF-α, IFN-β of cell supernatant and iNOS of cell lysate supernatant in a concentration-dependent manner. In conclusion, ginsenoside Rg1 has good activity for suppressing the signaling transduction pathway of TLR3 and TLR4, and decreasing the inflammation factors induced by Aβ25–35 in NG108-15 cells, and this may be the mechanism of ginsenoside Rg1 action in AD treatment, but more studies are needed to identify its specificity.
Identification and Characterization of Amlexanox as a G Protein-Coupled Receptor Kinase 5 Inhibitor
Authors: Homan Kristoff , Wu Emily , Cannavo Alessandro , Koch Walter , Tesmer John
Published: October 2014

G protein-coupled receptor kinases (GRKs) have been implicated in human diseases ranging from heart failure to diabetes. Previous studies have identified several compounds that selectively inhibit GRK2, such as paroxetine and balanol. Far fewer selective inhibitors have been reported for GRK5, a target for the treatment of cardiac hypertrophy, and the mechanism of action of reported compounds is unknown. To identify novel scaffolds that selectively inhibit GRK5, a differential scanning fluorometry screen was used to probe a library of 4480 compounds. The best hit was amlexanox, an FDA-approved anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic immunomodulator. The crystal structure of amlexanox in complex with GRK1 demonstrates that its tricyclic aromatic ring system forms ATP-like interactions with the hinge of the kinase domain, which is likely similar to how this drug binds to IκB kinase ε (IKKε), another kinase known to be inhibited by this compound. Amlexanox was also able to inhibit myocyte enhancer factor 2 transcriptional activity in neonatal rat ventricular myocytes in a manner consistent with GRK5 inhibition. The GRK1 amlexanox structure thus serves as a springboard for the rational design of inhibitors with improved potency and selectivity for GRK5 and IKKε.
Efficient Synthesis of Kinsenoside and Goodyeroside A by a Chemo-Enzymatic Approach
Authors: Zhang Yang , Xia Yihong , Lai Yongji , Tang Fang , Luo Zengwei , Xue Yongbo , Yao Guangmin , Zhang Yonghui , Zhang Jinwen
Published: October 2014

Kinsenoside (1) and goodyeroside A (2), two naturally occurring stereoisomers with diverse biological activities, have been synthesized efficiently by a chemo-enzymatic approach with a total yield of 12.7%. The aglycones, (R)- and (S)-3-hydroxy-γ-butyrolactone, were prepared from D- and L-malic acid by a four-step chemical approach with a yield of 75%, respectively. These butyrolactones were then successfully glycosidated using β-D-glucosidase as a catalyst in a homogeneous organic-water system. Under the optimized enzymatic conditions, the yields of kinsenoside and goodyeroside A in the enzymatic steps both reached 16.8%.
The Role of Ultraviolet Radiation in the Ocular System of Mammals
Authors: Majdi Mercede , Milani Behrad , Movahedan Asadolah , Wasielewski Lisa , Djalilian Ali
Published: October 2014

With decreasing levels of ozone in the atmosphere, we are being exposed to higher levels of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) than ever before. UVR carries higher energy than visible light, and its effects on tissues include DNA damage, gene mutations, immunosuppression, oxidative stress and inflammatory responses. In the eye, UVR is strongly associated with the development of basal and squamous cell carcinoma of the eyelid, pterygium, photokeratitis, climatic droplet keratopathy, ocular surface squamous neoplasia, cataracts, and uveal melanoma, and is weakly associated with age-related macular degeneration. Despite overwhelming evidence regarding the deleterious effects on UVR, public health measures to encourage UV protection of the eyes is generally lacking. Options for photoprotection include sunglasses, wide brim hats, windshields, plastic films for side windows in cars, UV blocking contact lenses, and following the UV Index report daily. The American National Standards Institute currently has regulations regarding properties of UV blocking sunglasses; however, compliance in the US is not mandatory. On the other hand, UVR does have therapeutic applications in the eye, particularly, riboflavin activated by ultraviolet A light (UVA) radiation is used clinically to slow the progression of keratoconus, post-LASIK keratectasia, and bullous keratopathy by crosslinking corneal collagen fibers. Additionally, riboflavin activated by UVA has been shown to have antibacterial, antiviral, and antiparasitic effects. This is clinically relevant in the treatment of infectious keratitis. Finally, exposure to low levels of light in the UV spectrum has been found to regulate the growth of the eye and lack of adequate exposure may increase the risk of development and progression of myopia.
Wi-Fi and Satellite-Based Location Techniques for Intelligent Agricultural Machinery Controlled by a Human Operator
Authors: Drenjanac Domagoj , Tomic Slobodanka , Agüera Juan , Perez-Ruiz Manuel
Published: October 2014

