bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
New System for Tracking a Device for Diagnosing Scalp Skin
Authors: Hong Hyung , Nam Gi , Lee Hyeon , Park Kang , Kim Sung
Published: April 2014

In scalp skin examinations, it is difficult to find a previously treated region on a patient’s scalp through images captured by a camera attached to a diagnostic device because the zoom lens on camera has a small field of view. Thus, doctors manually record the region on a chart or manually mark the region. However, this process is slow and inconveniences the patient. Thus, we propose a new system for tracking the diagnostic device for the scalp skin of patients. Our research is novel in four ways. First, our proposed system consists of two cameras to capture the face and the diagnostic device. Second, the user can easily set the position of camera to capture the diagnostic device by manually moving a frame to which the camera is attached. Third, the position of patient’s nostrils and corners of the eyes are detected to align the position of his/her head more accurately with the recorded position from previous sessions. Fourth, the position of the diagnostic device is continuously tracked during the examination through images that help detect the position of the color marker attached to the device. Experimental results show that our system has a higher performance than conventional method.
Sensing of Scent, Fragrance, Smell, and Odor Emissions from Biota Sources
Authors: Kim Ki-Hyun
Published: April 2014

People encounter enormous numbers of chemicals present in the outdoor atmosphere and/or in the various facilities they use daily. Despite such diversity, not many of them have necessarily the potential to draw human’s nasal attraction if their perception thresholds are in general not sufficiently low enough, regardless of abundance. In this sense, many types of scents, musks, fragrances, smells, odors, and pheromones are unique enough to draw a great deal of attention mainly by their presence at or near threshold levels which are far lower than those of common chemicals with poor odorant characteristics. It is known that most of the diverse characters of odor-related ingredients or expressions are commonly produced from various biota sources present in the biosphere, e.g., fauna, flora, bacteria, fruits, flowers, trees, meats, fresh/decaying foods, etc. [...]
Assessment of Biological Kinetics in a Conventional Municipal WWTP by Means of the Oxygen Uptake Rate Method
Authors: Torretta Vincenzo , Ragazzi Marco , Trulli Ettore , De Feo Giovanni , Urbini Giordano , Raboni Massimo , Rada Elena
Published: April 2014

Pollution control of surface water bodies requires stringent checks on wastewater treatment plants performances. The satisfactory operation of biological treatment, commonly performed by means of activated sludge processes, requires a number of controlling and monitoring procedures. Suitable respirometric techniques for the determination of the kinetic parameters that regulate biological processes have been implemented in order to achieve this aim. This paper describes the results of an experimental research carried out in a conventional Italian municipal wastewater treatment plant. Particularly, the research has been finalized to both evaluate the biological process for the removal of biodegradable pollutants, such as carbonaceous substrates and ammonia nitrogen, and to collect data in order to evaluate a possible plant upgrade. Heterotrophic and autotrophic biomass kinetic parameters have been examined using respirometric techniques based on oxygen uptake measurements. The research performed makes a valuable contribution toward verifying the reliability of the values proposed in the literature for some kinetic parameters, which have been commonly used for a long time.
An Integrated Approach to Modelling the Economy-Society-Ecology System in Urbanization Process
Authors: Liu Yunqiang , Xu Jiuping , Luo Huawei
Published: April 2014

Urbanization has become a key part of social and economic progress in the 21st Century, but achieving healthy and safe urban development has a long way to go for many developed and developing countries. Urbanization has been recognized as a complex ecosystem which is affected by economic, social, and ecological factors. With this in mind, this paper looks at many factors to first evaluate based on the matter-element (ME) method and then model an Economy-Society-Ecology (ESE) subsystem using a hybrid method by a fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP), and then by using the entropy method (EM) to determine the relevant index weights. To avoid subjectivity when defining the model’s boundaries, the technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS) is introduced. Then, a coupling coordination degree model focusing on the degree of coordination in the ESE subsystem is established. Panel data collected from 2003 to 2012 for Chengdu, China, is then simulated to analyze the development process. The results show that: (1) The quality of urbanization continues to improve and the phasic features are presented; (2) The sensitivity analysis of subsystem weight shown that it had less effect on the coupling coordinated system; (3) The coordination in the ESE subsystem has also improved. However, the development rate of the economic subsystem is greater than that of the societal and ecological subsystem. The approach used here therefore, is shown to provide a promising basis for policy-making to support healthy urban development.
Analysis of Determinants in Filovirus Glycoproteins Required for Tetherin Antagonism
Authors: Gnirß Kerstin , Fiedler Marie , Krämer-Kühl Annika , Bolduan Sebastian , Mittler Eva , Becker Stephan , Schindler Michael , Pöhlmann Stefan
Published: April 2014

