bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multiple Discrete-Continuous Model of Activity Participation and Time Allocation for Home-Based Work Tours
Authors: Garikapati Venu M. , You Daehyun , Pendyala Ram M. , Vovsha Peter S. , Livshits Vladimir , Jeon Kyunghwi
Published: December 2014

Activity-based travel demand models use the notion of tours or trip chains as the fundamental building blocks of daily traveler activity-travel patterns. Travelers may undertake a variety of tours during the course of a day, and each tour may include one or more stops where individuals participate in and devote time to the pursuit of activities. This paper presents a framework capable of simulating the complete composition of a tour and offers an approach to model the mix of activities and the time allocated to various activities in a tour. Embedded in the framework is a multiple discrete-continuous extreme value modeling component that was used to model the simultaneous decisions of participating in one or more activities in the course of a tour and of allocating time to each of the activities in the tour. The model was estimated with travel survey data collected in 2008 in the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area in Arizona. Validation and policy simulation exercises were conducted to examine the efficacy of the model. The model was found to perform well in replicating tour patterns in the estimation sample and responded in a behaviorally intuitive manner in the context of a policy sensitivity test.
Modeling Taxi Trip Demand by Time of Day in New York City
Authors: Yang Ci , Gonzales Eric J.
Published: December 2014

Identifying the factors that influence taxi demand is very important for understanding where and when people use taxis. A large set of GPS data from New York City taxis is used along with demographic, socioeconomic, and employment data to identify the factors that drive taxi demand. A technique was developed to measure and map transit accessibility on the basis of transit access time (TAT) to understand the relationship between taxi use and transit service. The taxi data were categorized by pickups and drop-offs at different times of day. A multiple linear regression model was estimated for each hour of the day to model pickups and another to model drop-offs. Six important explanatory variables that influence taxi trips were identified: population, education, age, income, TAT, and employment. The influence of these factors on taxi pickups and drop-offs changed at different times of the day. The number of jobs in each industry sector was an indication of the types of economic activities occurring at a location, and in some sectors the number of jobs were strongly associated with taxi use. This study demonstrates the temporal and spatial variation of taxi demand and shows how transit accessibility and other factors affect it.
Impact of early-onset seizures on grading and outcome in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage
Authors: Fung Christian , Balmer Mathias , Murek Michael , Z'Graggen Werner J. , Abu-Isa Janine , Ozdoba Christoph , Haenggi Matthias , Jakob Stephan M. , Raabe Andreas , Beck Jürgen
Published: December 2014

OBJECT

After subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), seizure occurs in up to 26% of patients. The impact of seizure on outcome has been studied, yet its impact on grading is unknown. The authors evaluated the impact of early-onset seizures (EOS) on grading of spontaneous SAH and on outcome.

METHODS

This retrospective analysis included consecutive patients with SAH who were treated at the NeuroCenter, Inselspital, University Hospital Bern, Switzerland, between January 2005 and December 2010. Demographic data, clinical data, and reports of EOS were recorded. The EOS were defined as seizures occurring within 24 hours after ictus. Patients were graded according to the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS) scale pre- and postresuscitation and dichotomized into good (WFNS I–III) and poor (WFNS IV–V) grades. Outcome was assessed at 6 months by using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS); an mRS score of 0–3 was considered a good outcome and an mRS score of 4–6 was considered a poor outcome.

RESULTS

Forty-one of 425 patients with SAH had EOS. Twenty-seven of those 41 patients (65.9%) had a poor WFNS grade. Twenty-eight (68.3%) achieved a good outcome, 11 (26.8%) had a poor outcome, and 2 (4.9%) were lost to followup. Early-onset seizures were proven in 9 of 16 electroencephalograms. The EOS were associated with poor WFNS grade (OR 2.81, 97.5% CI 1.14–7.46; p = 0.03) and good outcome (OR 4.01, 97.5% CI 1.63–10.53; p = 0.03). Increasing age, hydrocephalus, intracerebral hemorrhage, and intraventricular hemorrhage were associated with poor WFNS grade, whereas only age, intracerebral hemorrhage (p < 0.001), and poor WFNS grade (p < 0.001) were associated with poor outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with EOS were classified significantly more often in a poor grade initially, but then they significantly more often achieved a good outcome. The authors conclude that EOS can negatively influence grading. This might influence decision making for the care of patients with SAH, so grading of patients with EOS should be interpreted with caution.
Impact of intracranial pressure monitoring on mortality in patients with traumatic brain injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Yuan Qiang , Wu Xing , Sun Yirui , Yu Jian , Li Zhiqi , Du Zhuoying , Mao Ying , Zhou Liangfu , Hu Jin
Published: December 2014

OBJECT

Some studies have demonstrated that intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring reduces the mortality of traumatic brain injury (TBI). But other studies have shown that ICP monitoring is associated with increased mortality. Thus, the authors performed a meta-analysis of studies comparing ICP monitoring with no ICP monitoring in patients who have suffered a TBI to determine if differences exist between these strategies with respect to mortality, intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS), and hospital LOS.

