bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identifying Meteorological Drivers for the Seasonal Variations of Influenza Infections in a Subtropical City — Hong Kong
Authors: Chong Ka , Goggins William , Zee Benny , Wang Maggie
Published: January 2015

Compared with temperate areas, the understanding of seasonal variations of influenza infections is lacking in subtropical and tropical regions. Insufficient information about viral activity increases the difficulty of forecasting the disease burden and thus hampers official preparation efforts. Here we identified potential meteorological factors that drove the seasonal variations in influenza infections in a subtropical city, Hong Kong. We fitted the meteorological data and influenza mortality data from 2002 to 2009 in a Susceptible-Infected-Recovered model. From the results, air temperature was a common significant driver of seasonal patterns and cold temperature was associated with an increase in transmission intensity for most of the influenza epidemics. Except 2004, the fitted models with significant meteorological factors could account for more than 10% of the variance in additional to the null model. Rainfall was also found to be a significant driver of seasonal influenza, although results were less robust. The identified meteorological indicators could alert officials to take appropriate control measures for influenza epidemics, such as enhancing vaccination activities before cold seasons. Further studies are required to fully justify the associations.
BRCA1 and p53 Tumor Suppressor Molecules in Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Nakanishi Atsuko , Minami Akari , Kitagishi Yasuko , Ogura Yasunori , Matsuda Satoru
Published: January 2015

Tumor suppressor molecules play a pivotal role in regulating DNA repair, cell proliferation, and cell death, which are also important processes in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common neurodegenerative disorder, however, the precise molecular events that control the death of neuronal cells are unclear. Recently, a fundamental role for tumor suppressor molecules in regulating neurons in Alzheimer’s disease was highlighted. Generally, onset of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease may be delayed with use of dietary neuro-protective agents against oxidative stresses. Studies suggest that dietary antioxidants are also beneficial for brain health in reducing disease-risk and in slowing down disease-progression. We summarize research advances in dietary regulation for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease with a focus on its modulatory roles in BRCA1 and p53 tumor suppressor expression, in support of further therapeutic research in this field.
Regulation of Human Adenovirus Alternative RNA Splicing by the Adenoviral L4-33K and L4-22K Proteins
Authors: Biasiotto Roberta , Akusjärvi Göran
Published: January 2015

Adenovirus makes extensive use of alternative RNA splicing to produce a complex set of spliced viral mRNAs. Studies aimed at characterizing the interactions between the virus and the host cell RNA splicing machinery have identified three viral proteins of special significance for the control of late viral gene expression: L4-33K, L4-22K, and E4-ORF4. L4-33K is a viral alternative RNA splicing factor that controls L1 alternative splicing via an interaction with the cellular protein kinases Protein Kinase A (PKA) and DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK). L4-22K is a viral transcription factor that also has been implicated in the splicing of a subset of late viral mRNAs. E4-ORF4 is a viral protein that binds the cellular protein phosphatase IIA (PP2A) and controls Serine/Arginine (SR)-rich protein activity by inducing SR protein dephosphorylation. The L4-33K, and most likely also the L4-22K protein, are highly phosphorylated in vivo. Here we will review the function of these viral proteins in the post-transcriptional control of adenoviral gene expression and further discuss the significance of potential protein kinases phosphorylating the L4-33K and/or L4-22K proteins.
In Vivo Metabolism Study of Xiamenmycin A in Mouse Plasma by UPLC-QTOF-MS and LC-MS/MS
Authors: Lei Feng , Gao Du , Zhang Xi , Xu Jun , Xu Min-Juan
Published: January 2015

Xiamenmycin A is an antifibrotic leading compound with a benzopyran skeleton that is isolated from mangrove-derived Streptomyces xiamenensis. As a promising small molecule for fibrotic diseases, less information is known about its metabolic characteristics in vivo. In this study, the time-course of xiamenmycin A in mouse plasma was investigated by relative quantification. After two types of administration of xiamenmycin A at a single dose of 10 mg/kg, the plasma concentrations were measured quantitatively by LC-MS/MS. The dynamic changes in the xiamenmycin A concentration showed rapid absorption and quick elimination in plasma post-administration. Four metabolites (M1–M4) were identified in blood by UPLC-QTOF-MS, and xiamenmycin B (M3) is the principal metabolite in vivo, as verified by comparison of the authentic standard sample. The structures of other metabolites were identified based on the characteristics of their MS and MS/MS data. The newly identified metabolites are useful for understanding the metabolism of xiamenmycin A in vivo, aiming at the development of an anti-fibrotic drug candidate for the therapeutic treatment of excessive fibrotic diseases.
Repression of RNA Polymerase II Transcription by B2 RNA Depends on a Specific Pattern of Structural Regions in the RNA
Authors: Ponicsan Steven , Kugel Jennifer , Goodrich James
Published: January 2015