The host cell protein tetherin can restrict the release of enveloped viruses from infected cells. The HIV-1 protein Vpu counteracts tetherin by removing it from the site of viral budding, the plasma membrane, and this process depends on specific interactions between the transmembrane domains of Vpu and tetherin. In contrast, the glycoproteins (GPs) of two filoviruses, Ebola and Marburg virus, antagonize tetherin without reducing surface expression, and the domains in GP required for tetherin counteraction are unknown. Here, we show that filovirus GPs depend on the presence of their authentic transmembrane domains for virus-cell fusion and tetherin antagonism. However, conserved residues within the transmembrane domain were dispensable for membrane fusion and tetherin counteraction. Moreover, the insertion of the transmembrane domain into a heterologous viral GP, Lassa virus GPC, was not sufficient to confer tetherin antagonism to the recipient. Finally, mutation of conserved residues within the fusion peptide of Ebola virus GP inhibited virus-cell fusion but did not ablate tetherin counteraction, indicating that the fusion peptide and the ability of GP to drive host cell entry are not required for tetherin counteraction. These results suggest that the transmembrane domains of filoviral GPs contribute to tetherin antagonism but are not the sole determinants.
Tourism Visioning: Implementing a Primary Stakeholder Approach
Authors: Paris Cody Morris , Knopf Richard C. , Andereck Kathleen
Published: April 2014

Following a discussion on the relationship between participatory planning, collaboration, and tourism visioning, this article describes the development of a tourism-specific visioning process. A case study of a facilitated tourism visioning process in the city of Surprise, Arizona,
USA is presented. This case study provides an example of the potential power of the visioning process for a destination community developing a tourism vision to guide collaborative tourism planning. Insights from three stakeholder workshops are discussed in two contexts: (1) long-term recommendations
of what is needed for implementing a successful tourism visioning process and development of a community tourism plan, and (2) a manageable set of short-term “successes” that could be accomplished by stakeholders collaborating to establish a tourism vision.
Competitive Advantage for Brand Positioning: The Case of Sun City in South Africa
Authors: Ezeuduji Ikechukwu O. , Lete Prisca M. , Correia Maisa , Taylor Anna-Marie
Published: April 2014

The Sun City holiday resort in South Africa offers a combination of various entertainment and relaxation opportunities as well as attractions and activities for different market segments. This study explored the linkages between resources, capabilities, and competitive advantage of
Sun City holiday resort to evaluate the static or dynamic nature of its destination capabilities. A desk study and in-depth interviews with 10 business managers were conducted, and a content analysis established this destination's strategic resources and how these are combined to generate
dynamic organizational capabilities from which Sun City derives its competitive advantage. Sun City competes in the tourism industry by pursuing strong branding and dominating a niche tourism market of resort vacationers, offering a rare package of so many experiences. If Sun City is to strive
after new capabilities according to changing environments and markets, a strong brand that addresses the customer value position (many thrills and long-term memories) can help to attract repeated visitors, while fostering its brand promise of “Africa's kingdom of pleasure.”
Sociodicea
Authors: Giner Salvador
Published: April 2014

Este ensayo analiza la justificación social del mal y del daño, un fenómeno clave para la construcción moral de la realidad social. Inspirándose en la noción leibniziana de teodicea, de la cual es una versión secularizada, se exploran algunos ejemplos de explicación y justificación ‘sociodiceica’ de tales hechos. Se muestra la considerable importancia que estas concepciones poseen en el orden moral de las sociedades contemporáneas.
Discovering the Relationship Between DEA-Based Relative Financial Strength and Stock Price Performance
Authors: Zhang Xin , Edirisinghe Chanaka
Published: April 2014

This paper examines the correlation between the relative financial strength of public firms and their stock price performance. By using financial information obtained from the firms' publicly available financial statement as inputs and outputs in Data Envelopment Analysis (CCR model), a relative financial strength of a firm is determined relative to other competing firms operating in the same market segment. The aim here is to verify if such a strength index can be strongly (positively) correlated with the stock market returns, and to develop statistical tests that are necessary to establish the significance of that correlation. We present preliminary computational testing of the strength index with stocks from various industries and report the correlation analyses to support the validity of the approach. Based on the correlation, a well-informed assessment can be made for stock selection in investment portfolios.
CAs-Based QoS Scheme for Remote Health Monitoring
Authors: Babu B. Sathish , Bhargavi K. , Venkatarm Pallapa
Published: April 2014

Integrated Wireless Networks (IWN) is an important area of today's research because of its application in comprehensive services like battlefield surveillance, traffic avoidance and control systems, mobile health monitoring, biological detection and agricultural fields, structural health monitoring, Computer-assisted rehabilitation and therapy, tele-robotic surgery, etc. IWNs are employed to collect voluminous data from different types of networks and correlate them to provide critical medical services with high reliability and efficiency. This paper proposes an architecture which uses Cognitive Agents (CAs) along with Behavior-Observation-Belief (BOB) model in the area of Remote Health Monitoring (RHM), in order to provide better QoS by reducing the latency. The analytical modeling and simulation of the proposed system shows that, there is a considerable reduction in latency compared to the existing Multi-Agent based m-Health Care system.
The Value of Interaction for Russia, the USA and China Facing the Information Warfare
Authors: Inna Vasilyeva
Published: April 2014

