bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Effect of LASIK on Timing of Cataract Surgery
Authors: Yesilirmak Nilufer , Chhadva Priyanka , Diakonis Vasilios F. , Waren Daniel P. , Yoo Sonia H. , Donaldson Kendall E.
Published: May 2016

PURPOSE:

To compare the age at the time of cataract surgery in patients who have undergone microkeratome-assisted LASIK versus individuals matched for axial length, cataract grade, and visual acuity with no history of refractive surgery.

METHODS:

Retrospective chart review of patients who underwent cataract extraction between September 2013 and March 2015 at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. Patients had a history of either microkeratome-assisted LASIK or no prior ocular surgery. Corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) before and after cataract extraction, uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA) before cataract extraction, gender, axial length, and cataract grade were assessed, along with age at the time of LASIK, age at the time of cataract extraction, and the time lapse between LASIK and cataract extraction.

RESULTS:

Fifty eyes of 38 patients were included in the LASIK group and 155 eyes of 136 patients were included in the control group. There was no significant difference between these groups with respect to gender (
P
= .87), CDVA before cataract extraction (
P
= .11), UDVA before cataract extraction (
P
= .09), axial length (
P
= .67), and cataract grade (
P
= .46). Mean age at the time of cataract extraction for patients in the LASIK group and control group were 64 ± 7 and 73 ± 8 years, respectively (
P
< .005). Negative correlations were found between age at time of cataract extraction and axial length in the LASIK and control groups (
r
= −0.18,
P
= .20 vs
r
= −0.36,
P
=. 01, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS:

Microkeratome-assisted LASIK seems to be correlated with earlier cataract extraction. Patients with a history of microkeratome-assisted LASIK under-went cataract surgery a decade sooner than patients with similar demographic and ocular characteristics.

[
J Refract Surg.
2016;32(5):306–310.]
Combined Cataract and Refractive Corneal Inlay Implantation Surgery: Comparison of Three Techniques
Authors: Stojanovic Nela R. , Feingold Vladimir , Pallikaris Ioannis G.
Published: May 2016

PURPOSE:

To compare clinical outcomes of three different techniques of combined cataract and Presbia Flexivue Microlens refractive corneal inlay (Presbia Coöperatief U.A., Amsterdam, Netherlands) implantation surgery for presbyopia compensation over a 12-month follow-up.

METHODS:

In this comparative pilot study, 15 patients with bilateral cataract were allocated to one of three groups with a different combination of surgical steps (cataract surgery, intrastromal pocket creation, and inlay implantation). In the three-step group, the intracorneal pocket was created in the non-dominant eye, bilateral cataract surgery was performed 3 months later, and the intracorneal inlay was inserted 3 months after that. In the two-step at 3 days group, bilateral cataract surgery was performed 3 days after pocket creation and inlay implantation in the non-dominant eye. In the two-step at 3 months group, the pocket creation and the inlay implantation were performed in the non-dominant eye 3 months after bilateral cataract surgery. Visual, refractive, and contrast sensitivity outcomes were evaluated and compared between the three groups.

RESULTS:

Twelve months after the inlay implantation, mean monocular uncorrected distance visual acuity was 20/32 in the three-step group, 20/32 in the two-step at 3 days group, and 20/25 in the two-step at 3 months group. Achieved mean monocular uncorrected near visual acuity was similar in the three groups (20/25). The visual and refractive outcomes did not show significant differences between groups. Contrast sensitivity was similar between groups under mesopic and photopic conditions. No intraoperative or postoperative complications were observed.

CONCLUSIONS:

Clinical outcomes of three different techniques of combined cataract surgery and refractive corneal inlay implantation had no apparent differences between them. The corneal inlay provided excellent near vision acuity, with high patient satisfaction and a high spectacle independence rate after cataract surgery.

[
J Refract Surg.
2016;32(5):318–325.]
Prevalence of Glaucoma in Myopic Corneal Refractive Surgery Candidates in Hong Kong China
Authors: Biswas Sayantan , Jhanji Vishal , Leung Christopher K. S.
Published: May 2016

PURPOSE:

To estimate the prevalence of glaucoma in myopic individuals in Hong Kong China seeking corneal refractive surgery and factors associated with the occurrence of glaucoma.

METHODS:

Six hundred twenty-nine eyes of 315 myopic individuals seeking corneal refractive surgery in a tertiary institution in Hong Kong China, were consecutively recruited. Glaucoma was defined by the presence of abnormal retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and neuroretinal rim measurements obtained with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography, as well as narrowed neuroretinal rim and optic disc excavation observed in color optic disc stereophotographs. Factors associated with glaucoma were analyzed with univariable and multivariable mixed-effects logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS:

The mean age and spherical equivalent were 36.3 ± 9.3 years (range: 21.5 to 60.1 years) and −6.59 ± 2.34 diopters (D) (range: −2.25 to −17.13 D), respectively. Twenty-three eyes of 16 myopic individuals (5.1%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.2% to 8.1%) had glaucoma, of which 10 eyes of 7 myopic individuals (2.2%; 95% CI: 1.1% to 4.5%) also had visual field defects by standard automated perimetry (5 had mild and 5 had moderate visual field loss). None of the myopic individuals were aware of the diagnosis at the time of examination. The inferotemporal sector of the optic disc was the most frequent location where RNFL thinning was found and the superonasal visual field was the most common region where visual field defects were located. The only biometric factor associated with glaucoma was intraocular pressure (odds ratio: 1.77; 95% CI: 1.14 to 2.75).

