bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Progressive Disseminated Superficial Actinic Porokeratosis: a Case Report with a Family History in Three Generations
Authors: Stepanović Milica , Paravina Mirjana , Spasić Danica Janjić
Published: March 2014

Disseminated superficial actinic porokeratosis is the most common form of porokeratosis in adults, which develops in the third or fourth decade of life, but may also occur later or earlier, more frequently in females, particularly in countries with high sun exposure. Lesions are numerous, uniform, superficial with central atrophy, demarcated by a distinct peripheral ridge, and usually found on sun exposed areas or elsewhere. The disease is inherited as an autosomal dominant condition. We present a 57-year-old retired woman. Her initial skin changes, affecting the face, developed in her thirties, and they have not changed their features since. In the following years, changes developed on the extensor surface of her arms and legs, with more prominent erythema, and then also on other parts of the body, including palms and soles, presenting as dark brown pigmented patches. Her mother had similar changes, and her daughter, who lives abroad, also has them. On examination, the patient presented with facial lesions, patches 2-3 mm wide, with peripheral hyperpigmentation and a pale center. There were multiple, 2-3 mm wide, dark brown lesions on the extremities and trunk. The lesions were either flat or with atrophic center with darker filiform corneal rim. Pathohistolgical examination revealed a "cornoid lamella", which is pathognomonic for the diagnosis of porokeratosis. Auxiliary diagnostic methods were also used - dermoscopy and Gentian violet staining. The patient was advised to avoid sun exposure and to apply photoprotective sunscreens. In conclusion, this is a case report of a disseminated superficial actinic porokeratosis that affected three generations of a family. Our patient developed lesions on palms and soles as well. A review of available world literature shows that this is the second case report of disseminated superficial actinic porokeratosis with palmoplantar involvement.
The meaning of genocide and terror in cognitive tourism
Authors: Tanaś Sławoj
Published: March 2014

The article considers the influence of acts of terror and war crimes on both the development of tourism, or a lack of it. Terrorist attacks, the victims of which are tourists as well as local citizens, constrain or completely prevent tourism development. Terrorism is then a barrier to the development of the tourism economy. With time, however, memory of the crime and its victims, due to documentation and commemoration, may become an impulse to organize spaces which will be included in tourism.
The Battle of Łódź 1914: a chance to develop military heritage tourism in the metropolitan tourism region of Łódź
Authors: Bończak Bartosz
Published: March 2014

Wars were and still are an intrinsic element in the history of mankind. They bring glory to the victorious, the bitterness of failure to the defeated, and always destruction and suffering to ordinary people, but at the same time they have had a great impact or even shaped the culture of societies. In many places all over the world, as well as in Poland, relics from wars, battlefields, fortifications and weapons are unique and an extraordinary attraction that might bring in tourists. This type of tourism is known as military heritage tourism. In Łódź and its vicinity there are many military sites that might potentially become an attraction. They are mostly related to the great but forgotten Battle of Łódź that took place during the Great War. However, are they attractive enough to create a tourism product?
Tourist product in experience economy
Authors: Stasiak Andrzej
Published: March 2014

The turn of the 20th and 21st c. was marked by the development of experience economy, in which the basic commodities are not specific products, but the customers’ emotions, impressions and experiences. Tourism has always been a particular “holiday experience industry”. In recent years, however, the importance of the conscious creation of emotional tourism products has become even greater; we may observe continuous efforts to multiply and intensify tourism experience. The key activities to achieve this goal include transforming tourism infrastructure into unique tourism attractions, enlarging traditional services/service packages by elements providing additional emotions and satisfaction, using modern technologies in order to add virtual entities to real tourism space (augmented reality), as well as to conveniently record tourism experience and share it with the public.
Touristically-attractive springs in the Polish Lowlands
Authors: Girjatowicz Józef P.
Published: March 2014

On the basis of available published materials and his own research, the author identifies the 27 most attractive springs in the Polish Lowlands. He describes their most important landscape and tourism assets – the relief of the spring outlet area, landforms, the character of the spring itself and the accompanying tourism infrastructure. The article presents available data regarding the water discharged by the springs: volume, temperature, colour and medicinal properties; as well as pointing to associated interesting natural features, examples of religious architecture and historical curiosities. The distribution of springs in the Polish Lowlands is uneven, with the majority found in the area of the morainic uplands, as well as in deeper river valleys and lake troughs.
Towards automated road information framework a case study of Tanzania
Authors: Runyoro Angela-Aida K. , Zlotnikova Irina , Ko Jesuk
Published: March 2014

