bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
New Findings on Arabs and Democracy
Authors: Tessler Mark , Jamal Amaney , Robbins Michael
Published: October 2012

Examined with data from the first and second wave of Arab Barometer surveys are support for democracy, understandings of democracy, desires for reform, values associated with a democratic political culture, views about the political role of Islam, and the relationship between support for political Islam and the embrace of democratic values. Broad continuing trends include strong support for democracy, understandings of democracy that emphasize economic considerations, and a division of opinion about Islam’s political role. Findings from surveys in Egypt and Tunisia in 2011 are discussed in greater detail in relation to post–Arab Spring developments in the two countries.
European Disintegration?: Twin Troubles
Authors: Lambsdorff Alexander Graf
Published: October 2012

Abstract:
Confidence in all European institutions is now at a record low, with levels of trust having dropped by ten percentage points on average since 2009. What explains the current lack of trust in European institutions, and how can that trust be restored? Four key reasons for the difficulties facing the EU and the eurozone today stand out: 1) Lack of a long-term solution for the euro crisis; 2) Unbalanced decision making in the EU; 3) Not enough choice for the European electorate; and 4) A need for realistic agendas. The Eurozone needs a workable long-term solution based on three main elements: a European Redemption Fund, selective federalism, and a banking union. In addition, the EU as a whole must come to terms with the reality of a two-speed integration process.
The Ethnocracy Trap
Authors: Howard Lise Morjé
Published: October 2012

This article introduces the term “ethnocracy” as a regime type. In ethnocracies such as Bosnia and Lebanon, political parties are defined primarily along ethnoreligious lines, key state positions are allocated according to ethnic group membership, and educational and other institutions are officially segmented according to ethnic categories. While the introduction of ethnocratic regimes after violent conflict has sometimes coincided with a decrease in violence, it has also introduced new and institutional obstacles that render transition to liberal democracy difficult. This article defines ethnocracy, differentiates it from consociationalism, discusses its problems, addresses the puzzling phenomenon of ethnocracy promotion by liberal powers, and offers alternatives for those seeking to promote liberal democracy in postconflict, multiethnic societies.
The Opening in Burma: The Democrats’ Opportunity
Authors: Zin Min , Joseph Brian
Published: October 2012

Abstract:
Despite the excitement that the reforms have sparked in Burma and abroad, Burma remains a military dictatorship. Serving or retired generals control every important institution, and the constitution guarantees military domination. Yet something profound is changing, even if this is not—or not yet—an outright transition to democracy. What is driving the changes, why are they happening now, and where will they lead?
European Disintegration?: A Way Forward?
Authors: Schmitter Philippe C.
Published: October 2012

Abstract:
The present crisis of the Euro is a near perfect example of how causal complexity, unanticipated consequences, and decisional uncertainty can have a significant and cumulative impact on regional integration. In theory, this should be the crisis that will drive the EU from economic to political integration. In practice, the outcome—at least, so far—has been the just opposite. Could it be that what was supposed to be a ‘good’ crisis has turned out to be a very ‘bad’ one? For not only is the crisis of greater magnitude at the supranational level than expected, but it also seems to have penetrated much deeper and more negatively into national political institutions and public opinion. It is even plausible to image a vicious triangle emerging: first, the collapse of the Euro; then, the collapse of the European Union and, finally, the collapse of democracy in its member states.
The Opening in Burma: The Generals Loosen Their Grip
Authors: Callahan Mary
Published: October 2012

Abstract:
From 1988 to 2011, Burmese citizens lived under de facto martial law. Now Burma is in the midst of a political transition whose contours suggest that the country’s political future is “up for grabs” to a greater degree than has been so for at least the last half-century. The post-junta constitutional government has created a realm for potentially contentious politics outside the old “national security” limitations, but the durability of political liberalization will depend upon how military leaders of both the government’s army and its armed challengers manage the detritus of decades of failed military truces and unimaginative—on all sides—peace building.
European Disintegration?: Markets, Institutions, and Legitimacy
Authors: Tsoukalis Loukas
Published: October 2012

Abstract:
The article examines the crisis of the Eurozone from a political economy perspective. The product of failure of markets and institutions in a currency union without a state, the crisis gets deeper, while national governments and European institutions venture into the territory of “unthinkables.” Among the obstacles they need to overcome, economic diversity, populism and the distribution of costs figure prominently. There is a lively public debate in Europe on ways and means of dealing with the crisis. Most of us now agree about what needs to be done, but we are not sure whether it will be politically feasible.
The Opening in Burma: A Union for All of Us
Authors: Oo Hkun Htun
Published: October 2012

Abstract:
Problems plague Burma’s “ethnic” periphery the way wildfires plague windswept grasslands in the dry season. A lasting democracy cannot be built on elections alone—the rights of the country’s minorities must also be protected.
European Disintegration?: Elusive Solidarity
Authors: Zielonka Jan
Published: October 2012

Abstract:
Europe’s economic crisis has been transformed into a crisis of democratic governance that could roll back five decades of integration. The European Union may disintegrate because its “commanders” are unable to converge three distinct economic, political and institutional theatres in which the crisis is being played out. The EU lacks sound democratic means to legitimate the policies necessary for trans-border financial transfers and budgetary discipline. The key European actor, Germany, has adopted policies that fail to ease pressure from the markets and have stimulated political opposition against the German “dictate.” As a result Germany is less committed to saving the European project.
European Disintegration?: Warnings from History
Authors: Berman Sheri
Published: October 2012

