bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On the Impact of Building Attenuation Models in VANET Simulations of Urban Scenarios
Authors: Urquiza-Aguiar Luis , Tripp-Barba Carolina , Estrada-Jiménez José , Igartua Mónica
Published: January 2015

Buildings are important elements of cities for VANETs, since these obstacles may attenuate communications between vehicles. Consequently, the impact of buildings has to be considered as part of the attenuation model in VANET simulations of urban scenarios. However, the more elaborated the model, the more information needs to be processed during the simulation, which implies longer processing times. This complexity in simulations is not always worth it, because simplified channel models occasionally offer very accurate results. We compare three approaches to model the impact of buildings in the channel model of simulated VANETs in two urban scenarios. The simulation results for our evaluation scenarios of a traffic-efficiency application indicate that modeling the influence of buildings in urban areas as the total absence of communication between vehicles gives similar results to modeling such influence in a more realistic fashion and could be considered a conservative bound in the performance metrics.
Acknowledgement to Reviewers of Fibers in 2014
Authors: Fibers Editorial Office
Published: January 2015

The editors of Fibers would like to express their sincere gratitude to the following reviewers for assessing manuscripts in 2014:[...]
Challenges and Opportunities in Scaling-Up Nutrition in Healthcare
Authors: Darnton-Hill Ian , Samman Samir
Published: January 2015

Healthcare continues to be in a state of flux; conventionally, this provides opportunities and challenges. The opportunities include technological breakthroughs, improved economies and increasing availability of healthcare. On the other hand, economic disparities are increasing and leading to differing accessibility to healthcare, including within affluent countries. Nutrition has received an increase in attention and resources in recent decades, a lot of it stimulated by the rise in obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension. An increase in ageing populations also has meant increased interest in nutrition-related chronic diseases. In many middle-income countries, there has been an increase in the double burden of malnutrition with undernourished children and overweight/obese parents and adolescents. In low-income countries, an increased evidence base has allowed scaling-up of interventions to address under-nutrition, both nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions. Immediate barriers (institutional, structural and biological) and longer-term barriers (staffing shortages where most needed and environmental impacts on health) are discussed. Significant barriers remain for the near universal access to healthcare, especially for those who are socio-economically disadvantaged, geographically isolated, living in war zones or where environmental damage has taken place. However, these barriers are increasingly being recognized, and efforts are being made to address them. The paper aims to take a broad view that identifies and then comments on the many social, political and scientific factors affecting the achievement of improved nutrition through healthcare.
Cadmium Transporters in the Kidney and Cadmium-Induced Nephrotoxicity
Authors: Yang Hong , Shu Yan
Published: January 2015

Among the organs in which the environmental pollutant cadmium causes toxicity, the kidney has gained the most attention in recent years. Numerous studies have sought to unravel the exact pathways by which cadmium enters the renal epithelial cells and the mechanisms by which it causes toxicity in the kidney. The purpose of this review is to present the progress made on the mechanisms of cadmium transport in the kidney and the role of transporter proteins in cadmium-induced nephrotoxicity.
Membrane Trafficking in the Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae Model
Authors: Feyder Serge , De Craene Johan-Owen , Bär Séverine , Bertazzi Dimitri , Friant Sylvie
Published: January 2015

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is one of the best characterized eukaryotic models. The secretory pathway was the first trafficking pathway clearly understood mainly thanks to the work done in the laboratory of Randy Schekman in the 1980s. They have isolated yeast sec mutants unable to secrete an extracellular enzyme and these SEC genes were identified as encoding key effectors of the secretory machinery. For this work, the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine has been awarded to Randy Schekman; the prize is shared with James Rothman and Thomas Südhof. Here, we present the different trafficking pathways of yeast S. cerevisiae. At the Golgi apparatus newly synthesized proteins are sorted between those transported to the plasma membrane (PM), or the external medium, via the exocytosis or secretory pathway (SEC), and those targeted to the vacuole either through endosomes (vacuolar protein sorting or VPS pathway) or directly (alkaline phosphatase or ALP pathway). Plasma membrane proteins can be internalized by endocytosis (END) and transported to endosomes where they are sorted between those targeted for vacuolar degradation and those redirected to the Golgi (recycling or RCY pathway). Studies in yeast S. cerevisiae allowed the identification of most of the known effectors, protein complexes, and trafficking pathways in eukaryotic cells, and most of them are conserved among eukaryotes.
The Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 Exoproteome: Taking a Peek outside the Box
Authors: Oliveira Paulo , Martins Nuno , Santos Marina , Couto Narciso , Wright Phillip , Tamagnini Paula
Published: January 2015

The interest in examining the subset of proteins present in the extracellular milieu, the exoproteome, has been growing due to novel insights highlighting their role on extracellular matrix organization and biofilm formation, but also on homeostasis and development. The cyanobacterial exoproteome is poorly studied, and the role of cyanobacterial exoproteins on cell wall biogenesis, morphology and even physiology is largely unknown. Here, we present a comprehensive examination of the Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 exoproteome under various growth conditions. Altogether, 139 proteins belonging to 16 different functional categories have been identified. A large fraction (48%) of the identified proteins is classified as “hypothetical”, falls into the “other categories” set or presents no similarity to other proteins. The evidence presented here shows that Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 is capable of outer membrane vesicle formation and that these vesicles are likely to contribute to the exoproteome profile. Furthermore, the activity of selected exoproteins associated with oxidative stress has been assessed, suggesting their involvement in redox homeostasis mechanisms in the extracellular space. Finally, we discuss our results in light of other cyanobacterial exoproteome studies and focus on the potential of exploring cyanobacteria as cell factories to produce and secrete selected proteins.
Titanium Matrix Composite Ti/TiN Produced by Diode Laser Gas Nitriding
Authors: Lisiecki Aleksander
Published: January 2015

