bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Analytic Model of Screening Times at Airport Security Checkpoints
Authors: Doran Derek , Gokhale Swapna , Lownes Nicholas
Published: June 2014

Security checkpoints at airports across the United States are essential for preventing passengers with dangerous weapons, explosives, and other threats from boarding airplanes. However, the multiple screening technologies and speeds of passengers lead to unpredictable and sometimes long waiting times. Security agencies and airport managers must find ways to minimize screening times at checkpoints without compromising the security of aviation transportation. This paper introduces an analytic model that derives the distribution of completion times for passengers through a security checkpoint, given its architecture, passenger profiles, and expected service times at checkpoint components. By varying the model's parameters and checkpoint architecture, security agencies and airport managers can quickly understand how the end-to-end completion times of passengers are affected by policy changes and checkpoint reconfigurations. The model can also be used to forecast the performance of future checkpoint architectures that use new components and policies. The authors demonstrate the utility of the model by analyzing a prototypical security checkpoint.
Identification of Causal Paths and Prediction of Runway Incursion Risk by Means of Bayesian Belief Networks
Authors: Goodheart Benjamin Jeffry
Published: June 2014

In the United States and worldwide, runway incursions are acknowledged as a critical concern for aviation safety. Despite efforts to the contrary, however, the rate at which these events occur in the United States has steadily risen. Analyses of the causes of runway incursions have frequently been limited to discrete events and have not addressed the dynamic interactions that led to breaches of runway safety. This paper emphasizes the need for cross-domain methods of causation analysis applied to runway incursions in the United States. A holistic modeling technique using Bayesian belief networks to interpret causation in the presence of sparse data is outlined, with intended application at the systems level. Further, the importance of investigating runway incursions probabilistically and of incorporating information from human factors, technological, and organizational perspectives is supported. A method for structuring Bayesian networks with quantitative and qualitative event analyses in conjunction with structured expert probability estimation is outlined, and results are presented for propagation of evidence through the model as well as for causal analysis. The model provides a dynamic, inferential platform for future evaluation of the causes of runway incursions. The results in part confirm what is known about the causes of runway incursions, but more important shed light on multifaceted causal interactions in a modeling space that allows causal inference and evaluation of changes to the system in a dynamic setting. Suggestions for additional research are discussed; the prominent suggestion is a need for future testing coupled with a focus on higher levels of quantification while exploring means of enhancing availability of relevant data.
Prediction of Terminal-Area Weather Penetration on the Basis of Operational Factors
Authors: Lin Yi-Hsin , Balakrishnan Hamsa
Published: June 2014

Convective weather is known to reduce airspace capacity, but the extent of the impact is not well understood. Understanding how weather affects terminal area capacity is essential for quantification of the uncertainty in weather forecasts and, in particular, the degree of accuracy of the forecast. With this foundation, the question emerges as to the feasibility and possible effectiveness of an optimal mitigation strategy. Research has focused on the overlap between convective weather cells and air routes but has not sufficiently analyzed the differences that arise from factors such as aircraft types and pilot behavior. This paper examines the interactions between convective weather and aircraft trajectories in the arrival airspace surrounding Chicago O'Hare International Airport in Illinois. Case studies based on operational data are used to determine potentially relevant operational factors, and a predictive model is built with these factors to forecast whether a flight will pass through hazardous weather. The results of the analysis suggest that these operational factors are secondary to the weather itself in determining whether a pilot will deviate from or penetrate hazardous weather.
Evaluation of the Performance of Ground Delay Programs
Authors: Liu Yi , Hansen Mark
Published: June 2014

Ground delay programs (GDPs) are frequently used to keep U.S. air transportation safe and efficient. Most research on GDPs has focused on optimal design and implementation, with little attention given to retrospective performance evaluation. This research fills that gap by identifying GDP performance criteria, developing associated performance metrics, and evaluating GDP performance metrics across airports and over time. GDP performance criteria are established, and associated performance metrics are specified for five performance goals: capacity utilization, efficiency, predictability, equity, and flexibility. By defining multiple performance metrics, this research enables FAA traffic managers and flight operators to review GDP performance after the fact in a comprehensive way and to uncover GDP performance trends across airports and over time. Through use of data from the FAA Aggregate Demand List and the FAA Aviation System Performance Metrics, historical GDP performance is assessed for San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in California and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in New Jersey for 2006 and 2011. For both airports, capacity utilization and efficiency scores are high, on average, and reflect the importance that FAA and the flight operator community attach to making effective use of available capacity and keeping air transport efficient and safe. In contrast, predictability performance is weaker and more variable. Lack of consensus on how predictability should be measured or valued could have diminished the importance of this measure in GDP decision making. On average, SFO GDPs have higher capacity utilization and predictability, whereas EWR GDPs are more efficient, equitable, and flexible. A comparison of results for 2006 and 2011 shows that GDPs were more predictable but capacity was used less effectively in 2011.
Exploring the Use of Egocentric Online Social Network Data to Characterize Individual Air Travel Behavior
Authors: Wall Thomas A. , Macfarlane Gregory S. , Watkins Kari Edison
Published: June 2014