B2 RNA is a mouse non-coding RNA that binds directly to RNA polymerase II (Pol II) and represses transcription by disrupting critical interactions between the polymerase and promoter DNA. How the structural regions within B2 RNA work together to mediate transcriptional repression is not well understood. To address this question, we systematically deleted structural regions from B2 RNA and determined the effects on transcriptional repression using a highly purified Pol II in vitro transcription system. Deletions that compromised the ability of B2 RNA to function as a transcriptional repressor were also tested for their ability to bind directly to Pol II, which enabled us to distinguish regions uniquely important for repression from those important for binding. We found that transcriptional repression requires a pattern of RNA structural motifs consisting of an extended single-stranded region bordered by two stem‑loops. Hence, there is modularity in the function of the stem-loops in B2 RNA—when one stem‑loop is deleted, another can take its place to enable transcriptional repression.
Digital Cover Photography for Estimating Leaf Area Index (LAI) in Apple Trees Using a Variable Light Extinction Coefficient
Authors: Poblete-Echeverría Carlos , Fuentes Sigfredo , Ortega-Farias Samuel , Gonzalez-Talice Jaime , Yuri Jose
Published: January 2015

Leaf area index (LAI) is one of the key biophysical variables required for crop modeling. Direct LAI measurements are time consuming and difficult to obtain for experimental and commercial fruit orchards. Devices used to estimate LAI have shown considerable errors when compared to ground-truth or destructive measurements, requiring tedious site-specific calibrations. The objective of this study was to test the performance of a modified digital cover photography method to estimate LAI in apple trees using conventional digital photography and instantaneous measurements of incident radiation (Io) and transmitted radiation (I) through the canopy. Leaf area of 40 single apple trees were measured destructively to obtain real leaf area index (LAID), which was compared with LAI estimated by the proposed digital photography method (LAIM). Results showed that the LAIM was able to estimate LAID with an error of 25% using a constant light extinction coefficient (k = 0.68). However, when k was estimated using an exponential function based on the fraction of foliage cover (ff) derived from images, the error was reduced to 18%. Furthermore, when measurements of light intercepted by the canopy (Ic) were used as a proxy value for k, the method presented an error of only 9%. These results have shown that by using a proxy k value, estimated by Ic, helped to increase accuracy of LAI estimates using digital cover images for apple trees with different canopy sizes and under field conditions.
Research on Odor Interaction between Aldehyde Compounds via a Partial Differential Equation (PDE) Model
Authors: LuchunYan  , Liu Jiemin , Qu Chen , Gu Xingye , Zhao Xia
Published: January 2015

In order to explore the odor interaction of binary odor mixtures, a series of odor intensity evaluation tests were performed using both individual components and binary mixtures of aldehydes. Based on the linear relation between the logarithm of odor activity value and odor intensity of individual substances, the relationship between concentrations of individual constituents and their joint odor intensity was investigated by employing a partial differential equation (PDE) model. The obtained results showed that the binary odor interaction was mainly influenced by the mixing ratio of two constituents, but not the concentration level of an odor sample. Besides, an extended PDE model was also proposed on the basis of the above experiments. Through a series of odor intensity matching tests for several different binary odor mixtures, the extended PDE model was proved effective at odor intensity prediction. Furthermore, odorants of the same chemical group and similar odor type exhibited similar characteristics in the binary odor interaction. The overall results suggested that the PDE model is a more interpretable way of demonstrating the odor interactions of binary odor mixtures.
Does E-Commerce Provide a Sustained Competitive Advantage? An Investigation of Survival and Sustainability in Growth-Oriented Enterprises
Authors: Chen Qingyi , Zhang Ning
Published: January 2015

Enterprises should find a new business model for their development, so as to make better use of their own advantages. At the same time, with rapid development of the economy and of science technology, the competition between small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large enterprises is inevitable, so it is very important for small and medium-sized enterprises to find better ways to improve their ability to compete. E-commerce is a new medium of commerce in this 21st century, so as to promote the quantity development of SMEs and enhance the risk management ability of enterprises. However, at present, many of China’s small and medium enterprises face many challenges in the process of electronic commerce’s development, such as, which factors hinder the performance of electronic commerce, and what aspect of enterprises should be improved? This paper is based on the above problems, using theoretical analysis and empirical research methods to explore the root of these problems and find the solutions. In the empirical section, we explore how e-commerce influences sales growth in the short- and long-term. Through analysis of e-commerce performance, we further explore the causality relationship and influence degree. The results show that: first, IT Investment is the most important factor to achieve success, what competitive advantage can be achieved largely depends on whether enterprises will effectively use the network technology; second, the expansion of the enterprise size can promote transaction volume increase of SMEs in the short term; third, internet availability has a positive effect on the trade volume of e-commerce, but the intensity is not obvious, and the effect is relatively stable.
Coupling Intensive Land Use and Landscape Ecological Security for Urban Sustainability: An Integrated Socioeconomic Data and Spatial Metrics Analysis in Hangzhou City
Authors: Cen Xiaoteng , Wu Cifang , Xing Xiaoshi , Fang Ming , Garang Zhuoma , Wu Yizhou
Published: January 2015

