bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
King Nikola and the territorial expansion of Montenegro, 1914-1920
Authors: Zivojinovic Dragoljub
Published: January 2015

This article discusses the abortive efforts of King Nikola of Montenegro to
achieve territorial expansion for his country during the First World War.
Although he was a believer in the unification of Serbdom, he wanted to
achieve it under his lead?ership rather than that of the Serbian
Karadjordjevic dynasty, and therefore had no intention of letting Montenegro
be simply merged with Serbia and his family pushed into the background.
Therefore, King Nikola campaigned not just for the preservation of Montenegro
as an independent state, but also for its considerable territorial expansion,
mostly at the expense of Austria-Hungary, and also at that of Serbia and
Albania. He did not desist from his endeavours even at the time of his exile
following the capitulation and occupation of Montenegro in 1916; on the
contrary, it was then that his demands were most comprehensive. However, he
could not resist the reality on the ground during and in the wake of the war,
and all his efforts remained useless.
Organomodified kaolin as filler for natural rubber
Authors: Ogbebor Ogbemudia , Okieimen Felix , Ogbeifun David , Okwu Uzoma
Published: January 2015

Organokaolin, through the incorporation of cationic hexadecyltrimethyl
ammonium bromide in various concentrations (50%, 100% and 200% cation
exchange capacity, CEC) into kaolin clay?s interlayer spaces have been
prepared. This was characterized using XRD and FTIR to get information on
sample structural composition and characteristic bonds on modification. These
clays were further used as filler in natural rubber compounds with a
semi-ultra; delayed action accelerator scheme. The X-ray diffraction analysis
showed marginal increase in basal (d(001)) spacing of kaolin platelets from
4.01 to 4.90 nm. Changes in the clay?s molecular environment induced by
ion-exchange process were followed by FTIR measurements revealing various
CTAB+ influenced absorption peaks as modification progressed. Cure
characteristics, scorch (ts2) and cure (t90) time of the organokaolin filled
natural rubber composites was observed better than that of the 40 phr bulk
kaolin across the CEC organophilization concentrations and filler loadings
studied. Vulcanizate properties showed considerable increase in M100, M200,
M300, TS, and elongation at break (%) indicating its potential as an
organomodified filler. Hardness (IRHD) and abrasion resistance showed similar
trend as tensile properties, with the incorporation of organoclay.
Taksisnye konstrukcii s nespecializirovannymi sojuzami v serbskom i ukrainskom jazykah
Authors: Popovic Ljudmila
Published: January 2015

V nastojascej rabote budut rassmotreny grammaticeskie i leksiceskie
pokazateli, profilirujuscie konkretnoe taksisnoe otnosenie v serbskih i
ukrainskih konstrukcijah s tak nazyvaemymi nespecializirovannymi sojuzami,
sposobnymi vyrazat' v sloznopodcinennom predlozenii raznye taksisnye
otnosenija i ih podtipy: predsestvovanie, kontaktnoe predsestvovanie,
odnovremennost' (polnuju i nepolnuju), sledovanie i pr. Serbskie i ukrainskie
konstrukcii s nespecializirovannymi taksisnymi sojuzami budut razdeleny na
prototipiceskie - s ozidaemymi vidovremennymi kombinacijami glagolov i
otmecennye, v kotoryh vozmozno otklonenie ot ozidaemoj glagol'noj formy
vsledstvie nalicija leksiceskih ili sintaksiceskih pokazatelej, obscih dlja
oboih jazykov. Issledovanie takze pokazyvaet, cto v kazdom iz analiziruemyh
jazykov prisutstvujut specificeskie nespecializirovannye sojuzy, vyrazajuscie
vremennye otnosenija tol'ko pri nalicii glagola soversennogo vida v zavisimoj
casti sloznopodcinennogo predlozenija, pri etom nevremennye znacenija dannyh
sojuzov v rassmatrivaemyh jazykah ne sovpadajut.
Ekzistencial'nye konstrukcii prizrensko-juznomoravskih govorov v Metohijskoj i Kosovskoj kotlovinah
Authors: Mladenovic Radivoje
Published: January 2015

V rabote analizirujutsja ekzistencial'nye konstrukcii s glagolami ?biti?
(esse) i ?imati? (habere) v prizrensko-juznomoravskih govorah Metohijskoj i
Kosovskoj kotlovin. Modeli ekzistencial'nyh konstrukcij rassmatrivajutsja v
sirokom kontekste balkanskih slavjanskih i neslavjanskih jazykov. V govorah
Metohijskoj i Kosovskoj kotlovin podtverzdeny balkanskie innovacii kak na
urovne licnyh, tak i na urovne bezlicnyh ekzistencial'nih konstrukcij.
Nabljudaetsja smesenie modelej s soglasovaniem podlezascego i skazuemogo i
modelej s bezlicnoj formoj skazuemogo (imalo ljudi u Opterusu: bilo Rafc?ani
za u vojsku : imav kaludz?eri u Dec?ane : u nas kraj bil?e zidari : imalo
avijone na nebo : bilo i srusene grobove : imal?e svatove sto gledal?e
mladicu : dinare bil?e prej - podrimskij govor). Podobnye kolebanija form
ob''jasnjajutsja vzaimovlijaniem licnyh i bezlicnyh ekzistencial'nyh
predlozenij, a takze nasyscennost'ju semantiki glagola habere i vlijaniem
kontaktnyh jazykovyh sistem - substratnogo romanskogo tipa. Osoboe vnimanie v
rabote udeleno forme suscestvitel'nogo v bezlicnyh konstrukcijah, poskol'ku v
kacestve konkurentnyh form (prezde vsego vo mnozestvennom cisle) zdes'
vystupajut nominativ i obscij padez. Obobscennyj nominativ kak padez
ekzistencial'nogo sub''ekta v licnyh i bezlicnyh predlozenijah reduciruetsja
v svjazi s fakul'tativnym rasprostraneniem obscego padeza pod vlijaniem
upravlenija glagola ?imati? iz licnyh konstrukcij.
The concept of beauty in the Serbian language - iconicity of lexemes ‘lepo’ and ‘krasno’
Authors: Basic Ivana
Published: January 2015

