bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Manufacturing Production Companies Can Gain Strategic Global Advantage Using Lean Six Sigma
Authors: Kornegay Alton L.
Published: January 2015

How the implementation of Lean Six Sigma in manufacturing production companies in the global environment can positively affect innovation, quality, education, productivity, standard of living, and ethics is discussed in this chapter. Examples by notables like Dr. W. Edwards Deming and the Chegg Study point out a serious misalignment between what is actually needed in manufacturing production worker skill sets and what is available. The chapter demonstrates the interconnectivity of, and responsibility for, the welfare of citizens of the world. It shows how Lean Six Sigma implementation can influence Gross National Product and Gross Domestic Product, which in turn determine quality of life for a nation's citizens. The chapter offers solutions like fostering industry, academics, and government relationships for the abatement of problems such as less government funding for public education and equipping college students with the right skill sets for more complex jobs in manufacturing production industries.
Inter-Group Collaboration
Authors: Shu Wesley , Lin Hota Chia-Sheng , Wang George
Published: January 2015

The purpose of this paper is to extend the theory of task/technology fit by exploring the impact of different technology characteristics on performance of preference and intellective tasks in an inter-group context. The authors tested 80 participants on group performance using a 2x2 factorial design with task type and mode of collaboration as the independent variables. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the research model and t-tests to evaluate their hypotheses. The authors confirmed their hypothesis that the use of wiki, a technology with many elaborate technology characteristics, created a better task/technology fit than use of the more conventional email/word processor. The wiki group also demonstrated better productivity, decision quality, and satisfaction than the email/word processor group. Differences in task type, intellective vs. preference, had no effect on group performance. The authors extended the task/technology fit model by examining how different combinations of task type and technology characteristics affect team performance in the context of inter-group collaboration.
Factors Impacting Effectiveness in Virtual Teams
Authors: Bhat Swati Kaul , Pande Neerja , Ahuja Vandana
Published: January 2015

Advancement and progression are the key constituents of the success in global business. Virtual team and its members are now the virtue of the organizations that work across the countries. There is no doubt that virtual team's give a competitive advantage to the organization but simultaneously faces challenge in its working. Working in virtual team becomes complex as its members have language difficulties, time -and -distance challenges, absence of face-to-face contact, and cultural differences. The important factor that has been emerged and examined in the preceding studies which builds a virtual team is trust. Only depending on emails and telephones doesn't merely build the trust, especially when members are far apart and belong to totally different culture. Even though a large repository of literature is available on virtual teams and trust but still many of the questions are still left unanswered. The paper focus on identifying the factors those are important for the functioning of the virtual team. A set of 45 questions from the available literature were prepared and responses on likert scale are collected, analysed and summarized in the paper.
Extensive Use of Facebook Marketing by Entrepreneurs in Gaining a Wider Reach
Authors: Wahi Ashok Kumar , Verma Kunal , Vadehra Rati
Published: January 2015

This paper focuses mainly on the entrepreneurial aspect of using Facebook pages as a platform for business development and customer engagement through it. It also discusses various Facebook pages features, its powerful analytics tool called insights and how entrepreneurs are leveraging this social media platform for their ventures and ultimately how social media marketing is largely impacting the integrated marketing of the entrepreneurs.
Enteropathy-Associated T Cell Lymphoma as a Complication of Silent Celiac Disease
Authors: Brito Margarida Dantas , Martins Ângelo , Henrique Rui , Mariz José
Published: January 2015

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder in which a genetic predisposition and the ingestion of wheat gluten triggers a deleterious immune response. This response is complex and may lead to manifestations other than enteropathyha: hepatitis, dermatitis and neuropathy. There is higher risk for neoplasia. We observed an atypical case, corresponding to a 69-year old female presenting with complicated celiac disease. The patient was referred following the histological examination of an enterectomy specimen, which unexpectedly revealed an enteropathy-associated T cell lymphoma in a background of celiac disease. Patient’s previous medical history comprised several abdominal surgical procedures, without other prior symptoms suggestive of celiac disease. Indeed, the patient was obese and no signs of malabsortion were apparent. This case draws our attention to clinically silent celiac disease, which represents a diagnostic challenge. Thus, this should be kept in mind whenever a patient presents with abdominal relapsing complications, otherwise unexplained.
Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever in a Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplant Recipient: The First Case Report
Authors: Visuthranukul Jirayu , Bunworasate Udomsak , Lawasut Panisinee , Suankratay Chusana
Published: January 2015

