bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Knowledge management in doctoral education toward knowledge economy
Authors: Stamou Adamantia
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role and the scope of knowledge management (KM) in doctoral education, in the emerging knowledge economy (KE) context, and the recommendation of a framework for KM in doctoral education.

Design/methodology/approach

An extended literature analysis was contacted to elaborate the role and the scope of KM in universities and research institutions in the context of global KE, and the role of knowledge workers, including doctoral students, as well as, the current directions for doctoral education. Literature analysis is followed by synthesis of the proposed framework for KM in doctoral education toward KE.

Findings

A framework for KM in doctoral education is proposed, which could be used to enhance quality of doctoral studies and could lead to research optimization and innovation growth. Finally, proposals are recommended for enhancing KM in doctoral education and utilize doctoral students as knowledge workers and change factors toward the notion of global KE.

Originality/value

The paper is an effort to start filling the literature gap in the emerging but under-researched subject of KM regarding doctoral education in the context of KE, with the purpose to enhance quality of doctoral studies and capture the socio-economic development advantages that come from training such a highly skilled workforce.
The changing role of the health care customer: review, synthesis and research agenda
Authors: McColl-Kennedy Janet R. , Snyder Hannah , Elg Mattias , Witell Lars , Helkkula Anu , Hogan Suellen J. , Anderson Laurel
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to synthesize findings from health care research with those in service research to identify key conceptualizations of the changing role of the health care customer, to identify gaps in theory, and to propose a compelling research agenda.

Design/methodology/approach

This study combines a meta-narrative review of health care research, and a systematic review of service research, using thematic analysis to identify key practice approaches and the changing role of the health care customer.

Findings

The review reveals different conceptualizations of the customer role within the ten key practice approaches, and identifies an increased activation of the role of the health care customer over time. This change implies a re-orientation, that is, moving away from the health care professional setting the agenda, prescribing and delivering treatment where the customer merely complies with orders, to the customer actively contributing and co-creating value with service providers and other actors in the ecosystem to the extent the health care customer desires.

Originality/value

This study not only identifies key practice approaches by synthesizing findings from health care research with those in service research, it also identifies how the role of the health care customer is changing and highlights effects of the changing role across the practice approaches. A research agenda to guide future health care service research is also provided.
Improving service operations: linking safety culture to hospital performance
Authors: Stock Gregory N. , McFadden Kathleen L.
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between patient safety culture and hospital performance using objective performance measures and secondary data on patient safety culture.

Design/methodology/approach

Patient safety culture is measured using data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture. Hospital performance is measured using objective patient safety and operational performance metrics collected by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Control variables were obtained from the CMS Provider of Service database. The merged data included 154 US hospitals, with an average of 848 respondents per hospital providing culture data. Hierarchical linear regression analysis is used to test the proposed relationships.

Findings

The findings indicate that patient safety culture is positively associated with patient safety, process quality and patient satisfaction.

Practical implications

Hospital managers should focus on building a stronger patient safety culture due to its positive relationship with hospital performance.

Originality/value

This is the first study to test these relationships using several objective performance measures and a comprehensive patient safety culture data set that includes a substantial number of respondents per hospital. The study contributes to the literature by explicitly mapping high-reliability organization (HRO) theory to patient safety culture, thereby illustrating how HRO theory can be applied to safety culture in the hospital operations context.
An analysis of the interaction effect between employee technical and emotional competencies in emotionally charged service encounters
Authors: Delcourt Cécile , Gremler Dwayne D. , De Zanet Fabrice , van Riel Allard C.R.
Published: March 2017

Purpose

Customers often experience negative emotions during service experiences. The ways that employees manage customers’ emotions and impressions about whether the service provider is concerned for them in such emotionally charged service encounters (ECSEs) is crucial, considering the criticality of the encounter. Drawing on cognitive appraisal theory, this study proposes that two key competencies – employee emotional competence (EEC) and employee technical competence (ETC) – affect negative customer emotions and customer satisfaction with employee response in ECSEs.

Design/methodology/approach

This study relies on a video-based experiment that depicts a customer involved in an ECSE as a service provider delivers bad news to him. The hypothesis tests use a two-way independent analysis of covariance.

Findings

Both emotional and technical competencies must be displayed to improve the customer experience in an ECSE. When EEC is low, ETC does not decrease negative customer emotions or increase customer satisfaction with employee response. When EEC is high, ETC instead has a significant impact on both customer outcomes.

Practical implications

Managers must train employees to develop both technical and emotional competencies. Employees who demonstrate only one type cannot temper customers’ emotions or enhance their perceptions of the employees’ response as well as can those strong in both competencies.