Despite the unprecedented rate of urbanization throughout the world, human society is still facing the challenge of coordinating urban socioeconomic development and ecological conservation. In this article, we integrated socioeconomic data and spatial metrics to investigate the coupling relationship between intensive land use (ILU) system and landscape ecological security (LES) system for urban sustainable development, and to determine how these systems interact with each other. The values of ILU and LES were first calculated according to two evaluation subsystems under the pressure-state-response (PSR) framework. A coupling model was then established to analyze the coupling relationship within these two subsystems. The results showed that the levels of both subsystems were generally increasing, but there were several fluctuation changes in LES. The interaction in each system was time lagged; urban land use/cover change (LUCC) and ecosystem transformation were determined by political business cycles and influenced by specific factors. The coupling relationship underwent a coordinated development mode from 1992–2012. From the findings we concluded that the coupling system maintained a stable condition and underwent evolving threshold values. The integrated ILU and LES system was a coupling system in which subsystems were related to each other and internal elements had mutual effects. Finally, it was suggested that our results provided a multi-level interdisciplinary perspective on linking socioeconomic-ecological systems. The implications for urban sustainable development were also discussed.
Green preparation and spectroscopic characterization of plasmonic silver nanoparticles using fruits as reducing agents
Authors: Ærøe Hyllested Jes , Espina Palanco Marta , Hagen Nicolai , Mogensen Klaus Bo , Kneipp Katrin
Published: January 2015

Chemicals typically available in plants have the capability to reduce silver and gold salts and to create silver and gold nanoparticles. We report the preparation of silver nanoparticles with sizes between 10 and 300 nm from silver nitrate using fruit extract collected from pineapples and oranges as reducing agents. The evolvement of a characteristic surface plasmon extinction spectrum in the range of 420 nm to 480 nm indicates the formation of silver nanoparticles after mixing silver nitrate solution and fruit extract. Shifts in plasmon peaks over time indicate the growth of nanoparticles. Electron microscopy shows that the shapes of the nanoparticles are different depending on the fruit used for preparation. The green preparation process can result in individual nanoparticles with a very poor tendency to form aggregates with narrow gaps even when aggregation is forced by the addition of NaCl. This explains only modest enhancement factors for near-infrared-excited surface enhanced Raman scattering. In addition to the surface plasmon band, UV–visible absorption spectra show features in the UV range which indicates also the presence of small silver clusters, such as Ag42+. The increase of the plasmon absorption correlates with the decrease of absorption band in the UV. This confirms the evolution of silver nanoparticles from silver clusters. The presence of various silver clusters on the surface of the “green” plasmonic silver nanoparticles is also supported by a strong multicolor luminesce signal emitted by the plasmonic particles during 473 nm excitation.
Design of timetable for airport coach based on ‘time–space’ network and passenger’s trip chain
Authors: Lu Jing , Yang Zhongzhen , Dong Xiadan , Zhu Xiaocong
Published: January 2015

This paper designs the timetable for the airport coach which is a new access service provided by the airport with the purpose of attracting more passengers. Firstly, the ‘time–space’ network is constructed for analyzing the formation of the passengers’ trip chain; Secondly, the timetable design model is built with the aim to minimize the unit operation cost per transported passenger of the airport coach and a genetic algorithm with matrix coding is used for solving the model. In the model, the coach departure time and the flight schedule are connected with each other; the quality of the coach service and the passenger’s demand are both considered. Finally, the coach of Dalian airport in China is taken as an example to test the proposed method. Through solving the model and sensitivity analysis, we obtain a coach timetable for Dalian airport. The results show that the proposed model can provide a practical method to design the timetable for the airport coaches with ‘hub-and-spoke’ network.
Règlement alternatif des conflits et tribunaux de district au Ghana
Authors: Crook Richard
Published: January 2015

Depuis 2005, les tribunaux de district du Ghana proposent aux parties qu’oppose un litige un service de règlement alternatif des conflits par voie de médiation. Dans quelle mesure ce mode de règlement alternatif soutenu par l’État a-t-il réussi à offrir une justice à la fois plus rapide et plus accessible que les juridictions formelles et conformes aux valeurs et aux attentes de la population ? Une étude a montré que le programme est réellement accessible et répond effectivement au souhait populaire d’un processus équilibré de recherche de la vérité débouchant sur des accords exécutoires. Les institutions étatiques ont joué un rôle crucial d’« hybrides pragmatiques » en alliant l’autorité, le soutien organisationnel et les compétences professionnelles de médiation nécessaires à un tel programme à une sensibilité aux valeurs et aux attentes populaires. Néanmoins, l’efficacité de ce système n’est pas parfaitement à la hauteur des attentes des réformateurs du Service judiciaire et de ses partenaires de développement.
Questions autour de l'instauration de la commission « Vérité, justice et réconciliation » (CVJR) au Togo
Authors: Ahadzi-Nonou Koffi
Published: January 2015

À partir des raisons qui justifièrent et des circonstances qui entourèrent l’instauration de la commission « Vérité, justice et réconciliation » (CVJR) du Togo, il est judicieux de se poser un certain nombre de questions autour de la composition d’une telle commission « Vérité », de sa présidence, de la perception qu’en a l’opinion publique, du rôle de « premier acteur » des victimes, etc. Il est utile, également, à partir des recommandations formulées par la CVJR du Togo, de mener des réflexions quant aux conditions de leur mise en œuvre. Entretien avec le professeur Koffi Ahadzi-Nonou, premier rapporteur de la commission, entre 2009 et 2012.
Le management des réseaux territorialisés : le cas macro-région du Caucase (Russie)
Authors: Bokov Issa
Published: January 2015

