bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Therapeutic and Educational Properties of Fairytale Therapy in the Early Stages of Children’S Development
Authors: Kuciapiński Marek Jan
Published: September 2014

Literature builds children’s personal resources. It not only confers knowledge, but also helps to know other ways of thinking and acting. It shows patterns of behaviour that give considerable support in emotionally difficult situation; compensates for any deficiencies; relaxes releasing a good mood. Such an approach to the role of literature shows that the influence on a child using a variety of psychological mechanisms, mainly imitation and identification plays an essential role in the therapy and prophylaxis.

Fables, fairy tales (these two concepts often used interchangeably) build a lot of bridges to the art of imagination, to other people and to each other. Therefore, knowing their role is not only interesting but also necessary. Fairy tales are therapeutic means for independent and creative way to cope with the world. They are an excellent way to build relationships between parents and children. They allow to establish a closer contact with a toddler, understand its situation, emotions and a way of looking at the world. Thus, a treatment by fairy tales is one of the best methods to reach the child’s understanding of its problems and provide support in difficult times.

The main purpose of the following article is to show how great and educational value of literature is in the life of children; how it can be used to help a child overcome his difficulties. It presents the fairy tale not only as a factor in developing imagination, raising an interest in reading, satisfying curiosity and transmitting moral values providing many emotions, but also as a therapeutic agent
Scientific Tourism, Aspects, Religious and Ethics Values
Authors: Kosiewicz Jerzy
Published: September 2014

The presented paper focuses primarily on the tourism activities of teaching staff at universities and other research institutions. This applies in particular to travel during which the principal purpose is, inter alia, various exploratory internships, conferences, trips as a guest professor or a visiting professor under the auspices of the Erasmus and Erasmus Mundus programs. These peregrinations require extra effort, not only with regards to teaching and research duties, but also present opportunities to confront, test and evaluate one’s own research results and outlook with new listeners in new locations in different environments. This travel especially applies to the foreign environment, a situation that presents high degrees of professional, scientific and linguistic challenges, resulting in increased contributions and activity to the specific field of science. Regardless of the workload and the difficulties of the discussed travel, such travel can also bring about much personal satisfaction: a) due to a sense of a well done job as a result of meeting expectations of the employer and the host placed on the 'messenger of science' and b) due to the pleasure associated with those tourist experiences having autotelic and pragmatic (instrumental) overtones
The Perceived Differences in Interdepartmental Communication Regarding Organisational Formalisation: a Case Study of an International Company
Authors: Pruvli Elena , Alas Ruth
Published: September 2014

The goal of this paper is to study differences in communication between two cultures that are believed to belong to a low-context pole and represent “old“ and “new“ European. It is achieved in the context of the German-based MNE by investigation of the perceived differences between Estonian and Bavarian-based production units. An exploratory qualitative case study with ethnographic techniques proved that the reason for dysfunctional outcomes originated in how knowledge of norms was transferred and in differences in cultural orientations. It concludes that prior to organisational learning and development activities MNE managers should get training in intercultural communication
In Situ Ablation Recession Sensor for Ablative Materials Based on Ultraminiature Thermocouples
Authors: Yee Colin , Ray Matt , Tang Felix , Wan Jonathan , Tatuaca Richard , Natali Maurizio , Koo Joseph H.
Published: September 2014

This study involved the development of an in situ ablation sensor designed to evaluate the recession rate for an ablative thermal protection system exposed to a hyperthermal environment. Design requirements specify that the sensor be constructed using multiple thermocouples at staggered depths, drilled and mounted into carbon/carbon composite and carbon/phenolic ablatives. During erosion, the thermocouples record thermal data and then melt when the flame front approaches the thermocouples. The position of the recession front and breaking time of the thermocouple can determine the ablation rate. Earlier designs developed by the authors’ research group involved the use of 0.25-mm-diam thermocouples and electric discharge machining. Later designs used 0.5-mm-diam thermocouples using conventional microdrilling: This approach can be used in all applications in which the intrusiveness of the thermocouple embedded in the thermal protection system is not a primary requirement and allows 0.5 mm thermocouples to be used as a replacement for ultrasmall and costly 0.25 mm thermocouples.
Awake craniotomy for gliomas in a high-field intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging suite: analysis of 42 cases
Authors: Maldaun Marcos V. C. , Khawja Shumaila N. , Levine Nicholas B. , Rao Ganesh , Lang Frederick F. , Weinberg Jeffrey S. , Tummala Sudhakar , Cowles Charles E. , Ferson David , Nguyen Anh-Thuy , Sawaya Raymond , Suki Dima , Prabhu Sujit S.
Published: September 2014

Object

The object of this study was to describe the experience of combining awake craniotomy techniques with high-field (1.5 T) intraoperative MRI (iMRI) for tumors adjacent to eloquent cortex.

Methods

From a prospective database the authors obtained and evaluated the records of all patients who had undergone awake craniotomy procedures with cortical and subcortical mapping in the iMRI suite. The integration of these two modalities was assessed with respect to safety, operative times, workflow, extent of resection (EOR), and neurological outcome.