METHODS

The authors systematically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Central) from their inception to October 2013 for relevant studies. Randomized clinical trials and prospective cohort, retrospective observational cohort, and case-control studies that compared ICP monitoring with no ICP monitoring for the treatment of TBI were included in the analysis. Studies included had to report at least one point of mortality in an ICP monitoring group and a no–ICP monitoring group. Data were extracted for study characteristics, patient demographics, baseline characteristics, treatment details, and study outcomes.

RESULTS

A total of 14 studies including 24,792 patients were analyzed. The meta-analysis provides no evidence that ICP monitoring decreased the risk of death (pooled OR 0.93 [95% CI 0.77–1.11], p = 0.40). However, 7 of the studies including 12,944 patients were published after 2012 (January 2012 to October 2013), and they revealed that ICP monitoring was significantly associated with a greater decrease in mortality than no ICP monitoring (pooled OR 0.56 [95% CI 0.41–0.78], p = 0.0006). In addition, 7 of the studies conducted in North America showed no evidence that ICP monitoring decreased the risk of death, similar to the studies conducted in other regions. ICU LOSs were significantly longer for the group subjected to ICP monitoring (mean difference [MD] 0.29 [95% CI 0.21–0.37]; p < 0.00001). In the pooled data, the hospital LOS with ICP monitoring was also significantly longer than with no ICP monitoring (MD 0.21 [95% CI 0.04–0.37]; p = 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

In this systematic review and meta-analysis of ICP monitoring studies, the authors found that the current clinical evidence does not indicate that ICP monitoring overall is significantly superior to no ICP monitoring in terms of the mortality of TBI patients. However, studies published after 2012 indicated a lower mortality in patients who underwent ICP monitoring.
Neurocognitive improvements following endovascular repair of vein of Galen malformation in a child
Authors: Howarth Robyn A. , Reisner Andrew , Chern Joshua J. , Hayes Laura L. , Burns Thomas G. , Berenstein Alejandro
Published: December 2014

Cognitive regression is a well-described presentation of vein of Galen aneurysmal malformations (VGAMs) in childhood. However, it remains unclear whether successful treatment of the malformation can reverse cognitive regression. Here, the authors present the case of a 5-year-old girl with a VGAM that was treated with staged endovascular embolization procedures. Comprehensive neurocognitive assessments were completed before intervention and approximately 6 years after initial presentation. There were significant age-matched improvements in this child's neurocognitive profile over this period. The authors believe that timely and successful treatment of VGAM in children may not only stabilize the associated cognitive deterioration but, in some cases, may ameliorate these deficits. Details of this case and a discussion of neurocognitive deficits related to VGAM are presented.
Cortical screws used to rescue failed lumbar pedicle screw construct: a biomechanical analysis
Authors: Calvert Graham C. , Lawrence Brandon D. , Abtahi Amir M. , Bachus Kent N. , Brodke Darrel S.
Published: December 2014

OBJECT

Cortical trajectory screw constructs, developed as an alternative to pedicle screw fixation for the lumbar spine, have similar in vitro biomechanics. The possibility of one screw path having the ability to rescue the other in a revision scenario holds promise but has not been evaluated. The objective in this study was to investigate the biomechanical properties of traditional pedicle screws and cortical trajectory screws when each was used to rescue the other in the setting of revision.

METHODS

Ten fresh-frozen human lumbar spines were instrumented at L3–4, 5 with cortical trajectory screws and 5 with pedicle screws. Construct stiffness was recorded in flexion/extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation. The L-3 screw pullout strength was tested to failure for each specimen and salvaged with screws of the opposite trajectory. Mechanical stiffness was again recorded. The hybrid rescue trajectory screws at L-3 were then tested to failure.

RESULTS

Cortical screws, when used in a rescue construct, provided stiffness in flexion/extension and axial rotation similar to that provided by the initial pedicle screw construct prior to failure. The rescue pedicle screws provided stiffness similar to that provided by the primary cortical screw construct in flexion/extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation. In pullout testing, cortical rescue screws retained 60% of the original pedicle screw pullout strength, whereas pedicle rescue screws retained 65% of the original cortical screw pullout strength.

CONCLUSIONS

Cortical trajectory screws, previously studied as a primary mode of fixation, may also be used as a rescue option in the setting of a failed or compromised pedicle screw construct in the lumbar spine. Likewise, a standard pedicle screw construct may rescue a compromised cortical screw track. Cortical and pedicle screws each retain adequate construct stiffness and pullout strength when used for revision at the same level.
Risk factors for infection and the effect of an institutional shunt protocol on the incidence of ventricular access device infections in preterm infants
Authors: Spader Heather S. , Hertzler Dean A. , Kestle John R. W. , Riva-Cambrin Jay
Published: December 2014

OBJECT

Intraventricular hemorrhage in premature infants often leads to progressive ventricular dilation and the need for ventricular reservoir placement. Unfortunately, these reservoirs have a higher rate of infection than ventriculoperitoneal shunts in premature babies. The authors analyzed the risk factors for infection in this population and studied whether the implementation of an institutional protocol for shunt placement had a corollary effect on ventricular access device (VAD) infection rates in premature neonates with intraventricular hemorrhage.

