bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A identidade (homo)sexual e os seus determinantes: Implicações para a saúde
Authors: Pereira Henrique , Leal Isabel Pereira
Published: July 2014

Este artigo tem como objectivo fornecer um enquadramento explicativo do modo como os indivíduos que se identificam como homossexuais constroem a sua identidade e como a construção de uma identidade positiva tem implicações para a saúde. É apresentado um modelo de construção da identidade homossexual baseado em sete fases: a (in)compatibilidade na compreensão dos papéis sexuais sociais, o reconhecimento da diferença, a confusão identitária, a tolerância identitária, a aceitação privada, a aceitação privada e integrada e a abertura total. São também exploradas as implicações de uma construção positiva da identidade para a saúde física e psicológica, bem como os determinantes a ela associadas. Procurando dar corpo metodológico a este objectivo, delineou-se uma investigação com a participação de 805 indivíduos que responderam ao questionário de identidade homossexual. Dos resultados obtidos, verificaram-se como determinantes correlacionados com uma boa construção da identidade, as seguintes variáveis: “apoio dos amigos”, “força do self”, “auto-estima”, “número de parceiros”, “qualidade de relacionamentos”, “gratificação sexual” e “discriminação indirecta”. Apresentaram-se negativamente correlacionadas as seguintes variáveis: “apoio familiar”, “discriminação directa”, “preocupações com a saúde” e “afiliação religiosa/ideológica”.
Caracterización de los conocimientos de las madres sobre la discapacidad de sus hijos y su vínculo con la dinámica familiar.
Authors: Rea Amaya Alfa Celene , Acle Tomasini Guadalupe , Ampudia Rueda Amada , García Mendez Mirna
Published: July 2014

El propósito del estudio es establecer los conocimientos, la dinámica familiar y comunitaria de madres de hijos con discapacidad que sirvan de base para la instrumentación de programas de intervención. Participaron 42 madres con edades entre 19 y 49 años (M = 31.14) de un Centro de Rehabilitación Infantil perteneciente a la Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional en México. Se utilizó una guía de entrevista semi-estructurada para explorar los conocimientos, la dinámica familiar y comunitaria de las familias. Las madres reportaron que no recibieron preparación de cómo tratar a sus hijos; sin embargo, ellas consideran la importancia de adquirir conocimientos especializados para entender y tratar al menor. Las madres que no tienen los conocimientos necesarios sobre la discapacidad de su hijo no son capaces de entender ni aceptar la condición del niño, conllevando a la negación del problema, inconformidad, culpa y depresión. Se observó en el estudio que una adecuada preparación de la madre después del nacimiento de su hijo, acerca de la discapacidad, puede proveer una mejor interacción y funcionamiento de estas familias.
Percepción de los habitantes de Bogotá sobre la calidad ambiental, grado de optimismo y atribución de responsabilidad sobre su deterioro.
Authors: Medina Arboleda Iván Felipe , Páramo Pablo
Published: July 2014

Este estudio explora la percepción de habitantes de la ciudad de Bogotá (Colombia) sobre el estado actual del medio ambiente a nivel local, nacional y global, y la prospectiva de cómo estará en el futuro, con el propósito de servir de guía para el desarrollo de los componentes educativos de educación ambiental a la ciudadanía. Igualmente, indaga por la atribución de la responsabilidad del manejo del medio ambiente a futuro. Participaron un total de 118 personas, hombres y mujeres mayores de 18 años, con distintos niveles de formación escolar. El estudio utiliza la Escala de Futuro Ambiental de Gifford et al. (2009) a la que se le introducen dos ítems de relevancia para la evaluación del medio ambiente en Colombia, y la Escala de Atribución de Responsabilidad Ambiental de Barros, Pinheiro y Gunther (2010). Los resultados muestran un pesimismo moderado a nivel nacional, y alto para el caso internacional y local. En cuanto a la atribución de responsabilidad, se identifica un locus de control externo en las causas del deterioro ambiental, siendo los principales agentes mencionados, otras personas y el gobierno nacional. Se discuten los hallazgos en términos de su comparación con estudios de las mismas temáticas en otros lugares del mundo, y sus implicaciones para la promoción del comportamiento proambiental y la atribución de responsabilidad de los bogotanos, así como sobre la contextualización de los medios de comunicación en la valoración del estado del ambiente.
Estimating Some Physical Properties of Sour and Sweet Cherries Based on Combined Image Processing and AI Techniques
Authors: Taghadomi-Saberi Saeedeh , Omid Mahmoud , Emam-Djomeh Zahra
Published: July 2014

Physical properties of agricultural products are considered as important factors in optimization of storage conditions, packaging, transportation, water adsorption/desorption, heat, pesticides, and foodstuff moving out and also their breathing. This paper presents a time and cost economizing method to determine these important attributes of sour and sweet cherries by combining image processing and two common artificial intelligence techniques, artificial neural networks (ANNs) and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS). The measuring technique consisted of a charge-coupled device camera for image acquisition, fluorescent illuminants, capture card, and MATLAB for image analysis. Several networks were designed, trained, and generalized with a back-propagation algorithm using “trainlm” as training function. Several ANFIS models were designed with different number and type of membership functions (MFs) for each input. Generally, “gaussian” and “pi-shaped” MFs showed better results for estimating output variables among others. Considering statistical analysis, ANFIS showed better results than ANN.
Toward a coherent Monte Carlo simulation of CVA
Authors: Abbas-Turki Lokman A. , Bouselmi Aych I. , Mikou Mohammed A.
Published: July 2014