Results

Between February 2010 and December 2011, 42 awake craniotomy procedures using iMRI were performed in 41 patients for the removal of intraaxial tumors. There were 31 left-sided and 11 right-sided tumors. In half of the cases (21 [50%] of 42), the patient was kept awake for both motor and speech mapping. The mean duration of surgery overall was 7.3 hours (range 4.0–13.9 hours). The median EOR overall was 90%, and gross-total resection (EOR ≥ 95%) was achieved in 17 cases (40.5%). After viewing the first MR images after initial resection, further resection was performed in 17 cases (40.5%); the mean EOR in these cases increased from 56% to 67% after further resection. No deficits were observed preoperatively in 33 cases (78.5%), and worsening neurological deficits were noted immediately after surgery in 11 cases (26.2%). At 1 month after surgery, however, worsened neurological function was observed in only 1 case (2.3%).

Conclusions

There was a learning curve with regard to patient positioning and setup times, although it did not adversely affect patient outcomes. Awake craniotomy can be safely performed in a high-field (1.5 T) iMRI suite to maximize tumor resection in eloquent brain areas with an acceptable morbidity profile at 1 month.
Neurosurgical capacity building in the developing world through focused training
Authors: Ellegala Dilantha B. , Simpson Lauren , Mayegga Emanuel , Nuwas Emanuel , Samo Hayte , Naman Naftal , Word Doyle B. , Nicholas Joyce S.
Published: September 2014

Object

In Tanzania, there are 4 neurosurgeons for a population of 46 million. To address this critical shortage of neurosurgical care, the authors worked with local Tanzanian health care workers, neurosurgeons, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, and the Office of the President of Tanzania to develop a train-forward method for sustainable, self-propagating basic and emergency neurosurgery in resource-poor settings. The goal of this study was to assess the safety and effectiveness of this method over a 6-year period.

Methods

The training method utilizes a hands-on bedside teaching technique and was introduced in 2006 at a remote rural hospital in northern Tanzania. Local health care workers were trained to perform basic and emergency neurosurgical procedures independently and then were taught to train others. Outcome information was retrospectively collected from hospital records for the period from 2005 (1 year before method implementation) through 2010. Analysis of de-identified data included descriptive statistics and multivariable assessment of independent predictors of complications following a patient's first neurosurgical procedure.

Results

By 2010, the initial Tanzanian trainee had trained a second Tanzanian health care worker, who in turn had trained a third. The number of neurosurgical procedures performed increased from 18 in 2005 to an average of 92 per year in the last 3 years of the study period. Additionally, the number of neurosurgical cases performed independently by Tanzanian health care providers increased significantly from 44% in 2005 to 86% in 2010 (p < 0.001), with the number of complex cases independently performed also increasing over the same time period from 34% to 83% (p < 0.001). Multivariable analysis of clinical patient outcome information to assess safety indicated that postoperative complications decreased significantly from 2005 through 2010, with patients who had been admitted as training progressed being 29% less likely to have postoperative complications (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.52–0.96, p = 0.03).

Conclusions

The Madaktari Africa train-forward method is a reasonable and sustainable approach to improving specialized care in a resource-poor setting.
Conjunct SEP and MEP monitoring in resection of infratentorial lesions: lessons learned in a cohort of 210 patients
Authors: Kodama Kunihiko , Javadi Mani , Seifert Volker , Szelényi Andrea
Published: September 2014

Object

During the surgical removal of infratentorial lesions, intraoperative neuromonitoring is mostly focused on cranial nerve assessment and brainstem auditory potentials. Despite the known risk of perforating vessel injury during microdissection within the vicinity of the brainstem, there are few reports about intraoperative neuromonitoring with somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) and motor evoked potentials (MEPs) assessing the medial lemniscus and corticospinal tract. This study analyses the occurrence of intraoperative changes in MEPs and SEPs with regard to lesion location and postoperative neurological outcome.

Methods

The authors analyzed 210 cases in which patients (mean age 49 ± 13 years, 109 female) underwent surgeries involving the skull base (n = 104), cerebellum (n = 63), fourth ventricle (n = 28), brainstem (n = 12), and foramen magnum (n = 3).

Results

Of 210 surgeries, 171 (81.4%) were uneventful with respect to long-tract monitoring. Nine (23%) of the 39 SEP and/or MEP alterations were transient and were only followed by a slight permanent deficit in 1 case. Permanent deterioration only was seen in 19 (49%) of 39 cases; the deterioration was related to tumor dissection in 4 of these cases, and permanent deficit (moderate-severe) was seen in only 1 of these 4 cases. Eleven patients (28%) had losses of at least 1 modality, and in 9 of these 11 cases, the loss was related to surgical microdissection within the vicinity of the brainstem. Four of these 9 patients suffered a moderate-to-severe long-term deficit. For permanent changes, the positive predictive value for neuromonitoring of the long tracts was 0.467, the negative predictive value was 0.989, the sensitivity was 0.875, and the specificity 0.918. Twenty-eight (72%) of 39 SEP and MEP alterations occurred in 66 cases involving intrinsic brainstem tumors or tumors adjacent to the brainstem. Lesion location and alterations in intraoperative neuromonitoring significantly correlated with patients' outcome (p < 0.001, chi-square test).