A high power direct diode laser, emitting in the range of near infrared radiation at wavelength 808–940 nm, was applied to produce a titanium matrix composite on a surface layer of titanium alloy Ti6Al4V by laser surface gas nitriding. The nitrided surface layers were produced as single stringer beads at different heat inputs, different scanning speeds, and different powers of laser beam. The influence of laser nitriding parameters on the quality, shape, and morphology of the surface layers was investigated. It was found that the nitrided surface layers consist of titanium nitride precipitations mainly in the form of dendrites embedded in the titanium alloy matrix. The titanium nitrides are produced as a result of the reaction between molten Ti and gaseous nitrogen. Solidification and subsequent growth of the TiN dendrites takes place to a large extent at the interface of the molten Ti and the nitrogen gas atmosphere. The direction of TiN dendrites growth is perpendicular to the surface of molten Ti. The roughness of the surface layers depends strongly on the heat input of laser nitriding and can be precisely controlled. In spite of high microhardness up to 2400 HV0.2, the surface layers are crack free.
Acknowledgement to Reviewers of Microarrays in 2014
Authors: Microarrays Editorial Office
Published: January 2015

The editors of Microarrays would like to express their sincere gratitude to the following reviewers for assessing manuscripts in 2014:[...]
The Role of Selected Flavonols in Tumor Necrosis Factor-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand Receptor–1 (TRAIL-R1) Expression on Activated RAW 264.7 Macrophages
Authors: Warat Monika , Sadowski Tadeusz , Szliszka Ewelina , Król Wojciech , Czuba Zenon
Published: January 2015

Tumor Necrosis Factor-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand Receptors (TRAIL-R) are an important factor of apoptosis in cancer cells. There are no data about the effect of flavonols on the receptor expression on a surface of macrophage like cells. In this study, the expression level of TRAIL-R1 on murine RAW264.7 macrophages in the presence of selected flavonols: galangin, kaempferol, kaempferide and quercetin, which differ from their phenyl ring substituents, were studied. The expression of TRAIL-R1 death receptors on non-stimulated and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated macrophages was determined using flow cytometry. The results suggested that compounds being tested can modulate TRAIL-R1 expression and can enhance TRAIL-mediated apoptosis.
An Improved HPLC-DAD Method for Quantitative Comparisons of Triterpenes in Ganoderma lucidum and Its Five Related Species Originating from Vietnam
Authors: Ha Do , Loan Le , Hung Tran , Han Le , Khoi Nguyen , Dung Le , Min Byung , Nguyen Nguyen
Published: January 2015

An HPLC-DAD method for the quality control of wild and cultivated Ganoderma lucidum (Linhzhi) and related species samples was developed and validated. The quantitative determination of G. lucidum and its related species using 14 triterpene constituents, including nine ganoderma acids (compounds 4–12), four alcohols (compounds 13–16), and one sterol (ergosterol, 17) were reported. The standard curves were linear over the concentration range of 7.5–180 µg/mL. The LOD and LOQ values for the analyses varied from 0.34 to 1.41 µg/mL and from 1.01 to 4.23 µg/mL, respectively. The percentage recovery of each reference compound was found to be from 97.09% to 100.79%, and the RSD (%) was less than 2.35%. The precision and accuracy ranged from 0.81%–3.20% and 95.38%–102.19% for intra-day, and from 0.43%–3.67% and 96.63%–103.09% for inter-day, respectively. The study disclosed in detail significant differences between the quantities of analyzed compounds in different samples. The total triterpenes in wild Linhzhi samples were significantly higher than in cultivated ones. The total constituent contents of the five related Linhzhi samples were considerably lower than that in the G. lucidum specimens, except for G. australe as its constituent content outweighed wild Linhzhi’s content by 4:1.
Acknowledgement to Reviewers of Pharmacy in 2014
Authors: Pharmacy Editorial Office
Published: January 2015

The editors of Pharmacy would like to express their sincere gratitude to the following reviewers for assessing manuscripts in 2014:[...]
Acknowledgement to Reviewers of Sensors in 2014
Authors: Sensors Editorial Office
Published: January 2015

The editors of Sensors would like to express their sincere gratitude to the following reviewers for assessing manuscripts in 2014: [...]
Advanced Datamining Using RNAseq Data
Authors: Guo Yan , Zhao Shilin , Bjoring Margot , Han Leng
Published: January 2015

In recent years, RNA sequencing (RNAseq) technology has experienced a rapid rise in popularity. Often seen as a competitor of and the ultimate successor to microarray technology given its more accurate and quantitative gene expression measurement, RNAseq also offers a wealth of additional information that is often overlooked, and given the massive accumulation of RNAseq data available in public data repositories over the past few years, these data are ripe for discovery. Abundant opportunities exist for researchers to conduct in-depth, non-traditional analyses that take advantage of these secondary uses and for bioinformaticians to develop tools to make these data more accessible. This is discussed in this chapter.
Large-Scale Regulatory Network Analysis from Microarray Data
Authors: Basu Anamika , Sarkar Anasua
Published: January 2015

