bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
1-D Compression Behaviour of Acid Sulphate Soils Treated with Alkali-Activated Slag
Authors: Islam Shahidul , Haque Asadul , Bui Ha
Published: April 2016

Improvements of soft soils by mechanically mixing cementitious additives have been widely practised for construction of infrastructure. Mixing of additives improves strength and compressibility properties of soils through the development of soil structure. This study investigates the 1-D compression behaviour of alkali-activated slag treated acid sulphate soils (ASS) cured up to 365 days. The void ratio-logarithm of pressure (e-logσ′) behaviour of treated ASS, including the destructuration behaviour, with additive contents and curing time have been analysed. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses have been undertaken to explain the observed variations of the 1-D compression behaviour. This paper presents the results of these analyses in view of obtaining an insight into the 1-D compression behaviour of treated ASS with the help of mineralogical analysis.
Time-Resolved Study of Nanoparticle Induced Apoptosis Using Microfabricated Single Cell Arrays
Authors: Röttgermann Peter , Dawson Kenneth , Rädler Joachim
Published: April 2016

Cell fate decisions like apoptosis are heterogeneously implemented within a cell population and, consequently, the population response is recognized as sum of many individual dynamic events. Here, we report on the use of micro-patterned single-cell arrays for real-time tracking of nanoparticle-induced (NP) cell death in sets of thousands of cells in parallel. Annexin (pSIVA) and propidium iodide (PI), two fluorescent indicators of apoptosis, are simultaneously monitored after exposure to functionalized polystyrene (PS − NH 2) nanobeads as a model system. We find that the distribution of Annexin onset times shifts to later times and broadens as a function of decreasing NP dose. We discuss the mean time-to-death as a function of dose, and show how the EC 50 value depends both on dose and time of measurement. In addition, the correlations between the early and late apoptotic markers indicate a systematic shift from apoptotic towards necrotic cell death during the course of the experiment. Thus, our work demonstrates the potential of array-based single cell cytometry for kinetic analysis of signaling cascades in a high-throughput format.
Fruitful Decades for Canthin-6-ones from 1952 to 2015: Biosynthesis, Chemistry, and Biological Activities
Authors: Dai Jiangkun , Li Na , Wang Junru , Schneider Uwe
Published: April 2016

In this review, more than 60 natural canthin-6-one alkaloids and their structures are considered. The biosynthesis, efficient and classic synthetic approaches, and biological activities of canthin-6-one alkaloids, from 1952 to 2015, are discussed. From an analysis of their structural properties and an investigation of the literature, possible future trends for canthin-6-one alkaloids are proposed. The information reported will be helpful in future research on canthin-6-one alkaloids.
Calculation of Relative Binding Free Energy in the Water-Filled Active Site of Oligopeptide-Binding Protein A
Authors: Maurer Manuela , De Beer Stephanie , Oostenbrink Chris
Published: April 2016

The periplasmic oligopeptide binding protein A (OppA) represents a well-known example of water-mediated protein-ligand interactions. Here, we perform free-energy calculations for three different ligands binding to OppA, using a thermodynamic integration approach. The tripeptide ligands share a high structural similarity (all have the sequence KXK), but their experimentally-determined binding free energies differ remarkably. Thermodynamic cycles were constructed for the ligands, and simulations conducted in the bound and (freely solvated) unbound states. In the unbound state, it was observed that the difference in conformational freedom between alanine and glycine leads to a surprisingly slow convergence, despite their chemical similarity. This could be overcome by increasing the softness parameter during alchemical transformations. Discrepancies remained in the bound state however, when comparing independent simulations of the three ligands. These difficulties could be traced to a slow relaxation of the water network within the active site. Fluctuations in the number of water molecules residing in the binding cavity occur mostly on a timescale larger than the simulation time along the alchemical path. After extensive simulations, relative binding free energies that were converged to within thermal noise could be obtained, which agree well with available experimental data.
Size- and Shape-Dependent Antibacterial Studies of Silver Nanoparticles Synthesized by Wet Chemical Routes
Authors: Raza Muhammad , Kanwal Zakia , Rauf Anum , Sabri Anjum , Riaz Saira , Naseem Shahzad
Published: April 2016

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) of different shapes and sizes were prepared by solution-based chemical reduction routes. Silver nitrate was used as a precursor, tri-sodium citrate (TSC) and sodium borohydride as reducing agents, while polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was used as a stabilizing agent. The morphology, size, and structural properties of obtained nanoparticles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-VIS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. Spherical AgNPs, as depicted by SEM, were found to have diameters in the range of 15 to 90 nm while lengths of the edges of the triangular particles were about 150 nm. The characteristic surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peaks of different spherical silver colloids occurring in the wavelength range of 397 to 504 nm, whereas triangular particles showed two peaks, first at 392 nm and second at 789 nm as measured by UV-VIS. The XRD spectra of the prepared samples indicated the face-centered cubic crystalline structure of metallic AgNPs. The in vitro antibacterial properties of all synthesized AgNPs against two types of Gram-negative bacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli were examined by Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion susceptibility method. It was noticed that the smallest-sized spherical AgNPs demonstrated a better antibacterial activity against both bacterial strains as compared to the triangular and larger spherical shaped AgNPs.
Timing of Administration: For Commonly-Prescribed Medicines in Australia
Authors: Kaur Gagandeep , Phillips Craig , Wong Keith , McLachlan Andrew , Saini Bandana
Published: April 2016

