bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Communicative Approach as a Tool for Relating Reading and Writing Skills in Early Childhood Education
Authors: Prince Ololube Nwachukwu , Briggs Teinye , Kpolovie Peter James , Uwaoma Ezindu Salome
Published: June 2013

This study dwells upon communicative approach as a tool for relating reading and writing skills in early childhood education in a developing economy. The quantitative data was gathered through the use of structured questionnaires and was analysed using SPSS version 17. This study confirms that teachers in the selected early childhood education centres (ECEC) have no professional early childhood education qualifications and, as a result, are not qualified to effectively carry out their teaching responsibilities. It is hoped that this study can contribute to a deeper understanding of how early childhood education teachers perceive language teaching and consequently assist in the development of teacher education programmes and activities. Teacher training and education courses must play a more active role in informing trainee teachers of the instructional value of communicative approach in the teaching and learning of the English language. This study provides parents, teachers, researchers, the public and those who manage education systems with new data that will help them to answer questions about the failing state of education in Nigeria.
Values Across Countries in a Modern Society – the Example of Polish Schools
Authors: Świtała Eugeniusz
Published: June 2013

This paper reports on a fragment of a broader research on values education in Polish and Latvian schools. This paper seeks to evaluate data from the European Social Survey (ESS) and elaborate on the frames of references for identification of the aims for future research. The paper highlights the findings of an action research carried out in two Polish schools. The values of European countries are analysed in the context of educational research in Europe and other regions of the world. The frames of references constructed during the study and data from European Social Survey were the grounds for creating a questionnaire for an action research to find out the tendencies that derive from the experience of students. The survey was preceded by a special training session for the teaching staff about evaluation and its significance for increasing the quality of school performance.
Dance Teacher Education: Programme Analysis and Students’ Perceptions
Authors: Baneviciutė Birute
Published: June 2013

The principles of education for sustainable development implemented in Lithuanian education system shifted the perceptions of teachers’ roles from disseminating knowledge towards developing students’ competencies of responsible, critical and creative thinking and acting. The objective of this research is to find out whether pre-service dance teachers in Lithuania are ready to meet challenges of contemporary educational paradigms. A questionnaire was administered to 59 pre-service dance teachers, and the analysis of five dance teacher education programmes was carried out. The findings reveal that, in general, pre-service dance teachers are not satisfied with the quality of the study process, although, according to their statement, they acquire the necessary knowledge.
Performance of K-Nearest Neighbors Algorithm in Opinion Classification
Authors: Jędrzejewski Krzysztof , Zamorski Maurycy
Published: June 2013

This paper presents another approach for determining document’s semantic orientation process. It includes a brief introduction describing the area of application of opinion mining, and some definitions useful in the field. The most commonly used methods are mentioned and some alternative ones are described. Experiment results are presented which show that kNN algorithm gives similar results to proportional algorithm.
E-ETL: Framework for Managing Evolving ETL Workflows
Authors: Wojciechowski Artur
Published: June 2013

Data warehouses integrate external data sources (EDSs), which very often change their data structures (schemas). In many cases, such changes cause an erroneous execution of an already deployed ETL workow. Structural changes of EDSs are frequent, therefore an automatic reparation of an ETL workow, after such changes, is of a high importance. This paper presents a framework, called E-ETL, for handling the evolution of an ETL layer. Detection of changes in EDSs causes a repa- ration of the fragment of ETL workow which interacts with the changed EDSs. The proposed framework was developed as a module external to a standard commercial or open-source ETL engine, accessing the engine by means of API. The innovation of this framework consists in: (1) the algorithms for semi-automatic reparation of an ETL workow and (2) its ability to interact with various ETL engines that provide API.
Effect of mixed cropping and plant extracts on the growth, yield and pest control of jute (Corchorus olitorius L.)
Authors: Okunlola Adeyela I. , Ofuya Thomas I.
Published: June 2013

This study investigated the effect of plant extracts (Azadirachta indica and Piper guineense) on the growth and yield of jute (Corchorus olitorius L.) (Cor) under sole and mixed cropping with Amaranthus hybridus (Ama) and Celosia argentea (Cel). The highest percentage increase in plant height, number of leaves, number of branches and stem girth (130.6, 865.0, 220.4 and 114.0%, respectively) was found in untreated Cor + Cel, cypermethrin treated Cor + Ama, cypermethrin treated Cor and A. indica extract treated Cor + Ama, respectively. The highest percentage increase in shoot weight (71.0%), marketable yield (53.9%) and total biomass (51.5%) was in A. indica treated C. olitorius. Extract treatment had no effect on the number of branches at four, five and seven weeks after planting (WAP) in Cor + Ama + Cel; four, five and six WAP in Cor + Cel; four and six WAP in Cor + Ama; as well as four and five WAP in Cor. The highest percentage increase in leaf fresh weight was obtained in cypermethrin treated Cor (53.3%) and Cor + Ama + Cel (52.2%), while the smallest increase was in P. guineense treated Cor (1.1%) and Cor + Ama (2.5%). The activity of A. indica was independent of time of application while P. guineense was not. Among the extract treated groups, the highest percentage increase in shoot weight (71.0%), marketable yield (53.9%) and total biomass (51.5%) was in A. indica treated Cor. The activity of the extracts against insect pests of sole cropped Cor increased significantly (p < 0.05) with increasing extract concentration. The highest efficiency with the use of P. guineense was 250 g dm-3 at four, five and six WAP (94.0, 92.7 and 90.3%, respectively) and 200 mg dm-3 at seven WAP (81.7%). In the case of A. indica extract, the highest efficiency was found with the use of 200 g dm-3 at four, six and seven WAP (92.7, 85.3 and 100%, respectively). A. indica extract (250 g dm-3) treatment gave the highest efficiency at five WAP (100%).
The effect of biodegradable nonwoven direct covers on yield and quality of winter leek
Authors: Siwek Piotr , Libik Andrzej , Kalisz Andrzej , Zawiska Izabela
Published: June 2013