Abstract:
The irony at the heart of Europe’s current crisis is that although the EU originated as part of a post-1945 effort to consolidate democracy in Western Europe, the Union’s travails are now pushing the continent in the opposite direction instead. Stable democracy is only a product of the post 1945 period in Europe. This article discusses changes that occurred in Europe after the Second World War at both domestic and regional levels and argues that while the former played a critical role in stabilizing Europe, the latter eventually worked to undermine it.
The Opening in Burma: Strengthening Civil Society
Authors: Naing Min Ko
Published: October 2012

Abstract:
Burma’s leaders and the people themselves need to understand that people are the essential element for building a nation. Without contributions and cooperation from people, change cannot happen. For our country to develop, we need an informed and engaged citizenry. Citizens also need to have the skill, knowledge, and freedom to question those in power—and to do so publicly, without fear.
Media and Democracy: The Long View
Authors: Plattner Marc F.
Published: October 2012

We are living in the midst of a communications revolution that is likely to have significant effects on democracy. Though it is too soon to know where this revolution will lead, it is an opportune moment for a broader historical inquiry into the relationship between democracy and the media. Representative democracy was born in the era of print media, but over the past century it has accommodated the rise of broadcasting and now is being shaped by new communications technologies. As a result, we seem to be heading toward a more pluralistic but also more fragmented media environment that may pose a threat to the shared civic arena essential to democracy.
Del “macrocosmos de la hamburguesa” a “lo real de la realidad”: consumo, sujeto y acciónen La prueba de César Aira
Authors: Barros César
Published: October 2012

By reading César Aira’s novel La prueba (1992) from a psychoanalytical framework, this article examines how the narrative stages both the dynamic of subject production in consumer society—a dynamic of regulated novelty and difference subjected to the law of the Other—, and a process of departure from this dynamic, i.e. a subject emancipated from this law. The article also suggests that the supermarket, an important space in the novel, serves as a topologization of the subject-effect of consumption, and that the violent destruction of this space at the end of the novel sets the stage for the process of becoming-subject of the protagonist. The article also addresses the relation between transformation and novelty in Aira’s poetics, vis-à-vis the role of these same notions in consumer society’s spaces of production and reproduction.
Ángel Ganivet’s Idearium español as Fin–de–Siècle Imperial Melancholia
Authors: Krauel Javier
Published: October 2012

This paper interprets Ángel Ganivet’s famous essay Idearium español (1897) as a melancholic text that incorporates and identifies with imperial ideals instead of mourning their passing. Central to this reading is the ambivalence toward empire displayed by the text, an ambivalence that has not been theorized as such (that is, as a specific way of relating to the loss of imperial ideals). The identification process associated with Freud’s account of melancholia provides the key to explaining why the symbolic loss of a series of thoroughly idealized imperial values is such a crucial element in the formation of Spanish national identity. The paper concludes by rethinking Ganivet’s 1897 injunction to concentrate energies within national borders. Situating the text in its original context of production, the paper demonstrates the paradoxical quality of such injunction: it can be seen as an anti-imperialistic gesture that, in the same movement it was expressed, was blatantly ignoring the nineteenth-century Spanish imperial experience in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines and was indicating a clear drive toward expansion both within the Iberian Peninsula and Africa.
El abecedario urbano: entre la semiótica y la filología en la Ciudad de México
Authors: Biron Rebecca
Published: October 2012

In 2002, a coalition of photographers, digital artists, writers, museums, and cultural institutions coordinated a multimedia project and installation in the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City. The installation was accompanied by a heavy tome titled ABC DF: Diccionario gráfico de la Ciudad de México , which was sold with a CD-ROM: the Diccionario interactivo in both Spanish and English. Invoking social geography, urban anthropology, and semiotics, the whole project relied on the accumulation of images and free associations to produce a multilayered experience that the producers likened to really living in the city. However, in the Diccionario gráfico and the Diccionario interactivo , our access to the visual images depends primarily on a nominal system, which guides us through the visual field by way of discrete words organized alphabetically. This essay examines how such philological canalization of the semiotic process both enables and interrupts our experience of the urban.
Wounding Materiality: Oller’s El velorio and the Trauma of Subaltern Visibility
Authors: Cortés Jason
Published: October 2012

This article recuperates and redefines the conception of trauma within the context of Puerto Rican cultural production. It examines Francisco Oller y Cestero’s masterpiece, the 1893 painting El velorio ; a composition that raises the question of trauma cast as subaltern visibility. I have chosen El velorio for two reasons: first, Francisco Oller is surely the most important Puerto Rican painter of his time, and as such, a major representative of the nineteenth-century cultural elites. Second, and perhaps more important, El velorio underscores my contention that Puerto Rican trauma was not about exteriority—or U.S. American domination—but about proximity, even kinship. In contrast with the traditional model, I see trauma as a set of problematic relations between the elites and the subaltern (peasants, blacks, and women) that mirrors their positioning within the Spanish colonial system. In my view, most of the works of late nineteenth-century letrados—from Manuel Zeno Gandía’s naturalist novels to Francisco del Valle Atiles’s writings on hygiene and eugenics—feature trauma understood as an unsettling encounter with the materiality of the subaltern body. Trauma was about the subaltern’s visibility as inassimilable excess in a colonial society where the “cultured few” used racialist ideologies to erase the memory of their own history of oppression and miscegenation discernible in the body of the subaltern. I read El velorio as a clear instance of how the subaltern’s racialized body functions as the site of representational trauma.
Baroni: un viaje de Sergio Chejfec: una mirada abismal a la representación del artista
Authors: Quintero Julio
Published: October 2012

