bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Leicester Cough Questionnaire: translation to Portuguese and cross-cultural adaptation for use in Brazil
Authors: Felisbino Manuela Brisot , Steidle Leila John Marques , Gonçalves-Tavares Michelle , Pizzichini Marcia Margaret Menezes , Pizzichini Emilio
Published: July 2014

Objective: To translate the Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ) to Portuguese and adapt it for use in Brazil. Methods: Cross-cultural adaptation of a quality of life questionnaire requires a translated version that is conceptually equivalent to the original version and culturally acceptable in the target country. The protocol used consisted of the translation of the LCQ to Portuguese by three Brazilian translators who were fluent in English and its back-translation to English by another translator who was a native speaker of English and fluent in Portuguese. The back-translated version was evaluated by one of the authors of the original questionnaire in order to verify its equivalence. Later in the process, a provisional Portuguese-language version was thoroughly reviewed by an expert committee. In 10 patients with chronic cough, cognitive debriefing was carried out in order to test the understandability, clarity, and acceptability of the translated questionnaire in the target population. On that basis, the final Portuguese-language version of the LCQ was produced and approved by the committee. Results: Few items were questioned by the source author and revised by the committee of experts. During the cognitive debriefing phase, the Portuguese-language version of the LCQ proved to be well accepted and understood by all of the respondents, which demonstrates the robustness of the process of translation and cross-cultural adaptation. Conclusions: The final version of the LCQ adapted for use in Brazil was found to be easy to understand and easily applied.
Performance of ICU ventilators during noninvasive ventilation with large leaks in a total face mask: a bench study
Authors: Nakamura Maria Aparecida Miyuki , Costa Eduardo Leite Vieira , Carvalho Carlos Roberto Ribeiro , Tucci Mauro Roberto
Published: July 2014

Objective: Discomfort and noncompliance with noninvasive ventilation (NIV) interfaces are obstacles to NIV success. Total face masks (TFMs) are considered to be a very comfortable NIV interface. However, due to their large internal volume and consequent increased CO2 rebreathing, their orifices allow proximal leaks to enhance CO2 elimination. The ventilators used in the ICU might not adequately compensate for such leakage. In this study, we attempted to determine whether ICU ventilators in NIV mode are suitable for use with a leaky TFM. Methods: This was a bench study carried out in a university research laboratory. Eight ICU ventilators equipped with NIV mode and one NIV ventilator were connected to a TFM with major leaks. All were tested at two positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) levels and three pressure support levels. The variables analyzed were ventilation trigger, cycling off, total leak, and pressurization. Results: Of the eight ICU ventilators tested, four did not work (autotriggering or inappropriate turning off due to misdetection of disconnection); three worked with some problems (low PEEP or high cycling delay); and one worked properly. Conclusions: The majority of the ICU ventilators tested were not suitable for NIV with a leaky TFM.
Combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema: an increasingly recognized condition
Authors: Dias Olívia Meira , Baldi Bruno Guedes , Costa André Nathan , Carvalho Carlos Roberto Ribeiro
Published: July 2014

Combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE) has been increasingly recognized in the literature. Patients with CPFE are usually heavy smokers or former smokers with concomitant lower lobe fibrosis and upper lobe emphysema on chest HRCT scans. They commonly present with severe breathlessness and low DLCO, despite spirometry showing relatively preserved lung volumes. Moderate to severe pulmonary arterial hypertension is common in such patients, who are also at an increased risk of developing lung cancer. Unfortunately, there is currently no effective treatment for CPFE. In this review, we discuss the current knowledge of the pathogenesis, clinical characteristics, and prognostic factors of CPFE. Given that most of the published data on CPFE are based on retrospective analysis, more studies are needed in order to address the role of emphysema and its subtypes; the progression of fibrosis/emphysema and its correlation with inflammation; treatment options; and prognosis.
Experimental and Numerical Analyses of New Massive Wooden Shear-Wall Systems
Authors: Pozza Luca , Scotta Roberto , Trutalli Davide , Pinna Mario , Polastri Andrea , Bertoni Paolo
Published: July 2014

Three innovative massive wooden shear-wall systems (Cross-Laminated-Glued Wall, Cross-Laminated-Stapled Wall, Layered Wall with dovetail inserts) were tested and their structural behaviour under seismic action was assessed with numerical simulations. The wall specimens differ mainly in the method used to assemble the layers of timber boards composing them. Quasi-static cyclic loading tests were carried out and then reproduced with a non-linear numerical model calibrated on the test results to estimate the most appropriate behaviour factor for each system. Non-linear dynamic simulations of 15 artificially generated seismic shocks showed that these systems have good dissipative capacity when correctly designed and that they can be assigned to the medium ductility class of Eurocode 8. This work also shows the influence of deformations in wooden panels and base connectors on the behaviour factor and dissipative capacity of the system.
Selective Hydrogenation of m-Dinitrobenzene to m-Nitroaniline over Ru-SnOx/Al2O3 Catalyst
Authors: Cheng Haiyang , Lin Weiwei , Li Xiaoru , Zhang Chao , Zhao Fengyu
Published: July 2014