This paper is devoted to the simulation of the Credit
Valuation Adjustment (CVA) using a pure Monte Carlo technique with
Malliavin calculus (MCM). The procedure presented is based on a
general theoretical framework that includes a large number of models
as well as various contracts, and allows both the computation of CVA
and its sensitivity with respect to the different assets. Moreover, we
provide the expression of the backward conditional density of assets
vector that can be simulated off-line in order to reduce the variance
of the CVA estimator. Using the suitability of MCM to parallel architectures
and thus to a Graphic Processing Unit (GPU) implementation, we show that the
results obtained are accurate once a sufficient number of trajectories is
simulated. Both complexity and accuracy are studied for MCM and regression
methods and are compared to the square Monte Carlo benchmark.
Mixing Characteristics of Elliptical and Rectangular Subsonic Jets with Swirling Co-flow
Authors: Gopinath S. , Sundararaj M. , Elangovan S. , Rathakrishnan E.
Published: July 2014

This paper presents a computational analysis of effects of swirling co-flow and non-circular subsonic compressible inner jets on centerline velocity decay, mass entrainment and jet spreading rate. Three different exit shapes of elliptical, rectangular and circular inner jets were compared for three different co-flow conditions such as no co-flow, straight co-flow and swirling co-flow. Co-flow is issuing from a circular annular duct. Swirling co-flow is created in the co-flow duct by introducing a swirler with stationary angular vanes of 50° oblique to the jet axis. Reynolds number of inner jet is calculated based on its equivalent diameter as 200342. It is found that the swirling co-flow has strong influence on the boundary condition of inner jet and alters the major features of the jet such as jet potential core length, centerline velocity decay rate and jet spread rate. Streamwise corner vortices of different jet conditions have been captured using velocity vector plot to show the effect of swirling co-flow on the jet flow field. Swirling co-flow with elliptical inner jet exhibits higher velocity decay rate and jet spreading rate than the equivalent area circular and rectangular jet.
Inhaled Nitric Oxide Use in Neonates With Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia
Authors: Campbell Brendan T. , Herbst Katherine W. , Briden Kelleigh E. , Neff Stephen , Ruscher Kimberly A. , Hagadorn James I.
Published: July 2014

OBJECTIVE:

To describe the use of inhaled nitric oxide (INO) in newborns with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH).

METHODS:

Pediatric Health Information System data were queried for newborns with CDH admitted at <8 days of age at tertiary care US pediatric hospitals between 2003 and 2011. INO treatment status and timing in relation to CDH repair were determined for each infant. Hospital-specific rates of INO use, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) use, and mortality were determined.

RESULTS:

Data were analyzed for 1713 neonates with CDH admitted to 33 hospitals. More than half (57%) received INO during their inpatient stay, and utilization varied dramatically between hospitals (34% to 92%). Neonates treated with INO accumulated >$81 million in pharmacy charges. The proportion of infants receiving INO as well as their duration of therapy increased significantly during the study period. The rate of ECMO utilization and mortality did not change significantly during the study period. Hospital-specific mortality rates did not correlate with INO therapy, ECMO utilization, or case volume.

CONCLUSIONS:

INO use in neonates with CDH is widespread, and has increased at many US tertiary pediatric hospitals without contemporaneous change in ECMO utilization or mortality. The improvement of evidence-based guidelines for the use of INO in newborns with CDH could lead to a reduction in health care costs for these patients.
Interventions to Reduce Pediatric Medication Errors: A Systematic Review
Authors: Rinke Michael L. , Bundy David G. , Velasquez Christina A. , Rao Sandesh , Zerhouni Yasmin , Lobner Katie , Blanck Jaime F. , Miller Marlene R.
Published: July 2014

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE:

Medication errors cause appreciable morbidity and mortality in children. The objective was to determine the effectiveness of interventions to reduce pediatric medication errors, identify gaps in the literature, and perform meta-analyses on comparable studies.

METHODS:

Relevant studies were identified from searches of PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing Allied Health Literature and previous systematic reviews. Inclusion criteria were peer-reviewed original data in any language testing an intervention to reduce medication errors in children. Abstract and full-text article review were conducted by 2 independent authors with sequential data extraction.

RESULTS:

A total of 274 full-text articles were reviewed and 63 were included. Only 1% of studies were conducted at community hospitals, 11% were conducted in ambulatory populations, 10% reported preventable adverse drug events, 10% examined administering errors, 3% examined dispensing errors, and none reported cost-effectiveness data, suggesting persistent research gaps. Variation existed in the methods, definitions, outcomes, and rate denominators for all studies; and many showed an appreciable risk of bias. Although 26 studies (41%) involved computerized provider order entry, a meta-analysis was not performed because of methodologic heterogeneity. Studies of computerized provider order entry with clinical decision support compared with studies without clinical decision support reported a 36% to 87% reduction in prescribing errors; studies of preprinted order sheets revealed a 27% to 82% reduction in prescribing errors.