Chronotherapy involves the administration of medication in coordination with the body’s circadian rhythms to maximise therapeutic effectiveness and minimise/avoid adverse effects. The aim of this study is to investigate the “time of administration” recommendations on chronotherapy for commonly-prescribed medicines in Australia. This study also aimed to explore the quality of information on the timing of administration presented in drug information sources, such as consumer medicine information (CMI) and approved product information (PI). Databases were searched for original research studies reporting on the impact of “time of administration” of the 30 most commonly-prescribed medicines in Australia for 2014. Further, time of administration recommendations from drug information sources were compared to the evidence from chronotherapy trials. Our search revealed 27 research studies, matching the inclusion and exclusion criteria. In 56% (n = 15) of the research studies, the therapeutic effect of the medicine varied with the time of administration, i.e., supported chronotherapy. For some medicines (e.g., simvastatin), circadian-based optimal administration time was evident in the information sources. Overall, dedicated studies on the timing of administration of medicines are sparse, and more studies are required. As it stands, information provision to consumers and health professionals about the optimal “time” to take medications lags behind emerging evidence.
Effectiveness of a Batteryless and Wireless Wearable Sensor System for Identifying Bed and Chair Exits in Healthy Older People
Authors: Shinmoto Torres Roberto , Visvanathan Renuka , Hoskins Stephen , Van den Hengel Anton , Ranasinghe Damith
Published: April 2016

Aging populations are increasing worldwide and strategies to minimize the impact of falls on older people need to be examined. Falls in hospitals are common and current hospital technological implementations use localized sensors on beds and chairs to alert caregivers of unsupervised patient ambulations; however, such systems have high false alarm rates. We investigate the recognition of bed and chair exits in real-time using a wireless wearable sensor worn by healthy older volunteers. Fourteen healthy older participants joined in supervised trials. They wore a batteryless, lightweight and wireless sensor over their attire and performed a set of broadly scripted activities. We developed a movement monitoring approach for the recognition of bed and chair exits based on a machine learning activity predictor. We investigated the effectiveness of our approach in generating bed and chair exit alerts in two possible clinical deployments (Room 1 and Room 2). The system obtained recall results above 93% (Room 2) and 94% (Room 1) for bed and chair exits, respectively. Precision was >78% and 67%, respectively, while F-score was >84% and 77% for bed and chair exits, respectively. This system has potential for real-time monitoring but further research in the final target population of older people is necessary.
Radiographic Assessment of Anatomic Risk Factors Associated with Acute, Lateral Patellar Dislocation in the Immature Knee
Authors: Trinh Thai , Mundy Andrew , Beran Matthew , Klingele Kevin
Published: April 2016

Acute patellar dislocation remains a common injury in both adult and pediatric patients. Non-operative management has been advocated for patients without a history of recurrent instability. Although pathologic thresholds for consideration of operative management have previously been reported in adults, it is largely unknown in children. A retrospective review of all skeletally immature patients diagnosed with acute lateral patellar dislocation who had MRI imaging were included for analysis. An age-based control group was also identified. Six radiographic measurements were compared: lateral trochlear inclination (LTI), trochlear facet asymmetry (TFA), trochlear depth (TD), tibial tuberosity–trochlear groove (TT–TG), sulcus angle (SA) and patellar height ratio. A total of 178 patients were included for analysis (study: n = 108, control: n = 70). The mean age of patients in the study and control groups was 13.7 and 12.1 years respectively (p ≤ 0.001). Study group patients had significant differences in all radiographic measurements including a decreased LTI (p < 0.001), increased TFA (p < 0.001) and SA (p < 0.001). The mean trochlear depth was 3.4 mm and 5.6 mm for patients in the study and control groups respectively (p < 0.001). Study group patients had an increased patellar height ratio (p < 0.001) and TT–TG distance (p < 0.001). Morphologic abnormalities may predispose skeletally immature patients to an increased risk of acute lateral patellar instability.
Using GIS towards the Characterization and Soil Mapping of the Caia Irrigation Perimeter
Authors: Nunes José , Loures Luís , Lopez-Piñeiro António , Loures Ana , Vaz Eric
Published: April 2016