Traffic congestion problem has been noticed to have a serious impact on the economy of the country in terms of time wastage, energy consumption costs, human loss and environmental effects. Different strategies have been used so far all over the world as shown in the literature review. Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) is a multi-technology approach that can help to handle the issues and create a complete congestion reduction framework. This paper presents a case study for implementing automated road management system using networks in Tanzania, where three cities highly affected by traffic congestion have been studied. Study results show that these cities have not yet implemented new technologies in road traffic management; instead the traffic is controlled using traffic police officers and traffic lights only. The traffic lights use an old technology that cannot manage traffic in relation to the real-time situations. This study proposes components for a framework, which will assist automation in road traffic management. From the review of various existing ITS of which Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) and Advanced Travel Information System (ATIS) are subsystems, we have identified the possibility to integrate the two sub-systems within the framework. Three-phase traffic theory has been referred, FOTO and ASDA models are applied to the automatic recognition and tracking of congested spatiotemporal traffic patterns on roads.
A self-powered wireless sensor network for dynamic management of queues at traffic lights
Authors: Collotta Mario , Denaro Mario , Scatà Gianfranco , Messineo Antonio , Nicolosi Giuseppina
Published: March 2014

The dynamic management of traffic light cycles is a really interesting research issue considering modern technologies, which can be used in order to optimise road junctions and then improve living conditions of the roads. Wireless sensor networks represent the most suitable technology, as they are easy to deploy and manage. The data relating to road traffic flows can be detected by the sensor network and then processed through the innovative approach, proposed in this work, in order to determine the right green times at traffic lights. Although wireless sensor networks are characterized by very low consumption devices, the continuous information transmission reduces the life cycle of the whole network. To this end, the proposed architecture provides a technique to power the sensor nodes based on piezoelectric materials, which allow producing potential energy taking advantage of the vibration produced by the passage of vehicles on the road.
Residual Stresses in Shot Peened Grey and Compact Iron
Authors: Lundberg M. , Peng R. L. , Ahmad M. , Vuoristo T. , Bäckström D. , Johansson S.
Published: March 2014

Grey cast iron and compacted graphite iron with a pearlitic matrix are investigated in this study after shot peening using twelve unique combinations of parameters, namely shot size, peening intensity and coverage, followed by residual stress measurements and evaluations. Cylindrical test samples were cut out from heavy truck cylinder heads and polished on the top flat surface to decrease effects from cutting. Residual stresses and the affected depth from the different peening conditions varied between −245 MPa to −565 MPa and from 280 μm to 770 μm in depth. Resultant surface compressive stresses decrease with increasing shot size, peening intensity or coverage whereas the affected depth increases with increasing intensity. The increased affected depth is a result from the increased extent and magnitude of plastic deformation. The compacted graphite iron was more affected by shot peening than the grey cast iron, meaning that the same shot peening parameters resulted in both higher compressive stresses and larger deformation depth.
Uncertainties in retrieved ice thickness from freeboard measurements due to surface melting
Authors: Lu Peng , Li Zhijun
Published: March 2014

Airborne and spaceborne remote sensing of ice freeboard offers a good method of retrieving ice thickness in the polar oceans. However, its accuracy is highly limited by the factors altering the hydrostatic equilibrium of ice floes, such as snow cover and melt ponds which change the surface loading on the ice volume. In contrast to the abundant studies on snow loads, little attention has been paid to the role of melt ponds, partly owing to the difficulties of freeboard measurements during the melt season. To help fill this gap and provide a basis for possible instruments and algorithms being able to access ice freeboard with melting surface in future, a theoretical model was developed to investigate the uncertainty in ice thickness retrieval due to surface melting. First, the ice thickness was related to the freeboard, snow depth, melt pond size and densities of snow, ice and water, and then a sensitivity analysis was carried out to study the influence of melt pond morphology. The results show that melting ice has a much lower mean thickness than ice without a melting surface, although with the same freeboard because of a loss of floe weight due to melting. During pond evolution, a floe gains weight when ponds deepen on the vertical scale, but loses weight when they widen on the horizontal scale, resulting in increasing mean ice thickness with decreasing pond depth and fraction. Freeboard is found to be the major source of uncertainty in the retrieved thickness of first-year ice (FYI), while it is ice density in the case of multi-year ice (MYI). The ratio of ice draft to freeboard ranges from 3.0 to 6.2 for FYI and 2.0 to 4.1 for MYI, agreeing with field observations during melting seasons.
Circadian Phase Preference in Pediatric Bipolar Disorder
Authors: Kim Kerri , Weissman Alexandra , Puzia Megan , Cushman Grace , Seymour Karen , Wegbreit Ezra , Carskadon Mary , Dickstein Daniel
Published: March 2014