Conclusions

In summary, long-tract monitoring with SEPs and MEPs in infratentorial surgeries has a high sensitivity and negative predictive value with respect to postoperative neurological status. It is recommended especially in those surgeries in which microdissection within and in the vicinity of the brainstem might lead to injury of the brainstem parenchyma or perforating vessels and a subsequent perfusion deficit within the brainstem.
The epidemiology of spontaneous fever and hypothermia on admission of brain injury patients to intensive care units: a multicenter cohort study
Authors: Rincon Fred , Hunter Krystal , Schorr Christa , Dellinger R. Philip , Zanotti-Cavazzoni Sergio
Published: September 2014

Object

Fever and hypothermia (dysthermia) are associated with poor outcomes in patients with brain injuries. The authors sought to study the epidemiology of dysthermia on admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) and the effect on in-hospital case fatality in a mixed cohort of patients with brain injuries.

Methods

The authors conducted a multicenter retrospective cohort study in 94 ICUs in the United States. Critically ill patients with neurological injuries, including acute ischemic stroke (AIS), aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH), intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), and traumatic brain injury (TBI), who were older than 17 years and consecutively admitted to the ICU from 2003 to 2008 were selected for analysis.

Results

In total, 13,587 patients were included in this study; AIS was diagnosed in 2973 patients (22%), ICH in 4192 (31%), aSAH in 2346 (17%), and TBI in 4076 (30%). On admission to the ICU, fever was more common among TBI and aSAH patients, and hypothermia was more common among ICH patients. In-hospital case fatality was more common among patients with hypothermia (OR 12.7, 95% CI 8.4–19.4) than among those with fever (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.7–2.1). Compared with patients with ICH (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.8–2.3), TBI (OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.3–1.8), and aSAH (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.2–1.7), patients with AIS who developed fever had the highest risk of death (OR 3.1, 95% CI 2.5–3.7). Although all hypothermic patients had an increased mortality rate, this increase was not significantly different across subgroups. In a multivariable analysis, when adjusted for all other confounders, exposure to fever (adjusted OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1–1.5) or hypothermia (adjusted OR 7.8, 95% CI 3.9–15.4) on admission to the ICU was found to be significantly associated with in-hospital case fatality.

Conclusions

Fever is frequently encountered in the acute phase of brain injury, and a small proportion of patients with brain injuries may also develop spontaneous hypothermia. The effect of fever on mortality rates differed by neurological diagnosis. Both early spontaneous fever and hypothermia conferred a higher risk of in-hospital death after brain injury.
Trigeminofacial reflex: a means of detecting proximity to ophthalmic and maxillary divisions of the trigeminal nerve during surgery
Authors: AlMasri Omar A. , Brown Emma E. , Forster Alan , Kamel Mahmoud H.
Published: September 2014

Object

The aim in this paper was to localize and detect incipient damage to the ophthalmic and maxillary branches of the trigeminal nerve during tumor surgery.

Methods

This was an observational study of patients with skull base, retroorbital, or cavernous sinus tumors warranting dissection toward the cavernous sinus at a university hospital. Stimuli were applied as normal during approach to the cavernous sinus to localize cranial nerves (CNs) III, IV, and VI. Recordings were also obtained from the facial muscles to localize CN VII. The trigeminofacial reflex was sought simply by observing a longer time base routinely.

Results

Clear facial electromyography responses were reproduced when stimuli were applied to the region of V1, V2, and V3. Response latency was increased compared with direct CN VII stimuli seen in some cases. Responses gave early warning of approach to these sensory trigeminal branches.

Conclusions

The authors submit this as a new technique, which may improve the chances of preserving trigeminal sensory branches during surgery in this region.
Basal conditions of two Transantarctic Mountains outlet glaciers from observation-constrained diagnostic modelling
Authors: Golledge Nicholas R. , Marsh Oliver J. , Rack Wolfgang , Braaten David , Jones R. Selwyn
Published: September 2014

We present a diagnostic glacier flowline model parameterized and constrained by new velocity data from ice-surface GPS installations and speckle tracking of TerraSAR-X satellite images, newly acquired airborne-radar data, and continental gridded datasets of topography and geothermal heat flux, in order to better understand two outlet glaciers of the East Antarctic ice sheet. Our observational data are employed as primary inputs to a modelling procedure that first calculates the basal thermal regime of each glacier, then iterates the basal sliding coefficient and deformation rate parameter until the fit of simulated to observed surface velocities is optimized. We find that the two glaciers have both frozen and thawed areas at their beds, facilitating partial sliding. Glacier flow arises from a balance between sliding and deformation that fluctuates along the length of each glacier, with the amount of sliding typically varying by up to two orders of magnitude but with deformation rates far more constant. Beardmore Glacier is warmer and faster-flowing than Skelton Glacier, but an up-glacier deepening bed at the grounding line, coupled with ice thicknesses close to flotation, lead us to infer a greater vulnerability of Skelton Glacier to grounding-line recession if affected by ocean-forced thinning and concomitant acceleration.
Gross and Histomorphological Studies of the Oviduct of Native Chicken of Bangladesh
Authors: Mishra D , Sultana N , Masum MA , Rahman S
Published: September 2014