The inference of gene networks from gene expression data is known as “reverse engineering.” Elucidating genetic networks from high-throughput microarray data in seed maturation and embryo formation in plants is crucial for storage and production of cereals for human beings. Delayed seed maturation and abnormal embryo formation during storage of cereal crops degrade the quality and quantity of food grains. In this chapter, the authors perform comparative gene analysis of results of different microarray experiments in different stages of embryogenesis in Arabidopsis thaliana, and to reconstruct Gene Networks (GNs) related to various stages of plant seed maturation using reverse engineering technique. They also biologically validate the results for developing embryogenesis network on Arabidopsis thaliana with GO and pathway enrichment analysis. The biological analysis shows that different genes are over-expressed during embryogenesis related with several KEGG metabolic pathways. The large-scale microarray datasets of Arabidopsis thaliana for these genes involved in embryogenesis have been analysed in seed biology. The chapter also reveals new insight into the gene functional modules obtained from the Arabidopsis gene correlation networks in this dataset.
Services and Monitors for Dependability Assessment of Mobile Health Monitoring Systems
Authors: Testa Alessandro , Coronato Antonio , Cinque Marcello , De Pietro Giuseppe
Published: January 2015

The problem of failure detection in mHealth monitoring systems is becoming more critical, and the use of wireless technologies and commodity hardware/software platforms pose new challenges to their correct functioning. Remote and continuous monitoring of patients' vital signs aims to improve the quality of life of patients. Such applications, however, are particularly critical from the point of view of dependability. Wireless channels can be affected by packet loss, and cheap and wireless-enabled medical devices can exhibit wrong readings, inducing the medical staff to make wrong decisions. In this chapter, the authors present the results of a Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) conducted to identify the dependability threats of health monitoring systems and a set of services and monitors for the assurance of high degrees of dependability to mobile health monitoring systems. Moreover, the authors describe a case study realized to detect failures at runtime.
Rehabilitation Systems in Ambient Assisted Living Environments
Authors: Middleton A. M. , Harte R. P. , Ward T. E.
Published: January 2015

This chapter reviews Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) in the context of movement-based rehabilitation. The authors analyse the need for AAL solutions and how they can overcome many of the drawbacks associated with traditional rehabilitation. They discuss the benefits and challenges of rehabilitation within the AAL paradigm and the well-known benefits that the telerehabilitation and telemedicine models have already established. The authors review the top ambient technologies in use today, detailing their advantages and shortcomings. The review focuses primarily on areas such as motion capture, serious games, and robotic rehabilitation. The authors carry out a structured search of two well-known databases to find the most recent advances and present the most interesting lines of research and development. Finally, the authors discuss the review findings and draw conclusions on the future of personalised rehabilitation within an AAL paradigm.
Human Behaviour Recognition in Ambient Intelligent Environments
Authors: Guesgen Hans W. , Marsland Stephen
Published: January 2015

The recognition of human behaviour from sensor observations is an important area of research in smart homes and ambient intelligence. In this chapter, the authors introduce the idea of spatio-temporal footprints, which are local patterns in space and time that should be similar across repeated occurrences of the same behaviour. They discuss the spatial and temporal mapping requirements of these footprints, together with how they may be used. As possible formalisms for implementing spatio-temporal footprints, the authors discuss and evaluate probability theory, fuzzy sets, and the Dempster-Shafer theory.
Smart Home Energy Management
Authors: Lillis David , O'Sullivan Tadhg , Holz Thomas , Muldoon Conor , O'Grady Michael J. , O'Hare Gregory M. P.
Published: January 2015

Autonomically managing energy within the home is a formidable challenge, as any solution needs to interoperate with a decidedly heterogeneous network of sensors and appliances, not just in terms of technologies and protocols but also by managing smart as well as “dumb” appliances. Furthermore, as studies have shown that simply providing energy usage feedback to homeowners is inadequate in realising long-term behavioural change, autonomic energy management has the potential to deliver concrete and lasting energy savings without the need for user interventions. However, this necessitates that such interventions be performed in an intelligent and context-aware fashion, all the while taking into account system as well as user constraints and preferences. Thus, this chapter proposes the augmentation of home area networks with autonomic computing capabilities. Such networks seek to support opportunistic decision-making pertaining to the effective energy management within the home by seamlessly integrating a range of off-the-shelf sensor technologies with a software infrastructure for deliberation, activation, and visualisation.
Holophonor
Authors: Weinel Jonathan , Cunningham Stuart , Picking Richard , Williams Lyall
Published: January 2015

This chapter discusses the progression of visual music and related audio-visual artworks through the 20th Century and considers the next steps for this field of research. The principles of visual music are described, with reference to the films of early pioneers such as John Whitney. A further exploration of the wider spectrum of subsequent work in various audio-visual art forms is then given. These include visualisations, light synthesizers, VJ performances, digital audio-visual artworks, projection mapping artworks, and interactive visual music artworks. Through consideration of visual music as a continuum of related work, the authors consider the Holophonor, a fictional audio-visual instrument, as an example of the ideal visual music instrument of the future. They conclude by proposing that a device such as the Holophonor could be constructed in the near future by utilising inter-disciplinary approaches from the fields of HCI and affective computing.
Smart Displays in Ambient Intelligence Environments
Authors: Ribeiro Fernando Reinaldo , José Rui
Published: January 2015