CONCLUSIONS:

Pediatric medication errors can be reduced, although our understanding of optimal interventions remains hampered. Research should focus on understudied areas, use standardized definitions and outcomes, and evaluate cost-effectiveness.
Da letargia ao realento: notas sobre o ensino de graduação em administração pública no Brasil no entremeio da crise do Estado e da redemocratização no país (1983-94)
Authors: Coelho Fernando de Souza , Olenscki Antonio Roberto Bono , Celso Rafael Prado
Published: July 2014

Considerando o entremeio da crise do Estado e da redemocratização no Brasil, este artigo volta-se para uma descrição e análise dos fatos e circunstâncias que marcaram o ensino de graduação em administração pública no Brasil no período 1983-94, considerado pelos autores como um dos ciclos (ou estágios de construção) desta formação acadêmica. Metodologicamente, o artigo faz a revisão bibliográfica daquelas obras que abordam direta e indiretamente o tema, incluindo a revisita de suas fontes; analisa as leis e pareceres existentes sobre o ensino de graduação em administração pública nesse intervalo de tempo, bem como utiliza-se de algumas entrevistas semiestruturadas com acadêmicos que vivenciaram tal período. No que se refere aos resultados, observa-se que o período 1983-94, diferentemente do 1ºciclo (1952-65) e do 2ºciclo (1966-82), quando a formação acadêmica em administração pública tinha uma identidade - aderente à concepção (e ao projeto) de Estado e aos contornos (e à produção) do campo do saber da administração pública -, tendo na Ebap/FGV um case modelar, foi um estágio de construção problemático, refletindo a crise do Estado dos anos 1980 e, igualmente, a crise (ou descontinuidade) paradigmática do campo do saber em administração pública no Brasil em tal época.
Historical forest structure and fire in Sierran mixed‐conifer forests reconstructed from General Land Office survey data
Authors: Baker William L.
Published: July 2014

Dry forests of the western United States (ponderosa pine, dry mixed conifer) are often considered at risk of uncharacteristic severe fires, but recent research has found historically extensive severe fire. This has left divergent perspectives about how to restore dry forests, protect people and infrastructure from fire, and interpret the ecological effects of large fires, such as the 2013 Rim fire, a human‐set 104,000 ha fire in the western Sierra Nevada Mountains. To help resolve this uncertainty, I used new methods to reconstruct historical forest structure and fire and test 11 hypotheses about them, using A.D. 1865–1885 General Land Office surveys, across 330,000 ha of Sierran mixed‐conifer forests. The reconstructions show these historical forests were open and park‐like in places, but generally dense, averaging 293 trees/ha; shade‐tolerant trees and large trees were abundant, but smaller (<60 cm diameter) pines and oaks numerically dominated. These smaller trees, along with common understory seedlings and saplings and almost pervasive shrubs, created abundant ladder fuels. It is not surprising, given these conditions, that just 13–26% of historical Sierran mixed‐conifer forests had only low‐severity fire, with mixed‐severity fire over 43–48%, and high‐severity fire over 31–39% of the land area. The high‐severity fire rotation was 281 years in the northern and 354 years in the southern Sierra, short enough to contribute to high levels of heterogeneity, including abundant areas and large patches (up to 9400 ha) of early‐successional forest and montane chaparral, but long enough to allow recovery of old‐growth forest over large land areas. Proposals to reduce fuels and fire severity would actually reduce, not restore, historical forest heterogeneity important to wildlife and resiliency. Sierran mixed‐conifer forests are inherently dangerous places to live, which cannot be changed without creating artificial forests over large land areas. However, people can adapt to fires by channeling development to safer areas and modifying ignition zones near houses and communities to survive fire.
Post‐fire tree establishment and early cohort development in conifer forests of the western Cascades of Oregon, USA
Authors: Tepley Alan J. , Swanson Frederick J. , Spies Thomas A.
Published: July 2014

Early‐seral ecosystems make important contributions to regional biodiversity by supporting high abundance and diversity of many plant and animal species that are otherwise rare or absent from closed‐canopy forests. Therefore, the period of post‐fire tree establishment is a key stage in forest stand and ecosystem development that can be viewed in the context of competing management interests in diverse early‐seral ecosystems vs. rapid forest development for ecological or commercial objectives. Previous work in Douglas‐fir/western hemlock forests of the Pacific Northwest suggests stands initiate either with abrupt establishment (<20 years) or by protracted establishment with low tree density persisting >100 years. To improve understanding of how post‐fire tree establishment and early cohort development have varied in space and over time and elucidate some of the factors contributing to that variation, we analyzed forest structure, tree ages, and Douglas‐fir growth across the central western Cascades of Oregon where cohort ages span nearly eight centuries. The number of post‐fire cohorts was estimated per stand, and establishment trajectories were evaluated by cohort. On average, it took 43.5 years to reach establishment of 90% of the trees per cohort. The rate and duration of establishment were surprisingly consistent across variation in topography (elevation, slope position, and aspect), among cohorts initiated from the late 12th to the early 20th century, and regardless of the severity of the cohort‐initiating fire or the timing of establishment by shade‐tolerant species. Only 8% of cohorts completed establishment within 20 years and 12% had establishment lasting >80 years. Douglas‐fir growth (basal area increment) exhibits high plasticity in relation to different competitive interactions within uni‐specific and multi‐species cohorts and between cohorts of different age, suggesting wide variation in the structure and dynamics of early‐seral ecosystems and an ability to tolerate moderate competition when young. This study illustrates that post‐fire establishment in Douglas‐fir/western hemlock forests of the central western Cascades historically was a multi‐decadal process. Limited regeneration in a short window did not necessarily lead to persistent shrublands. In fact, post‐fire forest development appears resilient to considerable variation in the fire regime and climatic and biotic constraints on tree establishment.
Patient and Provider Perceptions of Decision Making About Use of Epidural Analgesia During Childbirth: A Thematic Analysis
Authors: Goldberg Holly Bianca , Shorten Allison
Published: July 2014