Originality/value

Using a video-based experiment, this study examines the moderating role of EEC in the relationship between ETC and two key aspects of the customers’ experience in an ECSE (negative customer emotions and customer satisfaction with employee responses) following the delivery of bad news.
The perceived relevance of tax risk-management in a South African context
Authors: Segal Talya Gail , Segal Milton , Maroun Warren
Published: March 2017

Purpose

Tax risk-management (TRM) is relatively understudied in the area of corporate governance and integrated reporting. The purpose of this study is to identify whether South African organisations identify, rank and manage tax risks in terms of importance and relevance to their own corporation. The study also aims to identify the link, if any, between TRM practices being implemented and the discussion and disclosure of these practices in the integrated report.

Design/methodology/approach

Detailed interviews with some of South Africa’s leading tax and corporate governance experts are used to highlight the TRM practices currently in place, as well as the evolution of these practices. These interviews also identify the connection between the practices and the integrated reporting disclosures.

Findings

The experts interviewed have identified a sound understanding of TRM practices in place and certainly some evolution of these practices over the past five years. What has been identified though is the need for further enhancement and incorporation of TRM practices into the corporate governance control structures within organisations. Integrated reporting disclosure of TRM still appears to be an area where there is need for improvement, specifically a better understanding by companies of how to use their integrated reports as a strategic asset of the company as opposed to merely a compliance exercise.

Research limitations/implications

The research relies on a relatively small sample of subject experts and does not provide a complete account of TRM developments.

Originality/value

The study adds value by contributing to research conducted on TRM. Although there has been research on ERM from a corporate governance perspective, few studies have examined this from a tax perspective, and there is virtually no formal academic research on the relationship between TRM and corporate governance from a South African perspective.
Antibacterial evaluation of cotton fabrics by using novel sulfonamide reactive dyes
Authors: Gaffer Hatem E. , Elgohary Mohamed R. , Etman Hassan Ali , Shaaban Saad
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper was to synthesize novel antibacterial reactive dyes for dyeing cotton fabrics.

Design/methodology/approach

Four synthetic novel antibacterial reactive dyes based on sulfonamide (D1-D4) have been synthesized by the coupling reaction of sulfonamide diazonium salt with sulfonamido-cyanurated 7-amino-4-hydroxynaphthalene-2-sulfonic acid “j-acid”. The chemical structure of the synthesized dyes was secured by their spectral data [infra red (IR) and proton Nuclear magnetic Resonance (1HNMR)].

Findings

The prepared reactive dyes (D1-D4) were applied to cotton fabrics. Optimum conditions of the dying samples at sodium sulfate 100 g/l, liquor ratio (L.R.) 1:10, sodium carbonate 20 g/l at 80°C (D1, D2 and D4), 60°C (D3 for 60 min) were investigated. The fastness properties toward washing, perspiration, rubbing and light were evaluated. Dyed fabrics showed good light fastness property and good to very good washing and perspiration fastness properties according to the gray scale. Antimicrobial activities for synthesized dyes showed excellent activity against gram-negative organisms such asPseudomonas aeruginosaandProteus mirabilis faecalis, whereas very good activity against gram-positive organisms such asStaphylococcus aureusandEnterococcus faecaliswith respect to the standard drugs ampicillin and chloramphenicol.

Originality/value

The principle advantages in this study were that the synthesis of novel synthesized dyes by introducing bisulfonamide-based moieties to increase the antimicrobial activity of the cellulose fabrics could be used as a medical textile, short reaction time and reaction procedure conducted in few steps, the work up is convenient and thus the starting material can be easily prepared.
Decrease in Statewide Antipsychotic Prescribing after Implementation of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Consultation Services
Authors: Barclay Rebecca P. , Penfold Robert B. , Sullivan Donna , Boydston Lauren , Wignall Julia , Hilt Robert J.
Published: March 2017

Objective

To learn if a quality of care Medicaid child psychiatric consultation service implemented in three different steps was linked to changes in statewide child antipsychotic utilization.

Data Sources/Study Setting

Washington State child psychiatry consultation program primary data and Medicaid pharmacy division antipsychotic utilization secondary data from July 1, 2006, through December 31, 2013.

Study Design

Observational study in which consult program data were analyzed with a time series analysis of statewide antipsychotic utilization.

Data Collection/Extraction Methods

All consultation program database information involving antipsychotics was compared to Medicaid pharmacy division database information involving antipsychotic utilization.

Principal Findings

Washington State's total child Medicaid antipsychotic utilization fell from 0.51 to 0.25 percent. The monthly prevalence of use fell by a mean of 0.022 per thousand per month following the initiation of elective consults (p = .004), by 0.065 following the initiation of age/dose triggered mandatory reviews (p < .001), then by another 0.022 following the initiation of two or more concurrent antipsychotic mandatory reviews (p = .001). High‐dose antipsychotic use fell by 57.8 percent in children 6‐ to 12‐year old and fell by 52.1 percent in teens.