Pediatric bipolar disorder (BD) rates have notably increased over the past three decades. Given the significant morbidity and mortality associated with BD, efforts are needed to identify factors useful in earlier detection to help address this serious public health concern. Sleep is particularly important to consider given the sequelae of disrupted sleep on normative functioning and that sleep is included in diagnostic criteria for both Major Depressive and Manic Episodes. Here, we examine one component of sleep—i.e., circadian phase preference with the behavioral construct of morningness/eveningness (M/E). In comparing 30 BD and 45 typically developing control (TDC) participants, ages 7–17 years, on the Morningness-Eveningness Scale for Children (MESC), no between-group differences emerged. Similar results were found when comparing three groups (BD−ADHD; BD+ADHD; TDC). Consistent with data available on circadian phase preference in adults with BD, however, we found that BD adolescents, ages 13 years and older, endorsed significantly greater eveningness compared to their TDC peers. While the current findings are limited by reliance on subjective report and the high-rate of comorbid ADHD among the BD group, this finding that BD teens demonstrate an exaggerated shift towards eveningness than would be developmentally expected is important. Future studies should compare the circadian rhythms across the lifespan for individuals diagnosed with BD, as well as identify the point at which BD youth part ways with their healthy peers in terms of phase preference. In addition, given our BD sample was overall euthymic, it may be that M/E is more state vs. trait specific in latency age youth. Further work would benefit from assessing circadian functioning using a combination of rating forms and laboratory-based measures. Improved understanding of sleep in BD may identify behavioral targets for inclusion in prevention and intervention protocols.
Application of Sub-Micrometer Vibrations to Mitigate Bacterial Adhesion
Authors: Paces Will , Holmes Hal , Vlaisavljevich Eli , Snyder Katherine , Tan Ee , Rajachar Rupak , Ong Keat
Published: March 2014

As a prominent concern regarding implantable devices, eliminating the threat of opportunistic bacterial infection represents a significant benefit to both patient health and device function. Current treatment options focus on chemical approaches to negate bacterial adhesion, however, these methods are in some ways limited. The scope of this study was to assess the efficacy of a novel means of modulating bacterial adhesion through the application of vibrations using magnetoelastic materials. Magnetoelastic materials possess unique magnetostrictive property that can convert a magnetic field stimulus into a mechanical deformation. In vitro experiments demonstrated that vibrational loads generated by the magnetoelastic materials significantly reduced the number of adherent bacteria on samples exposed to Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus suspensions. These experiments demonstrate that vibrational loads from magnetoelastic materials can be used as a post-deployment activated means to deter bacterial adhesion and device infection.
Synthesis of Novel Highly Functionalized 4-Thiazolidinone Derivatives from 4-Phenyl-3-thiosemicarbazones
Authors: Benmohammed Abdelmadjid , Khoumeri Omar , Djafri Ayada , Terme Thierry , Vanelle Patrice
Published: March 2014

We present herein the synthesis in good yields of two series of highly functionalized thiazolidinone derivatives from the reactions of various 4-phenyl-3-thio-semicarbazones with ethyl 2-bromoacetate and diethyl acetylenedicarboxylate, respectively.
The financing of insurance companies in recent years
Authors: Caruana de las Cagigas Leonardo
Published: March 2014

Comment a évolué l’activité financière des compagnies d’assurances au cours des trente dernières années ? Elle s’est beaucoup développée, mais la croissance et l’extension du marché financier ont rendu le secteur plus important, plus diversifié et plus complexe, ce qui a amené des niveaux de risque plus élevés. De nouveaux produits comme les produits dérivés et la titrisation ont alimenté la croissance du secteur sur une longue période et ils ont été une des causes principales de la crise financière de 2008, au cours de laquelle des millions de dollars ont été perdus. Avant la crise, la performance de l’assurance prudentielle a changé en 2005, car de grandes catastrophes naturelles se sont produites, en particulier l’ouragan Katrina. Une conséquence a été l’augmentation des investissements dans les produits dérivés et dans la titrisation. Néanmoins les pertes subies par les compagnies d’assurances ont été inférieures à celles endurées par les banques.
De l'interprétation des textes à l'énonciation de la loi
Authors: Bruel Alain
Published: March 2014

L’exercice de la fonction de juger est une activité complexe qui ne se limite pas à l’application du droit et à l’interprétation des textes en fonction de la progression des savoirs. Il comporte aussi des actes d’énonciation : nomination et qualification des faits, justification de la décision. Sur quelles bases s’appuie le juge pour étayer la manière personnelle dont il applique le droit ? L’auteur se réfère à une perception intuitive du respect des personnes, perspective qui, en assistance éducative, permet de parvenir à une cohérence qui ne se retrouve malheureusement pas dans l’application de la loi pénale. Ainsi la justice des mineurs, opérant, à partir de sa place symbolique, la séparation que permet le langage, contribue à l’éducation.
Protection administrative ou signalement judiciaire : une mise au point sur les devoirs et les responsabilités des professionnels
Authors: Rault Florence
Published: March 2014

La protection de l’enfance en danger est un objectif fondamental dont l’effectivité est garantie en France par un double système de protection, administrative et judiciaire. La réforme du 5 mars 2007 a facilité l’articulation entre ces deux types de protection, source de confusion pour les professionnels de l’enfance confrontés à des situations préoccupantes. En affirmant la primauté de la protection administrative sur la protection judiciaire, en rationalisant le traitement des informations préoccupantes, en favorisant la prévention et en clarifiant les cas nécessitant la saisine directe du procureur de la République, le législateur a considérablement amélioré le système de protection de l’enfance en danger, au risque d’en devenir trop préventif.
Decoupling Aspects in Board Game Modeling
Authors: Frapolli Fulvio , Brocco Amos , Malatras Apostolos , Hirsbrunner Béat
Published: March 2014