The rapid development of informatization worldwide, specifically in the USA, China and Russia, and its penetration into all spheres of the vital interests of an individual, society and the state, have caused, besides doubtless advantages, the emergence of a number of significant problems. The urgent necessity to protect the information along with being protected from it has become one of them. The geopolitical confrontation and information warfare between the United States and China will be a major factor in world politics in the twenty-first century. This increasing tendency is pushing Russia towards further increasing the development of information warfare along with ensuring national security; the formation of an open dialogue between civilizations; and resistance to the threat of conflict in the field of information. Exhaustion of natural resources of the planet, their consumption and growth of the population do not contribute to the reduction of information warfare. Therefore, the positions of Russia, the United States and China will be strengthened due to deeper integration into the world information space. This paper has highlighted the quintessence of what causes the great thirst towards reaching information comfort and leadership, along with information warfare terrifying serious threats and modern global geopolitical tendencies.
SCADA Threats in the Modern Airport
Authors: McCarthy John , Mahoney William
Published: April 2014

Critical infrastructures are ubiquitous in the modern world and include electrical power systems, water, gas, and other utilities, as well as trains and transportation systems including airports. This work is concerned with Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems that are at the heart of distributed critical infrastructures within airports. Modern airports are highly competitive cost driven operations that offer a range of public and private services. Many airport systems such as car parking and building control systems are SCADA controlled. This is achieved with sensors and controllers monitored over a large, geographically disperse area. To increase efficiency and to achieve cost savings, SCADA systems are now being connected to information technology system networks using TCP/IP. The merging of SCADA systems into the main IT network backbone is presenting new security problems for IT security managers. Historically, proprietary solutions, closed systems, ad-hoc design and implementation, and long system life cycles have led to significant challenges in assessing the true security posture of SCADA systems. To address this, this work seeks how SCADA systems are being integrated into the IT network within a modern airport. From this new standpoint we will be able to identify ways in which SCADA may be vulnerable to malicious attack via the IT network. The results of this work could offer solutions to increase security within airports.
Monkey See - Monkey Take Photo
Authors: Renaud Karen , Goucher Wendy
Published: April 2014

Mobile devices have diffused through the global population with unprecedented rapidity. This diffusion has delivered great benefits to the populace at large. In the third world people living in rural areas are now able to contact family members who live in other parts of the country for the first time. For the city-dweller the mobile device revolution has brought the ability to communicate and work on the move, while they travel to and from work, or between meetings, thus making ertswhile “dead” time more productive. It is trivial, nowadays, to utilise workplace functionality, and access confidential information, outside the four walls of the organisation's traditional boundaries. Data now moves across organisational boundaries, is stored on mobile devices, on USB sticks, and in emails, and also stored in the cloud. Organisations have somehow lost control over their data. This mobility and lack of control undeniably creates the potential for information leakage that could hurt the organisation. The almost ubiquitous camera-equipped mobile phones exacerbate the problem. These feature-rich phones change the threat from mere Shoulder Surfing into Visual Information Capture. Information is now no longer merely observed or overheard but potentially captured and retained without the knowledge of the person working on said documents in public. The first step in deciding how to manage any risk is to be able to estimate the extent and nature of the risk. This paper seeks to help organisations to understand the risk related to mobile working. We will model the mobile information leakage risk, depicting the factors that play a role in exacerbating and encouraging the threat. We then report on two experiments that investigated the vulnerability of data on laptops and tablet devices to visual information capture. The authors address both capability and likelihood (probability) of such leakage. The results deliver insight into the size of the Mobile Information Leakage risk. The following stage in this research will be to find feasible ways of mitigating the risk.
What Lawyers Want
Authors: Radziwill Yaroslav
Published: April 2014

During the last decade international lawyers and IT specialists are brought together to conferences on issues of cyber-security. With various topics covered from such different perspectives, a clash of educations occurs. Lawyers are rarely able to understand the deep technological discussions, while legal presentations might seem too philosophical for the IT professionals, leaving them wondering, what do lawyers want and why. In this environment legal questions that cannot be answered without the deep technological knowledge possessed by the computer experts, should be formulated carefully and very precisely. Therefore, with emphasis on the jus in bello, this article aims to outline a list of issues that inevitably require joint lawyer-IT specialists dialogue and explain their significance from the point of view of international law. These issues include possibilities for digital “marking” of internationally protected objects online required under the existing humanitarian law, developing a “distinctive sign” for cyber-combatants, forewarning the enemy of incoming attacks (“carrying arms visibly”) and re-evaluating the concept of “vicinity” to dangerous installations in the context of cyber-space.
Security Risks to IT Supply Chains under Economic Stress
Authors: Axelrod C. Warren , Haldar Sukumar
Published: April 2014

