bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Language in the Wild—Living the Carnival in Social Media
Authors: Vigmo Sylvi , Lantz-Andersson Annika
Published: November 2014

This study presents results from an intervention case study at upper secondary level, in which Blogger was introduced during English class. The overarching interest was to explore the students’ social performances and their interplay with students’ uses of language across multiple forms of literate activities in blogging. The study draws on a sociocultural perspective, taking a particular interest in language as a meditational tool for communication and interaction in the students’ own digital vernacular practices. Goffman’s dramaturgical approach including the concepts of performance and role distance in front and back regions together with Bakhtin’s notion of carnival were invoked as analytical tools for the analysis of video material as well as ethnographic scraping of online content in the blog. It was found that the students presented a witty, humorous image of themselves, while playing around with language as well as bringing in manipulated media for mockery and self-irony. Analytically speaking the students were living the carnival by utilizing a norm-breaking language—a language in the wild. Though this in-depth study presents a limited number of students’ blogging, the findings contribute to an increased understanding of the in situ creation of a blogger text providing a basis for discussing the uses of language in social media and what this implies for learning languages and for teaching practices.
Genetic Characterization of Goutanap Virus, a Novel Virus Related to Negeviruses, Cileviruses and Higreviruses
Authors: Kallies René , Kopp Anne , Zirkel Florian , Estrada Alejandro , Gillespie Thomas , Drosten Christian , Junglen Sandra
Published: November 2014

Pools of mosquitoes collected in Côte d’Ivoire and Mexico were tested for cytopathic effects on the mosquito cell line C6/36. Seven pools induced strong cytopathic effects after one to five days post infection and were further investigated by deep sequencing. The genomes of six virus isolates from Côte d’Ivoire showed pairwise nucleotide identities of ~99% among each other and of 56%–60% to Dezidougou virus and Wallerfield virus, two insect-specific viruses belonging to the proposed new taxon Negevirus. The novel virus was tentatively named Goutanap virus. The isolate derived from the Mexican mosquitoes showed 95% pairwise identity to Piura virus and was suggested to be a strain of Piura virus, named C6.7-MX-2008. Phylogenetic inferences based on a concatenated alignment of the methyltransferase, helicase, and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase domains showed that the new taxon Negevirus formed two monophyletic clades, named Nelorpivirus and Sandewavirus after the viruses grouping in these clades. Branch lengths separating these clades were equivalent to those of the related genera Cilevirus, Higrevirus and Blunervirus, as well as to those within the family Virgaviridae. Genetic distances and phylogenetic analyses suggest that Nelorpivirus and Sandewavirus might form taxonomic groups on genus level that may define alone or together with Cilevirus, Higrevirus and Blunervirus a viral family.
Anti-Glycoprotein G Antibodies of Herpes Simplex Virus 2 Contribute to Complete Protection after Vaccination in Mice and Induce Antibody-Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity and Complement-Mediated Cytolysis
Authors: Görander Staffan , Ekblad Maria , Bergström Tomas , Liljeqvist Jan-Åke
Published: November 2014

We investigated the role of antibodies against the mature portion of glycoprotein G (mgG-2) of herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) in protective immunity after vaccination. Mice were immunized intramuscularly with mgG-2 and oligodeoxynucleotides containing two CpG motifs plus alum as adjuvant. All C57BL/6 mice survived and presented no genital or systemic disease. High levels of immunoglobulin G subclass 1 (IgG1) and IgG2 antibodies were detected and re-stimulated splenic CD4+ T cells proliferated and produced IFN-γ. None of the sera from immunized mice exhibited neutralization, while all sera exerted antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and complement-mediated cytolysis (ACMC) activity. Passive transfer of anti-mgG-2 monoclonal antibodies, or immune serum, to naive C57BL/6 mice did not limit disease progression. Immunized B‑cell KO mice presented lower survival rate and higher vaginal viral titers, as compared with vaccinated B-cell KO mice after passive transfer of immune serum and vaccinated C57BL/6 mice. Sera from mice that were vaccinated subcutaneously and intranasally with mgG-2 presented significantly lower titers of IgG antibodies and lower ADCC and ACMC activity. We conclude that anti-mgG-2 antibodies were of importance to limit genital HSV‑2 infection. ADCC and ACMC activity are potentially important mechanisms in protective immunity, and could tentatively be evaluated in future animal vaccine studies and in clinical trials.
Comparison of Performance between Genetic Algorithm and SCE-UA for Calibration of SCS-CN Surface Runoff Simulation
Authors: Jeon Ji-Hong , Park Chan-Gi , Engel Bernard
Published: November 2014