This article shows how the depiction of the Venezuelan painter and sculptor Rafaela Baroni in Sergio Chejfec’s novel Baroni, un viaje points to the settlement of a symbolic debt. This debt results from the lack of scholarly attention paid to the problematic portrayal of women as artists in Spanish American literature. As a response to a tradition that stresses masculine traits, women writers in Hispanic America have maintained an ambiguous relation to the depiction of fictional artists in their narratives. Thus, the character of Rafaela Baroni in Chefjec’s work assumes gothic characteristics as a body that returns from the realm of death. At the same time, Baroni exposes the contradictions of an over-intellectual understanding of art by exposing the inner life of a writer who seems to have lost faith in the artistic experience.
Agua, espacio y derecho en Plasma de Guadalupe Santa Cruz
Authors: Sotomayor-Miletti Áurea María
Published: October 2012

Plasma , de Santa Cruz, narra una persecución que permite abordar el tema del desplazamiento como una fuga de índole delictual. A lo largo de ese recorrido se ven la aridez y la falta de agua en los pueblos del norte de Chile y se destaca el aspecto geográfico-ambiental del paisaje. Una llamada a la justicia ambiental y el cuestionamiento del lenguaje jurídico nos coloca en el meollo de las complejas estrategias textuales urdidas en Plasma . La primera parte de este ensayo describe los estilos de los personajes y cómo se plasman o imprimen sobre la geografía. La lectura comienza pensando los intercambios entre un espacio estriado y otro liso en sentido deleuziano y termina allí donde la descripción de dichos espacios genera una continuidad entre los estilos de sus dos personajes. En la segunda parte, una reflexión sobre el territorio recorrido y la justicia ambiental destaca la centralidad de otras voces que matizan la trayectoria de los dos personajes principales. Se trata de grupos humanos que recalan en su localidad específica y recurren a sus regionalismos y a su estilo particular para contar su propia historia. Deleuze, Foucault y de Certeau forman el marco teórico del viaje que emprenden los protagonistas de este libro a lo largo del norte de Chile. Una de las cuestiones que atraviesa la novela se relaciona con los enunciados líricos de la protagonista femenina y cómo se insertan en la programación prosaica de la persecución de un detective a la caza de un delito. Finalmente, se trata de una reflexión sobre el expolio ambiental y los modos de creación de lo delictual en las poblaciones marginales femeninas que reclaman lo más básico: el agua.
Low-Stakes Opportunism
Authors: Jap Sandy D. , Robertson Diana C. , Rindfleisch Aric , Hamilton Ryan
Published: October 2012

In this research, the authors develop a theory addressing why people act opportunistically when the stakes (i.e., payoffs) are low. Transaction cost theory suggests that opportunistic behavior is more likely under high-stakes conditions. The authors identify rapport as an important moderator of this relationship. Through a series of three studies, they find that high-stakes opportunism appears to occur only when rapport is low. In contrast, when rapport is high, this relationship reverses, such that opportunism is actually more likely when the stakes are low than when they are high. The authors attribute these findings to differences in reasoning and find that when rapport is high and the stakes are low, people are better able to justify their actions by employing morally malleable reasoning. Thus, this research offers insights into an important form of opportunism that has been largely absent from transaction cost theory.
Die Tagebücher von Galeazzo Ciano
Authors: Hof Tobias
Published: October 2012

Vorspann

Bei Egodokumenten ist Vorsicht geboten. Im Falle der Ciano-Tagebücher 1937- 1943 gilt das im besonderen Maße: Der ehemalige Außenminister des Duce und seine Frau Edda hatten viele Motive und Möglichkeiten, das Tagebuch zu „frisieren“. Tobias Hof, Mitarbeiter im Institut für Zeitgeschichte München-Berlin, zeichnet die abenteuerliche Geschichte der wertvollen Quelle bis zur Veröffentlichung nach, er thematisiert die vielen Ungereimtheiten und Verstümmelungen und plädiert schließlich für eine vorsichtig-umsichtige Nutzung dieses Dokuments aus dem innersten Kreis des faschistischen Regimes, das längst eine kritische Neuausgabe verdient hätte.
Zwischen Globalisierung, internationalen Organisationen und „global governance“
Authors: Kunkel Sönke
Published: October 2012

Vorspann

Im März 1964 begann in Genf die erste Welthandelskonferenz - eine Konferenz, die nicht zuletzt durch den Zusammenschluss zahlreicher Schwellen- und Entwicklungsländer zur Gruppe 77 die Aufmerksamkeit der Weltöffentlichkeit erregte. Sönke Kunkel, Historiker an der Jacobs Universität Bremen, zeigt, dass mit dem Treffen in Genf nicht nur ein neuer Diskurs über Globalisierung entstand, sondern auch ein Prozess in Gang kam, der die Transformation des internationalen Systems beschleunigte, neue Akteure begünstigte und damit das Spielfeld der globalen Politik nachhaltig veränderte.
Bone mineral loss induced by anticancer treatment for gynecological malignancies in premenopausal women
Authors: Nishio Keina , Tanabe Akiko , Maruoka Risa , Nakamura Kiyoko , Takai Masaaki , Sekijima Tatsuharu , Tunetoh Satoshi , Terai Yoshito , Ohmichi Masahide
Published: October 2012

Objective

Although surgical menopause may increase the risks of osteoporosis, few studies have investigated the influence of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of treatments for gynecological malignancies on bone mineral density (BMD).