?Beauty? - the crucial aesthetic category is conceived in the Serbian
language by two lexemes: ?lepo? and ?krasno?. Iconicity of lexeme ?lepo? (Old
Church Slavonic - l?p'' ?something that is bonded with something; mud, mortar
or most often mud mixed up with chuff to ?glue with? or ?spread over with?)
is linked with the imagination of soil, while the concept of beautiful is
conceived by lexeme ?krasno? (I.E.*(s)qer-, ?beacon fire?) and is defined by
heavenly and divine splendour. The difference in iconicity of the two
lexemes, in essence, is the difference between terrestrial and heavenly
beauties. The terrestrial beauty is defined by the creative innate impulse in
humans to guide them towards amorphous but ?binding? matter that can be
sculptured into ?beautiful? things with a function that is not necessarily
utilitarian - but perhaps it had a sacramental character. On contrary, the
heavenly beauty exemplifies manifestation of heavenly splendour - beacon of
divinity, beacon of creativeness and effervescence which presents the
terrestrial world in its glorious beauty. The picture of heavenly ?fire?,
quite independently form the benefit it may bring us, especially from the
benefit that may be gained from the terrestrial fire, as well as the pure
aesthetical satisfaction, have defined the original concept of beauty as
splendour in the Serbian language.
The discourse of instructions - between cognitive and anthropological linguistics
Authors: Cirkovic Svetlana
Published: January 2015

In this paper, the discourse of instructions corpus (DIC), composed of
Bunjevac speech, Kosovo-Resava and Prizren-Timok dialects, spoken in a wide
area in Serbia, was applied theoretical and methodological approaches common
to anthropological and cognitive linguistics in order to demonstrate the
mechanism according to which giving instructions functions in a specific oral
speech. Based on the analysis of DIC, we came to the conclusion that
instructions are given in cases of describing situations which involve an
established sequence of events (or actions) that must be followed, and which
contains elements of iterations (repeatability), which excludes giving
instructions for unique and individual events and actions, such as
biographical stories, historical events, personal and family history and so
on. Taking into account this analysis, the thematic inventory of instructions
proved to be significantly larger in relation to the inventory of
instructions which the linguists have dealt with so far. The analysis of
examples from DIC showed that the typical linguistic means for giving
instructions is the second person singular of the present tense, which
indicates the speaker?s awareness of the existence of the recipient
(researchers) of the research situation, which does not mean that the
researcher is also the recipient of instructions given in field interviews.
Slovo i frazeologizm: korreljacija svojstv (na materiale serbskogo, russkogo, belorusskogo i drugih jazykov)
Authors: Goljak Svetlana
Published: January 2015

V rabote analizirujutsja korreljacii napravlenij aktivnosti leksem, v
castnosti, zoonimov v serbskom jazyke. Rassmotrena idiomaticnost' i
obraznost' frazeologii, a takze vzaimosvjaz' tematiceskih i grammaticeskih
svojstv frazeologizmov i ih slovkomponentov. Ustanovleno, cto men'saja
stepen' semanticeskoj slitnosti serbskoj frazeologii s zookomponentom po
sravneniju s belorusskoj korreliruet s bol'sej aktivnost'ju polisemii zoonimov
v serbskom jazyke.
Water quality assessment of the DTD canal system by diatom indices
Authors: Jakovljevic Olga , Krizmanic Jelena , Cvijan Mirko
Published: January 2015

The main objective of this paper is to evaluate the water quality based on
diatom indices in the study area of the Danube-Tisa-Danube (DTD) canal
system. We used four diatom indices: Watanabe?s index (DAIpo), biological
diatom index (BDI or IBD), the trophic diatom index (TDI) and index of
pollution sensitivity (IPS). Benthic samples were collected in the spring and
autumn 2002 and 2003 from nine sampling sites. The standard method with
concentrated sulfuric acid was used for treatment of the algological samples
[Krammer and Lange-Bertalot 1986] and then permanent slides of diatoms were
made. The abundance was estimated by counting 400 valves of each taxa present
on slide [Round 1991, 1993]. Investigation of the DTD canal system resulted
in description of 145 diatom taxa. Based on the indicator values of
identified taxa we calculated four diatom indices (DAIpo, BDI, TDI and IPS)
and estimated water quality in the study area of the DTD canal system.
The importance of legislation and forensic findings from the analysis of turkey meat
Authors: Stojanac Nenad , Stevancevic Ognjen , Potkonjak Aleksandar , Davidov Ivana , Kragic Slobodan
Published: January 2015