METHODS

The authors conducted a retrospective cohort review of consecutive premature neonates in whom VADs were inserted in the operating room at Primary Children's Hospital between June 2003 and June 2011 to identify risk factors for infection. Medical records were reviewed for information on infection (culture proven or eroded hardware at 90 days), gestational age at birth, weight, gestational age at surgery, intrathecal antibiotics, hemorrhage, death, and surgeon. The institution used a pilot protocol for shunt infection reduction in 2006–2007, and then the full Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network protocol from June 2007 to 2011, and the rates of infection during these periods were analyzed. Confounding factors such as sepsis, necrotizing enterocolitis, and a history of meningitis were also analyzed.

RESULTS

The overall infection rate was 10.5% (11 patients) in the 105 patients identified. Gestational age at procedure was a significant risk factor for infection (p = 0.05). Meningitis was significantly associated with infection, with 63% of the infected group having had prior meningitis compared with 7% for the noninfected group (p < 0.001). Concurrent with the implementation of the protocol to reduce shunt infection, the VAD infection rate decreased from 14.7% to 5.4% (p = 0.2).

CONCLUSIONS

Gestational age at procedure and previous meningitis were significant risk factors for VAD infections. In addition, the implementation of an institutional standardized shunt protocol for ventriculoperitoneal shunts may have altered the operating room team's behavior, indicated by a nonmandated use of intrathecal antibiotics in VAD surgeries, contributing to a reduced VAD infection rate. Although the observed difference was not statistically significant with the small sample size, the authors believe that these findings deserve further study.
Genetic Dissection of QTL Associated with Grain Yield in Diverse Environments
Authors: Zhang Junli , Chen Jianli , Chu Chenggen , Zhao Weidong , Wheeler Justin , Souza Edward , Zemetra Robert
Published: December 2014

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) breeding programs strive to increase grain yield; however, the progress is hampered due to its quantitative inheritance, low heritability, and confounding environmental effects. In the present study, a winter wheat population of 159 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) was evaluated in six trials under rainfed, terminal drought, and fully-irrigated conditions, over four years. Quantitative trait locus/loci (QTL) mapping was conducted for grain yield main effect (GY) and the genotype × environment interaction (GEI) effect. A total of 17 QTL were associated with GY and 13 QTL associated with GEI, and nine QTL were mapped in the flanking chromosomal regions for both GY and GEI. One major QTL Q.Gy.ui-1B.2, explaining up to 22% of grain yield, was identified in all six trials. Besides the additive effect of QTL associated with GY, interactions among QTL (QTL × QTL interaction), QTL × environment, and QTL × QTL × environment were also observed. When combining the interaction effects, QTL Q.Gy.ui-1B.2 along with other QTL explained up to 52% of the variation in grain yield over the six trials. This study suggests that QTL mapping of complex traits such as grain yield should include interaction effects of QTL and environments in marker-assisted selection.
Dynamics of Invertebrate Diversity in a Tropical Stream
Authors: Pearson Richard
Published: December 2014

Regional studies of biotic communities are important for characterising their normal spatial and temporal variation, but there are few such studies of tropical streams. This paper describes changes in invertebrate communities in Yuccabine Creek, a seasonal upland rainforest stream in tropical Australia, over three-year and decadal periods. Invertebrate abundance, richness and evenness were temporally stable, except after major drying or wet-season flows, from which they recovered quickly; however, three wet seasons contrasted in abundance patterns. Species’ responses to flood or drought varied depending on life-histories and habitat dynamics. Communities showed contrasts between wet, early-dry and late-dry seasons, with different characteristic species. Current velocity, leaf litter and substratum particle size were the main environmental correlates with species abundances and multivariate scores. Between-decade contrasts were due to antecedent rainfall and loss of canopy cover. Trophic composition varied seasonally, driven by abundances of predators and detritivores. Yuccabine Creek differs from comparable temperate streams in its high diversity of invertebrates, continual recruitment and spring-dominated continual leaf fall; and from some other tropical streams in its seasonal flow regime. Interpretation of invertebrate metrics in these streams needs to account for historical, antecedent and current conditions, but biannual samples would adequately characterise the fauna.
Gingival Harmony in Anterior Aesthetic Restorations
Authors: Hadyaoui Dalenda , Daouahi Nissaf , Nouira Zohra , Cherif Mounir
Published: December 2014

This article describes a case of gingival asymmetry with compromising aesthetics. A 25-year-old dental student presented to the department of prosthetic dentistry. She was concerned about the greyish transparency of the crown metal margin through the marginal gingiva. The crown was placed to restore her lateral incisor. A comprehensive examination revealed that this unaesthetic aspect was caused by a non-harmonious gingival architecture in the lateral incisor marked by an unaesthetic gingival Zenith. The treatment plan included a surgical crown lengthening followed by prosthetic therapy consisting in a Zirconia based crown replacing the old prosthesis. Thanks to a well-planned multi-disciplinary approach, the result was esthetically acceptable and the patient was satisfied.
The Influence of Lifestyle on the Incidence of Dental Caries among 3-Year-Old Japanese Children
Authors: Watanabe Masako , Wang Da-Hong , Ijichi Akihiro , Shirai Chika , Zou Yu , Kubo Masayuki , Takemoto Kei , Masatomi Chie , Ogino Keiki
Published: December 2014