Global optimization methods linked with simulation models are widely used for automated calibration and serve as useful tools for searching for cost-effective alternatives for environmental management. A genetic algorithm (GA) and shuffled complex evolution (SCE-UA) algorithm were linked with the Long-Term Hydrologic Impact Assessment (L-THIA) model, which employs the curve number (SCS-CN) method. The performance of the two optimization methods was compared by automatically calibrating L-THIA for monthly runoff from 10 watersheds in Indiana. The selected watershed areas ranged from 32.7 to 5844.1 km2. The SCS-CN values and total five-day rainfall for adjustment were optimized, and the objective function used was the Nash-Sutcliffe value (NS value). The GA method rapidly reached the optimal space until the 10th generating population (generation), and after the 10th generation solutions increased dispersion around the optimal space, called a cross hair pattern, because of mutation rate increase. The number of looping executions influenced the performance of model calibration for the SCE-UA and GA method. The GA method performed better for the case of fewer loop executions than the SCE-UA method. For most watersheds, calibration performance using GA was better than for SCE-UA until the 50th generation when the number of model loop executions was around 5150 (one generation has 100 individuals). However, after the 50th generation of the GA method, the SCE-UA method performed better for calibrating monthly runoff compared to the GA method. Optimized SCS-CN values for primary land use types were nearly the same for the two methods, but those for minor land use types and total five-day rainfall for AMC adjustment were somewhat different because those parameters did not significantly influence calculation of the objective function. The GA method is recommended for cases when model simulation takes a long time and the model user does not have sufficient time for an optimization program to search for the best values of calibration parameters. For other cases, the SCE-UA program is recommended for automatic model calibration.
Het Brusselse hof van Nassau De oprichting van een laatmiddeleeuwse stadsresidentie
Authors: Vannieuwenhuyze Bram , Meijering Stefan
Published: November 2014

Bram Vannieuwenhuyze & Stefan Meijering, The court of Nassau. The construction of an aristocratic residence in late medieval Brussels

In recent years, historians have devoted much attention to the integration of rich nobles and state officials in late medieval urban society. However, the concrete spatial practices linked to this socio-cultural integration have received less scholarly attention. In this paper, we use the abundant archives relating to the late medieval court of Nassau in Brussels (14th-16th century) to reconstruct the genesis and expansion of such an urban noble residence and its integration within the surrounding neighbourhood. The complex that we know from 16th-and 17th century iconography and cartography seems to be the result of several successive construction campaigns. It is, however, clear that the construction of this residence was not the result of a simple and short architectural intervention. We stress the complex and long term interaction between personal aspirations and collective interests, between family history and town history and between local building history and the urbanization of the surrounding quarter and entire town.
Use of port-a-cath in cancer patients: a single-center experience
Authors: D’Souza Philomena Charlotte , Kumar Shiyam , Kakaria Annupam , Al-Sukaiti Rashid , Zahid Khawaja Farhan , Furrukh Muhammad , Burney Ikram A , Al-Moundhri Mansour S
Published: November 2014

Introduction: Central venous catheters play an important role in the management of cancer patients. Different types of devices are associated with different patterns of complications. We report on the pattern of use and rate of complications of port-a-caths in patients diagnosed with malignant cancer at a single institution. Methodology: The data were collected retrospectively from patients who received the treatment for solid tumors or lymphoma through a port-a-cath at the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH) between January 2007 and February 2013. Results: A total of 117 port-a-caths were inserted in 106 patients. The majority (86; 73.5%) were implanted by an interventional radiologist, and the right internal jugular vein was accessed in 79 (67.5%) patients. Mean catheter indwelling time was 354 (range 3–1,876) days for all patients, 252 (3–1,876) and 389 days (13–1,139) for patients with and without complications, respectively. Thirty (25.6%) port-a-caths were removed prematurely, mainly due to infectious complications, while 17 (14.5%) were removed after completion of treatment. Staphylococcus aureus was the most frequently isolated organism, found in 8 (6.8%) patients. Underlying diagnosis (p < 0.001), chemotherapy regimen (p < 0.001), sensitivity to antibiotics (p = 0.01), and any complication (p < 0.001) were significant factors affecting the duration of port-a-cath use. None of these factors were significant on multivariate cox regression analysis. Conclusions: The mean duration of port-a-cath use was almost one year. Infection was the most common complication leading to premature removal, followed by port thrombosis.
Tungiasis in Northern Tanzania: a clinical report from Qameyu village, Babati District, Manyara Region
Authors: Dassoni Federica , Polloni Ilaria , Margwe Sulle Baltazar , Veraldi Stefano
Published: November 2014

Introduction: Tungiasis is an infestation caused by the penetration in the skin of the gravid female of the flea Tunga penetrans (T. penetrans). The current epidemiological situation of tungiasis in Eastern Africa is poorly known. We present the results of a cross-sectional study on tungiasis which was carried out in Qameyu (Northern Tanzania). Methodology: Sixty-two schoolchildren with suspected cases of tungiasis were examined. Location, number, morphology and symptoms associated with T. penetrans infestation were recorded for each patient. Results: A total of 62 schoolchildren (38 males and 24 females), with ages ranging from 6 to 14 years, were examined. Sixty children were infested by T. penetrans. A total of 865 lesions were observed: 170 lesions were vital and 695 were non-vital. The first and the fifth toes were especially involved. The highest number of lesions observed in a single patient was more than 55 lesions. Pain was reported by 42 children, itching by 39 and difficult walking by 28. One child presented with fever which was considered to be caused by superinfected tungiasis. Complications were nail dystrophy (48 patients), deformity of the fingers or toes (12 patients), scarring (4 patients) and nail loss (4 patients). Thirteen children needed oral antibiotic therapy because of bacterial superinfections. Conclusions: Tungiasis is a public health concern in this region of Tanzania and it is associated with high morbidity. Improvement in housing hygiene, confining domestic animals and increasing the knowledge of the disease via health education are measures that should be taken to control the disease.
Detection of putative virulence genes in Aeromonas isolates from humans and animals
Authors: Körkoca Hanifi , Alan Yusuf , Bozari Sedat , Berktas Mustafa , Goz Yaşar
Published: November 2014