This study examines the nature of differences in perceptions of decision making between patients and providers about use of epidural analgesia during labor. Thematic analysis was used to identify patterns in written survey responses from 14 patients, 13 labor nurses, and 7 obstetrician–gynecologists. Results revealed patients attempted to place themselves in an informed role in decision making and sought respect for their decisions. Some providers demonstrated paternalism and a tendency to steer patients in the direction of their own preferences. Nurses observed various pressures on decision making, reinforcing the importance of patients being supported to make an informed choice. Differences in perceptions suggest need for improvement in communication and shared decision-making practices related to epidural analgesia use in labor.
Combination of ion exchange and partial nitritation/Anammox process for ammonium removal from mainstream municipal wastewater
Authors: Malovanyy Andriy , Plaza Elzbieta , Trela Jozef , Malovanyy Myroslav
Published: July 2014

In this study, a new technology of nitrogen removal from mainstream municipal wastewater is proposed. It is based on ammonium removal by ion exchange and regeneration of ion exchange material with 10–30 g/L NaCl solution with further nitrogen removal from spent regenerant by partial nitritation/Anammox process. Influence of regenerant strength on performance of ion exchange and biological parts of the proposed technology was evaluated. Moreover, the technology was tested in batch mode using pretreated municipal wastewater, strong acid cation (SAC) resin and partial nitritation/Anammox biomass. It was shown that with ion exchange it is possible to remove 99.9% of ammonium from wastewater while increasing the concentration of ammonium in spent regenerant by 18 times. Up to 95% of nitrogen from spent regenerant, produced by regeneration of SAC resin with 10 g/L NaCl solution, was removed biologically by partial nitritation/Anammox biomass. Moreover, the possibilities of integration of the technology into municipal wastewater treatment technology, and the challenges and advantages are discussed.
Exact and Approximate Determinization of Discounted-Sum Automata
Authors: Boker Udi , Henzinger Thomas A.
Published: July 2014

A discounted-sum automaton (NDA) is a nondeterministic finite automaton with
edge weights, valuing a run by the discounted sum of visited edge weights. More
precisely, the weight in the i-th position of the run is divided by
$\lambda^i$, where the discount factor $\lambda$ is a fixed rational number
greater than 1. The value of a word is the minimal value of the automaton runs
on it. Discounted summation is a common and useful measuring scheme, especially
for infinite sequences, reflecting the assumption that earlier weights are more
important than later weights. Unfortunately, determinization of NDAs, which is
often essential in formal verification, is, in general, not possible. We
provide positive news, showing that every NDA with an integral discount factor
is determinizable. We complete the picture by proving that the integers
characterize exactly the discount factors that guarantee determinizability: for
every nonintegral rational discount factor $\lambda$, there is a
nondeterminizable $\lambda$-NDA. We also prove that the class of NDAs with
integral discount factors enjoys closure under the algebraic operations min,
max, addition, and subtraction, which is not the case for general NDAs nor for
deterministic NDAs. For general NDAs, we look into approximate determinization,
which is always possible as the influence of a word's suffix decays. We show
that the naive approach, of unfolding the automaton computations up to a
sufficient level, is doubly exponential in the discount factor. We provide an
alternative construction for approximate determinization, which is singly
exponential in the discount factor, in the precision, and in the number of
states. We also prove matching lower bounds, showing that the exponential
dependency on each of these three parameters cannot be avoided. All our results
hold equally for automata over finite words and for automata over infinite
words.
Markov Decision Processes with Multiple Long-run Average Objectives
Authors: Brázdil Tomáš , Brožek Václav , Chatterjee Krishnendu , Forejt Vojtěch , Kučera Antonín
Published: July 2014

We study Markov decision processes (MDPs) with multiple limit-average (or
mean-payoff) functions. We consider two different objectives, namely,
expectation and satisfaction objectives. Given an MDP with k limit-average
functions, in the expectation objective the goal is to maximize the expected
limit-average value, and in the satisfaction objective the goal is to maximize
the probability of runs such that the limit-average value stays above a given
vector. We show that under the expectation objective, in contrast to the case
of one limit-average function, both randomization and memory are necessary for
strategies even for epsilon-approximation, and that finite-memory randomized
strategies are sufficient for achieving Pareto optimal values. Under the
satisfaction objective, in contrast to the case of one limit-average function,
infinite memory is necessary for strategies achieving a specific value (i.e.
randomized finite-memory strategies are not sufficient), whereas memoryless
randomized strategies are sufficient for epsilon-approximation, for all
epsilon>0. We further prove that the decision problems for both expectation and
satisfaction objectives can be solved in polynomial time and the trade-off
curve (Pareto curve) can be epsilon-approximated in time polynomial in the size
of the MDP and 1/epsilon, and exponential in the number of limit-average
functions, for all epsilon>0. Our analysis also reveals flaws in previous work
for MDPs with multiple mean-payoff functions under the expectation objective,
corrects the flaws, and allows us to obtain improved results.
About the range property for H
Authors: David René , Nour Karim
Published: July 2014

