bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Innovating in a Government Context: An Evaluation of a Dutch Water Innovation Program Using the Cyclic Innovation Model
Authors: van der Duin Patrick , Hermeler Hans
Published: March 2014

Innovation is of vital importance, not only to commercial companies, but also to governments. For the Dutch, innovation in the field of water management is even a matter of survival, because much of their country lies below sea level. An evaluation of a water innovation program carried out by the Dutch government, using the cyclic innovation model, shows that there is a broad understanding of innovation, that innovators see innovation as a significant break from the "old" and recognize the connection between innovation and future developments, but that, on the other hand, the innovation processes in the innovation program are quite informal, that outside partners are involved sufficiently adhere to the new paradigm of "open innovation, and that the connection with top management at Rijkswaterstaat (as part of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment) could be improved. It is advised, among others, to make a clear distinction between projects and innovation processes, and to adopt a contingency approach to make that different types of innovations (incremental versus radical) are managed differently.
Who does what in a massive open online course?
Authors: Seaton Daniel T. , Bergner Yoav , Chuang Isaac , Mitros Piotr , Pritchard David E.
Published: March 2014

Student-participation data from the inaugural MITx (now edX) course---6.002x: Circuits and Electronics---unpacks MOOC student behavior.
A catalog of stream processing optimizations
Authors: Hirzel Martin , Soulé Robert , Schneider Scott , Gedik Buğra , Grimm Robert
Published: March 2014

Various research communities have independently arrived at stream processing as a programming model for efficient and parallel computing. These communities include digital signal processing, databases, operating systems, and complex event processing. Since each community faces applications with challenging performance requirements, each of them has developed some of the same optimizations, but often with conflicting terminology and unstated assumptions. This article presents a survey of optimizations for stream processing. It is aimed both at users who need to understand and guide the system’s optimizer and at implementers who need to make engineering tradeoffs. To consolidate terminology, this article is organized as a catalog, in a style similar to catalogs of design patterns or refactorings. To make assumptions explicit and help understand tradeoffs, each optimization is presented with its safety constraints (when does it preserve correctness?) and a profitability experiment (when does it improve performance?). We hope that this survey will help future streaming system builders to stand on the shoulders of giants from not just their own community.
Configurable range memory for effective data reuse on programmable accelerators
Authors: Lee Jongeun , Seo Seongseok , Paek Jongkyung , Choi Kiyoung
Published: March 2014

While programmable accelerators such as application-specific processors and reconfigurable architectures can dramatically speed up compute-intensive
kernels
of an application,
application performance
can still be severely limited by the communication between processors. To minimize the communication overhead, a shared memory such as a scratchpad memory may be employed between the main processor and the accelerator coprocessor. However, this setup poses a significant challenge to the main processor, which now must manage data on the scratchpad explicitly, resulting in superfluous data copying due to the inflexibility of a scratchpad. In this article, we present an enhancement of a scratchpad,
Configurable Range Memory
(CRM), whose address range can be reprogrammed to minimize unnecessary data copying between processors and therefore promote data reuse on the accelerator, and also present a software management algorithm for the CRM. Our experimental results involving detailed simulation of full multimedia applications demonstrate that our CRM architecture can reduce the communication overhead quite effectively, reducing the kernel execution time by up to 28% and the application runtime by up to 12.8%, in addition to considerable system energy reduction, compared to the conventional architecture based on a scratchpad.
A comparative evaluation of multi-objective exploration algorithms for high-level design
Authors: Panerati Jacopo , Beltrame Giovanni
Published: March 2014

This article presents a detailed overview and the experimental comparison of 15 multi-objective design-space exploration (DSE) algorithms for high-level design. These algorithms are collected from recent literature and include heuristic, evolutionary, and statistical methods. To provide a fair comparison, the algorithms are classified according to the approach used and examined against a large set of metrics. In particular, the effectiveness of each algorithm was evaluated for the optimization of a multiprocessor platform, considering initial setup effort, rate of convergence, scalability, and quality of the resulting optimization. Our experiments are performed with statistical rigor, using a set of very diverse benchmark applications (a video converter, a parallel compression algorithm, and a fast Fourier transformation algorithm) to take a large spectrum of realistic workloads into account. Our results provide insights on the effort required to apply each algorithm to a target design space, the number of simulations it requires, its accuracy, and its precision. These insights are used to draw guidelines for the choice of DSE algorithms according to the type and size of design space to be optimized.
Formal Verification of an SSA-Based Middle-End for CompCert
Authors: Barthe Gilles , Demange Delphine , Pichardie David
Published: March 2014

CompCert is a formally verified compiler that generates compact and efficient code for a large subset of the C language. However, CompCert foregoes using SSA, an intermediate representation employed by many compilers that enables writing simpler, faster optimizers. In fact, it has remained an open problem to verify formally an SSA-based compiler. We report on a formally verified, SSA-based middle-end for CompCert. In addition to providing a formally verified SSA-based middle-end, we address two problems raised by Leroy in [2009]: giving an intuitive formal semantics to SSA, and leveraging its global properties to reason locally about program optimizations.
Major-league SEMAT
Authors: Jacobson Ivar , Ng Pan-Wei , Spence Ian , McMahon Paul E.
Published: March 2014