The Caia Irrigation Perimeter is an irrigation infrastructure implemented in 1968. As is often the case, the original soil map of this region (dated from 1961) does not have the detail needed to characterize a relatively small-sized zone, where intensive agricultural practices take place. Using FAO methodology and with the main goal of establishing a larger-scale soil map, adequate for the demands of a modern and intensive agriculture, we gathered the geological characterization of the study area and information about the topography, climate, and vegetation of the region. Using ArcGIS software, we overlapped this information and established a pre-map of soil resources. Based on this pre-map, we defined a set of detailed itineraries in the field, evenly distributed, in which soil samples were collected. In those distinct soil units, we opened several soil profiles, from which we selected 26 to analyze in the present study, since they characterized the existing diversity in terms of soil type and soil properties. Based on the work of verification, correction, and reinterpretation of the preliminary soil map, we reached a final soil map for the Caia Irrigation Perimeter, which is characterized by enormous heterogeneity, typical of Mediterranean soils, containing 23 distinct cartographic units, the most representative being the Distric Fluvisols with inclusions of Luvisols Distric occupying 29.9% of the total study area, and Calcisols Luvic with inclusions of Luvisols endoleptic with 11.9% of the total area. Considering the obtained information on soil properties; ArcGIS was used to develop a map in which it was possible to ascertain the impact of the continuous practice of irrigation in this area. This allows us to put forward relevant conclusions on the need to access and monitor specific Mediterranean soils in order to mitigate the environmental impact of irrigation practices.
The Combination of Expert Judgment and GIS-MAIRCA Analysis for the Selection of Sites for Ammunition Depots
Authors: Gigović Ljubomir , Pamučar Dragan , Bajić Zoran , Milićević Milić
Published: April 2016

This paper suggests spatial multi-criteria model in order to assist decision makers in the selection of sites which are suitable for ammunition depots (AD). They represent military facilities which have more criteria that need to be matched than civil structures. The proposed model is based on combined use of Geographic information systems (GIS) and multi-criteria techniques. The model application is presented in the case study of Carpathian region, the Eastern part of Serbia. The model deals with nine restrictions and six evaluation criteria. Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory—Analytic Network Process (DEMATEL-ANP) multi-criteria techniques are used to determine weight coefficients of evaluation criteria. Along with the above mentioned methods, this paper introduces a new technique for the multi-criteria decision making—MAIRCA (MultiAttributive Ideal-Real Comparative Analysis) method. The MAIRCA method is used for the ranking and selection of suitable locations. The results have shown that 45 km2 of the Carpathian region is very suitable for ammunition depot construction. The MAIRCA method chose location L1 as the most appropriate. Sensitivity analysis shows that the model is capable of identifying a suitable ammunition depot location. This approach can be helpful in determining suitable ammunition depot locations in other regions with similar geographic conditions and can also be successfully used for the suitability assessment of existing ammunition depots.
Detection of Enterotoxigenic Potential and Determination of Clonal Profile in Staphylococcus aureus and Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci Isolated from Bovine Subclinical Mastitis in Different Brazilian States
Authors: Mello Priscila , Moraes Riboli Danilo , Pinheiro Luiza , De Almeida Martins Lisiane , Vasconcelos Paiva Brito Maria , Ribeiro de Souza da Cunha Maria
Published: April 2016

Epidemiological studies have identified Staphylococcus aureus as the most common agent involved in food poisoning. However, current research highlights the importance of toxigenic coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) isolated from food. The aim of this study was to characterize Staphylococcus spp. isolated from cows with bovine subclinical mastitis regarding the presence of genes responsible for the production of staphylococcal enterotoxins and of the tst-1 gene encoding toxic shock syndrome toxin 1, and to determine the clonal profile of the isolates carrying any of the genes studied. A total of 181 strains isolated in different Brazilian states, including the South, Southeast, and Northeast regions, were analyzed. The sea gene was the most frequent, which was detected in 18.2% of the isolates, followed by seb in 7.7%, sec in 14.9%, sed in 0.5%, see in 8.2%, seg in 1.6%, seh in 25.4%, sei in 6.6%, and ser in 1.6%. The sej, ses, set, and tst-1 genes were not detected in any of the isolates. The typing of the isolates by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis revealed important S. aureus and S. epidermidis clusters in different areas and the presence of enterotoxin genes in lineages isolated from animals that belong to herds located geographically close to each other.
The Response of Selected Triticum spp. Genotypes with Different Ploidy Levels to Head Blight Caused by Fusarium culmorum (W.G.Smith) Sacc.
Authors: Wiwart Marian , Suchowilska Elżbieta , Kandler Wolfang , Sulyok Michael , Wachowska Urszula , Krska Rudolf
Published: April 2016

Several cultivars and pure lines of Triticum monococcum, T. dicoccon, T. polonicum, T. spelta and T. aestivum were inoculated with Fusarium culmorum, the causal agent of Fusarium head blight in wheat. During the three-year study, the infection decreased the values of the analyzed yield components: spike weight (by 5.6% to 15.8%), number of kernels per spike (by 2.8% to 11.8%) and one kernel weight (by 8.4% to 10.7%). T. spelta was characterized by the weakest average response to infection. The grain from inoculated spikes contained significantly higher concentrations of deoxynivalenol (DON) and its 3-β-d-glucoside (D3G) than control grain. The D3G/DON ratio ranged from 11.4% to 21.4% in control grain and from 8.1% to 11.6% in inoculated grain. The lowest levels of mycotoxins were found in spelt, and the highest in T. polonicum lines and Kamut. PCA revealed that the grain of T. polonicum was characterized by an entirely different mycotoxin profile. The weakest response to F. culmorum infections was noted in T. spelta, and the strongest response in T. polonicum breeding lines and Kamut.
Nuclear Translocation of Crk Adaptor Proteins by the Influenza A Virus NS1 Protein
Authors: Ylösmäki Leena , Fagerlund Riku , Kuisma Inka , Julkunen Ilkka , Saksela Kalle
Published: April 2016