Existing research on computer enhanced board games is mainly focused on user interaction issues and look-and-feel, however, this overlooks the flexibility of traditional board games when it comes to game rule handling. In this respect, the authors argue that successful game designs need to exploit the advantages of the digital world as well as retaining such flexibility. To achieve this goal, both the rules of the game and the graphical representation should be simple to define at the design stage, and easy to change before or even during a game session. For that reason, the authors propose a framework allowing the implementation of all aspects of a board game in a fully flexible and decoupled way. This paper will describe the Flexiblerules approach, which combines both a model driven and an aspect oriented design of computer enhanced board games. The benefits of this approach are discussed and illustrated in the case of three different board games.
Effects of Built-in Audio versus Unrelated Background Music on Performance in an Adventure Role-Playing Game
Authors: Tan Siu-Lan , Baxa John , Spackman Matthew P.
Published: March 2014

This article presents an empirical study of the role of video game audio on performance. Twenty participants played The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess on the Wii console for a 45-minute session on five consecutive days. Employing a repeated measures design, the authors exposed players to one orientation session and four sound conditions, i.e., silence, remote control sounds, remote control and screen sounds, and unrelated music played on a boom-box, in a counterbalanced order. Performance was weakest when playing without sound, increasingly stronger with audio emitted by remote control only, and by remote-and-screen respectively. Surprisingly, the highest scores were earned when playing with music that was unrelated to players’ actions or events unfolding on screen. These findings point to the challenges of processing multisensory cues during the initial stages of an elaborate role-playing game, and suggest that the most effective players swiftly develop strategies incorporating task-relevant information conveyed by both sound and images.
Computer-Generated Three-Dimensional Training Environments
Authors: Garrett Michael , McMahon Mark
Published: March 2014

Problem-based learning is an instructional strategy that emphasises the accumulation and development of knowledge via an active and experiential based approach to solving problems. This pedagogical framework can be instantiated using gaming technology to provide learners with the ability to control their learning experience within a dynamic, responsive, and visually rich three-dimensional virtual environment. In this regard, a conceptual framework referred to as the Simulation, User, and Problem-based Learning (SUPL) approach has been developed in order to inform the design of 3D simulation environments based on gaming technology within a problem-based learning pedagogy. The SUPL approach identifies a series of design factors relative to the user, the problem-solving task, and the 3D simulation environment that guide the learning process and facilitate the transfer of knowledge. This paper will present a simulation environment design according to this conceptual framework for a problem-solving task within the context of an underground mine emergency evacuation. The problem-solving task will be designed to satisfy learning objectives that relate to the development of knowledge and skills for emergency evacuation of the Dominion Mining’s Challenger mining operation located in South Australia.
Towards Games for Knowledge Acquisition and Modeling
Authors: Hoppenbrouwers Stijn , Schotten Bart , Lucas Peter
Published: March 2014

Many model-based methods in AI require formal representation of knowledge as input. For the acquisition of highly structured, domain-specific knowledge, machine learning techniques still fall short, and knowledge elicitation and modelling is then the standard. However, obtaining formal models from informants who have few or no formal skills is a non-trivial aspect of knowledge acquisition, which can be viewed as an instance of the well-known “knowledge acquisition bottleneck”. Based on the authors’ work in conceptual modelling and method engineering, this paper casts methods for knowledge modelling in the framework of games. The resulting games-for-modelling approach is illustrated by a first prototype of such a game. The authors’ long-term goal is to lower the threshold for formal knowledge acquisition and modelling.
Manoeuvring the Rough Commercial Landscape through Outsourcing
Authors: Halim Hasliza Abdul , Ahmad Noor Hazlina , Ramayah T.
Published: March 2014

The global commercial landscape is moving dynamically and continues to loom in the rigour environment, forewarning the Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) to get their act together before the next wave of the rough economic landscape hits their bottom line. SMEs discover that they need to reposition themselves, and consistent with this, many SMEs embark on outsourcing as one of their business strategies to manoeuvre their companies so that they could survive and sustain during the tough time. Therefore, this chapter studies the prevalence of outsourcing among entrepreneurs in SMEs in Malaysia. Outsourcing is a convoluted process and can bring new development opportunity for the SMEs to quest for their competitiveness. A sample of ten SME entrepreneurs from Malaysia participated in this study. A series of interviews were conducted among these entrepreneurs to probe their behaviours and outlook on outsourcing. The results showed that SME entrepreneurs highlighted the importance and impact of outsourcing in managing and running their business enterprise. Some entrepreneurs perceived outsourcing as a key trend shaping the future of their activities in terms of reducing costs and increasing efficiency, flexibility, and performance. In sum, this study generates agenda for researchers to reach more conclusive evidence about the practice of outsourcing among SMEs.
The Use of Vignette Experiments in Business Strategy Research
Authors: Linder Stefan
Published: March 2014