Introduction: Aeromonas are food- and water-borne bacteria that are considered to be zoonotic human pathogens. This study aimed to investigate the presence of genes associated with virulence in human and animal Aeromonas isolates and the potential role of animal isolates with regards to human Aeromonas infections. Methodology: The presence of aerA, hlyA, alt, ast, laf, ascF-G, stx1 and stx2 putative virulence genes in 40 human and animal Aeromonas isolates (16 human and 24 animal isolates) were examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). DNA fragments of expected sizes were purified and sequenced. BLAST in the NCBI was used to verify any amplified products. Results: PCR screening showed that hlyA, alt, and laf genes were determined at ratios of 6.25%, 50%, and 6.25%, respectively, in human isolates. The ratios of hlyA, alt, ascF-G, laf, stx2, and stx1 genes in animal isolates were 58.3%, 20.83%, 33.3%, 20.83%, 8.33%, and 4.17%, respectively. Neither aerA nor ast genes were detected in any isolates. Any one of eight putative virulence genes was not detected in seven human and eight animal isolates in the study. Conclusions: The current study is the first to investigate the presence of the virulence gene in gull Aeromonas isolates. The manifestation of the presence of the virulence gene and gene combinations was considerable, especially in fish and gull isolates when compared with clinical human isolates. The current study demonstrates the potential importance of fish and gulls in terms of human Aeromonas infections.
Liver abscess associated with severe myopathy caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae serotype K1 in Romania
Authors: Popescu Gabriel-Adrian , Tanase Diana , Petrescu Ana-Maria , Florea Dragos
Published: November 2014

Liver abscess was diagnosed in a man presenting with fever, chills and severe myopathy. The K. pneumoniae isolated from blood cultures belonged to the K1 serotype. The patient responded favourably to percutaneous drainage of the abscess and antibiotics. This is the first documented report of Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess syndrome (KLAS) described in Romania and may indicate the emergence of this syndrome in Eastern Europe.
The current Ebola outbreak: old and new contexts
Authors: Bellizzi Saverio
Published: November 2014

Within the ongoing Ebola outbreak in West Africa, separate scenarios reflect old contexts with well-known strategies to face the epidemic on one side and completely new and unprecedented situations requiring new approaches on the other side. While Senegal and Nigeria represent success stories on the implementation of appropriate standard public health measures for containment, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea require a major and innovative scale of actions to halt even more catastrophic consequences.
An unusual new species of Micraspis Chevrolat (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) from northeastern India
Authors: Poorani J.
Published: November 2014

Micraspis pusillus sp. n. (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is described and illustrated from the northeastern region of India. It is unusual in possessing very large eye canthus and is the smallest species of the genus known from India so far.
The Afrotropical Miomantis caffra Saussure 1871 and M. paykullii Stal 1871: first records of alien mantid species in Portugal and Europe, with an updated checklist of Mantodea in Portugal (Insecta: Mantodea)
Authors: Marabuto Eduardo
Published: November 2014

The recent growing interest on the Mantodea fauna of southern Europe and Portugal in particular, has enabled the discovery of two geographically separated populations of hitherto unknown species in Europe. Analysis of specimens shows that they belong to two Afrotropical mantids: Miomantis caffra Saussure, 1871 and Miomantis paykullii Stal, 1871, thus raising the number of known species in Europe to 39 and in Portugal to 11.

While these are remarkable findings, they also represent the first alien mantis species recorded from this continent. As yet, these species appear to be confined to artificial humanised gardened areas but call for more attention to the problem of biological invasions and the need for better bio-security measures for the conservation of natural ecosystems.

In the absence of recent revisionary work on the Mantodea of Portugal and given the need to provide an accessible identification tool, both a checklist and a key to species are provided for all species in the country.
L'efficacité des TIC et l'atténuation de la pauvreté : quelle stratégie pour l'Afrique ?
Authors: Sedkaoui Soraya
Published: November 2014

Dans un monde de plus en plus interconnecté où le développement nécessite une participation active à la société de l’information, le nouvel ordre mondial occasionné par les avancées technologiques rapides, soulève des préoccupations majeures au sujet de l’introduction et l’utilisation des TIC. Parallèlement, beaucoup pensent que ces technologies représentent une clé pour lutter contre la pauvreté, et cela malgré les doutes quant à la relation entre la cause et l’effet. Afin de discuter de la contribution des TIC à la croissance favorable aux pauvres, nous devons établir une compréhension de base de ce que signifie chaque terme. Il s’avère donc nécessaire de comprendre le concept de pauvreté relative à l’accès à ces technologies, en se basant sur l’Afrique qui représente l’exemple le plus flagrant de notre recherche. L’approche privilégiée dans ce papier met l’accent sur l’opérationnalisation du concept de pauvreté et des TIC en indiquant la situation et l’état des lieux de chaque concept en Afrique et en identifiant les meilleures stratégies afin d’en tirer profit.
Anatomie d'un fait divers impérial
Authors: Freundschuh Aaron , Bouquet Stéphane
Published: November 2014

