bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Why Business Intelligence?
Authors: Chugh Ritesh , Grandhi Srimannarayana
Published: October 2013

Business Intelligence (BI) is one of the fastest growing software sector and software vendors are rapidly developing multiple BI tools to support the growing data analysis needs of organisations. In order to be sustainable in a briskly changing turbulent environment, organisations need to have access to information about their operational performance. BI tools play a vital role in supporting the decision makers at different organisational levels. As these tools are becoming critical in decision making, it has become not only an information technology concern but also a management concern. Without proper governance it would be impractical to achieve the value that BI tools offer. Adopting a BI governance framework in organisations will lead to common principles and clear ownership over information. Additionally, appropriate alignment between corporate governance and BI governance can yield more benefits. This paper provides an insight into the importance and value of BI tools. Key functionalities of BI tools have also been highlighted. Different challenges in gaining true value from BI tools have been examined. Four phases of developing a BI governance framework have been illustrated. The alignment between BI governance and corporate governance has also been explored with a recommended model. Exploratory analysis of two organisations (Premier Healthcare Alliance & BellSouth Telecommunications) to identify how they have utilised BI tools and adopted BI governance has been briefly carried out. The paper posits that if the steps for developing a BI framework are adopted by organisations and the BI framework is aligned with the corporate framework, BI deployment and usage will be successful with reduced risk levels.
Infographics
Authors: Siricharoen Waralak V.
Published: October 2013

Infographics were used to support the work of journalism back in 1980s. It may be used to accommodate newsletters, newspapers, magazines, and reports. Now the infographics have been applied for telling the story. Additionally, the changing lifestyle in digital age, data and information need to be quicker and easier processed. People scan for the headlines and graphics (usually in pictures, graphs, charts) that draw their interest. They spend less time to consider whether it is worth further reading. Interactive, Multimedia and Video infographics can be created in 3D to make it more appreciative than regular illustrative pictures and text, especially for the difficult and complicated contents. For the people who need to communicate quickly; the spoken or printed account is sometimes too difficult for understanding. With infographics can escalate the growth of e-entrepreneurship, they will be very useful as the well-organized, easy-to-understand, eye-catchy, and shareability marketing tools. The suggestive guidelines of infographics creation are also addressed. This paper also includes the history, importance, and benefit of infographics in general and introduces the tools for making infographics professionally.
A Novel Radial Basis Function Networks Locally Tuned with Differential Evolution for Classification
Authors: Dash Ch. Sanjeev Kumar , Behera Ajit Kumar , Dehuri Satchidananda , Cho Sung-Bae
Published: October 2013

The classification of diseases appears as one of the fundamental problems for a medical practitioner, which might be substantially improved by intelligent systems. The present work is aimed at designing in what way an intelligent system supporting medical decision can be developed by hybridizing radial basis function neural networks (RBFNs) and differential evolution (DE). To this extent, a two phases learning algorithm with a modified kernel for radial basis function neural networks is proposed for classification. In phase one, differential evolution is used to reveal the parameters of the modified kernel. The second phase focus on optimization of weights for learning the networks. The proposed method is validated using five medical datasets such as bupa liver disorders, pima Indians diabetes, new thyroid, stalog (heart), and hepatitis. In addition, a predefined set of basis functions are considered to gain insight into, which basis function is better for what kind of domain through an empirical analysis. The experiment results indicate that the proposed method classification accuracy with 95% and 98% confidence interval is better than the base line classifier (i.e., simple RBFNs) in all aforementioned datasets. In the case of imbalanced dataset like new thyroid, the authors have noted that with 98% confidence level the classification accuracy of the proposed method based on the multi-quadratic kernel is better than other kernels; however, in the case of hepatitis, the proposed method based on cubic kernel is promising.
Time Petri Nets with Action Duration
Authors: Belala N. , Saїdouni D.E. , Boukharrou R. , Chaouche A.C. , Seraoui A. , Chachoua A.
Published: October 2013