Scholars in business strategy research often face the challenge of obtaining the necessary empirical data to test causal relationships that form the foundation for many practitioner-oriented recommendations. About two decades ago, Priem (1992) and Priem and Harrison (1994) provided compelling introductions to and called for using vignette experiments to overcome this impasse. Yet, little is known on vignette experiments’ actual use in business strategy research. In this chapter, a search of past applications suggests little overall use, yet a broad diversity in both the themes studied with vignettes and the ways the vignettes were used by scholars. These findings suggest that a number of open methodological issues likely have hampered more common use of the method so far.
Project Management in IT Type University Spin-Offs
Authors: Szopa Anna , Jałocha Beata
Published: March 2014

Poor project management in IT companies, strong industry competition, and small firm fragility are some of the most often cited arguments to justify business failure. This chapter provides an integrated view of concepts involved in information technology project management in university spin-off companies. It includes a presentation of a success story of an IT university spin-off, which from the very beginning of its activity focused mainly on project management processes. The chapter explains how university spin-off organizational structure influences the project management process and discusses important methods and approaches that can determine IT spin-off successes.
Strategic Success, Supply Chain Performance, and Social Media
Authors: Hamilton John W. , Kwon Ik-Whan G.
Published: March 2014

This chapter explores the impact of social media to provide critical communication about the firm’s strategic plans to all stakeholders. Lack of communication is among the most frequently references for strategic failure. Additionally, the supply chain has become recognized by some firms as a strategic advantage, and social media provides new opportunities to communicate throughout the supply chain. Strategic success and supply chain performance can be enhanced through the use of social media and the resulting communication effectiveness to all stakeholders.
A Comparative Study of Teachers’ and Engineering Students’ Enterprise 3.0 Application in Entrepreneurship
Authors: Ahrens Andreas , Bassus Olaf , Zaščerinska Jeļena
Published: March 2014

Everyone may at some stage need to become an entrepreneur or to display entrepreneurial behaviour or to have the opportunity of creating his/her own business regardless of background or location (EU Commission, 2004). Efficient business is shaped by such an essential factor as Enterprise 3.0 application in entrepreneurship. The aim of this chapter is to analyse teachers’ and engineering students’ Enterprise 3.0 application in entrepreneurship, underpinning elaboration of a hypothesis on the integration of teachers’ and engineering students’ Enterprise 3.0 application into teacher training and engineering education for efficient entrepreneurship. The meaning of key concepts of enterprise, entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship education, Enterprise 3.0, and Enterprise 3.0 application is studied. Exploratory research of the comparative study has been used. The empirical study included teachers’ and students’ case studies. Descriptive statistics were implemented for primary data analysis. The findings allow drawing the conclusions on the teachers’ and engineering students’ Enterprise 3.0 application in entrepreneurship. A hypothesis is proposed.
Redefining “Business-Society Relations” for Japanese Corporations in China
Authors: Ryu Keikoh
Published: March 2014

The long and complex history between China and Japan, and in particular the “negative heritage” of the Second World War, has effectively alienated the two countries and led to a pervasive culture of anti-Japanese sentiment throughout China. Following the violent demonstrations of 2005, this anti-Japanese sentiment has also had an effect on the economic prospects of Japanese corporations, creating apprehension over the future of Japanese corporate and trade relations in China. All of this has forced Japanese companies seeking to expand their businesses abroad to grapple with the unique challenges of operating within the highly politicized environment of Chinese nationalism. This begs the question: how should Japanese corporations respond to Chinese nationalism in pursuing their business objectives? Based on field research conducted in 2007, this chapter begins with an analysis of the impact of Chinese nationalism on the commercial prospects of Japanese businesses with operations in China, goes on to discuss the importance of “business-society relations” for the localization of Japanese corporations in the Chinese market, and concludes by recommending strategies for social engagement that deal effectively with these issues. Still, the success of any such strategy ultimately depends on whether China's market economy continues to develop in the face of harsh political conditions and growing social unrest. To date, only a handful of studies have addressed the impact of business-society relations on the economic performance of Japanese corporations operating in China. This chapter is an attempt to fill that gap.
Exporting vs. Domestic SMEs in Malaysia
Authors: Yeap Jasmine A. L. , Ramayah T. , Mohamad Osman , Marimuthu Malliga
Published: March 2014