En septembre 1887, un fin limier, reporter au Figaro , révèle au Tout-Paris que de hauts responsables de la police sont en possession de porte-cartes fabriqués avec de la peau humaine. Il s’avère que cette peau a été prélevée sur le cadavre d’Henri Pranzini, migrant égyptien récemment guillotiné pour triple homicide. Le scandale qui s’ensuit dévoile les chassés-croisés entre l’imagination coloniale française et le « discours sécuritaire » très répandu à Paris à la fin du xix e siècle. À ce moment clef de l’histoire de l’expansionnisme républicain, les théories s’affrontent à propos de ce vétéran des guerres impériales. Mais, malgré leur rivalité, médecins, critiques sociaux, inspecteurs de police, journalistes reviennent sans cesse aux catégories raciales de « Levantin » et de « rastaquouère ». De ces enquêtes allait émerger un nouvel archétype criminel, celui de l’anti-héros colonial protéiforme, toujours prêt à menacer la métropole. Cet article propose le concept d’« insécurité impériale » pour explorer les formes de criminalité violente, réelles ou imaginaires, que l’aventure coloniale fait résonner dans un Paris angoissé. Instrumentalisée dans les débats parlementaires, l’affaire Pranzini révèle jusqu’où l’immigration en provenance des colonies a nourri les arguments des partisans d’un contrôle de l’immigration au moment où le projet colonial républicain prenait son essor.
Donneuses d'eau. Une profession au cœur du thermalisme français (1840-1914)
Authors: Jennings Éric T.
Published: November 2014

En hommage à Susanna Barrows, au carrefour de quelques thèmes qui lui étaient chers – l’histoire culturelle alliant pratiques et représentations, celle des femmes et des genres, celle de la littérature médicale prescriptive, et enfin celle des buveurs –, cet article se penche sur une profession entièrement féminine, largement oubliée, mais pourtant située jadis au cœur du complexe thermal français, du xviii e au xx e siècle. Il s’agit des « donneuses d’eau », dont la représentante peut-être la plus connue demeure Coco Chanel, qui pratiqua cet emploi de manière occasionnelle avant de connaître le succès que l’on connaît. À partir de sources multiples et variées, j’analyse leur relation à la source et à la clientèle, leur rôle paramédical, ainsi que des questions de sociabilité, de mise en scène, de sexualité et de genre.
Inhibitory activity in vitro of probiotic lactobacilli against oral Candida under different fermentation conditions
Authors: Jiang Q. , Stamatova I. , Kari K. , Meurman J.H.
Published: November 2014

Clinical studies have shown that probiotics positively affect oral health by decreasing gum bleeding and/or reducing salivary counts of certain oral pathogens. Our aim was to investigate the inhibitory effect of six probiotic lactobacilli against opportunistic oral Candida species. Sugar utilisation by both lactobacilli and Candida was also assessed. Agar overlay assay was utilised to study growth inhibition of Candida albicans, Candida glabrata and Candida krusei by Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, Lactobacillus casei Shirota, Lactobacillus reuteri SD2112, Lactobacillus brevis CD2, Lactobacillus bulgaricus LB86 and L. bulgaricus LB Lact. The inhibitory effect was measured at pH 5.5, 6.4, and 7.2, respectively, and in the presence of five different carbohydrates in growth medium (glucose, fructose, lactose, sucrose, and sorbitol). Growth and final pH values were measured at two-hour time points to 24 h. L. rhamnosus GG showed the strongest inhibitory activity in fructose and glucose medium against C. albicans, followed by L. casei Shirota, L. reuteri SD2112 and L. brevis CD2. None of the lactobacilli tested affected the growth of C. krusei. Only L. rhamnosus GG produced slight inhibitory effect on C. glabrata. The lower pH values led to larger inhibition zones. Sugar fermentation profiles varied between the strains. L. casei Shirota grew in the presence of all sugars tested, whereas L. brevis CD2 could utilise only glucose and fructose. All Candida species metabolised the available sugars but the most rapid growth was observed with C. glabrata. The results suggest that commercially available probiotics differ in their inhibitory activity and carbohydrate utilisation; the above properties are modified by different pH values and sugars with more pronounced inhibition at lower pH.
Le clin d’œil d’un expérimentateur
Authors: Ostrowiecki Henri
Published: November 2014

Cet article est le témoignage d’un jeune technicien qui eut la chance d’être un participant actif dans l’aventure du rayonnement synchrotron : le RS, à la demande de mademoiselle Yvette Cauchois, directeur du Laboratoire de chimie-physique. Il raconte les conditions qui lui ont permis de réaliser, auprès du synchrotron de Frascati en 1963, la première mesure utilisant cette nouvelle source de lumière, que les physiciens des particules de l’époque, qualifiaient de « parasite », offrant ainsi à la physique un nouvel outil pour scruter et analyser la matière.
Apports historiques du rayonnement synchrotron
Authors: Fourme Roger
Published: November 2014