Conclusions

Statewide antipsychotic prescribing for Medicaid clients fell significantly at different rates following each implementation step of a multilevel consultation and best‐practice education service.
How scientific is “the science of delivery”?
Authors: Behn Robert D.
Published: March 2017

Some knowledge is “explicit”: It can be conveyed in words, or formulas, or diagrams. Other forms of knowledge are strictly “tacit”: A person who possesses such knowledge cannot convey it to others using the traditional means of human communication. Unfortunately, our knowledge about management is primarily tacit. Yet Barber asserts that his approach to public management is “the science of delivery,” which suggests that his knowledge is explicit and thus that his prescriptions are both amazingly effective and should be followed precisely.
Neuroprotective effects of artemisinin against isoflurane-induced cognitive impairments and neuronal cell death involve JNK/ERK1/2 signalling and improved hippocampal histone acetylation in neonatal rats
Authors: Xu Guang , Huang Yun-li , Li Ping-le , Guo Hai-ming , Han Xue-ping
Published: March 2017

Objective

This study was performed to assess the effect of artemisinin against isoflurane-induced neuronal apoptosis and cognitive impairment in neonatal rats.

Methods

Artemisinin (50, 100 or 200 mg/kg b.wt/day; oral gavage) was administered to separate groups of neonatal rats starting from postnatal day 3 (P3) to postnatal day 21 (P21). On postnatal day 7 (P7), animals were exposed to inhalation anaesthetic isoflurane (0.75%) for 6 h.

Key findings

Neuronal apoptosis following anaesthetic exposure was significantly reduced by artemisinin. Isoflurane-induced upregulated cleaved caspase-3, Bax and Bad expression were downregulated. Western blotting analysis revealed that treatment with artemisinin significantly enhanced the expression of anti-apoptotic proteins (Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, c-IAP-1, c-IAP-2, xIAP and survivin). Artemisinin increased the acetylation of H3K9 and H4K12 while reducing the expression of histone deacetlyases (HDACs) – HDAC-2 and HDAC-3. Isoflurane-induced activation of JNK signalling and downregulated ERK1/2 expression was effectively modulated by artemisinin. General behaviour of the animals in open-field and T-maze test were improved. Morris water maze test and object recognition test revealed better learning, working memory and also better memory retention on artemisinin treatment.

Conclusions

Artemisinin effectively inhibited neuronal apoptosis and improved cognition and memory via regulating histone acetylation and JNK/ERK1/2 signalling.
Systematic review of gender‐ dependent outcomes in sepsis
Authors: Papathanassoglou Elizabeth , Middleton Nicos , Benbenishty Julie , Williams Ged , Christofi Maria‐Dolores , Hegadoren Kathleen
Published: March 2017

Background

Men and women appear to exhibit different susceptibilities to sepsis and possibly divergent outcomes. However, the effect of sex and gender in critical illness outcomes is still controversial and the underlying mechanisms appear to be complex.

Objectives

We aimed to systematically review and synthesize evidence on the influence of sex on outcomes in critically ill adult patients with sepsis, as reported in published studies specifically including investigation of the effect of sex among their aims. Primary outcome measures include in‐hospital mortality, intensive care unit (ICU) mortality and length of stay (LOS) in the ICU.

Search strategy

The review was based on focused literature searches (CINAHL, PUBMED, EMBASE and COCHRANE). Methodological quality was assessed through the STROBE checklist and the Cochrane Tool for Bias in Cohort Studies. Meta‐analysis was performed using STATA. Published observational studies addressing outcomes of sepsis among their primary aims and having included gender comparisons among primary outcomes in critically ill adult patients were included.

Results

A total of eight eligible studies were included. With the exception of mortality, it was not possible to perform meta‐analysis for other outcomes. Included studies reported data on 25,619 patients with sepsis (14 309 male/11 310 female). There is a paucity of well‐designed studies addressing the effect of sex on mortality among patients with sepsis, and absence of studies addressing the effects of sex on multiple organ dysfunction of non‐infectious origin. There was significant heterogeneity among study estimates (p = 0·001; I2=78·1%).

Conclusions

Although results of data syntheses appear to point towards a small disadvantage for survival among women, our results suggest that data on the impact of sex on sepsis outcomes remain equivocal. Implications for future research include approaches to adjustment for confounders and prospective designs.

Relevance to clinical practice

Clarifying sex‐related differences in sepsis, if any, is crucial for informing evidence‐based care.
Prediction of Far-Field Sound Pressure of a Semisubmerged Cylindrical Shell With Low-Frequency Excitation
Authors: Li T. Y. , Wang P. , Zhu X. , Yang J. , Ye W. B.
Published: March 2017