Recently, A. Polonsky has shown that the range property fails for H. We give
here some conditions on a closed term that imply that its range has an infinite
cardinality.
All Linear-Time Congruences for Familiar Operators
Authors: Valmari Antti
Published: July 2014

The detailed behaviour of a system is often represented as a labelled
transition system (LTS) and the abstract behaviour as a stuttering-insensitive
semantic congruence. Numerous congruences have been presented in the
literature. On the other hand, there have not been many results proving the
absence of more congruences. This publication fully analyses the linear-time
(in a well-defined sense) region with respect to action prefix, hiding,
relational renaming, and parallel composition. It contains 40 congruences. They
are built from the alphabet, two kinds of traces, two kinds of divergence
traces, five kinds of failures, and four kinds of infinite traces. In the case
of finite LTSs, infinite traces lose their role and the number of congruences
drops to 20. The publication concentrates on the hardest and most novel part of
the result, that is, proving the absence of more congruences.
Nominal Coalgebraic Data Types with Applications to Lambda Calculus
Authors: Kurz Alexander , Petrişan Daniela Luan , Severi Paula , de Vries Fer-Jan
Published: July 2014

We investigate final coalgebras in nominal sets. This allows us to define
types of infinite data with binding for which all constructions automatically
respect alpha equivalence. We give applications to the infinitary lambda
calculus.
Handling Algebraic Effects
Authors: Plotkin Gordon D , Pretnar Matija
Published: July 2014

Algebraic effects are computational effects that can be represented by an
equational theory whose operations produce the effects at hand. The free model
of this theory induces the expected computational monad for the corresponding
effect. Algebraic effects include exceptions, state, nondeterminism,
interactive input/output, and time, and their combinations. Exception handling,
however, has so far received no algebraic treatment. We present such a
treatment, in which each handler yields a model of the theory for exceptions,
and each handling construct yields the homomorphism induced by the universal
property of the free model. We further generalise exception handlers to
arbitrary algebraic effects. The resulting programming construct includes many
previously unrelated examples from both theory and practice, including
relabelling and restriction in Milner's CCS, timeout, rollback, and stream
redirection.
Relation lifting, with an application to the many-valued cover modality
Authors: Bilkova Marta , Kurz Alexander , Petrisan Daniela , Velebil Jiri
Published: July 2014

We introduce basic notions and results about relation liftings on categories
enriched in a commutative quantale. We derive two necessary and sufficient
conditions for a 2-functor T to admit a functorial relation lifting: one is the
existence of a distributive law of T over the "powerset monad" on categories,
one is the preservation by T of "exactness" of certain squares. Both
characterisations are generalisations of the "classical" results known for set
functors: the first characterisation generalises the existence of a
distributive law over the genuine powerset monad, the second generalises
preservation of weak pullbacks. The results presented in this paper enable us
to compute predicate liftings of endofunctors of, for example, generalised
(ultra)metric spaces. We illustrate this by studying the coalgebraic cover
modality in this setting.
Numerical study of natural convection in a square cavity under non-boussinesq conditions
Authors: Hamimid Saber , Guellal Messaoud , Bouafia Madiha
Published: July 2014

Natural convection in a differentially heated cavity has been carried out
under large temperature gradient. The study has been performed by direct
simulations using a two-dimensional finite volume numerical code solving the
time-dependent Navier-Stokes equations under the Low Mach Number
approximation. The LMN model constitutes an important numerical problem for
low speed flows. It is based on the filtering of acoustic waves from the
complete Navier-Stokes equations. Various simulations were conducted
including constant or variable transport coefficients and both small and
large temperature differences. A comparison between an incompressible code
based on the Boussinesq approximation and the LMN compressible code shows
that the incompressible model is not sufficient to simulate natural
convective flow for large temperature differences.
Chemiluminescence analysis of the effect of butanol-diesel fuel blends on the spray-combustion process in an experimental common rail diesel engine
Authors: Merola Simona , Marchitto Luca , Tornatore Cinzia , Valentino Gerardo
Published: July 2014