In the new agricultural scenarios, the interaction between autonomous tractors and a human operator is important when they jointly perform a task. Obtaining and exchanging accurate localization information between autonomous tractors and the human operator, working as a team, is a critical to maintaining safety, synchronization, and efficiency during the execution of a mission. An advanced localization system for both entities involved in the joint work, i.e., the autonomous tractors and the human operator, provides a basis for meeting the task requirements. In this paper, different localization techniques for a human operator and an autonomous tractor in a field environment were tested. First, we compared the localization performances of two global navigation satellite systems’ (GNSS) receivers carried by the human operator: (1) an internal GNSS receiver built into a handheld device; and (2) an external DGNSS receiver with centimeter-level accuracy. To investigate autonomous tractor localization, a real-time kinematic (RTK)-based localization system installed on autonomous tractor developed for agricultural applications was evaluated. Finally, a hybrid localization approach, which combines distance estimates obtained using a wireless scheme with the position of an autonomous tractor obtained using an RTK-GNSS system, is proposed. The hybrid solution is intended for user localization in unstructured environments in which the GNSS signal is obstructed. The hybrid localization approach has two components: (1) a localization algorithm based on the received signal strength indication (RSSI) from the wireless environment; and (2) the acquisition of the tractor RTK coordinates when the human operator is near the tractor. In five RSSI tests, the best result achieved was an average localization error of 4 m. In tests of real-time position correction between rows, RMS error of 2.4 cm demonstrated that the passes were straight, as was desired for the autonomous tractor. From these preliminary results, future work will address the use of autonomous tractor localization in the hybrid localization approach.
Rapid Material Appearance Acquisition Using Consumer Hardware
Authors: Filip Jiří , Vávra Radomír , Krupička Mikuláš
Published: October 2014

A photo-realistic representation of material appearance can be achieved by means of bidirectional texture function (BTF) capturing a material’s appearance for varying illumination, viewing directions, and spatial pixel coordinates. BTF captures many non-local effects in material structure such as inter-reflections, occlusions, shadowing, or scattering. The acquisition of BTF data is usually time and resource-intensive due to the high dimensionality of BTF data. This results in expensive, complex measurement setups and/or excessively long measurement times. We propose an approximate BTF acquisition setup based on a simple, affordable mechanical gantry containing a consumer camera and two LED lights. It captures a very limited subset of material surface images by shooting several video sequences. A psychophysical study comparing captured and reconstructed data with the reference BTFs of seven tested materials revealed that results of our method show a promising visual quality. Speed of the setup has been demonstrated on measurement of human skin and measurement and modeling of a glue dessication time-varying process. As it allows for fast, inexpensive, acquisition of approximate BTFs, this method can be beneficial to visualization applications demanding less accuracy, where BTF utilization has previously been limited.
Child Welfare and Successful Reunification through the Socio-Educative Process: Training Needs among Biological Families in Spain
Authors: Balsells M. , Pastor Crescencia , Amorós Pere , Mateos Ainoa , Ponce Carmen , Navajas Alicia
Published: October 2014

In Spain, an average of 480 children per 100,000 is receiving some type of temporary care, and the reunification process is typically lengthy. Providing the biological family with specific training as part of the reunification process is key to solving this problem. Although previous research and social policy have emphasized the importance of such training to reunification, the training has not been fully implemented in Spain. This study investigates the specific training needs during the transition phase of the reunification process in which the child prepares to return home. The data were obtained from focus groups and through semi-structured interviews with 135 participants: 63 professionals from the Child Protection System and 42 parents and 30 children who have undergone or are currently undergoing reunification. A qualitative methodology and Atlas.ti software were used to analyze the interview content. The results indicate three specific training needs: (a) understanding the reasons for reunification and the reunification phases; (b) empowerment strategies; and (c) social support. These findings suggest the best practices for formulating specific support programs for this population during the reunification transition period.
Initial Study on Triaxiality of Human Settlements—In the Case of 10 Districts (Counties) of Dalian
Authors: Tian Shenzhen , Li Xueming , Yang Jun , Zhang Chunhua , Zhang Yun
Published: October 2014