Series catalysts of Ru-SnOx/Al2O3 with varying SnOx loading of 0–3 wt% were prepared, and their catalytic activity and selectivity have been discussed and compared for the selective hydrogenation of m-dinitrobenzene (m-DNB) to m-nitroaniline (m-NAN). The Ru-SnOx/Al2O3 catalysts were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and hydrogen temperature-programmed reduction (H2-TPR) and desorption (H2-TPD). Under the modification of SnOx, the reaction activity increased obviously, and the best selectivity to m-NAN reached above 97% at the complete conversion of m-DNB. With the increasing of the SnOx loading, the amount of active hydrogen adsorption on the surface of the catalyst increased according to the H2-TPD analysis, and the electron transferred from Ru to SnOx species, as determined by XPS, inducing an electron-deficient Ru, which is a benefit for the absorption of the nitro group. Therefore, the reaction rate and product selectivity were greatly enhanced. Moreover, the Ru-SnOx/Al2O3 catalyst presented high stability: it could be recycled four times without any loss in activity and selectivity.
Variational Bayes for Regime-Switching Log-Normal Models
Authors: Zhao Hui , Marriott Paul
Published: July 2014

The power of projection using divergence functions is a major theme in information geometry. One version of this is the variational Bayes (VB) method. This paper looks at VB in the context of other projection-based methods in information geometry. It also describes how to apply VB to the regime-switching log-normal model and how it provides a computationally fast solution to quantify the uncertainty in the model specification. The results show that the method can recover exactly the model structure, gives the reasonable point estimates and is very computationally efficient. The potential problems of the method in quantifying the parameter uncertainty are discussed.
Hierarchical Geometry Verification via Maximum Entropy Saliency in Image Retrieval
Authors: Zhao Hongwei , Li Qingliang , Liu Pingping
Published: July 2014

We propose a new geometric verification method in image retrieval—Hierarchical Geometry Verification via Maximum Entropy Saliency (HGV)—which aims at filtering the redundant matches and remaining the information of retrieval target in images which is partly out of the salient regions with hierarchical saliency and also fully exploring the geometric context of all visual words in images. First of all, we obtain hierarchical salient regions of a query image based on the maximum entropy principle and label visual features with salient tags. The tags added to the feature descriptors are used to compute the saliency matching score, and the scores are regarded as the weight information in the geometry verification step. Second we define a spatial pattern as a triangle composed of three matched features and evaluate the similarity between every two spatial patterns. Finally, we sum all spatial matching scores with weights to generate the final ranking list. Experiment results prove that Hierarchical Geometry Verification based on Maximum Entropy Saliency can not only improve retrieval accuracy, but also reduce the time consumption of the full retrieval.
Many Can Work Better than the Best: Diagnosing with Medical Images via Crowdsourcing
Authors: Xiang Xian-Hong , Huang Xiao-Yu , Zhang Xiao-Ling , Cai Chun-Fang , Yang Jian-Yong , Li Lei
Published: July 2014

We study a crowdsourcing-based diagnosis algorithm, which is against the fact that currently we do not lack medical staff, but high level experts. Our approach is to make use of the general practitioners’ efforts: For every patient whose illness cannot be judged definitely, we arrange for them to be diagnosed multiple times by different doctors, and we collect the all diagnosis results to derive the final judgement. Our inference model is based on the statistical consistency of the diagnosis data. To evaluate the proposed model, we conduct experiments on both the synthetic and real data; the results show that it outperforms the benchmarks.
Preliminary Study of Linear Density, Tenacity, and Crystallinity of Cotton Fibers
Authors: Liu Yongliang , Thibodeaux Devron , Rodgers James
Published: July 2014

An investigation of the relationships among fiber linear density, tenacity, and structure is important to help cotton breeders modify varieties for enhanced fiber end-use qualities. This study employed the Stelometer instrument, which is the traditional fiber tenacity reference method and might still be an option as a rapid screening tool because of its low cost and portable attributes. In addition to flat bundle break force and weight variables from a routine Stelometer test, the number of fibers in the bundle were counted manually and the fiber crystallinity (CIIR) was characterized by the previously proposed attenuated total reflection-sampling device based Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) protocol. Based on the plots of either tenacity vs. linear density or fiber count vs. mass, the fibers were subjectively divided into fine or coarse sets, respectively. Relative to the distinctive increase in fiber tenacity with linear density, there was an unclear trend between the linear density and CIIR for these fibers. Samples with similar linear density were found to increase in tenacity with fiber CIIR. In general, Advanced Fiber Information System (AFIS) fineness increases with fiber linear density.
Immigrants’ Access to Health Insurance: No Equality without Awareness
Authors: Dzúrová Dagmar , Winkler Petr , Drbohlav Dušan
Published: July 2014

The Czech government has identified commercial health insurance as one of the major problems for migrants’ access to health care. Non-EU immigrants are eligible for public health insurance only if they have employee status or permanent residency. The present study examined migrants’ access to the public health insurance system in Czechia. A cross-sectional survey of 909 immigrants from Ukraine and Vietnam was conducted in March and May 2013, and binary logistic regression was applied in data analysis. Among immigrants entitled to Czech public health insurance due to permanent residency/asylum, 30% were out of the public health insurance system, and of those entitled by their employment status, 50% were out of the system. Migrants with a poor knowledge of the Czech language are more likely to remain excluded from the system of public health insurance. Instead, they either remain in the commercial health insurance system or they simultaneously pay for both commercial and public health insurance, which is highly disadvantageous. Since there are no reasonable grounds to stay outside the public health insurance, it is concluded that it is lack of awareness that keeps eligible immigrants from entering the system. It is suggested that no equal access to health care exists without sufficient awareness about health care system.
Quantum-Mechanical Methods for Quantifying Incorporation of Contaminants in Proximal Minerals
Authors: Shuller-Nickles Lindsay , Bender Will , Walker Sarah , Becker Udo
Published: July 2014