A public display that is able to present the right information at the right time is a very compelling concept. However, realising or even approaching this ability to autonomously select appropriate content based on some interpretation of the surrounding social context represents a major challenge. This chapter provides an overview of the key challenges involved and an exploration of some of the main alternatives available. It also describes a novel content adaptation framework that defines the key building blocks for supporting autonomous selection of the Web sources for presentation on public displays. This framework is based on a place model that combines content suggestions expressed by multiple place visitors with those expressed by the place owner. Evaluation results have shown that a place tag cloud can provide a valuable approach to this issue and that people recognize and understand the sensitivity of the system to their demands.
Light Therapy in Smart Healthcare Facilities for Older Adults
Authors: van Hoof Joost , Aarts Mariëlle P. J. , Westerlaken Adriana C. , Schrader Björn , Wouters Eveline J. M. , Weffers Harold T. G. , Aries Myriam B. C.
Published: January 2015

Light therapy is applied as treatment for a variety of problems related to health and ageing, including dementia. Light therapy is administered via light boxes, light showers, and ambient bright light using ceiling-mounted luminaires. Long-term care facilities are currently installing dynamic lighting systems with the aim to improve the well-being of residents with dementia and to decrease behavioural symptoms. The aim of this chapter is to provide an overview of the application of ceiling-mounted dynamic lighting systems as a part of intelligent home automation systems found in healthcare facilities. Examples of such systems are provided and their implementation in practice is discussed. The available, though limited, knowledge has not yet been converted into widespread implementable lighting solutions, and the solutions available are often technologically unsophisticated and poorly evaluated from the perspective of end-users. New validated approaches to the design and application of ambient bright light are needed.
Utilizing Amerindian Hunters' Descriptions to Guide the Production of a Vegetation Map
Authors: Cummings Anthony R. , Read Jane M. , Fragoso Jose M. V.
Published: January 2015

Describing vegetation types is critical for managing natural resources and assessing ecosystem risk. Vegetation maps are historically produced by “Western experts,” often ignoring local-level groups critical to resource management. Indigenous hunters, as resource managers, have strong connections to their landscapes and their descriptions of vegetation within their homelands can be useful in the map-making process. This project examined the usefulness of vegetation descriptions from Rupununi, Southern Guyana Indigenous hunters in the map-making process and how their descriptions were influenced by biophysical environmental attributes. A Landsat TM and ASTER DEM merged imagery of the Rupununi was classified using Indigenous hunters' vegetation descriptions to train the classification and assess accuracy. Based on the hunters' vegetation descriptions an eleven-class map was produced that covered the main vegetation types they described. Whereas “expert” maps rely on organized forest inventory data, Indigenous hunters' vegetation classifications were influenced by their interactions with the biophysical environment. The final map shows that Indigenous hunters may be important partners in the map-making process and play key roles in tropical forest management decision-making processes.
Development of a Conceptual Framework for Performance Measurement of Pharmaceutical Supply Chain within Hospital
Authors: Nsamzinshuti Alexis , Ndiaye Alassane Ballé
Published: January 2015

In recent years, the European hospital sector suffers the brunt of the economic crisis. This sector is now faced with a paradox, which is to reduce costs, related to the decline in government subsidies and an increase in the quality of care required by the regulatory bodies. This paradox can be resolved through the optimization of the hospital supply chain. Despite hospital supply chains having a great impact on hospital budgets, still opportunities for optimization exist and improve the health care quality. This article aims to propose a conceptual framework that allows hospitals to evaluate the performance of their pharmaceutical supply chains in order to identify bottlenecks and cost reduction opportunities. After reviewing the literature regarding to the hospital supply chain and the performance measurement, the authors focused on the study of hospital processes of pharmaceutical distribution within the hospital. The findings of this study propose a conceptual framework that will allow hospital to measure the performance of their pharmaceutical supply chain.
True Concurrency Semantics
Authors: Guellati Souad , Kitouni Ilham , Matmat Riad , Saidouni Djamel-Eddine
Published: January 2015

The model checking algorithms have been widely studied for timed automata, it's a validation technique for automatically verifying correctness properties of finite-state systems, which are based on interleaving semantics. Therefore the actions are assumed instantaneous. To overcome the hypothesis of temporal and structural atomicity of actions, we use the durational actions timed automata model (daTA). This model is based on the maximality semantics. Properties to be verified are expressed using the Timed Computation Tree Logic (TCTL). For dealing with formal verification, the Maximality-based Region Graph (MRG) is defined and an adaptation of the model checking algorithm is proposed. The use of the maximality semantics based verification provides new class of properties related to simultaneous progress of actions at different states.
Expanding the Kirkpatrick Evaluation Model-Towards more Efficient Training in the IT Sector
Authors: Agarwal Neetima , Pande Neerja , Ahuja Vandana
Published: January 2015