The extent of SMEs’ technology adoption in Malaysia has not been clearly reported. This chapter provides an initial snapshot onto the various types of technological tools adopted by exporting and domestic SMEs in Malaysia. It also highlights the differing perceptions held by both exporting and domestic SMEs on certain issues related to the technological, organizational, and environmental contexts that the firms operate in as well as the differences in the owners’ characteristics for the two types of SMEs. Through a survey of 540 manufacturing and manufacturing-related services SMEs, the findings revealed that exporting firms generally have higher technology adoption rates than domestic firms. Significant differences between exporting and domestic firms were also found in their perceptions on issues like perceived relative advantage, competitive advantage, information intensity, as well as in the owners’ characteristics, such as innovativeness. Implications drawn from the findings are duly discussed in the chapter.
Trusted Integration of Wireless Sensor Networks into Herd Control Monitoring Application
Authors: Gomez Laurent , Riveill Michel
Published: March 2014

Integration of trusted information is an important requirement from business application. As business applications adaption relies on sensor data, that information must be trustworthy enough in order to prevent any misuse of sensor data. For example, the use of un-trustworthy information in healthcare system can have severe consequence on patient life. But it appears that sensors are not tamper resistant enough in order to prevent any capture of cryptographic material stored on the nodes. Therefore, a soft security alternative of hardening security mechanisms is to ensure trustworthiness of sensor data. From its production on the node to its delivery to the business application, and including its processing and forwarding, the authors propose to assess sensor data along its life-cycle. In this paper, the authors propose a framework for the assessment of sensor data trustworthiness, from the acquisition at the node to their delivery to business applications, including any intermediary routing or processing. The assessment aims at identifying erroneous sensor data caused intentionally or unintentionally. In addition, the authors evaluate their approach with real sensor data acquired in the scope of the WASP project (http://www.wasp-project.org - Wirelessly Accessible Sensor Populations - IST 034963) during a herd control experiment.
Extending the RPL Routing Protocol to Agricultural Low Power and Lossy Networks (A-LLNs)
Authors: Chen Yibo , Chanet Jean-Pierre , Hou Kun Mean , Shi Hong Ling
Published: March 2014

The routing protocol for low power and lossy network (RPL) started to be designed by the ROLL working group of IETF since the year of 2008. Until the RFC6550 was released, this standard with its routing algorithms and four application scenarios, such as home and building automation, industrial control, and urban environment, have been grounded. As a main jigsaw of the paradigm of the Internet of Things (IoT), RPL plays the major role and has become an impressed technical tendency in the field of wireless communication. However, it is still very difficult to find effective approaches to simulate and evaluate RPL’s behaviors and other extensions of its applicability, especially in the domain of precision agriculture. Notice that wireless sensor network (WSN) has been deployed a wide variety of wireless sensing devices, and should be one valued supported part of the promising IoT ecosystem. In this paper, first the authors provide a brief presentation of the related protocols including their standardization, the existing implementations, and a group of simulation experiment results obtained from the RPL capable COOJA simulator with its developed modules. Second, the authors then focus on the utilization of this protocol in the agricultural low power and lossy network (A-LLN) area and propose their dedicated instances hybrid network architecture to meet its specific requirement. Moreover, the Web of things (WoT), a trend and new vision of IoT, is appended in the authors’ proposal to provide a novel dimension in design of A-LLN since it enables a full interoperability with current web application and higher efficiency of development. As a conclusion, the authors summarized their ongoing work and future solutions of the current technology issues.
Influences of Gender and Computer Gaming Experience in Occupational Desktop Virtual Environments
Authors: Ausburn Lynna J. , Ausburn Floyd B. , Kroutter Paul J.
Published: March 2014

This study used a cross-case analysis methodology to compare four line-of-inquiry studies of desktop virtual environments (DVEs) to examine the relationships of gender and computer gaming experience to learning performance and perceptions. Comparison was made of learning patterns in a general non-technical DVE with patterns in technically complex, occupationally-specific DVEs. Two oppositely-gendered occupations were sampled in the technical studies: surgical technology and policing. The cross-case analysis confirmed in the occupationally-specific DVEs the gender effect in favor of males on spatial learning that has been documented in previous research literature. It also supported a gaming experience effect in favor of more experienced gamers, but did not clearly demonstrate a relationship between gender and gaming experience. Several implications and recommendations are presented for practitioners and researchers in adult vocational, career, and technical education.
Opening Doors for Career Advancement
Authors: Fletcher Edward C. , Lasonen Johanna L. , Hernandez-Gantes Victor M.
Published: March 2014

The purpose of the study was to: 1. uncover the decision making factors which potential adult learners consider in their determination to enroll in a graduate program; 2. explore their unique program experiences; and 3. identify anticipated outcomes. The following themes were uncovered: Reasons for Enrollment, Nature of Program Experiences: Transformations, Outcomes: Broader Outlook on Program Impact. Findings demonstrated the impact masters’ programs could have on students in terms of intellectual, employability, and marketability capacities. It also suggests students’ decision making in terms of pursuing a master’s degree might not be as well thought out and calculated as the literature suggests.
In One Voice
Authors: Drago-Severson Eleanor , Maslin-Ostrowski Patricia , Hoffman Alexander M.
Published: March 2014