The present study was carried out on the oviduct of laying native chicken of Bangladesh at the age range of 8-12 months old. After dissection, morphological parameters such as total length and weight of oviduct, length and weight at the age range of 8-11 months were determined. For the histological study, after preparation and staining with hematoxylin and eosin, histological layer of oviductal tissues were recognized. The mean length and weight of total oviduct of native chicken were 7.18±4.22 cm and 24.45±1.81 gm respectively. The mean length and weight of oviductal segments, infundibulum (7.18±4.22 cm and 7.18±4.22 gm), magnum (18.40±6.75 cm and 18.40±6.75 gm), isthmus (7.68±3.46 cm and 7.68±3.46 gm), uterus (6.10±2.80 cm and 6.10±2.80 gm) and vagina (6.83±2.82 cm and 6.83±2.82 gm) were measured. Both the length and weight of oviductal segment was progressively increasing from 8-10 months and was decreased at 11 months age. Histological features of oviductal segments varied in regards to the distribution of gland, connective tissues arrangement and mucosal folding. Particularly, the distribution of tubular glands among the segments of oviduct was significantly different. In the magnum and isthmus, populations of tubular glands were higher whereas other segments had limited glands.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjvm.v12i1.20458 Bangl. J. Vet. Med. (2014). 12 (1): 9-15
A Report on Clinical Prevalence of Diseases and Disorders in Cattle and Goats at The Upazilla Veterinary Hospital, Mohammadpur, Magura
Authors: Karim MR , Parvin MS , Hossain MZ , Islam MT , Hussan MT
Published: September 2014

An investigation was undertaken to determine the general clinical prevalence of diseases and disorders in cattle and goats at the Upazilla Veterinary Hospital, Mohammadpur, Magura during the period from January to December 2010. A total of 536 clinical cases (327 cattle and 209 goats) were recorded and analyzed. Diagnosis of each of the clinical cases was made on general examination, physical examination, clinical examination, microscopic examination and using common laboratory techniques. The clinical cases were divided into three groups on the basis of treatment required viz. (1) Medicinal, (2) Gynaeco-obstetrical and (3) Surgical cases. Among the three types of ruminant cases, medicinal cases constituted highest percentage (cattle 86.5% and goats 90.4%) in comparison to gynaeco-obstetrical (cattle 6.1% and goats 0.9%) and surgical (cattle 7.3% and goats 8.6%) cases. Among the medicinal cases, gastrointestinal nematodiasis (cattle 37.8% and goats 19.6%), diarrhoea (cattle 13.4% and goats 19.6%), fascioliasis (cattle 12.4% and goats 1.6%), paramphistomiasis (cattle 8.8% and goats 2.6%), fever (cattle 7.8% and goats 12.7%) were recorded major disease problems in cattle and goats. Among the gynaeco-obstetrical cases, retained placenta (cattle 30% and goats 50%) and repeat breeding (cattle 70% and goats 50%) were recorded as major gynaeco-obstetrical problems in cattle and goats. Abscess (cattle 45.8% and goats 5.6%), myiasis (cattle 20.8% and goats 20.8%), navel ill (cattle 12.5), urolithiasis (cattle 20.8% and goats 44.4%) and overgrown hoof (goats 33.3%) and gid disease (goats 5.6%) were recognized as the main disorders which required surgical interventions. It may conclude that a number of diseases have been occurring in the Mohammadpur upazila and this report may help to develop control strategies against major diseases reported in this study.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjvm.v12i1.20463 Bangl. J. Vet. Med. (2014). 12 (1): 47-53
A Survey of Mycoplasma Agalactiae in Small Ruminants with Contagious Agalactiae Syndrome in Iran
Authors: Khezri M , Pourbakhsh SA
Published: September 2014

Contagious agalactia (CA) is one of the major animal health problems in small ruminants. It has economic effect and is caused by Mycoplasma agalactiae, the classic etiological agent in sheep and goats. The significance of the different Mycoplasma spp causing CA varies depending on the geographic area. This study conducted between 2012 and 2013 on 189 small ruminants with CA signs in the west of Iran, an area where CA is endemic. All samples (milk, synovial fluid, ear swabs, conjunctival swabs and nasal swabs) were examined by PCR method. Mycoplasma spp was detected in 76.2% and M. agalactiae isolated from 16% of positive samples. M. agalactiae were isolated from 7 conjunctival swabs, 15 milk samples and one synovial fluid sample. Results showed that M. agalactiae was found to be the non-main cause of CA in small ruminants in Iran.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjvm.v12i1.20466 Bangl. J. Vet. Med. (2014). 12 (1): 67-72
Egg Bound and Vent Prolapse in Chicken - A Review of Two Cases
Authors: Joy B , Divya TR
Published: September 2014