The aim of this study was to investigate the importance of legislation
regarding the process of testing the presence of Salmonella spp. in turkeys
for slaughter and forensic investigation of the presence of antimicrobial
drugs residues in turkey meat. The investigation was performed on a fattening
farm, just before the delivery of turkeys for slaughter. Two pooled faecal
samples were taken from turkeys and sent for analysis. Both samples were
tested positive for Salmonella spp. Antibiogram was performed after that and
the drug of choice for treatment was enrofloxacine. After turkeys were
treated with antibiotics, again two pooled faecal samples were sent for
analysis and now both were negative. Turkeys were sent for slaughter, but at
the same time there were some suspicions that the owner did not comply with
the time of the withdrawal period for the antibiotic used and a forensic
investigation was performed in order to determine the presence of
antimicrobial drug residues in slaughtered turkeys. Samples of liver, kidney
and fat of turkeys were taken at the slaughter line and were sent for
analysis for the presence of antimicrobial drugs residues. All of the samples
were free of antimicrobial drug and the suspicions were rejected.
Recommendations were made regarding the improvement of biosecurity and
hygiene measures on farms and good animal husbandry practices in order to
limit the use of antimicrobial agents.
Epilepsy in dogs five years of age and older: 99 cases (2006–2011)
Authors: Ghormley Tara M. , Feldman David G. , Cook James R.
Published: January 2015

Objective—To classify the etiology of epilepsy and evaluate use of abnormal neurologic examination findings to predict secondary epilepsy in dogs ≥ 5 years of age.

Design—Retrospective case series.

Animals—99 dogs with epilepsy.

Procedures—Medical records were reviewed to identify client-owned dogs evaluated for seizures at ≥ 5 years of age with a diagnosis of primary or secondary epilepsy. Dogs were stratified by age; prevalence of primary and secondary epilepsy and the proportion of dogs with secondary epilepsy that had a diagnosis of neoplasia (on the basis of MRI findings) versus other disease were evaluated. Sensitivity and specificity of abnormal neurologic findings to detect secondary epilepsy were determined.

Results—7 of 30 (23%) dogs 5 to 7 years of age, 13 of 29 (45%) dogs 8 to 10 years of age, 13 of 33 (39%) dogs 11 to 13 years of age, and 2 of 7 dogs ≥ 14 years of age had primary epilepsy. Prevalence of primary vs secondary epilepsy did not differ among age groups. The proportion of dogs with neoplasia at 5 to 7 years of age was lower than that of dogs in other age groups. Abnormal neurologic examination results had 74% sensitivity and 62% specificity to predict secondary epilepsy.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—A substantial proportion of dogs ≥ 5 years of age had primary epilepsy. Results indicated that lack of abnormalities on neurologic examination does not exclude the possibility of intracranial lesions, and MRI with CSF analysis (when applicable) should be recommended for all dogs with onset of seizures at ≥ 5 years of age.
Constant rate infusion of glucagon as an emergency treatment for hypoglycemia in a domestic ferret (Mustela putorius furo)
Authors: Bennett Katarina R. , Gaunt M. Casey , Parker Dennilyn L.
Published: January 2015

Case Description—A 3-year-old female domestic ferret (Mustela putorius furo) with an insulinoma was treated because of a hypoglycemic crisis prior to scheduled pancreatectomy with concurrent nodulectomy.

Clinical Findings—Previously, the ferret had clinical signs of lethargy and hind limb weakness; at that time, blood glucose concentration was low, and a tentative diagnosis (subsequently confirmed) of insulinoma was made. Prednisolone treatment (0.3 mg/kg [0.14 mg/lb], PO, q 12 h) did not improve clinical signs; the dosage was gradually increased over a 1-month course (1.8 mg/kg [0.82 mg/lb], PO, q 12 h) and maintained for 10 days. Overall, the treatment was ineffective, and the ferret remained lethargic and developed inappetence. At a reevaluation, the ferret had severe weakness and nonresponsiveness nearing a comatose state. Standard treatment with dextrose (1 mL of 50% solution, IV), and dexamethasone (1 mg/kg [0.45 mg/lb], SC) was administered with resultant improvement in mentation. The ferret was discharged from the hospital and then returned 3 days later for stabilization prior to pancreatectomy with concurrent nodulectomy.

Treatment and Outcome—The day before surgery, the ferret was administered a glucagon constant rate infusion at a rate of 15 ng/kg/min (6.8 ng/lb/min), which resulted in an increase in blood glucose concentration to a euglycemic state and resolution of clinical signs of hypoglycemia.

Clinical Relevance—As illustrated by the case described in this report, a glucagon constant rate infusion can be used successfully for the emergency treatment of hyperinsulinemic-hypoglycemic crisis in insulinomic ferrets.
Auditory evoked cortical potentials with competing noise in children with auditory figure ground deficit
Authors: Ramadan Hassaan Mohammad
Published: January 2015

Objective:

Listening in real life with noise competition is a great challenge for a considerable number of schoolchildren with auditory processing disorders. These children usually have difficulty in auditory figure ground (AFG) ability. Diagnosis and follow-up of those children is mainly conducted using psychophysical tests that may not be sufficient considering the possible learning effect of these tests or the testing difficulties at a young age. The aim of this study was to investigate a proposed objective tool for the diagnosis of an AFG deficit.