The rapid growth of online social networking over the past decade has generated substantial amounts of data about individuals and their social relationships. Recent research studies investigating social relationships and travel behavior have sought connections between individuals’ social networks and socially related travel; however, to the authors’ knowledge, no study has pursued the use of online social networking data to do so. This study explores the use of online social network data in characterizing individuals’ air travel behavior. Data were collected through a web-based survey including information about individuals’ air travel history and online social network information, specifically participants’ Facebook networks. The data were then analyzed to address a series of hypotheses about the association between online social network characteristics (specifically Facebook) and air travel behavior, in particular, travel distance, leisure-related travel, and trip generation. This study found a positive relationship between the size and distribution of individuals’ Facebook social networks and both their engagement in air travel and the odds that their air travel will be leisure related or will include a leisure component.
Meta-analysis comparing deep brain stimulation of the globus pallidus and subthalamic nucleus to treat advanced Parkinson disease
Authors: Liu Yi , Li Weina , Tan Changhong , Liu Xi , Wang Xin , Gui Yuejiang , Qin Lu , Deng Fen , Hu Changlin , Chen Lifen
Published: June 2014

Object

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is the surgical procedure of choice for patients with advanced Parkinson disease (PD). The globus pallidus internus (GPi) and the subthalamic nucleus (STN) are commonly targeted by this procedure. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to compare the efficacy of DBS in each region.

Methods

MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Knowledge, and the Cochrane Library were searched for English-language studies published before April 2013. Results of studies investigating the efficacy and clinical outcomes of DBS of the GPi and STN for PD were analyzed.

Results

Six eligible trials containing a total of 563 patients were included in the analysis. Deep brain stimulation of the GPi or STN equally improved motor function, measured by the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Section III (UPDRSIII) (motor section, for patients in on- and off-medication phases), within 1 year postsurgery. The change score for the on-medication phase was 0.68 (95% CI – 2.12 to 3.47, p > 0.05; 5 studies, 518 patients) and for the off-medication phase was 1.83 (95% CI – 3.12 to 6.77, p > 0.05; 5 studies, 518 patients). The UPDRS Section II (activities of daily living) scores for patients on medication improved equally in both DBS groups (p = 0.97). STN DBS allowed medication dosages to be reduced more than GPi DBS (95% CI 129.27–316.64, p < 0.00001; 5 studies, 540 patients). Psychiatric symptoms, measured by Beck Depression Inventory, 2nd edition scores, showed greater improvement from baseline after GPi DBS than after STN DBS (standardized mean difference −2.28, 95% CI −3.73 to −0.84, p = 0.002; 3 studies, 382 patients).

Conclusions

GPi and STN DBS improve motor function and activities of daily living for PD patients. Differences in therapeutic efficacy for PD were not observed between the 2 procedures. STN DBS allowed greater reduction in medication for patients, whereas GPi DBS provided greater relief from psychiatric symptoms. An understanding of other symptomatic aspects of targeting each region and long-term observations on therapeutic effects are needed.
Differences in vascular endothelial growth factor receptor expression and correlation with the degree of enhancement in medulloblastoma
Authors: Hervey-Jumper Shawn L. , Garton Hugh J. L. , Lau Darryl , Altshuler David , Quint Douglas J. , Robertson Patricia L. , Muraszko Karin M. , Maher Cormac O.
Published: June 2014

Object

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is the major proangiogenic factor in many solid tumors. Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) is expressed in abundance in pediatric patients with medulloblastoma and is associated with tumor metastasis, poor prognosis, and proliferation. Gadolinium enhancement on MRI has been suggested to have prognostic significance for some tumors. The association of VEGF/VEGFR and Gd enhancement in medulloblastoma has never been closely examined. The authors therefore sought to evaluate whether Gd-enhancing medulloblastomas have higher levels of VEGFR and CD31. Outcomes and survival in patients with enhancing and nonenhancing tumors were also compared.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of patients with enhancing, nonenhancing, and partially enhancing medulloblastomas was performed. Primary end points included risk stratification, extent of resection, and perioperative complications. A cohort of 3 enhancing and 3 nonenhancing tumors was selected for VEGFR and CD31 analysis as well as microvessel density measurements.

Results

Fifty-eight patients were analyzed, and 20.7% of the medulloblastomas in these patients were nonenhancing. Enhancing medulloblastomas exhibited strong VEGFR1/2 and CD31 expression relative to nonenhancing tumors. There was no significant difference in perioperative complications or patient survival between the 2 groups.

Conclusions

These results suggest that in patients with medulloblastoma the presence of enhancement on MRI may correlate with increased vascularity and angiogenesis, but does not correlate with worse patient prognosis in the short or long term.
Iatrogenic cerebrospinal fluid leak and intracranial hypotension after gynecological surgery
Authors: Tu Albert , Creedon Kerry , Sahjpaul Ramesh
Published: June 2014

Perineural cysts are common lesions of the sacral spine. They have rarely been reported in a presacral location, leading to their misdiagnosis as a gynecological lesion. The authors report the second such case, in a patient undergoing fenestration of what was presumed to be a benign pelvic cyst, and the resultant high-flow CSF leak that occurred. They describe the clinical presentation and manifestations of intracranial hypotension, as well as the pertinent investigations. They also review the literature for the best management options for this condition.