La Russie, au cours des dernières décennies, a développé un programme de modernisation de son économie, mettant fin au modèle soviétique fondé sur une trop forte dépendance vis-à-vis de ses ressources naturelles. Depuis 2005, le gouvernement russe a mis en place une série de réformes pour tenter de diversifier l’économie du pays et favoriser l’innovation. Les managers régionaux montagneux ruraux russes mettent davantage en place les différents types de réseaux territoriaux d’organisation. Le tourisme occupe actuellement une place essentielle dans le développement territorial. L’objectif de cet article est d’apporter un éclairage nouveau sur le management des réseaux territorialisés de la région du Caucase (Russie). Le terrain de recherche est un cluster touristique, dans la région du Caucase. Notre travail de recherche nous conduira à proposer des préconisations permettant d’améliorer l’attractivité des régions russes et la mise en œuvre d’orientations stratégiques d’innovation du territoire.
La Bulgarie: transitions, modernisation, intégration européenne
Authors: Vateva Sonia
Published: January 2015

L’auteur cherche à démontrer la continuité dans le processus de modernisation économique et sociale de la Bulgarie. L’idée de modernisation est liée aux transformations profondes qui ont marqué le pays dans le temps. L’accent est mis sur les contraintes incontournables qui ont fixé les limites de l’activité économique et de la politique bulgare. Les restrictions de l’intérieur tiennent surtout à l’insuffisance de capitaux, aux ressources faibles et limitées, au degré d’ouverture et au développement institutionnel. Malgré tout la transition d’une économie centralisée d’Etat vers une économie de marché permit le développement d’un secteur privé qui ne manque pas de dynamisme. L’intégration européenne de la Bulgarie peut être considérée comme un projet de modernisation à long terme dont la réalisation dépend de la capacité de la société et des institutions bulgares à se transformer et agir pour conduire le progrès.
La protection sociale en Russie : au service du développement économique ?
Authors: Lefranc Jérôme
Published: January 2015

Cet article examine les principales évolutions de l’État-providence en Russie depuis 1990. Il s’interroge sur la taille et les particularités du système de protection sociale russe, ainsi que sur son niveau de performance. S’appuyant sur les relations dynamiques entre croissance économique et développement humain mises en évidence par certains auteurs, l’article examine la capacité de l’État-providence russe à se mettre au service de la croissance économique du pays. L’essor récent de l’État-providence russe témoigne d’un rapprochement avec les pays occidentaux. Toutefois, cet essor n’a été possible que grâce aux recettes élevées provenant de l’exportation des produits pétroliers, une situation qui ne peut durer éternellement. Dans ces conditions, la détermination d’une stratégie alternative permettant la poursuite de l’extension de l’État-providence devient un objectif prioritaire. Des améliorations concernant le développement humain peuvent accompagner et soutenir des taux de croissance plus élevés qui, à leur tour, contribueront à de nouveaux progrès en termes de développement humain, l’objectif sociétal de base. La protection sociale peut constituer un tremplin pour conquérir le bien-être collectif en Russie. Pour pouvoir atteindre ce bien-être, la possession d’immenses ressources pétrolières est insuffisante. Il faut aussi pouvoir compter sur une volonté politique assumée.
Héritages, transition et performances économiques : pour une approche décloisonnée du changement institutionnel
Authors: Chbouki Moktar
Published: January 2015

Cet article revient sur la problématique du changement institutionnel que les pays de l’Europe de l’est traversent depuis un peu plus de deux décennies et qui présente encore une acuité certaine pour saisir le sens des différences des performances économiques observées entre eux. Pour comprendre le succès inégal de ce processus, nous avons essayé de dépasser, dans une perspective évolutionniste, le paradigme standard de la transition par l’interrogation des systèmes anthropologiques de ces pays. La science anthropologique qui étudie les rigidités mentales, cherche à savoir pourquoi des sociétés si proches géographiquement ne fusionnent pas pendant des millénaires. Aborder le problème de la culture, des valeurs et des croyances reviendrait à admettre l’irréductibilité empirique des différences nationales. Le principe de la diversité culturelle du monde confère à chaque société un socle anthropologique qui marque à jamais son système de valeurs et son modèle d’organisation économique et sociale, d’où le polymorphisme du capitalisme selon les pays. La révolution culturelle, synonyme d’évolution des mentalités, est un phénomène autonome qui précède dans le temps le développement économique et la modernité politique. S’appuyant d’emblée sur une trame de mentalités, le politique et l’économique n’agissaient pas dans le vide. Ils sont par nature endogènes et contingents, car une société ne changera, que si elle convient de la nécessité du changement.
A Note on the Crisis of Socialism
Authors: Huerta Desoto Jesús
Published: January 2015

Dans cet article, on analyse avec un esprit critique les économies socialistes, du point de vue de l’économie autrichienne. Un nouveau concept de socialisme est également introduit sur la base du concept de coercition systématique contre l’esprit d’entreprise. Après avoir examiné le théorème de l’impossibilité du socialisme pour son manque de connaissances sur l’information microéconomique qui est constamment créé dans un marché libre. D’autres conséquences négatives périphériques du socialisme sont prises aussi en considération.
Context-dependent interplay between Hippo and JNK pathway in Drosophila
Authors: Ma Xianjue
Published: January 2015