Dengue infection, a mosquito-borne infectious disease in tropical and subtropical areas, has recently become an emerging global disease. Clinical course of dengue infection may be unfavorable in immunocompromised patients. In this report, we present a 16-year-old female patient with acute myeloid leukemia and receiving allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplant who was hospitalized at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand, due to fever, headache, and myalgia for one day. During hospitalization, she developed capillary leakage syndrome and progressive thrombocytopenia. A diagnosis of dengue hemorrhagic fever was made and confirmed by positive dengue serology and polymerase chain reaction testing. She made a full recovery 14 days after hospitalization. In conclusion, this is the first reported case of dengue hemorrhagic fever in a peripheral blood stem cell transplant recipient. In addition, we review all previous reports of dengue infection in organ transplant recipients.
Corynebacterium macginleyi Isolated from A Corneal Ulcer
Authors: Ruoff Kathryn , Toutain-Kidd Christine M. , Srinivasan Muthiah , Lalitha Prajna , Acharya Nisha R. , Zegans Michael E. , Schwartzman Joseph D.
Published: January 2015

We report the isolation of Corynebacterium macginleyi from the corneal ulcer culture of a patient, later enrolled in the Steroids for Corneal Ulcer Trial (SCUT). To our knowledge this is the first published report from North America of the recovery of C. macginleyi from a serious ocular infection.
A Rare Case of Primary Tuberculosis Infection with Concurrent Pleomorphic Adenoma of the Parotid Gland
Authors: Al Bisher Hassan
Published: January 2015

Coexistence of parotid tuberculosis along with a benign parotid tumor is a rare entity with only nine cases reported in the literature. We report here a case of primary parotid tuberculosis with concurrent pleomorphic adenoma in a 51-year-old female.
Invasive Aspergillosis in an Immunocompetent Patient with Fever and a Cardiac Mass
Authors: LaBarbera Matthew , Jacobson Lester B.
Published: January 2015

Invasive aspergillosis is an often fatal disease that usually occurs in immunocompromised patients. We report a case of invasive aspergillosis presenting as a febrile respiratory infection with a cardiac mass in an immunocompetent patient. Invasive aspergillosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of an otherwise undiagnosed febrile respiratory illness, even in immunocompetent patients. Echocardiography should be peformed to evaluate for endocarditis in such cases. Prompt initiation of appropriate antifungal therapy is warranted, even before the diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis is confirmed.
Cat-Scratch Disease in Crete: An Update
Authors: Minadakis Georgios , Angelakis Emmanouil , Chochlakis Dimosthenis , Tselentis Yannis , Psaroulaki Anna
Published: January 2015

There are few epidemiological and clinical studies about the presence of cat scratch disease (CSD) on the island of Crete. The objective of this study was to analyze a large number of patients with suspected CSD to define the frequency of Bartonella infections in Crete. From January 2005 to October 2008, we studied patients with suspected CSD from hospitals in Crete. Sera of the referred patients were tested by immunofluorescence assay (IFA). For some patients, we also received lymph nodes and blood samples that we tested for the presence of Bartonella henselae by molecular assays. Overall, we tested 507 serum samples and we found 56 (11%) cases of CSD. PCR assay was positive for 2 patients; one had a B. henselae positive lymph node and the other a positive whole blood sample. Significantly more CSD cases (62.5%, 35 of 56) were reported in children than in infants and adults (P<0.05). Moreover, we identified that most cases of CSD occurred between May and September (P=0.002) and December and January. CSD is prevalent in Crete and is mostly associated with an increase in outdoor activity.
Infection with Cytomegalovirus is not Associated with Premature Mortality
Authors: Adler Stuart P. , Best Al M. , Marshall Beth , Vetrovec George W.
Published: January 2015

Over 90% of the world’s population acquires a cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. This infection, although asymptomatic or self-limiting, is a major burden to the immune system. For this reason, and because CMV immunization is possible, determining whether CMV can cause reduced longevity, particularly among those with coronary artery disease, is important and previous reports have been conflicting. Thus our objective was to assess the association between CMV infection as defined serologically and antibody levels against CMV and longterm survival (18 years). We completed a prospective observational cohort study of 915 consecutive patients (mean age 58 years) undergoing coronary angiography. CMV immunoglobulin levels were measured at baseline using either a whole cell CMV antigen or a purified protein antigen (gB). After adjustment for potentially confounding variables (age, race, gender, body mass index, the presence or absence of coronary artery disease, the number of diseased vessels, diabetes, renal disease, hypertension, dialysis, congestive heart failure, and the maximum percent reduction in luminal diameter), Cox’s proportional hazards models showed no association between CMV seropositivity or levels of antibodies against CMV by either assay and longevity for both patients with or without coronary artery disease (CAD) nor for those under or over 70 years of age at baseline. Our observations suggest that universal immunization against CMV may not improve longevity.
Concomitant Cat Scratch Disease and Squamous Cell Carcinoma in a Cardiac Transplant
Authors: Bhanot Nitin , Sokos George G. , Benza Raymond L. , Murali Srinivas
Published: January 2015