About six month old two silky hens were presented with the history of swelling at the posterior part of the body since two days. The birds were weak, lethargic, and recumbent and had reduced appetite. On examination a mass was found protruding out from the vent region. On close examination it was found to be the prolapse of uterus and cloaca with eggs lodged in the uterus in one case and egg bound in other case. Manual reduction of the condition was done after flushing the site with normal saline solution under local infiltration anesthesia with Lignocaine 2%. In one case the egg was removed easily by gentle manipulation. The egg was found to be large and was a normal shelled egg. In the second case where there was prolapse of uterus through cloaca, the egg was found to be lodged inside uterus. The bird was anesthetized with an intramuscular injection of Ketamine hydrochloride at a very low dose rate the rate of 10 mg/kg. The prolapsed mass was thoroughly washed with luke warm water. It was difficult to reduce the mass with the large egg inside. A tear was noticed on the uterus and the eggs were removed through it. Two eggs; with one shelled and another shell less were removed. The uterine tear was sutured with chromic catgut size 3/0 in inverted suture pattern. Reduced the uterus back into the body and thus prolapse was reduced. A purse string suture was put around the cloaca and advised the owner to remove the sutures after few hours. Postoperatively antibiotic Enrofloxacin was given at the rate of 10 mg/kg body weight.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjvm.v12i1.20472 Bangl. J. Vet. Med. (2014). 12 (1): 91-92
Self-Centering Seismic Lateral Force Resisting Systems: High Performance Structures for the City of Tomorrow
Authors: Chancellor Nathan , Eatherton Matthew , Roke David , Akbaş Tuğçe
Published: September 2014

Structures designed in accordance with even the most modern buildings codes are expected to sustain damage during a severe earthquake; however; these structures are expected to protect the lives of the occupants. Damage to the structure can require expensive repairs; significant business downtime; and in some cases building demolition. If damage occurs to many structures within a city or region; the regional and national economy may be severely disrupted. To address these shortcomings with current seismic lateral force resisting systems and to work towards more resilient; sustainable cities; a new class of seismic lateral force resisting systems that sustains little or no damage under severe earthquakes has been developed. These new seismic lateral force resisting systems reduce or prevent structural damage to nonreplaceable structural elements by softening the structural response elastically through gap opening mechanisms. To dissipate seismic energy; friction elements or replaceable yielding energy dissipation elements are also included. Post-tensioning is often used as a part of these systems to return the structure to a plumb; upright position (self-center) after the earthquake has passed. This paper summarizes the state-of-the art for self-centering seismic lateral force resisting systems and outlines current research challenges for these systems.
Photonic Crystal-Based Sensing and Imaging of Potassium Ions
Authors: Fenzl Christoph , Kirchinger Michael , Hirsch Thomas , Wolfbeis Otto
Published: September 2014

We report on a method for selective optical sensing and imaging of potassium ions using a sandwich assembly composed of layers of photonic crystals and an ion-selective membrane. This represents a new scheme for sensing ions in that an ionic strength-sensitive photonic crystal hydrogel layer is combined with a K+-selective membrane. The latter consists of plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) doped with the K+-selective ion carrier, valinomycin. The film has a red color if immersed into plain water, but is green in 5 mM KCl and purple at KCl concentrations of 100 mM or higher. This 3D photonic crystal sensor responds to K+ ions in the 1 to 50 mM concentration range (which includes the K+ concentration range encountered in blood) and shows high selectivity over ammonium and sodium ions. Sensor films were also imaged with a digital camera by exploiting the RGB technique.
Resampling Methods Improve the Predictive Power of Modeling in Class-Imbalanced Datasets
Authors: Lee Paul
Published: September 2014

In the medical field, many outcome variables are dichotomized, and the two possible values of a dichotomized variable are referred to as classes. A dichotomized dataset is class-imbalanced if it consists mostly of one class, and performance of common classification models on this type of dataset tends to be suboptimal. To tackle such a problem, resampling methods, including oversampling and undersampling can be used. This paper aims at illustrating the effect of resampling methods using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) wave 2009–2010 dataset. A total of 4677 participants aged ≥20 without self-reported diabetes and with valid blood test results were analyzed. The Classification and Regression Tree (CART) procedure was used to build a classification model on undiagnosed diabetes. A participant demonstrated evidence of diabetes according to WHO diabetes criteria. Exposure variables included demographics and socio-economic status. CART models were fitted using a randomly selected 70% of the data (training dataset), and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was computed using the remaining 30% of the sample for evaluation (testing dataset). CART models were fitted using the training dataset, the oversampled training dataset, the weighted training dataset, and the undersampled training dataset. In addition, resampling case-to-control ratio of 1:1, 1:2, and 1:4 were examined. Resampling methods on the performance of other extensions of CART (random forests and generalized boosted trees) were also examined. CARTs fitted on the oversampled (AUC = 0.70) and undersampled training data (AUC = 0.74) yielded a better classification power than that on the training data (AUC = 0.65). Resampling could also improve the classification power of random forests and generalized boosted trees. To conclude, applying resampling methods in a class-imbalanced dataset improved the classification power of CART, random forests, and generalized boosted trees.
Discovery and Characterization of Two Novel Salt-Tolerance Genes in Puccinellia tenuiflora
Authors: Li Ying , Takano Tetsuo , Liu Shenkui
Published: September 2014