During this two-year experiment (2008-2010), the ‘Kenton’ leek cultivar was grown in the field from July to March/April of the following year. During the winter months the plants were kept under biodegradable nonwoven covers (Bionolle - polybutylene succinate, 59 and 100 g m-2). The control treatments were left uncovered. Some cracks and tears in the biodegradable nonwoven covers were observed. The covers resulted in better leek yields. In the first season the bleached parts of the leek contained more ascorbic acid when kept under the Bionolle 100 g m-2 cover. The lighter nonwoven (59 g m-2) cover caused a grater accumulation of soluble sugars. Biodegradable films, used in the winter cultivation of leek, increased the soil temperature by 1°C on average.
The peculiarities of bear numbers dynamics in the Eastern Carpathians
Authors: Khoyetskyy Pavlo
Published: June 2013

There have been two periods of change in the dynamics of bear population in the Eastern Carpathians. The first period lasted over 50 years, starting in the late 1940s and ending in the year 2001. The second period started in the early 21st century. The bear population reached its maximum - of about 1100 individuals - in the early 1970s. Over 85% of recorded bear deaths have resulted from poaching.
A two-phase inventory method for calculating standing volume and tree-density of forest stands in central Poland based on airborne laser-scanning data
Authors: Miścicki Stanisław , Stereńczak Krzysztof
Published: June 2013

This paper describes a method of determining the stocking density and volume of forest stands based on airborne laser-scanning data. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between ground-based measurements of standing volume and tree-density, and those acquired based on the Crown Height Model (CHM) interpolated from airborne laser scanning data. Data were collected from 34 sample plots of two sizes for the CHM analysis: 500 m2 (radius 12.61 m) and 1963.5 m2 (radius of 25.0 m): Trees for sampling were selected using two methods, those whose “centroid” was fully within the sample plot (the tree was considered to be within the sample plots if the centroid of the crown was inside the circle) and those at the “border” (the tree was included in the sample plot if, at least, one part of the contour of the crown was inside the circle). There was a strong relationship (R2 = 0.86) between standing volume measured in sample plots on the ground and the indices produced by the crown elevation model at the locations where the ground-based measurements were performed.
Radial variation in the wood properties of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) grown on former agricultural soil
Authors: Tomczak Arkadiusz , Jelonek Tomasz
Published: June 2013

The soil of former farmland greatly differs from forest soil, and significantly influences tree growth and development compared with other site factors. The effect may also be reflected indirectly in radial variability of wood. This study compared radial variation of wood density, compressive strength along the grain and static bending strength of wood of Scots pine trees growing on former farmland and forest soils. The analyses were conducted in eight mature pine stands. On the basis of the stand description, four stands were classified as growing on forest soil (L) and four as growing on former farmland soil (P). A total of 24 model trees were selected, twelve on each soil type. Analyses of wood properties were conducted along four axes from the cross sectional radius of the trees at breast height. Our analyses showed that radial variation in wood properties of Scots pine (from selected locations in Poland) growing on former farmland is similar to the variation among the control trees growing on forest soils. In both groups of trees, the lowest density and the lowest strength were in the pith (juvenile) zone. Wood with the highest density and greatest strength was located in the central part of the radius. Wood of Scots pine trees growing on former farmland soils in comparison to that of trees growing on forest soil was characterised by a statistically lower basic density, lower compressive strength along the grain and static bending strength.
Cardiotoxicity of concomitant radiotherapy and trastuzumab for early breast cancer
Authors: Marinko Tanja , Dolenc Jure , Bilban-Jakopin Cvetka
Published: June 2013

Background. Trastuzumab therapy given in combination with one of several chemotherapy regimens is currently considered the standard of care for the treatment of early-stage, human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) -positive breast cancer. The treatment with trastuzumab is due to a significant impact on the survival part of the standard adjuvant treatment of patients with HER2-positive breast cancer. Patients treated with postoperative breast or chest wall irradiation receive trastuzumab concomitant with radiotherapy. In a small proportion of patients trastuzumab causes cardiotoxicity. Preclinical findings indicate a radiosensibilizing effect of trastuzumab in breast cancer cells, but it is not yet clear whether it radiosensibilizes cells of healthy tissues too.