For a long time, the traditional pattern of urban-rural human settlements has been shaped in reference to the existence of the urban-rural dual structure. In this paper, we put forward the notion of triaxiality of human settlements, and used the standards conversion entropy weight method to measure and calculate degrees of livability of human settlements, so as to prove the existence of triaxiality of human settlements within the same unit at the micro-scale level, and conduct an empirical study on the spatial-temporal evolution, system attributes and formation mechanisms of the triaxiality of human settlements in 10 districts (counties) of Dalian (Years 2002–2011). Results showed that: (1) Spatial evolution of human settlements presents triaxiality. Administrative divisions do not play a full and predominant role in the unit division of human settlements. The number of distribution districts (counties) within different units of human settlements tends to be balanced, there is spatial variation of tertiary units in the human settlements of Dalian, and the transition area of human settlements occupies the leading position in the unit division of human settlements; (2) Human settlements also exhibit triaxiality at different development stages during the period of evolution. The fluctuation changes of degrees of livability of the human settlements of Dalian within the past 10 years have been relatively stable, with a trend of small scale decline and obvious manifestations of stage differences; (3) The system attributive characters of human settlements presents triaxiality. There also exists differentiations of system and area in human settlements within the same unit; (4) Industrialization and urbanization have led to the collapse of part of the urban-rural dual structure, while the differentiation of ternary structure of the economic and social structure, and living environment and life style leads to the triaxiality of human settlements.
Cooperation or Competition? Channel Choice for a Remanufacturing Fashion Supply Chain with Government Subsidy
Authors: Wang Kangzhou , Zhao Yingxue , Cheng Yonghong , Choi Tsan-Ming
Published: October 2014

In this paper, we address the problem of choosing an appropriate channel for the marketing channel structure of remanufactured fashion products. To be specific, we consider a remanufacturer who has two options for selling the products: (1) provide the remanufactured products to a manufacturer, then the manufacturer sells both new products and the remanufactured products to customers, and (2) sell the remanufactured products directly to customers. Because of the relatively low acceptance of remanufactured products and environment consciousness of customers in developing countries like China, we model the two scenarios as decentralized remanufacturing supply chains, with the manufacturer being the Stackelberg leader and the government offering subsidy to the remanufacturer to incentivize remanufacturing activities. We find that the subsidy can incentivize remanufacturing activity regardless of the remanufacturer’s channel choice. A “too high” or “too low” subsidy makes the remanufacturer compete with the manufacturer, and an intermediate subsidy results in cooperation between the two members of the remanufacturing supply chain. Meanwhile, if the customers’ acceptance for remanufactured products is higher, the remanufacturer will be more likely to compete with the manufacturer. However, the remanufacturer’s optimal channel choice may be inefficient in the sense of social welfare and environmental protection.
Reservoir Operation Rules for Controlling Algal Blooms in a Tributary to the Impoundment of Three Gorges Dam
Authors: Lian Jijian , Yao Ye , Ma Chao , Guo Qizhong
Published: October 2014

Since the first impoundment of Three Gorges Dam in 2003, algal blooms occur frequently in the near-dam tributaries. It is widely recognized that the impoundment-induced change in hydrodynamic condition with the lower current velocity will make the eutrophication problem even more severe when an excessive amount of nutrients is already loaded into a reservoir and/or its tributaries. Operation tests carried out by Three Gorges Corporation in 2010 point to some feasible reservoir operation schemes that may have positive impacts on reducing the algal bloom level. In our study, an attempt is made to obtain, through a numerical hydrodynamic and water quality modeling and analysis, the reservoir operation rules that would reduce the level of algal blooms in the Xiangxi River (XXR), a near-dam tributary. Water movements and algal blooms in XXR are simulated and analyzed under different scenarios of one-day water discharge fluctuation or two-week water level variation. The model results demonstrate that the reservoir operations can further increase the water exchange between the mainstream of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) and the XXR tributary and thus move a larger amount of algae into the deep water where it will die. Analysis of the model results indicate that the water discharge fluctuation constituted of a lower valley-load flow and a larger flow difference for the short-term operation (within a day), the rise in water level for the medium-term operation (e.g., over weeks), and the combination of the above two for the long-term operation (e.g., over months) can be the feasible reservoir operation rules in the non-flood season for TGR.
Synthesis of aromatic glycoconjugates. Building blocks for the construction of combinatorial glycopeptide libraries
Authors: Nörrlinger Markus , Ziegler Thomas
Published: October 2014

New aromatic glycoconjugate building blocks based on the trifunctional 3-aminomethyl-5-aminobenzoic acid backbone and sugars linked to the backbone by a malonyl moiety were prepared via peptide coupling. The orthogonally protected glycoconjugates, bearing an acetyl-protected glycoside, were converted into their corresponding acids which are suitable building blocks for combinatorial glycopeptide synthesis.
MODELLING MASONRY CREW PRODUCTIVITY USING TWO ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORK TECHNIQUES
Authors: Gerek Ibrahim Halil , Erdis Ercan , Mistikoglu Gulgun , Usmen Mumtaz
Published: October 2014