L’étude structurale par cristallographie aux rayons X des macromolécules biologiques a été révolutionnée par l’utilisation du rayonnement synchrotron (RS). Cet outil améliore considérablement la qualité de données, en termes de signal/bruit et de résolution en un temps d’exposition très court. Dès les débuts de DCI (1976) une ligne fut dédiée à la biocristallographie et améliorée pour cette utilisation notamment en termes de détection et d’analyse des données. Le Lure, laboratoire ouvert à toutes les nouveautés fut pionnier dans le développement de la biocristallographie avec le RS et fut à l’origine d’un DEA national en France, créant ainsi une communauté de jeunes chercheurs de haut niveau solidaires.
Apports historiques du rayonnement synchrotron
Authors: Michalowicz Alain
Published: November 2014

Dès le milieu des années soixante-dix, sur les synchrotrons de première et deuxième génération, la spectroscopie d'absorption des rayons X (XAS, qui se décline en deux domaines i) XANES près du seuil de l'effet photoélectrique ii) EXAFS, étendu loin du seuil [9]) est vite devenue une technique fondamentale de l'activité scientifique autour de ces sources de rayons X. À l'instar de la biocristallographie, pour les équipes de biologie macromoléculaire, l'XAS a rassemblé de nombreuses équipes de physiciens du solide et de chimistes inorganiciens. Le témoignage apporté dans ce texte décrit les premiers pas de l'XAS en chimie sur la ligne D1 de DCI. Il montre comment, en 1975, partant de circonstances non programmées dans le projet initial, la communauté française des chimistes utilisateurs de l'XAS a rapidement évolué pour occuper, dans le milieu des années quatre-vingt, une place de première importance dans l'activité du Lure.
The Extracellular Adherence Protein from Staphylococcus aureus Inhibits the Classical and Lectin Pathways of Complement by Blocking Formation of the C3 Proconvertase
Authors: Woehl Jordan L. , Stapels Daphne A. C. , Garcia Brandon L. , Ramyar Kasra X. , Keightley Andrew , Ruyken Maartje , Syriga Maria , Sfyroera Georgia , Weber Alexander B. , Zolkiewski Michal , Ricklin Daniel , Lambris John D. , Rooijakkers Suzan H. M. , Geisbrecht Brian V.
Published: November 2014

The pathogenic bacterium Staphylococcus aureus actively evades many aspects of human innate immunity by expressing a series of small inhibitory proteins. A number of these proteins inhibit the complement system, which labels bacteria for phagocytosis and generates inflammatory chemoattractants. Although the majority of staphylococcal complement inhibitors act on the alternative pathway to block the amplification loop, only a few proteins act on the initial recognition cascades that constitute the classical pathway (CP) and lectin pathway (LP). We screened a collection of recombinant, secreted staphylococcal proteins to determine whether S. aureus produces other molecules that inhibit the CP and/or LP. Using this approach, we identified the extracellular adherence protein (Eap) as a potent, specific inhibitor of both the CP and LP. We found that Eap blocked CP/LP-dependent activation of C3, but not C4, and that Eap likewise inhibited deposition of C3b on the surface of S. aureus cells. In turn, this significantly diminished the extent of S. aureus opsonophagocytosis and killing by neutrophils. This combination of functional properties suggested that Eap acts specifically at the level of the CP/LP C3 convertase (C4b2a). Indeed, we demonstrated a direct, nanomolar-affinity interaction of Eap with C4b. Eap binding to C4b inhibited binding of both full-length C2 and its C2b fragment, which indicated that Eap disrupts formation of the CP/LP C3 proconvertase (C4b2). As a whole, our results demonstrate that S. aureus inhibits two initiation routes of complement by expression of the Eap protein, and thereby define a novel mechanism of immune evasion.
Multitoxin analysis of Aspergillus clavatus-infected feed samples implicated in two outbreaks of neuromycotoxicosis in cattle in South Africa
Authors: Botha Christo J. , Legg Matthew J. , Truter Mariëtte , Sulyok Michael
Published: November 2014

Aspergillus clavatus intoxication is a highly fatal neuromycotoxicosis of ruminants, especially cattle. It is caused by the ingestion of infected sprouting grain and sorghum beer residue. Locomotor disturbances, tremors and paralysis are observed. Histologically, degeneration and necrosis of larger neurons in the medulla oblongata, the midbrain, the thalamus and the ventral horns of the spinal cord are observed. Although a range of mycotoxins such as patulin, cytochalasin E and pseurotin A have been isolated, there is limited information on which specific mycotoxin or group of mycotoxins are involved during outbreaks of intoxication in livestock. In the present study, two outbreaks of A. clavatus poisoning in cattle are briefly described. Feed samples were collected for fungal identification, and culture and multitoxin analysis. A range of fungal metabolites were detected, and the estimated concentrations (μg/kg) are provided. Both the sprouting barley and brewer’s grain were predominantly infected with A. clavatus and, to a lesser extent, Rhizopus arrhizus. The only common Aspergillus secondary metabolite present in all the samples was pseurotin A. Patulin and cytochalasin E were present in the sprouting barley samples, as well as the A. clavatus isolates cultured on malt extract agar for 2 weeks; however, neither of these mycotoxins could be detected in the brewer’s grain sample.
The Future of Audit
Authors: Lombardi Danielle Rose , Bloch Rebecca , Vasarhelyi Miklos A
Published: November 2014