Conclusions. Special attention is required when left breast or left thoracic wall is irradiated in patient receiving trastuzumab, because long-term effects of the concurrent treatment with trastuzumab and radiotherapy are not yet known. In an era where more patients are surviving a diagnosis of breast cancer, better understanding and earlier detection of therapy-induced cardiac toxicity will be of paramount importance.
Evaluation of safety and analgesic consumption in patients with advanced cancer treated with zoledronic acid
Authors: Kmetec Andrej , Hajdinjak Tine
Published: June 2013

Background. The aim of the study was evaluation of zoledronic acid with regard to safety, effect on analgesic consumption and impact on occurrence of skeletal related events in patients with bone lesions from solid tumors and multiple myeloma.

Methods. We conducted an observational, 12-month, phase IV and multi-center study. One hundred and twentyfive symptomatic (pain) bone-metastatic patients were included between 2007 and 2009: 92 prostate cancers, 28 multiple myelomas, 5 others. They were prescribed monthly infusions of zoledronic acid in accordance to each disease’s treatment guidelines. Analgesics consumption, pain and laboratory values were evaluated.

Results. Zoledronic acid was prescribed concurrent to initial therapy for myeloma and only in late stage of prostate cancer. With treatment, percentage of patients on analgesics decreased in myeloma group (from 57% to 24%) and increased in prostate cancer group (from 70% to 88%). In patients with any analgesics, the use of opiates’ prescription dropped from 72.9% to 64%, percentages of non-steroidal analgesics and other mild analgesics increased slightly. Pain score (Visual Analog Scale, VAS) decreased non significantly (by 22%) in prostate cancer but significantly in myeloma (by 97%). Hypocalcaemia grade 3 or 4 was observed in 4% of patients. Deviations in creatinine remained stable throughout. A total of 31 skeletal related events were reported for 10 patients (8%).

Conclusions. Zoledronic acid was safe medication. Different response of pain was seen between prostate cancer and myeloma patients, which might be due to different stages of disease where it was prescribed according to present guidelines. Possibility of earlier start of treatment should be explored in prostate cancer.
A Method for Choosing an Initial Time Eigenstate in Classical and Quantum Systems
Authors: Torres-Vega Gabino , Jiménez-García Mónica
Published: June 2013

A subject of interest in classical and quantum mechanics is the development of the appropriate treatment of the time variable. In this paper we introduce a method of choosing the initial time eigensurface and how this method can be used to generate time-energy coordinates and, consequently, time-energy representations for classical and quantum systems.
Experimental Analysis of the Input Variables’ Relevance to Forecast Next Day’s Aggregated Electric Demand Using Neural Networks
Authors: Hernández Luis , Baladrón Carlos , Aguiar Javier , Calavia Lorena , Carro Belén , Sánchez-Esguevillas Antonio , García Pablo , Lloret Jaime
Published: June 2013

Thanks to the built in intelligence (deployment of new intelligent devices and sensors in places where historically they were not present), the Smart Grid and Microgrid paradigms are able to take advantage from aggregated load forecasting, which opens the door for the implementation of new algorithms to seize this information for optimization and advanced planning. Therefore, accuracy in load forecasts will potentially have a big impact on key operation factors for the future Smart Grid/Microgrid-based energy network like user satisfaction and resource saving, and new methods to achieve an efficient prediction in future energy landscapes (very different from the centralized, big area networks studied so far). This paper proposes different improved models to forecast next day’s aggregated load using artificial neural networks, taking into account the variables that are most relevant for the aggregated. In particular, seven models based on the multilayer perceptron will be proposed, progressively adding input variables after analyzing the influence of climate factors on aggregated load. The results section presents the forecast from the proposed models, obtained from real data.
The Effect of Effluent Recirculation in a Semi-Continuous Two-Stage Anaerobic Digestion System
Authors: Aslanzadeh Solmaz , Rajendran Karthik , Jeihanipour Azam , Taherzadeh Mohammad
Published: June 2013

The effect of recirculation in increasing organic loading rate (OLR) and decreasing hydraulic retention time (HRT) in a semi-continuous two-stage anaerobic digestion system using stirred tank reactor (CSTR) and an upflow anaerobic sludge bed (UASB) was evaluated. Two-parallel processes were in operation for 100 days, one with recirculation (closed system) and the other without recirculation (open system). For this purpose, two structurally different carbohydrate-based substrates were used; starch and cotton. The digestion of starch and cotton in the closed system resulted in production of 91% and 80% of the theoretical methane yield during the first 60 days. In contrast, in the open system the methane yield was decreased to 82% and 56% of the theoretical value, for starch and cotton, respectively. The OLR could successfully be increased to 4 gVS/L/day for cotton and 10 gVS/L/day for starch. It is concluded that the recirculation supports the microorganisms for effective hydrolysis of polyhydrocarbons in CSTR and to preserve the nutrients in the system at higher OLRs, thereby improving the overall performance and stability of the process.
Tracking the Interplay between Bound Peptide and the Lid Domain of DnaK, Using Molecular Dynamics
Authors: Azoulay Itzhaq , Kucherenko Nataly , Nachliel Esther , Gutman Menachem , Azem Abdussalam , Tsfadia Yossi
Published: June 2013