Although they are uncommon, large perineural cysts should be included in the differential diagnosis when examining patients with a pelvic lesion. Appropriate imaging investigations should be performed to rule out a perineural cyst. The CSF leak that occurs from iatrogenic cyst fenestration may not respond to traditional first-line treatments for intracranial hypotension and may require early surgical intervention. The authors would recommend neurosurgical involvement prior to definitive treatment.
Subacute posttraumatic ascending myelopathy in a 15-year-old boy
Authors: Kovanda Timothy J. , Horn Eric M.
Published: June 2014

Secondary injury following initial spinal cord trauma is uncommon and frequently attributed to mismanagement of an unprotected cord in the acute time period after injury. Subacute posttraumatic ascending myelopathy (SPAM) is a rare occurrence in the days to weeks following an initial spinal cord injury that is unrelated to manipulation of an unprotected cord and involves 4 or more vertebral levels above the original injury. The authors present a case of SPAM occurring in a 15-year-old boy who sustained a T3–4 fracture-dislocation resulting in a complete spinal cord injury, and they highlight the imaging findings and optimum treatment for this rare event.
RETRACTED: Increasing interpersonal trust through divergent thinking
Authors: Sellaro Roberta , Hommel Bernhard , de Kwaadsteniet Erik W. , van de Groep Suzanne , Colzato Lorenza S.
Published: June 2014

Interpersonal trust is an essential ingredient of many social relationships but how stable is it actually, and how is it controlled? There is evidence that the degree of trust into others might be rather volatile and can be affected by manipulations like drawing attention to personal interdependence or independence. Here we investigated whether the degree of interpersonal trust can be biased by inducing either a more integrative or a more focused/exclusive cognitive control mode by means of a creativity task requiring divergent or convergent thinking, respectively. Participants then performed the trust game, which provides an index of interpersonal trust by assessing the money units one participant (the trustor) transfers to another (the trustee). As expected, trustors transferred significantly more money to trustees after engaging in divergent thinking as compared to convergent thinking. This observation provides support for the idea that interpersonal trust is controlled by domain-general (i.e., not socially dedicated) cognitive states.
A Derivation of a Microscopic Entropy and Time Irreversibility From the Discreteness of Time
Authors: Riek Roland
Published: June 2014

The basic microsopic physical laws are time reversible. In contrast, the second law of thermodynamics, which is a macroscopic physical representation of the world, is able to describe irreversible processes in an isolated system through the change of entropy ΔS > 0. It is the attempt of the present manuscript to bridge the microscopic physical world with its macrosocpic one with an alternative approach than the statistical mechanics theory of Gibbs and Boltzmann. It is proposed that time is discrete with constant step size. Its consequence is the presence of time irreversibility at the microscopic level if the present force is of complex nature (F(r) ≠ const). In order to compare this discrete time irreversible mechamics (for simplicity a “classical”, single particle in a one dimensional space is selected) with its classical Newton analog, time reversibility is reintroduced by scaling the time steps for any given time step n by the variable sn leading to the Nosé-Hoover Lagrangian. The corresponding Nos´e-Hoover Hamiltonian comprises a term Ndf kB T ln sn (kB the Boltzmann constant, T the temperature, and Ndf the number of degrees of freedom) which is defined as the microscopic entropy Sn at time point n multiplied by T. Upon ensemble averaging this microscopic entropy Sn in equilibrium for a system which does not have fast changing forces approximates its macroscopic counterpart known from thermodynamics. The presented derivation with the resulting analogy between the ensemble averaged microscopic entropy and its thermodynamic analog suggests that the original description of the entropy by Boltzmann and Gibbs is just an ensemble averaging of the time scaling variable sn which is in equilibrium close to 1, but that the entropy
Importance-Satisfaction Analysis for Primary Care Physicians’ Perspective on EHRs in Taiwan
Authors: Ho Cheng-Hsun , Wen Hsyien-Chia , Chu Chi-Ming , Yi-SyuanWu  , Wang Jen-Leng
Published: June 2014

The Taiwan government has been promoting Electronic Health Records (EHRs) to primary care physicians. How to extend EHRs adoption rate by measuring physicians’ perspective of importance and performance of EHRs has become one of the critical issues for healthcare organizations. We conducted a comprehensive survey in 2010 in which a total of 1034 questionnaires which were distributed to primary care physicians. The project was sponsored by the Department of Health to accelerate the adoption of EHRs. 556 valid responses were analyzed resulting in a valid response rate of 53.77%. The data were analyzed based on a data-centered analytical framework (5-point Likert scale). The mean of importance and satisfaction of four dimensions were 4.16, 3.44 (installation and maintenance), 4.12, 3.51 (product effectiveness), 4.10, 3.31 (system function) and 4.34, 3.70 (customer service) respectively. This study provided a direction to government by focusing on attributes which physicians found important but were dissatisfied with, to close the gap between actual and expected performance of the EHRs. The authorities should emphasize the potential advantages in meaningful use and provide training programs, conferences, technical assistance and incentives to enhance the national level implementation of EHRs for primary physicians.
BMP-Functionalised Coatings to Promote Osteogenesis for Orthopaedic Implants
Authors: Wang Jianfeng , Guo Jing , Liu Jingsong , Wei Limin , Wu Gang
Published: June 2014