Cat scratch disease has been reported very rarely in cardiac transplant recipients. In a review of 1073 episodes of infection in 620 heart transplant patients over a 16 year period, only one case of infection secondary to Bartonella henselae was documented. Another case of hepatosplenic bacillary angiomatosis from B. henselae was reported 2 decades ago in a heart transplant recipient who had presented with fevers of unknown origin. Although the typical clinical manifestation is that of a skin lesion accompanied with lymphadenopathy, cat scratch disease may present with persistent fevers without a clinically overt infective focus in immunosuppressed individuals. Moreover, more than one disease process may coexist in immunocompromised hosts. While the lymphadenopathy in our patient was secondary to Cat scratch disease, interestingly, the adjacent skin lesion that was thought to represent unhealed site of inoculation of Bartonella was diagnosed as squamous cell carcinoma.
Chest X-rays and associated clinical parameters in pulmonary Tubercolosis cases from the National Tubercolosis Program, Mumbai, India
Authors: Dholakia Yatin N. , D'souza Desiree T.B. , Tolani Monica P. , Chatterjee Anirvan , Mistry Nerges F.
Published: January 2015

The study was carried out in pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) patients from the local Tuberculosis control programme, Mumbai, India. It examined features of chest X-rays and their correlation with clinical parameters for possible application in suspected multidrug resistant TB (MDRTB) and to predict outcome in new and treatment failure PTB cases. X-ray features (infiltrate, cavitation, miliary shadows, pleural effusion, mediastinal lymphadenopathy and extent of lesions) were analyzed to identify associations with biological/clinical parameters through univariate and multivariate logistic regression. Failures demonstrated associations between extensive lesions and high glycosylated hemoglobin (GHb) levels (P=0.028) and male gender (P=0.03). An association was also detected between cavitation and MDR (P=0.048). In new cases, bilateral cavities were associated with MDR (P=0.018) and male gender (P=0.01), low body mass index with infiltrates (P=0.008), and smoking with cavitation (P=0.0238). Strains belonging to the Manu1 spoligotype were associated with mild lesions (P=0.002). Poor outcome showed borderline significance with extensive lesions at onset (P=0.053). Furthermore, amongst new cases, smoking, the Central Asian Strain (CAS) spoligotype and high GHb were associated with cavitation, whereas only CAS spoligotypes and high GHb were associated with extensive lesions. The study highlighted associations between certain clinical parameters and X-ray evidence which support the potential of X-rays to predict TB, MDRTB and poor outcome. The use of Xrays as an additional tool to shorten diagnostic delay and shortlist MDR suspects amongst nonresponders to TB treatment should be explored in a setting with limited resources coping with a high MDR case load such as Mumbai.
Therapeutic drug monitoring in epilepsy clinic: a multi-disciplinary approach
Authors: Lertsinudom Sunee , Chaiyakum Aporanee , Tuntapakul Supinya , Sawanyawisuth Kittisak , Tiamkao Siriporn , Tiamkao Somsak , Epilepsy Research Group Integrated
Published: January 2015

Epilepsy is a common public health problem and needs multi-disciplinary treatment. Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is one of step of the multi-disciplinary treatment in epilepsy at Epilepsy clinic, Khon Kaen University (Thailand). The TDM service has been established since 2008. Here, we aimed to study the roles of TDM order and epilepsy control. This is a prospective descriptive study in which data collection was done from January 1 to December 31, 2010, the period when pharmacists took part in assessing the appropriateness in measurement and interpretation of TDM in order to provide suggestions for physicians. The 112 patients under study had an average age of 38.21±15.36 years; 254 samples were collected for therapeutic drug monitoring; phenytoin was submitted mostly for drug monitoring at 46.46%; 44.49% of sub-missions for drug level monitoring were made owing to a suspected sub-therapeutic level. Associations were found between reasons of sending samples for drug level monitoring and the measured drug levels, i.e., 66.67% of drug levels found was so low that they were undetectable in sample for patients’ compliance investigation and 38.94% of the drug levels were found to be sub-therapeutic as for the case where submission of samples was done because of suspected sub-therapeutic level, 40% of the cases were found to be in toxicity range in the cases with suspected over-therapeutic levels and monitoring levels, 58.25% were found to be within the therapeutic range. Pharmacists used the interpreted results in patients’ care by recommending physicians to monitor therapeutic drug closely, to adjust the dosage of drugs, and to recommend checking patients’ compliance in their use of drugs at 56.5, 38.9, and 4.3%, respectively. Physicians’ responses were found to be absolute follow, partial follow and not follow at 77.95, 11.03, and 7.48%, respectively. In conclusion, associations were found between reasons of TDM order and measured drug level. Therapeutic drug monitoring services at the Epilepsy Clinic was useful in supporting clinical information queries. Pharmacists could make use of interpreted drug level information by recommending physicians to monitor drug levels and adjust individual dosage regimen accordingly. It should be noted that physicians accepted pharmacists’ recommendation, denoting multi-disciplinary care team that would lead to greater efficiency.
Hypercoagulability and Thrombosis
Authors: Cappellini Maria Domenica , Poggiali Erika
Published: January 2015

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License [...]
Liver Disease and Thalassaemia
Authors: Constantinou George
Published: January 2015

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License (by-nc 3.0) which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited [...]
Gonadal Function and Fertility Issues in Thalassaemia
Authors: Skordis Nicos
Published: January 2015

