bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Capturing Basic Movements for Mobile Gaming Platforms Embedded with Motion Sensors
Authors: Kailas Aravind , Chong Chia-Chin
Published: December 2012

A novel experimental setup using accelerometer and gyroscope sensors embedded on a single board along with a distance-based pattern recognition algorithm is presented for accurately identifying basic movements for possible application in gaming using a mobile platform. As an example, the authors considered some basic step sequences in the popular dance game (e.g., dance dance revolution), and could detect these movements with a reasonably high probability. They envision that the experimental results presented in this paper will motivate future research in the world of mobile gaming applications using advanced smart phones with a dual module design.
The Benefits of Wireless Enabled Applications to Facilitate Superior Healthcare Delivery
Authors: Wickramasinghe Nilmini , Chalasani Suresh , Goldberg Steve , Koritala Sridevi
Published: December 2012

Globally, both wired and wireless technologies have been used for healthcare delivery. However, in the frenzy to secure the best solutions and applications, few have delved deeper into the key issues of how to successfully assimilate these new technologies into the whole healthcare delivery process. The authors focus on wireless healthcare solutions, specifically examining a single exemplar case study, the diamond solution that describes a pervasive technology solution of a diabetes monitoring device. They contend that a key barrier for preventing the full realization of the true potential of wireless solutions lies in the inability of information and necessary data to pass seamlessly from one platform to another. In addition, the authors suggest ways to integrate data from wireless healthcare solutions with the existing electronic health records (EHR) systems, and discuss the impact of wireless enabled solutions on the meaningful use of EHRS.
A SOA Based System Development Methodology for Cloud Computing Environment
Authors: Yu Weider D. , Adiga Ashwini Sathyanarayana , Rao Srivarsha , Panakkel Miby Jose
Published: December 2012

Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) uses a structural approach to create services which can be reused and shared. SOA provides agility and cost saving in software development, transforming vertical applications to various software components, which can be reused in applications. Cloud computing expands the software service accessibility and usage via Web services. To move successfully into cloud computing, an architecture supporting the cloud capabilities is needed. The cloud provides a good platform for deploying Web services based on SOA. Customer satisfaction, improved collaboration, enhanced end-to-end user security and end-user authentication, and business growth are some long term benefits supported by modern technologies in both of cloud computing and SOA. The objective of the paper is to study the effective process and effort required to design and implement a SOA based system development methodology and applying it to construct a u-Healthcare system to provide healthcare services including accessing medical records of patients on a universal end-to-end basis.
Smart Agent-Based Hospital Search, Appointment, and Medical Diagnosis
Authors: Smith Jodiê , Sankaranarayanan Suresh
Published: December 2012

Various areas of the healthcare industry have seen some progress in the use of ICT to aid in the treatment of patients including some amount of automation in the key areas. The authors infer that some pitfalls exist in the healthcare administration. To obviate these, the use of Agent technology as a practical solution to solve some hospital related issues with particular emphasis on hospital search and appointment allocation has been researched. The authors explore the use of agent technology to assist patients seeking treatment for their ailment at a hospital chosen, and priority is provided based on treatment. The patients have been given the facility to select an appropriate hospital based on their preferred selection criterion, achieved through the use of their mobile phone by exactly replicating the job of a human being agent. The authors study first how smart agents can be used to search for hospitals based on user selection criteria in combination with the Google Map facility and fairly diagnose their medical ailments using Layman language. The Agent proposed here, also facilitates verification of doctor’s license before the appointment with him is confirmed. Lastly, the proposed system provides the rating and the popularity factors of the selected hospital in respect of ailment based and on number of persons visited. The system also alerts the hospital for poor rating/popularity enabling working towards improvement. The Smart agents proposed for action act autonomously and have the ability to intelligently use the available knowledgebase and user parameters to make appropriate decisions on behalf of the user. The system uses ANDROID 2.2, JADE-LEAP and the Google API to provide a robust, user friendly solution.
Perception and Digital Media in India
Authors: Rai Amit S.
Published: December 2012

This essay analyzes the body politics at the center of both business services outsourcing labor (also termed affective, immaterial, or communicative labor) and the value-adding digital image in contemporary Indian media. The author uses a “media assemblage” method in this analysis, which brings together a critique of emerging forms of communicative labor, digital image technologies, and the changing capacities of the body, or affect. This paper is concept, following the critical approach methodology, and interprets findings rather than predicts them. Numerous feminist investigations analyzing the potentials within what has been designated traditionally as women’s work, have grasped affective labor with terms such as kin work and caring labor. Through an analysis of the Hindi-Bollywood film No Smoking (Kashyap, 2008), and the documentary Office Tigers (Mermin, 2006), the author explores the emergence of a digital vision in the South Asian context through pervasive processes that are “informatizing” various forms of life and work. They correlate the function of this digital vision in both business outsourcing and digital media through analyses of two key modalities: the evolving functionality of information in computer technology; and the modulation of subjectivity in the capacities of attention and sensation of value creation.
The Influence of UGC on Consumers’ Information Process on Service Failure
Authors: Chung Te-Lin
Published: December 2012