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the Kirkpatrick Learning Evaluation Model (1950) can be augmented to make it more credible and successful evaluation parameter in the changing times. Since the advent of Information Technology industry the rigid structures of organizations are replaced by the Flat/Matrix structures, removing the bars of time and place. This paper is an attempt to include three gaps identified in the Kirkpatrick Model, Training motivation, Organization citizenship behaviour and the Assessment of both the individual and the Organization simultaneously. Through co-relation and regression analysis these gaps were tested on the data obtained from 461 employees. The data support the various relationships to be included in Kirkpatrick Model and it identifies that for an effective training program it's essential to perform both pre-training and post-training analysis using the four parameters of Kirkpatrick Model viz. Reaction (changed to Motivation), Learning, Behaviour (or Performance) and Results.
The Impact of Online Additional Reviews on Consumer's Purchase Process
Authors: Shen Tiantian , Dai Qi , Wang Ran , Gou Qinglong
Published: January 2015

As the supplement of buyers' original reviews on products, online additional reviews were supported by some B2C websites recently. That is to say, consumers could post their recommendations or comments again in several months. This paper attempts to measure the impacts of additional reviews on consumers, as well as to investigate whether they are different from those of original ones. Our results not only indicate that purchasing intention, attitude certainty and after-sales service have significant relationship with additional reviews, but also show that additional reviews have greater influence on consumers than original ones. But contrary to our expectations, as for the impacts of additional reviews on consumer's attitude certainty, no significant difference can be found between different product types, as well as between consumers with different involvement levels. Our research fills the online reviews gap, and the empirical implication of additional review provides a reference to B2C ecommerce practice.
Validating Security Design Pattern Applications by Testing Design Models
Authors: Kobashi Takanori , Yoshioka Nobukazu , Kaiya Haruhiko , Washizaki Hironori , Okubo Takano , Fukazawa Yoshiaki
Published: January 2015

Software developers are not necessarily security experts, confirming potential threats and vulnerabilities at an early stage of the development process (e.g., in the requirement- and design-phase) is insufficient. Additionally, even if designed software considers security at an early stage, whether the software really satisfies the security requirements must be confirmed. To realize secure design, this work proposes an application to validate security patterns using model testing. Its method provides extended security patterns, which include requirement- and design-level patterns as well as a new model testing process using these patterns. After a developer specifies threats and vulnerabilities in the target system during an early stage of development, this method can validate whether the security patterns are properly applied and assess if these vulnerabilities are resolved.
A Comprehensive Review of Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) based Energy-Efficient Routing Protocols for Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Nayyar Anand , Singh Rajeshwar
Published: January 2015

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) have always been a hot area of researchers for finding more solutions towards making WSN network more energy efficient and reliable. Energy efficient routing is always a key challenging task to enhance the network lifetime and balance energy among the sensor nodes. Various solutions have been proposed in terms of energy efficient routing via protocol development, various techniques have also been incorporated like Genetic Algorithm, Swarm Intelligence etc. The main aim of this research paper to study all the routing protocols which are energy efficient and are based on Ant Colony Optimization (ACO). This paper also highlights the pros and cons of each of routing protocol which has been developed on lines of Energy Efficiency and has also been compared among one another to find which protocol outwits one another. Further, we conclude that Swarm Intelligence being a novel and bio-inspired field has contributed as well as contributing much in the area of improving routing issues of sensor networks.
User Resistance Behaviors and Management Strategies in IT-Enabled Change
Authors: Klaus Tim , Blanton J. Ellis , Wingreen Stephen C.
Published: January 2015

Information Technology (IT) is often used in organizations as a tool to enable change. However, as organizations switch to different vendors, upgrade their systems, or implement new systems, widespread user resistance is often encountered. Resistant behaviors often occur in these large-scale system implementations because the implementation transforms the jobs of employees and mandates system use. In order to understand resistant behaviors better as well as management strategies to minimize these behaviors, this study uses a focus group and qualitative semi-structured interviews. Based on the data collection, this study first creates a resistant behavior framework and a management strategy framework using a data-driven approach. The findings from the user resistance behaviors are classified into four categories. Also, eight preferred management strategies are identified by users, which are grouped into three categories. Then, the Framework-based Theory of User Resistance is proposed, which examines the causes and moderating forces that affect resistant behaviors. The practical implications of these frameworks also are described.
Investigation on the Factors Determining Consumers' Use of Online Intermediated Shopping (OIS)
Authors: Zhang Wei , Yang Xue , Wang Quansheng , Zheng Chengde , Sia Choon Ling
Published: January 2015

While consumers have increasingly exploited online intermediated shopping (OIS) to facilitate electronic shopping through the assistance of online intermediaries, many remain hesitant to do so for various perceptual reasons. This paper thus applies agency theory, the theory of planned behavior (TPB), perceived risk, and trust, to propose a research model for consumers' behavioral intention in using OIS. Empirical data was collected through a survey and analyzed using regression models. Results showed that constructs of perceived benefit, trust, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control are related to behavioral intention to engage in OIS; consumer experience has a moderating role. Theoretically speaking, this study enriches and extends the original TPB by relating it to the emerging phenomenon of OIS behavior from the consumer's perspective. This study also offers important practical implications for OIS intermediaries and platforms that aim to better attract and serve existing and potential consumers.
Economics of organically managed and conventional potato production systems in Atlantic Canada
Authors: Khakbazan M. , Henry R. , Haung J. , Mohr R. , Peters R. , Fillmore S. , Rodd V. , Mills A.
Published: January 2015