The non-structural protein-1 (NS1) of many influenza A strains, especially those of avian origin, contains an SH3 ligand motif, which binds tightly to the cellular adaptor proteins Crk (Chicken tumor virus number 10 (CT10) regulator of kinase) and Crk-like adapter protein (CrkL). This interaction has been shown to potentiate NS1-induced activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), but additional effects on the host cell physiology may exist. Here we show that NS1 can induce an efficient translocation of Crk proteins from the cytoplasm into the nucleus, which results in an altered pattern of nuclear protein tyrosine phosphorylation. This was not observed using NS1 proteins deficient in SH3 binding or engineered to be exclusively cytoplasmic, indicating a physical role for NS1 as a carrier in the nuclear translocation of Crk. These data further emphasize the role of Crk proteins as host cell interaction partners of NS1, and highlight the potential for host cell manipulation gained by a viral protein simply via acquiring a short SH3 binding motif.
Burkholderia cepacia Complex Vaccines: Where Do We Go from here?
Authors: Pradenas Gonzalo , Ross Brittany , Torres Alfredo
Published: April 2016

Burkholderia comprises a wide variety of environmental Gram-negative bacteria. Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) includes several Burkholderia species that pose a health hazard as they are able to cause respiratory infections in patients with chronic granulomatous disease and cystic fibrosis. Due to the intrinsic resistance to a wide array of antibiotics and naturally occurring immune evasion strategies, treatment of Bcc infections often proves to be unsuccessful. To date, limited work related to vaccine development has been performed for Bcc pathogens. In this review, we have gathered key aspects of Bcc research that have been reported in recent years related to vaccine efforts, virulence, immune responses, and animal models, and use this information to inform the research community of areas of opportunity toward development of a viable Bcc vaccine.
Understanding Persistence to Avoid Underestimation of Collective Flood Risk
Authors: Serinaldi Francesco , Kilsby Chris
Published: April 2016

The assessment of collective risk for flood risk management requires a better understanding of the space-time characteristics of flood magnitude and occurrence. In particular, classic formulation of collective risk implies hypotheses concerning the independence of intensity and number of events over fixed time windows that are unlikely to be tenable in real-world hydroclimatic processes exhibiting persistence. In this study, we investigate the links between the serial correlation properties of 473 daily stream flow time series across the major river basins in Europe, and the characteristics of over-threshold events which are used as proxies for the estimation of collective risk. The aim is to understand if some key features of the daily stream flow data can be used to infer properties of extreme events making a more efficient and effective use of the available data. Using benchmark theoretical processes such as Hurst-Kolmogorov (HK), generalized HK (gHK), autoregressive fractionally integrated moving average (ARFIMA) models, and Fourier surrogate data preserving second order linear moments, our findings confirm and expand some results previously reported in the literature, namely: (1) the interplay between short range dependence (SRD) and long range dependence (LRD) can explain the majority of the serial dependence structure of deseasonalized data, but losing information on nonlinear dynamics; (2) the standardized return intervals between over-threshold values exhibit a sub-exponential Weibull-like distribution, implying a higher frequency of return intervals longer than expected under independence, and expected return intervals depending on the previous return intervals; this results in a tendency to observe short (long) inter-arrival times after short (long) inter-arrival times; (3) as the average intensity and the number of events over one-year time windows are not independent, years with larger events are also the more active in terms of number of events; and (4) persistence influences the distribution of the collective risk producing a spike of probability at zero, which describes the probability of years with no events, and a heavier upper tail, suggesting a probability of more extreme annual losses higher than expected under independence. These results provide new insights into the clustering of stream flow extremes, paving the way for more reliable simulation procedures of flood event sets to be used in flood risk management strategies.
Inter-arm blood pressure difference and mortality: a cohort study in an asymptomatic primary care population at elevated cardiovascular risk
Authors: Clark Christopher E , Taylor Rod S , Butcher Isabella , Stewart Marlene CW , Price Jackie , Fowkes F Gerald R , Shore Angela C , Campbell John L
Published: April 2016

Background

Differences in blood pressure between arms are associated with increased cardiovascular mortality in cohorts with established vascular disease or substantially elevated cardiovascular risk.

Aim

To explore the association of inter-arm difference (IAD) with mortality in a community-dwelling cohort that is free of cardiovascular disease.

Design and setting

Cohort analysis of a randomised controlled trial in central Scotland, from April 1998 to October 2008.

Method

Volunteers from Lanarkshire, Glasgow, and Edinburgh, free of pre-existing vascular disease and with an ankle-brachial index ≤0.95, had systolic blood pressure measured in both arms at recruitment. Inter-arm blood pressure differences were calculated and examined for cross-sectional associations and differences in prospective survival. Outcome measures were cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality during mean follow-up of 8.2 years.