Puccinellia tenuiflora is a monocotyledonous halophyte that is able to survive in extreme saline soil environments at an alkaline pH range of 9–10. In this study, we transformed full-length cDNAs of P. tenuiflora into Saccharomyces cerevisiae by using the full-length cDNA over-expressing gene-hunting system to identify novel salt-tolerance genes. In all, 32 yeast clones overexpressing P. tenuiflora cDNA were obtained by screening under NaCl stress conditions; of these, 31 clones showed stronger tolerance to NaCl and were amplified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequenced. Four novel genes encoding proteins with unknown function were identified; these genes had no homology with genes from higher plants. Of the four isolated genes, two that encoded proteins with two transmembrane domains showed the strongest resistance to 1.3 M NaCl. RT-PCR and northern blot analysis of P. tenuiflora cultured cells confirmed the endogenous NaCl-induced expression of the two proteins. Both of the proteins conferred better tolerance in yeasts to high salt, alkaline and osmotic conditions, some heavy metals and H2O2 stress. Thus, we inferred that the two novel proteins might alleviate oxidative and other stresses in P. tenuiflora.
A Review of Pinealectomy-Induced Melatonin-Deficient Animal Models for the Study of Etiopathogenesis of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis
Authors: Wai Man , Jun Wang , Yee Yim , Ho Wong , Bun Ng , Ping Lam , Man Lee , Wah Ng , Chiu Wang , Yong Qiu , Yiu Cheng
Published: September 2014

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a common orthopedic disorder of unknown etiology and pathogenesis. Melatonin and melatonin pathway dysfunction has been widely suspected to play an important role in the pathogenesis. Many different types of animal models have been developed to induce experimental scoliosis mimicking the pathoanatomical features of idiopathic scoliosis in human. The scoliosis deformity was believed to be induced by pinealectomy and mediated through the resulting melatonin-deficiency. However, the lack of upright mechanical spinal loading and inherent rotational instability of the curvature render the similarity of these models to the human counterparts questionable. Different concerns have been raised challenging the scientific validity and limitations of each model. The objectives of this review follow the logical need to re-examine and compare the relevance and appropriateness of each of the animal models that have been used for studying the etiopathogenesis of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis in human in the past 15 to 20 years.
Intraspecific Aggression in Giant Honey Bees (Apis dorsata)
Authors: Weihmann Frank , Waddoup Dominique , Hötzl Thomas , Kastberger Gerald
Published: September 2014

We investigated intraspecific aggression in experimental nests (expN1, expN2) of the giant honey bee Apis dorsata in Chitwan (Nepal), focusing on interactions between surface bees and two other groups of bees approaching the nest: (1) homing “nestmate” foragers landing on the bee curtain remained unmolested by guards; and (2) supposed “non-nestmate” bees, which were identified by their erratic flight patterns in front of the nest, such as hovering or sideways scanning and splaying their legs from their body, and were promptly attacked by the surface bees after landing. These supposed non-nestmate bees only occurred immediately before and after migration swarms, which had arrived in close vicinity (and were most likely scouting for a nesting site). In total, 231 of the “nestmate” foragers (fb) and 102 approaches of such purported “non-nestmate” scouts (sc) were analysed (total observation time expN1: 5.43 min) regarding the evocation of shimmering waves (sh). During their landing the “nestmate” foragers provoked less shimmering waves (relnsh[fb] = 23/231 = 0.0996, relnsh[sc] = 75/102 = 0.7353; p <0.001, χ2-test) with shorter duration (Dsh[fb] = 197 ± 17 ms, Dsh[sc] = 488 ± 16 ms; p <0.001; t-test) than “non-nestmates”. Moreover, after having landed on the nest surface, the “non-nestmates” were attacked by the surface bees (expN1, expN2: observation time >18 min) quite similarly to the defensive response against predatory wasps. Hence, the surface members of settled colonies respond differently to individual giant honey bees approaching the nest, depending on whether erratic flight patterns are displayed or not.
The Flynn Effect in Families: Studies of Register Data on Norwegian Military Conscripts and Their Families
Authors: Sundet Jon
Published: September 2014

In the present paper published data and new analyses are presented and discussed in order to demonstrate the power of family data (siblings and parents to military conscripts with IQ data) in the study of the Flynn effect (FE). In particular, it is shown how studies of the mean intelligence changes in sibships of different sizes and changing proportions of sibship sizes can enhance our understanding how these factors may influence FE. Some new analyses of correlations between intelligence and sibship sizes illustrate how family data can be used to investigate changes in the correlation pattern across generations. It is shown that comparison of the secular trends in the general population and in sibling pairs can be a powerful method in the exploration of the relative influence of between-families and within-families factors in the FE. Surprising connections between the birth order effect on intelligence and the FE are demonstrated.
Analysis of Pelletizing of Granulometric Separation Powder from Cork Industries
Authors: Montero Irene , Miranda Teresa , Sepúlveda Francisco , Arranz José , Nogales Sergio
Published: September 2014

Cork industries generate a considerable amount of solid waste during their processing. Its management implies a problem for companies that should reconsider its reuse for other purposes. In this work, an analysis of pelletizing of granulometric separation powder, which is one of the major wastes in cork industries and which presents suitable properties (as an raw material) for its thermal use, is studied. However, its characteristic heterogeneity, along with its low bulk density (which makes its storage and transportation difficult) are restrictive factors for its energy use. Therefore, its densified form is a real alternative in order to make the product uniform and guarantee its proper use in boiler systems. Thus, the cork pellets (from granulometric separation powder) in the study met, except for ash content specification, the specifications in standard European Norm EN-Plus (B) for its application as fuel for domestic use.
Review on Polymers for Thermoelectric Applications
Authors: Culebras Mario , Gómez Clara , Cantarero Andrés
Published: September 2014

