bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Perceived Organizational Support and Non-managerial Employees’ Commitment to Change in Sri Lankan Apparel Firms
Authors: Naotunna Shashika , Arachchige Bhadra
Published: May 2016

Successful implementation of planned change efforts continues to be recognized as a major challenge for organizations. Following this problem, we argue the appropriateness of perceived organizational support in explaining non-managerial employees’ commitment to change. Data were collected from a sample of machine operators working in recently 5S implemented five Sri Lankan apparel organizations through a questionnaire survey. The results imply the importance of perceived organizational support by employees in order to foster their affective and normative commitment to change while minimizing negative effects of continuance commitment. This research makes a novel contribution to the change management literature by being among the first to examine perceived organizational support in commitment to change.
Optimizing compositional images of daguerreotype photographs using post processing methods
Authors: Davis Jeffrey M. , Vicenzi Edward P.
Published: May 2016

Microfocused X-ray fluorescence imaging was used to examine two 19th century daguerreotypes. The distribution of Hg-bearing nanoparticles beneath the Au gilding layer gives rise to contrast in the photographs. The sum image for Au + Hg M line X-rays is therefore a compositional image that mimics daguerreotype photograph contrast. Because the thickness of the Au and Hg on the surface represents a small fraction of the X-ray activation depth, the resulting sum images are not of high quality and are dominated by Poisson noise. This is true even for long collection times up to multiple days in length. Achieving superior contrast resolution by increasing the duration of data collection further is impractical. In this study, a new image processing technique based upon the Haar-Fisz algorithm and wavelet theory was used to improve the image quality of compositional maps. The digitally processed images show a reduction in noise without a loss of spatial resolution over the length-scale of photographic features. The Haar-Fisz denoising algorithm decreased the contribution of the Poisson noise in compositional images. Multiple resolution analysis improved image quality further. Features within the portraits are uniformly more recognizable in the final processed images relative to the raw X-ray images. Intensity line profiles that traverse midtone, highlight and shadow regions of the daguerreotype reveal that spatial resolution is not degraded by the image processing routines. Improvement in image quality is quantified by comparing the relative variance of the raw and Haar-Fisz processed imagery. The use of a Haar-Fisz denoising transformation, coupled with multiple resolution analysis was found to improve the quality of low count X-ray images without impacting the spatial resolution at the scale of photograph features. The process can be implemented in freely available open-source software with a minimum of programming effort. Such digital post processing routines offset the need for longer acquisition times to achieve improved X-ray fluorescence image quality. Finally, because the Au + Hg map is insensitive to surface imperfections and tarnishing via atmospheric adsorption of sulfur, digitally processed images may be used to reconstruct photograph features in heavily disfigured daguerreotypes.
Familiarity and liking of vegetables: Is it important for vegetable consumption?
Authors: Bevan Ann , Hemingway Ann , Appleton Katherine M , Hartwell Heather , Magnante Olivia , Perez-Cueto A , Monteleone E , Giboreau A , Depezay L
Published: May 2016

The results presented in this paper are part of the early findings from a large European study, VeggiEAT involving the UK, Denmark, France and Italy with the aim of improving vegetable consumption in young people and older people. The results presented here are from UK young people (aged 12–14) focusing on familiarity and liking of vegetables and looking at their vegetable consumption and awareness of what constitutes a healthy diet. The study adds to the literature on vegetable familiarity, liking and consumption in this age group.

Early exposure of young children to a variety of vegetables is very important and parents/carers and school nurses need to understand the importance of this in terms of the foods offered and available early within a child`s life and the potential influence of this on vegetable consumption over their lifetime.
Benchmarking school nursing practice: The North West Regional Benchmarking Group
Authors: Littler Nadine , Mullen Margaret , Beckett Helen , Freshney Alice , Pinder Lynn
Published: May 2016

It is essential that the quality of care is reviewed regularly through robust processes such as benchmarking to ensure all outcomes and resources are evidence-based so that children and young people's needs are met effectively. This article provides an example of the use of benchmarking in school nursing practice.
Abdominal aortic aneurysms
Authors:   Council members of the Society of Vascular Nurses, Atkin Leanne , van Orsouw Michael
Published: May 2016

Awareness, monitoring and management explained by Leanne Atkin, Michael van Orsouw and Emma Bond
Corporeal monstrosities and teratological grimaces: Monstrous spaces in twenty-first-century sci-fi Japanese film
Authors: Barros-Grela Eduardo
Published: May 2016

This article examines three Japanese science-fiction movies that present dis-organ-ized bodies as ontological disintegrations of the ‘sublime’, namely, Dopperungengâ (Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 2003), Tôkyô zankoku keisatsu (Yoshihiro Nishimura, 2008), and Kataude mashin gâru (Noboru Iguchi, 2008). My article argues that these films approach the amalgamation of organic bodies and mechanical artefacts as an anti-sublime mitigation of the physicality of the body that puts demand on the audience to empathize with the abject emotion of the incommensurable.
Polychronia – negotiating the popular representation of a common past in Assassin’s Creed
Authors: Westin Jonathan , Hedlund Ragnar
Published: May 2016