The present cohort study examined how lifestyle, household environment, and caries activity test score of Japanese children at age 1.5 years affected their dental caries incidence at age 3. Inclusion criteria were 1.5-year-old children with no dental caries. Dental examinations were performed for 33,655 children who participated in routine dental examinations at 1.5 years of age, and the exam was repeated approximately 21 months later (at age 3) at the Kobe City Public Health Center in Japan. After excluding 622 children who had caries at age 1.5 and 1831 children with missing lifestyle and household environment data in the questionnaires, the final data analysis was performed on a total of 31,202 children (16,052 boys, 15,150 girls).The multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated a strong association of the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages/snacks, less frequent tooth brushing by the parents, lack of fluoride varnish, family history of smoking, with the risk of developing dental caries. A child’s late bedtime is also one of the major risk factors for dental caries development. Further investigation is needed to examine whether the short duration or the irregularity of the sleep-wake cycle would affect early childhood oral health and whether there is a relationship between late bedtime and late night snack intake.
Accuracy and Effort of Interpolation and Sampling: Can GIS Help Lower Field Costs?
Authors: Simpson Greg , Wu Yi
Published: December 2014

Sedimentation is a problem for all reservoirs in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Before working on sediment removal, a survey on the extent and distribution of the sediment is needed. Two sample lakes were used to determine which of three interpolation methods gave the most accurate volume results. A secondary goal was to see if fewer samples could be taken while still providing similar results. The smaller samples would mean less field time and thus lower costs. Subsamples of 50%, 33% and 25% were taken from the total samples and evaluated for the lowest Root Mean Squared Error values. Throughout the trials, the larger sample sizes generally showed better accuracy than smaller samples. Graphing the sediment volume estimates of the full sample, 50%, 33% and 25% showed little improvement after a sample of approximately 40%–50% when comparing the asymptote of the separate samples. When we used smaller subsamples the predicted sediment volumes were normally greater than the full sample volumes. It is suggested that when planning future sediment surveys, workers plan on gathering data at approximately every 5.21 meters. These sample sizes can be cut in half and still retain relative accuracy if time savings are needed. Volume estimates may slightly suffer with these reduced samples sizes, but the field work savings can be of benefit. Results from these surveys are used in prioritization of available funds for reclamation efforts.
Insights into Vibrio parahaemolyticus CHN25 Response to Artificial Gastric Fluid Stress by Transcriptomic Analysis
Authors: Sun Xuejiao , Liu Taigang , Peng Xu , Chen Lanming
Published: December 2014

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is the causative agent of food-borne gastroenteritis disease. Once consumed, human acid gastric fluid is perhaps one of the most important environmental stresses imposed on the bacterium. Herein, for the first time, we investigated Vibrio parahaemolyticus CHN25 response to artificial gastric fluid (AGF) stress by transcriptomic analysis. The bacterium at logarithmic growth phase (LGP) displayed lower survival rates than that at stationary growth phase (SGP) under a sub-lethal acid condition (pH 4.9). Transcriptome data revealed that 11.6% of the expressed genes in Vibrio parahaemolyticus CHN25 was up-regulated in LGP cells after exposed to AGF (pH 4.9) for 30 min, including those involved in sugar transport, nitrogen metabolism, energy production and protein biosynthesis, whereas 14.0% of the genes was down-regulated, such as ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter and flagellar biosynthesis genes. In contrast, the AGF stress only elicited 3.4% of the genes from SGP cells, the majority of which were attenuated in expression. Moreover, the number of expressed regulator genes was also substantially reduced in SGP cells. Comparison of transcriptome profiles further revealed forty-one growth-phase independent genes in the AGF stress, however, half of which displayed distinct expression features between the two growth phases. Vibrio parahaemolyticus seemed to have evolved a number of molecular strategies for coping with the acid stress. The data here will facilitate future studies for environmental stresses and pathogenicity of the leading seafood-borne pathogen worldwide.
Perceptual Color Characterization of Cameras
Authors: Vazquez-Corral Javier , Connah David , Bertalmío Marcelo
Published: December 2014

Color camera characterization, mapping outputs from the camera sensors to an independent color space, such as \(XYZ\), is an important step in the camera processing pipeline. Until now, this procedure has been primarily solved by using a \(3 \times 3\) matrix obtained via a least-squares optimization. In this paper, we propose to use the spherical sampling method, recently published by Finlayson al., to perform a perceptual color characterization. In particular, we search for the \(3 \times 3\) matrix that minimizes three different perceptual errors, one pixel based and two spatially based. For the pixel-based case, we minimize the CIE \(\Delta E\) error, while for the spatial-based case, we minimize both the S-CIELAB error and the CID error measure. Our results demonstrate an improvement of approximately 3for the \(\Delta E\) error, 7& for the S-CIELAB error and 13% for the CID error measures.
Environmental Legislation in China: Achievements, Challenges and Trends
Authors: Mu Zhilin , Bu Shuchun , Xue Bing
Published: December 2014