Incorporation reactions play an important role in dictating immobilization and release pathways for chemical species in low-temperature geologic environments. Quantum-mechanical investigations of incorporation seek to characterize the stability and geometry of incorporated structures, as well as the thermodynamics and kinetics of the reactions themselves. For a thermodynamic treatment of incorporation reactions, a source of the incorporated ion and a sink for the released ion is necessary. These sources/sinks in a real geochemical system can be solids, but more commonly, they are charged aqueous species. In this contribution, we review the current methods for ab initio calculations of incorporation reactions, many of which do not consider incorporation from aqueous species. We detail a recently-developed approach for the calculation of incorporation reactions and expand on the part that is modeling the interaction of periodic solids with aqueous source and sink phases and present new research using this approach. To model these interactions, a systematic series of calculations must be done to transform periodic solid source and sink phases to aqueous-phase clusters. Examples of this process are provided for three case studies: (1) neptunyl incorporation into studtite and boltwoodite: for the layered boltwoodite, the incorporation energies are smaller (more favorable) for reactions using environmentally relevant source and sink phases (i.e., ΔErxn(oxides) > ΔErxn(silicates) > ΔErxn(aqueous)). Estimates of the solid-solution behavior of Np5+/P5+- and U6+/Si4+-boltwoodite and Np5+/Ca2+- and U6+/K+-boltwoodite solid solutions are used to predict the limit of Np-incorporation into boltwoodite (172 and 768 ppm at 300 °C, respectively); (2) uranyl and neptunyl incorporation into carbonates and sulfates: for both carbonates and sulfates, it was found that actinyl incorporation into a defect site is more favorable than incorporation into defect-free periodic structures. In addition, actinyl incorporation into carbonates with aragonite structure is more favorable than into carbonates with calcite structure; and (3) uranium incorporation into magnetite: within the configurations tested that preserve charge neutrality (U6+ → 2Fe3+oct/tet or U4+ → Fe2+oct), uranium incorporation into magnetite is most favorable when U6+ replaces octahedral Fe3+ with charge balancing accomplished by an octahedral Fe3+ iron vacancy. At the end of this article, the limitations of this method and important sources of error inherent in these calculations (e.g., hydration energies) are discussed. Overall, this method and examples may serve as a guide for future studies of incorporation in a variety of contexts.
Phenolic Profiles and Antioxidant Properties of Young Wines Made from Yan73 (Vitis vinifera L.) and Cabernet Sauvignon (Vitis vinifera L.) Grapes Treated by 24-Epibrassinolide
Authors: Xu Fan , Luan Li-Ying , Zhang Zhen-Wen , Huo Shan-Shan , Gao Xiang , Fang Yu-Lin , Xi Zhu-Mei
Published: July 2014

The grape berries of two varieties, Yan73 (Vitis vinifera L.) and Cabernet Sauvignon (CS) (Vitis vinifera L.) were treated with 0.40 mg/L 24-epibrassinolide (EBR), 1.00 mg/L brassinazole (Brz), and deionized water (control), at the veraison period. The EBR treatment significantly increased total phenolic content (TPC), total tannin content (TTC) and total anthocyanin content (TAC) of Yan73 and CS wines, whereas Brz treatment decreased TPC, total flavonoid content (TFC), TAC in the two wines. Moreover, the content of most of the phenolic compounds identified by HPLC-DAD/ESI-MS in EBR-treated wines was significantly higher than that in control. The antioxidant capacities, which determined using DPPH, ABTS and HRSA methods, of the wines were increased by EBR treatment as well. There was a good correlation between the antioxidant capacity and phenolic content. The results demonstrated that EBR could enhance the phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity of Yan73 and CS wines, but the effects may vary by different cultivars.
Intraspecific Variation of Centruroides Edwardsii Venom from Two Regions of Colombia
Authors: Estrada-Gómez Sebastián , Cupitra Nelson , Arango Walter , Muñoz Leidy
Published: July 2014

We report the first description studies, partial characterization, and intraspecific difference of Centruroides edwardsii, Gervais 1843, venom. C. edwardsii from two Colombian regions (Antioquia and Tolima) were evaluated. Both venoms showed hemolytic activity, possibly dependent of enzymatic active phospholipases, and neither coagulant nor proteolytic activities were observed. Venom electrophoretic profile showed significant differences between C. edwardsii venom from both regions. A high concentration of proteins with molecular masses between 31 kDa and 97.4 kDa, and an important concentration close or below 14.4 kDa were detected. RP-HPLC retention times between 38.2 min and 42.1 min, showed bands close to 14.4 kDa, which may correspond to phospholipases. RP-HPLC venom profile showed a well conserved region in both venoms between 7 and 17 min, after this, significant differences were detected. From Tolima region venom, 50 well-defined peaks were detected, while in the Antioquia region venom, 55 well-defined peaks were detected. Larvicidal activity was only detected in the C. edwardsii venom from Antioquia. No antimicrobial activity was observed using complete venom or RP-HPLC collected fractions of both venoms. Lethally activity (carried out on female albino swiss mice) was detected at doses over 19.2 mg/kg of crude venom. Toxic effects included distress, excitability, eye irritation and secretions, hyperventilation, ataxia, paralysis, and salivation.
The epidemiology of bacterial meningitis in Kosovo
Authors: Namani Sadie Avdiu , Koci Remzie A , Qehaja-Buçaj Emine , Ajazaj-Berisha Lindita , Mehmeti Murat
Published: July 2014