CONCLUSIONS:

Glaucoma was present in 5.1% of myopic individuals seeking corneal refractive surgery in Hong Kong China. Corneal refractive surgeons should be watchful in the diagnostic evaluation of glaucoma among myopic corneal refractive surgery candidates.

[
J Refract Surg.
2016;32(5):298–304.]
Impacts sur la santé des pratiques des agriculteurs urbains à Dakar (Sénégal)
Authors: Ba Abou , Cantoreggi Nicola , Simos Jean , Duchemin Éric
Published: May 2016

L’agriculture urbaine (AU) occupe une place importante dans l’économie des pays en voie de développement. À Dakar (Sénégal), elle assure 70 % de la demande en légumes ainsi que la création de milliers d’emplois directs et indirects. Malgré ce rôle économique et social très important, l’agriculture urbaine à Dakar est toutefois confrontée à deux problèmes majeurs : l’insécurité foncière et l’accès à l’eau. Pour faire face à ces contraintes, les producteurs ont recours à des pratiques qui ne sont pas sans conséquence sur l’environnement, leur santé et celle des populations. L’objectif de cette étude est d’analyser les impacts sanitaires de ces pratiques agricoles dans un contexte d’urbanisation continue. Au terme de ce travail, cette recherche révèle que les pratiques agricoles observées dans les Niayes (zone agricole) de Dakar ont d’une part d’énormes impacts sur la santé des agriculteurs et des populations environnantes et d’autre part qu’à moyen terme ces impacts seront accentués par la forte urbanisation de la région. En effet, les pratiques agricoles actuelles dans la gestion de l’eau et l’utilisation des pesticides mises en perspective avec les modifications inhérentes à la forte urbanisation risquent de bouleverser les synergies spatiales existantes dans les systèmes de production en milieu urbain.
Commerce des espèces sauvages menacées : les paradoxes de l’État vietnamien
Authors: Larsen Peter Bille , Hufty Marc , Tran Chi Trung , Gagnon Sandra
Published: May 2016

Cet article fait le point sur une dimension négligée de la croissance économique au Vietnam, la grave crise qui menace sa biodiversité, qui préoccupe de plus en plus le gouvernement et les acteurs du domaine. Nous examinons ici le commerce illégal des espèces sauvages, qui s’est fortement intensifié après les réformes de đổi mới des années 1980s. Malgré les mesures prises, l’État ne parvient pas à contrôler ce commerce qui a pris une dimension internationale. Il est temps de poser un regard plus approfondi sur les difficultés de la régulation dans ce domaine. Nous analysons un facteur négligé par les mécanismes de régulation mis en place, qui est l’État lui-même. En contraste avec la libéralisation économique, le commerce des espèces sauvages repose sur toujours sur une logique centralisée, inadaptée aux pratiques du terrain, où le commerce est décentralisé, informel et inclut une diversité d’acteurs. Ce commerce met à jour des tensions au sein de l’appareil d’État, entre le centre et les provinces, entre la volonté de contrôle du territoire et des pratiques qui échappent à ce contrôle, entre la traditionnelle rationalité centralisatrice et la réalité locale, ainsi qu’entre le pays et ses voisins. Ce cas illustre certains des défis de la gouvernance dans un pays et un État en transformation rapide.
Des paiements pour services environnementaux en faveur des populations locales ? Regards de l’administration forestière sur le mécanisme de compensations pour mise en défens marocain
Authors: Vanuxem  Sarah
Published: May 2016

Un mode de paiement pour service environnemental (PSE), le mécanisme marocain de compensations pour mise en défens (CMD) pourrait autoriser les populations locales à réinvestir leur territoire, voire à redécouvrir leur patrimoine bio-culturel. Tout espoir de reconquête véritable s’avère néanmoins illusoire, la finalité première du mécanisme étant de conforter le pouvoir de l’administration forestière. L’examen du projet-pilote REDD (Réduire les émissions de gaz à effet de serre en luttant contre la déforestation et la dégradation des forêts) marocain le confirme, qui pourrait doubler le mécanisme de CMD d’un nouveau mode de PSE dans la forêt de Mâamora sans que la population locale soit au cœur du dispositif.
Maraichage urbain et semi-urbain de Moringa oleifera Lam. par des associations de femmes au Burkina Faso : contraintes et opportunités
Authors: Dao Madjelia Cangré Ebou , Sanou Josias , Pare Souleymane
Published: May 2016

Une enquête a été menée en 2014 dans la région du Centre au Burkina Faso et avait pour objectif de décrire les systèmes de cultures maraichères intégrant Moringa oleifera, un arbre légume dans le maraîchage urbain et périurbain de Ouagadougou en vue de ressortir les contraintes et les potentialités. Au total, 59 femmes membres de trois associations féminines pratiquant les cultures maraîchères de M. oleifera ont été identifiées à Ouagadougou (Nabonswendé), Loumbila (Pan-Nafa) et Komsilga (association Zemstaaba). Les résultats obtenus montrent que M. oleifera est produit en association avec principalement la laitue (58 % des planches) et sous forme de monoculture (42 % des planches). Les opportunités de cultiver cette plante par les associations de femmes sont essentiellement de disposer de feuilles fraiches riches en éléments nutritifs en saison sèche au moment où elles sont rares, d’avoir des revenus monétaires pendant les saisons sèches, d’être des actrices clés de la filière Moringa au Burkina Faso. Les problèmes qu’elles rencontrent sont liés à la non-maitrise des techniques de production en planches par plus de 80 % de femmes membres des trois associations, à la non-accessibilité aux facteurs de productions et avec des techniques de commercialisation des produits toujours rudimentaires. À cet effet, le renforcement des capacités techniques des productrices et l’accompagnement technique des systèmes de collecte et de distribution de semences viables, de qualité pour elles et par elles-mêmes, pourraient constituer une grande valeur économique et stratégique pour les petites productrices en milieux urbain et semi urbain du Burkina Faso. Cette étude constitue un point de départ pour un suivi plus approfondi de cette activité génératrice de revenus pour ces femmes démunies.
Deferred Tax Positions under the Prism of Financial Crisis and the Effects of a Corporate Tax Reform
Authors: Chytis Evangelos , Koumanakos Evangelos , Goumas Spiridon
Published: May 2016