The design of real-time systems needs a high-level specification model supporting at the same time timing constraints and actions duration. The authors introduce in this paper an extension of Petri Nets called Time Petri Nets with Action Duration (DTPN) where time is associated with transitions. In DTPN, the firing of transitions is bound to a time interval and transitions represent actions which have explicit durations. The authors give an operational semantics for DTPN in terms of Durational Action Timed Automata (DATA). DTPN considers both timing constraints and durations under a true-concurrency semantics with an aim of better expressing concurrent and parallel behaviours of real-time systems.
An E-learning System Based on Secure Data Storage Services in Cloud Computing
Authors: Gopinath R. , Geetha B.G.
Published: October 2013

Abundant reasonable computers, web resources and education content are identified to transform educational usage on-demand in the field of cloud infrastructure. Therefore, there comes a necessity to redesign the educational system to meet the needs better. The appearance of cloud based services supports the creation of latest generation e-learning systems for storing multimedia data within the cloud; it draws attention for academia and research area, which may be able to use high quality of resources. Even though the merits of cloud service are more attractive, the physical possession of users data is under security risk with respect to data correctness. This poses many new security challenges which have not been well explored. This paper focuses mainly on distributed data storage security for e-learning system, which has always been an important aspect of quality service. To make sure the correctness of users data within the cloud, an adaptable and effective auditing mechanism hitches the challenges and distributes erasure-coded data for e-learning web application. This extensive analysis shows that the auditing result achieves quick data error correction and localization of servers for malicious data modification attacks.
Understanding the Deployment of Competitive Intelligence Through Moments of Translation
Authors: Iyamu Tiko , Moloi Relebohile
Published: October 2013

Organisations employ different strategic tools such as Competitive Intelligence (CI) to enable and support their goals and objectives, periodically. Unfortunately, the tools do not seem to resolve the challenges that they were deployed for. This could be attributed to the fact that there is too much focus on the tools, and less attention on the social interaction which occurs in the process. The CI is deployed by many organisations primarily to collect and analyse relevant data for decision making, and competitive advantage. However, CI products are deployed in various ways, and in different contexts. CI products differ in many ways such as in terms of compatibility and functionalities that they offer. These are some of the factors that are driven and shaped by non-technical interplay. How organisations deploy CI products has been a challenge, and it is difficult to understand. Some organisations did acquire CI products, unfortunately, they could not make use of it as intended. This is attributed to compatibility challenges which they encountered during the implementation of the product. This is the primary motivation for this article. A qualitative case study research was conducted in order to examine how CI products are deployed in organisations. Analysis of the data was done, using the Moments of Translation from the perspective of actor network theory to understand how the interaction and interplay amongst actors, shapes and deployment of CI in the organisation that deploys it.
Blackout Avoidance and Energy Saving Services with Alert Aggregation
Authors: Fong Erica , Chiu Dickson K.W. , Hu Haiyang , Zhuang Yi , Hu Hua
Published: October 2013

Peak electricity demands from huge number of households in a mega-city would cause contention, leading to potential blackout. This paper proposes bi-directional collaboration via a Smart Energy Monitor System (SEMS) between consumers and energy suppliers, exchanging real-time energy usage data with smart meters over the Internet and mobile devices for well-informed decisions and even predictions. The authors further propose the use of an Alert Management System (AMS) to monitor and aggregate critical energy consumption events for this purpose.
A Study on the Intention to Adopt Third Generation (3G) Wireless Service on a Small Community with Unique Culture
Authors: Ho Kevin K.W.
Published: October 2013

Most of the prior studies conducted in mobile commerce and wireless service adoption are using the technology acceptance model as their theoretical foundation and are conducted in metropolis. To gain a better understanding on whether the findings of these adoption studies can be generalized in other regions, and in particular, those communities with a small population and have a unique cultural background, the author revisits the third generation (3G) wireless adoption service issue using data collected from Guam. The result shows that the people on Guam have a different 3G wireless service adoption behavior compared with the people from Hong Kong. It is noted that perceived enjoyment plays a mediator role between the impacts of perceived service availability and social influence on the adoption intention. This result helps researchers and practitioners to gain insight for conducting adoption study for communities with a different cultural background, where their information and communication technology infrastructures are rapidly developing.
Variation in zoogeographical composition along an elevational gradient: the tenebrionid beetles of Latium (Central Italy)
Authors: Fattorini S.
Published: October 2013