Method:

The cortical P1-N1 complex with and without ipsilateral competing noise (ICN) was measured for 15 schoolchildren demonstrating an AFG deficit psychophysically. The study group's results were compared to those of 15 age-matched children with normal peripheral and central hearing who comprised the control group (I), and eight age-matched children demonstrating auditory processing disorder(s) but not including an AFG deficit, as a further control group (II).

Results:

The P1-N1 complex was reproducible in all groups with distortion of the morphology and depression of the amplitude when recorded with an ICN. The impact of an ICN was significantly more pronounced on the study group’s recordings than those of the other groups. All cortical measurements were sensitive to diagnose an AFG deficit, while only the threshold of the P1-N1 complex in ICN was specific to it.

Conclusion:

The P1-N1 complex threshold with an ICN is a useful tool to diagnose an AFG deficit. It can be considered a physiological correlate of the psychophysical SPIN test.
Proportion of cochlear implantation in older adults over time
Authors: Hofkens-Van den Brandt Anouk , Gilles Annick , Wouters Kristien , Van de Heyning Paul
Published: January 2015

Objective:

According to the United Nations Organization, life expectancy is increasing and this will lead to an increase in the proportion of the world's population aged 60 years or more. By 2050 this group will constitute 21% of the world population. The process of aging is commonly accompanied by hearing loss and cognitive decline. Cochlear implantation in older adults has positive effects on auditory performance, quality of life and cognition. The purpose of the current study was to reveal changes in the ages at which cochlear implantation has been performed over time.

Methods:

Data of cochlear implantations (n = 758) in Antwerp University Hospital were analysed from 1993 to 2014. Age at implantation ranged from 0 (six months) to 92 years. Patients’ data were split into four categories by age at implantation and the correlation between age at implantation and year of implantation was calculated. The proportion of people implanted over the age of 75 years was calculated over time.

Results:

No significant correlation between age at implantation and year of implantation (Spearman rho = 0.028, p = 0.449) was found and the proportion of people implanted over the age of 75 years did not change significantly over time.

Conclusion:

Cochlear implantation in older adults has been investigated in many ways and was found effective for auditory performance, quality of life and cognition. Although the elderly population is growing fast, no significant change was found in the proportion of cochlear implantations in this group over time.
Stapled haemorrhoidectomy versus openhaemorrhoidectomy: a prospective comparative study
Authors: Bhandari R S , Lakhey P J , Singh Y P , Mishra P R , Singh K P
Published: January 2015

Open haemorrhoidectomy (OH) treatment has been reserved for prolapsing haemorrhoidal disease (third and fourth grade) and comprehends excision of haemorrhoidal tissue and is associated with significant postoperative pain. As an alternative approach, many randomized controlled trials have shown consistent advantage with haemorrhoidopexy (SH) in terms of postoperative pain, analgesic requirement, length of surgical procedure, short recovery time and early return to normal activities. This study has been conducted to compare the short-term outcome of SH with OH. A prospective comparative study, which included grade 3 and 4 haemorrhoids and comparing short Term outcomes between SH and OH was conducted in the Surgical Gastroenterology units of University Teaching Hospital. A total 44 patients, 22 in each group were compared. Age (SH 42±10.80 Vs. OH 45±13.30) and sex (SH, M:F-9:13 Vs. OH, M:F-14:8) distribution was comparable. Also, the groups were comparable in terms of symptom duration in years (SH, 3.20±2.26 Vs. OH, 2.31±2.47) and distribution of haemorrhoid grades. The SH group showed significant advantage in terms of postoperative pain (Average pain score SH, 2.73±1.20 Vs. OH, 5.20±1.91) and analgesic use (SH 2.32±0.94 Vs. OH 9.32±2.62). Similarly the operating time (time in minutes SH, 42±7.34 Vs. OH, 57.50±8.27), hospitals stay (days of stay SH, 2.90±0.68 Vs. OH, 3.77±0.86) and return to preoperative activity (days to return SH, 7.9±4.90 Vs. OH, 13.6±5.60) were also significantly shorter in the SH group than the OH group. The short-term complications were similar in both groups (P value >0.05). In conclusion, SH has better short-term outcome compared with OH and SH is a viable addition to the therapy options available for haemorrhoids.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jcmc.v4i4.11956
Cysticerci seroprevalence and risk factors for neurocysticercosis: an observational hospital based study
Authors: Barakoti M P , Rijal S , Shyangwa P M
Published: January 2015