Methods

This study enrolled 35 premenopausal women (15 ovarian cancers (OCs), 9 endometrial cancers (ECs), and 11 cervical cancers (CCs)) who underwent surgical treatment that included bilateral oophorectomy with or without adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy in OC and EC patients, or concurrent chemo-radiation therapy (CCRT) in CC patients according to the established protocols at the Osaka Medical College Hospital between 2006 and 2008. The BMD of the lumbar spine (L1–L4) was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and urine cross-linked telopeptides of type I collagen (NTx) and bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP) were assessed for evaluation of bone resorption and bone formation respectively. These assessments were performed at baseline and 12 months after treatment.

Results

Although the serum BAP was significantly increased only in the CC group, a rapid increase in the bone resorption marker urinary NTx was observed in all groups. The BMD, 12 months after CCRT was significantly decreased in the CC group at 91.9±5.9% (P<0.05 in comparison to the baseline).

Conclusion

This research suggests that anticancer therapies for premenopausal women with gynecological malignancies increase bone resorption and may reduce BMD, particularly in CC patients who have received CCRT. Therefore, gynecologic cancer survivors should be educated about these potential risks and complications.
Clinical Utility of Chromosomal Microarray Analysis
Authors: Ellison Jay W. , Ravnan J. Britt , Rosenfeld Jill A. , Morton S. Annie , Neill Nicholas J. , Williams Marc S. , Lewis Jodi , Torchia Beth S. , Walker Cathryn , Traylor Ryan N. , Moles Kimberly , Miller Elizabeth , Lantz Jennifer , Valentin Caitlin , Minier Sara L. , Leiser Kimberly , Powell Berkley R. , Wilks Timothy M. , Shaffer Lisa G.
Published: October 2012

OBJECTIVE:

To test the hypothesis that chromosomal microarray analysis frequently diagnoses conditions that require specific medical follow-up and that referring physicians respond appropriately to abnormal test results.

METHODS:

A total of 46 298 postnatal patients were tested by chromosomal microarray analysis for a variety of indications, most commonly intellectual disability/developmental delay, congenital anomalies, dysmorphic features, and neurobehavioral problems. The frequency of detection of abnormalities associated with actionable clinical features was tallied, and the rate of physician response to a subset of abnormal tests results was monitored.

RESULTS:

A total of 2088 diagnoses were made of more than 100 different disorders that have specific clinical features that warrant follow-up. The detection rate for these conditions using high-resolution whole-genome microarrays was 5.4%, which translates to 35% of all clinically significant abnormal test results identified in our laboratory. In a subset of cases monitored for physician response, appropriate clinical action was taken more than 90% of the time as a direct result of the microarray finding.

CONCLUSIONS:

The disorders diagnosed by chromosomal microarray analysis frequently have clinical features that need medical attention, and physicians respond to the diagnoses with specific clinical actions, thus arguing that microarray testing provides clinical utility for a significant number of patients tested.
Sani-Cloth Wipe Mimics Rare Enzyme Deficiency Malonic Aciduria on Newborn Screen
Authors: Reindl Bailey A. , Lynch Douglas W. , Ramirez Michael , Valbracht Marcia , Davis-Keppen Laura , Tams Kimberlee C. , Groeneveld Sarah
Published: October 2012

Within a 7-month period at our institution, newborn screening by tandem mass spectrometry revealed 10 cases with elevated levels of malonylcarnitine, which suggested malonic aciduria. Malonic aciduria is a rare autosomal recessive inborn error of metabolism. Confirmatory testing yielded normal results in all the newborns involved. The application of quality improvement practices dictated investigating the dried blood spot collection process, which revealed the use of multiple blood-collection techniques by newborn nursery staff, improper handling of the dried blood spot specimens, and sanitary wipe contamination as the causes of the aberrant false-positive results at our institution. This systematic evaluation identified the cause of the aberrant false-positive results and a strategy was implemented to avoid aberrant results in the future. Thus far, no false-positive results have occurred since the investigative process. False-positive results on a newborn screen can cause unnecessary emotional and economic stress on families, a finding that was identified at our institution. Historically, false-positive newborn screening results have been identified in infants born by cesarean delivery in which iodine antiseptic was used and in newborns who receive total parenteral nutrition, such as premature infants in the NICU. Therefore, if an unusually high number of false-positive results are found during the newborn screening process, contamination should be considered as a contributing factor.
Genotype Prediction of Adult Type 2 Diabetes From Adolescence in a Multiracial Population
Authors: Vassy Jason L. , DasMahapatra Pronabesh , Meigs James B. , Schork Nicholas J. , Magnussen Costan G. , Chen Wei , Raitakari Olli T. , Pencina Michael J. , Jamal Seema M. , Berenson Gerald S. , Goodman Elizabeth
Published: October 2012

BACKGROUND:

Understanding the risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D) early in the life course is important for prevention. Whether genetic information improves prediction models for diabetes from adolescence into adulthood is unknown.

METHODS:

With the use of data from 1030 participants in the Bogalusa Heart Study aged 12 to 18 followed into middle adulthood, we built Cox models for incident T2D with risk factors assessed in adolescence (demographics, family history, physical examination, and routine biomarkers). Models with and without a 38 single-nucleotide polymorphism diabetes genotype score were compared by C statistics and continuous net reclassification improvement indices.