Both Hippo and JNK signaling have well-established roles in regulating many physiological processes, including cell proliferation, growth, survival, and migration. An increasing body of evidence shows that dysregulation of either Hippo or JNK pathway would lead to tumorigenesis. Recently, studies in Drosophila has coupled Hippo with JNK pathway in numerous ways ranging from tissue regeneration to growth control. In this review, I provide an overview of the current understanding of crosstalk between Hippo and JNK pathway in Drosophila, and discuss their context-dependent interactions in gut homeostasis, regeneration, cell competition and migration.
Food and habitat choice in the spider crab Leucippa pentagona (Majoidea: Epialtidae) in Bahía Bustamante, Patagonia, Argentina
Authors: Varisco Martin , Martín Lucas , Zaixso Héctor , Velasquez Cecilia , Vinuesa Julio
Published: January 2015

The aim of the present study was to analyse the feeding strategy and spatial distribution of the spider crab Leucippa pentagona in Bahía Bustamante (Patagonia, Argentina). Several microhabitat variables that could influence the spatial distribution of this crab were related to its different life stages by using redundancy analysis. Regarding its feeding preferences, we found that the sphacelariales Halopteris spp. and Sphacelaria fusca, epiphytes of the alga Gracilaria gracilis, represented over 70% of its diet. Conversely, consumption of G. gracilis was low throughout the year. These feeding preferences can be related to the higher proportion of ash-free dry mass of sphacelariales. A close association was observed between G. gracilis biomass and recruits and mature crabs; this relationship was stronger at critical periods of the crab’s life cycle such as incubation or moult. Intermolt juveniles were related to G. gracilis0 as well as to other species of macroalgae. Our results suggest that G. gracilis plays a key role in the small-scale distribution of L. pentagona in Bahía Bustamante, providing food and shelter. The consumption of G. gracilis epiphytes allows L. pentagona to maintain high foraging rates at safe living sites, minimizing the damage to G. gracilis.
Environmental factors affecting larval fish community in the salt marsh area of Guadiana estuary (Algarve, Portugal)
Authors: Gonçalves Renata , Dulce Correia Ana , Atanasova Natasa , Teodósio Maria Alexandra , Ben-Hamadou Radhouan , Chícharo Luís
Published: January 2015

Salt marsh areas in the Guadiana estuary are important nursery sites for many fish species of commercial and recreational value. More effective protection measures should be adopted as the area is highly affected by anthropogenic and natural threats. Studying larval fish communities in these impacted nursery areas will be relevant to the management of local ecosystems and to larval fish ecology in general. Spatial and seasonal distribution and the effect of environmental factors on the larval fish community of this ecosystem were studied for one year (April 2010 to March 2011). Larvae were sampled monthly in parallel with phytoplankton and zooplankton. Hydrological data and physical parameters were monitored. A decision tree model was used to assess the influence of environmental factors on the larval fish community. A total of 130 larvae and 1171 eggs were caught. Diplodus sargus, Sardina pilchardus, and Pomatoschistus microps were the most abundant larval fish species. The peaks of fish larvae abundance occurred in March and April. The output of the model demonstrates that the abundance of larval fish is determined by the abundance of eggs, zooplanktonic food, and water flood and flow. This study shows the importance of the Guadiana salt marsh as an area for fish nursery and highlights the need for conservation of this area.
Exploiting the Overlapping of Higher Order
Authors: Abbas Hosny A.
Published: January 2015

Currently multi-agent systems (MAS, sometimes MASs) are receiving great attention as a promising approach for modeling, designing, and developing complex, decentralized and large-scale software systems. The captivating characteristics they provide such as decentralization, dynamic reorganization, self-organization, emergence, autonomy, etc., make them a perfect solution for handling current software systems challenges specially their unpredictable and highly changing working environments. Organization-centered MAS (OCMAS) are concerned with the modeling of MAS using higher order abstraction entities than individual agents. Organizational models are the key tool to develop OCMAS; they are currently an important part of most agent-oriented software engineering (AOSE) methodologies. This paper proposes a novel organizational model called NOSHAPE. It exploits the overlapping relationships among higher order abstraction entities such as organizations of agents, worlds of organizations, and even universes of worlds within MAS to realize and utilize their captivating characteristics. The NOSHAPE model is informally and semi-formally described and its applicability is demonstrated with a case study.
Synchronizing Indian CSR Endeavor of Industry
Authors: Nayak Sabyasachi
Published: January 2015

Through the prism of CSR industry can take a stride in evolving its relationship with the stakeholders. CSR in India is currently compulsory and statutory for certain industry, excluding activities undertaken in pursuance of the normal course of business of a company. A FGD conducted with select industry and subsequent SWOT Analysis focuses on the role of industry in effective management of water resources by using CSR funds for better results. The proposed 3C- Community Concern Consensus principle is based on FGD that should be explored further to address the issue of water management holistically. This paper contributes to the existing literature and advocates the industry to prioritized water management in their plentitude of CSR endeavor.
Severing Corruption from Everyday Life
Authors: Omotosho Babatunde Joshua
Published: January 2015