Hsp70 chaperones consist of two functional domains: the 44 kDa Nucleotide Binding Domain (NBD), that binds and hydrolyses ATP, and the 26 kDa Substrate Binding Domain (SBD), which binds unfolded proteins and reactivates them, utilizing energy obtained from nucleotide hydrolysis. The structure of the SBD of the bacterial Hsp70, DnaK, consists of two sub-domains: A β-sandwich part containing the hydrophobic cavity to which the hepta-peptide NRLLLTG (NR) is bound, and a segment made of 5 α-helices, called the “lid” that caps the top of the β-sandwich domain. In the present study we used the Escherichia coli Hsp70, DnaK, as a model for Hsp70 proteins, focusing on its SBD domain, examining the changes in the lid conformation. We deliberately decoupled the NBD from the SBD, limiting the study to the structure of the SBD section, with an emphasis on the interaction between the charges of the peptide with the residues located in the lid. Molecular dynamics simulations of the complex revealed significant mobility within the lid structure; as the structure was released from the forces operating during the crystallization process, the two terminal helices established a contact with the positive charge at the tip of the peptide. This contact is manifested only in the presence of electrostatic attraction. The observed internal motions within the lid provide a molecular role for the function of this sub-domain during the reaction cycle of Hsp 70 chaperones.
Kinetics of Corrosion Inhibition of Aluminum in Acidic Media by Water-Soluble Natural Polymeric Pectates as Anionic Polyelectrolyte Inhibitors
Authors: Hassan Refat , Zaafarany Ishaq
Published: June 2013

Corrosion inhibition of aluminum (Al) in hydrochloric acid by anionic polyeletrolyte pectates (PEC) as a water-soluble natural polymer polysaccharide has been studied using both gasometric and weight loss techniques. The results drawn from these two techniques are comparable and exhibit negligible differences. The inhibition efficiency was found to increase with increasing inhibitor concentration and decrease with increasing temperature. The inhibition action of PEC on Al metal surface was found to obey the Freundlich isotherm. Factors such as the concentration and geometrical structure of the inhibitor, concentration of the corrosive medium, and temperature affecting the corrosion rates were examined. The kinetic parameters were evaluated and a suitable corrosion mechanism consistent with the kinetic results is discussed in the paper.
Simple Procedure to Compute the Inductance of a Toroidal Ferrite Core from the Linear to the Saturation Regions
Authors: Salas Rosa , Pleite Jorge
Published: June 2013

We propose a specific procedure to compute the inductance of a toroidal ferrite core as a function of the excitation current. The study includes the linear, intermediate and saturation regions. The procedure combines the use of Finite Element Analysis in 2D and experimental measurements. Through the two dimensional (2D) procedure we are able to achieve convergence, a reduction of computational cost and equivalent results to those computed by three dimensional (3D) simulations. The validation is carried out by comparing 2D, 3D and experimental results.
Cembrane Derivatives from the Soft Corals, Sinularia gaweli and Sinularia flexibilis
Authors: Hu Li-Chung , Yen Wei-Hsuan , Su Jui-Hsin , Chiang Michael , Wen Zhi-Hong , Chen Wu-Fu , Lu Ting-Jang , Chang Yu-Wei , Chen Yung-Husan , Wang Wei-Hsien , Wu Yang-Chang , Sung Ping-Jyun
Published: June 2013

A new norcembranoidal diterpene, 1-epi-sinulanorcembranolide A (1), and a new cembranoidal diterpene, flexibilin D (2), were isolated from the soft corals, Sinularia gaweli and Sinularia flexibilis, respectively. The structures of new metabolites 1 and 2 were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, and compound 2 was found to significantly inhibit the accumulation of the pro-inflammatory iNOS and COX-2 proteins of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophage cells. In addition, S. flexibilis yielded a known cembrane, 5-dehydrosinulariolide (3); the structure, including its absolute stereochemistry, was further confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis.
Synchronized Regulation of Different Zwitterionic Metabolites in the Osmoadaption of Phytoplankton
Authors: Gebser Björn , Pohnert Georg
Published: June 2013

The ability to adapt to different seawater salinities is essential for cosmopolitan marine phytoplankton living in very diverse habitats. In this study, we examined the role of small zwitterionic metabolites in the osmoadaption of two common microalgae species Emiliania huxleyi and Prorocentrum minimum. By cultivation of the algae under salinities between 16‰ and 38‰ and subsequent analysis of dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), glycine betaine (GBT), gonyol, homarine, trigonelline, dimethylsulfonioacetate, trimethylammonium propionate, and trimethylammonium butyrate using HPLC-MS, we could reveal two fundamentally different osmoadaption mechanisms. While E. huxleyi responded with cell size reduction and a nearly constant ratio between the major metabolites DMSP, GBT and homarine to increasing salinity, osmolyte composition of P. minimum changed dramatically. In this alga DMSP concentration remained nearly constant at 18.6 mM between 20‰ and 32‰ but the amount of GBT and dimethylsulfonioacetate increased from 4% to 30% of total investigated osmolytes. Direct quantification of zwitterionic metabolites via LC-MS is a powerful tool to unravel the complex osmoadaption and regulation mechanisms of marine phytoplankton.
A Soft Coral Natural Product, 11-Episinulariolide Acetate, Inhibits Gene Expression of Cyclooxygenase-2 and Interleukin-8 through Attenuation of Calcium Signaling
Authors: Hsu Wen-Li , Chiu Siou-Jin , Tsai Yao-Ting , Chang Che-Mai , Wang Jaw-Yan , Wang Eric , Hou Ming-Feng , Huang Chiung-Yao , Sheu Jyh-Horng , Chang Wei-Chiao
Published: June 2013