The serological test, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay for circulating antigen of Taenia Solium (Ag-ELISA) , was carried out in a series of 90 cases of seizure disorders, aged more than 14 years, presented to B. P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal between March 2008 to May 2009. Taenia Solium antigen were detected in 13 (15%) of the patients. The diagnosis of neurocysticercosis was made in 35% cases (26 out of 75) based on clinical and neuroimaging findings. Neuroimaging was not done in 15 cases. Seropositivity was associated with neuroimaging studies consistent with NCC (OR=13.295% CI 1.43- 305.79, P= 0.014). It is significant for multiple ring enhancing lesions (P= 0.00935 for CT Head and 0.00274 for MRI Head) and not found to be statistically significant for single ring enhancing lesion (P= 0.637 for CT Head and 1.00 for MRI Head). Living in kachha house, family members >5 and age > 60 years have higher odds ratio for positive serology of cysticercosis although there was no statistical significance. The serology for cysticercosis had sensitivity of 41.5% and specificity of 98.4%.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jcmc.v4i4.11957
Prevalence of primary drug resistant tuberculosis in a tertiary care hospital, Nepal
Authors: Khunjeli R , Mohsin U R , Shrestha S K , Adhikari S , Srivastava B , Shrestha B
Published: January 2015

Background & objectives: Tuberculosis is a transmissible disease mainly due to inhalation of infected droplet nuclei. The burden of drug resistant tuberculosis is very high in our neighboring countries India and China. Prevalence of primary drug resistant disease is difficult to estimate in our country because culture and sensitivity is not done routinely. This study was an attempt to find out the prevalence of drug resistant in newly diagnosed tuberculosis patients serving in the Nepalese Armed Forces. Methodology: Medical records of patients serving in the Nepalese Armed Forces who had the provisional diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis for the first time from July 2012 to June 2014 were analyzed. They had their sputum subjected for both smear and culture with sensitivity testing. Out of 134 patients, 62 had culture positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis and drug sensitivity was done for the first line 4 antitubercular drugs. Results: Drug resistant strains were found in 5 cases (8.1%) of which 2 (3.2%) were resistant to 4 first line drugs - rifampicin, isoniazid, ethambutol and streptomycin. Prevalence of isoniazid resistance was the highest, found in 3 cases (4.8%). Conclusion: Primary drug resistant tuberculosis in newly diagnosed cases was high even in young healthy adults, and isoniazid resistant strains were the commonest.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jcmc.v4i4.11970
Visual outcome on Fitting Rose-K2 XL lens in a case with Terrien’s marginal degeneration
Authors: Mishra S K , Shrestha G S , Dhungel P , Aryal B
Published: January 2015

Terrien’s marginal degeneration is an uncommon disease of the peripheral cornea occurring at any age that results in corneal thinning causing corneal irregular astigmatism. RoseK2 XL lens has an aspheric optical zone and employed in the fitting of irregular corneas for vision and comfort while maintaining corneal health. Rose K2 XL lens was fitted in a 17 year female presented to Contact lens clinic of B.P. Koirala Lions Center for Ophthalmic Studies, Kathmandu having RE Terrien’s marginal degeneration. Her presenting visual acuity was 6/60 in right eye and 6/6 in left eye with best subjective refraction OD: +2.00/-3.00X150 and OS: Plano. Her corneal topography revealed irregular corneal astigmatism as indicated by SimK49.85/41.63@137. RoseK2 XL which is a mini-scleral lens, showed an excellent fitting attaining visual acuity 6/6. RoseK2 XL lens provides not only good visual acuity also confirms comfort in patients with corneal marginal degeneration.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jcmc.v4i4.11974
Spatial Patterns of Crime in Ottawa: The Role of Universities
Authors: LaRue Elise , Andresen Martin A.
Published: January 2015

This article explores the spatial distribution of crime in Ottawa in 2006. Social disorganization theory and routine activity theory provide the theoretical framework for examining the relationship between the rates of burglary, robbery, and motor vehicle theft, and the two universities, University of Ottawa and Carleton University. A spatial regression procedure that accounts for spatial autocorrelation is used in the analyses. We find support for the use of social disorganization theory and routine activity theory, with the expected relationships between the socio-demographic and socio-economic variables and crime. We also find that universities are the strongest predictors of the rates of burglary and motor vehicle theft.
Status Report on Education in the Economics of Animal Health: Results from a European Survey
Authors: Waret-Szkuta Agnès , Raboisson Didier , Niemi Jarkko , Aragrande Maurizio , Gethmann Jörn , Martins Sara Babo , Hans Lucie , Höreth-Böntgen Detlef , Sans Pierre , Stärk Katharina D. , Rushton Jonathan , Häsler Barbara
Published: January 2015

Education on the use of economics applied to animal health (EAH) has been offered since the 1980s. However, it has never been institutionalized within veterinary curricula, and there is no systematic information on current teaching and education activities in Europe. Nevertheless, the need for economic skills in animal health has never been greater. Economics can add value to disease impact assessments; improve understanding of people's incentives to participate in animal health measures; and help refine resource allocation for public animal health budgets. The use of economics should improve animal health decision making. An online questionnaire was conducted in European countries to assess current and future needs and expectations of people using EAH. The main conclusion from the survey is that education in economics appears to be offered inconsistently in Europe, and information about the availability of training opportunities in this field is scarce. There is a lack of harmonization of EAH education and significant gaps exist in the veterinary curricula of many countries. Depending on whether respondents belonged to educational institutions, public bodies, or private organizations, they expressed concerns regarding the limited education on decision making and impact assessment for animal diseases or on the use of economics for general management. Both public and private organizations recognized the increasing importance of EAH in the future. This should motivate the development of teaching methods and materials that aim at developing the understanding of animal health problems for the benefit of students and professional veterinarians.
Changes in Veterinary Students' Attitudes Toward the Rural Environment and Rural Veterinary Practice: A Longitudinal Cohort Study
Authors: Hashizume Cary T. , Woloschuk Wayne , Hecker Kent G.
Published: January 2015