Results

Based on a single pair of measurements, 60% of 3350 participants had a systolic IAD ≥5 mmHg and 38% ≥10 mmHg. An IAD ≥5 mmHg was associated with increased cardiovascular mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.91, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.19 to 3.07) and all-cause mortality (adjusted HR 1.44, 95% CI = 1.15 to 1.79). Within the subgroup of 764 participants who had hypertension, IADs of ≥5 mmHg or ≥10 mmHg were associated with both cardiovascular mortality (adjusted HR 2.63, 95% CI = 0.97 to 7.02, and adjusted HR 2.96, 95% CI = 1.27 to 6.88, respectively) and all-cause mortality (adjusted HR 1.67, 95% CI = 1.05 to 2.66, and adjusted HR 1.63, 95% CI = 1.06 to 2.50, respectively). IADs ≥15 mmHg were not associated with survival differences in this population.

Conclusion

Systolic IADs in blood pressure are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events, including mortality, in a large cohort of people free of pre-existing vascular disease.
Practical Classification Guidelines for Diabetes in patients treated with insulin: a cross-sectional study of the accuracy of diabetes diagnosis
Authors: Hope Suzy V , Wienand-Barnett Sophie , Shepherd Maggie , King Sophie M , Fox Charles , Khunti Kamlesh , Oram Richard A , Knight Bea A , Hattersley Andrew T , Jones Angus G , Shields Beverley M
Published: April 2016

Background

Differentiating between type 1 and type 2 diabetes is fundamental to ensuring appropriate management of patients, but can be challenging, especially when treating with insulin. The 2010 UK Practical Classification Guidelines for Diabetes were developed to help make the differentiation.

Aim

To assess diagnostic accuracy of the UK guidelines against ‘gold standard’ definitions of type 1 and type 2 diabetes based on measured C-peptide levels.

Design and setting

In total, 601 adults with insulin-treated diabetes and diabetes duration ≥5 years were recruited in Devon, Northamptonshire, and Leicestershire.

Method

Baseline information and home urine sample were collected. Urinary C-peptide creatinine ratio (UCPCR) measures endogenous insulin production. Gold standard type 1 diabetes was defined as continuous insulin treatment within 3 years of diagnosis and absolute insulin deficiency (UCPCR<0.2 nmol/mmol ≥5 years post-diagnosis); all others classed as having type 2 diabetes. Diagnostic performance of the clinical criteria was assessed and other criteria explored using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.

Results

UK guidelines correctly classified 86% of participants. Most misclassifications occurred in patients classed as having type 1 diabetes who had significant endogenous insulin levels (57 out of 601; 9%); most in those diagnosed ≥35 years and treated with insulin from diagnosis, where 37 out of 66 (56%) were misclassified. Time to insulin and age at diagnosis performed best in predicting long-term endogenous insulin production (ROC AUC = 0.904 and 0.871); BMI was a less strong predictor of diabetes type (AUC = 0.824).

Conclusion

Current UK guidelines provide a pragmatic clinical approach to classification reflecting long-term endogenous insulin production; caution is needed in older patients commencing insulin from diagnosis, where misclassification rates are increased.
Extensive surface protein profiles of extracellular vesicles from cancer cells may provide diagnostic signatures from blood samples
Authors: Belov Larissa , Matic Kieran J. , Hallal Susannah , Best O. Giles , Mulligan Stephen P. , Christopherson Richard I.
Published: April 2016

Extracellular vesicles (EV) are membranous particles (30–1,000 nm in diameter) secreted by cells. Important biological functions have been attributed to 2 subsets of EV, the exosomes (bud from endosomal membranes) and the microvesicles (MV; bud from plasma membranes). Since both types of particles contain surface proteins derived from their cell of origin, their detection in blood may enable diagnosis and prognosis of disease. We have used an antibody microarray (DotScan) to compare the surface protein profiles of live cancer cells with those of their EV, based on their binding patterns to immobilized antibodies. Initially, EV derived from the cancer cell lines, LIM1215 (colorectal cancer) and MEC1 (B‐cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia; CLL), were used for assay optimization. Biotinylated antibodies specific for EpCAM (CD326) and CD19, respectively, were used to detect captured particles by enhanced chemiluminescence. Subsequently, this approach was used to profile CD19+ EV from the plasma of CLL patients. These EV expressed a subset (~40%) of the proteins detected on CLL cells from the same patients: moderate or high levels of CD5, CD19, CD31, CD44, CD55, CD62L, CD82, HLA‐A,B,C, HLA‐DR; low levels of CD21, CD49c, CD63. None of these proteins was detected on EV from the plasma of age‐ and gender‐matched healthy individuals.
Urbanisme touristique littoral et environnement entre fait et droit : enjeux et limites de la démarche normative (le cas de la Guadeloupe)
Authors: Breton Jean-Marie
Published: April 2016

L'urbanisme touristique a, jusqu'à présent, assez peu été étudié en tant que tel, et les dispositions normatives du droit français n'en consacrent pas véritablement la spécificité, face au droit commun de l'urbanisme et de l'environnement. La législation littorale, pour sa part, si elle comporte quelques inflexions propres aux DOM, n'y consacre pas de développements remarquables, même s'il apparaît ici et là qu'elle n'en ignore pas pour autant la problématique.