Artificial neural networks have been effectively used in various civil engineering fields, including construction management and labour productivity. In this study, the performance of the feed forward neural network (FFNN) was compared with radial basis neural network (RBNN) in modelling the productivity of masonry crews. A variety of input factors were incorporated and analysed. Mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) and correlation coefficient (R) were used to evaluate model performance. Research results indicated that the neural computing techniques could be successfully employed in modelling crew productivity. It was also found that successful models could be developed with different combinations of input factors, and several of the models which excluded one or more input factors turned out to be better than the baseline models. Based on the MAPE values obtained for the models, the RBNN technique was found to be better than the FFNN technique, although both slightly overestimated the masons’ productivity.
Le soutien organisationnel à la formation : rôle « modérateur » des dispositions individuelles dans la motivation à transférer et l'engagement organisationnel
Authors: Bosset Isabelle , Bourgeois Étienne
Published: October 2014

Cette contribution concerne les conditions qui font qu’un collaborateur 3 ayant suivi une formation externe à son entreprise 4 sera disposé, ou non, à réinvestir les acquis de celle-ci en situation de travail. Dans l’étude présentée ici, menée auprès de collaborateurs dans diverses entreprises suisses romandes inscrits dans un programme de formation continue universitaire en GRH, nous nous intéresserons plus particulièrement aux interrelations entre soutien organisationnel perçu et dispositions individuelles, ainsi qu’à leur impact sur la motivation à transférer et l’engagement organisationnel. Les résultats mettent en évidence quatre configurations d’interrelation entre ces éléments et permettent d’avancer deux hypothèses : 1) que ces différentes configurations ont des effets distincts en termes de motivation à transférer et d’engagement organisationnel ; et 2) que les dispositions individuelles modulent les effets du soutien organisationnel.
les voyageurs de Linosa
Authors: Doubre Olivier
Published: October 2014

Résumé reportage aux marches de l’Europe
The Evolving Knowledge Cities
Authors: Khan Mohammad Ayub
Published: October 2014

This chapter discusses the emerging models of knowledge cities in many countries of the world and the potential challenges posed by them for the existing as well as the future academic institutions of higher education (universities) in those countries in particular and in the in world in general. Specifically, this chapter is dedicated to the study of various issues and themes that concern the evolving knowledge cities such as the long-term and short-term objectives behind the establishment of knowledge cities and their potential benefits (i.e., social, economic, financial, environmental, and knowledge) for their societies. The chapter concludes that the development of knowledge cities are beneficial for all stakeholders including the academic institutions of higher education that directly or indirectly associated with such programs.
The Role of Modern Education in Improving Business Performance
Authors: Khan Mohammad Ayub
Published: October 2014

This chapter analyzes the relationship between the modern education system and business performance in a theoretical manner. Business organizations who invest in the modern education system in order to educate (knowledge development) and train (skilling and re-skilling) their workforce should know that there is a positive relationship between the modern education system and business performance. It is encouraging news for the business organizations who invest enough efforts on human capital development programs. For the readers to understand the term of positive relationship between the modern education system and business performance, it simply refers to the recognition that an increase in investment on the modern education system by a company will improve its (the company's) business performance. Therefore, institutions of higher education including business schools should invest more in technology-based education systems in order to provide education and training programs to their corporate clients.
Proactive Review
Authors: Kolbaek Ditte
Published: October 2014

The aim of this chapter is to provide a theoretically based and proven educational design for learning from experience in the context of a work. This chapter includes some of the theoretical considerations as well as the final educational design for Proactive Reviews, as exemplified in a case study from a worldclass IT company based in more than 60 countries across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. From 2005 to 2012, Proactive Review was developed and implemented in more than 40 countries. The chapter describes the four roles involved in a Proactive Review: the participant, the sponsor, the top management, and the facilitator. The results of a Proactive Review can be both tangible and intangible and have an impact on the participants, their teams, and the organization's products, services, and ways of working. Finally, the chapter provides recommendations for successful Proactive Reviews.
A Lessons Learned Assessment Approach
Authors: Champoux Pierrette
Published: October 2014

The approach taken in this chapter is to identify the role of technology to support the lessons learned (LL) process through the presentation of an organization's optimal LL assessment approach. The objective is to identify which user requirements are specifically defining the LL System (LLS) in an organizational context, rather than to list random technologies and their attributes, as is common practice. These requirements will cover the objects of interest on which lessons are gathered, the knowledge objects that support the collection approaches and analyses, the dissemination strategies that need to be implemented, the actions to be taken following the analysis and the necessary actions to exploit that knowledge. A framework is presented to support the execution of the LL assessment approach. The LL framework consists of a structure to categorize all types of information gathered during the assessment, the list of requirements, the models, and the tools.
Conclusion and Future Directions
Authors: Dalkir Kimiz , McIntyre Susan G.
Published: October 2014