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is overexpressed in many types of cancer cells. EGFR-mediated signaling involves inflammatory gene expression including cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and interleukin (IL)-8, and is associated with cancer pathogenesis. In a search of phytochemicals with anti-inflammatory activity, the COX-2 and IL-8 inhibitory activities of some marine compounds were examined. After screening these compounds 11-episinulariolide acetate (1) from soft coral exhibited the most potent activity. Reverse-transcription PCR; western blotting; ELISA and luciferase assays were used to test the effect of compound 1 on EGF-stimulated expressions of COX-2 and IL-8 in A431 human epidermoid carcinoma cells. After exposure to 10 μM of compound 1, expression levels of COX-2 and IL-8 were reduced. In addition; intracellular Ca2+ increase and Ca2+-dependent transcription factor activation were blocked by compound 1. Thus, compound 1 can potentially serve as a lead compound for targeting Ca2+ signaling-dependent inflammatory diseases.
The Skin Secretion of the Amphibian Phyllomedusa nordestina: A Source of Antimicrobial and Antiprotozoal Peptides
Authors: Brand Guilherme , Santos Raimunda , Arake Luisa , Silva Valdelânia , Veras Leiz , Costa Vladimir , Costa Carlos , Kuckelhaus Selma , Alexandre José , Feio Maria , Leite José
Published: June 2013

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) from the dermaseptin and phylloseptin families were isolated from the skin secretion of Phyllomedusa nordestina, a recently described amphibian species from Northeastern Brazil. One dermaseptin and three phylloseptins were chosen for solid phase peptide synthesis. The antiprotozoal and antimicrobial activities of the synthetic peptides were determined, as well as their cytotoxicity in mouse peritoneal cells. AMPs are being considered as frameworks for the development of novel drugs inspired by their mechanism of action.
Vortex-Induced Alignment of a Water Soluble Supramolecular Nanofiber Composed of an Amphiphilic Dendrimer
Authors: Yamamoto Taiki , Tsuda Akihiko
Published: June 2013

We have synthesized a novel amphiphilic naphthalene imide bearing a cationic dendrimer wedge (NID). NID molecules in water self-assemble to form a two-dimensional ribbon, which further coils to give a linear supramolecular nanofiber. The sample solution showed linear dichroism (LD) upon stirring of the solution, where NID nanofibers dominantly align at the center of vortex by hydrodynamic interaction with the downward torsional flows.
Robust Vehicle Detection under Various Environmental Conditions Using an Infrared Thermal Camera and Its Application to Road Traffic Flow Monitoring
Authors: Iwasaki Yoichiro , Misumi Masato , Nakamiya Toshiyuki
Published: June 2013

We have already proposed a method for detecting vehicle positions and their movements (henceforth referred to as “our previous method”) using thermal images taken with an infrared thermal camera. Our experiments have shown that our previous method detects vehicles robustly under four different environmental conditions which involve poor visibility conditions in snow and thick fog. Our previous method uses the windshield and its surroundings as the target of the Viola-Jones detector. Some experiments in winter show that the vehicle detection accuracy decreases because the temperatures of many windshields approximate those of the exterior of the windshields. In this paper, we propose a new vehicle detection method (henceforth referred to as “our new method”). Our new method detects vehicles based on tires’ thermal energy reflection. We have done experiments using three series of thermal images for which the vehicle detection accuracies of our previous method are low. Our new method detects 1,417 vehicles (92.8%) out of 1,527 vehicles, and the number of false detection is 52 in total. Therefore, by combining our two methods, high vehicle detection accuracies are maintained under various environmental conditions. Finally, we apply the traffic information obtained by our two methods to traffic flow automatic monitoring, and show the effectiveness of our proposal.
Sustainable and Balanced Energy Efficiency and Preservation in Our Built Heritage
Authors: Norrström Heidi
Published: June 2013

Today, conservation work in our built cultural heritage has to be reformulated due to the new energy efficiency requirements put forward. On both a national and an international level, energy efficiency measures are considered key actions within sustainability work, answering to the global issue of climate change. What does this imply for our built heritage? Contemporary conservation is characterized by the concept of sustainability, and integrated conservation is also expected to be sustainable. It is inherent in this tradition, but how are we going to balance the historic and architectural values with the new energy requirements? A research project, Energy Efficiency in Our Cultural Heritage (EEPOCH), consisting of a multiple case study, has been carried out over three years, studying selected objects restored within the Halland Model, a project over a decade long. In EEPOCH the multiple units of analysis are energy efficiency, historic and architectural values, management, and legislation. All are applied to the selected objects. The results and conclusions drawn from the analysis show that there are actions that are possible to take and to recommend, including national inventories of historic values in the existing building stock as well as guidance for the management of historic values on a municipal level for continued sustainable development.
Tumor-Associated Glycans and Immune Surveillance
Authors: Monzavi-Karbassi Behjatolah , Pashov Anastas , Kieber-Emmons Thomas
Published: June 2013