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to present the epidemiologic features of bacterial meningitis in the developing country of Kosovo. Methodology: Data were collected from active surveillance of bacterial meningitis cases treated at the University Clinical Center of Kosovo in the years 2000 (first post-war year) and 2010. Results: Meningitis cases in 2000 compared with 2010 showed a 35.5% decline in incidence (from 4.8 to 3.1 cases per 100,000 population) and a decrease in the case fatality rate from 10% to 5%. In children, there was a lower mortality rate (5% versus 2%) and a lower incidence of neurological complications (13% versus 16%) as compared to adults (32% versus 10% and 16% versus 35%, respectively). Neisseria meningitidis was the most common pathogen of bacterial meningitis in both study periods. Bacterial meningitis was most prevalent in the pediatric population, and showed an increase in the median age, from three years in 2000 to seven years in 2010. A steady number of bacterial meningitis cases in adults throughout last decade (around 20 cases per year) was recorded. Conclusions: During the last decade, gradual changes have been observed in the epidemiology of bacterial meningitis that are unrelated to the introduction of new vaccines, but are partly due to the improvement of living conditions.
Ramsay Hunt syndrome with facial vesicular rash: a unique clinical presentation in a kidney transplant patient
Authors: De los Santos Carlos Abaeté , Antonello Ivan Carlos Ferreira , Antonello Vicente Sperb , Barreiro Florência
Published: July 2014

Ramsay Hunt Syndrome (RHS) is the result of herpes zoster virus reactivation producing hearing loss, pain and vesicles in the ear or mouth, along with ipsilateral facial palsy due to the 7th cranial nerve geniculate ganglion infectious involvement. This condition has not been previously described, particularly in transplant patients. A 38-year old man underwent kidney transplantation and two years later experienced an ache on the left side of the face and hearing loss in the ear, also exhibiting vesicular lesions and concomitant facial peripheral palsy. Acyclovir IV was initiated, and the prednisone dose was increased. The patient was discharged 15 days later, feeling better but still exhibiting dark spots on his face. At three months follow-up he was asymptomatic, showing notable palsy improvement. Until this case, herpes zoster facial lesions causing typical RHS have never been reported in literature, particularly in kidney transplant patients.
Establishing an enteric bacteria reference laboratory in Sierra Leone
Authors: Chattaway Marie Anne , Kamara Abdul , Rhodes Fay , Kaffeta Konneh , Jambai Amara , Alemu Wondimagegnehu , Islam Mohammed Sirajul , Freeman Molly M , Welfare William , Harding Doris , Samba Ahmed Foray , Abu Musu , Kamanda Sylvester , Grant Kathie , Jenkins Claire , Nair Satheesh , Connell Steve , Siorvanes Lisa , Desai Sarika , Allen Collette , Frost Margaret , Hughes Daniel , Jeffrey Zonya , Gill Noel , Salter Mark
Published: July 2014

In 2012, Sierra Leone experienced its worst cholera outbreak in over 15 years affecting 12 of the country’s 13 districts. With limited diagnostic capability, particularly in bacterial culture, the cholera outbreak was initially confirmed by microbiological testing of clinical specimens outside of Sierra Leone. During 2012 – 2013, in direct response to the lack of diagnostic microbiology facilities, and to assist in investigating and monitoring the cholera outbreak, diagnostic and reference services were established in Sierra Leone at the Central Public Health Reference Laboratory focusing specifically on isolating and identifying Vibrio cholerae and other enteric bacterial pathogens. Sierra Leone is now capable of confirming cholera cases by reference laboratory testing.
Survivor Surveillance: A Resident’s Perspective
Authors: Bhatty Sanaa , Dyer Allen R.
Published: July 2014

With the surge in popularity and utility of the interdisciplinary approach to cancer care, finding psychiatry’s role can often times be difficult. This may be in part because psychiatry’s role is not yet specifically delineated or standardized in such a team-based approach. This case explores the challenges of learning what this role may be and how to tailor one’s psychiatric care to meet a patient’s needs, all from the perspective of a general psychiatry resident. A possible issue in actualizing these two skills is the apparent medicalization of distress, which is discussed, as is the added issue of the relative naiveté of one in training. This article hopes to aid general psychiatrists and specifically general psychiatry residents in realizing their importance in the interdisciplinary cancer care team setting and provide some examples of how one can be an effective and useful member in such a team.