There is a paucity of research regarding veterinary students' attitudes toward the rural environment and rural veterinary practice and how these attitudes might change over the course of a veterinary medicine program that includes rural clinical experience. Using a 23-item questionnaire, attitudes toward rural lifestyle, rural work–life balance, opportunities for career and skill development in rural veterinary practice, and inter-professional teamwork in the rural environment were assessed at the beginning and completion of a four-year veterinary medicine program. Eighty-six students (74.4% female) were included in this Canadian study over a six-year period. Thirty-one participants (36.1%) were rural students. Overall, students' attitudes toward the rural lifestyle, rural work–life balance, and inter-professional teamwork in rural veterinary practice all significantly decreased (p<.001) over the course of the program. As compared to urban students, rural students had significantly higher rural lifestyle scores at both the beginning (p<.001) and end (p<.01) of the veterinary medicine program. A less positive attitude toward living and working in a rural environment could influence students to exclude rural veterinary practice as a career choice. Rural clinical experiences designed to sustain or increase veterinary student interest in rural practice may not be sufficient to support positive rural attitudes. Given the demand for rural veterinary services in developed countries, the implications of this study may extend beyond Canada.
Railway Infrastructure Pricing in Europe for High-Speed and Intercity Services
Authors: Teixeira Paulo , Prodan Aleksandr
Published: January 2015

European railway reform separated infrastructure managers from railway undertakings and established financial relationships between the parties by using Directive 2001/14/EC and its amendments (adopted in most countries by 2004). These relationships were defined as infrastructure charging systems, in which infrastructure managers provided non discriminatory access to railway capacity. Numerous studies have discussed the resulting practices, and differences in the philosophy, methodology, structure, and charging levels of the implemented charging systems have been revealed. Most systems kept evolving and many were significantly changed. From 2005 through 2012, the disparity continued to increase, with some systems maintaining low charges and simple structure, whereas others increased charges and complicated the calculation methodology by adding new variables. The state of the practice in 2012 and evolution for 2007 through 2012 is assessed here; the focus is on high-speed and intercity services. Also assessed is the significance of charges for the two main players: railway undertakings and infrastructure managers. Infrastructure charges, which are costs for railway undertakings, make up 10% to 50% of estimated railway undertaking revenues. As for the profitability of infrastructure managers for the evaluated high-speed lines, infrastructure charges cover line maintenance costs and generate net positive revenues. In a comparison of initial investment costs with infrastructure manager net revenue, large differences are noted in charging levels between infrastructure managers and between infrastructure manager net revenues for cross-border lines. As the single European high-speed market matures, a question is how important such differences are for the stakeholders and the European Commission in the establishment of a common railway market.
Deadlock Avoidance and Detection in Railway Simulation Systems
Authors: Simon Bertrand , Jaumard Brigitte , Le Thai Hoa
Published: January 2015

Avoiding or preventing deadlocks in simulation tools for train scheduling remains a critical issue, especially when combined with the objective of minimization (e.g., the travel times of the trains). The deadlock avoidance and detection problem is revisited, and a new deadlock avoidance algorithm, called DEADAALG, is proposed based on a resource reservation mechanism. The DEADAALG algorithm is proved to be exact; that is, it either detects an unavoidable deadlock resulting from the input data or provides train scheduling free of deadlocks with the scheduling algorithm SIMTRAS. Moreover, it is shown that SIMTRAS is a polynomial time algorithm with an O(|S|&Middot;|T|2 log |T|) time complexity, where T is the set of trains and S is the set of sections in the railway topo logy. Numerical experiments are conducted on Canada's Vancouver–Calgary single-track corridor of Canadian Pacific Railway Limited. Then it is shown that SIMTRAS is efficient and provides schedules of a quality that is comparable with that of an exact optimization algorithm in tens of seconds for up to 30 trains/day over a planning period of 60 days.
Comparison of Capacity Expansion Strategies for Single-Track Railway Lines with Sparse Sidings
Authors: Shih Mei-Cheng , Dick C. Tyler , Sogin Samuel L. , Barkan Christopher P. L.
Published: January 2015

The North American railroad network is projected to experience increasingly constrained capacity. Growth in long-term demand for freight transportation combined with higher speeds and greater frequency of passenger trains operating on the same trackage will increase congestion at many locations. To accommodate this demand and maintain traffic fluidity, investment in projects to increase the capacity of many lines will be necessary. Recent changes in commodity flows, particularly related to rail transport of energy sources such as petroleum, alcohol, and coal, have led to growth on lines with historically lower traffic density and infrequent passing sidings that are too short for modern unit trains. This study aimed to find the most effective capacity expansion strategy for these single-track lines with sparse sidings. Rail Traffic Controller software was used to conduct experiments simulating traffic operation on such lines under several expansion alternatives, and the performance in terms of train delay and reliability was evaluated. The results suggest that for a single-track line with sparse sidings, the best strategy is first to construct new sidings between existing sidings in the middle of the corridor. Then these investments should be extended toward the two end terminals by constructing new sidings in successive gaps until the maximum number of sidings is reached. The results are also used to develop a relationship between the total length of the second main track and average freight train delay for use in planning capacity expansion on these lines.
Optimization of Siding Location for Single-Track Lines
Authors: Shih Mei-Cheng , Lai Yung-Cheng (Rex) , Dick C. Tyler , Wu Ming-Hsuan
Published: January 2015