Becoming better, faster, cheaper, and happier.
Using patient data for personalized cancer treatments
Authors: Edwards Chris
Published: March 2014

Patient information databases eventually will help improve health outcomes and support development of new therapies.
Guest column
Authors: Lampis Michael
Published: March 2014

After two decades of progress in hardness of approximation we finally completely understand the extent to which many optimization problems can be approximated in polynomial time. Unfortunately, however, and despite significant efforts, many important problems continue to resist such an understanding. One example is the famous Traveling Salesman Problem, for which the best currently known hardness of approximation bounds are strongly believed to be quite far from the truth. In this article, we describe the main tools and techniques used in the currently best known approximation lower bounds for this problem. Among them are expander-like graph constructions called amplifiers and bounded-occurrence instances of standard constraint satisfaction problems. We also discuss how these ideas could be (modestly) improved, how (and whether) they may prove useful in eventually resolving the problem and what ingredients are still missing.
Evolutionary game design
Authors: Browne Cameron
Published: March 2014

The "Humies" awards are an annual competition held in conjunction with the Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference (GECCO), in which cash prizes totalling $10,000 are awarded to the most human-competitive results produced by any form of evolutionary computation published in the previous year. This article describes the gold medal-winning entry from the 2012 "Humies" competition, based on the LUDI system for playing, evaluating and creating new board games. LUDI was able to demonstrate human-competitive results in evolving novel board games that have gone on to be commercially published, one of which, Yavalath, has been ranked in the top 2.5% of abstract board games ever invented. Further evidence of human-competitiveness was demonstrated in the evolved games implicitly capturing several principles of good game design, outperforming human designers in at least one case, and going on to inspire a new sub-genre of games.
DEAP
Authors: De Rainville François-Michel , Fortin Félix-Antoine , Gardner Marc-André , Parizeau Marc , Gagné Christian
Published: March 2014

DEAP is a Distributed Evolutionary Algorithm (EA) framework written in Python and designed to help researchers developing custom evolutionary algorithms. Its design philosophy promotes explicit algorithms and transparent data structures, in contrast with most other evolutionary computation softwares that tend to encapsulate standardized algorithms using the black-box approach. This philosophy sets it apart as a rapid prototyping framework for testing of new ideas in EA research. An executable notebook version of this paper is available at https://github.com/DEAP/notebooks.
A review of fixed priority and EDF scheduling for hard real-time uniprocessor systems
Authors: Davis Robert I.
Published: March 2014

This paper was written to accompany a talk at the ETR Summer School in Toulouse 2013. It provides a background and primer to scheduling and schedulability analysis for hard real-time single processor systems. The paper focuses on the two main scheduling algorithms used: Fixed Priority and Earliest Deadline First. The paper has two broad aims: Firstly to provide a guide to the fundamental results for these real-time scheduling algorithms. Secondly to provide a brief review of extensions aimed at (i) limiting the effects and overheads of pre-emption and (ii) accounting for the effects of pre-emptions; specifically cache related pre-emption delays. The paper also briefly looks back at success stories in real-time scheduling, and forwards at the current hot topics in this research area.
A performance-aware quality of service-driven scheduler for multicore processors
Authors: Sironi Filippo , Sciuto Donatella , Santambrogio Marco D.
Published: March 2014

In the latest decade, the IT industry shifted from single to multicore processors. Multicore processors require better support from operating systems and runtimes to allow applications to achieve predictable performance and guarantee quality of service (QoS). Finding a proper schedule to yield the specified performance for single and multi-threaded applications can be cumbersome; dealing with multi-programmed workloads may be even worse.

We present a performance-aware QoS-driven scheduler for multicore processors, which exploits the availability of runtime application-specific performance measurements to determine a suitable allotment of cores for multi-programmed workloads so as to achieve the desired level of QoS. The proposed scheduler is meant to be implemented in user-mode and harnesses an auto-regressive moving average performance model to put in a relationship performance measurements and resource allocation and is capable of embodying applications' characteristics such as execution phases.
Scheduling analysis from architectural models of embedded multi-processor systems
Authors: Rubini Stéphane , Fotsing Christian , Singhoff Frank , Tran Hai Nam , Dissaux Pierre
Published: March 2014

As embedded systems need more and more computing power, many products require hardware platforms based on multiple processors. In case of real-time constrained systems, the use of scheduling analysis tools is mandatory to validate the design choices, and to better use the processing capacity of the system.