Combustion process was studied from the injection until the late combustion
phase in an high swirl optically accessible combustion bowl connected to a
single cylinder 2-stroke high pressure common rail compression ignition
engine. Commercial diesel and blends of diesel and n-butanol (20%: BU20 and
40%: BU40) were used for the experiments. A pilot plus main injection
strategy was investigated fixing the injection pressure and fuel mass
injected per stroke. Two main injection timings and different pilot-main
dwell times were explored achieving for any strategy a mixing controlled
combustion. Advancing the main injection start, an increase in net engine
working cycle (>40%) together with a strong smoke number decrease (>80%) and
NOx concentration increase (@50%) were measured for all pilot injection
timings. Compared to diesel fuel, butanol induced a decrease in soot emission
and an increase in net engine working area when butanol ratio increased in
the blend. A noticeable increase in NOx was detected at the exhaust for BU40
with a slight effect of the dwell-time. Spectroscopic investigations
confirmed the delayed auto-ignition (~60 ms) of the pilot injection for BU40
compared to diesel. The spectral features for the different fuels were
comparable at the start of combustion process, but they evolved in different
ways. Broadband signal caused by soot emission, was lower for BU40 than
diesel. Different balance of the bands at 309 and 282 nm, due to different OH
transitions, were detected between the two fuels. The ratio of these
intensities was used to follow flame temperature evolution.
Approaches and strategies for multicultural teacher education: Experiences from the United States of America
Authors: Dimitrijevic Bojana , Petrovic Danijela
Published: July 2014

The paper discusses different approaches and strategies for educating
teachers in the United States of America for work in multicultural schools,
bearing in mind teacher efficiency. The first part of the paper contains
theoretical considerations on the basic competences of teachers for
multicultural education, provides an overview of the key questions that need
to be answered in the process of developing multicultural teacher education
and presents the effects of multicultural education programmes aimed at
eliminating prejudice and establishing the pedagogy of equality. The second
part of the paper lists strategies for the multicultural education of
teachers who are members of the majority population and discusses the
educational effects of these strategies. The third part of the paper
discusses the approaches based on the model of crosscultural teacher
development that facilitate the understanding of teacher behaviour and their
resistance to change, as well as the adapting and sequencing of courses for
future teachers. The concluding part of the paper offers recommendations for
enhancing multicultural teacher education.
Myeloperoxidase Deletion Prevents High-Fat Diet–Induced Obesity and Insulin Resistance
Authors: Wang Qilong , Xie Zhonglin , Zhang Wencheng , Zhou Jun , Wu Yue , Zhang Miao , Zhu Huaiping , Zou Ming-Hui
Published: July 2014

Activation of myeloperoxidase (MPO), a heme protein primarily expressed in granules of neutrophils, is associated with the development of obesity. However, whether MPO mediates high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity and obesity-associated insulin resistance remains to be determined. Here, we found that consumption of an HFD resulted in neutrophil infiltration and enhanced MPO expression and activity in epididymal white adipose tissue, with an increase in body weight gain and impaired insulin signaling. MPO knockout (MPO−/−) mice were protected from HFD-enhanced body weight gain and insulin resistance. The MPO inhibitor 4-aminobenzoic acid hydrazide reduced peroxidase activity of neutrophils and prevented HFD-enhanced insulin resistance. MPO deficiency caused high body temperature via upregulation of uncoupling protein-1 and mitochondrial oxygen consumption in brown adipose tissue. Lack of MPO also attenuated HFD-induced macrophage infiltration and expression of proinflammatory cytokines. We conclude that activation of MPO in adipose tissue contributes to the development of obesity and obesity-associated insulin resistance. Inhibition of MPO may be a potential strategy for prevention and treatment of obesity and insulin resistance.
Muhlenbergia Schreberi J. F. Gmel (Poaceae), a New Naturalized Species in Croatia
Authors: Jogan Nejc
Published: July 2014

Muhlenbergia schreberi,nimblewill, is a widespread North American perennial grass species, slowly spreading in European countries, where it has been recorded in Spain, Switzerland, Italy, and Slovenia. In addition, a well naturalized population was discovered in Opatija (Northwestern Croatia, Croatian Littoral) in 2011 as described herein. It has been recognized as a persistent weed in some North American states, and in the last few decades its secondary European distribution range has been slowly increasing. Thus most probably it will also spread in Croatia and become classified as invasive.
Constipation in Children'  Think Twice Before Starting Treatment
Authors: Islam Md. Kabirul
Published: July 2014

Not available.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jpsb.v1i2.19521
Single Stage Correction of Rectovestibular Fistula
Authors: Hasina Kaniz , Hanif Abdul , Alam S. M. Shafiqul , Reza Shahin , Islam Nazrul , Rahman A. K. M. Mizanur , Huda S. M. Shamsul , Pervez M.M. Masud , Mondal Susankar Kumar , Islam Shahnoor
Published: July 2014

Introduction: The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility, safety, cost effectiveness and functional outcome between single stage and multiple stage operation of anorectal malformation (ARM) with rectovestibular fistula (RVF).Materials & Methods: This interventional study was conducted on 40 female children born with ARM with RVF from July 2007 to June 2009 in the Department of Pediatric Surgery, Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Their age range was from 3 months to 7 years. Anterior sagittal anorectoplasty (ASARP) was done as definitive treatment of RVF. 20 out of 40 patients underwent single stage procedure and the rest underwent multiple stage procedure. Good preoperative bowel preparation and postoperative wound care were ensured for optimum outcome.Results: Mean operating time was 70 minutes in single stage and 80 minutes in multi stage definitive procedure.  Average hospital stay was 10 days in single stage procedure where as 22-24 days in multi stage procedure. Partial perineal wound dehiscence occurred in two patients with single stage procedure and one patient with multi stage procedure. Wound infection was seen in two patients of single stage and also two patients of multi stage procedures. Fecal continence was good in all patients older than 3 years. Average number of bowel movement was 2-3 times daily in older patients and 2-4 in younger patients. Constipation developed in three patients with multiple stage procedure and in two patients with single stage procedure. Both groups were managed conservatively for all complications. In Dhaka Medical College Hospital, treatment cost is mostly free, so we could not compare this cost but the incidental expenses in single stage treatment was Tk. 10,000.00 and Tk. 30,000.00 in multistage treatment in three settings.Conclusion: Adequate preoperative bowel preparation, good surgical skill, proper analgesia and postoperative wound care remain the key factors to produce a cost effective excellent outcome of single stage correction of RVF.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jpsb.v1i2.19523
Bronchogenic Cyst
Authors: Zahid Mirza Kamrul , Kibria Anwarul Anam , Razzaque AKM , Alam Md. Shamsul , Rahman Shahinur , Islam Kazi Saiful
Published: July 2014