A sound–structure interaction model is established to study the vibroacoustic characteristics of a semisubmerged cylindrical shell using the wave propagation approach (WPA). The fluid free surface effect is taken into account by satisfying the sound pressure release condition. Then, the far-field sound pressure is predicted with shell's vibration response using the stationary phase method. Modal coupling effect arises due to the presence of the fluid free surface. New approaches are proposed to handle this problem, i.e., diagonal coupling acoustic radiation model (DCARM) and column coupling acoustic radiation model (CCARM). New approaches are proved to be able to deal with the modal coupling problem efficiently with a good accuracy at a significantly reduced computational cost. Numerical results also indicate that the sound radiation characteristics of a semisubmerged cylindrical shell are quite different from those from the shell fully submerged in fluid. But the far-field sound pressure of a semisubmerged shell fluctuates around that from the shell ideally submerged in fluid. These new approaches can also be used to study the vibroacoustic problems of cylindrical shells partially coupled with fluid.
Accurate simulation of transcranial ultrasound propagation for ultrasonic neuromodulation and stimulation
Authors: Robertson James L. B. , Cox Ben T. , Jaros J. , Treeby Bradley E.
Published: March 2017

Non-invasive, focal neurostimulation with ultrasound is a potentially powerful neuroscientific tool that requires effective transcranial focusing of ultrasound to develop. Time-reversal (TR) focusing using numerical simulations of transcranial ultrasound propagation can correct for the effect of the skull, but relies on accurate simulations. Here, focusing requirements for ultrasonic neurostimulation are established through a review of previously employed ultrasonic parameters, and consideration of deep brain targets. The specific limitations of finite-difference time domain (FDTD) and k-space corrected pseudospectral time domain (PSTD) schemes are tested numerically to establish the spatial points per wavelength and temporal points per period needed to achieve the desired accuracy while minimizing the computational burden. These criteria are confirmed through convergence testing of a fully simulated TR protocol using a virtual skull. The k-space PSTD scheme performed as well as, or better than, the widely used FDTD scheme across all individual error tests and in the convergence of large scale models, recommending it for use in simulated TR. Staircasing was shown to be the most serious source of error. Convergence testing indicated that higher sampling is required to achieve fine control of the pressure amplitude at the target than is needed for accurate spatial targeting.
Bayesian inference of the flow resistivity of a sound absorber and the room's influence on the Sabine absorption coefficients
Authors: Jeong Cheol-Ho , Choi Sang-Hyeon , Lee Ikjin
Published: March 2017

A Bayesian analysis is applied to determine the flow resistivity of a porous sample and the influence of the test chamber based on measured Sabine absorption coefficient data. The Sabine absorption coefficient measured in a reverberation chamber according to ISO 354 is influenced by the test chamber significantly, whereas the flow resistivity is a rather reproducible material property, from which the absorptive characteristics can be calculated through reliable models. Using Sabine absorption coefficients measured in 13 European reverberation chambers, the maximum a posteriori and the uncertainty of the flow resistivity and the test chamber's influence are estimated. Inclusion of more than one chamber's absorption data helps the flow resistivity converge towards a reliable value with a standard deviation below 17%.
Cannabis arteritis: ever more important to consider
Authors: Santos Rui Pedro , Resende Cristina Isabel Pinho , Vieira Ana Paula , Brito Celeste
Published: March 2017

Cannabis arteritis (CA) is a major and underdiagnosed cause of peripheral arterial disease in young patients. A 34-year-old man, daily smoker of 20 cigarettes and two cannabis cigarettes for 14 years, presented with a necrotic plaque of left hallux for 3 weeks. The Doppler ultrasound and angiography were compatible with severe Buerger's disease. Submitted to a revascularisation procedure and hypocoagulation with rivaroxaban. He had ceased smoking but maintained consumption of cannabis. Owing to the persistence of distal necrosis, amputation of the hallux was performed with good evolution. CA is a subtype of Buerger's disease. It is poorly known but increasingly prevalent and manifests in cannabis users regardless of tobacco use. The drug is considered at least a cofactor of the arteriopathy. The most effective treatment is cessation of consumption. Being cannabis one of the most consumed drugs, its mandatory to ask about its use in all young patients with arteriopathy.
Unusual cause of renal stone following robotic pyeloplasty
Authors: Yadav Siddharth , Singh Prabhjot , Nayak Brusabhanu , Dogra Prem Nath
Published: March 2017

Non-absorbable Hem-o-Lok clips are commonly used for vascular pedicle control or suture stabilisation during laparoscopic or robotic reconstructive procedures. As they are placed close to suture line and with tension, these clips have a propensity to migrate. We report a case of a 22-year-old man with history of bilateral robotic pyeloplasty presenting with left inferior calyceal stone. He underwent left mini percutaneous nephrolithotomy which revealed an encrusted migrated Hem-o-Lok clip that was used to close the mesenteric window formed during transmesocolic pyeloplasty. Thus, these clips should be used sparingly and only at places where other effective alternatives are unavailable.
Effects of phenological synchronization on caterpillar early-instar survival under a changing climate
Authors: Despland Emma
Published: March 2017