To this end, this paper presents the extension of the scheduling analysis tool
Cheddar
to deal with multi-processor scheduling. In a Model Driven Engineering approach, useful information about the scheduling of the application is extracted from a model expressed with an architectural language called AADL. We also define how the AADL model must be written to express the standard policies for the multi-processor scheduling.
Slight Alteration of the Electroretinogram in Mice Lacking Dystrophin Dp71
Authors: Cia David , Simonutti Manuel , Fort Patrice E. , Doly Michel , Rendon Alvaro
Published: March 2014

Aim: Most Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients and the mdxCv3 mouse strain, lacking expression of both dystrophins Dp260 and Dp71, show a high attenuation of the dark-adapted electroretinogram (ERG) b-wave amplitude, whereas mice lacking the expression of Dp260 show normal b-wave amplitude. Here, we completed our assessment of whether the sole absence of Dp71 affects the ERG. Methods: Ganzfeld ERGs were performed on dark-adapted Dp71-null mice and littermates. Scotopic flash ERGs were recorded at light intensities from 3.10−5 to 1 cd.s/m2. Oscillatory potentials (OPs) were extracted at 1 cd.s/m2. Photopic flash ERGs were recorded at 10 cd.s/m2 after light adaptation. Results: Dp71-null mice showed a slight but significant reduction in b-wave amplitudes, normal a-wave amplitudes and nonaffected implicit times of the scotopic ERGs. No changes were observed in the amplitudes and implicit times of the OPs and the photopic ERGs. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that together both Dp71 and Dp260 are required for the generation of the ERG b-wave in mice.
Survival of Multiple Myeloma Patients Aged 65-70 Years in the Era of Novel Agents and Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation
Authors: Ozaki Shuji , Harada Takeshi , Saitoh Takayuki , Shimazaki Chihiro , Itagaki Mitsuhiro , Asaoku Hideki , Kuroda Yoshiaki , Chou Takaaki , Yoshiki Yumiko , Suzuki Kenshi , Murakami Hirokazu , Hayashi Kunihiko , Mina Roberto , Palumbo Antonio , Shimizu Kazuyuki ,   on behalf of the Japanese Society of Myeloma and the European Myeloma Network
Published: March 2014

Novel agents such as thalidomide, lenalidomide and bortezomib have dramatically changed the treatment paradigm of multiple myeloma (MM). However, it is not clear whether these agents improve the prognosis of elderly patients who have undergone autologous stem cell transplantation (auto-SCT). We retrospectively analyzed the outcome of 318 newly diagnosed patients aged 65-70 years who were treated between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2009. As initial therapy, 192 patients were treated with conventional chemotherapy, 88 with novel agent-containing regimens, 21 with conventional chemotherapy plus auto-SCT and the remaining 17 with novel agents plus auto-SCT. The median progression-free survival was 19.1, 24.5, 26.8 and 35.2 months, respectively, and the 5-year overall survival (OS) was 40, 62, 63 and 87%, respectively. Initial therapy with novel agents (p < 0.001) or auto-SCT (p < 0.02) significantly improved OS compared with the group without these treatment modalities. Salvage therapy with novel agents also significantly improved survival after relapse compared with conventional chemotherapy alone (p < 0.04). In a multivariate analysis, the use of novel agents was an independent prognostic factor significantly associated with extended OS (p < 0.003). These results indicate that novel agents and auto-SCT had a major impact on OS in eligible patients in this subgroup of MM.
Extensive Prurigo Nodularis: Characterization and Etiology
Authors: Tan Wei Sheng , Tey Hong Liang
Published: March 2014

Background/Aims: Prurigo nodularis (PN) has multiple reported disease associations, and this study analyzes the demographics, clinical distribution and underlying etiologies in an Asian cohort. Methods: A 1-year retrospective study was carried out on PN patients with extensive lesions (≥10) who attended a specialized itch clinic. Results: 37 patients (46% male, median age 53 years) were included. In all patients, an underlying etiologic factor associated with pruritus could be identified. 49% (n = 18) of patients had a single attributable etiology, whilst 51% (n = 19) had multiple etiologies. Among all patients, dermatological disease was the most common cause (82%), of which endogenous eczema comprised the majority of cases (54%), followed by systemic disease (38%). Conclusions: All patients with extensive PN had identifiable factors associated with pruritus in this study, and a dermatological condition was the predominant etiology in both patients with mono- and multifactorial disease. A significant number of patients had underlying systemic causes.
The immatures of lauxaniid flies (Diptera: Lauxaniidae)
and their taxonomical implications
Authors: SEMELBAUER MAREK , KOZÁNEK MILAN
Published: March 2014