RESULTS:

Participant mean (± SD) age at baseline was 14.4 ± 1.6 years, and 32% were black. Ninety (8.7%) participants developed T2D over a mean 26.9 ± 5.0 years of follow-up. Genotype score significantly predicted T2D in all models. Hazard ratios ranged from 1.09 per risk allele (95% confidence interval 1.03–1.15) in the basic demographic model to 1.06 (95% confidence interval 1.00–1.13) in the full model. The addition of genotype score did not improve the discrimination of the full clinical model (C statistic 0.756 without and 0.760 with genotype score). In the full model, genotype score had weak improvement in reclassification (net reclassification improvement index 0.261).

CONCLUSIONS:

Although a genotype score assessed among white and black adolescents is significantly associated with T2D in adulthood, it does not improve prediction over clinical risk factors. Genetic screening for T2D in its current state is not a useful addition to adolescents’ clinical care.
Comparison of One-Tier and Two-Tier Newborn Screening Metrics for Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia
Authors: Sarafoglou Kyriakie , Banks Kathryn , Gaviglio Amy , Hietala Amy , McCann Mark , Thomas William
Published: October 2012

BACKGROUND:

Newborn screening (NBS) for the classic forms of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is mandated in all states in the United States. Compared with other NBS disorders, the false-positive rate (FPR) of CAH screening remains high and has not been significantly improved by adjusting 17α-hydroxyprogesterone cutoff values for birth weight and/or gestational age. Minnesota was the first state to initiate, and only 1 of 4 states currently performing, second-tier steroid profiling for CAH. False-negative rates (FNRs) for CAH are not well known.

METHODS:

This is a population-based study of all Minnesota infants (769 834) born 1999–2009, grouped by screening protocol (one-tier with repeat screen, January 1999 to May 2004; two-tier with second-tier steroid profiling, June 2004 to December 2009). FPR, FNR, and positive predictive value (PPV) were calculated per infant, rather than per sample, and compared between protocols.

RESULTS:

Overall, 15 false-negatives (4 salt-wasting, 11 simple-virilizing) and 45 true-positives were identified from 1999 to 2009. With two-tier screening, FNR was 32%, FPR increased to 0.065%, and PPV decreased to 8%, but these changes were not statistically significant. Second-tier steroid profiling obviated repeat screens of borderline results (355 per year average).

CONCLUSIONS:

In comparing the 2 screening protocols, the FPR of CAH NBS remains high, the PPV remains low, and false-negatives occur more frequently than has been reported. Physicians should be cautioned that a negative NBS does not necessarily rule out classic CAH; therefore, any patient for whom there is clinical concern for CAH should receive immediate diagnostic testing.
Anorganic Bovine-Derived Hydroxyapatite vs β-Tricalcium Phosphate in Sinus Augmentation: A Comparative Histomorphometric Study
Authors: Kurkcu Mehmet , Benlidayi M. Emre , Cam Burcu , Sertdemir Yasar
Published: October 2012

The choice of augmentation material is a crucial factor in sinus augmentation surgery. Bovine-derived hydroxyapatite (BHA) and beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) have been used successfully in sinus augmentation procedures. Choosing one of these materials for sinus augmentation is still controversial. The aim of this clinical study was to compare the biological performance of the new BHA graft material and the well-known synthetic β-TCP material in the sinus augmentation procedure. The study consisted of 23 patients (12 male and 11 female) who were either edentulous or partially edentulous in the posterior maxilla and required implant placement. A total of 23 two-step sinus-grafting procedures were performed. BHA was used in 13 patients, and β-TCP was used in 10 patients. After an average of 6.5 months of healing, bone biopsies were taken from the grafted areas. Undecalcified sections were prepared for histomorphometric analysis. The mean new bone formation was 30.13% ± 3.45% in the BHA group and 21.09% ± 2.86% in the β-TCP group (P = .001). The mean percentage of residual graft particle area was 31.88% ± 6.05% and 34.05% ± 3.01% for the BHA group and β-TCP group, respectively (P = .047). The mean percentage of soft-tissue area was 37.99% ± 5.92% in the BHA group and 44.86% ± 4.28% in the β-TCP group (P = .011). Both graft materials demonstrated successful biocompatibility and osteoconductivity in the sinus augmentation procedure. However, BHA appears to be more efficient in osteoconduction when compared with β-TCP.
Reinfecções por rotavírus em crianças de Belém, Pará, Brasil
Authors: Linhares Alexandre C. , Freitas Ronaldo B. , Gabbay Yvone B. , Pereira Joana D'arc M.
Published: October 2012

Reinfecções por rotavírus foram detectadas em 7 (9,2%) de 76 crianças habitantes da periferia de Belém, Pará, Brasil, no decurso de seus primeiros 20 meses de vida. A presença de rotavírus classificados no subgrupo II ("long pattern") foi assinalada, tanta na primeira como segunda infecções, em cinco desses indivíduos. Em duas situações, a primeira infecção foi causada por rotavírus subgrupo II e, a reinfecção, por rotavírus de subgrupo não claramente caracterizado. Seis diferentes padrões foram observados, não ocorrendo casos em que, numa única criança, se tenham assinalado perfis homólogos. O maior intervalo de tempo registrado entre duas infecções no mesmo indivíduo foi de 19 meses, enquanto que o menor, de 6. Formas sintomáticas em ambos os processos infecciosos se apresentaram em cinco crianças; em duas, os primeiros episódios revelaram-se assintomáticos, sucedendo-se quadros diarréicos. Em seis dos sete indivíduos, observaram-se soroconversões para rotavírus durante a segunda infecção; durante a primeira, entretanto, a elevação significativa nos níveis de anticorpos grupo-específicos se registrou em apenas um caso (Paciente F).
Pneumonia por Legionella pneumophila: relato do segundo caso brasileiro
Authors: Porto Nelson da Silva , Palombini Bruno Carlos , Petruxo Victor Flávio , Alves Mara Rúbia André
Published: October 2012