[
Psychiatr Ann
. 2014; 44(7):326–328.]
Educational Intervention to Increase Detection of Metabolic Syndrome in Patients at Community Mental Health Centers
Authors: Arms Tamatha , Bostic Tawanda , Cunningham Patricia
Published: July 2014

The prevalence of metabolic syndrome and associated illness is approximately double in individuals with mental illness compared with the general public. An educational intervention on metabolic syndrome was provided to mental health counselors, who performed intake assessments of patients newly admitted to two outpatient mental health facilities. Researchers of the current study first measured mastery of metabolic syndrome content following the educational intervention; they then conducted a chart audit on new admissions to measure changes in clinician behavior. Prior to the intervention, neither facility screened for metabolic syndrome at intake or referred patients with a body mass index (BMI) >25 for medical evaluation. A paired
t
test showed no significant difference in the educational pre-posttest scores; however, following the intervention, 53 of 132 patients had a documented BMI >25, and 47 of 53 patients were referred to a primary care provider for evaluation. The current study’s findings suggest that mental health counselors who screen for metabolic syndrome and associated illnesses will increase the rate of detection of these chronic conditions. [
Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 52
(9), 32–36.]
A propósito de La mujer intelectual, de Concepción Gimeno de Flaquer
Authors: Arbona-Abascal Guadalupe
Published: July 2014

El presente trabajo se centra en el estudio de La mujer intelectual, de Concepción Gimeno de Flaquer, pionera del periodismo español decimonónico. Publicado en 1901, es un ensayo de madurez que permite confirmar el feminismo ‘moderado’ de la escritora y periodista y las formas argumentativas en las que lo sustenta. Se presta especial atención al capítulo titulado “Periodistas”. Para la valoración adecuada de la obra, se revisan los estudios anteriores de la crítica sobre las tesis feministas de Gimeno de Flaquer presentes en otras obras. Se concluye lo siguiente: en primer lugar, el carácter moderado de su feminismo; en segundo lugar, se pone de relieve el compromiso de su pensamiento que impregna obra y vida (viajes, conferencias, obra periodística, ensayística y de ficción) y, por fin, la defensa del desarrollo del intelecto en la mujer como núcleo de las tesis defendida por la autora.
Las periodistas españolas pintadas por sí mismas
Authors: Ezama Gil Ángeles
Published: July 2014

Cinco grandes periodistas españolas, que fueron colaboradoras, redactoras y directoras de revistas, abordaron en algunos de sus escritos y discursos la definición del status de la mujer periodista entre los siglos XIX y XX: Emilia Pardo Bazán, Concepción Gimeno, Carmen de Burgos (Colombine), Isabel Oyarzábal y Carmen Eva Nelken (Magda Donato). En todas ellas es común la idea de que la mujer posee cualidades innatas para el ejercicio del periodismo, y de que la prensa es una tribuna desde la que educar a sus congéneres del mismo sexo. Su periodismo se nutre de dos modelos primordiales, el decimonónico de la crónica, de origen francés, y los más modernos de la entrevista y el reportaje, de origen anglosajón. En el ejercicio periodístico las únicas limitaciones para las mujeres en España parecen ser la función de directora de periódico diario y el género del reportaje, ambos de sesgo claramente masculino, en tanto que a las mujeres están reservados géneros considerados más adecuados a su sexo como la crónica y la entrevista.
Los mundos lejanos de Ángela Grassi: historia, leyenda y moral
Authors: Núñez Rey Concepción
Published: July 2014

El presente estudio se propone descubrir las claves ideológicas y formales en que se funda la obra literaria publicada por Ángela Grassi (1823-1883) bajo la forma de artículos en prensa. De su extensa producción, aparecida en las diversas revistas de su tiempo, en especial en las femeninas, hemos acotado más de medio centenar de artículos publicados en El Correo de la Moda, la revista en que la autora colaboró más asiduamente desde 1866 y que dirigió desde 1867 hasta su muerte. Su obra, de estirpe romántica, se aleja de la realidad de su época para huir hacia tiempos históricos o legendarios en los que busca modelos útiles para una enseñanza moral; todo ello revestido de una gran riqueza literaria.
María Pilar Sinués, de la provincia a la capital del reino
Authors: Romero Tobar Leonardo
Published: July 2014

María del Pilar Sinués fue autora de un centenar de publicaciones y de la fórmula “ángel del hogar”, clave para entender su éxito de lectores y la ideología de la domesticidad en España. Aquí se estudia su actividad en Zaragoza (cinco años) y su éxito en Madrid, proporcionado por sus habilidades literarias y la red de relaciones profesionales que tejió. En esta tarea se sirvió de los contactos sociales de su esposo, de los salones sociales y, fundamentalmente, de la prensa periódica.
La mirada social en la prensa: Concepción Arenal
Authors: Simón Palmer María del Carmen
Published: July 2014

Concepción Arenal dejó en La Voz de la Caridad, sus opiniones sobre una serie de problemas sociales que, aún hoy, siguen de plena actualidad aunque no han merecido tanta atención como los referentes a la mujer, los presos o la pobreza.
Periodismo y empresa periodística: el Cádiz de Patrocinio de Biedma
Authors: Vega Rodríguez Pilar
Published: July 2014

Desde su fundación, la escritora Patrocinio de Biedma se sirvió del periódico Cádiz como portavoz del proyecto de la Federación Científico-Literaria de escritores cuyo objetivo fue la promoción de la literatura provincial y la descentralización de la vida literaria española. En los cuatro años de duración del periódico la escritora demostró extraordinarias dotes diplomáticas para, a la vez que negociaba con los tópicos de lo comúnmente aceptado para una mujer escritora, dirigir una empresa periodística desde un planteamiento profesional e insólito en una mujer.
An Enhanced Artificial Bee Colony Optimizer for Predictive Analysis of Heating Oil Prices using Least Squares Support Vector Machines
Authors: Mustaffa Zuriani , Yusof Yuhanis , Kamaruddin Siti Sakira
Published: July 2014