Several of the most successful large-scale digital simulations in recent years are found in the immensely popular game series Assassin’s Creed, developed by Ubisoft. A variety of monuments and places figure prominently throughout the series, but at different levels of detail and accuracy. While not presenting a thoroughly imagined representation of any time period or place, these recreations emphasize the epistemological impact of particular visual modes when communicating the past, representing the collective idea of a place or time, rather than archaeological or historical facts. The time and spaces presented in the game series give us an opportunity to study how representations of the past can be assembled to be recognizable to a wide audience. This, in turn, gives us insight into the mechanics of cultural memory. In order to analyse these mechanics, we analyse the representation of the city of Rome created for Assassin’s Creed 2: Brotherhood, the third main instalment of the series. Not only has Rome been the subject of several centuries of archaeological reconstructions, but because of the countless popular representations available, the city holds a strong position in the public consciousness. In Ubisoft’s version of Rome, the archaeological record and popular imagination meet, are combined and sometimes collide. We argue that Rome as we encounter it here amounts to a concept that we call ‘polychronia’, a place where several timelines exist simultaneously in an organized manner to appeal to a common understanding. As a polychronia, the representation of Rome is made more recognizable to the recipient than a representation solely reflecting expert knowledge.
To watch or to play, it is in the game: The game culture on Twitch.tv among performers, plays and audiences
Authors: Gandolfi Enrico
Published: May 2016

The article focuses on the rising phenomenon of Twitch.tv as a worldwide entertainment provider with several million monthly viewers and an increasing number of developers, game journalists and opinion leaders actively involved. In order to stage the first exploration of the portal, a multidisciplinary framework (cultural studies, game studies, media studies) based on the concepts of ‘Circuit of Culture’, ‘diffused audience’ and ‘immersion’ was applied towards consumption, identity and production dimensions of Twitch.tv. Accordingly, a triangulation of methods was harnessed to assess these articulations empirically: N=16 plays were analysed and N=96 spectators replied to a quantitative survey. The results point towards shared patterns in media consumption and production, offering insights for future and more specific research. Specifically, three types of Twitch.tv streaming were observed: the challenge (performed by the ‘professional’), based on ruling the game and a top-down direction; the exhibition (performed by the ‘hedonist’), depending on the twitchers’ performance skills and partial interaction; and the exchange (performed by the ‘companion’), relying on nostalgic feelings and open to the spectators’ insights.
Contrast Enhanced Low-light Visible and Infrared Image Fusion
Authors: Teku Sandhya Kumari , Rao S. Koteswara , Prabha I. Santhi
Published: May 2016

Multi-modal image fusion objective is to combine complementary information obtained from multiple modalities into a single representation with increased reliability and interpretation. The images obtained from low-light visible cameras containing fine details of the scene and infrared cameras with high contrast details are the two modalities considered for fusion. In this paper, the low-light images with low target contrast are enhanced by using the phenomenon of stochastic resonance prior to fusion. Entropy is used as a measure to tune iteratively the coefficients using bistable system parameters. The combined advantage of multi scale decomposition approach and principal component analysis is utilized for the fusion of enhanced low-light visible and infrared images. Experimental results were carried out on different image datasets and analysis of the proposed methods were discussed. 
Elliptical Antenna Array Synthesis Using Backtracking Search Optimisation Algorithm
Authors: Guney Kerim , Durmus Ali
Published: May 2016

The design of the elliptical antenna arrays is relatively new research area in the antenna array community. Backtracking search optimisation algorithm (BSA) is employed for the synthesis of elliptical antenna arrays having different number of array elements. For this aim, BSA is used to calculate the optimum angular position and amplitude values of the array elements. BSA is a population-based iterative evolutionary algorithm. The remarkable properties of BSA are that it has a good optimisation performance, simple implementation structure, and few control parameters. The results of BSA are compared with those of self-adaptive differential evolution algorithm, firefly algorithm, biogeography based optimisation algorithm, and genetic algorithm. The results show that BSA can reach better solutions than the compared optimisation algorithms. Iterative performances of BSA are also compared with those of bacterial foraging algorithm and differential search algorithm.
Measuring, rating, supporting, and strengthening open access scholarly publishing in Brazil
Authors: Carvalho Neto Silvio , Willinsky John , Alperin Juan Pablo
Published: May 2016

This study assesses the extent and nature of open access scholarly publishing in Brazil, one of the world’s leaders in providing universal access to its research and scholarship. It utilizes Brazil’s Qualis journal evaluation system, along with other relevant data bases to address the association between scholarly quality and open access in the Brazilian context. Through cross tabulation among these various data sets, it is possible to arrive at a reasonably accurate picture of journals, systems, ratings, and disciplines. The study establishes reliable measures and counts of Brazilian scholarly publications, the proportion and types of open access, and journals ratings and by disciplinary field. It finds that the better the Brazilian journal, the more likely it is to be open access. It also finds that Qualis ranks Brazilian journals lower overall than the international journals in which Brazilian authors publish, most notably in the field of the biological sciences. The study concludes with a consideration of the policy implications for building on the country’s global leadership in open access to strengthen the quality of its global contribution to knowledge.
A Nonlinear Statistical Approach for Damping Uncertainty Propagation in Structural Dynamics
Authors: Tiliouine B. , Chemali B.
Published: May 2016