The effects of corporate tax reforms in reported profits and firms' financial position have been extensively studied in the literature. However, only few studies disaggregate deferred tax items to jointly explore political implications and aspects of corporate behavior around such reforms. Greece's recent financial crisis and economic recession provides an intriguing setting for examining possible incentives and consequences of substantial tax rate changes, such as the 6% increase imposed by the Greek Government in year 2013. Results reveal a totally different picture between financial and non-financial firms, with the former being clearly favored, at least from this short-run effect. These findings seem to coincide with the view that tax policy design is usually shaped by taking into consideration powerful groups' interests. Regarding probable Determinants of Deferred Tax Assets for Tax Loss Carry forwards, the authors find that firms the audit firm may significantly affect recognized amounts due to firm specific internal guidelines and due to the overall quality of the audit.
The Impact of the Recent Economic Crisis in the Construction Sectors of the South-European Economies
Authors: Nikolakopoulos Efthimios , Karaliotas Nikolaos , Benetatos Efstathios
Published: May 2016

The scope of this paper is to investigate the performance of listed companies of the construction sector in the southern European member state of the E.U., namely Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain, taking into consideration their economic conditions as they have been formed by the recent economic crisis. The structure of the proposed methodology is based on a non-parametric method of DEA. Initially, it is attempted to compare the listed construction companies of each country and then findings are explained in order to draw comparative conclusions of their performance on a cross country basis. By using statistical regression methods, in the second stage of investigation is attempted for possible correlation between each country's efficiency scores and a group of key macroeconomic variables which can show the possible changes in the effects of crisis between the countries under examination.
Visual Analysis of a Large and Noisy Dataset
Authors: Nwagwu Honour Chika , Orphanides Constantinos
Published: May 2016

Visual analysis has witnessed a growing acceptance as a method of scientific inquiry in the research community. It is used in qualitative and mixed research methods. Even so, visual data analysis is likely to produce biased results when used in analysing a large and noisy dataset. This can be evident when a data analyst is not able to holistically explore, all the values associated with the objects of interest in a dataset. Consequently, the data analyst may assess inconsistent data as consistent when contradiction associated with the data is not visualised. This work identifies incomplete analysis as a challenge in the visual data analysis of a large and noisy dataset. It considers Formal Concept Analysis (FCA) tools and techniques and prescribes the mining and visualisation of Incomplete or Inconsistent Data (IID) when dealing with a large and noisy dataset. It presents an automated approach for transforming IID from a noisy context whose objects are associated with mutually exclusive many-valued attributes, to a formal context.
Exploring the Role of Service Quality and Knowledge for Mobile Health Services
Authors: Nisha Nabila , Iqbal Mehree , Rifat Afrin , Idrish Sherina
Published: May 2016

The use of mobile technology-based services has made healthcare delivery more accessible and affordable in recent times. In fact, mobile health services today act as an effective means of providing healthcare knowledge to users directly from providers. However, the cynical behavior of users regarding this medium of healthcare services often encircles around the quality of such services. The aim of this paper is to examine the role of service quality and knowledge among other underlying factors that can influence future use intentions of m-Health services in the context of Bangladesh. The conceptual model of the study identifies that certain aspects of service qualities like reliability, privacy, responsiveness, empathy and information quality along with facilitating conditions, effort expectancy, performance expectancy and social influence plays an important role in capturing users' overall perceptions of mobile health services. Finally, the study highlights managerial implications, future research directions and limitations from the Bangladesh perspective.
Hierarchy Similarity Analyser-An Approach to Securely Share Electronic Health Records
Authors: Bhartiya Shalini , Mehrotra Deepti , Girdhar Anup
Published: May 2016

Health professionals need an access to various dimensions of Electronic Health Records (EHR). Depending on technical constraints, each organization defines its own access control schema exhibiting heterogeneity in organizational rules and policies. Achieving interoperability between such schemas often result in contradictory rules thereby exposing data to undue disclosures. Permitting interoperable sharing of EHRs and simultaneously restricting unauthorized access is the major objective of this paper. An Extensible Access Control Markup Language (XACML)-based framework, Hierarchy Similarity Analyser (HSA), is proposed which fine-grains access control policies of disparate healthcare organizations to achieve interoperable and secured sharing of EHR under set authorizations. The proposed framework is implemented and verified using automated Access Control Policy Testing (ACPT) tool developed by NIST. Experimental results identify the users receive secured and restricted access as per their authorizations and role hierarchy in the organization.
A Conceptual Security Framework for Cloud Computing Issues
Authors: Aljawarneh Shadi A. , Yassein Muneer O. Bani
Published: May 2016