Compared to the environmental legislation of many developed countries, China’s environmental legislation was initiated late, beginning in 1979, but nevertheless has obtained considerable achievements. As many as thirty environmental laws have provided rules regarding prevention and control of pollution, resource utilization, and ecological protection in China. However, China’s environmental legislation still faces a series of challenges and problems, including that the sustainable development concept has not yet been fully implemented, as well as presence of gaps and non-coordination phenomena between laws and regulations, unclear responsibility, imperfect system design, imbalance between rights and obligations, higher impacts resulted from the GDP-centralized economy, lack of operability and instruments in the legal content, as well as difficulty of public participation. In contrast, China’s environmental legislation has improved, as a result of learning from experience in developed countries and introducing innovations stimulated by domestic environmental pressure. Looking into the future, increased attention to environmental protection and ecological consciousness paid by China’s new leaders will bring a valuable opportunity to China’s further development concerning environmental legislation. In the future, there are prospects for the gradual improvement of legal approaches, continuous improvements of legislation to mitigate environmental problems, and more opportunities to strengthen public participation can be predicted.
Sexe, amour et dépendance à Rome
Authors: Garrido-Hory Marguerite
Published: December 2014

Sex, love and dependence in Rome.

In Rome, love for men has never been considered as contrary to love for women, but activity has always been opposed to passivity. Be active is to be a male, to be virile, whatever sex and age of the passive partner and his/ her juridical statute. Solely considered is the search of sexual satisfaction. Solely blamed are the practices of inversion that make freemen’s weakness conspicuous and could thereafter threat a social order grounded on tradition and ancestral moral values.
Scholies de la IVe Pythique et scholies homériques
Authors: Schneider Jean
Published: December 2014

Dans cet article, nous nous demandons si les catégories de scholies qu’on distingue dans les compilations consacrées aux deux épopées homériques (critique textuelle, ponctuation, accentuation, gloses, histoires, questions, repérage des figures rhétoriques, etc.) peuvent se retrouver dans les scholies du plus homérique des poèmes pindariques. En fait, bien des différences apparaissent, et les scholies les plus savantes consacrées par les « quatre » à l’Iliade n’ont guère d’équivalent dans les scholies pindariques. Nous essayons d’interpréter ces différences, qui tiennent en partie à ce que les lecteurs de Pindare sont moins nombreux et plus cultivés que ceux d’Homère, et à ce qu’ils sont confrontés à un texte qui, malgré sa grande difficulté, ne pose pas les mêmes problèmes que les deux épopées archaïques.
La lustration des champs à l’époque augustéenne au regard des sources littéraires
Authors: Troutier Julien
Published: December 2014

The lustration of fields in Augustan times according to literary sources.

Significant discrepancies can be found between the information given in Augustan texts about the “lustration of fields”, and the precise description of the rite in Cato’s De Agricultura (§ 141), a century and a half earlier. The deities invoked, the nature of the sacrifices, and the number of participants do not tally. However, the only texts from the Augustan corpus concerning the lustration of fields are six excerpts from poems, which leads us to believe that the differences are more likely to result from the Augustan poets’ desire to adapt the rite to their own conception of agrarian religion, rather than from changes having occurred in the rite itself, or from a faulty knowledge of agrarian lustration rites.
Les trières de Salamine
Authors: Battistini Olivier
Published: December 2014

Principe fondateur de la thalassocratie des Athéniens et bataille catastrophique dans l’acception mathématique du terme, la bataille de Salamine est aussi l’objet d’une mimèsis, dite ou évoquée par Eschyle, Hérodote, Isocrate, Thucydide, Aristophane, Diodore, Plutarque ou encore, pour ne citer que quelques exemples, Cornélius Népos. Une lecture croisée des sources permet de mieux comprendre comment la trière est devenue, à Salamine, un instrument d’empire. Sa manoeuvrabilité, sa capacité à virer serré derrière la ligne ennemie, dans un espace restreint, le plus rapidement possible pour ne pas devenir vulnérable, est fondée, certes, sur ses qualités intrinsèques, mais surtout sur une pratique de la nage particulière.
AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF COMPUTER-BASED NEGOTIATION IN PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT PROCESSES
Authors: Samsura Datuk Ary Adriansyah , Deemen Adrian van , Krabben Erwin van der , Heijden Rob van der
Published: December 2014