In this review, we report the state-of-the-art of polymers in thermoelectricity. Classically, a number of inorganic compounds have been considered as the best thermoelectric materials. Since the prediction of the improvement of the figure of merit by means of electronic confinement in 1993, it has been improved by a factor of 3–4. In the mean time, organic materials, in particular intrinsically conducting polymers, had been considered as competitors of classical thermoelectrics, since their figure of merit has been improved several orders of magnitude in the last few years. We review here the evolution of the figure of merit or the power factor during the last years, and the best candidates to compete with inorganic materials. We also outline the best polymers to substitute classical thermoelectric materials and the advantages they present in comparison with inorganic systems.
Fabrication and Testing of an Osmotic Pressure Sensor for Glucose Sensing Application
Authors: Ch Nagesh , Paily Roy
Published: September 2014

This paper presents a chemical reaction-free sensor, based on the osmosis principle, fabricated to measure the change in glucose concentration levels. The sensor consists of a square cavity filled with a known concentration of glucose solution and sealed with a semi-permeable membrane. The volume inside the cavity changes in proportion to the glucose concentration outside the device and introduces the displacement in the silicon (Si) membrane on the top. The main considerations targeted for this sensor are better response time, chemical-free nature, improved lifetime and absence of any mechanical excitations. Moreover, as the size of a system plays a major role, efforts have been taken to reduce the dimension of the presented system. The designed glucose sensor is fabricated by employing a bulk micromachining technology on a SOI (silicon on insulator) substrate. This will allow batch fabrication, as well as the integration of the electronic circuit on the same substrate. The output voltage obtained is varied from
Role of Daptomycin in the Induction and Persistence of the Viable but Non-Culturable State of Staphylococcus Aureus Biofilms
Authors: Pasquaroli Sonia , Citterio Barbara , Cesare Andrea , Amiri Mehdi , Manti Anita , Vuotto Claudia , Biavasco Francesca
Published: September 2014

We have recently demonstrated that antibiotic pressure can induce the viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state in Staphylococcus aureus biofilms. Since dormant bacterial cells can undermine anti-infective therapy, a greater understanding of the role of antibiotics of last resort, including daptomycin, is crucial. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus 10850 biofilms were maintained on non-nutrient (NN) agar in the presence or absence of the MIC of daptomycin until loss of culturability. Viable cells were monitored by epifluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry for 150 days. All biofilms reached non-culturability at 40 days and showed a similar amount of viable cells; however, in biofilms exposed to daptomycin, their number remained unchanged throughout the experiment, whereas in those maintained on NN agar alone, no viable cells were detected after 150 days. Gene expression assays showed that after achievement of non-culturability, 16S rDNA and mecA were expressed by all biofilms, whereas glt expression was found only in daptomycin-exposed biofilms. Our findings suggest that low daptomycin concentrations, such as those that are likely to obtain within biofilms, can influence the viability and gene expression of non-culturable S. aureus cells. Resuscitation experiments are needed to establish the VBNC state of daptomycin-exposed biofilms.
A Rapid and Convenient Procedure to Evaluate Optical Performance of Intraocular Lenses
Authors: Schaeffel Frank , Kaymak Hakan
Published: September 2014

A new portable lens scanner was developed and tested for measuring focal lengths and relative contrast transfer of mono- and multifocal intraocular lenses (IOLs). A photograph of a natural scene was imaged in white light through an IOL in a water-filled cuvette, with their +21D base power largely neutralized by a −20D trial lens, using a USB monochrome video camera that could be focused via a laptop-controlled stepping motor from −8.5 to + 8.0D. The output of 10000 ON-OFF antagonistic “receptive fields” measuring the video image with adjustable diameter was continuously recorded by custom written software to quantify focus and relative contrast. Six monofocal and four multifocal IOLs, as well as two radial refractive gradient (RRG) lenses were measured. After calibration with trial lenses the optical powers and relative contrast transfer of mono- and multifocal IOLs were readily measured. Refractive power profiles measured in RRG lenses closely matched data obtained from the manufacturer. The lens scanner uses a rapidly operating procedure, is portable and can be used to verify positions of the focal planes of mono- and multifocal IOLs in less than 3 s.
Assessing Consistency of Five Global Land Cover Data Sets in China
Authors: Bai Yan , Feng Min , Jiang Hao , Wang Juanle , Zhu Yunqiang , Liu Yingzhen
Published: September 2014

Global land cover mapping with high accuracy is essential to downstream researches. Five global land cover data sets derived from moderate-resolution satellites, i.e., Global Land Cover Characterization (GLCC), University of Maryland land cover product (UMd), Global Land Cover 2000 project data (GLC2000), MODIS Land Cover product (MODIS LC), and GLOBCOVER land cover product (GlobCover), have been widely used in many researches. However, these data sets were produced using different data sources and class definitions, which led to high uncertainty and inconsistency when using them. This study looked into the consistencies and discrepancies among the five data sets in China. All of the compared data sets were aggregated to consistent spatial resolution and extent, along with a 12-class thematic classification schema; intercomparisons among five datasets and each with reference data GLCD-2005 were performed. Results show reasonable agreement across the five data sets over China in terms of the dominating land cover types like Grassland and Cropland; while discrepancies of Forest classes, particularly Shrubland and Wetland among them are great. Additionally, GLC2000 has the highest agreement with GLCD-2005; MODIS LC gets the highest map-specific consistency compared with others; whereas UMd has the lowest agreement with GLCD-2005, but also has the lowest map-specific consistency.
Statistical Analysis-Based Error Models for the Microsoft KinectTM Depth Sensor
Authors: Choo Benjamin , Landau Michael , DeVore Michael , Beling Peter
Published: September 2014