This study explores the influence of user-generated content (UGC) on consumers’ post-purchase information process when a service failure occurs. Fairness theory, which regards counterfactual thinking (CFT) and judgments of blame as two key constructs in processing negative experiences, is applied in this study. In a scenario-based experimental study, the presence of UGC (positive, negative, or not presented), and the transaction medium (online or offline) were manipulated. This study contributes to current literature on UGC with the aspect of service failure that is rarely discussed. It also adds to the literature on fairness theory, which has primarily focused on the offline contexts. Results are further explored in the article.
How Does the Extraversion of Software Development Teams Influence Team Satisfaction and Software Quality?
Authors: Gómez Marta N. , Acuña Silvia T. , Genero Marcela , Cruz-Lemus José A.
Published: December 2012

Team member knowledge and expertise are the aspects typically considered important for software team development formation. However, the authors believe that the formation of teams, as is found in literature, could be based on factors related to the personalities of the members of the development team, and that these factors might affect both the quality of the software product developed and the satisfaction perceived by the development team. In this work they present a controlled experiment, which was carried out during an academic course on Data Bases. The intention of this experiment was to evaluate whether the work team’s level of extraversion influenced, on the one hand, the final quality of the software products obtained and, on the other, the satisfaction perceived while this work was being carried out. The results obtained indicate that when forming work teams, project managers and lecturers should carry out a personality test beforehand in order to balance the amount of extraverted team members with those who are not extraverted. This would permit the team members to feel satisfied with the work carried out by the team without reducing the quality of the software products developed.
Face Recognition System using Discrete Cosine Transform combined with MLP and RBF Neural Networks
Authors: Chelali Fatma Zohra , Djeradi Amar
Published: December 2012

Proposed is an efficient face recognition algorithm using the discrete cosine transform DCT Technique for reducing dimensionality and image parameterization. These DCT coefficients are examined by a MLP (Multi-Layer Perceptron) and radial basis function RBF neural networks. Their purpose is to present a face recognition system that is a combination of discrete cosine transform (DCT) algorithm with a MLP and RBF neural networks. Neural networks have been widely applied in pattern recognition for the reason that neural-networks-based classifiers can incorporate both statistical and structural information and achieve better performance than the simple minimum distance classifiers. The authors demonstrate experimentally that when DCT coefficients are fed into a back propagation neural network for classification, a high recognition rate can be achieved by using a very small proportion of transform coefficients. Comparison with other statistical methods like Principal component Analysis (PCA) and Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) is presented. Their face recognition system is tested on the computer vision science research projects and the ORL database.
Location Leveling
Authors: Seydim Ayse Yasemin , Dunham Margaret H. , Meng Yu
Published: December 2012

Location based service (LBS) is an appealing technology in the pervasive mobile computing environment. In this environment, the answer to a location dependent query depends on the location of the mobile user. However, the location granularity to which the mobile unit is bound by a location service may differ from that stored in the content provider’s database. As a result, a location granularity mismatch occurs. The authors propose a general software architecture, location leveling, to solve this problem. As their layered location leveling solution is independent of the support provided by the wireless provider and the content provider, it is flexible enough to be used by any. The location leveling (ll) model can be implemented as an independent agent or broker in the middleware layer. The proposed approach is developed with solid theoretical foundation found in previous multidimensional data modeling studies.
An Interactive Device for Quick Arabic News Story Browsing
Authors: Karray Hichem , Kherallah Monji , Ben Halima Mohamed , Alimi Adel M.
Published: December 2012

The authors propose a framework for multimodal analysis of Arabic news broadcast which helps users of pervasive devices to browsing quickly into news archive; their solution integrating many aspects such as summarizing, indexing textual content and on on-line recognition of the handwriting. Firstly, the summarizing process is to accelerate the video content browsing based on genetic algorithm. Secondly, the indexing process, which operates on video summaries based on text recognition. Finally users communicate by writing keywords on PDA screen and keep only summaries speaking about this topic. This PDA contains an on line recognition system of Arabic of handwritten based on visual coding and genetic algorithm.
Cleaved/Associated TLR3 Represents the Primary Form of the Signaling Receptor
Authors: Toscano Florent , Estornes Yann , Virard François , Garcia-Cattaneo Alejandra , Pierrot Audrey , Vanbervliet Béatrice , Bonnin Marc , Ciancanelli Michael J. , Zhang Shen-Ying , Funami Kenji , Seya Tsukasa , Matsumoto Misako , Pin Jean-Jacques , Casanova Jean-Laurent , Renno Toufic , Lebecque Serge
Published: December 2012