The immature stages of insects can provide valuable data both for taxonomy and phylogeny, but they are well known only for negligible proportion of the described species. Here we describe lauxaniid immatures for 17 species that were reared under laboratory conditions and subjected to morphological investigation. Following species were included in our study: Cnemacantha muscaria, Homoneura biumbrata, Homoneura limnea, Minettia austriaca, Minettia fasciata, Minettia flaviventris, Minettia loewi, Minettia plumicornis, Peplomyza litura, Poecilolycia vittata, Pseudolyciella pallidiventris, Sapromyza apicalis, Sapromyza hyalinata, Sapromyza intonsa, Sapromyza sexpunctata, Sapromyzosoma quadripunctata, Sapromyzosoma quadricincta. SEM images of the eggs are provided along with the illustrations of the cephaloskeleton and brief description of all three larval instars. The cephaloskeleton, as well as external morphology suggest that subgenus Minettia s. str. may not be monophyletic. Species Sapromyza sexpunctata and Sapromyzosoma spp., Pseudolyciella pallidiventris and Poecilolycia. vittata are probably closely related. Sapromyza apicalis, S. hyalinata and possibly also S. intonsa form a separate clade from the previous group. These results clearly support the long-standing suspicion, that genus Sapromyza is not monophyletic. Sapromyza sexpunctata should be considered a separate genus related to Sapromyzosoma. The spines on dorsal surface of labial lobe suggest relationships between Peplomyza and Meiosimyza species. Affinities of Cnemacantha muscaria remain uncertain. However, the extended Malpighian tubules suggest relationship to Homoneura or Minettia.
Descriptions of three new species of Marcusenius Gill, 1862
(Teleostei: Mormyridae) from South Africa and Mozambique
Authors: MAAKE PHOLOSHI A. , GON OFER , SWARTZ ERNST R.
Published: March 2014

Morphological and genetic studies of mormyrid fishes belonging to the genus Marcusenius from South Africa and Mozambique revealed four species of which three are described as new. Marcusenius pongolensis is widespread throughout the Incomati, Pongola and Kosi river systems, and sparsely represented in the Limpopo River system in South Africa. Marcusenius krameri sp. nov. is endemic to the Limpopo River system, and is the sister taxon of M. caudisquamatus sp. nov. from the Nseleni and Mhlatuze river systems in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa. The Ruvuma specimens were well differentiated from all southern and eastern African species of Marcusenius, and are therefore recognised as M. lucombesi sp. nov. Phylogenetic analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene showed that the three new species and M. altisambesi form a monophyletic lineage that is sister to a group containing M. pongolensis and M. macrolepidotus. Marcusenius krameri and M. lucombesi seems to prefer slow flowing reaches of rivers, whereas M. pongolensis and M. caudisquamatus seems to mainly inhabit rapid flowing sections of rivers with a rocky substrate. A key to the southern African species of Marcusenius is provided.
The Orientalized “Other” and Corrosive Femininity: Threats to White Masculinity in 300
Authors: Oh David C. , V. Kutufam Doreen
Published: March 2014

The film 300 tells a fictionalized account of 300 Spartans’ courageous stand against Xerxes’s Persian army that provided Greece a beacon of masculine strength, independence, and freedom. This study seeks to understand the racist and sexist ideologies represented in the film’s characterization of the Spartan and the Persian armies. To uncover ideologies in the film, we conducted a textual analysis focusing on the intersecting constructions of nation, race, and gender. Our findings suggest that the film advances ideological support for the duty of Whiteness and masculinity in the United States, specifically, and the West, generally, to protect itself from the external, invading forces of the Orientalized racial “other” and against the internal, corrosive forces of femininity.
Reframing the war on terror: Feminist and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) activism in the context of the 2006 Israeli invasion of Lebanon
Authors: Naber Nadine , Zaatari Zeina
Published: March 2014

This article seeks to expand the kinds of questions we ask about the diverse militarized campaigns referred to collectively as the “war on terror,” the grassroots resistance to these wars, and efforts committed to creating a world without destruction and killing. Shifting the focus of this feminist critique of war away from the center of power (the empire) to the everyday lives of feminist and queer activists living the war on terror from the ground up, this article examines a distinct feminist and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) social movement that worked to respond to and resist the US-backed Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 2006. We argue along with our interlocutors in Lebanon that asymmetrical systems of gender, class, race, ethnicity, sexuality, and family are entangled in the historical conditions of transnational capital, empire, and war, and necessitate an intersectional approach that refuses to impose false binaries or hierarchies on a complex social reality. We conclude by arguing the importance of reframing the war on terror and reimagining feminist and LGBTQ policies as a critique of the post-racial discourse, beyond dominant imperialist and nationalist discourses, which are exclusionary, sexist, and homophobic in different ways.
Communication Studies: Why We Need to Design Environments that Cultivate Creative Competency
Authors: Delmege Sharon , O’Mahony Lauren
Published: March 2014

The response by Australian universities to rapid technological change and industry dissatisfaction with graduate competencies has been to identify transferable skills that support lifelong learning. Creativity is a core competency in higher education policy and curriculum frameworks, but it is rarely made explicit at the level of learning outcomes, activities and assessment. This article argues that creative competency is central to the needs of Communication Studies graduates. We demonstrate why we need to shift creative thinking from the margins to the core of learning outcomes, activities and assessment. We explain the significance of an environment that is connectivist, that raises students’ awareness about creative processes, encourages them to focus on explicit learning goals, find strategies to tolerate uncertainty, take intellectual risks and to learn through experimental play. Finally, we argue that such an environment cultivates creative competency by fostering intellectual risk-taking, a tolerance for uncertainty and an agility to move between knowledge systems and to make connections between existing ideas and skills. Such an environment will enable students to develop the intellectual independence as well as the range and depth of skills required of Communications graduates in the twenty-first century.
A Regulatory Perspective on the Interests and Motivators of Creative Individuals
Authors: Dent Chris
Published: March 2014