The purpose of this study is to discuss the current state and future of auditing. Expert consensus is used as a basis to examine the current state of auditing and generate modifications both needed and likely to occur in the audit profession. This study contributes to the literature by using the Delphi method to develop predictions as to the direction of the audit industry and discuss the implications associated with these predictions. If auditors can better understand where the profession stands and where it is headed, then they can better prepare for the future. Some predictions emerging from this study relative to future audit practices include increasing automation of audit procedures, more predictive financial statements, continuous auditing of financial statements and transactions, and an increasingly global perspective regarding audit activities.
Critical Success Factors for a Competitive Advantage in Electronic Commerce: Empirical Study in Paraguayan Companies
Authors: Kwan Chung Chap Kau , Cruz Rosario García
Published: November 2014

Electronic commerce has been one of the most active fields of investigation in Information Technology in the last few years. It would be interesting to find out which critical factors keep electronic commerce from achieving success and which factors would be regarded as a sustainable competitive advantage for companies. In this investigation we have developed a model for the achievement of success in electronic commerce based on what is proposed by DeLone and McLean regarding the current model to achieve success in Information Systems, tested by the AMOS (Analysis of Moment Structures), through a sample of 55 Paraguayan companies. As for the bibliography used, we have performed a meta-analysis study with the purpose of identifying the most relevant journals, with their respective current authors and the indicators that represent the importance to the project. The results have yielded valuable conclusions to the Paraguayan reality as only two of the 10 indentified critical factors for success were detected: “Experts in information technology (IT) and infrastructure” and “Interoperability of the system”. These are regarded as factors which have been converted into a timely competitive advantage but not into a sustainable competitive advantage through time, due to reasons such as a lack of experts in information technology (IT), particularly regarding the knowledge of electronic commerce and the sluggishness of development of electronic commerce which carries out online activities.
Convergence in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Using Patent Analysis
Authors: Kim Eunhee , Kim Jaejon , Koh Joon
Published: November 2014

Since the 1990s, information and communication technology (ICT) has been perceived as the critical technology for economic development, and the ICT industry itself has been growing exceptionally fast. Moreover, technology convergence in ICT has received particular attention. ICT innovations diffuse into existing products and thus come to form a new integral part of the goods. This is an exploratory research to examine technology convergence of the supply side as a firm level in the ICT sector using International Patent Classification (IPC) of 43,636 sample patents from 1995 to 2008. This study finds a degree of merger and relationships between different technology domains through the association rule mining of patent co-classification. This type of analysis helps companies to take strategies under the environment of technological trajectory change.
Evaluation of Management Control Systems in a Higher Education Institution with the Performance Management and Control
Authors: Beuren Ilse Maria , Teixeira Silvio Aparecido
Published: November 2014

This study aims to investigate the structure and operation of management control systems for performance evaluation in a private higher education institution (HEI). To capture the structure and operation of Management Control Systems (MCS) of the HEI, the survey instrument proposed by Ferreira and Otley was used (2006), called Performance Management and Control (PMC). Thus, an adapted PMC structure questionnaire was sent to 55 managers responsible for strategic actions and plans established in the business of the HEI, having 48 answered questionnaires. Also, four out of the five directors of the business school of the HEI were interviewed, besides the documentary research, for the triangulation of data and to validate the results. In data analysis, the techniques of descriptive statistics and information entropy were used. The results show that the overall level of performance evaluation for MCS reached a mean of 3.62 on the scale, less than partial agreement on the items presented. Some weaknesses were pointed out in the system used, and it was also denoted the need for better alignment among strategy, performance and control. It is concluded that the adapted PMC structure questionnaire managed to capture the structure and operation of MCS for performance evaluation in the HEI.
Eliciting and Defining Requirements Based on Metaevaluation: the Case of the Cras 2008 Census
Authors: Ferneda Edilson , Do Prado Hércules Antonio , Gadelha Marcelo Gomes , Hedler Helga Cristina , De Castro Eduardo José Ribeiro
Published: November 2014

The Brazilian Ministry of Social Development and Fight against Hunger (MDS) regularly promotes the evaluation of its social programs, such as those developed in the Reference Centers for Social Assistance (CRAS). Such evaluations make use of a web system that supports the collection and processing of information as well as the dissemination of its results to local, regional and central government officials through the so-called CRAS Census. A meta-evaluation of the CRAS 2008 Census was carried out based on criteria specified by the Joint Committee (1994), from which we elicited requirements that enabled improvements of the web system. The article reports new requirements elicited from the meta-evaluation of the CRAS 2008 Census, held in the period 2009-2010. The approach of meta-evaluation as an alternative source of requirements elicitation took into consideration results from evaluations of social programs in order to identify system problems without the usual need of intense interaction with users. This approach revealed opportunities for improvements in the evaluation process that led to the elicitation of requirements for the computerized system. Some of the elicited features were incorporated into the Census 2010 and others may be incorporated in future censuses.
Patterns of Maxillofacial Fractures in Road Traffic Crashes in an Indian Rural Tertiary Center
Authors: Sagayaraj A , Jayaraju Rijo M , Reddy Mallika P , Harshitha KR , Majety Priyanka
Published: November 2014

Background and objectives

Road traffic crashes are reported to be the leading cause of maxillofacial fractures in developing countries. The large variability in reported incidence and etiology is due to a variety of contributing factors, including environmental, cultural and socioeconomic factors. The study aims at describing the patterns of maxillofacial fractures in road traffic crashes by clinical and radiological methods and to study the complications associated with these fractures.