Os autores relatam um caso de pneumonia por Legionella pneumophila, diagnosticado pela primeira vez em Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul. A hipótese diagnóstica foi confirmada por imunofluorescência indireta nas amostras de soro do paciente enviadas ao C.D.C. (Atlanta — E.U.A.), com títulos de 1:128 na amostra da fase aguda e 1:512 na amostra da fase de convalescença.
Propriedades químicas de um latossolo vermelho distrófico de cerrado sob diferentes usos e manejos
Authors: Souza Z. M. , Alves M. C.
Published: October 2012

Na fazenda experimental da Faculdade de Engenharia de Ilha Solteira (UNESP), no estado do Mato Grosso do Sul, foi realizado um estudo com o objetivo de avaliar as modificações de propriedades químicas de um Latossolo Vermelho distrófico sob vegetação de cerrado, para diferentes condições de uso e manejo da terra. O delineamento experimental foi o inteiramente casualizado, com seis tratamentos e 10 repetições, constando dos seguintes usos e manejos: plantio direto com culturas anuais; preparo convencional com culturas anuais; cultivo mínimo com culturas anuais; vegetação natural (cerrado); área com pastagem e área com cultura de seringueira. Foram analisadas as seguintes propriedades químicas: cálcio, magnésio, potássio e alumínio trocáveis, fósforo extraível, pH em CaCl2, matéria orgânica, soma de bases (S) e CTC efetiva, nas profundidades de 0,0-0,1; 0,1-0,2 e 0,2-0,4 m. Os sistemas plantio direto e cultivo mínimo levaram a acúmulos significativos de matéria orgânica, fósforo, potássio, magnésio e cálcio no solo. Foram verificadas, nesses sistemas, elevação do pH, maior CTC efetiva, soma de bases e diminuição no teor de alumínio, em relação aos demais sistemas. Os sistemas pastagem e seringueira apresentaram reduções nos teores de matéria orgânica, fósforo, potássio, magnésio, cálcio, diminuição do pH, menor CTC efetiva, soma de bases e aumento do teor de alumínio, quando comparados à vegetação natural. Os sistemas plantio direto e cultivo mínimo apresentaram melhores condições de qualidade ao solo, pois, além da melhoria nas condições químicas do solo, a matéria orgânica manteve-se em níveis similares aos do sistema natural.
Seletividade de herbicidas para híbridos simples de milho (Zea mays L.)
Authors: Signori L.H. , Deuber R.
Published: October 2012

Com o objetivo de estudar a seletividade de herbicidas, aplicados isolados ou em mistura, foram realizados quatro experimentos em vasos, com híbridos simples de milho IAC 7777 (dentado), C-72 (dentado) e IAC 1227 (duro), em solos argiloso e barrento. Em cada experimento foram aplicados dois herbicidas e sua mistura, como segue: I) atrazine a 2,40 kg de i.a./ha, pendimethalm a 1,75 kg e atrazine a 2,00 kg + pendimethalin a 1,25 kg; II) atrazine a 2,40 kg, metolachlor a 3,24 kg e atrazine a 2,00 kg + metolachlor a 2,52 kg; III) cianazine a 2,25 kg, pendimethalin a 1,50 kg e cianazine a 1,75 kg + pendimethalin a 1,00 kg; IV) atrazine a 2,40 kg, alachlor a 2,40 kg e atrazine a 1,60 kg + alachlor a 1,68 kg. Em cada experimento havia um tratamento testemunha. Foram obtidos os pesos de maté ria seca e os comprimentos de raízes e folhas, em quatro épocas, dentro dos períodos iniciais de 36, 49, 27 e 37 dias, respectivamente, para os experimentos I, II, II I e IV. Havia duas repetições para cada trata mento, cada época de amostragem e cada híbrido sendo adotado o delineamento totalmente casualizado. Ós herbicidas pendimethalin e cianazine, isolados ou em mistura, não causaram qualquer efeito no crescimento inicial das plantas de milho. Nos três expe rimentos em que fo i apli cado, o atrazine mostrou efeito estimulante em várias das amostragens, pelo aumento de peso de matéria seca ou de comprimento de raízes. Ó metolachlor e o alachlor apresentaram efeitos fitotóxicos em raízes e folhas, nas primeiras amostragens, com redução de peso e comprimento de folhas e de caules. Dos híbridos estudados, o IAC 7777 e o C-72 aprese ntaram o crescimento mais vigoroso . Ó IAC 1227 apresentou menor tolerância aos herbicidas usados. Ó solo barrento possibilitou melhores condições de crescimentos às plantas de milho que o argiloso, devido à sua fertilidade e textura.
Regulação automática de tensão em transformadores de subestação de distribuição usando implementação fuzzy
Authors: Spatti Danilo H. , Silva Ivan N. , Usida Wesley F. , Flauzino Rogério A.
Published: October 2012