The loss of bone integrity can significantly compromise the aesthetics and mobility of patients and can be treated using orthopaedic implants. Over the past decades; various orthopaedic implants; such as allografts; xenografts and synthetic materials; have been developed and widely used in clinical practice. However; most of these materials lack intrinsic osteoinductivity and thus cannot induce bone formation. Consequently; osteoinductive functionalisation of orthopaedic implants is needed to promote local osteogenesis and implant osteointegration. For this purpose; bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-functionalised coatings have proven to be a simple and effective strategy. In this review; we summarise the current knowledge and recent advances regarding BMP-functionalised coatings for orthopaedic implants.
Revisiting Privacy and Dignity: Online Shaming in the Global E-Village
Authors: Cheung Anne
Published: June 2014

Since the introduction of new Web-based technology in the early 21st century, online shaming against those who have violated social norms has been proliferating fast in cyberspace. We have witnessed personal information of targeted individuals being disclosed and displayed for the purpose of humiliation and social condemnation by the anonymous Internet crowd, followed often by harassment and abusive behavior online and offline, resulting in serious disruption of personal life. While public shaming as a form of criminal sanction has been widely discussed in present literature, social policing by shaming transgressions via the Internet is largely a new terrain yet to be explored and studied. Drawing on socio-legal literature on shaming and punishment, and jurisprudence from the English Courts on defamation, harassment and misuse of personal information and the European Court of Human Rights on the relationship between the right to private life and dignity, the discussion will explain how the role of dignity has informed the development of the right to privacy where its value has played a distinctive role. This refers especially to the context in which the plaintiffs could be said to be partly at fault as transgressor-victims. It argues that the recognition and protection of the dignity and privacy of an individual is necessary in order to arrive at norms and values inherent in decent participation in the e-village. In this article, the term “dignity” refers to one’s innate personhood, integrity and self-respect.
Organic Liquids-Responsive β-Cyclodextrin-Functionalized Graphene-Based Fluorescence Probe: Label-Free Selective Detection of Tetrahydrofuran
Authors: Hu Huawen , Xin John , Hu Hong , Wang Xiaowen , Lu Xinkun
Published: June 2014

In this study, a label-free graphene-based fluorescence probe used for detection of volatile organic liquids was fabricated by a simple, efficient and low-cost method. To fabricate the probe, a bio-based β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) was firstly grafted on reduced graphene surfaces effectively and uniformly, as evidenced by various characterization techniques such as Ultraviolet/Visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The subsequent inclusion of Rhodamine B (RhB) into the inner cavities of the β-CD grafted on the graphene surfaces was achieved easily by a solution mixing method, which yielded the graphene-based fluorescent switch-on probe. In addition, the gradual and controllable quenching of RhB by Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer from RhB to graphene during the process of stepwise accommodation of the RhB molecules into the β-CD-functionalized graphene was investigated in depth. A wide range of organic solvents was examined using the as-fabricated fluorescence probe, which revealed the highest sensitivity to tetrahydrofuran with the detection limit of about 1.7 μg/mL. Some insight into the mechanism of the different responsive behaviors of the fluorescence sensor to the examined targets was also described.
Regulation of Plant Immunity through Modulation of Phytoalexin Synthesis
Authors: Zernova Olga , Lygin Anatoli , Pawlowski Michelle , Hill Curtis , Hartman Glen , Widholm Jack , Lozovaya Vera
Published: June 2014

Soybean hairy roots transformed with the resveratrol synthase and resveratrol oxymethyl transferase genes driven by constitutive Arabidopsis actin and CsVMV promoters were characterized. Transformed hairy roots accumulated glycoside conjugates of the stilbenic compound resveratrol and the related compound pterostilbene, which are normally not synthesized by soybean plants. Expression of the non-native stilbenic phytoalexin synthesis in soybean hairy roots increased their resistance to the soybean pathogen Rhizoctonia solani. The expression of the AhRS3 gene resulted in 20% to 50% decreased root necrosis compared to that of untransformed hairy roots. The expression of two genes, the AhRS3 and ROMT, required for pterostilbene synthesis in soybean, resulted in significantly lower root necrosis (ranging from 0% to 7%) in transgenic roots than in untransformed hairy roots that had about 84% necrosis. Overexpression of the soybean prenyltransferase (dimethylallyltransferase) G4DT gene in soybean hairy roots increased accumulation of the native phytoalexin glyceollin resulting in decreased root necrosis.
Comparison of Medium Spatial Resolution ENVISAT-MERIS and Terra-MODIS Time Series for Vegetation Decline Analysis: A Case Study in Central Asia
Authors: Tüshaus Julia , Dubovyk Olena , Khamzina Asia , Menz Gunter
Published: June 2014