In this article, perspectives from Cloud computing practitioners are shown in order to address clients concerns and bring about awareness of the measures that put in place to ensure software security of the client services running in the Cloud. In addition, the authors have investigated the impacts of a number of the existing approaches and techniques to put a systematic survey of the current software security issues in the Cloud environment. Based on such perspectives and survey, a generic framework conceptually is designed to outline the possible current solutions of software security issues in the Cloud and to present a preferred software security approach to investigate the Cloud research community. As a potential enhancement on the proposed Cloud software security framework, the concepts of fuzzy systems might be used to solve a large numbers of issues in the Cloud security on different framework levels.
Assessing the Relationship between Awareness and Uptake of Insurance Products in Kenya
Authors: Owuor Charles Okeyo
Published: May 2016

Insurance Regulatory Authority report in Kenya reveals that in the informal sector, players had no sufficient information on insurance to enable them purchase insurance for their businesses. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between awareness and uptake of insurance products in Kenya. Target population for the study comprised of 1124 teachers in public primary schools in Nakuru Sub-County from which a sample of 92 teachers was drawn using simple random sampling technique. Primary data was elicited from teachers using questionnaires that were administered to teachers using the drop and pick method. Validity in the study was determined using expert opinions while reliability of instruments was determined by computing the Cronbach reliability coefficient from pilot questionnaires. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics and linear regression done to assess the relationship between insurance awareness and uptake of insurance products. Hypothesis testing was done. The tests were done at a significance level of P= 0.05. The study found out that the level of awareness on insurance significantly influenced its uptake therefore wrong information translated to low insurance uptake. The insurance regulatory authority together with other players in the insurance industry should come up with more robust and reliable mechanisms for disseminating correct insurance information to the public. This would ensure that people make the right choices on insurance, thus enhance insurance uptake
Can Stored Data Answer All Questions
Authors: Palme Jacob , Palme Gunborg
Published: May 2016

A common statement is that 80% of the questions can be answered by a small set of perhaps 20% of all answers. To investigate this statement, a set of 630 questions, which were sent to an on-line service, were analyzed. All the questions were about eating disorders and obesity. The conclusion is that the statement, which was investigated, was not true. There was a large variation of different questions, and even though some questions did appear more than once, it was much less than 80% of all questions. The paper offers insight into different types of questions posted on-line in the area of eating disorders. From the study follows that to provide satisfactory answers to a large part of the questions, it is necessary to have humans answering the questions.
Framing Private Sphere Consumer Behavior
Authors: Angeles Rebecca
Published: May 2016

This study investigates characteristics of consumers likely to be influenced by the information provided by an online environmental infomediary (OEI) GoodGuide.com, which advises consumers on the overall and specific sustainability attributes of personal care and household chemical and food products. The value-belief-norm theory and the New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) scale were found useful in describing consumers more likely to be “green.” A series of logistic regressions, multiple regressions, and t-tests were used in this study. Study results indicate the importance of the value-belief-norm theory and NEP scale in understanding how consumers would choose to use GoodGuide.com information in making their green purchases and social interactions using social networking and mobile apps.
The Case for Privacy Awareness Requirements
Authors: Omoronyia Inah
Published: May 2016

Privacy awareness is a core determinant of the success or failure of privacy infrastructures: if systems and users are not aware of potential privacy concerns, they cannot effectively discover, use or judge the effectiveness of privacy management capabilities. Yet, privacy awareness is only implicitly described or implemented during the privacy engineering of software systems. In this paper, the author advocates a systematic approach to considering privacy awareness. He characterizes privacy awareness and illustrate its benefits to preserving privacy in a smart mobile environment. The author proposes privacy awareness requirements to anchor the consideration of privacy awareness needs of software systems. Based on these needs, an initial process framework for the identification of privacy awareness issues is proposed. He also argues that a systematic route to privacy awareness necessitates the investigation of an appropriate representation language, analysis mechanisms and understanding the socio-technical factors that impact the manner in which we regulate our privacy.
An Incremental B-Model for RBAC-Controlled Electronic Marking System
Authors: Al-hadhrami Nasser , Aziz Benjamin , Othmane Lotfi ben
Published: May 2016

The incremental development of software through the addition of new features and the insertion of new access rules potentially renders the access control models inconsistent and creates security flaws. This paper proposes modeling Role Based Access Control (RBAC) models of these software using the B language and re-evaluating the consistency of the models following model changes. It shows the mechanism of formalizing RBAC policies of an Electronic Marking System (EMS) using B specifications and illustrates the verification of the consistency of the RBAC specification, using model checking and proof obligations. In addition, it shows how to address inconsistencies that result from incremental specification of system' architectures.
An Exact and Efficient Privacy-Preserving Spatiotemporal Matching in Mobile Social Networks
Authors: Li Xiuguang , He Yuanyuan , Niu Ben , Yang Kai , Li Hui
Published: May 2016

With the rapid development of mobile smartphone and its built-in location-aware devices, people are possible to establish trust relationships and further interaction with each other based their matched interests, hobbies, experiences, or spatiotemporal profiles. However, the possibility of sensitive information leakage and heavy computation overhead constrain the widespread use of the matching schemes in mobile social networks. Many privacy-preserving matching schemes were proposed recently years, but how to achieve privacy-preserving spatiotemporal matching exactly and efficiently remains an open question. In this paper, the authors propose a novel spatiotemporal matching scheme. The overlapping grid system is introduced into the scheme to improve the accuracy of spatiotemporal matching, and many repetitive records in a user's spatiotemporal profile are counted as one item so as to cut down the computation overhead. Their scheme decreases the spatiotemporal matching error, and promotes the efficiency of private matchmaking simultaneously. Thorough security analysis and evaluation results indicate that our scheme is effective and efficient.
Conceptual Graph
Authors: Du Xiaofeng , Song William Wei
Published: May 2016