The object of the present study is to investigate the influence of damping uncertainty and statistical correlation on the dynamic response of structures with random damping parameters in the neighbourhood of a resonant frequency. A Non-Linear Statistical model (NLSM) is successfully demonstrated to predict the probabilistic response of an industrial building structure with correlated random damping. A practical computational technique to generate first and second-order sensitivity derivatives is presented and the validity of the predicted statistical moments is checked by traditional Monte Carlo simulation. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the NLSM to estimate uncertainty propagation in structural dynamics. In addition, it is demonstrated that the uncertainty in damping indeed influences the system response with the effects being more pronounced for lightly damped structures, higher variability and higher statistical correlation of damping parameters.
Harmonic Analysis of the Wind-Loaded Bar Dome at the Satellite Services Centre in Psary
Authors: Szaniec W. , Zielińska K.
Published: May 2016

The research paper presents the results of the dynamic analysis of an existing bar dome subjected to wind loads. The calculation model of the structure was constructed using the finite element method. The dome was subjected to the standard wind pressure, assuming that it is operates in a harmonic manner. The numerical analyses were performed with the application of Autodesk Robot and MES3D. The analysis focused on the impact of selected factors such as the frequency of forcing, wind gustiness coefficient and structural damping on the behaviour of structures.
Green BIM Concept – Scandinavian Inspirations
Authors: Araszkiewicz K.
Published: May 2016

This article discusses an integrated concept of sustainable building and of Building Information Modelling (BIM) by means of implementation of the Green BIM management method. Apart from presenting this innovative project management method with particular attention paid to solutions applied by Scandinavian enterprises, the article aims at analysing institutional conditions regarding application of the Green BIM within Polish construction companies. Arguments presented in the article are based on results of a scientific review and industry specific publications. Moreover, the article discusses case studies of projects completed with the implementation of the Green BlM method.
Actuarial Applications of a Statistical Model for Long-Term Care Insurance Operated with a Score-based Grading System: A Case Study of Korean Long-Term Care Insurance (K-LTCI)
Authors: Kwon Hyuk-Sung , Ko Bangwon , Kim Ji-Hae
Published: May 2016

Long-term care insurance plays a very important role as providing a protection against financial risk of an individual when he/she becomes in a health condition incurring significant costs for long-term care. Construction of an appropriate actuarial model for long-term care is an integral part of maintaining and improving a long-term care insurance system. A model is suggested for analyzing the impact of change in score-based long-term care grading system and for estimating future cost of long-term care insurance. A spliced distribution was used to model assigned scores for long-term care insurance in Korea based on experience data. The suggested approach is quite flexible, as it allows us to adapt to possible changes in the grading system.
False low holotranscobalamin levels in a patient with a novel TCN2 mutation
Authors: Keller Peter , Rufener Janine , Schild Christof , Fedosov Sergey N. , Nissen Peter H. , Nexo Ebba
Published: May 2016

Background:

Measurement of holotranscobalamin (holoTC) is increasingly used as a screening test for cobalamin (Cbl) deficiency. A level well below the reference interval strongly supports a deficient state. We examined a 21-year-old woman diagnosed as Cbl deficient because of an extremely low holoTC level as measured by the Abbott Architect Assay.

Methods:

The patient was evaluated for Cbl deficiency employing an in-house holoTC method as well as other routine markers of Cbl status. Further analyses included exploration of the Cbl binding proteins employing gel filtration of a serum sample saturated with 57 Co-labeled Cbl and Sanger sequencing of exons 1–9 and the intron-exon boundaries of the TCN2 gene, the gene coding for transcobalamin (TC).

Results:

The patient had normal hematological variables throughout. Despite initial treatment with Cbl, holoTC as measured by the Abbott assay remained low, while holoTC measured with the in-house assay was normal, and behaved as TC upon gel-filtration. By Sanger sequencing, we detected a homozygous single point mutation c.855T>A in exon 6 of TCN2, corresponding to a asparagine (Asn) to lysine (Lys) substitution in position 267 of the mature protein.