The contributors to this collection have identified the critical success factors, obstacles, and future opportunities for ensuring that lessons learned processes contribute to the attainment of organizational goals. The critical success factors are categorized as: 1) conducive culture, 2) effective leadership, 3) robust lessons learned cycle, and 4) action plans. Obstacles to success are: 1) cultural barriers, 2) resource limitations, 3) lack of governance, and 4) insufficient analysis for credible results. Future directions to explore include the roles of culture and leadership, the need for standardized approaches that can be used by all types of organizations, improved technological infrastructure, and implementation of effective measurement systems. Opportunities for future research are: determining why organizations either choose to or cannot learn; the role of trust in learning lessons; optimization of technological approaches; and how lessons learned approaches could integrate processes and procedures from other organizational improvement.
Investigating the Success of OSS Software Projects
Authors: Ghapanchi Amir Hossein
Published: October 2014

Whereas there are several instances of Open Source Software (OSS) projects that have achieved huge success in the market, a high failure rate has been reported for OSS projects. This study conducts a literature survey to gain insight into existing studies on the success of OSS projects. More specifically, this study seeks to extract the critical success factors for OSS projects. Based on the literature survey in this study, the authors found determinants of success in OSS projects and classified them into three broad categories of project traits, product traits, and network structure. These findings have important implications for both the OSS research community and OSS practitioners.
Personas and Scenarios Based on Functioning and Health Conditions
Authors: Queirós Alexandra , Cerqueira Margarida , Martins Ana Isabel , Silva Anabela G. , Alvarelhão Joaquim , Rocha Nelson Pacheco
Published: October 2014

This chapter presents how the concepts of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) can be used to optimize the role of personas and scenarios in the development and evaluation of Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) systems and services, especially in aspects related to human functioning and health conditions.
Supply Chain Management Practices, Competitive Advantage and Organizational Performance
Authors: Singh Rajwinder , Sandhu H.S. , Metri B.A. , Kaur Rajinder
Published: October 2014

Supply chain is the process of continuous flow of products or services from source to the destination. Supply chain management has become an effective tool now a day to survive in this competitive world. Organizations do their best to harvest profits by adopting better supply chain management practices for competitive advantage and organizational performance. In this paper an attempt has been made to understand the relationship among supply chain practices, competitive advantage, and organizational performance using structural equation modelling. This research conceptualizes and develops five secondary dimensions of supply chain practices (Use of technology, SC speed, Customer satisfaction, SC integration, and Inventory management). The research also identifies four primary competitive advantage components (Inventory management, Customer satisfaction, Profitability, and Customer base identification) and six primary organizational performance components (Financial Performance, Market performance, SC competencies, Customer satisfaction, Stakeholder satisfaction, and Innovation and learning). The data for analysis was collected from top 10 non-livestock organized retail players operating in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, New Delhi and, Gurgaon in India. The relationships in the proposed framework were tested using structural equation modelling. The results indicate that Indian retailers know that competitive advantage has high impact on SCP but they have less understanding in matching SCP and competitive advantage with organizational performance.
The Forgotten Teachers in K-12 Online Learning
Authors: Barbour Michael Kristopher , Adelstein David , Morrison Jonathan
Published: October 2014

Like many K-12 online learning programs, the Illinois Virtual High School (IVHS) began by utilizing vendor content to populate its online courses. In its fourth year, the IVHS began a concerted effort to design more of its own online course content internals. The aim of this study was to examine the nature of the support needed and application of tools used by IVHS course developers. The data consisted of a two-part, web-based survey and telephone interviews that were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inductive analysis. The results showed these developers had a strong desire to use interactive elements in their course as well as working in cooperative teams. Further, developers were opposed to using a forced template, but indicated a need for general structural guidance and additional professional development. Finally, developers recommended that subject matter teacher-developers and multimedia specialists be split into two separate roles, and these individuals work together as a part of a design team. Further research should be conducted on the intended use of technology tools requested.
Visualizing endocytotic pathways at transmission electron microscopy via diaminobenzidine photo-oxidation by a fluorescent cell-membrane dye
Authors: Grecchi S. , Malatesta M.
Published: October 2014