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License (by-nc 3.0) which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited [...]
Pain and Its Management in Thalassaemia
Authors: Piga Antonio
Published: January 2015

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License (by-nc 3.0) which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited [...]
Treatment of Hepatitis C in Patients with Thalassaemia. Where Are We Now?
Authors: Dusheiko Geoffrey
Published: January 2015

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons [...]
The Role of the Molecular Biology Laboratory in the Management of Chronic Hepatitis B and C
Authors: Karayiannis Peter
Published: January 2015

Molecular biology techniques are routinely used nowadays to diagnose and evaluate antiviral treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. Current tools at our disposal include tests that quantify the amount of circulating virus in the blood, techniques that can analyse genomic sequences to determine viral genotypes or subtypes, or determine amino-acid substitutions that may confer resistance to existing antiviral drugs. What is more, continuously evolving serological tests for the detection of viral antigens or their corresponding antibodies, have made diagnosis of disease as sensitive as possible. The present review will concentrate primarily on molecular diagnostics.
European Patients Academy on Therapeutic Inovation
Authors: May Mathew
Published: January 2015

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License (by-nc 3.0) which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited [...]
Laboratory Diagnosis of the Rare Anaemias: External Quality Assessment Benefits Patient Care
Authors: De La Salle Barbara , Mosca Andrea , Paleari Renata , Rapanakis Vasileios , Hyde Keith
Published: January 2015

Since its introduction in the 1960s, external quality assessment has developed to become an essential component of the quality management system of the diagnostic laboratory. External quality assessment provides a long term, retrospective view of laboratory performance, demonstrating the competence of the laboratory to others. The ENERCA project (the European Network for Rare and Congenital Anaemias) has established a list of core laboratory tests that are used in the diagnosis of rare and congenital anaemias, which has been used as the basis for questionnaires to laboratories, to establish the use and quality assurance of diagnostic testing in the congenital and rare anaemias, and to European EQA providers for services in this key area. In general, the provision of EQA for rare and congenital anaemias is widely variable with little provision for the very rare disorders. For the more common congenital anaemias, such as the haemoglobinopathies and thalassaemias, provision is better but there is variation in aspects of the scheme design, especially the frequency of distribution. Where laboratories did not take part in EQA for individual tests, or there was no EQA available, a desire to participate was expressed in 66% (102/154) of cases. The provision of external quality assessment (EQA) services for rare disorders is a challenge. For many of these conditions, the number of patients in any one member state is very small with only a few laboratories providing diagnostic testing. In these cases, the development of pan-European or cross-border EQA may be the only means by which standardisation of methods and results can be achieved. An EQA survey of 243 laboratories for performance in Hb A2 quantification showed encouraging results in that there was a clear differentiation in the results from a beta Thalassaemia carrier and an individual with no evidence of Thalassaemia; however, a bias was observed between different methods of measurement.
Genetic Counselling in the Beta-Thalassaemias
Authors: Ioannides Adonis S.
Published: January 2015

The beta-thalassaemias are very important genetic disorders of haemoglobin synthesis and are amongst the commonest monogenic disorders. In view of the severity of beta-thalassaemia major, a number of screening programmes have been developed aimed at reducing the number of individuals born with the condition. Genetic counsellingplays a vital role in this process supporting the successful implementation of screening and delineating available options to at risk individuals. This review assesses the contribution of genetic counsellingat each stage of this process in the context of new diagnostic techniques and therapeutic options and discusses some of the more challenging aspects such as genotype/ phenotype correlation and coinheritance of other genetic conditions or genetic modifiers.
Development of Model Systems for β-Thalassaemia
Authors: Vadolas Jim
Published: January 2015

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License (by-nc 3.0) which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited [...]
Five Year Outcome of Lentiviral Gene Therapy for Human Beta-Thalassemia, Lessons and Prospects
Authors: Leboulch Philippe
Published: January 2015

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons [...]
ENERCA—European Network for Rae and Congenital Anaemias 2002–2012. 10 Years of Life
Authors: Vives-Corrons Joan Lluis
Published: January 2015

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons [...]
Iron load
Authors: Cassarà Filippo , Maggio Aurelio
Published: January 2015

Recent research addressed the main role of hepcidin in the regulation of iron metabolism. However, while this mechanism could be relevant in causing iron load in Thalassemia Intermedia and Sickle-Cell Anemia, its role in Thalassemia Major (TM) is marginal. This is mainly due to the high impact of transfusional requirement into the severe increase of body iron. Moreover, the damage of iron load may be worsened by infections, as HCV hepatitis, or liver and endocrinological damage. One of the most relevant associations was found between splenectomy and increase of risk for mortality due,probably, to more severe iron load. These issues suggest as morbidity and mortality of this group of patients they do not depend only by our ability in controlling heart damage but even in preventing or treating particular infections and complications. This finding is supported by the impairment of survival curves in patients with complications different from heart damage. However, because, during recent years different direct and indirect methods to detect iron overload in patients affected by secondary hemochromatosis have been implemented, our ability to maintain under control iron load is significantly improved. Anyway, the future in iron load management remains to be able to have an iron load map of our body for targeting chelation and other medical treatment according to the single organ damage.
Pathophysiology of Cardiovascular Disease in Rare Anemias
Authors: Aessopos Athanasios , Farmakis Dimitrios
Published: January 2015