Accurate monitoring of land surface dynamics using remote sensing is essential for the synoptic assessment of environmental change. We assessed a Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) full resolution dataset for vegetation monitoring as an alternative to the more commonly used Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data. Time series of vegetation indices calculated from 300 m resolution MERIS and 250 m resolution MODIS datasets were analyzed to monitor vegetation productivity trends in the irrigated lowlands in Northern Uzbekistan for the period 2003–2011. Mann-Kendall trend analysis was conducted using the time series of Normalized Differenced Vegetation Index (NDVI), Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI), and MERIS-based Terrestrial Chlorophyll Index (MTCI) to detect trends and examine the capabilities of each sensor and index. The methodology consisted of (1) preprocessing of the original imagery; (2) processing and statistical analysis of the corresponding time series datasets; and (3) comparison of the resulting trends. Results confirmed the occurrence of widespread vegetation productivity decline, ranging from 5.5% (MERIS-MTCI) to 21% (MODIS-NDVI) of the total irrigated cropland in the study area. All indices identified the same spatial patterns of decreasing vegetation. Average vegetation index values of NDVI and SAVI were slightly higher when measured by MERIS than by MODIS. These differences merit further investigation to allow a fusion of these datasets for consistent monitoring of cropland productivity decline at scales suitable for guiding operational land management practices.
Dealing with the Effects of Sensor Displacement in Wearable Activity Recognition
Authors: Banos Oresti , Toth Mate , Damas Miguel , Pomares Hector , Rojas Ignacio
Published: June 2014

Most wearable activity recognition systems assume a predefined sensor deployment that remains unchanged during runtime. However, this assumption does not reflect real-life conditions. During the normal use of such systems, users may place the sensors in a position different from the predefined sensor placement. Also, sensors may move from their original location to a different one, due to a loose attachment. Activity recognition systems trained on activity patterns characteristic of a given sensor deployment may likely fail due to sensor displacements. In this work, we innovatively explore the effects of sensor displacement induced by both the intentional misplacement of sensors and self-placement by the user. The effects of sensor displacement are analyzed for standard activity recognition techniques, as well as for an alternate robust sensor fusion method proposed in a previous work. While classical recognition models show little tolerance to sensor displacement, the proposed method is proven to have notable capabilities to assimilate the changes introduced in the sensor position due to self-placement and provides considerable improvements for large misplacements.
Insights into the Regional Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emission of Industrial Processes: A Case Study of Shenyang, China
Authors: Liu Zuoxi , Dong Huijuan , Geng Yong , Lu Chengpeng , Ren Wanxia
Published: June 2014

This paper examines the GHG emission of industrial process in Shenyang city, in the Liaoning province of China, using the 2006 IPCC greenhouse gas inventory guideline. Results show that the total GHG emissions of industrial process has increased, from 1.48 Mt in 2004 to 4.06 Mt in 2009, except for a little decrease in 2008. The cement industry, and iron and steel industries, are the main emission sources, accounting for more than 90% of the total carbon emissions. GHG emissions in 2020 are estimated based on scenario analysis. The research indicates that the cement industry, and iron and steel industries, will still be the largest emission sources, and the total carbon emissions under the business as usual (BAU) scenario will be doubled in 2020 compared with that of 2009. However, when countermeasures are taken, the GHG emission will reduce significantly. Using more clinker substitutes for blended cement, and increasing direct reduction iron process and recycled steel scraps are efficient measures in reducing GHG emission. Scenario 4, which has the highest ratio of 30/70 blended cement and the highest ratio of steel with recycled steel-EAF process, is the best one. In this scenario, the industrial process GHG emission in 2020 can almost stay the same as that of 2009. From the perspective of regions, cement industry and iron and steel industry accounted for the vast majority of GHG emission in all industries. Meanwhile, these two industries become the most potential industries for reduction of GHG emission. This study provides an insight for GHG emission of different industries at the scale of cities in China.
Lower, Middle and Upper Palaeolithic in the territory of Sagalassos (SW Turkey) : problems and prospects
Authors: Vanhaverbeke Hannelore , Waelkens M.
Published: June 2014

The aim of this study is to discuss the lower, Middle and Upper Palaeolithic finds in the neighbourhood of Sagalassos (Pisidia, SW Turkey). The model proposed tries to explain the fact that sites dating to these periods are almost non-existent in the area. At the same time, the proposed model attempts to predict where more material may be found. The blank on the distribution maps of the find spots for the Lower, Middle and Upper Palaeolithic in this area is only an apparent blank and does not correspond to reality. The same is true for the Taurus region in general. We propose a three-stage selective strategy that should result in a more reliable distribution map for the Palaeolithic in this region.
Salvage excavations of the Afyon archaeological museum, part 2 : the settlement of Karaoğlan Mevkii and the Early Bronze Age cemetery of Kaklık Mevkii
Authors: Topbaş Ahmet , Efe Turan , İlasli Ahmet
Published: June 2014

This article deals with the salvage excavations of the Afyon Archaeological Museum at Karaoğlan Mevkii and Kakhk Mevkii in the north of the province. Here the EB 2 and EB 3 material from the cemetery at Kakhk Mevkii is considered, as well as the finds from the EB 2 settlement at Karaoğlan Mevkii.