Conclusions:

We describe a novel point mutation of the TCN2 gene. The mutation does not seem to interfere with the function of TC, but the mutation may well explain the low level of holoTC detected by the Abbott assay. Our results underscores that mutations of TCN2 have to be considered when implausible holoTC results are obtained.
Drugs modulating the L-arginine:NO:cGMP pathway – current use in therapy
Authors: Polakowska Magdalena , Orzelska-Gorka Jolanta , Talarek Sylwia
Published: May 2016

Nitric oxide (NO) is a relatively novel messenger that plays a significant role in a wide range of physiological processes. Currently, it is known that, both, lack and excess of NO can cause diseases, thus a lot of substances have been discovered and utilized which can change the concentration of this molecule within the organism. The aim of the present work is to provide an overview of currently used agents modulating the L-arginine:NO:cGMP pathway, as well as to summarize current understanding of their pharmacological profiles. Nowadays, most of these agents are employed particularly in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Further studies can hold promise for enhancing the therapeutic equipment for a variety of other impairments, such as osteoporosis, and also in treatments of the central nervous system.
Factors determining healthy work conditions in the beauticians’ workplace
Authors: Stawarz Magdalena , Makowska Małgorzata , Stawarz Sylwester
Published: May 2016

The beauty studio is a place of work where a beautician and her customers spend several hours, hence, it has to meet certain basic hygiene requirements so as to provide employees and customers conditions that keep them safe and healthy. The main dangers to which beauticians are exposed, are of physical, chemical, biological and psychophysical nature. Therefore, it is important to draw employees’ attention to the possible effects of the particular dangers and risks that come about when there is lack of the use of appropriate preventive measures.
Furochinoline alkaloids in plants from Rutaceae family – a review
Authors: Adamska-Szewczyk Aldona , Glowniak Kazimierz , Baj Tomasz
Published: May 2016

Over the past five years, phytochemical and pharmacological studies have been conducted on material extracted from members of the Rutaceae family. In such work, new furochinoline-structured alkaloids were isolated from Ruta sp. and Dictamnus sp. Beyond the aforementioned, other substances with promising activity were isolated from the less-known species of Zanthoxylum, Evodia, Lonchocarpus, Myrthopsis and Teclea. Currently used forms of extraction, as well as methods of isolation and detection, allow the obtaining of pure, biologically active compounds. Many of these have antifungal, anti-bacterial and anti-plasmodial properties. Others are still being researched as potential drugs, which, in future, may be used in treating those afflicted with HIV and cancer. This article is designed to give the readers a thorough review of the active natural products from the Rutaceae family.
Influence of Support Structural Characteristics on Long-term Performance of Pd-Ag/α-Al2O3 Catalyst for Tail-end Acetylene Selective Hydrogenation
Authors: Takht Ravanchi Maryam , Sahebdelfar Saeed , Rahimi Fard Maryam
Published: May 2016

The selective hydrogenation of acetylene to ethylene in acetylene/ethylene mixture over Pd-Ag/α-Al2O3 catalysts prepared by sequential impregnation method was studied. The α-Al2O3 support was prepared by thermal treatment of γ-Al2O3 in temperature range of 1,090–1,100 °C. The samples were characterized for their structural properties and coke deposition. They showed egg-shell structure with penetration depth increasing with sintering temperature of the support. A kinetic model based on 1st order in acetylene and 0.5th order in hydrogen for the main reaction and 2nd order independent decay law for catalyst deactivation was used to fit the conversion-time data and to obtain quantitative assessment of catalyst performances. Fair fits were observed from which the reaction and deactivation rate constants were evaluated. The highest selectivity to ethylene, and therefore best performance, was obtained for the highest calcination temperature which was attributed to its lower acidity and larger pore diameters.
A Review of the Radio Frequency Non-destructive Testing for Carbon-fibre Composites
Authors: Li Zhen , Meng Zhaozong
Published: May 2016

The purpose of this paper is to review recent research on the applications of existing non-destructive testing (NDT) techniques, especially radio frequency (RF) NDT, for carbon-fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP) composites. Electromagnetic properties of CFRP composites that are associated with RF NDT are discussed first. The anisotropic characteristic of the conductivity and the relationship between the penetration depth and conductivity should be paid much attention. Then, the well-established RF NDT including eddy current technique, microwave technique and RF-based thermography are well categorised into four types (i.e. electromagnetic induction, resonance, RF-based thermography and RF wave propagation) and demonstrated in detail. The example of impact damage detection using the induction and resonance methods is given. Some discussions on the development (like industrial-scale automated scanning, three-dimensional imaging, short-range ultra-wideband (UWB) imaging and the radio frequency identification technology (RFID)-based NDT) are presented.
Adaptations of foreign geographical atlases from before 1989 published for the Polish users
Authors: Konopska Beata
Published: May 2016

The adaptations of foreign cartographical works are the constant publishing practices. The subject matters of these studies are the adaptations of foreign geographical atlases, prepared for the Polish users before 1989.

This article attempts to prove the thesis, that the activities of authors and publishers measured by a number and degree of adjustment of the above mentioned adaptations to the needs of the Polish customers in the scope of Polish adaptations of foreign geographical atlases are dependent on the external circumstances, mainly, on the political and socio-economic ones. The aims of these research studies are brought to determine a scope of changes adapting the foreign atlases to the Polish users in the context of the workshop of cartographer and to compare these kinds of publishing activity in the respective periods. The results of these works confirmed the thesis, which was put at the beginning, that the activities of authors and publishers in the field of adaptation depend on the external circumstances. It is clear from the analysis of the examined adaptations, that the greatest activity in this scope is characterised by two periods: the period of partitions of Poland and the next period of activity after the year 1989.