Rare anemias encompass a large and markedly heterogeneous group of nearly 90 different conditions [...]
Prednisolone-Induced Predisposition to Femoral Head Separation and the Accompanying Plasma Protein Changes in Chickens
Authors: Packialakshmi B. , Liyanage R. , Lay J. O. , Okimoto R. , Rath N. C.
Published: January 2015

Femoral head separation (FHS) is an idiopathic bone problem that causes lameness and production losses in commercial poultry. In a model of prednisolone-induced susceptibility to FHS, the changes in plasma proteins and peptides were analyzed to find possible biomarkers. Plasma samples from control and FHS-susceptible birds were depleted of their high abundance proteins by acetonitrile precipitation and were then subjected to cation exchange and reverse-phase (RP) fractionations. Analysis with matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) showed several differentially expressed peptides, two of which were isolated by RP-HPLC and identified as the fragments of apolipoprotein A-I. The acetonitrile fractionated plasma proteins were subjected to reduction/alkylation and trypsin digestion followed by liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry, which showed the absence of protocadherin 15, vascular endothelial growth factor-C, and certain transcription and ubiquitin-mediated proteolytic factors in FHS-prone birds. It appears that prednisolone-induced dyslipidemia, vascular, and tissue adhesion problems may be consequential to FHS. Validity of these biomarkers in our model and the natural disease must be verified in future using traditional approaches.

Biomarker Insights

Lameness because of femoral head separation (FHS) is a production and welfare problem in the poultry industry. Selection against FHS requires identification of the birds with subclinical disease with biomarkers from a source such as blood. Prednisolone can induce femoral head problems and predisposition to FHS. Using this experimental model, we analyzed the plasma peptides and proteins from normal and FHS-prone chickens by mass spectrometry to identify differentially expressed peptides and proteins. We found two peptides, both derived from apolipoprotein A-I, quantitatively elevated and two proteins, protocadherin 15 and VEGF-C, that were conspicuously absent in FHS-susceptible birds.
Surgical Management of Adenocarcinoma of the Pancreatic Uncinate Process in a Cancer Hospital in Egypt
Authors: Roshdy Sameh , Hussein Osama , Abdallah Ahmed , Abdel-Wahab Khaled , Senbel Ahmed
Published: January 2015

Introduction

Pancreatic carcinoma affecting the uncinate process is a challenging surgical condition. Several considerations affect the management plan, including the need for vascular resection and the ability to achieve a clear margin.

Methods

The data of 19 patients who had curative resection for pancreatic adenocarcinoma of the uncinate process were reviewed. Operative mortality and morbidity, and disease-free survival (DFS) were calculated.

Results

The study population included 13 male and 6 female patients with a mean age of 55 years. Nine patients (47.4%) had stage I disease, seven patients (36.8%) had stage II disease, and three patients (15.8%) had stage III disease. A total of 12 patients had Whipple procedure and 7 patients had total pancreatectomy. In total, there were 9 R0 and 10 R1 resections. Operative mortality rate was 10.5% (2/19), postoperative leakage rate was 21.1% (4/19), and wound sepsis rate was 21.1%. Median DFS was 19.2 months. Survival was superior in the Whipple procedure group than in the total pancreatectomy group (median survival 19 months vs 4 months, respectively). Vascular resection and retroperitoneal safety margin status did not affect disease relapse.

Conclusion

Non-metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma of the uncinate process should be offered R0 or R1 resection whenever technically feasible.
Practical Issues in Screening and Variable Selection in Genome-Wide Association Analysis
Authors: Hong Sungyeon , Kim Yongkang , Park Taesung
Published: January 2015

Variable selection methods play an important role in high-dimensional statistical modeling and analysis. Computational cost and estimation accuracy are the two main concerns for statistical inference from ultrahigh-dimensional data. In particular, genome-wide association studies (GWAS), which focus on identifying single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with a disease of interest, have produced ultrahigh-dimensional data. Numerous methods have been proposed to handle GWAS data. Most statistical methods have adopted a two-stage approach: pre-screening for dimensional reduction and variable selection to identify causal SNPs. The pre-screening step selects SNPs in terms of their P-values or the absolute values of the regression coefficients in single SNP analysis. Penalized regressions, such as the ridge, lasso, adaptive lasso, and elastic-net regressions, are commonly used for the variable selection step. In this paper, we investigate which combination of pre-screening method and penalized regression performs best on a quantitative phenotype using two real GWAS datasets.
Toward a recalibrated human right to a clean and healthy environment: making the conceptual transition
Authors: Weston Burns H , Bollier David
Published: January 2015