TLR3 belongs to the family of intracellular TLRs that recognize nucleic acids. Endolysosomal localization and cleavage of intracellular TLRs play pivotal roles in signaling and represent fail-safe mechanisms to prevent self-nucleic acid recognition. Indeed, cleavage by cathepsins is required for native TLR3 to signal in response to dsRNA. Using novel Abs generated against TLR3, we show that the conserved loop exposed in LRR12 is the single cleavage site that lies between the two dsRNA binding sites required for TLR3 dimerization and signaling. Accordingly, we found that the cleavage does not dissociate the C- and N-terminal fragments, but it generates a very stable “cleaved/associated” TLR3 present in endolysosomes that recognizes dsRNA and signals. Moreover, comparison of wild-type, noncleavable, and C-terminal–only mutants of TLR3 demonstrates that efficient signaling requires cleavage of the LRR12 loop but not dissociation of the fragments. Thus, the proteolytic cleavage of TLR3 appears to fulfill function(s) other than separating the two fragments to generate a functional receptor.
Circulating Levels of a Collagen Type V Propeptide Fragment in a Carbon Tetrachloride Reversible Model of Liver Fibrosis
Authors: Vassiliadis E. , Veidal S.S. , Hansen C. , Karsdal M.A. , Leeming D.J.
Published: December 2012

Aim

To measure levels of the collagen V formation marker CO5-1230 during liver fibrosis progression and regression.

Methods

Monoclonal antibodies were raised against the sequence TAALGDIMGH located at the start of the C-terminal propeptide between amino acid position 1230′ and 1239′ (CO5-1230). An assay developed using the biotin-streptavidin system was evaluated in a rat reversible model of fibrosis. Animals were treated for duration of 4, 6 and 8 weeks. Animals that were treated for 8 weeks were left to regress for a period of 14, 20 and 26 weeks.

Results

Mean CO5-1230 level for control animals was found to be 8.7 ng/mL. CO5-1230 marker levels, at termination points, for CCl4 treated animals was be 8.7 ng/mL at 4 weeks ( P < 0.05, ROC: 0.83), 11.4 ng/mL at 6 weeks ( P < 0.001, ROC: 0.93) and 10.8 ng/mL at 8 weeks ( P < 0.05, ROC: 0.82). During regression phase, marker levels were statistically significantly decreased when compared with the marker levels at 8 weeks of treatment. Marker levels were found to be 5.9 ng/mL ( P < 0.001, ROC: 0.8) after 14 weeks of regression, 3.9 ng/mL ( P < 0.001, ROC: 0.95) after 20 weeks and 4.5 ng/mL ( P < 0.001, ROC: 0.97) after 26 weeks of regression.

Conclusions

The data indicates that CO5-1230 levels are statistically significantly increased when CCl4 intoxication stimulus is applied in all treatment time points. CO5-1230 levels return back to control levels when the stimulus is removed. The above finding adds to our previous evaluation of the marker and suggests that CO5-1230 may be a promising potential marker for liver fibrosis staging and monitoring in both disease progression and regression.
Integral Points on Certain Elliptic Curves
Authors: Zhu Hui Lin , Chen Jian Hua
Published: December 2012

By using algebraic number theory method and
p
-adic analysis method, we find all integral points on certain elliptic curves

y^2=(x+a)(x^2+bx+c),\quad a,b,c\in \mathbf Z,\quad b^2<4c.

Furthermore, we can find all integer solutions of certain hyperelliptic equations

Dy^2=Ax^4+Bx^2+C,\qquad B^2<4AC

.As a particular example, we give a complete solution of the equation which was proposed by Zagier

y^2=x^3-9x+28

by this method. In Appendix I and Appendix II, we give the computational method of finding the fundamental unit and factorizing quadratic algebraic number in the subring of a totally complex quartic field, respectively.
Pentes des Fibrés Vectoriels Adéliques sur un Corps Global
Authors: Gaudron Éric
Published: December 2012

At the end of the twentieth century, J.-B. Bost developed a slope theory of hermitian vector bundles over number fields. A new method of diophantine approximation, the so-called
slope method
, has emerged from his research. Our article proposes a generalization to adelic vector bundles over global fields. The norms at the archimedean places are no longer supposed to be hermitian. The link with adelic successive minima is also mentioned. To get these results, we use several concepts from the geometry of finite dimensional Banach spaces.
Regular Sequences of Symmetric Polynomials
Authors: Conca Aldo , Krattenthaler Christian , Watanabe Junzo
Published: December 2012

A set of

n

homogeneous polynomials in

n

variables is a regular sequence if the associated polynomial system has only the obvious solution

(0,0,...,0)

. Denote by

p_k(n)

the power sum symmetric polynomial in

n

variables

x_1^k+x_2^k+...+x_n^k

. The interpretation of the

q

-analogue of the binomial coefficient as Hilbert function leads us to discover that

n

consecutive power sums in

n

variables form a regular sequence. We consider then the following problem: describe the subsets

A \subset \mathbb N^*

of cardinality

n

such that the set of polynomials

p_a(n)

with

a\in A

is a regular sequence. We prove that a necessary condition is that

n!

divides the product of the degrees of the elements of

A

. To find an easily verifiable sufficient condition turns out to be surprisingly difficult already for

n = 3

. Given positive integers

a < b < c

with gcd

(a,b,c) = 1

, we conjecture that

p_a(3), p_b(3), p_c(3)

is a regular sequence if and only if

abc ≡ 0\ (\mathrm{mod}\ 6)

. We provide evidence for the conjecture by proving it in several special instances.
On Riemann-Type Definition for the Wide Denjoy Integral
Authors: Sworowski Piotr
Published: December 2012