Changes in cell surface glycosylation are a hallmark of the transition from normal to inflamed and neoplastic tissue. Tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens (TACAs) challenge our understanding of immune tolerance, while functioning as immune targets that bridge innate immune surveillance and adaptive antitumor immunity in clinical applications. T-cells, being a part of the adaptive immune response, are the most popular component of the immune system considered for targeting tumor cells. However, for TACAs, T-cells take a back seat to antibodies and natural killer cells as first-line innate defense mechanisms. Here, we briefly highlight the rationale associated with the relative importance of the immune surveillance machinery that might be applicable for developing therapeutics.
Efficient regio- and stereoselective access to novel fluorinated β-aminocyclohexanecarboxylates
Authors: Kiss Loránd , Nonn Melinda , Sillanpää Reijo , Fustero Santos , Fülöp Ferenc
Published: June 2013

A regio- and stereoselective method has been developed for the synthesis of novel fluorinated 2-aminocyclohexanecarboxylic acid derivatives with the fluorine attached to position 4 of the ring. The synthesis starts from either cis- or trans-β-aminocyclohex-4-enecarboxylic acids and involves regio- and stereoselective transformation of the ring C–C double bond through iodooxazine formation and hydroxylation, followed by hydroxy–fluorine or oxo–fluorine exchange.
ON APPROACH FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF DATA MINING TO BUSINESS PROCESS OPTIMISATION IN COMMERCIAL COMPANIES
Authors: Pick Aleksander , Vasilecas Olegas , Kalibatienė Diana , Rupnik Rok
Published: June 2013

Nowadays, organisations aim to automate their business processes to improve operational efficiency, reduce costs, improve the quality of customer service and reduce the probability of human error. Business process intelligence aims to apply data warehousing, data analysis and data mining techniques to process execution data, thus enabling the analysis, interpretation, and optimisation of business processes. Data mining approaches are especially effective in helping us to extract insights into customer behaviour, habits, potential needs and desires, credit associated risks, fraudulent transactions and etc. However, the integration of data mining into business processes still requires a lot of coordination and manual adjustment. This paper aims at reducing this effort by reusing successful data mining solutions. We propose an approach for implementation of data mining into a business process. The confirmation of the suggested approach is based on the results achieved in eight commercial companies, covering different industries, such as telecommunications, banking and retail.
AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH OF INPUT-OUTPUT TABLES TO DYNAMIC STRUCTURE CHANGES IN KOREAN IT INDUSTRIES
Authors: Cho Byung-Sun , Cho Sang Sup , Lee Jungmann
Published: June 2013

The structure of the IT industry has always evolved in line with technological progresses and changes in consumer preferences, as well as with regulatory trends. This is why, when assessing the effect that a new technology or industry policy may have on the national economy, companies and policy-makers need to consider dynamic structural changes affecting the IT industry. One of the most popular existing methods for economic impact analysis is based on a traditional input-output table, and is conducted over a period between the current time and a given time in the future. In this study, we compare the accuracy of RAS and Cross Entropy (CE), the two most widely employed methods for updating input-output (IO) tables, by applying them to Korean IT industries. The main results of this study are the following. In terms of the accuracy of input coefficient estimates, we have found that both the RAS and CE methods have a tendency to overestimate or underestimate them. When the Korean industry was first divided into fourteen sectors, and the RAS and CE methods were applied to each of the fourteen industries, it was difficult to discern a consistent trend for the two methods concerning their accuracy in estimation of input coefficients. Secondly, when used to update an IO table in which the IT industry is subdivided into IT equipment and services, neither the CE nor RAS method proved distinctly superior to the other. Third, in light of the above two findings, we concluded that updating IO tables is best done through a hybrid method combining the CE and RAS methods. This paper proposes a procedure consisting of two steps: IO tables are first updated using the two methods, which are once again updated by employing the OLS average approach through the use of optimal weights.
BARRIERS TO CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY STAKEHOLDERS’ ENGAGEMENT WITH SUSTAINABILITY: TOWARD A SHARED KNOWLEDGE EXPERIENCE
Authors: Wilson Ian E. , Rezgui Yacine
Published: June 2013