Information technology (IT) supply chains are subject to security risks even during the most stable of economic times, However, when economies come under stress due to brisk growth or rapid contraction, IT supply chains become greater targets for nefarious players, be they employees, hackers, terrorists or nation states, for a variety of reasons. Maintaining both cyber and physical security of owned systems and facilities, over which you have direct control, is difficult and expensive enough under normal conditions. However, attempting to preserve adequate levels of security over third parties, be they process outsourcers, product vendors or contractors, is much more challenging and can be extremely costly in time, money and resources. It is also fraught with organizational, social, economic, political, geographical and contractual challenges. In this paper, the authors list a broad range of potential IT-related security risks and suggest how they might become exacerbated during times of economic stress. Mitigation of these risks may call for extreme measures. Some actions are reasonable and straightforward to implement, whereas others require substantial effort and indeed may not be achievable under current legal and regulatory conditions. The authors offer recommendations for overcoming manageable hurdles, and suggest how some reduction in risk might be attained even in situations where ready solutions are not yet available.
Does Knowledge Management Systems Moderate Turnover Effects?
Authors: Nakano Davi , Moraes Renato de Oliveira , Ress Ana Paula Pereira de Moraes
Published: April 2014

Knowledge assets are key to innovative capability, but are perishable and may decay over time. Knowledge Management Systems (KMS) can prevent knowledge decay and maintain and enhance performance and innovation. This paper investigates if the use of a KMS mitigates employee turnover negative effects on organizational performance. Data on turnover and project performance from two software development teams from the same corporation were collected and compared. One team adopted and uses a KMS to support development, while the other did not implement a KMS. Paired t-tests were performed and confirmed that KMS usage moderate turnover impact on organizational performance. There is also evidence that, when KMS are not used, turnover and performance are correlated with a time lag. From a practical stance, results indicate that knowledge intensive firms can avoid knowledge assets loss by implementing a KMS.
Intention to Knowledge Sharing
Authors: Ranasinghe Seuwandhi Buddika , Dharmadasa Pradeep
Published: April 2014

Intention to knowledge sharing is a growing concern that has been largely discussed in extant literature using Ajzen's theory of planned behavior (TPB). However, the studies have mostly neglected the influence of individual psychological needs of knowledge workers on intention to share knowledge. Combining the TPB with McClelland's three psychological needs approach, the study aims at uncovering such influence on intention to knowledge sharing. Survey data collected from 123 Information Technology (IT) based knowledge workers in Sri Lanka are analyzed using Partial Least Squares (PLS) method. It was found that attitudes toward knowledge sharing behavior, subjective norms, and need for affiliation are influential in determining knowledge sharing intentions of knowledge workers. Moreover, the findings suggest the need for careful consideration of individual psychological needs of knowledge workers in understanding their intentions toward knowledge sharing.
Knowledge Management Implementation in Information Society
Authors: Adedokun-Shittu Nafisat Afolake , Shittu Abdul Jaleel Kehinde
Published: April 2014

Most organizations implementing knowledge management are thrilled by the numerous opportunities it offers and the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) library is not left behind in the innovative shift. Even though knowledge management practice is demanded in information society, it does not exist as a full-fledged solution in most organizations yet. The reality in IIUM library is that it already employs certain elements of knowledge management through the use of IT to support various activities from administrative jobs to user education. Among the IT support system used include: the staff intranet and email to share and exchange information, library database to capture and store data and the digital library facilities to serve the diverse interest of its numerous customers. These imply that the strategies employed by IIUM library include: intellectual asset management strategy, personal knowledge asset responsibility strategy and mostly customer-focused knowledge strategy.The purpose of this study lies in its concern for whether the elements of knowledge management involved in the administration of IIUM library is achieving the goals of knowledge management and whether the staff and customers of IIUM library are maximizing the benefits of knowledge management in information societies.
Knowledge Representation Strategy Determination in Quantitative Terms
Authors: Tsang Sandro
Published: April 2014

Knowledge strategy is a critical component of knowledge management (KM) success. Surprisingly, a simple and quantifiable model of KM representation strategy does not seem to exist. This paper applies economics principles to derive a model for thinking of the decision problem in quantitative terms. The decision is about choosing the right codification-personalization split where all knowledge related resources are efficiently allocated to simultaneously support the business process or production. It shows that failing at making a diversified resource choice may conclude a suboptimal strategy (split). It seems to justify the propositions of an oft-cited paper and some published evidence. That is, a 50-50 split or a merely pure strategy can also be the optimal strategy. The model can be extended to include subjective decision factor, and be mastered easily. In future research, it may be developed into a game theoretical framework to capture the strategic and/or cooperative KM behaviors.
Wired for Change?
Authors: Virkar Shefali
Published: April 2014