Referring to the kinds of adaptations, which were proposed in the article written by B. Konopska and J. Pasławski (2015), it is necessary to mention, that the main principles of the compilations of adaptations in the earlier periods were just the same as we have today. All the atlases can be divided into the basic adaptations and complex ones. Using the reviews and overviews of the adaptations written at the time, when they were issued, we can also say, that the geographical names were and now are the biggest problems for the authors.
Linking Health Records for Federated Query Processing
Authors: Dewri Rinku , Ong Toan , Thurimella Ramakrishna
Published: May 2016

A federated query portal in an electronic health record infrastructure enables large epidemiology studies by combining data from geographically dispersed medical institutions. However, an individual’s health record has been found to be distributed across multiple carrier databases in local settings. Privacy regulations may prohibit a data source from revealing clear text identifiers, thereby making it non-trivial for a query aggregator to determine which records correspond to the same underlying individual. In this paper, we explore this problem of privately detecting and tracking the health records of an individual in a distributed infrastructure. We begin with a secure set intersection protocol based on commutative encryption, and show how to make it practical on comparison spaces as large as 1010 pairs. Using bigram matching, precomputed tables, and data parallelism, we successfully reduced the execution time to a matter of minutes, while retaining a high degree of accuracy even in records with data entry errors. We also propose techniques to prevent the inference of identifier information when knowledge of underlying data distributions is known to an adversary. Finally, we discuss how records can be tracked utilizing the detection results during query processing.
Beeswax: a platform for private web apps
Authors: Légaré Jean-Sébastien , Sumi Robert , Aiello William
Published: May 2016

Even if a web-based messaging service offered confidential channels, how would users know whether their keys, or indeed even their plaintext, was not being exfiltrated? What if a variety of applications offered confidentiality? How would a user gain trust in all of them?

In this paper we argue that a platform for private web applications is the only practical way for users to gain assurance about the confidentiality claims of a large number of full-featured web-services.We introduce Beeswax, a client-side platform that allows confidential data to be exchanged between users at the behest of an application, through a narrow set of APIs. Beeswax installs in a modern browser to deliver a complete practical solution, from key distribution to isolation of private data from the applications, thereby making an analysis of application code unnecessary. This focuses scrutiny and trust on the platform itself, rather than on all the applications using it.
SoK: Privacy on Mobile Devices – It’s Complicated
Authors: Spensky Chad , Stewart Jeffrey , Yerukhimovich Arkady , Shay Richard , Trachtenberg Ari , Housley Rick , Cunningham Robert K.
Published: May 2016

Modern mobile devices place a wide variety of sensors and services within the personal space of their users. As a result, these devices are capable of transparently monitoring many sensitive aspects of these users’ lives (e.g., location, health, or correspondences). Users typically trade access to this data for convenient applications and features, in many cases without a full appreciation of the nature and extent of the information that they are exposing to a variety of third parties. Nevertheless, studies show that users remain concerned about their privacy and vendors have similarly been increasing their utilization of privacy-preserving technologies in these devices. Still, despite significant efforts, these technologies continue to fail in fundamental ways, leaving users’ private data exposed.

In this work, we survey the numerous components of mobile devices, giving particular attention to those that collect, process, or protect users’ private data. Whereas the individual components have been generally well studied and understood, examining the entire mobile device ecosystem provides significant insights into its overwhelming complexity. The numerous components of this complex ecosystem are frequently built and controlled by different parties with varying interests and incentives. Moreover, most of these parties are unknown to the typical user. The technologies that are employed to protect the users’ privacy typically only do so within a small slice of this ecosystem, abstracting away the greater complexity of the system. Our analysis suggests that this abstracted complexity is the major cause of many privacy-related vulnerabilities, and that a fundamentally new, holistic, approach to privacy is needed going forward. We thus highlight various existing technology gaps and propose several promising research directions for addressing and reducing this complexity.
Students and Taxes: a Privacy-Preserving Study Using Secure Computation
Authors: Bogdanov Dan , Kamm Liina , Kubo Baldur , Rebane Reimo , Sokk Ville , Talviste Riivo
Published: May 2016

We describe the use of secure multi-party computation for performing a large-scale privacy-preserving statistical study on real government data. In 2015, statisticians from the Estonian Center of Applied Research (CentAR) conducted a big data study to look for correlations between working during university studies and failing to graduate in time. The study was conducted by linking the database of individual tax payments from the Estonian Tax and Customs Board and the database of higher education events from the Ministry of Education and Research. Data collection, preparation and analysis were conducted using the Share-mind secure multi-party computation system that provided end-to-end cryptographic protection to the analysis. Using ten million tax records and half a million education records in the analysis, this is the largest cryptographically private statistical study ever conducted on real data.
Speed Adaptation in Urban Road Network Management
Authors: Raiyn Jamal
Published: May 2016