Materials and methods

The study included 100 road traffic crash patients with maxillofacial injuries. Patients were evaluated for any maxillofacial fracture by clinical assessment and, radiologically, using plain radiographs and computed tomography scan.

Results

Midfacial skeleton was more prone to fractures. Isolated fractures of the maxilla was the commonest (58%) followed by nasal bone fractures (43%). Among the complex fractures, Le Fort type II was the commonest. Mandibular fractures were seen in 33% of the patients, parasymphysis being the commonest site. Majority of the patients had associated soft tissue injuries. The incidence of complications associated with maxillofacial fractures was 11%, malocclusion being the commonest.

Conclusion

Maxillofacial fractures are commoner in the mobile population in the most productive age group, more so in two wheeler riders causing significant morbidity and mortality. Midface region is more prone to fractures and is most of the time associated with complications.

How to cite this article

Jayaraju RM, Sagayaraj A, Reddy MP, Harshitha KR, Majety P. Patterns of Maxillofacial Fractures in Road Traffic Crashes in an Indian Rural Tertiary Center. Panam J Trauma Crit Care Emerg Surg 2014;3(2):53-58.
Posttraumatic growth in patients after myocardial infarction: the role of cognitive coping and experience of life threat
Authors: Łosiak Władysław , Nikiel Joanna
Published: November 2014

Background

Posttraumatic growth is described as a process of restructuring of experience and positive changes in life attitudes. According to theoretical postulates, posttraumatic growth is a result of adaptive coping strategies that have cognitive character.

The aim of the study was to evaluate relationships between posttraumatic growth, cognitive coping strategies and the severity of life threat experience in a group of patients who had experienced myocardial infarction.

Participants and procedure

Fifty-three patients who had experienced their first myocardial infarction (32 men and 21 women) participated in the study and completed questionnaires measuring posttraumatic growth and cognitive coping strategies as well as a rating scale measuring the severity of life threat experience during the infarction.

Results

The results indicate that posttraumatic growth in general and in the aspect of changes in self, relationships or affirmation of life was related to cognitive coping strategies. In the case of spiritual changes, severity of life threat experience was significant while coping was not. Patients’ gender, age or post-myocardial infarction time appeared to be non-significant.

Conclusions

Generally, theories postulating that posttraumatic growth is a result of cognitive coping strategies found some support. Moreover, it may be concluded that posttraumatic growth appears only in some percentage of persons experiencing a specific trauma of myocardial infarction.
Biogenic SOA formation through gas-phase oxidation and gas-to-particle partitioning – a comparison between process models of varying complexity
Authors: Hermansson E. , Roldin P. , Rusanen A. , Mogensen D. , Kivekäs N. , Väänänen R. , Boy M. , Swietlicki E.
Published: November 2014

Abstract. Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) emitted by vegetation play an important role for aerosol mass loadings since the oxidation products of these compounds can take part in the formation and growth of secondary organic aerosols (SOA). The concentrations and properties of BVOCs and their oxidation products in the atmosphere are poorly characterized, which leads to high uncertainties in modeled SOA mass and properties. In this study, the formation of SOA has been modeled along an air-mass trajectory over northern European boreal forest using two aerosol dynamics box models where the prediction of the condensable organics from the gas-phase oxidation of BVOC is handled with schemes of varying complexity. The use of box model simulations along an air-mass trajectory allows us to compare, under atmospheric relevant conditions, different model parameterizations and their effect on SOA formation. The result of the study shows that the modeled mass concentration of SOA is highly dependent on the organic oxidation scheme used to predict oxidation products. A near-explicit treatment of organic gas-phase oxidation (Master Chemical Mechanism version 3.2) was compared to oxidation schemes that use the volatility basis set (VBS) approach. The resulting SOA mass modeled with different VBS schemes varies by a factor of about 7 depending on how the first-generation oxidation products are parameterized and how they subsequently age (e.g., how fast the gas-phase oxidation products react with the OH radical, how they respond to temperature changes, and if they are allowed to fragment during the aging process). Since the VBS approach is frequently used in regional and global climate models due to its relatively simple treatment of the oxidation products compared to near-explicit oxidation schemes, a better understanding of the above-mentioned processes is needed. Based on the results of this study, fragmentation should be included in order to obtain a realistic SOA formation. Furthermore, compared to the most commonly used VBS schemes, the near-explicit method produces less – but more oxidized – SOA.
Assessment and application of clustering techniques to atmospheric particle number size distribution for the purpose of source apportionment
Authors: Salimi F. , Ristovski Z. , Mazaheri M. , Laiman R. , Crilley L. R. , He C. , Clifford S. , Morawska L.
Published: November 2014