Business development or renovation is to introduce newer, more efficient routines and processes through redesign or re-engineering of businesses, which form a set of business patterns. Business patterns encapsulate the best solutions for business practices and tasks confirming business strategies of the enterprise. Nowadays, services with SOA (Service oriented-Architecture) become more and more important in implementing and supporting business routines and processes. An enterprise that can encapsulate their SOA solutions into patterns will make the business more agile and effective. However, with the SOA solutions to automation of locating relevant instance services for its business patterns with minimum human intervention, one has to look into the semantic and operational difference between the description of a business pattern and that of an instance service - a gap between the two levels of descriptions. In this paper, the authors introduce a conceptual modelling method to address how to bridge the gap, by a semantic service description for usage contextual approach formalized with the conceptual graphs formalism. Most importantly, they evaluate this model in this paper to study its usability in practice.
Comparative Performance Analysis of Multi Gate Tunnel Field Effect Transistors
Authors: Samuel T.S. Arun , Pandian M. Karthigai
Published: May 2016

In this paper, analytical modelling and performance analysis of novel device structures such as single gate SOI Tunnel Field Effect transistor (SG SOI TFET), Dual-Material Gate TFET (DMG TFET) and Dual Material Double Gate TFET (DMDG TFET) are proposed. The performance of the three devices is studied and compared in terms of surface potential, electric field and drain current. The DMDG TFET shows better performance in suppressing leakage current and enhancing ION current than the SG SOI TFET and DMG TFET. The analytical models of the devices are found to be in good agreement with the results obtained using two-dimensional TCAD device simulator.
Preparation and Characterization of Cellulose Crystallites via Fe(III)-, Co(II)- and Ni(II)-Assisted Dilute Sulfuric Acid Catalyzed Hydrolysis Process
Authors: Chen You Wei , Lee Hwei Voon , Abd Hamid Sharifah Bee
Published: May 2016

Hydrolyzing the cellulose amorphous regions with high selectivity while protecting the crystallite phases unaltered during acid hydrolysis is still a great challenge in nanocellulose industry. Due to this reason, transition metal based catalysts such as Fe (NO3)3-, Co (NO3)2- and Ni (NO3)2metal salts were chosen as promoter to co-catalyze with H2SO4 in order to develop a facile hydrolysis technique for the preparation of cellulose crystallites inform nanodimension from native cellulose source. This study investigated the hydrolysis efficiency of three different transition metals (Fe3+, Co2+ and Ni2+) on cellulose crystallinity index, structure and morphology of the products.Results showed that the transition metal salts (Ni2+, Co2+ and Fe3+) were capable to selectively degraded cellulose amorphous structure with increase of crystallite sizes (8.12-27.8 nm) and improved of crystallinity index (65.5-70.3 %), as compared to native cellulose. Furthermore, surface morphology study indicated the cellulose fibers were successfully disintegrated into smaller fragments (diameter ranges of 18.5-31.5 nm) with spider-web-like nanostructured surfaces. Higher oxidation state of Fe (III)-cation with trivalent state rendered more effective hydrolysis effect in preparing the cellulose crystallites as compared to divalent state of Co (II)- and Ni (II)-cations.
Geochronology and lithogeochemistry of granitoid rocks from the central part of the Central plutonic belt, New Brunswick, Canada: implications for Sn-W-Mo exploration
Authors: Wilson Reginald A. , Kamo Sandra L.
Published: May 2016

The central part of the Central plutonic belt in New Brunswick is underlain by numerous plutons of calc-alkaline, foliated and unfoliated granite that intrude Cambrian to Early Ordovician metasedimentary rocks. U-Pb (zircon) dating demonstrates that granites range in age from Middle Ordovician to Late Devonian, although most are late Silurian to Early Devonian. An age of 467 ± 7 Ma has been obtained on the foliated McKiel Lake Granite, whereas unfoliated intrusions yield ages of 423.2 ± 3.2 Ma (Bogan Brook Granodiorite), 420.7 +1.8/-2.0 Ma (Nashwaak Granite), 419.0 ± 0.5 Ma (Redstone Mountain Granite), 416.1 ± 0.5 Ma (Beadle Mountain Granite), 415.8 ± 0.3 Ma (Juniper Barren Granite), 409.7 ± 0.5 Ma (Lost Lake Granite), and 380.6 ± 0.3 Ma (Burnthill Granite). All plutons exhibit mixed arc-like and within-plate geochemical signatures, although the Redstone Mountain and Burnthill granites are dominantly of within-plate type. Trace element data reveal a close overall geochemical similarity between Ordovician and Silurian – Devonian plutons, indicating that all were generated by partial melting of the same crustal source. Late Silurian to Early Devonian plutons mainly comprise biotite and/or muscovite-bearing, peraluminous granite and are considered prospective for granophile-element mineralization. All plutons contain Sn well in excess of the granite global average abundance, and several contain average tin values comparable to productive stanniferous granites elsewhere. The Burnthill, Lost Lake, Beadle Mountain, and Nashwaak granites are geochemically most evolved and enriched in Sn and W. The Burnthill Granite in particular has experienced late-stage hydrothermal processes that have resulted in local enrichments of these elements.
Canonical Systems of Basic Invariants for Unitary Reflection Groups
Authors: Nakashima Norihiro , Terao Hiroaki , Tsujie Shuhei
Published: May 2016