Various forecasting schemes have been proposed to manage traffic data, which is collected by videos cameras, sensors, and mobile phone services. However, these are not sufficient for collecting data because of their limited coverage and high costs for installation and maintenance. To overcome the limitations of these tools, we introduce a hybrid scheme based on intelligent transportation system (ITS) and global navigation satellite system (GNSS). Applying the GNSS to calculate travel time has proven efficient in terms of accuracy. In this case, GNSS data is managed to reduce traffic congestion and road accidents. This paper introduces a short-time forecasting model based on real-time travel time for urban heterogeneous road networks. Travel time forecasting has been achieved by predicting travel speeds using an optimized exponential moving Average (EMA) model. Furthermore for speed adaptation in heterogeneous road networks, it is necessary to introduce asuitable control strategy for longitude, based on the GNSS. GNSS products provide worldwide and real-time services using precise timing information and, positioning technologies.
The Controversy over Religious Arbitration Tribunals in Ontario: Unspoken Identity-Based Justifications?
Authors: May Paul
Published: May 2016

This article deals with the 2002–2005 controversy over faith-based arbitration tribunals in Ontario. It seeks to contribute to the existing literature on the question by looking at new empirical sources. The analysis focuses specifically on the public discourse of social actors who opposed the creation of arbitration tribunals for Christians, Jews and Muslims. The majority of those who opposed arbitration tribunals did not formulate their position in terms of an opposition between religion and feminist values. Rather, they focused their arguments on the danger of Islam, which they perceived as an oppressive and alien religion. The controversy over religious arbitration becomes a way to claim a Western, secular and Judeo-Christian Canadian identity. From this perspective, the Ontarian controversy can be likened to European debates on Islam that have emerged over the last decade (e.g. caricatures of Muhammad in Denmark, minarets in Switzerland and the burqa ban in Belgium).
Chemical composition and biological activity of the essential oil from Thymus lanceolatus
Authors: Khadir Abdelmounaim , Sobeh Mansour , Gad Haidy A. , Benbelaid Fethi , Bendahou Mourad , Peixoto Herbenya , Sporer Frank , Ashour Mohamed L. , Wink Michael
Published: May 2016

Thymus lanceolatus is a rare species, which grows wild in Algeria and Tunis. It is used traditionally as a drink and to flavor and preserve meat and poultry. The composition of the essential oil was determined by GLC/FID and GLC/MS. Forty-nine components were identified and quantified, accounting for 96.75% of the total detected components in the oil. The oxygenated monoterpenes (74.85%) constitute the major class of volatile secondary metabolites in the oil. Thymol was the most abundant constituent (69.61%) followed by γ-terpinene (8.38%). The antioxidant activity was evaluated using both diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH˙) reduction and 2-deoxyribose (2-DR) degradation prevention methods. The oil showed a very potent antioxidant activity with IC50 values of 0.20 ± 0.07 and 4.96 ± 0.39 μg/mL for the DPPH˙ and 2-DR methods, respectively. The antimicrobial activity of the oil was assessed using the agar diffusion method, and the in vitro cytotoxicity on five different cancer cells was examined using the MTT assay. The oil revealed promising inhibitory activity against Gram positive bacteria, especially Bacillus subtilis and Streptococcus pyogenes with an MIC value of 62.5 μg/mL. Additionally, the highest cytotoxic activity was observed against the HL-60 cells with an IC50 of 113.5 μg/mL. These results validate some of their traditional uses in food preservation.
Industry Relationships With Pediatricians: Findings From the Open Payments Sunshine Act
Authors: Parikh Kavita , Fleischman William , Agrawal Shantanu
Published: May 2016

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:

Ties between physicians and pharmaceutical/medical device manufactures have received considerable attention. The Open Payments program, part of the Affordable Care Act, requires public reporting of payments to physicians from industry. We sought to describe payments from industry to physicians caring for children by (1) comparing payments to pediatricians to other medical specialties, (2) determining variation in payments among pediatric subspecialties, and (3) identifying the types of payment and the products associated with payments to pediatricians.

METHODS:

We conducted a descriptive, cross-sectional analysis of Open Payments data from January 1 to December 31, 2014. The primary outcomes included percent of physicians receiving payments, median total pay per physician, the types of payments received, and the drugs and devices associated with payments.

RESULTS:

There were 9 638 825 payments to physicians, totaling $1 186 217 157. There were 244 915 payments to general pediatricians and pediatric subspecialists, totaling >$32 million. The median individual payment to general pediatricians was $14.63 (interquartile range 12–20), and median total pay per general pediatrician was $89 (interquartile range 32–186). General pediatricians accounted for 1.7% of total payments, and 0.9% of the sum of payments. Developmental pediatricians had the highest percentage of pediatric physicians receiving payment, and pediatric endocrinologists received the highest median payment. Top marketed medications were for attention-deficient/hyperactivity disorder and vaccinations.