Abstract. Long-term measurements of particle number size distribution (PNSD) produce a very large number of observations and their analysis requires an efficient approach in order to produce results in the least possible time and with maximum accuracy. Clustering techniques are a family of sophisticated methods that have been recently employed to analyse PNSD data; however, very little information is available comparing the performance of different clustering techniques on PNSD data. This study aims to apply several clustering techniques (i.e. K means, PAM, CLARA and SOM) to PNSD data, in order to identify and apply the optimum technique to PNSD data measured at 25 sites across Brisbane, Australia. A new method, based on the Generalised Additive Model (GAM) with a basis of penalised B-splines, was proposed to parameterise the PNSD data and the temporal weight of each cluster was also estimated using the GAM. In addition, each cluster was associated with its possible source based on the results of this parameterisation, together with the characteristics of each cluster. The performances of four clustering techniques were compared using the Dunn index and Silhouette width validation values and the K means technique was found to have the highest performance, with five clusters being the optimum. Therefore, five clusters were found within the data using the K means technique. The diurnal occurrence of each cluster was used together with other air quality parameters, temporal trends and the physical properties of each cluster, in order to attribute each cluster to its source and origin. The five clusters were attributed to three major sources and origins, including regional background particles, photochemically induced nucleated particles and vehicle generated particles. Overall, clustering was found to be an effective technique for attributing each particle size spectrum to its source and the GAM was suitable to parameterise the PNSD data. These two techniques can help researchers immensely in analysing PNSD data for characterisation and source apportionment purposes.
Uplifting of carbon monoxide from biomass burning and anthropogenic sources to the free troposphere in East Asia
Authors: Ding K. , Liu J. , Ding A. , Liu Q. , Zhao T. L. , Shi J. , Han Y. , Wang H. , Jiang F.
Published: November 2014

Abstract. East Asia has experienced rapid development with increasing CO emission in the past decades. Therefore, uplifting CO from the boundary layer to the free troposphere in East Asia can have great implications on regional air quality. It can also influence global climate due to the longer lifetime of CO at higher altitudes. In this study, three cases of high CO episodes in East Asia from 2003 to 2005 are examined with spaceborne Measurements Of Pollution In The Troposphere (MOPITT) data, in combination with aircraft measurements from the Measurement of Ozone and Water Vapor by Airbus In-Service Aircraft (MOZAIC) program. High CO abundances of 300–550 ppbv were observed in MOZAIC data in the free troposphere during these episodes. These are among the highest CO abundances documented at these altitudes. Correspondingly, elevated CO was shown in MOPITT daytime data in the middle to upper troposphere in the 2003 case, mostly in the lower to middle troposphere in the 2004 case, and in the upper troposphere in the 2005 case. Through analyses of the simulations from a chemical transport model GEOS-Chem and a trajectory dispersion model FLEXPART, we found different CO signatures in the elevated CO and distinct transport pathways and mechanisms for these cases. In the 2003 case, CO from large forest fires near Lake Baikal dominated the elevated CO, which had been rapidly transported upward by a~frontal system from the fire plumes. In the 2004 case, anthropogenic CO from the North China Plain experienced frontal lifting and mostly reached ~ 700 hPa near the East China Sea, while CO from biomass burning from Indochina experienced orographic lifting, leeside-trough induced convection, and frontal lifting through two separate transport pathways, leading to two distinct CO enhancements around 700 hPa and 300 hPa. In the 2005 case, high CO of ~ 300 ppbv, observed in the MOZAIC data around 350 hPa, originated from the anthropogenic source over the vicinity of the Sichuan basin and biomass burning from Indochina, after convection and strong frontal lifting. These cases show that topography affects vertical transport of CO in East Asia via different ways, including orographic uplifting over the Hengduan Mountains, assisting frontal lifting in the North China Plain, and facilitating convection in the Sichuan basin. In particular, topography-induced leeside troughs over Indochina lead to strong convection that assisted CO uplifting to the upper troposphere. This study shows that the new daytime MOPITT near-infrared (NIR) and thermal-infrared (TIR) data (version 5 or above) have enhanced vertical sensitivity and may help qualitative diagnosis of vertical transport processes in East Asia.
Satellite observations of peroxyacetyl nitrate from the Aura Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer
Authors: Payne V. H. , Alvarado M. J. , Cady-Pereira K. E. , Worden J. R. , Kulawik S. S. , Fischer E. V.
Published: November 2014

Abstract. We present a description of the algorithm used to retrieve peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) concentrations from the Aura Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES). We describe the spectral microwindows, error analysis, and the utilization of a priori and initial guess information provided by the GEOS-Chem global chemical transport model. The TES PAN retrievals contain up to one degree of freedom for signal. In general, the retrievals are most sensitive to PAN in the mid-troposphere. Estimated single-measurement uncertainties are on the order of 30 to 50%. The detection limit for a single TES measurement is dependent on the atmospheric and surface conditions as well as on the instrument noise. For observations where the cloud optical depth is less than 0.5, we find that the TES detection limit for PAN is in the region of 200 to 300 pptv. We show that PAN retrievals capture plumes associated with boreal burning. Retrievals over the Northern Hemisphere Pacific in springtime show spatial features that are qualitatively consistent with the expected distribution of PAN in outflow of Asian pollution.