The copyright regime is based on the assessment that many, if not most, individuals are creative. To date, much of the literature assumes that copyright law is an effective instrument of innovation policy simply because the legislated rights to reproduce a creation are seen to be an incentive—even though it is acknowledged that many creators are, in fact, “intrinsically motivated”. There have been few attempts to provide a more expansive understanding of the relationship between the diverse reasons a person has to create and the law in this area. To try and correct this state of affairs, this article uses insights from regulatory theory to better understand those who produce copyrightable works. Specifically, this work discusses the motivators of creative individuals in terms of the categories of “internal motivators”, “external motivators” and “reputational motivators”. This understanding suggests that the notion of “copyright as a carrot to creators” is an overly simplistic assessment of the contexts in which individuals create.
Biological Metaphor of “Natural History” for Internet Use: The Child–Adult Social Maturation Journey
Authors: Green Lelia , Holloway Donell , Holloway David
Published: March 2014

Using a metaphor borrowed from the biological sciences, this article discusses a “natural history” of internet use. As “digital natives” many of today’s teenagers and young people have grown up and matured interacting with the internet from an early age. Research about young people’s internet use tends, however, to focus on the protection of minors. Young people, 16 years or older, are often excluded from non-commercial research about how young people grow into more mature patterns of internet use.

This article highlights how parents with teenagers are building dynamic models of their children’s engagement with the internet as they mature. Parents reported changes in the level of their children’s internet use as they age and they envisage further changes as their children mature. We also identify the variety of ways in which parents support their children’s developing internet skills that anticipate and respond to internet risks and excessive internet use.
Social Media Hype in Times of Crises: Nature, Characteristics and Impact on Organizations
Authors: Pang Augustine
Published: March 2014

This article extends Vasterman’s ( 2005 ) concept of media hype by analyzing how it applies in the social media context. It then develops the concept of social media hype, its nature, characteristics through examination of five cases that attracted much social media attention. Social media hype can be defined as a netizen-generated hype that causes huge interest that is triggered by a key event and sustained by a self-reinforcing quality in its ability for users to engage in conversation. It involves a trigger event, followed by interest waves, and sustaining of the interests on different social media platforms. In response, organizations should pay heed to rigorously monitored sentiments online, respond quickly in the same medium in which the hype occurs, sharing consistent message across all mediums, and most importantly, value relationships with stakeholders.
Convergence and the Classification of Films in Australia: The Challenge of Assessing the Impact of Interactivity
Authors: Walker Larissa
Published: March 2014

Australian film classification relies on assessment of the potential impact of film content on audiences. The capacity to assess impact is becoming increasingly complicated by technological convergence blurring the boundaries between films and computer games. This is exemplified by the interactive features offered on DVDs and, more recently, the potential for game-inspired interactive cinema. As a result of convergence, audiences are afforded more control over how they watch films and offered greater opportunities to interact with content. In light of these developments, the Australian government is currently considering recommendations for amending the National Classification Scheme arising from a recent review conducted by the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) that proposes an approach based on platform neutrality, streamlining classification across platforms. This article examines how assessing the impact of film content is problematic, discussing challenges facing the current scheme in reference to convergence, interactivity and related recommendations made by the ALRC.
The Altruism of Community Radio?
Authors: Order Simon
Published: March 2014

This article examines what “value” means in relation to community radio broadcasting, summarizing the development of a theoretical framework of value for community radio from the existing literature. Moreover, this article outlines the findings garnered from testing that framework at three community radio stations in Perth, Western Australia particularly the perceptions of value by the study participants. Finally, this article discusses the importance of one key research finding: that study participants from all stations perceived the value of community radio participation as not necessarily an altruistic activity. This indicates that community radio’s value is significantly more about the benefits of participation for volunteers rather than the benefits for the listening community.
Risk factors for mortality in patients with Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteremia; retrospective study of impact of combination antimicrobial therapy
Authors: Kim Youn Jeong , Jun Yoon Hee , Kim Yang Ree , Park Kang Gyun , Park Yeon Joon , Kang Ji Young , Kim Sang Il
Published: March 2014

Background

Whether the combination of antimicrobial therapy is a factor in mortality in Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteremia remains to be elucidated. This study investigated the risk factors for mortality in P. aeruginosa bacteremia patients and the influence of adequate antimicrobial therapy and combination therapy on clinical outcomes.

Methods

This retrospective study analyzed data of 234 patients with P. aeruginosa bacteremia at a 1,200-bed tertiary teaching university hospital in South Korea between January 2010 and December 2012. Factors associated with mortality were determined. Mortality was compared in patients with adequate empirical and targeted combination therapy, and monotherapy, and inappropriate therapy.