The stochastic error characteristics of the Kinect sensing device are presented for each axis direction. Depth (z) directional error is measured using a flat surface, and horizontal (x) and vertical (y) errors are measured using a novel 3D checkerboard. Results show that the stochastic nature of the Kinect measurement error is affected mostly by the depth at which the object being sensed is located, though radial factors must be considered, as well. Measurement and statistics-based models are presented for the stochastic error in each axis direction, which are based on the location and depth value of empirical data measured for each pixel across the entire field of view. The resulting models are compared against existing Kinect error models, and through these comparisons, the proposed model is shown to be a more sophisticated and precise characterization of the Kinect error distributions.
Motion Planning for Autonomous Vehicle Based on Radial Basis Function Neural Network in Unstructured Environment
Authors: Chen Jiajia , Zhao Pan , Liang Huawei , Mei Tao
Published: September 2014

The autonomous vehicle is an automated system equipped with features like environment perception, decision-making, motion planning, and control and execution technology. Navigating in an unstructured and complex environment is a huge challenge for autonomous vehicles, due to the irregular shape of road, the requirement of real-time planning, and the nonholonomic constraints of vehicle. This paper presents a motion planning method, based on the Radial Basis Function (RBF) neural network, to guide the autonomous vehicle in unstructured environments. The proposed algorithm extracts the drivable region from the perception grid map based on the global path, which is available in the road network. The sample points are randomly selected in the drivable region, and a gradient descent method is used to train the RBF network. The parameters of the motion-planning algorithm are verified through the simulation and experiment. It is observed that the proposed approach produces a flexible, smooth, and safe path that can fit any road shape. The method is implemented on autonomous vehicle and verified against many outdoor scenes; furthermore, a comparison of proposed method with the existing well-known Rapidly-exploring Random Tree (RRT) method is presented. The experimental results show that the proposed method is highly effective in planning the vehicle path and offers better motion quality.
Estimation of Real-Time Flood Risk on Roads Based on Rainfall Calculated by the Revised Method of Missing Rainfall
Authors: Kim Eunmi , Ra Ilkyeun , Rhee Kyung , Kim Chang
Published: September 2014

Recently, flood damage by frequent localized downpours in cities is on the increase on account of abnormal climate phenomena and the growth of impermeable areas due to urbanization. This study suggests a method to estimate real-time flood risk on roads for drivers based on the accumulated rainfall. The amount of rainfall of a road link, which is an intensive type, is calculated by using the revised method of missing rainfall in meteorology, because the rainfall is not measured on roads directly. To process in real time with a computer, we use the inverse distance weighting (IDW) method, which is a suitable method in the computing system and is commonly used in relation to precipitation due to its simplicity. With real-time accumulated rainfall, the flooding history, rainfall range causing flooding from previous rainfall information and frequency probability of precipitation are used to determine the flood risk on roads. The result of simulation using the suggested algorithms shows the high concordance rate between actual flooded areas in the past and flooded areas derived from the simulation for the research region in Busan, Korea.
In Vitro Sensitization of Erythrocytes to Programmed Cell Death Following Baicalein Treatment
Authors: Bissinger Rosi , Malik Abaid , Honisch Sabina , Warsi Jamshed , Jilani Kashif , Lang Florian
Published: September 2014

The polyphenolic flavonoid Baicalein has been shown to trigger suicidal death or apoptosis of tumor cells and is thus considered for the prevention and treatment of malignancy. Similar to apoptosis of nucleated cells, erythrocytes may enter eryptosis, the suicidal erythrocyte death characterized by cell shrinkage and cell membrane scrambling with phosphatidylserine translocation to the erythrocyte surface. Stimulators of eryptosis include increase of cytosolic Ca2+-activity ([Ca2+]i) and ceramide. The present study explored whether Baicalein stimulates eryptosis. To this end, forward scatter was taken for measurement of cell volume, annexin-V-binding for phosphatidylserine-exposure, Fluo3 fluorescence for [Ca2+]i and fluorescent antibodies for ceramide abundance. As a result, a 48 h exposure of human erythrocytes to Baicalein was followed by significant decrease of forward scatter (≥10 µM), significant increase of the percentage of annexin-V-binding cells (≥25 µM), significant increase of [Ca2+]i (50 µM) and significant increase of ceramide abundance (50 µM). The effect of Baicalein (50 µM) on annexin-V-binding was significantly blunted but not abrogated by removal of extracellular Ca2+. In conclusion, at the concentrations employed, Baicalein stimulates suicidal erythrocyte death or eryptosis, an effect at least in part due to the combined effects of Ca2+ entry and ceramide formation.