CONCLUSIONS:

More than 40% of pediatricians received payments from industry in 2014, a lower percentage than family physicians or internists. There was considerable variation in physician-industry ties among the pediatric subspecialties. Most payments were associated with medications that treat attention-deficient/hyperactivity disorder and vaccinations.
EFICIENCIA DE LOS HOSPITALES DE BOLÍVAR- COLOMBIA POR MEDIO ANÁLISIS ENVOLVENTE DE DATOS // EFFICIENCY OF HOSPITALS BOLIVAR- COLOMBIA THROUGH DATA ENVELOPMENT ANALYSIS // EFICIÊNCIA DOS HOSPITAIS BOLÍVAR-COLOMBIA ANÁLISE POR MORADIA DE DADOS
Authors: Fontalvo Herrera Tomás José , De la Hoz Herrera Gustavo
Published: May 2016

Esta investigación estudió la eficiencia de 44 Hospitales de Bolívar en el año 2010. Lo anterior por medio de la aplicación de Análisis Envolvente de Datos DEA. Se calcularon las eficiencias técnicas de los Hospitales utilizando el modelo DEA enfocado en salidas CCR-O, lo anterior por medio del estudio de los estados financieros  de estos Hospitales. De los 44 Hospitales estudiados, 35 presentaron eficiencia baja,  uno presentó una eficiencia media, dos presentaron una eficiencia alta y seis  Hospitales  mostraron ser eficientes, estos fueron: ESE Hospital local Santa María, ESE Hospital local San José de Achi, seguido por el ESE Centro de salud con camas Cantagallo, ESE Hospital San Antonio de Padua,  ESE centro de salud Giovani Cristini, y por último el  ESE Hospital local San Fernando.  Con esta investigación se pudo concluir que el 13,64% del total de los Hospitales evaluados presentaron una eficiencia óptima. El promedio de la eficiencia de los Hospitales objeto de esta investigación fue de 47,61%.
Wykorzystanie metody akredytacji do kształtowania jakości i bezpieczeństwa usług medycznych
Authors: Szczurek Teresa
Published: May 2016

The article presents the accreditation of hospitals as a recognised method of improving the safety and quality of the services provided. The attempt to endeavour the idea of accreditation in Poland was originated by the project, co-funded by the European Union, called “Supporting the process of accreditation health service institutions”, which was implemented from 2008 to 2014. The main purpose of the project was to improve the quality of healthcare by providing financial and substantive support for hospitals during the process of accreditation. The project’s participants were entities that carried out the provision based on contract with a public payer. 243 hospitals were evaluated, of which 78.6% (191) received positive recommendations from the Accreditation Council, while 21.4% (52) received negative recommendations. The visible results of systematisation in hospitals are that: hospital operations and staff conduct are standardised, a quality monitoring system is constructed by establishing measurable indicators, hospital activities with regards to respecting patients’ rights are streamlined and reorganised, human resource management is created, competence and responsibility are regulated, and the patient is made the priority in all activities. Based on these results, this hypothesis was established: Accreditation in the project „Supporting the process of accreditation of health care institutions” is an effective means of verifying and developing the quality and safety of medical services provided in hospitals. Consequently, accreditation should be considered an effective means of verifying and developing the quality and safety of medical services.
Mechanisms of Resistance to Pyroxsulam and ACCase Inhibitors in Japanese Foxtail (Alopecurus japonicus)
Authors: Feng Yujuan , Gao Yuan , Zhang Yong , Dong Liyao , Li Jun
Published: May 2016

Japanese foxtail is a predominant tetraploid grass weed in wheat and oilseed rape fields in eastern China. In China, pyroxsulam is mainly used to manage annual grass weeds, especially those resistant to acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase (ACCase)-inhibiting herbicides. Using dose–response studies, a pyroxsulam-resistant population, ACTC-1, was identified with a resistance index value of 58. Additionally, ACTC-1 was cross-resistant to sulfonylureas, imidazolinones, triazolopyrimidines, pyrimidinyl-benzoates, and sulfonylaminocarbonyl-triazolinones and multiresistant to ACCase and photosystem II inhibitors. Sequence analysis revealed four gene fragments encoding acetolactate synthase (ALS) from ACTC-1, and three from JNXW-1, a pyroxsulam-sensitive population. An Asp-376-Glu substitution was found in ALS1;2 and an Ile-2041-Asn in Acc1;1, which may be responsible for its resistance to pyroxsulam and ACCase inhibitors, respectively. In vitro assays of ALS activity revealed that in ACTC-1, the sensitivity of ALS to pyroxsulam was lower, and the basal ALS activity was twofold higher than that of sensitive population JNXW-1. Additionally, the combined application of pyroxsulam with malathion or piperonyl butoxide increased the sensitivity of ACTC-1 to pyroxsulam, although it could not completely overcome the resistance. It was inferred that both target-site-based resistance and nontarget-site-based resistance may be involved in the resistance to pyroxsulam.
Comprehensive Genomic Profiling Facilitates Implementation of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines for Lung Cancer Biomarker Testing and Identifies Patients Who May Benefit From Enrollment in Mechanism-Driven Clinical Trials
Authors: Suh James H. , Johnson Adrienne , Albacker Lee , Wang Kai , Chmielecki Juliann , Frampton Garrett , Gay Laurie , Elvin Julia A. , Vergilio Jo-Anne , Ali Siraj , Miller Vincent A. , Stephens Philip J. , Ross Jeffrey S.
Published: May 2016

Background.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines for patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) recommend testing for EGFR, BRAF, ERBB2, and MET mutations; ALK, ROS1, and RET rearrangements; and MET amplification. We investigated the feasibility and utility of comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP), a hybrid capture-based next-generation sequencing (NGS) test, in clinical practice.