It is known that there exists a canonical system for every finite real reflection group. In a previous paper, the first and the third authors obtained an explicit formula for a canonical system. In this article, we first define canonical systems for the finite unitary reflection groups, and then prove their existence. Our proof does not depend on the classification of unitary reflection groups. Furthermore, we give an explicit formula for a canonical system for every unitary reflection group.
The infinite derivatives of Okamoto's self-affine functions: an application of $\beta$-expansions
Authors: Allaart Pieter
Published: May 2016

Okamoto's one-parameter family of self-affine functions

F_a: [0,1] \to [0,1]

, where

0 < a < 1

, includes the continuous nowhere differentiable functions of Perkins (

a=5/6

) and Bourbaki/Katsuura (

a=2/3

), as well as the Cantor function (

a=1/2

). The main purpose of this article is to characterize the set of points at which

F_a

has an infinite derivative. We compute the Hausdorff dimension of this set for the case

a \leq 1/2

, and estimate it for

a > 1/2

. For all

a

, we determine the Hausdorff dimension of the sets of points where: (i)

F_a'=0

; and (ii)

F_a

has neither a finite nor an infinite derivative. The upper and lower densities of the digit

1

in the ternary expansion of

x \in [0,1]

play an important role in the analysis, as does the theory of

\beta

-expansions of real numbers.
On the Hausdorff and packing measures of slices of dynamically defined sets
Authors: Rapaport Ariel
Published: May 2016

Let

1 \le m < n

be integers, and let

K \subset \mathbb{R}^{n}

be a self-similar set satisfying the strong separation condition, and with dim

K = s > m

. We study the a.s. values of the

s-m

-dimensional Hausdorff and packing measures of

K \cap V

, where

V

is a typical

n-m

-dimensional affine subspace.

For

0 <\rho < \frac{1}{2}

let

C_{\rho} \subset[0,1]

be the attractor of the IFS

\{f_{\rho,1},f_{\rho,2}\}

, where

f_{\rho,1}(t)=\rho\cdot t

and

f_{\rho,2}(t)=\rho\cdot t+1-\rho

for each

t \in \mathbb{R}

. We show that for certain numbers

0 < a,b < \frac{1}{2}

, for instance

a=\frac{1}{4}

and

b=\frac{1}{3}

, if

K=C_{a} \times C_{b}

, then typically we have

\mathcal{H}^{s-m}(K\cap V)=0

.
The Application of Modern Dressings to Buruli Ulcers: Results from a Pilot Implementation Project in Ghana
Authors: Velding Kristien , Klis Sandor-Adrian , Abass K. Mohammad , van der Werf Tjip S. , Stienstra Ymkje
Published: May 2016

Buruli ulcer (BU) is a tropical, infectious skin disease. The resulting ulcer can take a long time to heal, and a high standard of wound care is essential. Currently, the only dressing used for BU wound care is gauze, and its removal causes pain and bleeding. We performed a pilot implementation project using HydroTac® (HARTMANN, Heidenheim, Germany), a modern dressing combining foam with a hydrogel component. For future BU treatment, we recommend to use a more absorbent dressing than the HydroTac dressing used in the current project. However, we show that modern dressings can be applied to BUs and that HydroTac dressings yield clean, healing wounds, and prevent the pain and bleeding associated with gauze dressings. Wound care is a vital but to date neglected aspect of BU management.
Fatal Melioidosis in a Newborn from Hainan, China
Authors: Fang Yao , Chen Hai , Zhu Xiong , Mao Xuhu
Published: May 2016

Herein, we report a case of fatal melioidosis in a newborn. The newborn died of serious melioidosis with respiratory and multiorgan failure at 16 days of age despite extensive treatment with antibiotics and methylprednisolone. Burkholderia pseudomallei was isolated from the infant's blood and cerebrospinal fluid and identified as a novel sequence type (ST-1341). His father had cough and fever when the newborn was born, and a localized patchy infiltration on the right upper lung was seen in chest radiography, but B. pseudomallei was not isolated. Two years later, the father developed cough and fever again, and the same novel sequence type of B. pseudomallei was isolated from the blood of the father. It is postulated that transmission of B. pseudomallei from the father to the newborn might have occurred during close contact in the first couple of days after birth. Given the high mortality of neonatal melioidosis, particular attention must be paid when the caretakers of the newborn develop fever of unknown origin in a melioidosis-endemic region.
Blood Group O–Dependent Cellular Responses to Cholera Toxin: Parallel Clinical and Epidemiological Links to Severe Cholera
Authors: Kuhlmann F. Matthew , Santhanam Srikanth , Kumar Pardeep , Luo Qingwei , Ciorba Matthew A. , Fleckenstein James M.
Published: May 2016

Because O blood group has been associated with more severe cholera infections, it has been hypothesized that cholera toxin (CT) may bind non-O blood group antigens of the intestinal mucosae, thereby preventing efficient interaction with target GM1 gangliosides required for uptake of the toxin and activation of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) signaling in target epithelia. Herein, we show that after exposure to CT, human enteroids expressing O blood group exhibited marked increase in cAMP relative to cells derived from blood group A individuals. Likewise, using CRISPR/Cas9 engineering, a functional group O line (HT-29-A−/−) was generated from a parent group A HT-29 line. CT stimulated robust cAMP responses in HT-29-A−/− cells relative to HT-29 cells. These findings provide a direct molecular link between blood group O expression and differential cellular responses to CT, recapitulating clinical and epidemiologic observations.
Air quality impacts of European wildfire emissions in a changing climate
Authors: Knorr Wolfgang , Dentener Frank , Hantson Stijn , Jiang Leiwen , Klimont Zbigniew , Arneth Almut
Published: May 2016