Si, au regard des fondements et des cadres de l'urbanisme touristique en zone littorale, dans leur approche formelle globale, on considère la situation qui est à cet égard celle des dépendances françaises de I' « ultrapériphérie », à partir de l'exemple de la Guadeloupe, l'analyse est de nature à mettre en évidence la distanciation de la pratique et du droit. En raison d'un contexte particulier, la norme y est en effet souvent marginalisée et privée de facto d'effectivité, marquant ainsi les limites de l'emprise du droit de l'urbanisme aussi bien que de l'environnement et, partant, de la démarche normative y afférente.
La proposition de directive du Parlement européen et du Conseil sur la responsabilité environnementale en vue de la prévention et de la réparation des dommages environnementaux
Authors: Steichen Pascale
Published: April 2016

La proposition de directive du 23 janvier 2002 s'apprête à créer le système harmonisé de prévention et de réparation des dommages environnementaux qui manquait à l'Union européenne. La mise en œuvre de la responsabilité est articulée autour de plusieurs éléments : la prise en compte du caractère dangereux de l'installation génératrice du dommage, d'une part, et, d'autre part, la nature de la ressource touchée par cette activité. Un organisme public, désigné par les Etats, serait chargé de centraliser l'ensemble des procédures.
La jurisprudence de la Cour européenne des droits de l'homme et l'environnement
Authors: Winisdoerffer Yves
Published: April 2016

La Convention européenne des droits de l'homme ne garantit pas un « droit individuel à l'environnement ». La jurisprudence de la Cour européenne des droits de l'homme met cependant à la charge des Etats Parties certaines obligations dans le domaine de la maîtrise des pollutions et nuisances, de l'accès à l'information en matière d'environnement et de la prévention des risques majeurs. L'article propose une synthèse de cette jurisprudence et en expose les principes essentiels.
Les « brûleurs » de frontières dans la musique populaire tunisienne
Authors: Salzbrunn Monika , Souiah Farida , Mastrangelo Simon
Published: April 2016

Cet article propose une analyse des représentations des « brûleurs » de frontières, les migrants d’Afrique du Nord, dans la musique populaire tunisienne à partir d’un corpus constitué de cinquante-quatre chansons. Il mobilise la musique populaire tel un révélateur de l’imaginaire migratoire et de dynamiques sociales profondes. Après avoir exploré le contexte d’énonciation des chansons, l’article se structure autour des quatre thèmes prévalents : désirs migratoires, dangers de la traversée, souffrance de l’exilé et des siens, acceptation de la volonté divine. Cette analyse permet de conclure que, sans pouvoir être classées dans la musique révolutionnaire au sens classique du terme, les paroles des chansons sur la harga contiennent un potentiel de subversion important : voter avec ses pieds.
Novel Software Containers for Engineering and Scientific Simulations in the Cloud
Authors: Gentzsch Wolfgang , Yenier Burak
Published: April 2016

The adoption of cloud computing for engineering and scientific applications is still lagging behind, although many cloud providers today offer powerful computing infrastructure as a service, and enterprises are already making routine use of it. Reasons for this slow adoption are many: complex access to clouds, inflexible software licensing, time-consuming big data transfer, loss of control over their assets, service provider lock-in, to name a few. But recently, with the advent of the UberCloud's novel high-performance software container technology, many of these roadblocks are currently being removed. In this paper the authors describe the current status and landscape of clouds for engineers and scientists, the benefits and challenges, and how UberCloud is providing an online solution platform and container technology which reduce or even remove many of the current roadblock, and thus offer every engineer and scientist additional compute power on demand, in an easily accessible way.
Migrating to the Cloud
Authors: Udoh Emmanuel , Khan Mohammad , Grosse Michael , Arnette Drew
Published: April 2016

The growth in data traffic within higher institutions has always been accompanied with the adoption of a more scalable IT infrastructure. With the increasing budgetary constraints, cloud computing (a disruptive technology) presents an attractive means to address the scalability challenges while realizing the potential of ubiquitous IT services. The on-demand business proposition of the cloud provides virtualized resources (software, platform, and infrastructure) with far-reaching efficiencies that have lowered the initial and operating IT costs for both small and large organizations. In migrating to the cloud environments, various organizations encounter challenges and experiences which are worthy of considerations by new entrants and established users. In this paper, the authors present the experiences of Sullivan University in transitioning to the complex cloud environment, in which a mixture of pilot and phased conversion steps were deployed in the migration process.
Web Services Gateway
Authors: Aniyikaiye Jide , Udoh Emmanuel
Published: April 2016