The recent global diffusion of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) has raised expectations for technological change to support socio-economic progress and political reform in the developing as well as the developed world. Much as been written about e-government within a growing stream of literature on ICT for development, generating countervailing perspectives where optimistic, technocratic approaches are countered by far more sceptical standpoints on technological innovation. In seeking to bridge existing gaps in the literature, this article critically examines the role of Information and Communication Technologies in governmental reform processes for development through the presentation of a case study based in the Indian State of Karnataka. The study focuses on a collaboration between the state government of Karnataka and the eGovernments Foundation (a non-profit private sector organisation) between 2002 and 2011, designed to reform existing methods of property tax collection through the establishment of a networked online tax collection system across the municipalities of 56 towns and cities within the state. Through a combination of both qualitative and quantitative data, this paper analyses the interactions between new technologies and changing information flows within the complexities of public administration reform of the given context and, in doing so, examines the interplay of local and external factors and relationships and their role in shaping the implementation of the project at hand.
Analysis of Decision-Making Process in Helicopter Emergency Medical Service
Authors: Minazuki Akinori , Hayashi Hidehiko
Published: April 2014

In the helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS), the captain flies without using visual assistance to keep some distance between the helicopter and clouds or obstacles. Under the present conditions, the communication specialist (CS) and the captain of HEMS contact each other and select the safest flight path. With the increase in future requests, conducting safe and effective navigation is a challenge of the CS. However, it is difficult to say that all CSs conduct their duties with profound knowledge and experience about the detailed weather and land forms. In addition, a reasonable amount of time is needed to standardize their knowledge and experience. Consequently in this research, the authors focused on the understanding and assessment of the situation and the process of the decision-making and then analyzed them. The authors also interviewed the CS directly, and proposed to develop a system which can make up for the differences in the knowledge and experience of individual CSs.
List-Based Optimisers
Authors: Clerc Maurice
Published: April 2014

For any iterative stochastic optimisation algorithm, it is possible to replace the Random Number Generator (RNG) by a predefined short list of numbers, used cyclically. The author presents here some experiments to check this approach. The results show that it may indeed be interesting, for the same list can be used for variants of a given problem, and even for different problems. However, there are still some important open questions, in particular about the possible methods for building the lists, which are, for the moment, quite empirical.
The Yellowknife seismic array: comparative study between the 2013 upgrade and its 1989 predecessor
Authors: Edwards W N
Published: April 2014

The Yellowknife Seismic Array (YKA) has been an active part of Canada's contribution to nuclear explosion monitoring for more than 50 years. Near continuous seismic monitoring of the globe has occurred at YKA for the telltale signs of nuclear explosion testing
since its inception in 1962, resulting in thousands of tests being identified. To achieve such a track record, the array has undergone several upgrades to its technology and infrastructure to meet the demands of the time. After nearly 25 years of service since its switch from analog to digital
recording, YKA has again undergone a significant recapitalization of its infrastructure to modern standards of digital seismic monitoring to meet the demands of its mandate as the primary array station PS09 in the International Monitoring System and Canada's commitment and obligations under the
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. This report documents many of the changes made to the array during the upgrade through a data comparison by both the upgraded YKA and its predecessor collected simultaneously during the latter half of 2013. The comparison verifies the data quality of the new
array, its readiness for inclusion into full operational status, and outlines recommendations for minor improvements prior to its recertification and the decommissioning of the former YKA.
‘Die Weste hét ’n koffer in Berlyn’
Authors: Van Schalkwyk Phil
Published: April 2014

No abstract available.
The relationship between extrinsic motivation, job satisfaction and life satisfaction amongst employees in a public organisation
Authors: Mafini Chengedzai , Dlodlo Nobukhosi
Published: April 2014

Orientation: There is much research on extrinsic motivation, job satisfaction and life satisfaction in organisations. However, empirical evidence on how such factors affect employees in public organisations in developing countries is lacking.Research purpose: To examine the relationships between extrinsic motivation, job satisfaction and life satisfaction amongst employees in a public organisation.Motivation for the study: Labour strife is an endemic phenomenon in South Africa’s public sector as evidenced by the high incidences of industrial action and labour turnover. This study contributes to this subject by identifying the extrinsic factors that could be optimised with a view to enhancing job and life satisfaction amongst government employees.Research approach, design and method: The study used the quantitative research survey approach: a questionnaire was administered to 246 employees in a South African public organisation. Extrinsic motivation factors were identified using principal components analysis. Mean score ranking was used to compare the relative importance of all factors. The conceptual framework was tested using Spearman’s rank correlation analysis and linear regression analysis.Main findings: Statistically significant relationships were observed between job satisfaction and four extrinsic motivation factors: remuneration, quality of work life, supervision and teamwork. The relationship with promotion was insignificant, but a statistically significant relationship was established with life satisfaction.Practical/managerial implications: The findings may be used to implement strategies for enhancing employee performance and industrial relations within public organisations.Contribution/value-add: The study provides evidence of the interplay between extrinsic motivation, job satisfaction and life satisfaction for public servants in developing countries.
Acinetobacter baumannii bacteremia, a rare complication of endoscopic retrograde cholagiopancreatography!
Authors: Jabri Hadoun , Sanghavi Devang , Mukherjee Sarbajit , Dzaka-Dizdarevic Ema , Iroegbu Nkemakolam
Published: April 2014