The demand for rail transportation in North America is expected to increase significantly in the coming decades. Additional capacity will be required to accommodate the new traffic demand for both passenger and freight services. The majority of the network is single track with passing sidings, which trains use for meets and passes; therefore, allocating sidings properly can significantly increase line capacity and reduce train delay. Railroads usually rely on experienced personnel to determine new siding locations to improve line capacity through infrastructure upgrades. Experienced railroaders often identify good solutions; however, this method does not guarantee that all good alternatives have been evaluated or that the best one is implemented. In this research, an optimal siding location model is developed with consideration of infrastructure and traffic characteristics to determine the optimal number and locations of sidings. The empirical results demonstrate that this model is able to generate an optimal plan for the number of additional sidings and their respective locations. This tool can therefore help railroads maximize their return on investment from capacity expansion projects and achieve the service quality desired by customers.
Slab Upwarping of Twin-Block Slab Track on Subgrade–Bridge Transition Section
Authors: Ren Juanjuan , Yang Rongshan , Wang Ping , Yong Peng , Wen Chao
Published: January 2015

This study is a preliminary analysis of the causes of upwarping of reinforced concrete slabs of a twin-block slab track, specifically on the subgrade–bridge transition section. The analysis considers the structural features and force characteristics of slab track on the basis of site investigations and numerical simulation, and a corresponding repair method is proposed. It is determined that the temperature and temperature gradient of the slab, the connection status between the slab and the hydraulically bonded layer (HBL), and the position of the terminal spine are the main factors that lead to the upwarping of the slab. Model tests on the force transmission parameters between slab and HBL are carried out to measure the adhesive strength of the cohesive contact and the friction coefficient for the frictional contact. The adhesive strength is found to range from 0.803 to 1.57 MPa. The actual friction coefficient with large dispersion varies significantly from 1.5 to 3.0 because of the influence of the strength of the material and the friction roughness. The analysis output shows that the upwarping of the slab decreases with the reduction of temperature and temperature gradient of the slab, but the upwarping increases with the decrease in adhesive strength and friction coefficient. Increasing the number of terminal spines with 4-m spacing, which is optimized after the spacing effect, contributes to the reduction of the slab upwarping. A reasonable layout scheme for anchor pins can significantly improve the integrity and stability of track structure affected by slab upwarping. From the output of the analysis, a repair method that involves setting additional anchor pins between the slab and HBL is thus recommended.
Detection of Range-Based Rail Gage and Missing Rail Fasteners
Authors: Lorente Alejandro García , Llorca David Fernández , Velasco Miguel Gavilán , García José Antonio Ramos , Domínguez Fernando Sánchez
Published: January 2015

Defects in railroad tracks are responsible for several incidents every year. Rail gage is one of the most important measurements for track maintenance because deviations in gage indicate where potential defects may exist. In addition, missing rail fasteners can be considered a critical defect that should be detected and repaired because missing fasteners are a common cause of gage misalignment issues. An improvement or enhancement to the currently available automatic inspection system specifically devised to estimate rail gage and detect missing rail fasteners is presented. A three-dimensional (3-D) imaging sensor, which produces high-resolution two-dimensional images and 3-D profiles, is used to capture the data. Then a range-based approach is used to inspect the railroad track. The 3-D structure of the rail components (rail heads and rail fasteners) is relied on instead of a vision-based approach, which suffers from illumination changes. The system is evaluated with data recorded from real scenarios in two cities (Metro Madrid in Spain and the London Underground) with different nominal gage values and fastening elements. The system is described, and results are presented, evaluated, and discussed.
Characterizing Ballast Degradation through Los Angeles Abrasion Test and Image Analysis
Authors: Qian Yu , Boler Huseyin , Moaveni Maziar , Tutumluer Erol , Hashash Youssef M. A. , Ghaboussi Jamshid
Published: January 2015

Ballast fouling, often associated with deteriorating railroad track performance, refers to the condition in which the ballast layer changes its composition and develops a much finer grain size distribution. Fouling is commonly caused by degradation or breakage of ballast aggregates under traffic loading, although other fine materials including but not limited to coal dust, fine-grained subgrade soils, and sand can also contaminate a clean and uniformly graded ballast layer. An experimental approach is described to characterize stages of railroad ballast degradation studied through Los Angeles abrasion testing in the laboratory. An aggregate image analysis approach is used to investigate ballast particle abrasion and breakage trends at every stage through detailed quantifications of individual ballast particle size and shape properties. The experimental study indicated that the fouling index (FI) commonly used by practitioners was indeed a good indicator of fouling conditions, especially when all voids created by larger particles were filled by fine materials as FI values approached 40. Image analysis results of ballast particles larger than 9.5 mm (3/8 in.) scanned after a number of turns of the Los Angeles abrasion drum showed good correlations between percentage changes in aggregate shape properties, that is, imaging-based fatness and elongation, angularity and surface texture indexes, and the FI. The establishment of such relationships between in-service track fouling levels and ballast size and shape properties with similar field imaging techniques would help to understand field degradation trends better and as a result improve ballast serviceability and life-cycle performance.
Modern Transportation Funding and User-Pays Principle
Authors: Fackler Aaron W. , Niemeier Debbie
Published: January 2015