One of the challenging scenarios regarding political landscape in developing countries has to do with corruption and Nigeria is not an exception. Politicians often tow the paths of corrupt practices (while preparing for election and upon assumption of political offices) due to a number of social and economic factors. Attempts have been made by different administrations in this country to severe these twin brothers (corruption and politics) in order to ensure a lasting democracy in Nigeria. In spite of these efforts, the success story is nothing to write home about. The questions therefore are: is there any tie between corruption and culture? At what point did corruption become an identifiable feature of Nigerian politics? What are the steps taken so far to address this menace and what are the achievements over time? All these issues and others become critical as this paper examines the place of culture in corruption in Nigeria.
Organizational Culture and Gender Minority
Authors: Vij Richa
Published: January 2015

Organizational culture has long been shaped and dominated by male orientations and therefore focus on change in the organizational culture can help in addressing the issue of discrimination and isolation of women in organizations. The present paper aims at identifying the attributes of organizational culture in respect of which the perceptions of female employees differ significantly from those of male employees in State Bank of India. The study is based on the data relating to 54 variables for measuring the attributes of organizational culture. The results indicate that though there were differences between the perceptions of Female group employees and Male employees of State Bank of India regarding many of the attributes of organizational culture, they were not statistically significant. The study points out that despite the compelling evidence in support of the belief that gender discrimination does exists in most firms, some firms have been able to develop an organizational culture that is perceived to be non-discriminatory in nature by the gender minority.
A Kinect-less Augmented Reality Approach to Real-time Tag-less Virtual Trial Room Simulation
Authors: Biswas Abhinav , Dutta Soumalya , Dey Nilanjan , Azar Ahmad Taher
Published: January 2015

The Virtual Trial Room (VTR) application software simulates an apparel dressing room by the implementation of a virtual mirror, portraying an augmented view of the user with virtual superimposed clothes. Traditional approach to the design and implementation of virtual dressing rooms have been wildly using either normal webcams with Tag/Marker based tracking or expensive 3D depth & motion sensing cameras like Microsoft Kinect. The main idea of this paper is to methodologically devise a novel VTR solution deploying ubiquitous 2D webcams with tag-less tracking, in a real-time live video mode using open source tools and technologies. The solution model implements a tag-less or marker-less Augmented Reality (AR) technique with face detection technology and provides an intuitive motion-augmented User Interface (UI) to the VTR application, in the form of an interactive human-friendly Virtual Mirror using simple hand gestures. A qualitative performance analysis of the application is evaluated at the end of the paper to determine the fundamental susceptibility of the VTR system against varied illumination conditions.
Medium resolution land cover mapping of Canada from SPOT 4/5 data
Authors: Olthof I , Latifovic R , Pouliot D
Published: January 2015

Medium resolution land cover is one of the most widely used geospatial datasets for environmental assessment in Canada. Canada's current coverage is from circa-2000 Landsat and is therefore becoming out-of-date. With an update of the medium resolution orthoimage
coverage of Canada from circa-2000 30 m Landsat to 2005 - 2010 20 m SPOT 4-5 imagery, an opportunity presented itself to update Canada's land cover with improved spatial resolution. Previous experience mapping the Northern Land Cover of Canada (NLCC) taught us to efficiently map at the national
scale from Landsat, however the SPOT dataset required new approaches to deal with problems related to phenology and a smaller image footprint compared to Landsat. This paper presents solutions to the problems of radiometric normalization and classification extension with the objective of producing a
consistent and accurate medium resolution national scale land cover. A 20 m SPOT land cover of Canada's forested regions at a 16-class thematic level is presented with full validation using nearly 1600 reference points across Canada. The overall accuracy of the product is 71% for strict
assessment and 85% if relaxed to account for geolocation errors. An assessment of the product along the treeline ecotone suggests an improvement over existing land cover, while northward the product merges better with the existing circa-2000 Northern Land Cover of Canada from
Landsat.
Isolated lumbar intradural extra medullary spinal cysticercosis simulating tarlov cyst
Authors: Bansal Sumit , Suri Ashish , Sharma Mehar , Kakkar Aanchal
Published: January 2015

Spinal cysticercosis is a very uncommon manifestation of neurocysticercosis, which is caused by the larvae of Taenia solium. Here, we present a rare case of isolated lumbar intradural extramedullary neurocysticercosis, initially thought to be Tarlov cyst. A 40-year-old man, presented with low backache for 1-year with radiation of pain to right leg for 3 months. The patient was treated successfully with the surgical removal of the cyst, followed by medical treatment. Spinal neurocysticercosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis in high-risk populations, with new symptoms suggestive of a spinal mass lesion.
Hydatid cysts in the right temporalis muscle: An exceptional clinical scenario
Authors: Attry Sanjeev , Nayak Raghavendra , Saha S , Ghosh S
Published: January 2015