The endocytotic pathway involves a complex, dynamic and interacting system of intracellular compartments. PKH26 is a fluorescent dye specific for long-lasting cell membrane labelling which has been successfully used for investigating cell internalization processes, at either flow cytometry or fluorescence microscopy. In the present work, diaminobenzidine photo-oxidation was tested as a procedure to detect PKH26 dye at transmission electron microscopy. Our results demonstrated that DAB-photo-oxidation is a suitable technique to specifically visualise this fluorescent dye at the ultrastructural level: the distribution of the granular dark reaction product perfectly matches the pattern of the fluorescence staining, and the electron density of the fine precipitates makes the signal evident and precisely detectable on the different subcellular compartments involved in the plasma membrane internalization routes.
Mass balance of the Devon (NW), Meighen, and South Melville ice caps, Queen Elizabeth Islands for the 2012-2013 balance year
Authors: Burgess D O
Published: October 2014

In-situ glacier mass balance surveys were conducted across the Devon, Meighen, and South Melville ice caps in the Canadian high Arctic by Natural Resources Canada during spring, 2014. Survey results indicate positive net balance values for the Devon (NW) and
Meighen ice caps (+2 and +17 cm w.e. respectively), while the South Melville ice cap experienced slightly negative mass balance (-18 cm w.e.). Results from these glacier surveys are indicative of relatively cool conditions that prevailed across this region during the summer of 2013. Associated water
equivalent volume change for the Devon (NW), Meighen, and South Melville ice caps in 2012-2013 was 0.04, 0.01, and -0.009 Gt respectively resulted in a net negative contribution to global sea-level rise from these 3 sites for the 2012-2013 balance year.
Normalizers inside Amalgamated Free Product von Neumann Algebras
Authors: Vaes Stefaan
Published: October 2014

Recently, Adrian Ioana proved that all crossed products

L^\infty(X) \rtimes (\Gamma_1*\Gamma_2)

by free ergodic probability measure preserving actions of a nontrivial free product group

\Gamma_1 * \Gamma_2

have a unique Cartan subalgebra up to unitary conjugacy. Ioana deduced this result from a more general dichotomy theorem on the normalizer

\mathcal N_M(A)^{\prime\prime}

of an amenable subalgebra

A

of an amalgamated free product von Neumann algebra

M = M_1 *_B M_2

. We improve this dichotomy theorem by removing the spectral gap assumptions and obtain in particular a simpler proof for the uniqueness of the Cartan subalgebra in

L^\infty(X) \rtimes (\Gamma_1*\Gamma_2)

.
Poor correlation between phytoplankton community growth rates and nutrient concentration in the sea
Authors: Regaudie-de-Gioux A. , Sal S. , López-Urrutia Á.
Published: October 2014

Abstract. Nutrient availability is one of the major factors regulating marine productivity and phytoplankton community structure. While the response of phytoplankton species to nutrient variation is relatively well known, that of phytoplankton community remains unclear. We question whether phytoplankton community growth rates respond to nutrient concentration in a similar manner to phytoplankton species composing the community, that is, following Monod's model. Data on in situ marine community growth rates in relation to nutrient concentration and the behaviour of a simple multi-species community model show that community growth rate does not respond to nutrient concentration according to the Monod equation. Through a simulation study we show this can be explained as a consequence of changes in size structure. Marine biogeochemical models involving different phytoplankton functional groups must not parameterize phytoplankton community growth rate response to nutrient concentration following a Monod equation.
Analysis of water use strategies of the desert riparian forest plant community in inland rivers of two arid regions in northwestern China
Authors: Chen Y. N. , Li W. H. , Zhou H. H. , Chen Y. P. , Hao X. M. , Fu A. H. , Ma J. X.
Published: October 2014

Abstract. Studies of the water use of the desert riparian forest plant community in arid regions and analyses of the response and adaptive strategies of plants to environmental stress are of great significance to the formulation of effective ecological conservation and restoration strategies. Taking two inland rivers in the arid regions of northwestern China, downstream of the Tarim River and Heihe River Basin as the research target regions, this paper explored the stem water potential, sap flow, root hydraulic lift, and characteristics of plant water sources of the major constructive species in the desert riparian forest, Populus euphratica and Tamarix ramosissima. Specifically, this was accomplished by combining the monitoring of field physiological and ecological indicators, and the analysis of laboratory tests. Then, the water use differences of species in different ecological environments and their ecological significance were analyzed. This study indicated that: (1) in terms of water sources, Populus euphratica and Tamarix ramosissima mainly used deep subsoil water and underground water, but the plant root system in the downstream of the Tarim River was more diversified than that in the downstream of the Heihe River in water absorption, (2) in terms of water distribution, Populus euphratica root possessed hydraulic lift capacity, but Populus euphratica root in the downstream of the Tarim River presented stronger hydraulic lift capacity and more significant ecological effect of water redistribution, (3) in terms of water transport, the plants in the downstream of the Heihe River can adapt to the environment through the current limiting of branch xylem, while plants in the downstream of the Tarim River substantially increased the survival probability of the whole plant by sacrificing weak branches and improving the water acquisition capacity of dominant branches; and (4) in terms of water dissipation, the water use and consumption of Populus euphratica at night exhibited no significant difference, but the water use and consumption of Populus euphratica in the downstream of the Tarim River in the day was significantly higher than that in the downstream of the Heihe River, and the essential reason for this is the groundwater depth. The ecology in the downstream of the Heihe River has been in balance in the maintenance and development stage, while desert riparian forest plants in the downstream of the Tarim River are still in severe arid stress.
Complexity signatures in the geomagnetic H component recorded by the Tromsø magnetometer (70° N, 19° E) over the last quarter of a century
Authors: Hall C. M.
Published: October 2014