The settlement, which corresponds to the second half of the EB 2 period, demonstrates a single cultural continuum comprised of two —or possibly three — architectural subphases. It is encircled by an impressive fortification wall replete with towers and buttresses. The layout of the settlement, although only partially excavated, reflects a somewhat degenerate version of the Anatolisches Siedlungsschema revealed at Demircihüyük. The pottery displays the characteristics of (and better defines) the 'Afyon EB 2 pottery group', previously recognized only through surface survey.

The graves at Kakhk Mevkii were found in two clusters (in Area A and in Area B), dug into the early EB 1 settlement treated in Part 1 . The graves fall chronologically into three groups. The earliest graves are the cists and pithos burials found in Area B, roughly contemporary with the settlement at Karaoglan Mevkii. A second group, concentrated in Area A, consists of pseudo-chamber tombs and simple inhumations from the very beginning of the EB 3 period. The latest graves are simple inhumations from mid-EB 3 times. The material from this cemetery — particularly considering the analogies between the finds here and those from the Demircihüyük-Sanket and Karatas/Semayük cemeteries— represents a significant contribution to the EBA chronology of inland western Anatolia.
L'aqueduc romain de Xanthos
Authors: Burdy Jean , Lebouteiller Pascal
Published: June 2014

Ksanthos şehrinin su ihtiyacı Roma devrinden kalma bir su yoluyla besleniyordu. 9,5 kilometre uzunluğundaki bu eser kaba yontma taşlı birkaç kaynağı bir kanalda toplayan bir dehlizle başlıyordu. Genişliği 40 santimetre, derinliği 75 santimetre olan bu kaptaj kanalı yüzeyle eş seviyede, oldukça iyi korunmuştur. Kanal, kaynakların bulunduğu vadiyi geçtikten sonra, dar bir seki üzerinde yamacı takip eder. Üç küçük vadiyi köprülerle aşıp, hızlı bir inişle geniş bir ovaya gelir - ki bu ovada kanalın yapımı için kimi zaman masif kesme taş kullanılmıştır. Makalemiz, daha önce uzerinde hiç kimsenin çalışmadığı bu su yolu hakkında yaptığımız araştırmaların özeti niteliğindedir.
Systématique, Nomenclature et Phytonymie botanique populaire au Laos
Authors: Vidal Jules
Published: June 2014

La systématique botanique populaire lao distingue quelques grands groupes : les «mousses» (Algues vertes et Bryophytes), les Champignons, les Fougères et les Plantes supérieures (Phanérogames). La compréhension de ces groupes ne coïncide pas exactement avec ceux de la systématique scientifique. Les subdivisions des plantes supérieures en herbes, lianes, arbres, bois,, légumes, fleurs, fruits, plantes à organes souterrains, plantes à fibres, interviennent dans la nomenclature et figurent dans le nom de la plante comme classificateur initial. Le nom principal appartient au fond linguistique thai ou bien est emprunté à des langues voisines ou encore traduit une ressemblance un aspect, une propriété ou un usage. Souvent le nom comporte en outre un spécificatif final à signification déterminée faisant allusion à une particularité remarquable (surtout ressemblance avec des organes animaux), à l'usage, au milieu ou au sexe supposé. On retrouve donc dans cette systématique populaire le souci de grouper ensemble des espèces présentant des caractères communs et de les distinguer par des caractères secondaires. Le lien commun n'apparaît pas toujours clairement et, inversement, des distinctions de noms sont faites pour des espèces que la systématique scientifique rapproche étroitement. Cette étude, quoique très générale, permet d'apprécier, dans une certaine mesure, le degré de connaissance atteint par la civilisation lao, et met en évidence une capacité d'analyse et de synthèse élaborée au cours de nombreuses générations.
Learning the Preferences of Physicians for the Organization of Result Lists of Medical Evidence Articles
Authors: Wilk S. , Michalowski W. , Slowinski R. , Thomas R. , Kadzinski M. , Farion K. , O´Sullivan D.
Published: June 2014

Background: Online medical knowledge repositories such as MEDLINE and The Cochrane Library are increasingly used by physicians to retrieve articles to aid with clinical decision making. The prevailing approach for organizing retrieved articles is in the form of a rank-ordered list, with the assumption that the higher an article is presented on a list, the more relevant it is.

Objectives: Despite this common list-based organization, it is seldom studied how physicians perceive the association between the relevance of articles and the order in which articles are presented. In this paper we describe a case study that captured physician preferences for 3-element lists of medical articles in order to learn how to organize medical knowledge for decision-making.