Bacteremia is a severe and sometimes fatal complication following endoscopic retrograde cholagiopancreatography (ERCP). Several bacteria have been implicated, with Enterobacteriaceae being the most common. We report a case of post-ERCP multi-drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii bacteremia.
Renal confined sarcoidosis: Natural history and diagnostic challenge
Authors: Ghafoor Azam , Almakki Akram
Published: April 2014

A 69 year old male referred to nephrology clinic for uncontrolled hypertension. During his follow up over two years, he developed renal disease and hypercalcemia. He was found to have monoclonal gammopathy (MGUS). Urinalysis was negative except for Monoclonal IgG on immunoelectrophoresis. Workup for malignancy was negative including chest X-ray and bone marrow biopsy. He progressed into renal failure and ended up on dialysis. Interestingly, the renal biopsy showed non-caseating granulomas, and the patient was diagnosed with renal confined sarcoidosis which is extremely rare. PPD was negative. He was treated with Prednisone 60 mg daily. Surprisingly, his kidney disease was not responsive to steroids. Despite improvement in his calcium with treatment, his kidney function did not improve and he remained on hemodialysis but needed to stay on small dose of Prednisone to keep his calcium under control. Our case is the first in the literature that demonstrates the natural history of renal-confined sarcoidosis. In addition, the presence of MGUS created a diagnostic challenge and delayed diagnosis of sarcoidosis. Although the renal biopsy did not show direct damage from MGUS, a potential relation between renal sarcoidosis and MGUS is worth studied.
The Range of Uncertainty: A Tool for Efficiently Addressing Result Variability around Clinical Decision Points for Hepatitis C Response-guided Therapy
Authors: Jülicher Paul , Dhein Jens
Published: April 2014

Despite efforts to standardize molecular diagnostic tests, performance differences are not rare. Laboratories are challenged in situations where treatment rules have been established using a reference assay that is different from the assays being used in daily practice. Assessing the viral load status of patients with chronic hepatitis C under modern triple therapy is a recognized example. We demonstrate the use of the range of uncertainty as an easy and efficient tool that can provide information on the certainty of a test result's interpretation in the context of making hepatitis C virus treatment decisions.
A 4-Year Prospective Study of Soft Drink Consumption and Weight Gain: The Role of Calorie Intake and Physical Activity
Authors: Tucker Larry A. , Tucker Jared M. , Bailey Bruce W. , LeCheminant James D.
Published: April 2014

Purpose.

Examine the association between soft drink consumption and risk of weight gain over 4 years. Also, determine if the relationship between soft drink intake and weight gain is a result of differences in calorie intake or physical activity (PA), or other potential mediating factors.

Design.

Four-year prospective cohort.

Setting.

Approximately 20 cities in Utah and Wyoming.

Subjects.

One hundred seventy nonsmoking, apparently healthy women.

Measures.

At baseline, soft drink consumption and menopause status were measured using a questionnaire; calorie intake was estimated using 7-day, weighed food records; and PA was assessed using 7-day accelerometer data. Weight was assessed using an electronic scale at baseline and follow-up.

Analysis.

Multiple regression and partial correlation.

Results.

Four-year weight gain in participants who, at baseline, consumed sugar-sweetened soft drinks (2.7 ± 5.1 kg) was greater than in participants who consumed artificially sweetened soft drinks (–.1 ± 4.4 kg) or no soft drinks (.5 ± 5.1 kg) (F = 5.4, p = .022). Adjusting for objectively measured PA had no effect on risk of weight gain. However, controlling statistically for differences in calorie intake significantly weakened the relationship between soft drink consumption and weight gain by 28%.

Conclusion.

Consuming artificially sweetened soft drinks or no soft drinks instead of sugar-sweetened soft drinks may help to reduce risk of weight gain in women. The relationship appears to be partly a function of differences in calorie intake, but not differences in PA.
Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Vision Loss among Young and Middle-Age U.S. Adults
Authors: Loprinzi Paul D. , Zebardast Nazlee , Ramulu Pradeep Y.
Published: April 2014

Purpose.

To examine the association between vision loss and cardiorespiratory fitness among young and middle-age U.S. adults.

Design.

The study had a cross-sectional design.

Setting.

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2004 served as the study setting.

Subjects.

Study subjects included 3135 adults ages 20 to 49 years.

Measures.

Cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed from cardiorespiratory extrapolation using heart rate response during submaximal treadmill testing, with inadequate cardiorespiratory fitness defined as below the 60th percentile for age and gender. Visual acuity was objectively assessed for each eye.