Cloud computing has many advantages and is being used increasingly as an efficient and safe solution for web based services. This on-demnd self-service provides network access to a shared pooi of redundant computing resources. Software applications are being developed in the cloud and there are demands for the interoperability of these applications. A common way to meet this demand is the development of Web services (applications), taking advantage of Service-oriented architecture principles. These loosely coupled Web base components pose some security challenges. This paper examines Security as a Service (SECaaS) solutions, as well to propose a new approach to security management in the cloud.
Knowledge Risks of Social Media in the Financial Industry
Authors: Sarigianni Christina , Thalmann Stefan , Manhart Markus
Published: April 2016

The financial sector is characterized as knowledge intensive with knowledge as the key source of competitive advantage. The introduction of social media within the organizational environment has raised the number of knowledge risks that can lead to knowledge leakage and thus to a loss of competitive edge. The authors investigated knowledge risks arising from the use of social media within the financial sector. They interviewed twelve employees from ten different European financial institutions to identify strategies how financial institutions currently deal with knowledge risks. The authors identified three major knowledge risks induced by social media and it appears that financial institutions are skeptical towards social media adoption. However, competition forces financial institutions to adopt social media and to change their attitude. As a consequence, financial institutions need to find different strategies for the management of knowledge risks. The authors identified such strategies and they show which strategies link to the major knowledge risks.
Knowledge Transfer in Information Security Capacity Building for Community-Based Organizations
Authors: Spears Janine L. , San Nicolas-Rocca Tonia
Published: April 2016

Community-based organizations (CBOs) in the health and human services sector handle very sensitive client information, such as psychiatric, HIV testing, criminal justice, and financial records. With annual revenue often in the range of $1 to $10 million, these organizations typically lack the financial, labor, and technical resources to identify and manage information security risks within their environment. Therefore, information security risk assessments were conducted at CBOs as part of a university service learning course intended to ultimately improve security within participating CBOs. Knowledge transfer between trainees and trainers is essential in order for security improvements to be realized. Therefore, this paper constructs a theoretical model of knowledge transfer that is used as a lens through which to examine initial study results of the CBO interventions as part of an exploratory study.
A Study on Adoption of Employee Welfare Schemes in Industrial and Service Organisations
Authors: Patro Chandra Sekhar
Published: April 2016

During the past few years practicing employee welfare schemes has become a key factor for the overall growth and development of any organisation. Organizations provide welfare facilities to their employees to keep their motivation levels high. Employees' welfare is essential for any organisation, as they shed the blood for achieving the objectives and goals of the organisation. The welfare schemes improve the organisational relations and also enhance the productivity of the employees. The main aim of implementing the welfare measures in any organisation is to secure the labour force by providing proper working conditions and minimizing its hazardous effect on the life of the employees and their family members. A study was undertaken to know the various welfare schemes adopted by the industrial and service organisations and its influence on the employee's productivity in both public and private sectors.
Student Learning and Information Technology Nexus
Authors: Baporikar Neeta
Published: April 2016

The evidence illustrating enhancement in student learning through information technology (IT) is still questioned in many disciplines, yet education institutions world over are adopting IT with a hope of enhancing the learning effectiveness. Through exhaustive literature review and grounded theory approach this paper investigates the learning – IT nexus in knowledge society and reflects on the use of IT to augment and enhance student learning. It explores what evidence exists to illustrate that IT enhances learning, and how this changes the practice of teaching. The findings indicate that there is a strong nexus between teaching and IT in current scenario. The paper also proposes a framework for augmenting learning through IT which is crucial for the knowledge management and development.
Replication and Resubmission Based Adaptive Decision for Fault Tolerance in Real Time Cloud Computing
Authors: Patra Prasenjit Kumar , Singh Harshpreet , Singh Rajwinder , Das Saptarshi , Dey Nilanjan , Victoria Anghel Drugarin Cornelia
Published: April 2016

Cloud computing an adoptable technology is the upshot evolution of on demand service in the computing epitome of immense scale distributed computing. With the raising asks and welfares of cloud computing infrastructure, society can take leverage of intensive computing capability services and scalable, virtualized vicinity of cloud computing to carry out real time tasks executed on a remote cloud computing node. Due to the indeterminate latency and minimal control over computing node, sway the reliability factor. Therefore, there is a raise of requisite for fault tolerance to achieve reliability in the real time cloud infrastructure. In this paper, a model which provides fault tolerance named “Replication and resubmission based adaptive decision for fault tolerance in real-time cloud computing (RRADFTRC)” for real time cloud computing is projected with result. In the projected model, the system endure the faults and makes the adaptive decision on the basis of proper resource allocation of tasks with a new style of approach in real time cloud vicinity.
Bringing Aesthetic Interaction into Creativity-Centered Design
Authors: Miranda de Farias Flávio , Keller Damián , Lazzarini Victor , Helena de Lima Maria
Published: April 2016