We give variational and Riemann-type definitions for some Lusin-type

\Delta

-continuous integrals being extensions of the wide Denjoy integral.
Estimation of aerosol particle number distribution with Kalman Filtering – Part 2: Simultaneous use of DMPS, APS and nephelometer measurements
Authors: Viskari T. , Asmi E. , Virkkula A. , Kolmonen P. , Petäjä T. , Järvinen H.
Published: December 2012

Abstract. Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) is used to estimate particle size distributions from observations. The focus here is on the practical application of EKF to simultaneously merge information from different types of experimental instruments. Every 10 min, the prior state estimate is updated with size-segregating measurements from Differential Mobility Particle Sizer (DMPS) and Aerodynamic Particle Sizer (APS) as well as integrating measurements from a nephelometer. Error covariances are approximate in our EKF implementation. The observation operator assumes a constant particle density and refractive index. The state estimates are compared to particle size distributions that are a composite of DMPS and APS measurements. The impact of each instrument on the size distribution estimate is studied. Kalman Filtering of DMPS and APS yielded a temporally consistent state estimate. This state estimate is continuous over the overlapping size range of DMPS and APS. Inclusion of the integrating measurements further reduces the effect of measurement noise. Even with the present approximations, EKF is shown to be a very promising method to estimate particle size distribution with observations from different types of instruments.
Global CFC-11 (CCl3F) and CFC-12 (CCl2F2) measurements with the Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS): retrieval, climatologies and trends
Authors: Kellmann S. , von Clarmann T. , Stiller G. P. , Eckert E. , Glatthor N. , Höpfner M. , Kiefer M. , Orphal J. , Funke B. , Grabowski U. , Linden A. , Dutton G. S. , Elkins J. W.
Published: December 2012

Abstract. Vertical profiles of CFC-11 (CCl3F) and CFC-12 (CCl2F2) have been measured with the Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS) with global coverage under daytime and nighttime conditions. The profile retrieval is based on constrained nonlinear least squares fitting of measured limb spectral radiance to modeled spectra. CFC-11 is measured in its ν4-band at 850 cm−1, and CFC-12 is analyzed in its ν6-band at 922 cm−1. To stabilize the retrievals, a Tikhonov-type smoothing constraint is applied. Main retrieval error sources are measurement noise and elevation pointing uncertainties. The estimated CFC-11 retrieval errors including noise and parameter errors but excluding spectroscopic data uncertainties are below 10 pptv in the middle stratosphere, depending on altitude, the MIPAS measurement mode and the actual atmospheric situation. For CFC-12 the total retrieval errors are below 28 pptv at an altitude resolution varying from 3 to 5 km. Time series of altitude/latitude bins were fitted by a simple parametric approach including constant and linear terms, a quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) proxy and sine and cosine terms of several periods. In the time series from 2002 to 2011, quasi-biennial and annual oscillations are clearly visible. A decrease of stratospheric CFC mixing ratios in response to the Montreal Protocol is observed for most altitudes and latitudes. However, the trends differ from the trends measured in the troposphere, they are even positive at some latitudes and altitudes, and can in some cases only be explained by decadal changes in atmospheric age of air spectra or vertical mixing patterns.
On recent (2008–2012) stratospheric aerosols observed by lidar over Japan
Authors: Uchino O. , Sakai T. , Nagai T. , Nakamae K. , Morino I. , Arai K. , Okumura H. , Takubo S. , Kawasaki T. , Mano Y. , Matsunaga T. , Yokota T.
Published: December 2012

Abstract. An increase in stratospheric aerosols caused by the volcanic eruption of Mt. Nabro (13.37° N, 41.70° E) on 12 June 2011 was detected by lidar at Tsukuba (36.05° N, 140.13° E) and Saga (33.24° N, 130.29° E) in Japan. The maximum backscattering ratios at a wavelength of 532 nm were 2.0 at 17.0 km on 10 July 2011 at Tsukuba and 3.6 at 18.2 km on 23 June 2011 at Saga. The maximum integrated backscattering coefficients (IBCs) at 532 nm above the first tropopause height were 4.18×10−4 sr−1 on 11 February 2012 at Tsukuba and 4.19×10−4 sr−1 on 23 June 2011 at Saga, respectively. A time series of lidar observational results at Tsukuba have also been reported from January 2008 through May 2012. Increases in stratospheric aerosols were observed after the volcanic eruptions of Mt. Kasatochi (52.18° N, 175.51° E) in August 2008 and Mt. Sarychev Peak (48.09° N, 153.20° E) in June 2009. The yearly averaged IBCs at Tsukuba were 2.54×10−4 sr−1, 2.48×10−4 sr−1, 2.45×10−4 sr−1, and 2.20×10−4 sr−1 for 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011, respectively. These values were about twice the IBC background level (1.21×10−4 sr−1) from 1997 to 2001 at Tsukuba. We briefly discuss the influence of the increased aerosols on climate and the implications for analysis of satellite data.
Density fractions versus size separates: does physical fractionation isolate functional soil compartments?
Authors: Moni C. , Derrien D. , Hatton P.-J. , Zeller B. , Kleber M.
Published: December 2012