Results

A total of 141 (60.3%) patients were given appropriate empirical antibiotic treatment (combination therapy in 38 and monotherapy in 103). Among 183 patients (78.2%) who finally received appropriate targeted treatment, 42 had combination therapy and 141 had monotherapy. The percentage of patients receiving empirical combination therapy was slightly, but not significantly higher, in the survivor group than in the nonsurvivor group (17.0% [31/182] vs. 13.5% [7/52], p = 0.74). A similar tendency was demonstrated for targeted combination therapy (19.8% [36/182] vs. 11.5% [6/52], respectively; p = 0.31). However, in a subgroup analysis of data from patients (n = 54) with an absolute neutrophil count less than 500/mm3, the patients who had appropriate empirical or targeted combination therapy showed better outcomes than those who underwent monotherapy or inappropriate therapy (p < 0.05). Mechanical ventilation (odds ratio [OR], 6.93; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.64–18.11; p = 0.0001), the use of a central venous catheter (OR, 2.95; 95% CI, 1.35–6.43; p = 0.007), a high Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score (OR, 4.65; 95% CI, 1.95–11.04; p = 0.0001), and presence of septic shock (OR, 2.91; 95% CI, 1.33–6.38; p = 0.007) were independent risk factors for 14-day mortality.

Conclusions

Disease severity was a critical factor for mortality in our patients with P. aeruginosa bacteremia. Overall, combination therapy had no significant effect on 14-day mortality compared with monotherapy. However, appropriate combination therapy showed a favorable effect on survival in patients with febrile neutropenia.
Is boosting the immune system in sepsis appropriate?
Authors: Cavaillon Jean-Marc , Eisen Damon , Annane Djilalli
Published: March 2014

A relative immunosuppression is observed in patients after sepsis, trauma, burns, or any severe insults. It is currently proposed that selected patients will benefit from treatment aimed at boosting their immune systems. However, the host immune response needs to be considered in context with pathogen-type, timing, and mainly tissue specificity. Indeed, the immune status of leukocytes is not universally decreased and their activated status in tissues contributes to organ failure. Accordingly, any new immune-stimulatory therapeutic intervention should take into consideration potentially deleterious effects in some situations.
Formation of professional responsibility of teachers of bases of health
Authors: Букша  , Buksha Svetlana
Published: March 2014

The paper concerns the outcomes of implementing pedagogical conditions for nurturing professional liability among future teachers, specializing in teaching the basics of health. Quantitative and qualitative measures for a number of performance criteria, related to experimental study, are introduced.
Design of Multimodel based MPC and IMC control schemes applied to injection molding machine
Authors: Lakshmi Kanaga , Manamalli D. , Rafiq M. Mohamed
Published: March 2014

Good control of plastic melt temperature for injection molding is very important in reducing operator setup time, ensuring product quality, and preventing thermal degradation of the melt. The controllability and set points of barrel temperature also depend on the precise monitoring and control of plastic melt temperature. Motivated by the practical temperature control of injection molding, this paper proposes MPC and IMC based control scheme. A robust system identification and control methodology is developed which uses canonical varieties analysis for identification and model predictive control for regulation. The injection molding process consists of three zones and the mathematical model for each of the zone is different. The control output for each zone controller is assigned a weight based on the computed probability of each model and the resulting action is the weighted average of the control moves of the individual zone controllers. Keywords: Injection-Molding Machine (IMM), IMC Control, Temperature Control.
People Living With Epilepsy Exploring socio cultural determinants affecting their life
Authors: Rani Ajita , Talwar Upmesh K. , Singh Ravinder , Gautam V K S
Published: March 2014

Socio-cultural determinants affecting People Living with Epilepsy (PLWE) were explored between August 2010 and November, 2011 in Bareilly district of North India. Results reveal various aspects of their life: onset of first seizure, duration of suffering, their perception about daily life, marriage, family burden, etc. Further, it explored their activities during before and after treatment? PLWE face Stigma in the family as well as in their community. The capacity to do work and earn and expenditure incurred on hospital visits were major determinants affecting their life. Relationship of PLWE with other people and involvement in Community are other crucial socio-cultural determinants affecting their life. Keywords: Epilepsy, PLWE, Seizure, Stigma.
Fatigue Crack Growth Behavior of Friction Stir Welded 2024-T3 Aluminum Alloy Tested under Accelerated Salt Fog Exposure
Authors: Milan M. T. , Bose W. W. , Tarpani J. R.
Published: March 2014

Fatigue crack growth properties of friction stir welded joints of 2024-T3 aluminum alloy were studied via constant amplitude load (increasing ΔK) testing under open air and accelerated salt fog exposure conditions. For low ΔK values, longitudinal crack growth in the weld line center was slower under corrosion fatigue than by air because of the prevalence of corrosion-induced crack closure. On the other hand, growth rates of transverse crack crossing the weld nugget were not affected by the environment aggressiveness because of a balance between hydrogen embrittlement and corrosion inducing crack closure along with welding compressive residual stresses. For intermediate ΔK values, propagation rates 5 times faster were observed for both longitudinal and transverse cracks under salt fog ambient as a result of hydrogen-induced embrittlement, which is favored by larger crack tip openings allowing local corrosive medium access. As the final catastrophic fracture approaches, longitudinal and transversal crack propagation rates under corrosion fatigue approximated the values observed in air testing, as time, under the 30-Hz loading frequency applied, was scarce for an effective interaction between crack tip fresh material and the hostile environment. For longitudinal cracks, precracking in air resulted in fatigue-corrosion limit factor ΔKth slightly lower than that obtained in salt fog precracked specimens, as the corrosive role played by the salt fog environment along the precrack introduction contributed to crack-closure effect, so increasing the apparent value of ΔKth. On the other hand, the environment in which a transverse precrack was created had a negligible effect on ΔKth because of the establishment of an equilibrium condition between corrosion-induced precrack closure and hydrogen embrittlement.
Effects of Long Term Exposures on Fatigue of PM Disk Superalloys
Authors: Gabb T. P. , Sudbrack C. K. , Draper S. L. , MacKay R. A. , Telesman J.
Published: March 2014