This article examines the views of graduate students who are aspiring or practicing school leaders and faculty from two university degree granting leadership preparation programs. Drawn from a larger mixed methods study, the authors focus here on survey results that show how these groups rated the effectiveness of 14 potential curricular dimensions drawn from traditional leadership content (e.g., budget/finance, legal compliance) and more recent (contemporary) additions to leadership curricula (e.g., reflective practice, adult learning and development, social-emotional capacity). Both traditional and contemporary areas received high ratings for effectiveness and importance to professional growth and development. Implications of this research point to the joint importance and feasibility of a more integrated approach to leadership education that includes contemporary and traditional dimensions. These finding may have important implications for other settings as well.
Risk Management Information System Architecture for a Hospital Center
Authors: Costa Fábio , Santos Patrícia , Varajão João , Pereira Luís Torres , Costa Vitor
Published: March 2014

In modern day’s institutions, risk management plays a crucial role as it aims to minimize the likelihood of adverse events and contributes to improve the quality of services delivery. In health care, an effective risk management is only possible if supported by information systems that can produce high quality measures and meaningful risk indicators. These indicators will then allow the healthcare organization to self-assess by identifying critical gaps and opportunities for improvement in several frontiers. Such an organizational thrust is not only warranted for competitiveness but also fundamental for the purpose of benchmarking, accreditation and certification. Additionally, monitoring of specific indicators is often required by the tutelage. However, the development of a risk management system can be an arduous process due to the inherent complexity of clinical systems. This paper presents an architecture for the implementation of a risk management information system, using as example the case of CHTMAD, a Portuguese hospital center.
Multimodal Information Fusion of Audiovisual Emotion Recognition Using Novel Information Theoretic Tools
Authors: Xie Zhibing , Guan Ling
Published: March 2014

This paper aims at providing general theoretical analysis for the issue of multimodal information fusion and implementing novel information theoretic tools in multimedia application. The most essential issues for information fusion include feature transformation and reduction of feature dimensionality. Most previous solutions are largely based on the second order statistics, which is only optimal for Gaussian-like distribution, while in this paper we describe kernel entropy component analysis (KECA) which utilizes descriptor of information entropy and achieves improved performance by entropy estimation. The authors present a new solution based on the integration of information fusion theory and information theoretic tools in this paper. The proposed method has been applied to audiovisual emotion recognition. Information fusion has been implemented for audio and video channels at feature level and decision level. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm achieves improved performance in comparison with the existing methods, especially when the dimension of feature space is substantially reduced.
PLEs in Higher Education
Authors: Casquero Oskar , Portillo Javier , Ovelar Ramón , Romo Jesús , Benito Manuel
Published: March 2014

Knowing whether Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) could transfer Web 2.0 affordances, which have been focused on the non-educational or recreational sphere, to the institutional sphere is important to move the research agenda beyond “cool uses” and to understand how the learning process is affected when students use this new type of environment in formal settings. This study analyzes the use of institutionally-powered PLEs (iPLEs) as a means to enable the participatory and community-centered model of Web 2.0 in higher education. Students from two undergraduate, inter-university, online courses were divided into two groups: a control group using a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) based on Moodle, and an experimental group using an iPLE based on iGoogle, FriendFeed and Google Groups. The assumption that the iPLE is a suitable tool to create a cohesive and participative learning network that excels that generated by means of the VLE was explored. The results obtained through social network analysis performed to each environment’s forum data confirm this hypothesis.
THE PRICE OF MERCY: COMMENT TO THE PAPER "PREVENTION OF BETA-THALASSEMIA IN NORTHERN ISRAEL - A COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS” BY KOREN ET AL
Authors: Rachmilewitz Eliezer
Published: March 2014

COMMENT TO THE PAPER "PREVENTION OF BETA-THALASSEMIA IN NORTHERN ISRAEL - A COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS” BY KOREN ET AL
This corrects the article " Kikuchi-Fujimoto Disease in the Unites States: Three Case Reports and Review of the Literature" in volume 6, e2014001, link: http://www.mjhid.org/article/view/11988
Authors: Deaver Darcie
Published: March 2014

Due to a layout error, in the title Unites must be canged on United. At the first row of the abstract histiocytic lymphadenitis must be canged on histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis.
Herbivores shape woody plant communities in the Kruger National Park: Lessons from three long-term exclosures
Authors: Wigley Benjamin J. , Fritz Herve , Coetsee Corli , Bond William J.
Published: March 2014