Abstract. Physical fractionation is a widely used methodology to study soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics, but concerns have been raised that the available fractionation methods do not well describe functional SOM pools. In this study we explore whether physical fractionation techniques isolate soil compartments in a meaningful and functionally relevant way for the investigation of litter-derived nitrogen dynamics at the decadal timescale. We do so by performing aggregate density fractionation (ADF) and particle size-density fractionation (PSDF) on mineral soil samples from two European beech forests a decade after application of 15N labelled litter. Both density and size-based fractionation methods suggested that litter-derived nitrogen became increasingly associated with the mineral phase as decomposition progressed, within aggregates and onto mineral surfaces. However, scientists investigating specific aspects of litter-derived nitrogen dynamics are pointed towards ADF when adsorption and aggregation processes are of interest, whereas PSDF is the superior tool to research the fate of particulate organic matter (POM). Some methodological caveats were observed mainly for the PSDF procedure, the most important one being that fine fractions isolated after sonication can not be linked to any defined decomposition pathway or protective mechanism. This also implies that historical assumptions about the "adsorbed" state of carbon associated with fine fractions need to be re-evaluated. Finally, this work demonstrates that establishing a comprehensive picture of whole soil OM dynamics requires a combination of both methodologies and we offer a suggestion for an efficient combination of the density and size-based approaches.
Bioavailability of sinking organic matter in the Blanes canyon and the adjacent open slope (NW Mediterranean Sea)
Authors: Lopez-Fernandez P. , Bianchelli S. , Pusceddu A. , Calafat A. , Sanchez-Vidal A. , Danovaro R.
Published: December 2012

Abstract. Submarine canyons are sites of intense energy and material exchange between the shelf and the deep adjacent basins. To test the hypothesis that active submarine canyons represent preferential conduits of available food for the deep-sea benthos, two mooring lines were deployed at 1200 m depth from November 2008 to November 2009 inside the Blanes canyon and on the adjacent open slope (Catalan Margin, NW Mediterranean Sea). We investigated the fluxes, biochemical composition and food quality of sinking organic carbon (OC). OC fluxes in the canyon and the open slope varied among sampling periods, though not consistently in the two sites. In particular, while in the open slope the highest OC fluxes were observed in August 2009, in the canyon the highest OC fluxes occurred in April–May 2009. For almost the entire study period, the OC fluxes in the canyon were significantly higher than those in the open slope, whereas OC contents of sinking particles collected in the open slope were consistently higher than those in the canyon. This result confirms that submarine canyons are effective conveyors of OC to the deep sea, particles transferred are predominantly of inorganic origin, significantly higher than that reaching the open slope at a similar water depth. Using multivariate statistical tests, two major clusters of sampling periods were identified: one in the canyon that grouped trap samples collected in December 2008, concurrently with the occurrence of a major storm at the sea surface, and associated with increased fluxes of nutritionally available particles from the upper shelf. Another cluster grouped samples from both the canyon and the open slope collected in March 2009, concurrently with the occurrence of the seasonal phytoplankton bloom at the sea surface, and associated with increased fluxes of total phytopigments. Our results confirm the key ecological role of submarine canyons for the functioning of deep-sea ecosystems, and highlight the importance of canyons in linking episodic storms and primary production occurring at the sea surface to the deep sea floor.
Macrofaunal assemblages from mud volcanoes in the Gulf of Cadiz: abundance, biodiversity and diversity partitioning across spatial scales
Authors: Cunha M. R. , Rodrigues C. F. , Génio L. , Hilário A. , Ravara A. , Pfannkuche O.
Published: December 2012

Abstract. The Gulf of Cadiz is an extensive seepage area in the South Iberian Margin (NE Atlantic) encompassing over 40 mud volcanoes (MVs) at depths ranging from 200 to 4000 m. The area has a long geologic history and a central biogeographic location with a complex circulation assuring oceanographic connectivity with the Mediterranean Sea, Equatorial and Northern Atlantic regions. The geodynamics of the region promotes a notorious diversity in the seep regime despite the relatively low fluxes of hydrocarbon-rich gases. We analyse quantitative samples taken during the cruises TTR14, TTR15 and MSM01-03 in seven mud volcanoes grouped into Shallow MVs (Mercator: 350 m, Kidd: 500 m, Meknès: 700 m) and Deep MVs (Captain Arutyunov: 1300 m, Carlos Ribeiro: 2200 m, Bonjardim: 3000 m, Porto: 3900 m) and two additional reference sites (ca. 550 m). Macrofauna (retained by a 500 μm sieve) was identified to species level whenever possible. The samples yielded modest abundances (70–1567 ind. per 0.25 m2) but a number of species among the highest ever reported for cold seeps. Among the 366 recorded species, 22 were symbiont-hosting bivalves (Thyasiridae, Vesicomyidae, Solemyidae) and tubeworms (Siboglinidae). The multivariate analyses indicated significant differences between Shallow and Deep MVs: The environmental conditions at the Shallow MVs makes them highly permeable to the penetration of background fauna leading to high diversity of the attendant assemblages (H': 2.92–3.94; ES(100): 28.3–45.0; J': 0.685–0.881). The Deep MVs showed, in general, contrasting features but were more heterogeneous (H': 1.41–3.06; ES(100): 10.5–30.5; J': 0.340–0.852) and often dominated by one or more siboglinid species. The rarefaction curves confirmed the differences in biodiversity of Deep and Shallow MVs as well as the approximation of the latter to the reference sites. The Bray–Curtis dissimilarity demonstrated the high β-diversity of the assemblages, especially in pairwise comparisons involving samples from the deeper MVs. Diversity partitioning assessed for species richness, Hurlbert's expected number of species and Shannon–Wiener index confirmed the high β-diversity across different spatial scales (within MVs, between MVs, between Deep and Shallow MVs). We suggest that historical and contemporary factors with differential synergies at different depths contribute to the high α-, β- and γ-diversity of the mud volcano faunal assemblages in the Gulf of Cadiz.
Climate change effects on irrigation demands and minimum stream discharge: impact of bias-correction method
Authors: Rasmussen J. , Sonnenborg T. O. , Stisen S. , Seaby L. P. , Christensen B. S. B. , Hinsby K.
Published: December 2012