As energy fuels play a significant role in many parts of human life, it is of great importance to have an effective price predictive analysis. In this chapter, the hybridization of Least Squares Support Vector Machines (LSSVM) with an enhanced Artificial Bee Colony (eABC) is proposed to meet the challenge. The eABC, which serves as an optimization tool for LSSVM, is enhanced by two types of mutations, namely the Levy mutation and the conventional mutation. The Levy mutation is introduced to keep the model from falling into local minimum while the conventional mutation prevents the model from over-fitting and/or under-fitting during learning. Later, the predictive analysis is followed by the LSSVM. Realized in predictive analysis of heating oil prices, the empirical findings not only manifest the superiority of eABC-LSSVM in prediction accuracy but also poses an advantage to escape from premature convergence.
A Survey on Research Initiatives for Healthcare Clouds
Authors: Ghosh Rahul , Papapanagiotou Ioannis , Boloor Keerthana
Published: July 2014

Cost reduction for hosted and managed services is one of the key promises of Cloud Computing. Healthcare is one such example of managed services that can greatly benefit by a Cloud offering. However, there are many research challenges that need to be addressed before one can deliver a mature service. This chapter provides a summary of research activities in a variety of healthcare-related Cloud initiatives. The authors highlight the key areas of ongoing research and describe others that require attention. The analysis and observations can be useful to healthcare Cloud professionals and can motivate interested researchers to initiate new efforts for better healthcare services deployed on the Cloud.
Efficient Healthcare Integrity Assurance in the Cloud with Incremental Cryptography and Trusted Computing
Authors: Itani Wassim , Kayssi Ayman , Chehab Ali
Published: July 2014

In this chapter, the authors propose the design and implementation of an integrity-enforcement protocol for detecting malicious modification on Electronic Healthcare Records (EHRs) stored and processed in the cloud. The proposed protocol leverages incremental cryptography premises and trusted computing building blocks to support secure integrity data structures that protect the medical records while: (1) complying with the specifications of regulatory policies and recommendations, (2) highly reducing the mobile client energy consumption, (3) considerably enhancing the performance of the applied cryptographic mechanisms on the mobile client as well as on the cloud servers, and (4) efficiently supporting dynamic data operations on the EHRs.
Auditing Privacy for Cloud-Based EHR Systems
Authors: Sinclair Jonathan , Hudzia Benoit , Stewart Alan
Published: July 2014

An EHR is a modern specialisation of a Customer Relationship Management that specifically focuses on the collection and exchange of electronic health information about individual patients between healthcare organisations. Electronic Heath Records systems hold personally identifiable information, especially that which falls under the category of sensitive personal data. As with all industries, the eHealth industry sees potential in cloud-based service offerings and the reduced infrastructure cost they imply, whilst realising the issues regarding security and privacy that may be encountered from outsourcing processing and storage to untrustworthy Cloud Service Providers (CSPs). In this chapter, the authors propose an approach to handle and audit data privacy requirements by leveraging a carefully designed architecture deployed for auditing data privacy in cloud ecosystems.
CoSeMed
Authors: Kliem Andreas
Published: July 2014

E-health systems need to dynamically integrate heterogeneous types of medical sensors and provide access to streams of sensed medical data in order to properly support patient treatment. Treatment processes usually include several steps and medical departments, which means that sensors could be moved between networks of Care Delivery Operators instead of being reattached every time. Therefore, the authors propose a novel approach that allows sharing medical devices among different operators in this chapter. This means that each operator books a medical device as long as it delivers required data and is present in the operator's network, which the authors call the medical device cloud. Besides cost effectiveness, this approach can extend traditional cloud-based e-health systems, usually designed to share Electronic Health Records, by sharing the devices that emit the data. This mitigates judicial constraints because only the data sources and not the data itself are shared, and allows for more real-time access to mission-critical data.
Air and near surface ground temperatures, indices and summary statistics from 1993 to 2012 for the Mackenzie Valley Corridor, Northwest Territories
Authors: Duchesne C , Riseborough D W , Smith S L
Published: July 2014

Since the early 1990s the Geological Survey of Canada has maintained a network of air and ground surface temperature monitoring sites along a transect in the Mackenzie corridor stretching from the outer Mackenzie Delta to northern Alberta. Data collected from
these sites have been utilized to investigate the relationship between air and ground surface temperature for a range of terrain, vegetation and climatic conditions throughout the region. This report presents the data collected up to 2012.
Assessment of Inter-modality Spatial Alignment Accuracy in Hybrid Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography in Patients with Hand and Wrist Pain
Authors: Xie Cheng , Gnanasegaran Gopinath , Mohan Hosahalli , Livieratos Lefteris
Published: July 2014

Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and computed tomography (CT) integrated in one system (SPECT/CT) is an effective co-registration technique that helps to localize and characterize lesions in the hand and wrist. However, patient motion may cause misalignment between the two modalities leading to potential misdiagnosis. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the hardware-based registration accuracy of multislice SPECT/CT of the hand and wrist and to determine the effect of misalignment errors on diagnostic accuracy. A total of 55 patients who had multislice SPECT/CT of the hand and wrist between July 2008 and January 2010 were included. Two reviewers independently evaluated the fused images for any misalignments with six degrees of freedom: Translation and rotation in the X, Y and Z directions. The results were tested against an automated fusion tool (Syntegra). More than half of the patients had moved during SPECT scanning (Reviewer 1: 29 patients; Reviewer 2: 30 patients) and they all originated in the Y-direction translation (vertical hand motion). Five fused images had significant misalignment errors that could have led to misdiagnosis. The Wilcoxon test indicated statistically non-significant difference (P > 0.05) between reviewers and statistically non-significant difference between the reviewers and software registration. The study also showed high inter-reviewer agreement (κ = 0.87). Hand movement during the SPECT scan was common, but significant misalignments and subsequent misdiagnosis were infrequent. Future studies should investigate the use of hand and wrist immobilization devices and reductions of scan time to minimize patient motion.
The Role of Salivary Gland Scintigraphy in the Evaluation of Salivary Gland Dysfunction in Uncontrolled Type II Diabetic Patients
Authors: Senthilkumar B. , Sathasivasubramanian S.
Published: July 2014

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the salivary gland dysfunction in patients with uncontrolled type II diabetes using salivary gland scintigraphy and then to compare these ratios with quantitative whole salivary secretion rates. Using a gamma camera (siemens-diacam) equipped with a low energy all-purpose collimator, 32 uncontrolled type II diabetic patients and 30 normal healthy patients were studied by injecting a radio isotope (technetium 99m pertechnetate) about 5 mCi was injected intravenously in to anticubital vein and the activity was measured for the 1 st , 20 th and 40 th min. At 20 min after injection, vitamin C chewable tablet was given to stimulate the secretion and continued until the end of the study period (40 min). Before scintigraphy, salivary sampling was carried out in both diabetic and normal individuals in a quiet room, saliva was allowed to accumulate and was expectorated into the collecting vessel approximately once a minute for 15 min and the volume was recorded as Unstimulated salivary flow rate and after 5 min break vitamin C chewable tablet was given to stimulate the secretion and the patient was asked to expectorate the saliva in the collecting vessel for 5 min. The expectorated volume was recorded as stimulated salivary flow rate. The mean of the measurements of scintigraphic ratio and salivary secretion rates were compared using the paired Student′s t-test. The scintigraphic mean uptake and excretory ratio (ER) and the salivary flow rates were correlated. The result shows that there was a significant correlation between salivary flow rate and scintigraphic uptake and ER. However, statistically significant result could not be derived as it may be due to smaller sample size and marginal difference in the scintigraphic values between the groups. Salivary gland scintigraphy plays a significant role in the evaluation of salivary gland dysfunction. However, its role as an independent investigative procedure in the evaluation of salivary gland dysfunction requires a study with a larger sample size, may yield a statistical significant result and it can also act as an adjunct along with salivary flow rate procedure.
EC-IC bypass for cavernous carotid aneurysms: An initial experience with twelve patients
Authors: Menon G , Jayanand Sudhir , Krishnakumar K , Nair S
Published: July 2014

Aims: Need for performing a bypass procedure prior to parent artery occlusion in patients with good cerebral vascular reserve is controversial. We analyze our experience of 12 giant internal carotid artery aneurysms treated with extracranial-intracranial (EC-IC) bypass and proximal artery occlusion. Materials and Methods: Retrospective analysis of the case records of all complex carotid aneurysms operated in our institute since January 2009. Results: The study included eleven cavernous carotid aneurysms and one large fusiform cervical carotid aneurysm reaching the skull base. Preoperative assessment of cerebral vascular reserve was limited to Balloon test occlusion with hypotensive challenge. Eleven patients who successfully completed a Balloon test occlusion (BTO) underwent low flow superficial temporal artery to middle cerebral artery (STA-MCA) bypass, while one patient with a failed BTO underwent a high flow bypass using a saphenous vein graft. Parent artery ligation was performed in all patients following the bypass procedure. Check angiogram revealed thrombosis of the aneurysm in all patients with a graft patency rate of 81.8%. We had one operative mortality, probably related to a leak from the anastomotic site. The only patient who had a high flow bypass developed contralateral hemispheric infarcts and remained vegetative. All the other patients had a good recovery and with a Glasgow outcome score of 5 at last follow-up. Conclusion: We feel that combining EC-IC bypass prior to parent vessel occlusion helps in reducing the risk of post operative ischemic complications especially in situations where a complete mandated cerebral blood flow studies are not feasible.
Bed wise cost analysis of in-patient treatment of brachial plexus injury at a Level I trauma Center in India
Authors: Pandey Nityanand , Gupta Deepak , Mahapatra Ashok , Harshvardhan Rajesh
Published: July 2014