Sustainability ill-practices in the construction industry can have major drawbacks on meeting governmental targets on carbon and energy reduction. Using a mixed-method approach drawn from three studies to explore the level of engagement of construction stakeholders in adopting government sustainability agendas, the research identifies a wide range of perceived barriers, which operate broadly at ‘individual’ and ‘organisational’ levels. Sustainability knowledge in construction is fragmented, diverse, embedded in various documents, and developed in a non-concerted and integrated way across stakeholders, localities, regions, and countries. There is an emergent need for a socio-technical ‘knowledge solution’ to create circles of impacts that bind building professionals, energy administrations, and citizens in a shared sustainability experience to address a number of issues.
NEW CONCEPTS AND TRENDS OF MCDM FOR TOMORROW – IN HONOR OF PROFESSOR GWO-HSHIUNG TZENG ON THE OCCASION OF HIS 70TH BIRTHDAY
Authors: Liou James J. H.
Published: June 2013

This article introduces several new concepts and trends in multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) for solving actual problems, as proposed by Professor Gwo-Hshiung Tzeng. These new concepts are as follows: (1) interdependency in real-world problems; (2) replacing the relative good solution from the existing alternatives using aspiration levels; (3) shifting from ranking and selection to performance improvement; (4) information fusion/aggregation; and (5) changeable decision spaces. To honor Prof. Tzeng's contribution in the MCDM field and to commemorate his 70th birthday, this article also highlights his research career in MCDM and some publication list in the past 10 years.
Texts and Contexts of Folklorism
Authors: Poljak Istenič Saša
Published: June 2013

In ethnology and folklore studies, folklorism generally denotes a social and cultural phenomenon that presents and revives folk culture forms in a series of versions ranging from scholarly reconstruction to (folk) performance. The author presents texts and contexts of this phenomenon through the international development and definitions of the concept, as well as through discussions about folklorism in Slovenia and various experts’ and actors’ views on the Country Wedding in Ljubljana.
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Termin folklorizem v etnologiji in folkloristiki označuje družbeno-kulturni pojav, ki folklorne oblike ljudske kulture predstavlja oz. oživlja v nizu različic med znanstveno rekonstrukcijo in ljudsko poustvarjalnostjo. Avtorica skuša tekste in kontekste folklorizma prikazati prek mednarodnega razvoja koncepta, prispevkov o folklorizmu v Sloveniji ter nazadnje s pogledi strokovnjakov in akterjev folklorizma na primeru Kmečke ohceti v Ljubljani.
Dracula Tourism, Folklore and Cultural Heritage
Authors: Hovi Tuomas
Published: June 2013

In this article, I examine the use of folklore and heritage in the context of Dracula tourism in Romania. I will approach this issue by using the concepts of authenticity and stereotypes. I will also employ the concept of folklore process as coined by Lauri Honko to better define the use of tradition in relation to folklorism and authenticity. My main argument is that tourism may, in fact, construct and affirm heritage and tradition of which folklore is a part. This of course is not a new approach, as tradition has been used in tourism and travel in many ways for a long time, including, for example, in pilgrimages.
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V prispevku preučujem, kako se uporabljata folklora in dediščina in kako ju je mogoče videti v kontekstu turizma v Romuniji, povezanega z Drakulo. Teh vprašanj se bom lotil z uporabo in definiranjem konceptov avtentičnosti in stereotipov. Da bi laže opredelil izročilo v razmerju s folklorizmom in avtentičnostjo, ob tem uporabljam koncept »folklorni proces«, kakor ga je definiral Lauri Honko. Osrednji poudarek obravnave je, da turizem lahko ustvarja in utrjuje dediščino in izročilo, katerih del je tudi foklora. To seveda ni novost, saj je izročilo že dolgo na različne načine vključeno v turizem in potovanja, kakor npr. na romanjih.
Study about the capillary absorption and the sorptivity of concretes with Cuban limestone aggregates
Authors: Howland J. J. , Martín A. R.
Published: June 2013

The objective of this study was to demonstrate the possibility to obtain concretes in Cuba with values of effective porosity below of 10%, using limestone aggregates with high levels of absorption (higher than 1% in many cases), and values of Sorptivity below of 5 x 10-5 m/s1/2 as is established in the document prepared by the DURAR Latin Working Group, for structures exposed to very aggressive environments. The experimental results showed that the use of the trial method of capillary absorption of Göran Fagerlund, were obtained concretes with effective porosity below of the 10%, for water/cement ratios of 0.4 and 0.45, but the values of sorptivities were very high. Nevertheless the subsequent use of the trial method of the ASTM C1585, that use cylinders probes with bigger depth and different processing, permits to obtain the desired sorptivity values for water/cement ratios of 0.4 and 0.45 whenever would be fulfilled the Good Practices of the Construction.
Modeling Visual Saliency in Images and Videos
Authors: Hu Yiqun , Gopalakrishnan Viswanath , Rajan Deepu
Published: June 2013

Visual saliency, which distinguishes “interesting” visual content from others, plays an important role in multimedia and computer vision applications. This chapter starts with a brief overview of visual saliency as well as the literature of some popular models to detect salient regions. We describe two methods to model visual saliency – one in images and the other in videos. Specifically, we introduce a graph-based method to model salient region in images in a bottom-up manner. For videos, we introduce a factorization based method to model attention object in motion, which utilizes the top-down knowledge of cameraman for model saliency. Finally, future directions for visual saliency modeling and additional reading materials are highlighted to familiarize readers with the research on visual saliency modeling for multimedia applications.
Certain and Uncertain Triangulation in Multiple Camera Vision Systems via LMIs
Authors: Chesi Graziano , Hung Yeung Sam
Published: June 2013