Methods.

CGP was performed to a mean coverage depth of 576× on 6,832 consecutive cases of NSCLC (2012–2015). Genomic alterations (GAs) (point mutations, small indels, copy number changes, and rearrangements) involving EGFR, ALK, BRAF, ERBB2, MET, ROS1, RET, and KRAS were recorded. We also evaluated lung adenocarcinoma (AD) cases without GAs, involving these eight genes.

Results.

The median age of the patients was 64 years (range: 13–88 years) and 53% were female. Among the patients studied, 4,876 (71%) harbored at least one GA involving EGFR (20%), ALK (4.1%), BRAF (5.7%), ERBB2 (6.0%), MET (5.6%), ROS1 (1.5%), RET (2.4%), or KRAS (32%). In the remaining cohort of lung AD without these known drivers, 273 cancer-related genes were altered in at least 0.1% of cases, including STK11 (21%), NF1 (13%), MYC (9.8%), RICTOR (6.4%), PIK3CA (5.4%), CDK4 (4.3%), CCND1 (4.0%), BRCA2 (2.5%), NRAS (2.3%), BRCA1 (1.7%), MAP2K1 (1.2%), HRAS (0.7%), NTRK1 (0.7%), and NTRK3 (0.2%).

Conclusion.

CGP is practical and facilitates implementation of the NCCN guidelines for NSCLC by enabling simultaneous detection of GAs involving all seven driver oncogenes and KRAS. Furthermore, without additional tissue use or cost, CGP identifies patients with “pan-negative” lung AD who may benefit from enrollment in mechanism-driven clinical trials.
A ALFABETIZAÇÃO MUSICAL E OS PARADIGMAS EDUCACIONAIS
Authors: Vieira Alboni Marisa Dudeque Pianovski , Malaquias Tadeu Aparecido
Published: May 2016

O artigo apresenta as concepções atuais de alfabetização musical e suas relações com as questões paradigmáticas da educação, expondo os diferentes tipos de paradigmas e suas modificações. A possibilidade de apresentar, relacionar e debater as questões referentes aos paradigmas e às contribuições de autores para a alfabetização musical, caracterizando o egresso, são outros objetivos deste trabalho. A relevância do tema está no escasso debate sobre os paradigmas na educação musical e na possibilidade que o seu estudo pode proporcionar ao educador no processo de alfabetização musical. De natureza bibliográfica e documental, o estudo se fundamenta nos trabalhos de Schafer (1992, 1997) e Swanwick (1979, 2003, 2014). Os resultados apontam para a nova tendência da alfabetização musical, que passa a ter um compromisso inclusivo, tornando-se acessível não só ao estudante que tem como objetivo ser um músico profissional, mas também a pessoas de diferentes contextos sociais.
A QUEM TUDO QUER SABER, NADA SE LHE DIZ: UMA EDUCAÇÃO SEM GÊNERO E SEM SEXUALIDADE É DESEJÁVEL?
Authors: Seffner Fernando , Picchetti Yara De Paula
Published: May 2016

As questões de gênero e sexualidade oscilam, há alguns anos, entre propostas explícitas de abordagem na escola, como foi o caso do tema transversal Orientação Sexual no interior dos Parâmetros Curriculares Nacionais, e sua negação, como recentemente foi a polêmica sob o rótulo de “ideologia de gênero”, quando muitos municípios e estados retiraram de seus planos de educação a menção a gênero e sexualidade. Há claramente uma disputa política no interior da sociedade brasileira entre grupos que não desejam sua abordagem pela escola e outros que defendem com ardor que esses temas sejam ensinados de modo explícito. A partir da etnografia de cenas escolares, o texto evidencia que as salas de aula são locais altamente generificados, atravessados por questões de sexualidade e que a abordagem desses temas atende tanto à alfabetização científica quanto a numerosos outros propósitos em educação, que dizem respeito à preparação para a vida no espaço público de corte republicano.
Minimal Sequent Calculi for Łukasiewicz’s Finitely-Valued Logics
Authors: Pynko Alexej P.
Published: May 2016

The primary objective of this paper, which is an addendum to the author’s [8], is to apply the general study of the latter to Łukasiewicz’s n-valued logics [4]. The paper provides an analytical expression of a 2(n−1)-place sequent calculus (in the sense of [10, 9]) with the cut-elimination property and a strong completeness with respect to the logic involved which is most compact among similar calculi in the sense of a complexity of systems of premises of introduction rules. This together with a quite eﬀective procedure of construction of an equality determinant (in the sense of [5]) for the logics involved to be extracted from the constructive proof of Proposition 6.10 of [6] yields an equally eﬀective procedure of construction of both Gentzen-style [2] (i.e., 2-place) and Tait-style [11] (i.e., 1-place) minimal sequent calculi following the method of translations described in Subsection 4.2 of [7].