Early-instar caterpillars experience very high and often very variable mortality; if it is density dependent, it can be a key factor in outbreak dynamics. Plant physical and chemical defenses can be extremely effective against young caterpillars, even of specialists. Phenological asynchrony with host plants can lead to dispersal and mortality in the early instars and increased predation or poor nutrition in later instars. Predation on early-instar larvae (including cannibalism) can be extremely high, parasitism appears generally low, and pathogens acquired early in larval development can lead to high mortality in later stadia. Four well-studied species reveal very different roles of early-instar mortality in population dynamics. In spruce budworm and gypsy moth, early-instar mortality rates can be very high; they do not drive outbreak cycles because density dependence is weak, but can modulate cycles and contribute to outbreak size and duration. For the autumnal moth, early-instar survival depends on host plant synchrony, but may or may not be density dependent. For monarch butterflies, the relative importance of larval mortality rates in population dynamics remains unclear. Tritrophic interactions between herbivores, host plants, natural enemies, and microbes play complex and species-specific roles in early-instar ecology, leading to emergent dynamics in population fluctuations. The phenology of these relationships is often poorly understood, making their responses to climate change unpredictable.
The chiral anomaly, Dirac and Weyl semimetals, and force-free magnetic fields
Authors: Marsh Gerald E.
Published: March 2017

The chiral anomaly is a purely quantum mechanical phenomenon that has a long history dating back to the late 1960s. Surprisingly, it has recently made a macroscopic appearance in condensed matter physics. A brief introduction to the relevant features of this anomaly is given and it is shown that its appearance in condensed matter systems must involve force-free magnetic fields, which may help explain the long current relaxation times in Dirac and Weyl semimetals.
MyAdChoices
Authors: Parra-Arnau Javier , Achara Jagdish Prasad , Castelluccia Claude
Published: March 2017

The intrusiveness and the increasing invasiveness of online advertising have, in the last few years, raised serious concerns regarding user privacy and Web usability. As a reaction to these concerns, we have witnessed the emergence of a myriad of ad-blocking and antitracking tools, whose aim is to return control to users over advertising. The problem with these technologies, however, is that they are extremely limited and radical in their approach: users can only choose either to block or allow all ads. With around 200 million people regularly using these tools, the economic model of the Web—in which users get content free in return for allowing advertisers to show them ads—is at serious peril. In this article, we propose a smart Web technology that aims at bringing transparency to online advertising, so that users can make an informed and equitable decision regarding ad blocking. The proposed technology is implemented as a Web-browser extension and enables users to exert fine-grained control over advertising, thus providing them with certain guarantees in terms of privacy and browsing experience, while preserving the Internet economic model. Experimental results in a real environment demonstrate the suitability and feasibility of our approach, and provide preliminary findings on behavioral targeting from real user browsing profiles.
Remark on Algorithm 936
Authors: Krogh Fred T. , Hanson Richard J. , Sharp Philip W.
Published: March 2017

The Fortran output routine messy enables debugging and error message processing strategies in the design of numerical and mathematical software. It supports separate output from different processes in a parallel computing environment.
Topological Approach to Automatic Symbolic Macromodel Generation for Analog Integrated Circuits
Authors: Shi Guoyong , Hu Hanbin , Deng Shuwen
Published: March 2017

In the field of analog integrated circuit (IC) design, small-signal macromodels play indispensable roles for developing design insight and sizing reference. However, the subject of automatically generating symbolic low-order macromodels in human readable circuit form has not been well studied. Traditionally, work has been published on reducing full-scale symbolic transfer functions to simpler forms but without the guarantee of interpretability. On the other hand, methodologies developed for interconnect circuits (mainly resistor-capacitor-inductor (RCL) networks) are not suitable for analog ICs. In this work, a topological reduction method is introduced that is able to automatically generate interpretable macromodel circuits in symbolic form; that is, the circuit elements in the compact model maintain analytical relations of the parameters of the original full circuit. This type of symbolic macromodel has several benefits that other traditional modeling methods do not offer: First, reusability, namely that designer need not repeatedly generate macromodels for the same circuit even it is re-sized or re-biased; second, interpretability, namely a designer may directly identify circuit parameters (in the original circuit) that are closely related to the dominant frequency characteristics, such as dc gain, gain/phase margins, and dominant poles/zeros. The effectiveness and computational efficiency of the proposed method have been validated by several operational amplifier (opamp) circuit examples.
Data-Driven Techniques in Disaster Information Management
Authors: Li Tao , Xie Ning , Zeng Chunqiu , Zhou Wubai , Zheng Li , Jiang Yexi , Yang Yimin , Ha Hsin-Yu , Xue Wei , Huang Yue , Chen Shu-Ching , Navlakha Jainendra , Iyengar S. S.
Published: March 2017

Improving disaster management and recovery techniques is one of national priorities given the huge toll caused by man-made and nature calamities. Data-driven disaster management aims at applying advanced data collection and analysis technologies to achieve more effective and responsive disaster management, and has undergone considerable progress in the last decade. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is currently no work that both summarizes recent progress and suggests future directions for this emerging research area. To remedy this situation, we provide a systematic treatment of the recent developments in data-driven disaster management. Specifically, we first present a general overview of the requirements and system architectures of disaster management systems and then summarize state-of-the-art data-driven techniques that have been applied on improving situation awareness as well as in addressing users’ information needs in disaster management. We also discuss and categorize general data-mining and machine-learning techniques in disaster management. Finally, we recommend several research directions for further investigations.
A Survey of Timing Channels and Countermeasures
Authors: Biswas Arnab Kumar , Ghosal Dipak , Nagaraja Shishir
Published: March 2017