Despite many noble efforts to champion the right to a clean and healthy environment and related regulation, the official recognition and jurisdictional reach of this right is highly limited. It does not matter if it is understood as an entitlement derived from other substantive rights, as a substantive right autonomous unto itself, or as a cluster of procedural entitlements. Our highly decentralized and far too voluntarist international legal order is far more concerned with privileging commercial imperatives than in protecting human rights and environmental values. However, we may be approaching a ‘Grotian Moment’ that presents an unusual opening for change. A variety of civil resistance movements, new sorts of Internet-based collaboration and governance, and dissenting schools of thought in economics, environmental stewardship and human rights, are gaining both credibility and adherents – locally, nationally, regionally, globally, and points in between. This convergence points to a new paradigm of law, economics, and governance that could provide a practical new way to reframe the human right to environment as the human right to commons- and rights-based ecological governance – what we call ‘Green Governance.’ Unlike the right to environment now practiced – theoretically appealing but troublingly indeterminate operationally – the human right to Green Governance would be anchored in a cognizably well-defined, rich history of both substantive and procedural justice. As we explain, Green Governance can provide a powerful means for challenging the State/Market's structural limitations by drawing upon the power of Human Rights, Vernacular Law, and Self-Organized Governance as a complement or substitute for State-based governance. A human right to Green Governance could help protect the creations of nature and related societal institutions that we inherit jointly and freely from our forebears, hold in trust for future generations and seek to manage democratically in accordance with human rights principles. To advance this vision, we offer a Universal Covenant Affirming a Human Right to Commons- and Rights-based Governance of Earth's Natural Wealth and Resources, a declaration ready for immediate adoption by and for all levels of concerned society worldwide.
Lived bodies, place, and phenomenology: implications for human rights and environmental justice
Authors: Seamon David
Published: January 2015

This article considers how a phenomenological perspective contributes to the theme of ‘human bodies in material space’. The author reviews several central phenomenological concepts, including lifeworld, natural attitude, epoché, and the phenomenological reduction. The author then draws on the phenomenological discussion of lived body, body-subject, and environmental embodiment to describe the intimate lived relationship between human bodies and the physical worlds in which they find themselves. Particularly relevant in this regard is the phenomenological concept of place, which is defined as any environmental locus that gathers human actions, experiences, and meanings spatially. The article uses the work of urban critic Jane Jacobs (The Death and Life of Great American Cities, 1961) and sociologist Eric Klinenberg (Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago, 2002) to illustrate how environmental embodiment and vibrant urban places are supported or stymied by material and spatial qualities like street configuration, population density, and mix of activities. The author concludes by considering what a phenomenological perspective on environmental embodiment and place might mean for human rights and environmental justice. The possibility of place justice is proposed: the use of indirect means like environmental design, public policy, and place-oriented law to protect vibrant places and to invigorate moribund environments.
A continuous rainfall model based on vine copulas
Authors: Vernieuwe H. , Vandenberghe S. , De Baets B. , Verhoest N. E. C.
Published: January 2015

Abstract. Copulas have already proven their flexibility in rainfall modelling. Yet, their use is generally restricted to the description of bivariate dependence. Recently, vine copulas have been introduced, allowing multi-dimensional dependence structures to be described on the basis of a stage by stage mixing of two-dimensional copulas. This paper explores the use of such vine copulas in order to incorporate all relevant dependencies between the storm variables of interest. On the basis of such fitted vine copulas, an external storm structure is modeled. An internal storm structure is superimposed based on Huff curves, such that a continuous time series of rainfall is generated. The performance of the rainfall model is evaluated through a statistical comparison between an ensemble of synthetical rainfall series and the observed rainfall series and through the comparison of the annual maxima.
Coupled cellular automata for frozen soil processes
Authors: Nagare R. M. , Bhattacharya P. , Khanna J. , Schincariol R. A.
Published: January 2015

Abstract. Heat and water movement in variably saturated freezing soils is a strongly coupled phenomenon. The coupling is a result of the effects of sub-zero temperature on soil water potential, heat carried by water moving under pressure gradients, and dependency of soil thermal and hydraulic properties on soil water content. This study presents a one-dimensional cellular automata (direct solving) model to simulate coupled heat and water transport with phase change in variably saturated soils. The model is based on first-order mass and energy conservation principles. The water and energy fluxes are calculated using first-order empirical forms of Buckingham–Darcy's law and Fourier's heat law respectively. The liquid–ice phase change is handled by integrating along an experimentally determined soil freezing curve (unfrozen water content and temperature relationship) obviating the use of the apparent heat capacity term. This approach highlights a further subtle form of coupling in which heat carried by water perturbs the water content–temperature equilibrium and exchange energy flux is used to maintain the equilibrium rather than affect the temperature change. The model is successfully tested against analytical and experimental solutions. Setting up a highly non-linear coupled soil physics problem with a physically based approach provides intuitive insights into an otherwise complex phenomenon.
Desde los márgenes: Los detectives salvajes, novela transnacional
Authors: Zavaleta Balarezo Jorge
Published: January 2015