Abstract. Wildfires are not only a threat to human property and a vital element of many ecosystems, but also an important source of air pollution. In this study, we first review the available evidence for a past or possible future climate-driven increase in wildfire emissions in Europe. We then introduce an ensemble of model simulations with a coupled wildfire–dynamic-ecosystem model, which we combine with published spatial maps of both wildfire and anthropogenic emissions of several major air pollutants to arrive at air pollutant emission projections for several time slices during the 21st century. The results indicate moderate wildfire-driven emission increases until 2050, but there is a possibility of large increases until the last decades of this century at high levels of climate change. We identify southern and north-eastern Europe as potential areas where wildfires may surpass anthropogenic pollution sources during the summer months. Under a scenario of high levels of climate change (Representative Concentration Pathway, RCP, 8.5), emissions from wildfires in central and northern Portugal and possibly southern Italy and along the west coast of the Balkan peninsula are projected to reach levels that could affect annual mean particulate matter concentrations enough to be relevant for meeting WHO air quality targets.
In situ investigation of rapid subsurface flow: Temporal dynamics and catchment-scale implication
Authors: Angermann Lisa , Jackisch Conrad , Allroggen Niklas , Sprenger Matthias , Zehe Erwin , Tronicke Jens , Weiler Markus , Blume Theresa
Published: May 2016

Abstract. Preferential flow is omnipresent in natural systems. It links multiple scales from single pores to entire hillslopes and potentially influences the discharge dynamics of a catchment. However, there is still a lack of appropriate monitoring techniques and thus, process understanding. In this study, a promising combination of 2D time-lapse ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and soil moisture monitoring was used to observe preferential flow processes in highly structured soils during a hillslope-scale irrigation experiment. The 2D time-lapse GPR data were interpreted using structural similarity attributes, highlighting changes between individual time-lapse measurements. These changes are related to soil moisture variations in the subsurface. In combination with direct measurements of soil moisture, the spatial and temporal characteristics of the resulting patterns can give evidence about subsurface flow processes. The response dynamics at the hillslope were compared to the runoff response behavior of the headwater catchment. The experiment revealed a fast establishment of hillslope-scale connectivity despite unsaturated conditions, with high response velocities of up to 10−3 m s−1 or faster, and a high portion of mobile water. These processes substantially impact the overall catchment response behavior. While the presented approach is a good way to observe the temporal dynamics and general patterns, the spatial characteristics of small-scale preferential flow path could not be fully resolved.
New Study on the 1941 Gloria Fault Earthquake and Tsunami
Authors: Baptista Maria Ana , Miranda Jorge Miguel , Batlló Josep , Lisboa Filipe , Luis Joaquim , Maciá Ramon
Published: May 2016

Abstract. The M~8.3–8.4 25th November 1941 was one of the largest submarine strike-slip earthquakes ever recorded in the North East (NE) Atlantic basin. This event occurred along the Eurasia-Nubia plate boundary between the Azores and the Strait of Gibraltar. After the earthquake, the tide stations in the NE Atlantic recorded a small tsunami with maximum amplitudes of 40 cm peak to throw in Azores and Madeira islands. In this study, we present a re-evaluation of the earthquake epicentre location using seismological data not included in previous studies. We invert the tsunami travel times to obtain a preliminary tsunami source location using a backward ray tracing (BRT) technique. We invert the tsunami waveforms to infer the initial sea surface displacement using Empirical Green Functions without prior assumptions on the geometry of the source. The results of the BRT simulation locate the tsunami source quite close to the new epicentre. This fact suggests that the co-seismic deformation of the earthquake induced the tsunami. The waveform inversion of tsunami data favours the conclusion that the earthquake ruptured approximately 160 km segment of the plate boundary, in the eastern section of the Gloria Fault between −20.249°E and −18.630°E. The results presented here contribute to the evaluation of tsunami hazard in the North East Atlantic basin.
A preliminary study on the comprehensive threshold for debris-flow early warning
Authors: Xue Xiaoqiang , Huang Jian
Published: May 2016

Abstract. Debris-flows not only cause a great loss of property, but also kill and injure people every rainy season in the mountainous regions of China. In order to reduce hazard and risk, several methods of assessing rainfall thresholds have been provided at present, based on statistical models. However, the limited rainfall data with debris-flow occurrence or non-occurrence makes threshold analyses very difficult. This paper, therefore, presented a kind of comprehensive threshold consisting of pore-water pressure from Terzaghi theory, and rainfall factors from frequent usage for predicting debris-flow occurrence. Rainfall and pore pressure data has been collected in a number of locations in Wenjiagou gully to assess critical rainfall and pore pressure values for debris flow initiation. The three-level early warning criteria (Zero, Attention, and Warning) has been adopted and the corresponding judgement conditions has been defined based on monitoring data in a real-time way. Finally, it is suggested that the combination of these two critical values might be a useful approach in a warning system for safeguarding of population in debris-flow prone areas.
ANTIBIOTIKŲ VARTOJIMO VIRŠUTINIŲ KVĖPAVIMO TAKŲ INFEKCIJŲ GYDYMUI YPATUMAI: VISUOMENĖS ŽINIŲ IR SAVIGYDOS ĮVERTINIMAS
Authors: Dubickaitė Karolina , Merkytė Ieva , Pavydė Eglė , Sveikata Audrius
Published: May 2016