A timing channel is a communication channel that can transfer information to a receiver/decoder by modulating the timing behavior of an entity. Examples of this entity include the interpacket delays of a packet stream, the reordering packets in a packet stream, or the resource access time of a cryptographic module. Advances in the information and coding theory and the availability of high-performance computing systems interconnected by high-speed networks have spurred interest in and development of various types of timing channels. With the emergence of complex timing channels, novel detection and prevention techniques are also being developed to counter them. In this article, we provide a detailed survey of timing channels broadly categorized into network timing channel, in which communicating entities are connected by a network, and in-system timing channel, in which the communicating entities are within a computing system. This survey builds on the last comprehensive survey by Zander et al. [2007] and considers all three canonical applications of timing channels, namely, covert communication, timing side channel, and network flow watermarking. We survey the theoretical foundations, the implementation, and the various detection and prevention techniques that have been reported in literature. Based on the analysis of the current literature, we discuss potential future research directions both in the design and application of timing channels and their detection and prevention techniques.
SIROCCO 2016 Review
Authors: Tseng Lewis
Published: March 2017

The 23rd International Colloquium on Structural Information and Communication Complexity (SIROCCO '16) was held on July 19-21, 2016, in Helsinki, Finland. The conference took place at the Aalto University School of Business, which is located in a lovely neighborhood near the city center. The venue is one block away from the Temppeliaukio Church, a magnificent church built directly into solid rock. I was lucky enough to enjoy a beautiful sacred music performance at the church on my first day in Helsinki, which helped me get over my jet lag. If you need some refreshing experiences while visiting Helsinki, I would definitely recommend the Temppeliaukio Church.
Intramuscular Cavernous Hemangioma of Medial Rectus Muscle in Paediatric Age Group
Authors: Mehta Anuj , Butola Shalini , Naik Mayuresh , Abrol Sangeeta , Kumari Anju
Published: March 2017

An 11-year-old male child presented with a mass on the nasal aspect of the right eye that has been there for the last 2 years. Extraocular movements were decreased in the right eye on levoversion, levoelevation, and levodepression. Local examination revealed a bluish mass with irregular surface and ill-defined margins located in the medial rectus muscle. The mass was 10 × 20 mm in size, firm, nodular, nontender, nonpulsatile, noncompressible, and nonreducible. MRI of the orbit revealed a well-defined mass of approximately 23 × 13 mm along the medial rectus (MR) muscle. It was hyperintense on T2W images with very minimal contrast enhancement. A provisional diagnosis of hemangioma or lymphangioma with intralesional haemorrhage was made. During surgical excision, the mass was found to be encapsulated by MR fibres. The MR fibres were separated, and the mass measuring 20 × 8 × 6.5 mm was removed and sent for histopathology. The histopathological examination revealed an intramuscular cavernous hemangioma.
Ulcerated Lesion of the Tongue as Manifestation of Systemic Coccidioidomycosis
Authors: Mendez Luis A. , Flores Sergio A. , Martinez Ricardo , de Almeida Oslei Paes
Published: March 2017

Systemic mycoses and their oral manifestations are very rare. We present a case of a 60-year-old man with an ulcerated lesion on the lateral border of the tongue. Histologic studies revealed a granulomatous fungal infection byCoccidioides immitis. After pharmacological treatment, the lesion resolved. Recently, northern Mexico has been reported to be an endemic zone ofC.immitisinfections; therefore it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of mouth lesions. A comprehensive clinical history, physical exploration, and complementary studies are essential for an accurate diagnosis.
Longitudinal Seismic Behavior of a Single-Tower Cable-Stayed Bridge Subjected to Near-Field Earthquakes
Authors: Yi J. , Li J.
Published: March 2017

Cable-stayed bridges are quite sensitive to large amplitude oscillations from earthquakes and seismic damage was observed for Shipshaw Bridge and Chi-Lu Bridge during past earthquakes. In order to investigate seismic damage of cable-stayed bridges, a 1 : 20 scale model of a single-tower cable-stayed bridge with A-shaped tower was designed, constructed, and tested on shake tables at Tongji University, China. One typical near-field ground motion was used to excite the model from low to high intensity. Test result showed that severe structural damage occurred at the tower of the model including parallel concrete cracks from bottom to nearly half height of the tower, concrete spalling, and exposed bars at top tower 0.2 m above the section where two skewed legs intersect. Posttest analysis was conducted and compared with test results. It is revealed that the numerical model was able to simulate the seismic damage of the test model by modeling nonlinearity of different components for cable-stayed bridges, namely, the tower, bents, superstructure, cables, and bearings. Numerical analysis also revealed that cable relaxation, which was detected during the test, had limited influence on the overall seismic response of the bridge with maximum error of 12%.
Mechanistic Insight and Management of Diabetic Nephropathy: Recent Progress and Future Perspective
Authors: Xue Rui , Gui Dingkun , Zheng Liyang , Zhai Ruonan , Wang Feng , Wang Niansong
Published: March 2017