Abstract. Solar disturbances, depending on the orientation of the interplanetary magnetic field, typically result in perturbations of the geomagnetic field as observed by magnetometers on the ground. Here, the geomagnetic field's horizontal component, as measured by the ground-based observatory-standard magnetometer at Tromsø (70° N, 19° E), is examined for signatures of complexity. Twenty-five year-long 10 s resolution data sets are analysed for fluctuations with timescales of less than 1 day. Quantile–quantile plots are employed first, revealing that the fluctuations are better represented by Cauchy rather than Gaussian distributions. Thereafter, both spectral density and detrended fluctuation analysis methods are used to estimate values of the generalized Hurst exponent, α. The results are then compared with independent findings. Inspection and comparison of the spectral and detrended fluctuation analyses reveal that timescales between 1 h and 1 day are characterized by fractional Brownian motion with a generalized Hurst exponent of ~1.4, whereas including timescales as short as 1 min suggests fractional Brownian motion with a generalized Hurst exponent of ~1.6.
Blowing snow in coastal Adélie Land, Antarctica: three atmospheric-moisture issues
Authors: Barral H. , Genthon C. , Trouvilliez A. , Brun C. , Amory C.
Published: October 2014

Abstract. A total of 3 years of blowing-snow observations and associated meteorology along a 7 m mast at site D17 in coastal Adélie Land are presented. The observations are used to address three atmospheric-moisture issues related to the occurrence of blowing snow, a feature which largely affects many regions of Antarctica: (1) blowing-snow sublimation raises the moisture content of the surface atmosphere close to saturation, and atmospheric models and meteorological analyses that do not carry blowing-snow parameterizations are affected by a systematic dry bias; (2) while snowpack modelling with a parameterization of surface-snow erosion by wind can reproduce the variability of snow accumulation and ablation, ignoring the high levels of atmospheric-moisture content associated with blowing snow results in overestimating surface sublimation, affecting the energy budget of the snowpack; (3) the well-known profile method of calculating turbulent moisture fluxes is not applicable when blowing snow occurs, because moisture gradients are weak due to blowing-snow sublimation, and the impact of measurement uncertainties are strongly amplified in the case of strong winds.
Development and Implementation of a Clinical and Business Intelligence System for the Florida Health Data Warehouse
Authors: AlHazme Raed H , Rana Arif M , De Lucca Michael
Published: October 2014

The overall aim of the project was to conduct a Clinical and Business Intelligence (CBI) gap analysis in the Broward Regional Health Planning Council’s (BRHPC) Florida Health Data Warehouse environment, and when determined necessary, introduce the concept of CBI to the site. CBI is a powerful set of tools that has the potential to assist organizations such as BRHPC in the planning and coordination of health care services. The project was designed to reflect the System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) development methodology, which consists of five stages: planning, analysis, detailed system design, implementation, and support.  In planning, we evaluated the current relationship between the health care data and the decision makers that utilize BRHPC’s Florida Health Data Warehouse, which indicated a major disconnect between the respective participants and the data in the existing system. Based on this, a CBI system was proposed for development and implementation for BRHPC’s Florida Health Data Warehouse to address this disconnect.  The subsequent analysis included data collection and a number of meetings with different end-users in order to collect the site’s requirements for the CBI system.  System design, development, and implementation were then executed for each component of the system. Finally, BRHPC’s technical team members were trained on how to support the system. Preliminary results of the developed system have already proven to assist in the planning and coordination of the health care services in Florida.
An effective tool to manage the distribution of medicines and monitor the treatment in hospital pharmacies
Authors: Franzoso Gianpaolo
Published: October 2014