The role of grazers in determining vegetation community compositions and structuring plant communities is well recognised in grassy systems. The role of browsers in affecting savanna woody plant communities is less clear. We used three long-term exclosures in the Kruger National Park to determine the effect of browsers on species compositions and population structures of woody communities. Species assemblages, plant traits relating to browsing and soil nutrients were compared inside and outside of the exclosures. Our results showed that browsers directly impact plant species distributions, densities and population structures by actively selecting for species with traits which make them desirable to browsers. Species with high leaf nitrogen, low total phenolic content and low acid detergent lignin appeared to be favoured by herbivores and therefore tend to be rare outside of the exclosures. This study also suggested that browsers have important indirect effects on savanna functioning, as the reduction of woody cover can result in less litter of lower quality, which in turn can result in lower soil fertility. However, the magnitude of browser effects appeared to depend on inherent soil fertility and climate.Conservation implications: Browsers were shown to have significant impacts on plant communities. They have noticeable effects on local species diversity and population structure, as well as soil nutrients. These impacts are shown to be related to the underlying geology and climate. The effects of browsers on woody communities were shown to be greater in low rainfall, fertile areas compared to high rainfall, infertile soils.
Manipulating lignin deposition
Authors: Schuetz Mathias , Douglas Carl , Samuels Lacey , Ellis Brian
Published: March 2014

Schuetz, M., Douglas, C., Samuels, L. and Ellis, B. 2014. Manipulating lignin deposition. Can. J. Plant Sci. 94: 1043–1049. Since lignin represents one of most durable forms of fixed carbon in plant biomass, we hypothesized that increasing root lignin content for crops whose root systems remained in the soil after harvest would elevate the total amount of carbon retained in the soil in Canadian agroecosystems. The immediate goal of this Greencrop project was, therefore, to gain a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms that control deposition of the lignin polymer in plant cell walls, with a view to eventually manipulating the quantity and location of lignin in crop plant root systems. To this end, we examined two classes of Arabidopsis thaliana proteins – transcription factors, which are believed to play crucial roles in regulating lignin biosynthesis, and ATP binding cassette transporters, which are putative lignin precursor transporters. These studies revealed that a complex network of interacting transcriptional regulators is involved in activating and suppressing the expression of key genes required for secondary cell wall deposition and lignification.
Safety of the Combined Use of Praziquantel and Albendazole in the Treatment of Human Hydatid Disease
Authors: Alvela-Suárez Lucía , Velasco-Tirado Virginia , Belhassen-Garcia Moncef , Novo-Veleiro Ignacio , Pardo-Lledías Javier , Romero-Alegría Angela , Pérez del Villar Luis , Valverde-Merino María Paz , Cordero-Sánchez Miguel
Published: March 2014

There is still no well-established consensus about the clinical management of hydatidosis. Currently, surgery continues to be the first therapeutic option, although treatment with anti-parasitic drugs is indicated as an adjuvant to surgery to decrease the number of relapses and hydatid cyst size. When surgery is not possible, medical treatment is indicated. Traditionally, albendazole was used in monotherapy as the standard treatment. However, combined therapy with albendazole plus praziquantel appears to improve anti-parasitic effectiveness. To date, no safety studies focusing on such combined therapy have been published for the treatment of hydatidosis. In this work, we analyze the adverse effects seen in 57 patients diagnosed with hydatidosis who were treated with praziquantel plus albendazole combined therapy between 2006 and 2010.
Investigation of Dengue and Japanese Encephalitis Virus Transmission in Hanam, Viet Nam
Authors: Fox Annette , Whitehead Stephen , Anders Katherine L. , Hoa Le Nguyen Minh , Mai Le Quynh , Thai Pham Quang , Yen Nguyen Thu , Duong Tran Nhu , Thoang Dang Dinh , Farrar Jeremy , Wertheim Heiman , Simmons Cameron , Hien Nguyen Tran , Horby Peter
Published: March 2014

This study investigated whether a large dengue epidemic that struck Hanoi in 2009 also affected a nearby semirural area. Seroconversion (dengue virus-reactive immunoglobulin G enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) was high during 2009 compared with 2008, but neutralization assays showed that it was caused by both dengue virus and Japanese encephalitis virus infections. The findings highlight the importance of continued Japanese encephalitis virus vaccination and dengue surveillance.
Early Phase Clinical Trials with Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 and Malaria Vectored Vaccines in The Gambia: Frontline Challenges in Study Design and Implementation
Authors: Afolabi Muhammed O. , Adetifa Jane U. , Imoukhuede Egeruan B. , Viebig Nicola K. , Kampmann Beate , Bojang Kalifa
Published: March 2014

Human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) and malaria are among the most important infectious diseases in developing countries. Existing control strategies are unlikely to curtail these diseases in the absence of efficacious vaccines. Testing of HIV and malaria vaccines candidates start with early phase trials that are increasingly being conducted in developing countries where the burden of the diseases is high. Unique challenges, which affect planning and implementation of vaccine trials according to internationally accepted standards have thus been identified. In this review, we highlight specific challenges encountered during two early phase trials of novel HIV-1 and malaria vectored vaccine candidates conducted in The Gambia and how some of these issues were pragmatically addressed. We hope our experience will be useful for key study personnel involved in day-to-day running of similar clinical trials. It may also guide future design and implementation of vaccine trials in resource-constrained settings.