Methods: Comprehensive relevance evaluations were developed to represent 3-element lists of hypothetical articles that may be retrieved from an online medical knowledge source such as MEDLINE or The Cochrane Library. Comprehensive relevance evalua tions asses not only an article’s relevance for a query, but also whether it has been placed on the correct list position. In other words an article may be relevant and correctly placed on a result list (e.g. the most relevant article appears first in the result list), an article may be relevant for a query but placed on an incorrect list position (e.g. the most relevant article appears second in a result list), or an article may be irrelevant for a query yet still appear in the result list. The relevance evaluations were presented to six senior physi cians who were asked to express their preferences for an article’s relevance and its position on a list by pairwise comparisons representing different combinations of 3-element lists. The elicited preferences were assessed using a novel GRIP (Generalized Regression with Intensities of Preference) method and represented as an additive value function. Value functions were derived for individual physicians as well as the group of physicians.

Results: The results show that physicians assign significant value to the 1st position on a list and they expect that the most relevant article is presented first. Whilst physicians still prefer obtaining a correctly placed article on position 2, they are also quite satisfied with misplaced relevant article. Low consideration of the 3rd position was uniformly confirmed.

Conclusions: Our findings confirm the importance of placing the most relevant article on the 1st position on a list and the importance paid to position on a list significantly diminishes after the 2nd position. The derived value functions may be used by developers of clinical decision support applications to decide how best to organize medical knowledge for decision making and to create personalized evaluation measures that can augment typical measures used to evaluate information retrieval systems.
Platform for Efficient Switching between Multiple Devices in the Intensive Care Unit
Authors: Vanhove T. , Dejonghe E. , Feys M. , Herinckx T. , Vankelecom J. , Decruyenaere J. , De Turck F. , De Backere F.
Published: June 2014

Introduction: This article is part of the Focus Theme of Methods of Information in Medicine on “Managing Interoperability and Complexity in Health Systems”.

Objectives: Handheld computers, such as tablets and smartphones, are becoming more and more accessible in the clinical care setting and in Intensive Care Units (ICUs). By making the most useful and appropriate data available on multiple devices and facilitate the switching between those devices, staff members can efficiently integrate them in their workflow, allowing for faster and more accurate decisions. This paper addresses the design of a platform for the efficient switching between multiple devices in the ICU. The key functionalities of the platform are the integration of the platform into the workflow of the medical staff and providing tailored and dynamic information at the point of care.

Methods: The platform is designed based on a 3-tier architecture with a focus on extensibility, scalability and an optimal user experience. After identification to a device using Near Field Communication (NFC), the appropriate medical information will be shown on the selected device. The visualization of the data is adapted to the type of the device. A web-centric approach was used to enable extensibility and portability.

Results: A prototype of the platform was thoroughly evaluated. The scalability, performance and user experience were evaluated. Performance tests show that the response time of the system scales linearly with the amount of data. Measurements with up to 20 devices have shown no performance loss due to the concurrent use of multiple devices.

Conclusions: The platform provides a scalable and responsive solution to enable the efficient switching between multiple devices. Due to the web-centric approach new devices can easily be integrated. The performance and scalability of the platform have been evaluated and it was shown that the response time and scalability of the platform was within an acceptable range.
Homochiral BINOL-based macrocycles with π-electron-rich, electron-withdrawing or extended spacing units as receptors for C60
Authors: Caricato Marco , González Silvia Díez , Arandia Ariño Idoia , Pasini Dario
Published: June 2014

The “one-pot” synthesis of several homochiral macrocycles has been achieved by using π-electron-rich, electron-deficient or extended aromatic dicarboxylic acids in combination with an axially-chiral dibenzylic alcohol, derived from enantiomerically-pure BINOL. Two series of cyclic adducts with average molecular D2 and D3 molecular symmetries, respectively, have been isolated in pure forms. Their yields and selectivities deviate substantially from statistical distributions. NMR and CD spectroscopic methods are efficient and functional in order to highlight the variability of shapes of the covalent macrocyclic frameworks. The larger D3 cyclic adducts exhibit recognition properties towards C60 in toluene solutions (up to log Ka = 3.2) with variable stoichiometries and variable intensities of the charge-tranfer band upon complexation.
Lactobacillus species identification by amplified ribosomal 16S-23S rRNA restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis
Authors: Sandes S.H.C. , Alvin L.B. , Silva B.C. , Zanirati D.F. , Jung L.R.C. , Nicoli J.R. , Neumann E. , Nunes A.C.
Published: June 2014

Lactic acid bacteria strains are commonly used for animal and human consumption due to their probiotic properties. One of the major genera used is Lactobacillus, a highly diverse genus comprised of several closely related species. The selection of new strains for probiotic use, especially strains of Lactobacillus, is the focus of several research groups. Accurate identification to species level is fundamental for research on new strains, as well as for safety assessment and quality assurance. The 16S-23S internal transcribed spacer (ITS-1) is a deeply homologous region among prokaryotes that is commonly used for identification to the species level because it is able to acquire and accumulate mutations without compromising general bacterial metabolism. In the present study, 16S-23S ITS regions of 45 Lactobacillus species (48 strains) were amplified and subjected to independent enzymatic digestions, using 12 restriction enzymes that recognise six-base sequences. Twenty-nine species showed unique restriction patterns, and could therefore be precisely identified solely by this assay (64%). This approach proved to be reproducible, allowing us to establish simplified restriction patterns for each evaluated species. The restriction patterns of each species were similar among homologous strains, and to a large extent reflected phylogenetic relationships based on 16S rRNA sequences, demonstrating the promising nature of this region for evolutionary studies.
MLW and Bilingualism
Authors: De Luise Daniela López , Hisgen Débora
Published: June 2014