This paper reports an experiment based on the model of bilateral sequential bargaining over the distribution of a certain value in a laboratory setting within a real specific context of property development in the Netherlands. We have involved only property development professionals as participants in the experiment who have experience with the context. We have also extended the experiment into three different negotiation games distinguished by the availability of information to the participants: a negotiation game with incomplete information, asymmetric information, and complete information. We have found in this experiment that the availability of information could affect the plausibility to reach an agreement, particularly due to a restricted communication setting. This study also provides evidences that it is in the negotiators’ concern to reach an agreement with a fair outcome, which is defined here as the equilibrium, regardless the availability of the information to them.
Can Antiretroviral Therapy Modify the Clinical Course of HDV Infection in HIV-Positive Patients?
Authors: Onali Simona , Figorilli Francesco , Balestrieri Cinzia , Serra Giancarlo , Conti Maria , Scioscia Rosetta , Barca Lucia , Lai Maria E , Chessa Luchino
Published: December 2014

Background

Infection with hepatitis delta virus (HDV) affects approximately 6–14.5% of patients coinfected with HIV-1 and HBV, showing a more aggressive clinical course compared with an HIV-negative population. There is no universally approved treatment for chronic hepatitis D (CHD) in HIV-infected patients. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) containing tenofovir has been recently associated with HDV suppression. Our aim was to evaluate whether the outcome of CHD in HIV-infected patients can be favourably influenced by ART including reverse transcriptase inhibitors.

Methods

The clinical course of four HBV/HDV/HIV-coinfected patients receiving ART were retrospectively examined.

Results

HDV RNA became undetectable in all patients after a variable period of ART along with the disappearance of hepatitis B surface antigen in two of them, and an increase in CD4+ T-cell count. In all patients, virological changes were associated with improved liver function tests and clinical features.

Conclusions

We suggest that ART regimens including drugs active against HBV could have beneficial effects on the clinical course of CHD in patients with HIV-1 by favouring immunological reconstitution.
Air Rifles Are More than Toys: BB Gun-Related Traumatic Brain Injury
Authors: Klopotek Blaine , Weibley Richard , Chapados Rene
Published: December 2014

Gunshot wounds are traumatic events that emergency departments around the country treat on a daily basis. An increasing number of these wounds are being caused by air rifles that shoot ball bearings (ie, BB guns) and, although uncommon, the results can be fatal. The general public and most practitioners may not realize the damage these “toys” can inflict. This article highlights an unfortunate event involving a BB gun accidentally discharged at close range and the consequences. Data from recent and older studies are discussed regarding the firepower of these guns and their potential for injury.
The Relationship between National and Supranational Identities in the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX)
Authors: Arko Sara
Published: December 2014

Članek na podlagi etnografske raziskave v misiji Evropske unije za krepitev pravne države na Kosovu (EULEX) predstavi dinamiko med nacionalnimi in nadnacionalnimi identitetami skozi preplet treh vidikov istovetenja: soočanje z raznolikostjo v mednarodni misiji, trdovratnost posameznikove nacionalne identitete in percepcije evropske identitete. Članek obravnava transnacionalne izkušnje in svetovljansko držo v razmerju z (nad)nacionalnimi identitetami posameznikov, ki jim delo v misijah pomeni način življenja.
***
Based on ethnographic research, this article explores the dynamics between national and supranational identities in the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) through three aspects of identification processes: coping with diversity in an international mission, the persistent importance of the national, and perceptions of European identity. The article deals with transnational experiences and cosmopolitan attitudes in relation to the (supra)national identities of individuals that perceive working in missions as a way of life.
Cabildos de clérigos en la Baja Edad Media. Los casos de Alcaraz (Albacete) y Tresjuncos (Cuenca)
Authors: Ayllón Gutiérrez Carlos
Published: December 2014

Durante la Edad Media aparecieron en toda la cristiandad numerosas cofradías. Entre ellas tuvieron una especial relevancia las compuestas por clérigos seculares, que pretendieron influir sobre la sociedad local. Para ella celebraban oficios religiosos funerarios y a cambio captaban numerosas rentas que se añadían a los beneficios parroquiales de los clérigos. En este estudio se propone un acercamiento a dos cofradías de clérigos creadas en el sureste de Castilla durante la baja Edad Media: los cabildos de Alcaraz y Tresjuncos.
Reliquias y relicarios: una aproximación al estudio del culto a los santos en la Navarra medieval
Authors: García de la Borbolla García de Paredes Ángeles
Published: December 2014

Las reliquias, que a primera vista son pequeños recuerdos materiales o físicos de un personaje santo, despertaron en el Occidente medieval unos sentimientos religiosos sustentados sobre unas creencias colectivas. Al mismo tiempo, esa fe y piedad impulsaron también un deseo y afán por poseerlas, acumularlas y custodiarlas en los principales centros religiosos del momento. En esta ocasión se presentarán los casos más sobresalientes del reino de Navarra en los siglos medievales.
Imagen y palabra en la evangelización y catequesis de la Ruta de La Plata. Potosi–Arica
Authors: Guzmán Fernando , Corti Paola , Pereira Magdalena
Published: December 2014