The authors discuss a series of experimental studies targeting ubiquitous musical activities. The studies explore the application of time tagging as an aesthetically oriented interaction design metaphor. A new support mechanism is proposed: the stripe. The stripe works as an entry point to the sound data providing a functional unit that features both interaction and audio manipulation. A new prototype based on the stripe metaphor was implemented. Twenty four subjects participated in the assessment of three creative sonic products produced with and without support for time tagging. Results indicate that – provided equivalent conditions – creative products obtained through asynchronous activities demand a larger temporal investment but do not necessarily yield more creative outcomes. The authors discuss the implications of these results for aesthetically aware interaction design.
Analysis of Mechanical Properties on Roselle Fibre with Polymer Matrix Reinforced Composite
Authors: Nallusamy S.
Published: April 2016

Over the past two decades it has been established that composite materials are the leading emerging materials. The natural fibres present a number of advantages over traditional synthetic fibres because of their better corrosion resistance, excellent thermo-mechanical properties and high strength to weight ratio. Also the composite materials play an important role in maintaining the eco-friendly design requirements. Among this, polymer matrix composite is one of the recent developing sectors on the composite field, because it has high strength with less density as compared to the metal matrix composite. Depending on the applications, the properties of the polymer reinforced composite are improved by modifying compositions, process of fabrication and direction of fibre etc. In this analysis the Roselle Fibre (Hibiscus Sabdariffa) is reinforced with polymer composite by wt % in the mode of compression molding. The mechanical properties of the above fabricated material were analyzed by ASTM Standards and also the characterization of polymer composites were analysed using SEM. The compressive strength and the hardness value were high as compared to other strength properties; hence it is more suitable for compressive and structural applications. The results concluded that the treated fibre with chemical reveals better compatibility with polymer matrix than that of untreated fibre.
Financial Predictions Using Cost Sensitive Neural Networks for Multi-Class Learning
Authors: Rozaki Eleni
Published: April 2016

The interest in the localisation of wireless sensor networks has grown in recent years. A variety of machine-learning methods have been proposed in recent years to improve the optimisation of the complex behaviour of wireless networks. Network administrators have found that traditional classification algorithms may be limited with imbalanced datasets. In fact, the problem of imbalanced data learning has received particular interest. The purpose of this study was to examine design modifications to neural networks in order to address the problem of cost optimisation decisions and financial predictions. The goal was to compare four learning-based techniques using cost-sensitive neural network ensemble for multiclass imbalance data learning. The problem is formulated as a combinatorial cost optimisation in terms of minimising the cost using meta-learning classification rules for Naïve Bayes, J48, Multilayer Perceptions, and Radial Basis Function models. With these models, optimisation faults and cost evaluations for network training are considered.
An Experimental Investigation to Optimize Multi-Response Characteristics of Ni-Hard Material Using Hot Machining
Authors: Parida A.K. , Maity K.P.
Published: April 2016

The flank wear and cutting power in the hot turning of Ni-Hard nickel based alloy by carbide tool was investigated in terms of cutting parameters such as cutting speed, feed rate, depth of cut and preheating temperature. Here, the Grey relational based Taguchi optimization method has carried out for optimizing the flank wear and power as output responses. Grey relational grade is obtained by Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) method and by this value the optimum setting parameter has been recognized. The experimental results show that the cutting speed is the most dominant variable and preheating temperature is the least parameter influence the responses.
Finite Element Method and Experimental Investigation of Hot Turning of Inconel 718
Authors: Parida A.K. , Maity K.P.
Published: April 2016

In the present work, a finite element modeling of hot turning has been carried out for predicting computationally the state variables like temperature distribution on chip surface and cutting forces in hot machining of Inconel 718. The hot turning operation has been carried out with L9 orthogonal design of experiment (DOE) with varying cutting speed, feed rate, heating temperature and constant depth of cut to analyze the responses. The model predicts the temperature distribution, cutting forces with and without heating. DEFORM 2D is applied for modeling hot turning simulation as similar as possible to the experimental result. Flow stress and input parameters should be modeled according to the actual machining conditions. The predicting results i.e. cutting forces and temperature distribution were partially validated with the experimental data.
Relation between Cantabro Loss and Surface Abrasion Resistance of Fly Ash Roller Compacted Concrete (FRCC)
Authors: Krishna Rao S. , Sravana P. , Chandrasekhar Rao T.
Published: April 2016

In this paper an attempt has been made to know the effect of Fly Ash (FA) on Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) properties like strength and abrasion resistance. The Cement was partially replaced by three kinds of replacements (20%, 40% and 60%) of class F Fly Ash. The RCC mixtures were designed to have a 28 days flexural strength of 5.0 N/mm2. The specimens were subjected to two types of abrasion resistance tests such as Contabro test and surface abrasion resistance test with rotating cutter besides Compressive and Flexural strength tests. Experimental results shows that the Cantabro loss and surface abrasion loss were increased with increase in Fly Ash content in relation with the strength of roller compacted concrete pavement at the ages from 7days to 180days compared to control mix concrete. Equations were established based on compressive strength and flexural strength which were influenced by cement replacement by Fly Ash and developed to predict abrasion resistance of FRCC at any age. Also a relationship was established between Cantabro loss and surface abrasion loss of FRCC regardless of age and percent replacement of Fly Ash.