Analysis.

Multivariable regression (linear and logistic) models were computed to examine the association between cardiorespiratory fitness and vision.

Results.

Poorer cardiorespiratory fitness (β = −3.7 mL O2/kg per minute; 95% confidence interval: −5.3 to −2.2) was observed in subjects with visual impairment after adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity, and comorbid illness. Participants with vision impairment, as compared with those with normal sight, had 4.4-fold higher odds of having inadequate cardiorespiratory fitness (95% confidence interval: 1.04–18.97), whereas participants with uncorrected refractive error were not more likely to demonstrate poorer cardiorespiratory fitness.

Conclusion.

Adults with visual impairment, but not adults with uncorrected refractive error, demonstrate a significant reduction in cardiorespiratory fitness and are much more likely to have inadequate fitness compared with those with normal vision. Evaluation and implementation of strategies to increase cardiorespiratory fitness among those with vision impairment, in particular, are needed.
Representation of Information about Family Relatives as Structured Data in Electronic Health Records
Authors: Lu Y. , Vitale C.J. , Mar P.L. , Chang F. , Dhopeshwarkar N. , Rocha R.A. , Zhou L.
Published: April 2014

Background: The ability to manage and leverage family history information in the electronic health record (EHR) is crucial to delivering high-quality clinical care.

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate existing standards in representing relative information, examine this information documented in EHRs, and develop a natural language processing (NLP) application to extract relative information from free-text clinical documents.

Methods: We reviewed a random sample of 100 admission notes and 100 discharge summaries of 198 patients, and also reviewed the structured entries for these patients in an EHR system’s family history module. We investigated the two standards used by Stage 2 of Meaningful Use (SNOMED CT and HL7 Family History Standard) and identified coverage gaps of each standard in coding relative information. Finally, we evaluated the performance of the MTERMS NLP system in identifying relative information from free-text documents.

Results: The structure and content of SNOMED CT and HL7 for representing relative information are different in several ways. Both terminologies have high coverage to represent local relative concepts built in an ambulatory EHR system, but gaps in key concept coverage were detected; coverage rates for relative information in free-text clinical documents were 95.2% and 98.6%, respectively. Compared to structured entries, richer family history information was only available in free-text documents. Using a comprehensive lexicon that included concepts and terms of relative information from different sources, we expanded the MTERMS NLP system to extract and encode relative information in clinical documents and achieved a corresponding precision of 100% and recall of 97.4%.

Conclusions: Comprehensive assessment and user guidance are critical to adopting standards into EHR systems in a meaningful way. A significant portion of patients’ family history information is only documented in free-text clinical documents and NLP can be used to extract this information.

Citation: Zhou L, Lu Y, Vitale CJ, Mar PL, Chang F, Dhopeshwarkar N, Rocha RA. Representation of information about family relatives as structured data in electronic health records. Appl Clin Inf 2014; 5: 349–367 http://dx.doi.org/10.4338/ACI-2013-10-RA-0080
M–I coupling across the auroral oval at dusk and midnight: repetitive substorm activity driven by interplanetary coronal mass ejections (CMEs)
Authors: Sandholt P. E. , Farrugia C. J. , Denig W. F.
Published: April 2014

Abstract. We study substorms from two perspectives, i.e., magnetosphere–ionosphere coupling across the auroral oval at dusk and at midnight magnetic local times. By this approach we monitor the activations/expansions of basic elements of the substorm current system (Bostrøm type I centered at midnight and Bostrøm type II maximizing at dawn and dusk) during the evolution of the substorm activity. Emphasis is placed on the R1 and R2 types of field-aligned current (FAC) coupling across the Harang reversal at dusk. We distinguish between two distinct activity levels in the substorm expansion phase, i.e., an initial transient phase and a persistent phase. These activities/phases are discussed in relation to polar cap convection which is continuously monitored by the polar cap north (PCN) index. The substorm activity we selected occurred during a long interval of continuously strong solar wind forcing at the interplanetary coronal mass ejection passage on 18 August 2003. The advantage of our scientific approach lies in the combination of (i) continuous ground observations of the ionospheric signatures within wide latitude ranges across the auroral oval at dusk and midnight by meridian chain magnetometer data, (ii) "snapshot" satellite (DMSP F13) observations of FAC/precipitation/ion drift profiles, and (iii) observations of current disruption/near-Earth magnetic field dipolarizations at geostationary altitude. Under the prevailing fortunate circumstances we are able to discriminate between the roles of the dayside and nightside sources of polar cap convection. For the nightside source we distinguish between the roles of inductive and potential electric fields in the two substages of the substorm expansion phase. According to our estimates the observed dipolarization rate (δ Bz/δt) and the inferred large spatial scales (in radial and azimuthal dimensions) of the dipolarization process in these strong substorm expansions may lead to 50–100 kV enhancements of the cross-polar-cap potential due to inductive electric field coupling.
The response of the Peruvian Upwelling Ecosystem to centennial-scale global change during the last two millennia
Authors: Salvatteci R. , Gutiérrez D. , Field D. , Sifeddine A. , Ortlieb L. , Bouloubassi I. , Boussafir M. , Boucher H. , Cetin F.
Published: April 2014