Khakbazan, M., Henry, R., Haung, J., Mohr, R., Peters, R., Fillmore, S., Rodd, V. and Mills, A. 2015. Economics of organically managed and conventional potato production systems in Atlantic Canada. Can. J. Plant Sci. 95: 161–174. A rotation study was initiated in 2007 in Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada, to determine the economic effects of converting from conventional potato production to organically managed systems. Seven organically managed rotations, which used various crop combinations to help control pests and soil-borne diseases as well as maintain nutrient levels, were assessed for 2 yr before and 2 yr after organic certification requirements were met in 2009. Each rotation included potato as the main cash crop and at least one other cash crop in a 4-yr rotation and these rotations were compared to a 4-yr conventional rotation. Results indicated that without an organic price premium, significant net revenue losses are expected for most of the seven rotations because of lower yields and high costs. The rotation that included carrots (potato, carrots and mixed peas–oats grain as the cash crops) produced the highest net revenue amongst all rotations studied; however, carrot yield and the net revenue associated with it also showed the greatest variability among all the crops. Organically managed cash crops generated higher net revenues than the conventional potato system only if the average PEI organic price premium was applied. Conventional potato systems produced economic benefits similar to most of the organic rotations when a traditional potato–cereal–green manure rotation was evaluated. The comparison of seven possible rotations provides producers with options if growing organic potatoes.
Local Well-Posedness of a Coupled Camassa-Holm System in Critical Spaces
Authors: Liu Xingxing
Published: January 2015

In this paper, we consider the local well-posedness of a coupled Camassa-Holm system with initial data in Besov spaces

B^s_{2,1}

with critical index

s=\frac{3}{2}.
Simulations of a cold-air pool associated with elevated wintertime ozone in the Uintah Basin, Utah
Authors: Neemann E. M. , Crosman E. T. , Horel J. D. , Avey L.
Published: January 2015

Abstract. Numerical simulations are used to investigate the meteorological characteristics of the 31 January–6 February 2013 cold-air pool in the Uintah Basin, Utah, and the resulting high ozone concentrations. Flow features affecting cold-air pools and air quality in the Uintah Basin are studied, including the following: penetration of clean air into the basin from across the surrounding mountains, elevated easterlies within the inversion layer, and thermally driven slope and valley flows. The sensitivity of the boundary layer structure to snow cover variations and cloud microphysics are also examined. Snow cover increases boundary layer stability by enhancing the surface albedo, reducing the absorbed solar insolation at the surface, and lowering near-surface air temperatures. Snow cover also increases ozone levels by enhancing solar radiation available for photochemical reactions. Ice-dominant clouds enhance cold-air pool strength compared to liquid-dominant clouds by increasing nocturnal cooling and decreasing longwave cloud forcing.
Two perspectives on the coupled carbon, water and energy exchange in the planetary boundary layer
Authors: Combe M. , Vilà-Guerau de Arellano J. , Ouwersloot H. G. , Jacobs C. M. J. , Peters W.
Published: January 2015

Abstract. Understanding the interactions between the land surface and the atmosphere is key to modelling boundary-layer meteorology and cloud formation, as well as carbon cycling and crop yield. In this study we explore these interactions in the exchange of water, heat and CO2 in a cropland–atmosphere system at the diurnal and local scale. To that end, we couple an atmospheric mixed-layer model (MXL) to two land-surface schemes developed from two different perspectives: while one land-surface scheme (A-gs) simulates vegetation from an atmospheric point of view, the other (GECROS) simulates vegetation from a carbon-storage point of view. We calculate surface fluxes of heat, moisture and carbon, as well as the resulting atmospheric state and boundary-layer dynamics, over a maize field in the Netherlands, on a day for which we have a rich set of observations available. Particular emphasis is placed on understanding the role of upper-atmosphere conditions like subsidence in comparison to the role of surface forcings like soil moisture. We show that the atmospheric-oriented model (MXL-A-gs) outperforms the carbon storage-oriented model (MXL-GECROS) on this diurnal scale. We find this performance is partly due to the difference of scales at which the models were made to run. Most importantly, this performance strongly depends on the sensitivity of the modelled stomatal conductance to water stress, which is implemented differently in each model. This sensitivity also influences the magnitude of the surface fluxes of CO2, water and heat (surface control) and subsequently impacts the boundary-layer growth and entrainment fluxes (upper atmosphere control), which alter the atmospheric state. These findings suggest that observed CO2 mole fractions in the boundary layer can reflect strong influences of both the surface and upper-atmosphere conditions, and the interpretation of CO2 mole fraction variations depends on the assumed land-surface coupling. We illustrate this with a sensitivity analysis where high subsidence and soil moisture depletion, typical for periods of drought, have competing and opposite effects on the boundary-layer height h. The resulting net decrease in h induces a change of 12 ppm in the late-afternoon CO2 mole fraction. Also, the effect of such high subsidence and soil moisture depletion on the surface Bowen ratio are of the same magnitude. Thus, correctly including such two-way land-surface interactions on the diurnal scale can potentially improve our understanding and interpretation of observed variations in atmospheric CO2, as well as improve crop yield forecasts by better describing the water loss and carbon gain.
Thermal damping and retardation in karst conduits
Authors: Luhmann A. J. , Covington M. D. , Myre J. M. , Perne M. , Jones S. W. , Alexander Jr. E. C. , Saar M. O.
Published: January 2015