Abstract. Climate changes are expected to result in a warmer global climate, with increased inter-annual variability. In this study, the possible impacts of these climate changes on irrigation and low stream flow are investigated using a distributed hydrological model of a sandy catchment in western Denmark. The IPCC climate scenario A1B was chosen as the basis for the study, and meteorological forcings (precipitation, reference evapotranspiration and temperature) derived from the ECHAM5-RACMO regional climate model for the period 2071–2100 was applied to the model. Two bias correction methods, delta change and Distribution-Based Scaling, were used to evaluate the importance of the bias correction method. Using the annual irrigation amounts, the 5-percentile stream flow, the median minimum stream flow and the mean stream flow as indicators, the irrigation and the stream flow predicted using the two methods were compared. The study found that irrigation is significantly underestimated when using the delta change method, due to the inability of this method to account for changes in inter-annual variability of precipitation and reference ET and the resulting effects on irrigation demands. However, this underestimation of irrigation did not result in a significantly higher summer stream flow, because the summer stream flow in the studied catchment is controlled by the winter and spring recharge, rather than the summer precipitation. Additionally, future increases in CO2 are found to have a significant effect on both irrigation and low flow, due to reduced transpiration from plants.
Primary and Revision THA Using a Stemless Metaphyseal-Loading Implant above Distorted Proximal Femoral Anatomy
Authors: Young Peter S. , Middleton Rory G. , Vasukutty Nijil L. , Uzoigwe Chika E. , Learmonth Ian D. , Minhas Tahawwar Hasnat A.
Published: December 2012

Total hip arthroplasty is well established as a successful treatment for end stage arthritis, with a wide variety of components currently available. Using traditional stemmed implants in patients with a distorted proximal femur can be technically challenging with an increased risk of complications. We present seven patients with distorted proximal femoral anatomy or failed hip arthroplasty in whom a short, metaphyseal loading implant was utilised. At minimum two-year follow-up there have been no complications with all stems stable and well fixed radiologically. Average improvement in Oxford Hip Score is 32. We suggest that a short, metaphyseal loading prosthesis can be considered in cases where a conventional stemmed implant may not be suitable due to challenging proximal femoral anatomy.
Biochip Technology for the Serological Diagnosis of Bullous Pemphigoid
Authors: Zarian Haik , Saponeri Andrea , Michelotto Anna , Zattra Edoardo , Belloni-Fortina Anna , Alaibac Mauro
Published: December 2012

Bullous pemphigoid is an autoimmune blistering skin disease characterized by the presence of circulating autoantibodies which recognize specific proteins of the epidermis and dermoepidermal junction. Diagnosis is based on clinical criteria and laboratory investigations, notably histology, direct and indirect immunofluorescence, and ELISA. This study describes a new immunofluorescence assay for parallel determination of anti-BP180 and anti-BP230 based on recombinant antigenic substrates. The aim of the study was to detect BP180 and BP230 autoantibodies by BIOCHIP technology using both a specially designed recombinant BP180-NC16A protein and cells expressing the BP230-gc antigen fragment. 18 patients with bullous pemphigoid were included in the study. Autoantibodies to BP180 were detected by the BIOCHIP technique in 83.33% of patients with clinical, serological, and immunohistological confirmed bullous pemphigoid while autoantibodies against BP230-gC were detected only in 39% of patients. The detection of anti-BP180-NC16A and anti-BP230-gC by a new biochip-based immunoassay is a suitable alternative to indirect immunofluorescence and ELISA. This method has the advantage of easily discriminating the different autoantibody specificities. The BIOCHIP method is faster, cheaper, and easy to use when compared with the ELISA approach. For this reason, the new method could be used as an initial screening test to identify patients with bullous pemphigoid, and doubtful results could then be confirmed by ELISA.
Study of Electrolyte Changes in Patients with Prolonged Labour in Ikot Ekpene, a Rural Community in Niger Delta Region of Nigeria
Authors: Ekanem E. I. , Umoiyoho A. , Inyang-Otu A.
Published: December 2012