Turbine disks in some advanced engine applications may be exposed to temperatures above 700°C for extended periods of time, approaching 1000 h. These exposures could affect near-surface composition and microstructure through formation of damaged and often embrittled layers. The creation of such damaged layers could significantly affect local mechanical properties. Powder metal disk superalloys LSHR and ME3 were exposed at temperatures of 704, 760, and 815°C for times up to 2020 h, and the types and depths of environmental attacked were measured. Fatigue tests were performed for selected cases at 704 and 760°C, to determine the impacts of these exposures on properties. Fatigue resistance was reduced up to 98 % in both superalloys for some exposure conditions. The changes in surface composition and phases, depths of these changed layers, failure responses, and failure initiation modes were compared.
Role of Vapor Pressure on Popcorn Cracking in IC Packages
Authors: Wong W. H. , Guo T. F. , Cheng L.
Published: March 2014

The strength and fracture toughness of polymer/silicon interfaces are sensitive to the porosity and moisture content of the interface as well as the yield strain of the polymer. Moisture degrades the strength of polymer/silicon interfaces. Rapidly expanding water vapor introduces high internal pressure within cavities thereby accelerating interface delamination by void growth and coalescence. The latter can cause a ten-fold decrease in the toughness of the interface. Vapor pressure acting on the delaminated surfaces contributes a mode I component to the crack driving force. This component increases as delamination progresses, changing the nature of the driving force from mode II to mode I dominant. The synergistic nature of intrinsic and extrinsic effects transforms an initially stable delamination under a rising R-curve to fast-running delamination exhibiting brittle-like cracking characteristics. The yield strains of polymers span a wide range. High yield strain lowers the macroscopic yield strength of porous polymers as well as decreases the toughness of polymer-silicon interfaces considerably. Vapor pressure and large yield strain effects on interface delamination are most pronounced at high mode mixities, thereby negating the beneficial effect of the latter on interface toughness. The approach adopted in this computational study is micromechanics-based wherein the cell model employs a Gurson constitutive relation augmented by vapor pressure as an internal variable.
Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde no Brasil: concepção e metodologia de aplicação
Authors: Szwarcwald Célia Landmann , Malta Deborah Carvalho , Pereira Cimar Azeredo , Vieira Maria Lucia França Pontes , Conde Wolney Lisboa , Souza Júnior Paulo Roberto Borges de , Damacena Giseli Nogueira , Azevedo Luiz Otávio , Azevedo e Silva Gulnar , Theme Filha Mariza Miranda , Lopes Cláudia de Souza , Romero Dália Elena , Almeida Wanessa da Silva de , Monteiro Carlos Augusto
Published: March 2014

A Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde (PNS) é um estudo de base domiciliar, de âmbito nacional, realizada pelo Ministério da Saúde em parceria com o IBGE em 2013. Tem como objetivo caracterizar a situação de saúde e os estilos de vida da população, bem como a atenção à sua saúde, quanto ao acesso e uso dos serviços, às ações preventivas, à continuidade dos cuidados e ao financiamento da assistência. O tamanho de amostra é de 80.000 domicílios e permitirá a estimação de alguns indicadores no âmbito das Unidades Federativas, capitais e regiões metropolitanas. O questionário é subdividido em três partes. As duas primeiras são respondidas por um residente do domicílio e abrangem perguntas sobre as características desse domicílio e a situação socioeconômica e de saúde de todos os moradores. O questionário individual é respondido por um morador de 18 anos ou mais, selecionado com equiprobabilidade entre todos os residentes adultos do domicílio e focaliza morbidade e estilos de vida. Para este indivíduo foram feitas aferições de peso, altura, circunferência da cintura e pressão arterial e exames laboratoriais para caracterizar o perfil lipídico, o nível de glicemia no sangue e determinar o teor de sódio na urina. Os exames laboratoriais foram feitos em uma subamostra de 25% dos setores censitários selecionados.
THE PREVALENCE AND CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PRIMARY HEADACHE IN IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME: a subgroup of the functional somatic syndromes
Authors: SOARES Rosa LS , MOREIRA-FILHO Pedro Ferreira , MANESCHY Carolina Possidente , BREIJÃO Julia Fumian , SCHMIDTE Nathan Mielke
Published: March 2014