Este trabalho apresenta um controlador fuzzy para realizar o ajuste automático de tensão em transformadores de subestação de distribuição de energia elétrica. Tal controle atuará em tempo-real nos transformadores dotados de comutadores de tap sob carga. O sistema inteligente foi empregado para tornar o relé regulador de tensão adaptativo. Ainda como foco do estudo, pretende-se atuar apenas na subestação de distribuição, realizando medições no barramento secundário e implementando ações de controle também neste barramento. A capacidade dos sistemas fuzzy em tratar incertezas, assim como sua habilidade em interpretar informações qualitativas, permitiu a formulação de uma estratégia de controle de tensão que atende a todas as regulamentações dos órgãos fiscalizadores brasileiros e, também, os anseios das concessionárias de distribuição frente aos aspectos relacionados com a qualidade de energia, pois os resultados obtidos foram bem satisfatórios.
Síntese de controladores repetitivos chaveados: uma aplicação à fontes ininterruptas de energia (UPS)
Authors: Flores Jeferson Vieira , Pereira Luís Fernando Alves , Silva Jr João Manoel Gomes da , Coutinho Daniel Ferreira , Bonan Guilherme
Published: October 2012

Este trabalho apresenta uma metodologia de síntese de controladores repetitivos visando o seguimento assintótico de sinais senoidais e a rejeição de perturbações periódicas em fontes ininterruptas de energia (UPS). Para obter uma boa relação entre desempenho transitório e em regime permanente, emprega-se uma representação no espaço de estados do controlador repetitivo com dois modos distintos de operação. Dessa forma, permite-se que o controlador repetitivo chaveie entre as seguintes situações: regime transitório (responsável por melhorar o tempo de recuperação quando a carga é alterada) e regime permanente (responsável pela rejeição da distorção harmônica do sinal de saída quando alimentando cargas não-lineares). A partir da representação do sistema e do controlador repetitivo no espaço de estados, utiliza-se uma realimentação de estados para a garantia da estabilidade do sistema em malha fechada quando este é sujeito a uma função de chaveamento arbitrária. A partir de um funcional de Lyapunov-Krasovskii, obtém-se um conjunto de condições na forma de desigualdades matriciais lineares (LMIs) para a determinação da realimentação de estados. O desempenho dinâmico do esquema de controle proposto é ilustrado através da simulação de modelos reais de sistemas UPS sujeitos a variações de cargas não-lineares.
Controle por modos deslizantes de sistemas multivariáveis não-lineares incertos aplicado à servovisão robótica não-calibrada
Authors: Oliveira Tiago Roux , Peixoto Alessandro Jacoud , Hsu Liu
Published: October 2012

Um controlador por modos deslizantes baseado em realimentação de saída utilizando funções de monitoração foi recentemente introduzido para sistemas monovariáveis lineares incertos com direção de controle desconhecida. Aqui, uma generalização é desenvolvida para sistemas multivariáveis fortemente não-lineares. O esquema de monitoração é estendido para lidar com a incerteza da matriz de ganho de alta frequência da planta. Nossa estratégia garante propriedades globais de estabilidade e rastreamento exato de saída. Resultados experimentais com um sistema de servovisão robótica, utilizando uma câmera fixa mas não-calibrada, ilustram a robustez e a viabilidade prática do esquema proposto.
Um mecanismo de decisão para inferência de contexto em ambientes pervasivos de tratamento de saúde
Authors: Copetti Alessandro , Leite J. C. B. , Loques O.
Published: October 2012

Este trabalho apresenta uma abordagem utilizando sistemas Fuzzy para o monitoramento de saúde de um paciente em ambientes de computação pervasiva. Um modelo de decisão considera três classes de variáveis que constituem as informações de contexto sendo coletadas: ambientais, fisiológicas e comportamentais. Um estudo de caso de monitoramento da pressão arterial foi desenvolvido para identificar situações críticas com base em conhecimento médico. A solução mantém a interpretabilidade de um conjunto de regras definidas, mesmo após uma fase de aprendizado que propõe ajustes nessas regras. Nessa fase, a técnica de agrupamento Fuzzy C-Means foi escolhida para o ajuste das funções de pertinência, usando os centros dos agrupamentos. Uma equipe médica avaliou dados de monitoramento de 24 horas de 30 pacientes e esta avaliação foi comparada com os resultados do sistema. A abordagem proposta demonstrou ser individualizada, identificando situações críticas em pacientes com diferentes níveis de pressão arterial, com uma acurácia de 90% e baixa taxa de falsos negativos.
A methodology to assess robust stability and robust performance of automatic flight control systems
Authors: Silva Alex Sander Ferreira da , Paiva Henrique Mohallem , Kienitz Karl Heinz
Published: October 2012

This article presents a methodology to assess the robust stability and the robust performance of automatic flight control systems (AFCS). The mathematical tool used in the proposed methodology is the structured singular value, µ. For comparison purposes, the paper uses a method largely employed in the aircraft industry to measure the quoted AFCS attributes. The issues existing in this methodology are discussed and it is shown that the proposed method presents one elegant path to deal with the mentioned drawbacks. A step by step procedure is provided, incorporating the advantages offered by the approach currently used in the industry and eliminating its weaknesses.
Aprendizado supervisionado com conjuntos de dados desbalanceados
Authors: Castro Cristiano Leite de , Braga Antônio Pádua
Published: October 2012