Es el objetivo de este ensayo interpretar y analizar las propuestas literarias, artísticas y estéticas que el desaparecido escritor chileno Roberto Bolaño (1953 - 2003) plantea en su novela Los detectives salvajes. Se trata esta, de la obra que lo dio a conocer internacionalmente y que reveló a un escritor amante del nomadismo y los desplazamientos no tradicionales, no siempre guiado por la comodidad sino más bien por las condiciones críticas que obligaban a tales tránsitos. En plena época de globalización, en un mundo influenciado por la ideología neoliberal, en que el mercado es visto como un tótem, que todo lo define, Bolaño se nos aparece como un escritor capaz de enfrentar precisamente este panorama frío y calculador al que nos ha conducido la etapa más avanzada del capitalismo que intenta quebrar cualquier barrera.
Hablar desde el silencio: El silencio como verdad en las narrativas de mujeres sobrevivientes
Authors: Davidovich Karin
Published: January 2015

A partir del estudio de testimonios y entrevistas personales con ex detenidas-desaparecidas de la última dictadura militar en Argentina sostengo que, si bien todos los testimonios del horror están impregnados por la presencia del silencio, los testimonios de sobrevivientes argentinas que comienzan a surgir masivamente desde los  noventa contienen dos aspectos fundamentales que los distinguen de otros. El primero es que sugieren una diferencia importante entre dos tipos de silencio, uno mudo y el otro elocuente.  Y el segundo es que llaman a un interlocutor capaz de escuchar sus silencios elocuentes. De este modo los silencios en estas narrativas testimoniales no encubren una verdad, sino que son ellos mismos la verdad. La mujeres asociadas históricamente con el silencio, se presentan como las indicadas para hacer de este no lo opuesto al lenguaje, sino el lenguaje mismo como lenguaje del trauma, invitándonos a leer el silencio, a descifrarlo, a leer más allá de las palabras, a entrenar el oído para escuchar "los indicios" de la verdad, aceptando la imposibilidad de capturar el significado de estas experiencias del horror en su totalidad. Sin embargo, esta imposibilidad no implica una parálisis, un  punto final, sino que llama a la necesidad de “trabajar” ese silencio, agregándole valor, con el fin de transformar tanto la identidad de la víctima como la de la sociedad misma, creando oyentes empáticos y nuevos modos de ciudadanía.
Enredadera a dos voces, "Los trazos del viento" y "Jauría": el teatro como medio de denuncia y lucha
Authors: Vázquez Emily Celeste
Published: January 2015

En este artículo se compararán y analizarán las obras teatrales Los trazos del viento de Alan Aguilar y Jauría de Enrique Mijares.Para lo anterior el ensayo se dividirá en el estudio de tres ejes fundamentales: la naturaleza temática, donde se analizará la perspectiva con la cual los autores abordan la problemática de los feminicidos perpetrados en Ciudad Juárez; la naturaleza de los personajes, donde serán analizados los protagonistas de las historias para determinar su carga semiológica y metafórica respecto al problema analizado y, la naturaleza social, vertiente en la que se expondrá la manera en la cual las obras de teatro estudiadas resultan en un medio para, a través de la ética y de la ideología de sus autores, realizar denuncias imperecederas y generar un impacto perceptivo en la mente de los lectores o espectadores.El objetivo de este trabajo, consiste en determinar cómo los personajes de las obras teatrales analizadas funcionan como un medio fiel de representación de los protagonistas de los feminicidios cometidos en Ciudad Juárez, a la vez que contribuyen a enriquecer la literatura mexicana mediante la inserción de nuevas vertientes formales y discursivas.
“El peso de la ley”. Reseña. Nicolás Poblete, "Espectro familiar".	Santiago:	Ceibo	Ediciones,	2014.
Authors: Eltit Diamela
Published: January 2015

Reseña del libro de Nicolás Poblete.
Our Secret Places in the Waiting World: or, A Conscious Heart, Continued
Authors: House Silas
Published: January 2015

Keynote address to the Thirty-Seventh Annual Appalachian Studies Conference, Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia, March 28-30, 2014. Performance video: http://youtu.be/ZR7A69yOL-k
Food in Finding H.F. and Secret City by Julia Watts: The Food of Home and the Food of the Big City
Authors: Carey Allison E.
Published: January 2015

Food in Kentucky-born novelist Julia Watts’s novels is never merely nutrition: the food on the characters’ tables represents safety or risk, the known or the unknown, the comforts of the familiar, or the pleasures and discomforts of expanding horizons. In Finding H.F., as part of a journey of self-discovery and coming-of-age, H.F. Simms leaves behind the familiarity of her memaw’s beans and cornbread for the Chinese food of Atlanta and the fried shrimp of the Gulf Coast. In Secret City, Ruby Pickett and her family move to the government’s "Secret City" of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, so that Ruby’s daddy can help with the war effort, and they bring with them the recipes and foodways of their home in Whitley County, Kentucky. Yet as Ruby comes of age, she, too, experiences her world expanding through new foods such as mushroom consomme and tomato aspic. This essay examines how one Kentucky novelist has employed Appalachian food and foodways as metaphors of her characters’ personal journeys of discovery.
The Relationship between Test Anxiety, Epistemological Beliefs and Problem Solving among Students
Authors: Mehdinezhad Vali , Bamari Zeinab
Published: January 2015