Abstract. Water temperature is a non-conservative tracer in the environment. Variations in recharge temperature are damped and retarded as water moves through an aquifer due to heat exchange between water and rock. However, within karst aquifers, seasonal and short-term fluctuations in recharge temperature are often transmitted over long distances before they are fully damped. Using analytical solutions and numerical simulations, we develop relationships that describe the effect of flow path properties, flow-through time, recharge characteristics, and water and rock physical properties on the damping and retardation of thermal peaks/troughs in karst conduits. Using these relationships, one can estimate the thermal retardation and damping that would occur under given conditions with a given conduit geometry. Ultimately, these relationships can be used with thermal damping and retardation field data to estimate parameters such as conduit diameter. We also examine sets of numerical simulations where we relax some of the assumptions used to develop these relationships, testing the effects of variable diameter, variable velocity, open channels, and recharge shape on thermal damping and retardation to provide some constraints on uncertainty. Finally, we discuss a multitracer experiment that provides some field confirmation of our relationships. High temporal resolution water temperature data are required to obtain sufficient constraints on the magnitude and timing of thermal peaks and troughs in order to take full advantage of water temperature as a tracer.
PAKAUŠKAULIO KRUMPLIO LŪŽIAI: KLINIKINIO ATVEJO ANALIZĖ IR LITERATŪROS APŽVALGA
Authors: Ragaišis Vytautas , Keleras Evaldas
Published: January 2015

Pakauškaulio krumplio lūžis retai diagnozuojamas ir ypač pavojingas sužalojimas. Jis įvyksta dėl didelės energijos traumos poveikio kraniocervikalinei daliai, dažniausiai veikiančios vertikalia ašimi, sumušus viršugalvį, neretai veikiant ir rotaciniam komponentui. Sužalojimas gali pasireikšti ne tik ypač stipriu kaklo, pečių skausmu ir priverstine galvos padėtimi, bet ir galvinių nervų pažeidimu, kamienine simptomatika ar net staigia mirtimi. Diagnozė patvirtinama tik atlikus kaklo ir pakaušio srities kompiuterinę tomografiją (KT) ir magnetinio rezonanso tyrimą (MRT). Sužalojimui apibūdinti naudojamos Anderson ir Montesano bei Tuli klasifikacijos. Gydymas įvairus, priklausomai nuo lūžio stabilumo, tačiau dominuoja konservatyvus. Pasekmės po sužalojimo gali būti labai įvairios. Tik ankstyva diagnostika padeda išvengti labai blogų pasekmių, ypač esant baziniams ir nestabiliems lūžiams.
OSTEOARTRITAS: PAPLITIMAS, VEIKSNIAI IR NEMEDIKAMENTINIS GYDYMAS
Authors: Stepukonis Faustas , Norkienė Sigutė , Hughes Susan L.
Published: January 2015

Osteartritas yra plačiai paplitusi vyresnio amžiaus žmonių lėtinė liga, pasireiškianti sąnarių lankstumo sumažėjimu bei sąnarių skausmais. Šiame straipsnyje apžvelgiamas ligos paplitimas, ri- zikos veiksniai bei nemedikamentinis gydymas. Siūloma Lietuvoje įdiegti JAV plačiai žinomą moksliniais įrodymais grindžiamą Fit and Strong! programą, sulėtinančią osteoartrito simptomų pro- gresavimą, pagerinančią sąnarių lankstumą, padidi- nančią raumenų jėgą 18 mėnesių [1]. Ši kombinuota programa fizinius pratimus derina su mokymu kaip suvaldyti osteoartrito eigą atliekant fizinės veiklos pratimus. Programos Fit and Strong! įdiegimas Lie- tuvoje galėtų veiksmingai prisidėti sprendžiant šią opią vyresnių žmonių sveikatos problemą
THE ROLE OF CMR IMAGING FOR THE DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS OF RIGHT-SIDED INTRACARDIAC MASSES: A CASE REPORT
Authors: Valevičienė Nomeda , Petrulionienė Žaneta , Keinaitė Laura , Urbonas Marius
Published: January 2015

Materials and methods: intracardiac masses are described as abnormal structures inside the heart or immediately concerned to the heart [1] and can be classified as a cardiac tumor, metastasis, ,,thrombus in situ”/,,embolus in transit”, vegetation or iatrogenic material [2, 3]. The precise diagnosis is essential due to the necessity of the expedient well-timed treatment. We report a case of 58 year old woman with recently diagnosed left lung adenocarcinoma, admitted to the emergency department with pulmonary embolism. The case report presented here describes the findings of transthoracical echocardiography that suggested a right atrial mass – thrombus versus embolus. However, the subsequent CMR imaging helped to differentiate a true right atrial mass from a prominent crista terminalis. Conclusions: the cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging is a valuable diagnostic method for the differentiation of the intracardiac masses when the transthoracical and/or transesophagial echocardiography is inadequate in some clinical cases. This noninvasive, cost-effective imaging technique has a larger field of view and differentiates various conditions of the heart therefore the expedient well-timed treatment could be applied.
PSICHIKOS SVEIKATOS SLAUGYTOJŲ DARBE PATIRIAMO STRESO VERTINIMO METODIKA
Authors: Stolygaitė Agnė , Pušinaitytė Indrė , Grigaliūnienė Viktorija
Published: January 2015