ContextThe irritable bowel syndrome and primary headache are two chronic diseases characterized by symptoms of recurring pain and affect approximately 10%-20% of the general population.ObjectivesTo study the prevalence of primary headache in volunteers with irritable bowel syndrome in a Brazilian urban community.MethodsIt was evaluated the prevalence of primary headache associated with irritable bowel syndrome in adult volunteers 330 no patients.The protocol included the Rome III criteria, international classification of Headaches, later divided into four groups: I- Irritable bowel syndrome (n = 52), II- Primary headache (n = 45), III-Irritable bowel syndrome (n = 26) and headache, and IV- Controls (207).ResultsWe not found significant difference in the average age of the four groups and the diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome, primary headache and their association was more frequent in females. The frequent use of analgesics was greater in groups II and III.ConclusionOur results suggest that irritable bowel syndrome and primary headache are also common in third world countries. The frequency in use of analgesics in association between the two entities was relevant. The identification of irritable bowel syndrome patients with different clinical sub-types could improve the therapeutics options and the prevention strategies.
Challenges and Opportunities in Applying High-Fidelity Travel Demand Model for Improved Network-Wide Traffic Estimation: A Review and Discussion
Authors: Mustafa Riad , Zhong Ming
Published: March 2014

Abstract: Estimating traffic volume at a link level is important to transportation planners, traffic engineers, and policy
makers. More specifically, this vital parameter has been used in transportation planning, traffic operations, highway
geometric design, pavement design, and resource allocation. However, traditional factor approach, regression-­‐based
models, and artificial neural network models failed to present network-­‐wide traffic volume estimates because they rely on
traffic counts for model development, and they all have inherent weaknesses. A review to previous research work and the
state-­‐of-­‐practice clearly indicates that the Traditional Four-step Travel Demand Model (TFTDM) was generally based on
large traffic analysis zones (TAZs) and networks consisting of high functional-class roads only. Consequently, this
conventional modeling framework yielded a limited number of link traffic assignments with fairly high estimation errors.
In the light of these facts and the obvious need of accurate network-wide traffic estimates, this review is conducted. In
particular, this paper provides an extensive review of using traditional travel demand models for improved network-­‐wide
traffic volume estimation. The paper then focuses on the challenges and opportunities in achieving high-fidelity travel
demand model (HFTDM). This review has revealed that, opportunities in relation to both technological advances and
intelligent data present a substantial potential in developing the proposed HFTDM for a much more accurate traffic
estimation at a network-­‐wide level. Finally, the paper concludes with key findings from the review and provides a few
recommendations for future research related to the topic.
Evaluation of existing and new methods of tracking glacier terminus change
Authors: Lea James M. , Mair Douglas W.F. , Rea Brice R.
Published: March 2014

Several different methodologies have previously been employed in the tracking of glacier terminus change, though a systematic comparison of these has not been undertaken. The frequent application of single methods to multiple glaciers over large geographical areas such as Greenland, raises the question of whether individual methodologies are robust. In this study we evaluate three existing methodologies that have been widely used to track terminus change (the centre-line, bow and box methods) against a full range of idealized glaciological scenarios and six examples of real glaciers. We also evaluate two new methodologies that aim to reduce measurement error compared with the existing methodologies. The first is a modification to the box method that can account for termini retreating through fjords that change orientation (termed the curvilinear box method), while the second determines the average terminus position relative to the glacier centre line using an inverse distance weighting extrapolation (termed the extrapolated centre-line method). No single method tested achieved complete accuracy for all scenarios, though the extrapolated centre-line method was able to successfully account for variable fjord orientation, width and terminus geometry with the least error.
Terminus-driven retreat of a major southwest Greenland tidewater glacier during the early 19th century: insights from glacier reconstructions and numerical modelling
Authors: Lea James M. , Mair Douglas W.F. , Nick Faezeh M. , Rea Brice R. , Weidick Anker , Kjær Kurt H. , Morlighem Mathieu , Van As Dirk , Schofield J. Edward
Published: March 2014

Tidewater glaciers in Greenland experienced widespread retreat during the last century. Information on their behaviour prior to this is often poorly constrained due to lack of observations, while determining the drivers prior to instrumental records is also problematic. Here we present a record of the dynamics of Kangiata Nunaata Sermia (KNS), southwest Greenland, from its Little Ice Age maximum (LIAmax) to 1859 – the period before continuous air temperature observations began at Nuuk in 1866. Using glacial geomorphology, historical accounts, photographs and GIS analyses, we provide evidence KNS was at its LIAmax by 1761, had retreated by ~5 km by 1808 and a further 7 km by 1859. This predates retreat at Jakobshavn Isbræ by 43–113 years, demonstrating the asynchroneity of tidewater glacier terminus response following the LIA. We use a one-dimensional flowband model to determine the relative sensitivity of KNS to atmospheric and oceanic climate forcing. Results demonstrate that terminus forcing rather than surface mass balance drove the retreat. Modelled glacier sensitivity to submarine melt rates is also insufficient to explain the retreat observed. However, moderate increases in crevasse water depth, driving an increase in calving, are capable of causing terminus retreat of the observed magnitude and timing.