Introduction: Bronchogenic cysts are congenital anomalies caused by abnormal bronchial development from the primitive ventral foregut, which arises from cells isolated from the main pulmonary branching when lung bud separates from the primitive gut.Materials & Methods: We reviewed all pediatric patients with bronchogenic cyst who underwent surgery in our thoracic surgical unit- III during 2007-2009. They comprised 1 male and 5 female patients, with an age range of 2 to 17 years (mean age 5.66 years).Results: Symptoms were present in 5 patients (83%), cough was the most common symptom. Other symptoms included purulent sputum, chest pain, fever, dyspnea, anorexia and/or weight loss, and haemoptysis. All patients underwent chest x-ray posteroanterior and lateral view and CT scan of chest for diagnostic purpose. Two of the cysts were mediastinal and rests were intraparenchymal. Surgery performed were resection (2), lobectomy (4). Complications of bronchogenic cysts occurred in 4 patients (67%). In 1 patient (Patient 2), a ruptured, infected, parenchymal bronchogenic cyst caused pleuritis and empyemaThere was no operative deaths & no in-hospital mortality.Conclusions: We conclude that one should go for surgical resection of all suspected bronchogenic cysts in operable candidates.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jpsb.v1i2.19524
Correlation Between FNAC and Open Biopsy in Cervical Lymhadenopathy in Children
Authors: Hossain Tahmina , Amin Md. Ruhul , Siddiqui MTH , Huq Md. Ashraf Ul , Rahman Md. Matiur
Published: July 2014

Background: Head and Neck region of the body has a rich network of lymphatic channel and intervening nodes. Out of total approximately 800 lymph nodes in the body about 300 are scattered in organized fashion in the neck region which are affected by various regional and systemic diseases. The conventional method of excisional biopsy is used to diagnose etiological causes of lymphadenopathy. In comparison to open surgical biopsy, FNAC is a simple, reliable and acceptable tool for the etiological diagnosis of lymphadenopathies. FNAC was first practiced by Grieg and Gray for the diagnosis of trypanosome in lymphnode in 1904. Now a day it is widely practiced in United States, United Kingdom and many other countries. In Bangladesh, many studies on FNAC are carried out and the results are highly appreciable and reliable.Methods: A prospective study for a period of 24 months was carried out on 50 patients with enlarged cervical lymph nodes from July 2003 to June 2005. During the two years study period, 56 patients with cervical lymphadenopathies were selected for FNAC and openbiopsy following certain inclusion and exclusion criteria, in the Department of Pediatric Surgery, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujiib Medical University, Dhaka. Patients with acute lymphadenitis and lymphadenopathy due to leukaemia were excluded. Six cases were deleted from the study as smears from those revealed inadequate material and hence only 50 cases were available for study in the present series. Clinical findings, FNAC and biopsy reports were available in all the cases and were correlated with each other.Results: On biopsy, 27 cases were diagnosed as tuberculous lymphadenopathies, 15 cases as lymphoma and 8 cases as reactive changes. On FNAC, there were 2 false positive and 5 false negative cases in case of tuberculosis; 2 false positive and 1 false negative cases in lymphoma; 4 false positive and 2 false negative cases in cases with reactive hyperplasia. Sensitivity of FNAC in comparison to histopathological findings was 92.6% in case of tuberculosis; 86.7% in case of lymphoma and 50% in case of nonspecific lymphadenitis. Specificity of FNAC in comparison to histological findings was 78.3% in case of tuberculosis; 94.2% in case of lymphoma and 95.3% in case of nonspecific lymphadenitis. Accuracy of FNAC in comparison to histopathological findings was 86% in case of tuberculosis; 94% in case of lymphoma and 88% in case of reactive changes.Conclusions: The present study indicates that, FNAC is a simple, reliable and acceptable procedure for various lesions of cervical lymph nodes. It can be repeated if necessary. It also concludes that FNAC helps to confirm the clinical impression without open biopsy. Open biopsy can be avoided in many benign and malignant lesions of cervical lymph nodes. Fine needle aspiration cytodiagnosis can eliminate the need of hospitalization and surgery.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jpsb.v1i2.19526
Investigating Criterion for Theory-choice in Science
Authors: Mannan Md Abdul
Published: July 2014