Abstract. The tropical Pacific ocean–atmosphere system influences global climate on interannual, decadal, as well as longer timescales. Given the uncertainties in the response of the tropical Pacific to increasing greenhouse gasses, it is important to assess the role of the tropical Pacific climate variability in response to past global changes. The Peruvian Upwelling Ecosystem (PUE) represents an ideal area to reconstruct past changes in the eastern tropical Pacific region because productivity and subsurface oxygenation are strongly linked to changes in the strength of the Walker circulation. Throughout the last 2000 years, warmer (the Roman Warm Period – RWP; the Medieval Climate Anomaly – MCA; and the Current Warm Period – CWP), and colder (the Dark Ages Cold Period – DACP – and Little Ice Age – LIA) intervals were identified in the Northern Hemisphere (NH). We use a multi-proxy approach including organic and inorganic proxies in finely laminated sediments retrieved off Pisco (~14° S), Peru to reconstruct the PUE response to these climatic periods. Our results indicate that the centennial-scale changes in precipitation are associated with changes in the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) meridional displacements and expansion/contraction of the South Pacific Sub-tropical High (SPSH). Additionally, during the NH cold periods, the PUE exhibited an El Niño-like mean state, characterized by a weak oxygen minimum zone (OMZ), and low marine productivity. In contrast, during the RWP, the last stage of the MCA and the CWP, the PUE exhibited a La Niña-like mean state, characterized by an intense OMZ and high marine productivity. Comparing our results with other relevant paleoclimatic reconstructions revealed that changes in the Walker circulation strength and the SPSH expansion/contraction controlled marine productivity and OMZ intensity changes during the past two millennia.
A paleoenvironmental reconstruction of the last 15 000 cal yr BP via Yellow Sea sediments using biomarkers and isotopic composition of organic matter
Authors: Badejo A. O. , Choi B.-H. , Cho H.-G. , Yi H.-I. , Shin K.-H.
Published: April 2014

Abstract. This study is the first reconstruction of the paleoenvironment and paleovegetation during the Holocene (interglacial) and glacial periods of the Yellow Sea. We report the carbon isotopic and biomarker (n-alkane and alkenone) compositions of organic matter from Yellow Sea sediments since the glacial period. Our findings show that the variability of the East Asian Monsoon (EAM) affected the sedimentary profile of total organic carbon (TOC), the stable isotopes of bulk organic carbon (δ13Corg), the atomic ratio of carbon and nitrogen (C/N ratio), and biomarker content. The sedimentary δ13Corg profile along the core exhibited more negative δ13Corg values under cold/dry climatic conditions (Younger and Oldest Dryas). The carbon preference index (CPI), the pristane to phytane ratio (Pr/Ph) and the pristane to n-C17 ratio (Pr/n-C17) were used to determine the early stages of diagenesis along the sediment core. Two climatic conditions were distinguished (warm/humid and cold/dry) based on an n-alkane proxy, and the observed changes in δ13C of individual n-alkane (δ13CALK) between the Holocene and glacial periods were attributed to changes in plant distribution/type. Clear differences were not found in the calculated alkenone sea surface temperature (SST) between those of the Holocene and glacial periods. This anomaly during the glacial period might be attributed to the seasonal water mass distribution in the Yellow Sea or a seasonal shift in the timing of maximum alkenone production as well as the Bølling/Allerød interstadial.
Shear wave velocity by support vector machine based on geotechnical soil properties
Authors: Shooshpasha I. , Kordnaeij A. , Dikmen U. , MolaAbasi H. , Amir I.
Published: April 2014

Abstract. Shear wave velocity (VS) is a basic engineering property implemented in evaluating the soil shear modulus. In many instances it may be preferable to determine VS indirectly by common in-situ tests, such as the Standard Penetration Test (SPT). In this paper, the relationship between VS and geotechnical soil parameters such as standard penetration test blow counts (N160), effective stress and fines content, as well as overburden stress ratio (σvo/σ′vo), is investigated. A new mode based on support vector machine (SVM) approach is proposed to correlate geotechnical parameters and VS, predicated on a total of 620 data sets, including field investigation records for the Kocaeli (Turkey, 1999) and Chi-Chi (Taiwan, 1999) earthquakes. This study addresses the question of whether Support Vector Machine (SVM) approach should be used to estimate VS based on the specified geotechnical variables, and assessing the influence of each variable on VS. Results revealed that SVM, in comparison to previous statistical relations, provides an effective means of efficiently recognizing the patterns in data and accurately predicting the VS.