The language acquisition and generation process is complex and non-linear. The child goes through a series of progressive stages with distinct characteristics. The statistic study of production by age or linguistic groups can be complemented with linguistic models based on morphosyntactic wavelet technology to improve the understanding of concurrent phenomena, which underlie linguistic reasoning.
Multilingual Summarization Approaches
Authors: Sarkar Kamal
Published: June 2014

As the amount of on-line information in the languages other than English (such as Chinese, Japanese, German, French, Hindi, etc.) increases, systems that can automatically summarize multilingual documents are becoming increasingly desirable for managing information overload problem on the Web. This chapter presents an overview of automatic text summarization with special emphasis on multilingual text summarization. The various state-of-the-art multilingual summarization approaches have been grouped based on their characteristics and presented in this chapter.
Computational Intelligence Using Type-2 Fuzzy Logic Framework
Authors: Neogi A. , Mondal A.C. , Mandal S.K.
Published: June 2014

In this chapter, the authors expand the notion of type-2 fuzzy sets. An introduction to standard and interval (type-2) fuzzy sets and systems is explained in the early part of the discussion. The chapter also covers the ideas of hybrid type-2 fuzzy system. Next, the authors study the applicability of type-2 fuzzy logic (FL) system in student's performance in oral presentation as it is clearly new field of research topic and have an excellent opportunity to combine several fuzzy set method developed in the recent years. The proposed application shows the linkage of type-2 fuzzy system with TOPSIS. The present chapter also highlights the possible future directions for type-2 FL system research. By the end of the chapter, the authors hope that even those with little previous experience of fuzzy logic should be enabled to apply these methods in their own application areas and/or begin research in this fascinating and exciting area.
Semantics-Driven DSL Design
Authors: Erwig Martin , Walkingshaw Eric
Published: June 2014

Convention dictates that the design of a language begins with its syntax. The authors of this chapter argue that early emphasis should be placed instead on the identification of general, compositional semantic domains, and that grounding the design process in semantics leads to languages with more consistent and more extensible syntax. They demonstrate this semantics-driven design process through the design and implementation of a DSL for defining and manipulating calendars, using Haskell as a metalanguage to support this discussion. The authors emphasize the importance of compositionality in semantics-driven language design, and describe a set of language operators that support an incremental and modular design process.
A New Clustering Method with Fuzzy Approach Based on Takagi-Sugeno Model in Queuing Systems
Authors: Zanjanbar Farzaneh Gholami , Şentarlı İnci
Published: June 2014

In this paper, the authors propose a new hard clustering method to provide objective knowledge on field of fuzzy queuing system. In this method, locally linear controllers are extracted and translated into the first-order Takagi-Sugeno rule base fuzzy model. In this extraction process, the region of fuzzy subspaces of available inputs corresponding to different implications is used to obtain the clusters of outputs of the queuing system. Then, the multiple regression functions associated with these separate clusters are used to interpret the performance of queuing systems. An application of the method also is presented and the performance of the queuing system is discussed.
From Existential Graphs to Conceptual Graphs
Authors: Sowa John F.
Published: June 2014

Existential graphs (EGs) are a simple, readable, and expressive graphic notation for logic. Conceptual graphs (CGs) combine a logical foundation based on EGs with features of the semantic networks used in artificial intelligence and computational linguistics. CG design principles address logical, linguistic, and cognitive requirements: a formal semantics defined by the ISO standard for Common Logic; the flexibility to support the expressiveness, context dependencies, and metalevel commentary of natural language; and cognitively realistic operations for reasoning by induction, deduction, abduction, and analogy. To accommodate the vagueness and ambiguities of natural language, informal heuristics can supplement the formal semantics. With sufficient background knowledge and a clarifying dialog, informal graphs can be refined to any degree of precision. Peirce claimed that the rules for reasoning with EGs generate “a moving picture of the action of the mind in thought.” Some philosophers and psychologists agree: Peirce's diagrams and rules are a good candidate for a natural logic that reflects the neural processes that support thought and language. They are psychologically realistic and computationally efficient.
Language Independent Summarization Approaches
Authors: Hmida Firas
Published: June 2014

In this chapter, the authors introduce monolingual and multilingual summarization and present the problem of dependence of language and linguistic knowledge of the process. Then they describe the most influential works and techniques in the field of automatic multilingual and language-independent summarization. This section is presented as a solution to solve the problem already explained. The authors present several language independent approaches and used techniques. In the next section, they study the behavior of these methods by discussing their limitations and perspectives.