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the most serious microvascular complication of diabetes and the largest single cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in many developed countries. DN is also associated with an increased cardiovascular mortality. It occurs as a result of interaction between both genetic and environmental factors. Hyperglycemia, hypertension, and genetic predisposition are the major risk factors. However, the exact mechanisms of DN are unclear. Despite the benefits derived from strict control of glucose and blood pressure, as well as inhibition of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, many patients continue to enter into ESRD. Thus, there is urgent need for improving mechanistic understanding of DN and then developing new and effective therapeutic approaches to delay the progression of DN. This review focuses on recent progress and future perspective about mechanistic insight and management of DN. Some preclinical relevant studies are highlighted and new perspectives of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for delaying DN progression are discussed in detail. These findings strengthen the therapeutic rationale for TCM in the treatment of DN and also provide new insights into the development of novel drugs for the prevention of DN. However, feasibility and safety of these therapeutic approaches and the clinical applicability of TCM in human DN need to be further investigated.
Adaptive Morphological Feature Extraction and Support Vector Regressive Classification for Bearing Fault Diagnosis
Authors: Shuai Jun , Shen Changqing , Zhu Zhongkui
Published: March 2017

Numerous studies on fault diagnosis have been conducted in recent years because the timely and correct detection of machine fault effectively minimizes the damage resulting in the unexpected breakdown of machineries. The mathematical morphological analysis has been performed to denoise raw signal. However, the improper choice of the length of the structure element (SE) will substantially influence the effectiveness of fault feature extraction. Moreover, the classification of fault type is a significant step in intelligent fault diagnosis, and many techniques have already been developed, such as support vector machine (SVM). This study proposes an intelligent fault diagnosis strategy that combines the extraction of morphological feature and support vector regression (SVR) classifier. The vibration signal is first processed using various scales of morphological analysis, where the length of SE is determined adaptively. Thereafter, nine statistical features are extracted from the processed signal. Lastly, an SVR classifier is used to identify the health condition of the machinery. The effectiveness of the proposed scheme is validated using the data set from a bearing test rig. Results show the high accuracy of the proposed method despite the influence of noise.
An Unusual Case of Resistant Hypokalaemia in a Patient with Large Bowel Obstruction Secondary to Neuroendocrine Carcinoma of the Prostate
Authors: Mathuram Thiyagarajan Umasankar , Ponnuswamy A. , Bagul A. , Gupta A.
Published: March 2017

Neuroendocrine Carcinoma of the Prostate (NECP) is rare and only few cases have been reported, constituting less than 0.5% of prostatic malignancies. We report a rare case of large bowel obstruction from NECP posing a further challenge in management due to resistant hypokalaemia. A 70-year-old man presented with clinical signs of large bowel obstruction who was known to have prostatic carcinoma three years ago, treated initially with hormone therapy then chemoradiation. The blood profile showed a severe hypokalaemia and CT scan revealed liver and lung metastases apart from confirming large bowel obstruction from local invasion of NECP. Severe hypokalaemia was believed to be caused by paraneoplastic syndrome from tumor burden or by recent administration of Etoposide. Intensive potassium correction through a central venous access in maximal doses of 150 mmol/24 hours under cardiac monitoring finally raised serum potassium to 3.8 mmol/L. This safe period allowed us to perform a trephine colostomy at the left iliac fossa. The postoperative period was relatively uneventful. This first case report is presenting a rare cause of large bowel obstruction from a neuroendocrine carcinoma of prostate and highlights the importance of an early, intensive correction of electrolytes in patients with large tumor burden from NECP.
The Exploration of Peptide Biomarkers in Malignant Pleural Effusion of Lung Cancer Using Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Xu Jing , Xu Bin , Tang Chuanhao , Li Xiaoyan , Qin Haifeng , Wang Weixia , Wang Hong , Wang Zhongyuan , Li Liangliang , Li Zhihua , Gao Hongjun , He Kun , Liu Xiaoqing
Published: March 2017