Shrinking gas tax purchasing power has resulted in a growing dependence on sales taxes dedicated to local transportation to fund California roadway and transit projects. However, these new funding strategies stray from the traditional user-pays principle embodied in the gas tax and long espoused by FHWA as the fairest way to finance highway projects. After the funding sources of the Presidio Parkway (an ongoing public–private partnership project in San Francisco, California, that uses availability payments) were analyzed, it was found that federal and state gas taxes were still the largest source of funding at 53%, while federal support, tolls, and sales taxes contributed 23%, 16%, and 8%, respectively. An analysis of users of the facility, in the form of commuters who use private cars and bus transit to access downtown from the surrounding San Francisco and North Bay areas, revealed that individual contributions through a host of transportation taxes and fees were minuscule when compared with the annual availability payments received by the concessionaire. Commuters’ average annual contribution to the new facility was found to range from $3 to $29, which was orders of magnitude less than the $548 annual contribution that calculations showed would be required if the project were to be supported solely by tolls. These findings highlighted the trend in current highway construction financing strategies that subsidized commuters who were unwilling to pay the full cost of transportation infrastructure with broad-based taxes collected regardless of benefits accrued to the individual.
Private Road to Sustainable Mobility?
Authors: Zegras P. Christopher , Grillo Christopher
Published: January 2015

This paper examined possibilities for harmonizing the objectives of two metropolitan transportation infrastructure policy trends: sustainability and privatization. The paper linked these trends through the theory of fiscal federalism, hypothesizing that metropolitan highway public–private partnerships (PPPs) can reinforce sustainability if supported by a fiscal federalist institutional environment. Case studies from seven countries revealed a primary challenge for metropolitan highway PPPs: balancing objectives for market efficiency at the project level with sustainability concerns at the metropolitan level, especially network spillovers and social equity. Ultimately, the analytical approach inhibited discerning whether fiscal federalism was the cause or result of a “good” project. A project's physical form apparently mattered in reconciling market and sustainability objectives.
Tax or Toll?
Authors: Venter Christoffel J. , Joubert Johan W.
Published: January 2015

As user charging increasingly supplements taxation as a transport financing mechanism worldwide, the need to measure and understand its distributional impacts across affected groups grows more critical. The case of the 185-km Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project in the Johannesburg–Pretoria area of South Africa offers an opportunity to empirically examine the equity impacts of large-scale road pricing in middle-income countries. The paper reports on the novel use of GPS data from multiple sources to assess the distribution of benefits and costs of electronic tolling across passenger and freight users. GPS data from commercial truck fleets are combined with multiday GPS tracks from a panel of private vehicle drivers to derive measures of user benefit by class. Compared with an alternative hypothecated fuel tax, electronic tolling is more progressive in regard to income and vehicle class because such tolling transfers costs from private to commercial vehicles, in line with the greater pavement damage caused by trucks. Time-of-day discounts favoring commercial vehicles suggests that the injudicious application of discounts and exemptions can distort rather than enhance equity in road pricing projects.
Public–Private Partnership Tenders
Authors: Roumboutsos Athena , Sciancalepore Fabio
Published: January 2015

The scope of the paper is to provide a guiding methodology in the design of public–private partnership (PPP) tendering processes on the basis of the number of potential bidders in the market (existing competition) and their respective transaction cost. Analytical models, initially proposed by McAfee and McMillan, are further investigated with respect to the various tendering procedures by recalling the dynamics of transaction costs for competitors in the PPP market. The proposed methodology, in the form of a graphical instrument, potentially provides an optimum balance between existing market competition and tender transaction costs. The methodology also has the potential to protect against market concentration. The proposed graphical instrument reduces excessive transaction costs for the public and private sectors and proposes tendering procedures suitable to the existing market. The present research work, based on reported findings, takes an alternative approach and reports on how to exploit all existing competition in the market through the tendering procedure. Therefore, this work takes a rational approach endorsing the notion that for a specific level of transaction costs there is a maximum number of bidders that may tender, and competition is optimum when that number is secured.
Option Game Model for Optimizing Concession Length and Public Subsidies of Public–Private Partnerships
Authors: Peng Wei , Cui Qingbin , Chen Jianguo
Published: January 2015

As public–private partnership (PPP) to address a significant funding shortage for transportation gains momentum in the United States, public agencies are also under pressure to demonstrate value for money and to deliver more for less on PPP deals. One critical challenge is how to optimize the concession length and amount of public subsidies so that a successful partnership can be established without undue sacrifice of the public interest. This paper presents an option game model for optimizing the concession length and public subsidy on a PPP project. The model integrates the flexibility of project expansion into the life-cycle analysis of project value, in addition to considering key factors, including subsidies, toll rate, and traffic uncertainty. The First Coast Outer Beltway project is used as an example to illustrate the process and merit of the option game model. In particular, by analyzing the trade-off between concession length and public subsidy, the paper provides new insights and implications for better PPP deal design.