In science theory changes, the old is rejected and the new accepted, the new is considered to be better than the old, this betterment is the essence of scientific progress. But what is the criterion to measure one is better than the other? According to the very traditional view, it is fact which determines the fate of a theory. But since fact itself is not theory free, it cannot be criterion for theory-choice. We find that theory replaces theory. In such a situation, what it is for which one theory can supersede the other. In this essay we have made an investigation about it and we finally find different criteria where in turn one criterion is found to be better than the other to explain scientific change.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/pp.v51i1-2.17678
Matching the LBO Eigenspace of Non-Rigid Shapes via High Order Statistics
Authors: Shtern Alon , Kimmel Ron
Published: July 2014

A fundamental tool in shape analysis is the virtual embedding of the Riemannian manifold describing the geometry of a shape into Euclidean space. Several methods have been proposed to embed isometric shapes into flat domains, while preserving the distances measured on the manifold. Recently, attention has been given to embedding shapes into the eigenspace of the Laplace–Beltrami operator. The Laplace–Beltrami eigenspace preserves the diffusion distance and is invariant under isometric transformations. However, Laplace–Beltrami eigenfunctions computed independently for different shapes are often incompatible with each other. Applications involving multiple shapes, such as pointwise correspondence, would greatly benefit if their respective eigenfunctions were somehow matched. Here, we introduce a statistical approach for matching eigenfunctions. We consider the values of the eigenfunctions over the manifold as the sampling of random variables and try to match their multivariate distributions. Comparing distributions is done indirectly, using high order statistics. We show that the permutation and sign ambiguities of low order eigenfunctions can be inferred by minimizing the difference of their third order moments. The sign ambiguities of antisymmetric eigenfunctions can be resolved by exploiting isometric invariant relations between the gradients of the eigenfunctions and the surface normal. We present experiments demonstrating the success of the proposed method applied to feature point correspondence.
Predicting Adverse Health Outcomes in Long-Term Survivors of a Childhood Cancer
Authors: Moskowitz Chaya , Oeffinger Kevin
Published: July 2014

More than 80% of children and young adults diagnosed with invasive cancer will survive five or more years beyond their cancer diagnosis. This population has an increased risk for serious illness- and treatment-related morbidity and premature mortality. A number of these adverse health outcomes, such as cardiovascular disease and some second primary neoplasms, either have modifiable risk factors or can be successfully treated if detected early. Absolute risk models that project a personalized risk of developing a health outcome can be useful in patient counseling, in designing intervention studies, in forming prevention strategies, and in deciding upon surveillance programs. Here, we review existing absolute risk prediction models that are directly applicable to survivors of a childhood cancer, discuss the concepts and interpretation of absolute risk models, and examine ways in which these models can be used applied in clinical practice and public health.
Photocatalytic TiO2 and Doped TiO2 Coatings to Improve the Hygiene of Surfaces Used in Food and Beverage Processing—A Study of the Physical and Chemical Resistance of the Coatings
Authors: Navabpour Parnia , Ostovarpour Soheyla , Tattershall Carin , Cooke Kevin , Kelly Peter , Verran Joanna , Whitehead Kathryn , Hill Claire , Raulio Mari , Priha Outi
Published: July 2014

TiO2 coatings deposited using reactive magnetron sputtering and spray coating methods, as well as Ag- and Mo-doped TiO2 coatings were investigated as self-cleaning surfaces for beverage processing. The mechanical resistance and retention of the photocatalytic properties of the coatings were investigated over a three-month period in three separate breweries. TiO2 coatings deposited using reactive magnetron sputtering showed better mechanical durability than the spray coated surfaces, whilst the spray-deposited coating showed enhanced retention of photocatalytic properties. The presence of Ag and Mo dopants improved the photocatalytic properties of TiO2 as well as the retention of these properties. The spray-coated TiO2 was the only coating which showed light-induced hydrophilicity, which was retained in the coatings surviving the process conditions.
Universal Dimensions of Meaning Derived from Semantic Relations among Words and Senses: Mereological Completeness vs. Ontological Generality
Authors: Samsonovich Alexei , Ascoli Giorgio
Published: July 2014

A key to semantic analysis is a precise and practically useful definition of meaning that is general for all domains of knowledge. We previously introduced the notion of weak semantic map: a metric space allocating concepts along their most general (universal) semantic characteristics while at the same time ignoring other, domain-specific aspects of their meanings. Here we address questions of the number, quality, and mutual independence of the weak semantic dimensions. Specifically, we employ semantic relationships not previously used for weak semantic mapping, such as holonymy/meronymy (“is-part/member-of”), and we compare maps constructed from word senses to those constructed from words. We show that the “completeness” dimension derived from the holonym/meronym relation is independent of, and practically orthogonal to, the “abstractness” dimension derived from the hypernym-hyponym (“is-a”) relation, while both dimensions are orthogonal to the maps derived from synonymy and antonymy. Interestingly, the choice of using relations among words vs. senses implies a non-trivial trade-off between rich and unambiguous information due to homonymy and polysemy. The practical utility of the new and prior dimensions is illustrated by the automated evaluation of different kinds of documents. Residual analysis of available linguistic resources, such as WordNet, suggests that the number of universal semantic dimensions representable in natural language may be finite. Their complete characterization, as well as the extension of results to non-linguistic materials, remains an open challenge.