Triangulation is a fundamental problem in computer vision that consists of estimating the 3D position of a point of the scene from the estimates of its image projections on some cameras and from the estimates of the projection matrices of these cameras. This chapter addresses multiple view L2 triangulation, i.e. triangulation for vision systems with a generic number of cameras where the sought 3D point is searched by minimizing the L2 norm of the image reprojection error. The authors consider the standard case where estimates of all the image points are available (referring to such a case as certain triangulation), and consider also the case where some of such estimates are not available for example due to occlusions (referring to such a case as uncertain triangulation). In the latter case, it is supposed that the unknown image points belong to known regions such as line segments or ellipses. For these problems, the authors propose a unified methodology that exploits the fundamental matrices among the views and provides a candidate 3D point through the solution of a convex optimization problem based on linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Moreover, the chapter provides a simple condition that allows one to immediately establish whether the found 3D point is optimal. Various examples with synthetic and real data illustrate the proposed technique, showing in particular that the obtained 3D point is almost always optimal in practice, and that its computational time is indeed small.
Salient Region Detection for Biometric Watermarking
Authors: Ma Bin , Li Chun-lei , Wang Yun-hong , Bai Xiao
Published: June 2013

Visual saliency, namely the perceptual significance to human vision system (HVS), is a quality that differentiates an object from its neighbors. Detection of salient regions which contain prominent features and represent main contents of the visual scene, has obtained wide utilization among computer vision based applications, such as object tracking and classification, region-of-interest (ROI) based image compression, etc. Specially, as for biometric authentication system, whose objective is to distinguish the identification of people through biometric data (e.g. fingerprint, iris, face etc.), the most important metric is distinguishability. Consequently, in biometric watermarking fields, there has been a great need of good metrics for feature prominency. In this chapter, we present two salient-region-detection based biometric watermarking scenarios, in which robust annotation and fragile authentication watermark are respectively applied to biometric systems. Saliency map plays an important role of perceptual mask that adaptively select watermarking strength and position, therefore controls the distortion introduced by watermark and preserves the identification accuracy of biometric images.
Image Processing Applications Based on Texture and Fractal Analysis
Authors: Dobrescu Radu , Popescu Dan
Published: June 2013

Texture analysis research attempts to solve two important kinds of problems: texture segmentation and texture classification. In some applications, textured image segmentation can be solved by classification of small regions obtained from image partition. Two classes of features are proposed in the decision theoretic recognition problem for textured image classification. The first class derives from the mean co-occurrence matrices: contrast, energy, entropy, homogeneity, and variance. The second class is based on fractal dimension and is derived from a box-counting algorithm. For the purpose of increasing texture classification performance, the notions “mean co-occurrence matrix” and “effective fractal dimension” are introduced and utilized. Some applications of the texture and fractal analyses are presented: road analysis for moving objective, defect detection in textured surfaces, malignant tumour detection, remote land classification, and content based image retrieval. The results confirm the efficiency of the proposed methods and algorithms.
Implementation and Evaluation of a Computational Model of Attention for Computer Vision
Authors: Da Silva Matthieu Perreira , Courboulay Vincent
Published: June 2013

In the field of scene analysis for computer vision, a trade-off must be found between the quality of the results expected and the amount of computer resources allocated for each task. Using an adaptive vision system provides a more flexible solution as its analysis strategy can be changed according to the information available concerning the execution context. The authors describe how to create and evaluate a visual attention system tailored for interacting with a computer vision system so that it adapts its processing according to the interest (or salience) of each element of the scene. The authors propose a new set of constraints called ‘PAIRED’ to evaluate the adequacy of a model with respect to its different applications. The authors then justify why dynamical systems are a good choice for visual attention simulation, and we show that predator-prey models provide good properties for simulating the dynamic competition between different kinds of information. They present different results (cross-correlation, Kullback-Leibler divergence, normalized scanpath salience) that demonstrate that, in spite of being fast and highly configurable, their results are as plausible as existing models designed for high biological fidelity.
Optical Coherence Tomography Image Interpretation and Image Processing Methodologies
Authors: Thackray Simon D. , Bourantas Christos V. , Loh Poay H. , Tsakanikas Vasilios D. , Fotiadis Dimitrios I.
Published: June 2013

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a light-based invasive imaging method allowing accurate evaluation of coronary luminal morphology and reliable characterization of plaque. Its high resolution (10-20µm) offers the unique possibility of identifying clinically important coronary plaque microstructures such as macrophages, the presence and type of thrombus, stent expansion and endothelization and provides accurate assessment of the fibrous cap thickness in high risk plaques. These attributes placed OCT in a unique position as useful tool in research and clinical practice. As a new image modality, many interventional cardiologists are not familiar with its interpretation. In addition, there are only few developed methodologies able to process the OCT data and give comprehensive vessel representation and reliable measurements. Thus, this chapter focuses on the interpretation of OCT images and discusses the available image processing methodologies.