Algoritmos de aprendizado tradicionais induzidos por conjuntos de treinamento complexos e altamente desbalanceados têm apresentado dificuldade em diferenciar entre os grupos. A tendência é produzir modelos (ou regras) de classificação que favorecem a classe com maior probabilidade de ocorrência (majoritária), resultando em uma baixa taxa de reconhecimento para o grupo minoritário. O objetivo desse artigo é fornecer uma investigação sobre esse problema, que tem atraído o interesse de muitos pesquisadores nos últimos anos. No escopo de tarefas de classificação binária, são apresentados conceitos associados à natureza do problema de classes desbalanceadas e métricas de avaliação, incluindo os fundamentos da análise ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic); além do estado da arte das soluções propostas na literatura. Uma breve discussão a respeito de como os tópicos abordados no artigo podem ser estendidos para o aprendizado multiclasse é também fornecida.
Sisal: a supervisory system for oil wells
Authors: Soares Lennedy C. , Maitelli André L. , Medeiros Adelardo A. D.
Published: October 2012

Artificial lifting in oil industry uses a variety of methods and specific automation equipments for each method. Supervisory systems to these processes are usually specific for a unique method and/or for a unique manufacturer. To avoid this problem, it has been developed a supervisory system named SISAL, conceived for supervising wells with different lift methods and different automation equipments. SISAL is now in operation in several Brazilian states. This work shows how this system has been developed and presents some details of the SISAL's modules dealing with the artificial lift method called Plunger Lift.
Stability analysis of Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy systems via LMI: methodologies based on a new fuzzy Lyapunov function
Authors: Mozelli Leonardo Amaral , Palhares Reinaldo Martinez
Published: October 2012

Stability analysis of TS fuzzy systems can be much improved by resorting to fuzzy Lyapunov functions, since they are parameterized by membership functions and can better characterize the time-varying feature of these systems by means of the information regarding the first time-derivative of the membership functions. In this paper an enhanced fuzzy Lyapunov function is used to develop stability conditions that evaluate also the second time-derivative of membership functions, improving the time-varying characterization of TS systems. By using diferent strategies to consider the information regarding such derivatives and employing some numerical tools that decouple system from Lyapunov function matrices new LMI tests are developed. Numerical examples illustrate the effectiveness of those methodologies.
EMI conduzida gerada por conversores estáticos aplicados à correção do fator de potência
Authors: Beltrame Fernando , Roggia Leandro , Schuch Luciano , Pinheiro José Renes
Published: October 2012

Este trabalho investiga a interferência eletromagnética (EMI) conduzida gerada por conversores estáticos aplicados a correção do fator de potência. As topologias discutidas neste artigo são os conversores boost, boost intercalado e dual boost. Uma análise do comportamento dos ruídos conduzidos de modo diferencial e de modo comum nos conversores são apresentados. Os conversores são projetados de forma que a taxa de distorção harmônica da corrente de entrada seja a mesma, com o objetivo de usar o mesmo filtro de EMI de entrada. É apresentado o projeto do filtro de EMI com o objetivo de adequar os conversores a norma de interferencia eletromagnética (CISPR 22). Resultados experimentais dos conversores operando na correçao do fator de potência para uma carga de 300W são apresentados, bem como, resultados experimentais de EMI analisando-se o impacto da utilização do filtro de EMI, da alteração da resistência de gate das chaves semicondutoras e alteração da configuração do indutor boost na topologia dual boost.
Colaboração nas atividades de pesquisa desenvolvimento e inovação: o que nos ensina o Modelo de Centros e Redes de Excelência Petrobras / COPPE UFRJ?
Authors: Pires Ana Maria de Britto , Teixeira Francisco Lima Cruz , Hastenreiter Filho Horacio Nelson
Published: October 2012

A complexidade do processo de inovação tecnológica em atividades intensivas em conhecimento vem provocando o surgimento de novos arranjos colaborativos e novos modelos de negócio para as atividades de pesquisa, desenvolvimento e inovação (PD). Este artigo apresenta uma avaliação da Prática Centros e Redes de Excelência Petrobras/Coppe (PCREX) à luz dos referenciais teóricos da Hélice Tríplice, Inovação Aberta, Relação Universidade-Empresa e Redes de Inovação. O modelo PCREX propõe a construção de novos organismos interorganizacionais permanentes, voltados ao desenvolvimento de áreas específicas do conhecimento. A análise da PCREX é aprofundada pelo estudo de caso do Centro de Excelência em Geoquímica da Petrobras (Cegeq), protótipo da aplicação da PCREX, institucionalizado em 1996. A pesquisa revelou o total alinhamento da PCREX com as abordagens da Hélice Tríplice e da Inovação Aberta, o que confirma seu potencial dinamizador do processo de inovação; porém, apontou dificuldades na realização desse potencial no caso Cegeq. O estudo de caso evidenciou a necessidade de se avançar no desenvolvimento da capacidade de atuar em redes de colaboração e na construção de ambientes institucionais favoráveis ao exercício da colaboração nos moldes PCREX. A pesquisa revelou, ainda, que a adoção do modelo PCREX para a gestão das atividades de PD é uma decisão estratégica que precisa estar alinhada com a estratégia corporativa.
Reconstruction of the Neues Museum in Berlin, Germany
Authors: Eisele Gerhard , Seiler Josef
Published: October 2012

Construction engineers are increasingly faced with tasks in which a balance must be struck between historic structural designs and modern use requirements. Although they usually master these challenges, a thorough understanding of historic structures and conservation objectives is not widespread. However, such an understanding is key for proper handling of buildings with high conservation significance. In the case of the reconstruction of the Neues Museumin in Berlin, Germany, the most important responsibility of the engineers was to recognise, at an early stage, that purely theoretical approaches would not deliver the intended result and that all parties involved in the project needed to engage in the discussions, which also had to be facilitated. Key services to be provided included the development of verification concepts, planning and designing the required tests in a cross-disciplinary approach and coordinating the activities with the supervising authority.