Background. Diagnoses of malignant pleural effusion (MPE) are a crucial problem in clinics. In our study, we compared the peptide profiles of MPE and tuberculosis pleural effusion (TPE) to investigate the value of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) in diagnosis of MPE. Material and Methods. The 46 MPE and 32 TPE were randomly assigned to training set and validation set. Peptides were isolated by weak cation exchange magnetic beads and peaks in the m/z range of 800–10000 Da were analyzed. Comparing the peptide profile between 30 MPE and 22 TPE samples in training set by ClinProTools software, we screened the specific biomarkers and established a MALDI-TOF-MS classification of MPE. Finally, the other 16 MPE and 10 TPE were included to verify the model. We additionally determined carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in MPE and TPE samples using electrochemiluminescent immunoassay method. Results. Five peptide peaks (917.37 Da, 4469.39 Da, 1466.5 Da, 4585.21 Da, and 3216.87 Da) were selected to separate MPE and TPE by MALDI-TOF-MS. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the classification were 93.75%, 100%, and 96.15%, respectively, after blinded test. The sensitivity of CEA was significantly lower than MALDI-TOF-MS classification (P=0.035). Conclusions. The results indicate MALDI-TOF-MS is a potential method for diagnosing MPE.
Systematic Theoretical Analysis of Dual-Parameters RF Readout by a Novel LC-Type Passive Sensor
Authors: Tan Qiulin , Guo Yanjie , Wu Guozhu , Luo Tao , Wei Tanyong , Shen Sanmin , Zhang Wendong , Xiong Jijun
Published: March 2017

This paper systematically studied the simultaneous measurement of two parameters by a LC-type passive sensor from the theoretical perspective. Based on the lumped circuit model of the typical LC-type passive dual-parameter sensor system, the influencing factors of the signal strength of the sensor as well as the influencing factors of signal crosstalk were both analyzed. It is found that the influencing factors of the RF readout signal strength of the sensor are mainly quality factors (Q factors) of the LC tanks, coupling coefficients, and the resonant frequency interval of the two LC tanks. And the influencing factors of the signal crosstalk are mainly coupling coefficient between the sensor inductance coils and the resonant frequency interval of the two LC tanks. The specific influence behavior of corresponding influencing factors on the signal strength and crosstalk is illustrated by a series of curves from numerical results simulated by using MATLAB software. Additionally, a decoupling scheme for solving the crosstalk problem algorithmically was proposed and a corresponding function was derived out. Overall, the theoretical analysis conducted in this work can provide design guidelines for making the dual-parameter LC-type passive sensor useful in practical applications.
Bilateral Severe Sterile Inflammation with Hypopyon after Simultaneous Intravitreal Triamcinolone Acetonide and Aflibercept Injection in a Patient with Bilateral Marked Rubeosis Associated with Ocular Ischemic Syndrome
Authors: Durmaz Engin Ceren , Ayhan Ziya , Men Süleyman , Yaman Aylin , Saatci A. Osman
Published: March 2017

We report the clinical course of a diabetic patient with bilateral cataract and rubeosis in association with ocular ischemic syndrome and initially treated him with simultaneous intravitreal 2 mg aflibercept and 2 mg triamcinolone acetonide injection at the same setting prior to planned cataract surgery and further photocoagulation. However, sterile anterior segment inflammation characterized by hypopyon occurred four days apart in OU. Right eye developed the sterile inflammation at the third postinjection day and the left eye developed the sterile inflammation at the seventh postinjection day (two days after the uneventful cataract surgery with intraocular lens implantation) without any pain or significant redness. Vitreous biopsy taken during the right phacovitrectomy was negative for any microbial contamination. Both eyes were treated successfully with intensive topical prednisolone acetate with a relatively good visual outcome. It is likely that underlying ocular ischemic syndrome might have facilitated the formation of sterile inflammation as blood-aqueous barrier disruption and flare have already been present.
Analgesic and Anti‐Inflammatory Activities of Resveratrol through Classic Models in Mice and Rats
Authors: Wang Guangxi , Hu Zhiqiang , Song Xu , Cui Qiankun , Fu Qiuting , Jia Renyong , Zou Yuanfeng , Li Lixia , Yin Zhongqiong
Published: March 2017

Background. Inflammation and pain are closely related to humans’ and animals’ health. Resveratrol (RSV) is a natural compound with various biological activities. The current study is aimed to evaluate the analgesic and anti‐inflammatory activities of RSV in vivo. Materials and Methods. The analgesic effects were assessed by the acetic acid‐induced writhing and hot plate tests. The anti‐inflammatory effects were determined using the xylene‐induced mouse ear oedema, the acetic acid‐induced rat pleurisy, and carrageenan‐induced rat synovitis tests, respectively. Results. The analgesic results showed that RSV could significantly inhibit the number of writhes and improve the time and pain threshold of mice standing on hot plate. The anti‐inflammatory results showed that RSV could inhibit the ear oedema of mice. In acetic acid‐induced pleurisy test, RSV could significantly inhibit the WBC and pleurisy exudates, could decrease the production of NO, and elevate the activity of SOD in serum. In carrageenan‐induced synovitis test, RSV could reduce the content of MDA and elevate the T‐SOD activity in serum; RSV could inhibit the expressions of TP, PGE2, NO, and MDA. Conclusion. Shortly, these results indicated that RSV had potent analgesic and anti‐inflammatory activities and could be a potential new drug candidate for the treatment of inflammation and pain.