Hydatid diseases is a parasitic infestation of human and herbivorous animals caused by a cestode, Echinococcus granulosus, which resides in the intestine of definitive hosts like dogs and some wild carnivores like foxes. Liver and lung are commonly involved organs and involvement of muscles and bones is very unusual. Hydatid cyst of the temporalis muscle is extremely rare, even in the countries where echinococcal infestation is endemic. We report a case of 23-year-old female patient with a cystic swelling in the right temporalis muscle which turned out to be hydatid cysts. Surgical excision formed the main modality of treatment.
On Two-faced Families of Non-commutative Random Variables
Authors: Charlesworth Ian , Nelson Brent , Skoufranis Paul
Published: January 2015

We demonstrate that the notions of bi-free independence and combinatorial-bi-free independence of two-faced families are equivalent using a diagrammatic view of bi-non-crossing partitions. These diagrams produce an operator model on a Fock space suitable for representing any two-faced family of non-commutative random variables. Furthermore, using a Kreweras complement on bi-non-crossing partitions we establish the expected formulas for the multiplicative convolution of a bi-free pair of two-faced families.
The Taiwanese Perspective in Investigating Korean Confucianism: Lee Ming-huei's Interpretation of Han Wonjin (1682–1750)
Authors: GREIF Martina , ROŠKER Jana S.
Published: January 2015

Numerous representatives of the contemporary Confucian revival from Taiwan are increasingly demonstrating the fact that the development of Confucian philosophy has to be viewed in a broader cultural context, especially in the context of different East Asian regions. While the development of the Japanese Confucian studies has been elaborated to a great extent during the last decades, studies in Korean Confucianism are still rare. Hence, the present article aims to offer a report on a pioneer contribution in this regard. It introduces Lee Ming-huei’s investigation into the work of one of the most influential Korean Confucians of the Joseon period; on the basis of Huang Chun-chieh’s methodology which exposes the contextualization paradigm, the article explains the main hypotheses and offers a theoretical reflection of the main issues discussed in this research work.
Pindola in Korea and Japan: Is the Wandering Jew Coming from East Asia?
Authors: MECSI Beatrix
Published: January 2015

The legend of the Wandering Jew became very popular, especially from the 17th century Western Europe. The story of punishment by eternal life until the next coming of Jesus Christ has parallels with the Buddhist legend of Pindola Bharadvaja, a disciple of Shakyamuni Buddha who was also punished by eternal life until the coming of the Future Buddha, Maitreya. The similarities were dealt with the Japanese polymath, Minakata Kumagusu (1899) and Walter Edwards (1902) in the turn of the 20th century, claiming that the story of the Wandering Jew was influenced by the Asian legends of Pindola. In this paper I show that even if we do not have convincing evidences for proving any historical connections between these legends, the myth of eternal life as a punishment is an interesting idea, which appears in many traditions, forming layers on the existing and ever-growing traditions of myths and pictorial representations.
Criminal thinking styles of minors. Social and personality correlates
Authors: Rode Magdalena
Published: January 2015

Background

This paper presents an attempt to determine the predictors of criminal thinking styles of minors, based on the theory of Glenn Walters. The construct which is the subject of this study, that is, criminal thinking, is treated as a factor that initiates and supports anti-social behaviour. It manifests itself in eight thinking styles (patterns): mollification, cut-off, entitlement, sentimentality, power orientation, cognitive indolence, discontinuity, and superoptimism.

Participants and procedure

The study involved 114 people: 65 boys and 49 girls. The research group consisted of minors – boys and girls who were referred, by order of the court, to Diagnostic and Consultation Family Centres to receive a psychological opinion, the purpose of which was to determine the degree of demoralisation of the minor. The study was also attended by the guardians of minors. A criterion for including a minor in this study was committing an offence.

Results

For each criminal thinking style, a forward stepwise regression analysis was conducted. Variables describing minors and mothers were included in the regression model. The aim of this approach is to identify the configuration of predictors of criminal thinking styles. In each of the models the coefficient of determination, R2, and  coefficients were calculated.

Conclusions

The predictors of criminal thinking styles identified by the regression analysis show the complexity and heterogeneity of factors contributing to the emergence of these cognitive distortions. Predictors include both properties conditioning the psychosocial functioning of mothers and factors determining the personality of a minor (sense of control, low empathy, low self-esteem). There is a noticeable influence of factors attributable to the mothers – variables derived from the environment (demanding, rejecting, inconsistent attitude).
Psychological determinants of portfolio workers’ satisfaction with life
Authors: Lipińska-Grobelny Agnieszka
Published: January 2015

Background

The objective of the study was to evaluate which psychological variables are determinants of the level of satisfaction with life in the case of workers employed in more than one workplace, called portfolio workers. In the research, the transactional model of satisfaction with life by A. Zalewska, and also the model of multiwork by A. Lipińska-Grobelny, were referred to.

Participants and procedure

Two hundred and eighteen portfolio workers and 218 monoworkers participated in the research. The studied individuals completed a self-made survey. The following techniques were also applied: the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS); the Rokeach Value Survey (RVS); the Formal Characteristics of Behaviour – Temperament Questionnaire (FCZ-KT); the Masculinity and Femininity Scale (SMiK); the Organisation Climate Questionnaire (KKO); and the Marital Communication Questionnaire (KKM).