Straipsnyje pristatoma psichikos sveikatos slaugytojų darbe patiriamo streso vertinimo metodika (PNJSS), skirta tirti psichikos sveikatos slaugytojų darbe patiriamam stresui. Tyrime dalyvavo 82 Lietuvos psichiatrijos ligoninių psichikos sveikatos slaugytojai (25–70 m., M = 48,49, SD=9,56). Streso vertinimo metodiką sudaro 4 subskalės: psichiatrinės slaugos gabumai (cronbach’o alfa 0,702; M = 148,59; SD = 98,93), pacientų požiūris (cronbach’o alfa 0,706), požiūris į psichiatrinę slaugą (cronbach’o alfa 0,736), bendravimas (cronbach’o alfa 0,706) - iš viso 22 teiginiai. Tyrimo metu metodikos cronbach’o alfa gauta 0,700. Metodikoje išskirtos pagrindinės psichikos slaugytojų stresorių grupės (subskalės), kurias galima vertinti atskirai
SPORTO ŠAKOS ĮTAKA 12-17 METŲ SPORTININKŲ KAIRIOJO SKILVELIO MORFOMETRIJAI
Authors: Bartkevičienė Aldona
Published: January 2015

Ištirti 167 vyriškosios lyties 12–17 metų sportininkai: 62 (37,2 proc.) iš jų buvo krepšininkai, 51 (30,5 proc.) – irkluotojai (akademinis irklavimas) bei 54 (32,3 proc.) – dviratininkai. Kontrolinę grupę sudarė to paties amžiaus ir lyties 168 sveiki nesportuojantys vaikai ir paaugliai. Visiems tiriamiesiems atlikta M rėžimo, dvimatė ir doplerinė echokardiografija. Diastolės metu buvo išmatuota: 1) tarpskilvelinė pertvara (TSP); 2) kairiojo skilvelio galinis diastolinis dydis (KSGDd); 3) kairiojo skilvelio galinis sistolinis dydis (KSGSd); 4) kairiojo skilvelio užpakalinės sienos storis (KSUS); apskaičiuota: 1) kairiojo skilvelio miokardo masė (KSMM); 2) miokardo masės indeksas (MMI); 3) kairiojo skilvelio santykinis sienelių storis (SSS); apskaičiuoti: 4) indeksuoti pagal kūno paviršiaus plotą ir ūgį kairiojo skilvelio echokardiografiniai rodikliai. Tyrimas parodė, kad, irkluotojų kairiojo skilvelio SSS buvo didžiausias, lyginant su krepšininkais, dviratininkais ir kontroline grupe; dviratininkų KSGDD/KPP1/2 buvo didžiausias, lyginant su krepšininkais, irkluotojais ir kontroline grupe. Krepšininkų KS MM buvo susijusi su amžiumi, kūno svoriu bei treniravimosi trukme, dviratininkų – su amžiumi ir treniravimosi trukme, o irkluotojų KS MM priklausė tik nuo amžiaus. Nuo treniravimosi krūvio priklausė krepšininkų KSUS, treniravimosi trukmė nulėmė dviratininkų KSGDd ir TSP, tuo tarpu irkluotojų KS echokardiografiniai rodikliai (TSP, KSGDd, KSUS, KS MM) priklausė tik nuo amžiaus.
VAISIAUS AUGIMO SULĖTĖJIMAS: KAIP GERINTI REZULTATUS
Authors: Rauba Vytautas , Ežerskienė Viktorija
Published: January 2015

Vaisiaus augimo sulėtėjimo (toliau - VAS) priežasys nėra pilnai išaiškintos,sunku atskirti ribą tarp normos ir patologijos. VAS atvejais būna didesnis naujagimių sergamumas ir mirtingumas. Šio darbo tikslas – įvertinti pokyčius diagnozuojant VAS Klaipėdoje ir Klaipėdos krašto rajonuose,vaisiaus būklės stebėjimo, gimdymų ir naujagimių prežiūros kitimą Klaipėdos universitetinėje ligoninėje 10 metų laikotarpiu lyginant 2003 ir 2013 metų rezultatus, ieškoti nėščiųjų ir naujagimių priežiūros rezervų.
Censorship is f̶u̶t̶i̶l̶e̶ possible but difficult: A study in algorithmic ethnography
Authors: Watters Paul
Published: January 2015

Discourse around censorship tends to be sensationalised in many quarters. Nabi (2014), for example, recently sought to “prove ... the futility” of governments engaged in censorship programmes through the Streisand Effect (Greenberg, 2007). While most countries have an imperfect censorship regime, the sovereign rights of nations to make their own laws must be recognised, including (but not limited to) the protection of children, and the victims of child exploitation, gambling addicts, and Internet banking users, whose systems may be infected by malicious software, resulting in financial losses. The broader question to be posed seems to be, under what circumstances is censorship justified, and how can it best be achieved? In this paper, we present the results of a study that illustrates the overwhelming harms to users that emerge from an unregulated Internet regime: 89 percent of ads delivered to Canadian users on 5,000 rogue sites for the most complained-about movies and TV shows were classified as “high risk”. We conclude that more granular policies on what should be censored and better tools to enforce those policies are needed, rather than accepting that censorship is impossible.
Investigación, ciencia y tecnología e innovación
Authors: Zelaya Raúl , Lanza Mario
Published: January 2015

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5377/rct.v0i13.1709 Revista Ciencia y Tecnología, No. 13, diciembre 2013: 11-15