Background. Prolonged obstructed labour is a major cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality especially in the developing countries of the world, where the incidence is high. These complications are partly attributed to the metabolic and electrolyte derangements that are often associated with this problem. It is, therefore, important to evaluate the metabolic and electrolyte changes of these patients in a rural community in a developing country. Objective. To compare the electrolyte changes, maternal, and perinatal outcomes in patients with prolonged obstructed labour with that of normal labour in General Hospital Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Patients and Methods. This is a prospective cross-sectional case control study conducted in the Labour Ward of the General Hospital Ikot Ekpene to compare the electrolyte levels and perinatal outcome of 95 pregnant women who had prolonged labour with 105 women who had normal labour within the same period. Main Outcome Measures. Electrolyte changes, ketonuria, maternal complications, and perinatal outcome. Results. The majority of women with prolonged labour (91.6%) had major surgical interventions requiring anaesthesia. Perinatal death occurred in 12.6%, and a major life-threatening maternal complications (including two deaths) occurred in 13.7% of those with prolonged labour compared to 2.9% (with no death) in those with normal labour. Significant abnormal electrolyte changes included hyperkalemia, high urea, and creatinine as well as low bicarbonate levels were recorded. Metabolic abnormality was shown by ketonuria in 91.1% of the patients compared to 1.9% in women with normal labour. Conclusion. Women with prolonged labour in Ikot Ekpene have significant electrolyte and metabolic changes which impact adversely on the maternal and perinatal outcomes of the pregnancy. Effort should be made to correct these electrolyte and metabolic abnormalities during resuscitation of the woman in order to reduce the complications associated with such derangements.
Pathological and Parasitological Findings in South American Fur Seal Pups (Arctocephalus australis) in Uruguay
Authors: Katz Helena , Morgades Diana , Castro-Ramos Miguel
Published: December 2012

This paper presents the necropsy findings in South American fur seal (Arctocephalus australis) pups from Uruguayan colonies. Animals (n=105) were aged between 0 and 18 months old. From 0 to 6 months, 69.4% of the pups showed a poor body condition, while 68.8% of animals from 7 to 18 months had fair-to-good body condition. From 6 to 7 months of age, the stomach content included fishes, crustaceans, and foreign bodies. Starvation in the first months of life and traumatic lesions in pups older than 9 months were the most frequent causes of death. Uncinaria spp. was the only parasite found in the small intestine between 0 and 6 month-old pups. Parasites with indirect cycle (Contracaecum spp., Corynosoma sp., Tetrabothriidae) were present from 6 months of age as well as the first report of the nematode Strongyloides spp. in pinnipeds. Orthohalarachne spp. was found in the respiratory tract. Mycobacterium pinnipedii was isolated from 9 animals without gross pathological lesions. Other pathological conditions were found in lesser extent. This information contributes to the main causes of death of A. australis pups at different ages and could be useful to perform further health studies on this wild pinniped species.
What Really Causes Necrotising Enterocolitis?
Authors: Fox Thomas Peter , Godavitarne Charles
Published: December 2012

Background. One of the most serious gastrointestinal disorders occurring in neonates is necrotising enterocolitis (NEC). It is recognised as the most common intra-abdominal emergency and is the leading cause of short bowel syndrome. With extremely high mortality and morbidity, this enigmatic disease remains a challenge for neonatologists around the world as its definite aetiology has yet to be determined. As current medical knowledge stands, there is no single well-defined cause of NEC. Instead, there are nearly 20 risk factors that are proposed to increase the likelihood of developing NEC.Aims and Objectives. The aim of this project was to conduct a comprehensive literature review around the 20 or so well-documented and less well-documented risk factors for necrotising enterocolitis.Materials and Methods. Searches of the Medline, Embase, and Science direct databases were conducted using the words “necrotising enterocolitis + the risk factor in question” for example, “necrotising enterocolitis + dehydration.” Search results were ordered by relevance with bias given to more recent publications.Conclusion. This literature review has demonstrated the complexity of necrotising enterocolitis and emphasised the likely multifactorial aetiology. Further research is needed to investigate the extent to which each risk factor is implicated in necrotising enterocolitis.
A Mathematical Model for Assessing the Impact of Intravenous Drug Misuse on the Dynamics of HIV and HCV within Correctional Institutions
Authors: Mushayabasa S. , Bhunu Claver P. , Stewart Alexander G. R.
Published: December 2012

Unsafe injecting practices, blood exchange, the use of nonsterile needles, and other cutting instruments for tattooing are common in correctional institutions, resulting in a number of blood transmitted infections. A mathematical model for assessing the dynamics of HCV and HIV coinfection within correctional institutions is proposed and comprehensively analyzed. The HCV-only and HIV-only submodels are first considered. Analytical expressions for the threshold parameter in each submodel and the cointeraction are derived. Global dynamics of this coinfection shows that whenever the threshold parameter for the respective submodels and the coinfection model is less than unity, then the epidemics die out, the reverse condition implies disease persistence within correctional institutions. Numerical simulations using a set of plausible parameter values are provided to support analytical findings.
Impact of Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets and Indoor Residual Sprayings on Susceptibility of Anopheles gambiae (Diptera: Culicidae) in Western Côte d'Ivoire
Authors: Touré Mahama , Carnevale Pierre , Chandre Fabrice
Published: December 2012