Results

The results indicate that satisfaction with life in the case of portfolio workers is determined by personal characteristics (ascribing a greater significance to the sphere of ‘achievements’, a higher level of activity), demands at work (exercising flextime control, a positive assessment of the system of rewards in a workplace), and demands in the family (a low level of depreciation in the relationship). In turn, a high level of satisfaction with life in the case of workers employed in a single workplace depends on: ascribing lower significance to the sphere of ‘achievements’ and to the values of ‘pleasure’ and ‘talented’, attaching major importance to the values of ‘loving’, a positive assessment of the system of rewards in a workplace, the number of children and a low level of depreciation in the relationship.

Conclusions

The data referred to above constitute an important source of information about the ways of strengthening the cognitive dimension of satisfaction with life in the case of workers, with particular attention being paid to portfolio workers.
Pain-related and performance anxiety and their contribution to pain in music students: a pilot study
Authors: Lamontagne Valérie , Bélanger Claude
Published: January 2015

Background

Pain complaints are common among musicians, whose occupation is highly demanding on both a physical and a psychological level. The purpose of the present study was to better understand the severity of musculoskeletal pain in orchestra musicians by measuring the potential contributions of biological (medical diagnosis), psychosocial (age, gender, instrument, practice and exercising history, and occupational satisfaction), and psychological (pain-related anxiety, performance anxiety, and affect) variables.

Participants and procedure

Data were collected from 59 music students playing in a symphonic orchestra. Univariate analyses were performed to assess differences in biological, psychosocial, and psychological predictors, using the presence or absence of pain as the dependent variable. Regression analyses were performed to develop a model of variance to explain the severity of pain.

Results

The results revealed lower occupational satisfaction to be associated with the presence of pain. However, a greater proportion of variance (31%) in pain severity was explained by pain-related anxiety combined with performance anxiety. Thus, the model that would best explain playing-related pain in musicians would need to focus mainly on psychological variables, namely pain-related and performance anxiety.

Conclusions

Further investigation is needed to determine how treatment of musculoskeletal pain in musicians should address these psychological variables.
The role of Borrelia burgdorferi infection in scleroderma
Authors: Smoleńska Żaneta , Masiak Anna , Strzelecki Adrian , Zdrojewski Zbigniew
Published: January 2015

Borrelia burgdorferi, bakteria Gram-ujemna o kształcie krętka, przenoszona na ludzi przez kleszcze, stanowi czynnik etiologiczny boreliozy (choroby z Lyme). Obraz kliniczny boreliozy jest bardzo zróżnicowany, a w jej przebiegu wyróżnia się kilka patomorfologicznych rodzajów zmian skórnych, takich jak zapalne, zanikowe i sklerotyczne. Badania naukowe w ostatnich dwudziestu latach wskazują na możliwy związek twardziny miejscowej i liszaja zanikowego z zakażeniem Borrelia burgdorferi. Wykazano, że istnieje kliniczne podobieństwo późnej zmiany skórnej w przebiegu boreliozy, tj. przewlekłego zanikowego zapalenia skóry, do liszaja zanikowego i morphea. Dowodu na udział tej bakterii w etiopatogenezie twardziny miejscowej dostarczają wyniki badań, które wykazały cofanie się zmian skórnych po zastosowaniu celowanej antybiotykoterapii. Rola zakażenia Borrelia burgdorferi w złożonym patomechanizmie twardziny układowej jest wciąż kontrowersyjna. W artykule omówiono wyniki badań nad udziałem zakażenia Borrelia w etiopatogenezie twardziny i w wybranych chorobach dermatologicznych oraz różne objawy skórne spotykane w boreliozie.
Granulomatosis with polyangiitis – diagnostic difficulties?
Authors: Madej Marta , Matuszewska Agnieszka , Białowąs Katarzyna , Wiland Piotr
Published: January 2015

Ziarniniakowatość z zapaleniem naczyń (GPA) charakteryzuje się występowaniem martwiczego zapalenia małych i średnich naczyń krwionośnych z powstawaniem ziarniniaków i obecnością w surowicy przeciwciał skierowanych przeciwko proteinazie 3. Procesem chorobowym zajęte są przede wszystkim górne i dolne drogi oddechowe oraz nerki. Problem kliniczny stanowią przypadki o nietypowym przebiegu. W artykule przedstawiono przypadek kliniczny, w którym rozpoznanie ziarniniakowatości z zapaleniem naczyń wydawało się prawdopodobne, jednak z czasem zweryfikowano postawioną uprzednio diagnozę.

Przedstawiono historię 70-letniej pacjentki, u której obserwowano zmiany oczne, patologiczną wydzielinę z nosa, postępujący niedosłuch, zmiany naciekowe w obrębie części twarzowej czaszki, limfadenopatię oraz erytrocyturię w badaniach laboratoryjnych. U chorej nie uzyskano potwierdzenia histopatologicznego GPA, powtarzane badania w kierunku obecności przeciwciał cANCA były negatywne. Ostatecznie po wykonaniu mediastinoskopii na podstawie badania histopatologicznego węzła chłonnego ustalono rozpoznanie chłoniaka z komórek B.