Neracionalus antibiotikų vartojimas viršutinių kvėpavimo takų infekcijoms gydyti ir savigyda antibiotikais – svarbios visuomenės sveikatos problemos. Lietuvoje atlikta mažai tyrimų, kurie vertintų visuomenės žinias apie antibiotikus. Šio tyrimo tikslas buvo įvertinti antibiotikų vartojimo ypatumus, visuomenės žinias, elgesį vartojant šiuos vaistus, savigydos paplitimą, priežastis. Perspektyviniam momentiniam stebėjimo tyrimui atlikti pasirinktas anoniminės apklausos metodas. Tyrimo instrumentas – originalus klausimynas, sudarytas iš 20 klausimų. Aprašomoji ir lyginamoji statistinė duomenų analizė atlikta statistiniu paketu SPSS Statistics 17.0. Rezultatai laikyti statistiškai patikimais, kai p<0,05. Nors antibiotikai yra dažnai vartojami vaistiniai preparatai, tačiau visuomenės žinios apie juos nėra pakankamos. Net ketvirtadalis respondentų (27,2 proc.) manė, kad antibiotikai veikia virusų sukeltas infekcijas, pusė – kad antibiotikai vienodai veikia tiek bakterijų, tiek virusų sukeltas infekcijas. Daugianarė logistinė regresinė analizė atskleidė, kad silpnos žinios apie antibiotikus buvo susijusios su dažnesniu šių vaistinių preparatų vartojimu (p=0,005; OR=2,959; 95% CI 1,389-6,307) ir didesne rizika užsiimti savigyda (p=0,024; OR=1,816; 95% CI 1,082-3,046). Savigydos antibiotikais paplitimas tarp tiriamųjų buvo 38,0 proc. Savigydą antibiotikais skatina tai, kad šių vaistinių preparatų vis dar galima įsigyti be recepto. Gydytojai ir vaistininkai turėtų skirti daugiau laiko konsultuodami pacientus apie racionalų antibiotikų vartojimą prieš išduodami šiuos vaistinius preparatus.
PROBLEMOS GYDANT VANKOMICINU KRITINIŲ BŪKLIŲ PACIENTUS
Authors: Klimašauskas Andrius , Grinkutė Aistė , Visockytė Aistė , Kėkštas Gintautas , Šipylaitė Jūratė
Published: May 2016

Tyrimo tikslas. Išsiaiškinti, kaip dažnai pasiekiama optimali vankomicino koncentracija kraujyje sunkiai sergantiems pacientams, gydomiems reanimacijos – intensyvios terapijos skyriuose (RITS). Tyrimo medžiaga ir metodai. Vilniaus universiteto ligoninės Santariškių klinikose atlikome retrospektyvinį tyrimą, kuriame nagrinėjome pacientų, 2013- 2015 metais gydytų vankomicinu trijuose šios ligoninės reanimacijos-intensyvios terapijos skyriuose, koncentracijos rodiklius. Į analizę įtraukėme visus vankomicino koncentracijos plazmoje matavimus. Pagal nustatytą vankomicino koncentraciją plazmoje rezultatus suskirstėme į tris grupes. Analizės grupės buvo šios: 1 grupė, nepakankama vankomicino koncentracija, rezultatai mažiau 15 mg/l; 2 grupė, terapinė vankomicino koncentracija, tarp 15-25 mg/l; 3 grupė, viršyta vankomicino koncentracija, - daugiau 25 mg/l. Palyginti skirtumai trejų metų laikotarpiu. Analizuoti skirtumai tarp trijų Vilniaus universitetinės ligoninės Santariškių klinikų intensyvios terapijos skyrių.Tyrimo rezultatai. Per trejus metus (2013-2015 m.) 622 pacientams atlikta 3512 vankomicino koncentracijos plazmoje matavimų. Vankomicino koncentracijos mediana trejų analizuojamų metų laikotarpiu nesiskyrė: 2013 m. ji buvo 21.4 mg/l (mažiausia – 0.0 didžiausia 77.5 mg/l), 2014 m.- 20.45 mg/l (mažiausia – 0,0 didžiausia – 143,7 mg/l), 2015 m.- 21,8 mg/l (mažiausia - 0, didžiausia -122,4 mg/l). Vankomicino koncentracijos matavimai grupėse pasiskirstė beveik po lygiai: 1 grupėje (nepakankamos koncentracijos) - 1116 (32%) atvejų, 2 grupėje (terapinės koncentracijos).– 1143 (32%) atvejai, 3 grupėje (viršytos koncentracijos)– 1126 (35%) atvejai. Esminių skirtumų per trejus metus nenustatyta. 240 atvejų (19,5%) vankomicino koncentracija buvo toksinė (didesnė, nei 30 mg/l). Didžiausia dalis atvejų (52%), kai nustatyta reikiama terapinė vankomicino koncentracija kraujo plazmoje buvo 1-ame RITS. Išvados. Didelei daliai pacientų nepasiekiama terapinė vankomicino koncentracija, net ir taikant vankomicino infuziją Daugiau nei trečdaliui atvejų nustatyta viršyta terapinė koncentracija. Naudojant standartizuotą protokolą terapinė vankomicino koncentracija pasiekiama dažniau.