Pyrethroid insecticides resistance in several Anopheles species represents a threat for the success of malaria vector control based on using treated nets and indoor sprayings. Impact of the long-lasting insecticidal net (LLIN) of Permanet type and indoor residual spraying (IRS) with deltamethrin on the levels of susceptibility to pyrethroids and DDT were investigated in field populations of Anopheles gambiae in 12 villages located in the Danané area in Western Côte d'Ivoire. From May 2001 to July 2002, adult An. gambiae reared from larvae collected from these villages were tested with 0.05% deltamethrin, 1% permethrin, and 4% DDT impregnated papers using WHO standard test kits. Knockdown times for 50% of adult mosquitoes (kdT50) of field specimens from LLINs, untreated nets, IRS, and control villages significantly differed from those of the Kisumu susceptible strain. However, the resistance ratios of the kdT50 were very low. KdT50 did not significantly differ with all treatments, chemicals (LLINs and IRS), physical (untreated nets), and control. The mortalities were above 80% indicating susceptible populations of An. gambiae in the Danané area. There was no significant difference between mortality rates from the different treatments.
Analysis on the Willingness of Peasant Households for Forestland Use Right Transfer in the Background of Collective Forest Tenure Reform: A Case Study in Guangyuan City in Sichuan Province
Authors: Tang Minfeng , Wang Fang
Published: December 2012

The objective of this study is to get a better understanding and accurate information regarding factors affecting the forestland transfer, providing first-hand information, and proposing policy implications. The forestland use transfer is the main content in the collective forest tenure reform in China at present. Individual household, as a basic unit of forest production, should be the major participant in the forestland transfer. Using survey data of 329 rural household in 18 villages of three counties, this paper analyzes influencing factors on rural householders’ willingness to partake in forestland use right transfer by employing Binary Logit Regression. Nineteen variables, which were identified as characteristics of householders and households, natural endowment of forestland resources and householders’s awareness of forestland policy. Results indicate that householders’ awareness of pertinent policies and population of the household demonstrate significantly positive effects, while forestland area owned by individual household shows a markedly negative effect on peasants’ willingness to participate in forestland transfer. Some policy implications are discussed in this paper.
Audio-Visual Tibetan Speech Recognition Based on a Deep Dynamic Bayesian Network for Natural Human Robot Interaction
Authors: Zhao Yue , Wang Hui , Ji Qiang
Published: December 2012

Audio-visual speech recognition is a natural and robust approach to improving human-robot interaction in noisy environments. Although multi-stream Dynamic Bayesian Network and coupled HMM are widely used for audio-visual speech recognition, they fail to learn the shared features between modalities and ignore the dependency of features among the frames within each discrete state. In this paper, we propose a Deep Dynamic Bayesian Network (DDBN) to perform unsupervised extraction of spatial-temporal multimodal features from Tibetan audio-visual speech data and build an accurate audio-visual speech recognition model under a no frame-independency assumption. The experiment results on Tibetan speech data from some real-world environments showed the proposed DDBN outperforms the state-of-art methods in word recognition accuracy.
A campanha presidencial televisiva de Lula em 2006 revista desde a didática da história
Authors: Cerri Luis Fernando
Published: December 2012

Discute-se o papel da propaganda política televisiva no processo de ensino e aprendizagem de História, através dos processos de resgate e reforço de símbolos e ideias referentes às representações identitárias e história político-social do Brasil, mobilizadas para a construção de projetos de poder. Trata-se, portanto, de um estudo que pretende contribuir para o conhecimento das relações entre os aspectos formais/escolares e os aspectos não-formais/ extra-escolares do ensino e aprendizagem da História. Parte-se do referencial teórico da Didática da História, que tem na consciência histórica o seu conceito principal (cf. J. Rüsen, K. Jeissman, P. Seixas e outros). A metodologia consiste, além dos instrumentais de análise das mensagens televisivas (sobretudo R. Barthes), na identificação e análise das narrativas e /ou "histórias ultracurtas" presentes no discurso político, capazes de ativar elementos do imaginário e da memória coletiva a serviço de fins imediatos. A conclusão preliminar é a circularidade entre o ensino - aprendizado escolar e as mensagens midiáticas, contribuindo para a compreensão da interdependência e jogos de dominação entre essas esferas.
O museu na sala de aula: propostas para o planejamento de visitas aos museus
Authors: Pacheco Ricardo de Aguiar
Published: December 2012

Tendo por base a análise de dados empíricos de uma série de atividades de ensino em espaços museológicos, o presente artigo sistematiza uma série de elementos que orientam o uso dos museus no ensino de história. Propomos uma metodologia para um uso didático do museu na sala de aula que preveja, primeiro, a vinculação dos conteúdos estudados em sala de aula a exposição que será visitada; segundo, a realização da visita de forma articulada com uma programação definida e; terceiro, de volta a sala de aula, a utilização da experiência vivida no museu para a realização de uma produção cultural.