El presente trabajo se propone reconstruir, a través del estudio de las pinturas murales en las iglesias ubicadas en la Ruta de la Plata y del análisis de los catecismos del Tercer Concilio limense, la forma como podría haber operado el método de evangelización y catequesis fundado en la trilogía: palabra escuchada, fórmula memorizada, imagen contemplada y recordada. Buscando proponer de qué manera esa articulación modificaba o determinaba la observación o la recordación de las pinturas religiosas o, en la dirección contraria, de qué forma las pinturas observadas o la imagen de ellas en la memoria daban forma a la vida cristiana de quienes habitaban este territorio.
La conformación de la provincia jesuítica de Toledo en torno al generalato de Diego Laínez 1556-1565
Authors: Martín López David , Aranda Pérez José
Published: December 2014

La novísima Compañía de Jesús empezó pronto a incardinarse en el territorio ibérico, patria de su fundador. Como uno de los territorios más importantes de la Cristiandad católica, pronto se vio la necesidad de distribuir lo que pronto sería una gran corona en una serie de provincias para unos más eficaces gobierno y evangelización. Después de una primera división, en la época del generalato del español Laínez se pusieron las bases de la pentaprovincialización definitiva entre Portugal, Castilla, Aragón, Bética y —la novedad— Toledo.
El Centro Intercultural de Formación, Cuernavaca, México, sus informes (1962-1967) y la visión crítica de Illich sobre la misión en América Latina
Authors: Bruno-Jofré Rosa , Igelmo Zaldívar Jon
Published: December 2014

Este artículo examina los Reports del Center of Intercultural Formation (CIF) que fueron elaborados en Cuernavaca, México, entre 1962 y 1967 por el Centro de Investigaciones Culturales (CIC), y producidos desde 1963 por el Centro Intercultural de Documentación constituido dentro del CIC. Esta red de centros es situada dentro de la coyuntura histórica del principio de los años sesenta y de la convergencia entre el Vaticano y la Alianza para el Progreso y sus proyectos comunitarios desarrollistas. El artículo se centra en la “fuerza ilocucionaria” (Quentin Skinner) que se puede ubicar detrás las respuestas de Illich al llamado de Juan XXIII a las congregaciones y al personal católico laico para renovar las misiones en América Latina. Se discute la resignificación de la visión de misión planteada por Illich y su concepto de misionero enraizado en el Evangelio, su noción de encarnación en la cultura en contraposición con la visión del misionero como sujeto de su propia cultura, y la “pobreza” del misionero como una virtud del trabajador comunitario. La radicalización de Illich en su discurso crítico evidente en la publicación de los textos “The Seamy Side of Charity” and “The Vanishing Clergyman”, publicados en el último año (1967) de los CIF Reports, le llevó a un enfrentamiento con el Vaticano en 1967 y 1968. Este conflicto marca el giro de Illich hacia temáticas vinculadas con la educación, la salud y otros asuntos alejados de la crítica a la Iglesia católica institucionalizada.
Análisis y propuesta de mejoras para la eficiencia energética del edificio principal del Instituto c.c. Eduardo Torroja-CSIC
Authors: Martín-Consuegra F. , Oteiza I. , Alonso C. , Cuerdo-Vilches T. , Frutos B.
Published: December 2014

En el marco del 80 aniversario del IETcc-CSIC se elabora una propuesta para la rehabilitación del edificio construido en 1953. Partiendo del análisis del comportamiento energético del edificio principal, se concluye que este no es eficiente energéticamente.

Se proponen mejoras para la eficiencia energética del edificio tomando en cuenta las directivas europeas. Se recomienda incorporar las mejoras de forma escalonada, comenzando por las medidas pasivas para reducir sus necesidades energéticas. A continuación se proponen medidas activas, como la mejora del rendimiento de las instalaciones, de manera que se emplee la menor cantidad posible de energía final para satisfacer el confort de los usuarios. Para completar la intervención se propone el uso de fuentes de generación de energías renovables en la parcela con el objetivo de reducir el consumo de energía primaria no renovable.

Las acciones para la rehabilitación energética e integral del edificio del IETcc-CSIC, deben ser demostradoras para otros edificios públicos con valores patrimoniales.
A Cognitive Access Framework for Security and Privacy Protection in Mobile Cloud Computing
Authors: Baldini Gianmarco , Stirparo Pasquale
Published: December 2014

Information systems and wireless communications are becoming increasingly present in the everyday life of citizens both from a personal and business point of view. A recent development in this context is Mobile Cloud Computing (MCC), which is the combination of Cloud Computing and pervasive mobile networks. Ensuring the preservation of privacy can be difficult in MCC. Therefore, this chapter provides an overview of the main challenges in ensuring privacy in MCC and surveys the most significant contributions from the research community. The second objective of the chapter is to introduce and describe a new framework for privacy protection based on the concepts of Virtual Object (VO) and Composite Virtual Object (CVO), where data are encapsulated and protected using a sticky policy approach and a role-based access model. The proposed iCore framework is compared to the privacy challenges described in the first objective.
Cloud Database Systems
Authors: Chande Swati V.
Published: December 2014