Aim: The aim was to calculate, in monetary terms, total cost incurred by a Level I trauma center in providing in-patient care to brachial plexus injury patients during their preoperative and the postoperative stay. Subjects and Methods: All patients of brachial plexus injury admitted and discharged between January and December 2010 were included in the study. Total cost per bed was calculated under several cost heads in pre- and post-operative ward care. Intra-operative costs were excluded. Results: A total of 69 patients were admitted in the year 2010. Of these 60 were operated and the rest were planned conservative management. The total cost incurred by the trauma center in providing in-patient care to patients admitted in the ward, excluding high dependency unit, came out to be Rs. 3,650.00/patient/bed/day. Of this Rs. 2,234.645, the maximum amount was incurred in providing manpower alone. The average preoperative wait was 12 days (maximum 41 days and minimum 1-day). The average postoperative stay was 2 days. Total cost incurred in the preoperative period was Rs. 2,975,125 (US$ 59392) or Rs. 43,117/patient (US$ 861). It was Rs. 386,948 (US$ 7724) in the postoperative period (Rs. 6,449 or US$ 129/patient). Nine patients were not operated and had waited from 2 to 12 days before finally being planned for observant treatment. This itself cost the hospital Rs. 226,328 (US$ 4518). Conclusion: By just reducing the preoperative length of stay to 1-day the cost can be brought down by 93% for brachial plexus injury patients alone and the beds can be used to admit more critical patients.
Rezensionen
Authors: Thäle Christoph , Barro-Bergflödt K.
Published: July 2014

Rezensionen zu:
T. Müller-Gronbach, E. Novak, K. Ritter:
Monte Carlo-Algorithmen
. 324 Seiten, SFr 31.90. Springer Berlin, 2012; ISBN 978-3-540-89140-6,
von Chr. Thäle;
und zu:
K. Wendland, A. Werner (Hrsg.):
Facettenreiche Mathematik. Einblicke in die aktuelle mathematische Forschung für alle, die mehr von Mathematik verstehen wollen
. 469 Seiten, SFr 25. –. Vieweg und Teubner, Springer Fachmedien, Wiesbaden, 2011; ISBN 978-3-8348-1414-2,
von K. Barro-Bergflödt.
Regional climate model assessment of the urban land-surface forcing over central Europe
Authors: Huszar P. , Halenka T. , Belda M. , Zak M. , Sindelarova K. , Miksovsky J.
Published: July 2014

Abstract. For the purpose of qualifying and quantifying the climate impact of cities and urban surfaces in general on climate of central Europe, the surface parameterization in regional climate model RegCM4 has been extended with the Single Layer Urban Canopy Model (SLUCM). A set of experiments was performed over the period of 2005–2009 for central Europe, either without considering urban surfaces or with the SLUCM treatment. Results show a statistically significant impact of urbanized surfaces on temperature (up to 1.5 K increase in summer) as well as on the boundary layer height (increases up to 50 m). Urbanization further influences surface wind with a winter decrease up to −0.6 m s−1, though both increases and decreases were detected in summer depending on the location relative to the cities and daytime (changes up to 0.3 m s−1). Urban surfaces significantly reduce evaporation and thus the humidity over the surface. This impacts the simulated summer precipitation rate, showing decrease over cities up to −2 mm day−1. Significant temperature increases are simulated over higher elevations as well, not only within the urban canopy layer. With the urban parameterization, the climate model better describes the diurnal temperature variation, reducing the cold afternoon and evening bias of RegCM4. Sensitivity experiments were carried out to quantify the response of the meteorological conditions to changes in the parameters specific to the urban environment such as street width, building height, albedo of the roofs and anthropogenic heat release. The results proved to be rather robust and the choice of the key SLUCM parameters impacts them only slightly (mainly temperature, boundary layer height and wind velocity). Statistically significant impacts are modeled not only over large urbanized areas, but the influence of the cities is also evident over rural areas without major urban surfaces. It is shown that this is the result of the combined effect of the distant influence of the cities and the influence of the minor local urban surface coverage.
Forecast indices from ground-based microwave radiometer for operational meteorology
Authors: Cimini D. , Nelson M. , Güldner J. , Ware R.
Published: July 2014

Abstract. Today, commercial microwave radiometers profilers (MWRP) are robust and unattended instruments providing real time accurate atmospheric observations at ~ 1 min temporal resolution under nearly all-weather conditions. Common commercial units operate in the 20–60 GHz frequency range and are able to retrieve profiles of temperature, vapour density, and relative humidity. Temperature and humidity profiles retrieved from MWRP data are used here to feed tools developed for processing radiosonde observations to obtain values of forecast indices (FI) commonly used in operational meteorology. The FI considered here include K index, Total Totals, KO index, Showalter index, T1 Gust, Fog Threat, Lifted Index, S Index (STT), Jefferson Index, MDPI, Thompson Index, TQ Index, and CAPE. Values of FI computed from radiosonde and MWRP-retrieved temperature and humidity profiles are compared in order to quantitatively demonstrate the level of agreement and the value of continuous FI updates. This analysis is repeated for two sites at midlatitude, the first one located at low altitude in Central Europe (Lindenberg, Germany), while the second one located at high altitude in North America (Whistler, Canada). It is demonstrated that FI computed from MWRP well correlate with those computed from radiosondes, with the additional advantage of nearly continuous update. The accuracy of MWRP-derived FI is tested against radiosondes, taken as a reference, showing different performances depending upon index and environmental situation. Overall, FI computed from MWRP retrievals agree well with radiosonde values, with correlation coefficients usually above 0.8 (with few exceptions). We conclude that MWRP retrievals can be used to produce meaningful FI, with the advantage (with respect to radiosondes) of nearly continuous update.