The purpose of this study was to investigate the test anxiety, epistemological beliefs and problem solving among students. The target population of the current research was all the students of University of Sistan and Baluchestan in the academic year 2013–2014 and the number of the sample was 375. They were selected using a classified and simple random method. The main tools to collect data were three questionnaires. The test anxiety questionnaire by Abolqasemi et al. (1996), epistemological beliefs questionnaire by Schommer (1998), and Patio problem-solving questionnaire (2002) were used. The reliability of these questionnaires was calculated through Cronbach’s Alpha test as 0.93, 0.75 and 0.88. To test the research questions, single sample t-test, independent t and Pearson correlative coefficient were adopted using SPSS software, version 20. The results showed that students have relatively high-test anxiety. It was also shown that they have relatively good epistemological beliefs. The students’ status to solve the problems is also satisfactory to some extent. There is a positive and significant relationship between test anxiety and epistemological beliefs at low level. But no statistically meaningful relationship was noticed between test anxiety and problem solving. Meanwhile the results showed that there is a negative and meaningful relationship at low level between epistemological beliefs and problem solving.
Extending the long‐term record of volcanic SO2 emissions with the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite nadir mapper
Authors: Carn S. A. , Yang K. , Prata A. J. , Krotkov N. A.
Published: January 2015

Uninterrupted, global space‐based monitoring of volcanic sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions is critical for climate modeling and aviation hazard mitigation. We report the first volcanic SO2 measurements using ultraviolet (UV) Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) nadir mapper data. OMPS was launched on the Suomi National Polar‐orbiting Partnership satellite in October 2011. We demonstrate the sensitivity of OMPS SO2 measurements by quantifying SO2 emissions from the modest eruption of Paluweh volcano (Indonesia) in February 2013 and tracking the dispersion of the volcanic SO2 cloud. The OMPS SO2 retrievals are validated using Ozone Monitoring Instrument and Atmospheric Infrared Sounder measurements. The results confirm the ability of OMPS to extend the long‐term record of volcanic SO2 emissions based on UV satellite observations. We also show that the Paluweh volcanic SO2 reached the lower stratosphere, further demonstrating the impact of small tropical volcanic eruptions on stratospheric aerosol optical depth and climate.
Flow rate dictates permeability enhancement during fluid pressure oscillations in laboratory experiments
Authors: Candela Thibault , Brodsky Emily E. , Marone Chris , Elsworth Derek
Published: January 2015

Seismic waves have been observed to increase the permeability in fractured aquifers. A detailed, predictive understanding of the process has been hampered by a lack of constraint on the primary physical controls. What aspect of the oscillatory forcing is most important in determining the magnitude of the permeability enhancement? Here we present laboratory results showing that flow rate is the primary control on permeability increases in the laboratory. We fractured Berea sandstone samples under triaxial stresses of tens of megapascals and applied dynamic fluid stresses via pore pressure oscillations. In each experiment, we varied either the amplitude or the frequency of the pressure changes. Amplitude and frequency each separately correlated with the resultant permeability increase. More importantly, the permeability changes correlate with the flow rate in each configuration, regardless of whether flow rate variations were driven by varying amplitude or frequency. We also track the permeability evolution during a single set of oscillations by measuring the phase lags (time delays) of successive oscillations. Interpreting the responses with a poroelastic model shows that 80% of the permeability enhancement is reached during the first oscillation and the final permeability enhancement scales exponentially with the imposed change in flow rate integrated over the rock volume. The establishment of flow rate as the primary control on permeability enhancement from seismic waves opens the door to quantitative studies of earthquake‐hydrogeological coupling. The result also suggests that reservoir permeability could be engineered by imposing dynamic stresses and changes in flow rate.
Wave breaking and turbulence at a tidal inlet
Authors: Zippel Seth , Thomson Jim
Published: January 2015

Field measurements collected with surface drifters at New River Inlet (NC, USA) are used to characterize wave breaking and turbulence in the presence of currents. Shoreward wave evolution is affected by currents, and breaking is observed in deeper water with opposing currents (ebb tides) relative to the following currents (flood tides). Wave dissipation models are evaluated with observed cross‐shore gradients in wave energy flux. Wave dissipation models that include the effects of currents are better correlated with the observations than the depth‐only models. Turbulent dissipation rates measured in the breaking regions are used to evaluate two existing scaling models for the vertical structure and magnitude of turbulent dissipation relative to wave dissipation. Although both describe the rapid decay of turbulence beneath the surface, exponential vertical scaling by water depth is superior to power law vertical scaling by wave height.