The influence of the two fast evolving paradigms, Big Data and Cloud Computing, is driving a revolution in different fields of computing. The field of databases is not an exception and has been influenced profoundly by these two forces. Cloud computing is adding to the drive towards making the database available as a service on the cloud. It is shifting the traditional ways in which data is stored, accessed, and manipulated with the appearance of the NoSQL concept and domain specific databases, consequential in moving computing closer to data. This chapter provides a general idea of the changes brought about by the upcoming paradigms in database storage, management, and access, and also provides a brief account of the recent research in the field.
Regulatory Aspects of Cloud Computing in Business Environments
Authors: Losavio Michael , Pastukhov Pavel , Polyakova Svetlana
Published: December 2014

Cloud computing allows us to solve problems of information on a global scale and of a full range of tasks. Cloud computing has many advantages, but the reliability of data protection is a major concern of provider-client, industry, and governmental regulation. These information systems must comply with existing standards and anticipate new standards of information security. The legal process must distinguish who is responsible for what within a dynamically changing infrastructure significantly different from traditional models. The authors first examine the models and substance of regulation as established by service-level agreements between cloud providers, their clients, and their clients' customers. The authors discuss industry self-regulation and government regulations regarding data protection, privacy, criminal and tort law, and intellectual property law complicated by the inherent cross-jurisdictional nature of cloud computing.
Dynamic Dedicated Server Allocation for Service Oriented Multi-Agent Data Intensive Architecture in Biomedical and Geospatial Cloud
Authors: Patra Sudhansu Shekhar , Barik R. K.
Published: December 2014

Cloud computing has recently received considerable attention, as a promising approach for delivering Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) services as a utility. In the process of providing these services it is necessary to improve the utilization of data centre resources which are operating in most dynamic workload environments. Datacenters are integral parts of cloud computing. In the datacenter generally hundreds and thousands of virtual servers run at any instance of time, hosting many tasks and at the same time the cloud system keeps receiving the batches of task requests. It provides services and computing through the networks. Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) and agent frameworks renders tools for developing distributed and multi agent systems which can be used for the administration of cloud computing environments which supports the above characteristics. This paper presents a SOQM (Service Oriented QoS Assured and Multi Agent Cloud Computing) architecture which supports QoS assured cloud service provision and request. Biomedical and geospatial data on cloud can be analyzed through SOQM and has allowed the efficient management of the allocation of resources to the different system agents. It has proposed a finite heterogeneous multiple vm model which are dynamically allocated depending on the request from biomedical and geospatial stakeholders.
FDTD Simulation of the GPR Signal for Preventing the Risk of Accidents due to Pavement Damages
Authors: Tosti Fabio , Umiliaco Andrea
Published: December 2014

It is well known that road safety issues are closely dependent on both pavement structural damages and surface unevenness, whose occurrence is often related to ineffective pavement asset management. The evaluation of road pavement operability is traditionally carried out through distress identification manuals on the basis of standardized comprehensive indexes, as a result of visual inspections or measurements, wherein the failure causes can be partially detected. In this regard, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) has proven to be over the past decades an effective and efficient technique to enable better management of pavement assets and better diagnosis of the causes of pavement failures. In this study, one of the main causes (i.e. subgrade failures) of surface damage is analyzed through finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation of the GPR signal. The GprMax 2D numerical simulator for GPR is used on three different types of flexible pavement to retrieve the numerical solution of Maxwell's equations in the time domain. Results show the high potential of GPR in detecting the causes of such damage.
ISO 15189:2012 Technical Requirements for Cytopathology Laboratory Information Systems
Authors: Pouliakis Abraham , Margari Niki , Spathis Aris , Kottaridi Christine , Stamouli Marilena , Mourtzikou Antonia , Archondakis Stavros , Karakitsou Efrossyni , Athanasiadi Elena , Karakitsos Petros
Published: December 2014

Medical laboratories are complex systems composed of specialized personnel and medical modalities. Despite complexity, they are well-organized systems with standardized workflow. Especially for cytopathology laboratories the human factor is extremely important, because examination of glass slides is the majority of the workflow from experts (cytopathologists). Recently there is an increasing need to ensure the quality of medical laboratories by applying quality standards, such as ISO 15189:2012 which is proposed by many organizations and in many countries is enforced by law. ISO15189 does not oblige the application of Laboratory Information Systems (LISs); however, nowadays, it is extremely difficult for a laboratory to routinely operate without it. In this paper we present the design and requirements of an enhanced LIS (eLIS), adapted to support not only the standard routine of a cytopathology laboratory (and other laboratory types) but to facilitate the support of technical requirements posed by ISO15189.
Fall Detection by Wearable Device Using Support Vector Machine
Authors: Wang Xian Wei , Cao Fu Cheng
Published: December 2014

In this study, using simulated falls and activities of daily living (ADL) performed by elderly subjects, the ability to discriminate between falls and ADL was investigated with wearable tri-axial accelerometer sensors, mounted on the chest. The movement data of human body analysis was performed using one-class support vector machine (SVM) to determine the feature of motion types. Experiments to detect falls are performed in four directions: forward, backward, left, and right. The preliminary results show that this method can detect the falls effectively, reduces both false positives and false negatives, while improving fall detection accuracy, and the application can offer a new guarantee for the elderly health.