Introduction The purpose of the article is to share a modus operandi and a tool that allows the recruitment and management of thousands of patients and their treatment by using a simple software created by the author and made freely available  to all colleague-pharmacists. The author, a  pharmacist, created this database because there were no tools on the market with all the features needed to manage the treatment of patients and the orders of drugs to ensure continuity of care without waste of public money. Methods The data collection is facilitated by the software and allows the monitoring of treatment of the patients and their re-evaluation. This tool can create a table containing all the information needed to predict the demand for drugs, the timing of therapies and of the treatment plans. It is an effective instrument to calibrate the optimal purchase of drugs and the delivery of therapies to patients. Conclusions A simple tool that allows the management of many patients,  reduces research time  and facilitates the control of therapies. It allows us to optimize inventory and minimize the stock of drugs. It allows the pharmacist to focus attention on the clinical management of the patient by helping him to follow therapy and respond to his needs.
Perceived value of applying Information Communication Technology to implement guidelines in developing countries; an online questionnaire study among public health workers
Authors: Machingura Pasipanodya Ian , Adekola Olawumi , Mueni Eunice , Oaiya Omo , Gustafsson Lars L , Heller Richard Frederick
Published: October 2014

Introduction: Practice guidelines can be used to support healthcare decision making. We sought to identify the use, and barriers to the implementation, of electronic based guidelines to support decision-making in maternal and child healthcare (MCH) and the rational use of medicines, in developing countries.Methods: Graduates who had gained the Master of Public Health degree through the Peoples-uni (postgraduate public health education in developing countries) were sent an online survey questionnaire which had been piloted. Two reminders were sent to non-respondents at intervals of 10 days. Results were explored using descriptive analyses.Results: 44 of the potential 48 graduates from 16 countries responded – most were from Africa. 82% and 89% of respondents were aware of guidelines on MCH and the rational use of medicines respectively. Electronic guidelines were more available in university hospitals than in provincial hospitals or rural care. All respondents thought that guidelines could improve the delivery of quality care, and 42 (95%) and 41 (93%) respectively thought that computers and mobile or smartphones could increase the use of guidelines in service delivery. Lack of access to computers, need to buy phone credit, need for training in the use of either computerized or phone based guidelines and fear of increased workload were potential barriers to use.Conclusion: There is support for the use of electronic guidelines despite limited availability and barriers to use in developing countries. These findings, and other literature, provide a guide as to how the further development of ICT based guidelines may be implemented to improve health care decision making.
Supporting the diffusion of healthy public policy in Canada: the Prevention Policies Directory
Authors: Politis Christopher E , Halligan Michelle H , Keen Deb , Kerner Jon F
Published: October 2014

Healthy public policy plays an essential role in a comprehensive public health approach to preventing cancer and chronic disease. Public policies spread through the ‘policy diffusion’ process, enabling governments to learn from another’s enacted policy solutions. The Prevention Policies Directory (the Directory), an online database of municipal, provincial/territorial, and federal cancer and chronic disease prevention policies from across Canada, was developed to facilitate the diffusion of healthy public policies and support the work of prevention researchers, practitioners, and policy specialists. Through a participatory engagement approach, this information technology solution was implemented as a communication channel or policy knowledge transfer tool. It also addressed the intrinsic shortcomings of environmental scanning for policy surveillance and monitoring. A combination of quantitative web metrics and qualitative anecdotal evidence have illustrated that the Directory is becoming an important tool for healthy public policy surveillance and policy diffusion in Canada.
A Repository of Codes of Ethics and Technical Standards in Health Informatics
Authors: Samuel Hamman W. , Zaïane Osmar R.
Published: October 2014

We present a searchable repository of codes of ethics and standards in health informatics. It is built using state-of-the-art search algorithms and technologies. The repository will be potentially beneficial for public health practitioners, researchers, and software developers in finding and comparing ethics topics of interest. Public health clinics, clinicians, and researchers can use the repository platform as a one-stop reference for various ethics codes and standards. In addition, the repository interface is built for easy navigation, fast search, and side-by-side comparative reading of documents. Our selection criteria for codes and standards are two-fold; firstly, to maintain intellectual property rights, we index only codes and standards freely available on the internet. Secondly, major international, regional, and national health informatics bodies across the globe are surveyed with the aim of understanding the landscape in this domain. We also look at prevalent technical standards in health informatics from major bodies such as the International Standards Organization (ISO) and the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Our repository contains codes of ethics from the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA), the iHealth Coalition (iHC), the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), the Australasian College of Health Informatics (ACHI), the British Computer Society (BCS), and the UK Council for Health Informatics Professions (UKCHIP), with room for adding more in the future. Our major contribution is enhancing the findability of codes and standards related to health informatics ethics by compilation and unified access through the health informatics ethics repository.