The aim of this paper is to propose the use of chorotype analysis of species assemblages on an elevational gradient to detect the main historical and ecological factors responsible for current faunal settings. A comprehensive faunistic database was used to assess species abundance across 100 m belts in Latium (Central Italy). Species were assigned to chorotypes according to their ranges. Entropy and evenness indices were applied to both species abundances and chorotype frequencies recorded in each belt. Both species and chorotype entropy decreased with elevation, whereas species and chorotype evenness increased. Chorotypes centred on the Mediterranean basin decreased with increasing elevation, chorotypes centred in Europe and Asia had similar frequencies among belts and endemic species increased with elevation. A cluster analysis with species presence/absence data, revealed three main clusters grouping respectively: i) all belts above 1700 m; ii) belts between 901 and 1500 m; and iii) belts between 0 and 900 m. An analysis based on chorotype frequencies produced very similar results. We can conclude that: high elevation assemblages are less diversified, but more balanced than lowland assemblages, in terms of both species and chorological composition. Belts similar in species composition (presence/absence) are also similar in zoogeographical composition (frequency of chorotypes). This indicates that elevation is a factor that strongly selects species’ attributes and especially their geographical distribution. Variations in chorotype composition along an elevational gradient may be used to trace the history of biotas.
An empirical supply chain measurement model for a national egg producer based on the supply chain operations reference model
Authors: Pretorius Christian , Ruthven George A. , Von Leipzig Konrad
Published: October 2013

The management of a supply chain is both an offensive and defensive weapon that organisations can use to increase their competitive edge and capture a larger share of the market. In management science and supply chain management, multi-criteria decision making techniques have been used to solve a range of real-world problems. The problem is that many, if not most, companies in South Africa either do not have the required skills to use these decision-making techniques to improve or re-configure their supply chain, or they do not have a complete data set with which to model it effectively. In order to manage supply chains effectively, organisations at the very least need feedback on the performance of their entire supply chain. In this article, generic supply chain performance measures were used and a theoretical or empirical model was developed for the performance measurement of a national egg producer’s supply chain. It focused on a managerial program for the identification and management of their supply chain with recommendations for applying a measurement model. The overall performance of the supply chain as well as the five different performance attributes was presented to management in a dashboard format. This article could be used as a basis for future studies of supply chain performance measurement and the model could be used as a foundation for developing an improved version, not only for the egg industry, but for other industries as well.
The Function of a Medical Director in Healthcare Institutions: A Master or a Servant
Authors: Kossaify Antoine , Rasputin Boris , Lahoud Jean Claude
Published: October 2013

The function of a medical director is presented along with features of efficiency and deficiencies from the perspective of healthcare system improvement. A MEDLINE/Pubmed research was performed using the terms “medical director” and “director”, and 50 relevant articles were selected. Institutional healthcare quality is closely related to the medical director efficiency and deficiency, and a critical discussion of his or her function is presented along with a focus on the institutional policies, protocols, and procedures. The relationship between the medical director and the executive director is essential in order to implement a successful healthcare program, particularly in private facilities. Issues related to professionalism, fairness, medical records, quality of care, patient satisfaction, medical teaching, and malpractice are discussed from the perspective of institutional development and improvement strategies. In summary, the medical director must be a servant to the institutional constitution and to his or her job description; when his or her function is fully implemented, he or she may represent a local health governor or master, ensuring supervision and improvement of the institutional healthcare system.
Expansion of global drylands under a warming climate
Authors: Feng S. , Fu Q.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. Global drylands encompassing hyper-arid, arid, semiarid, and dry subhumid areas cover about 41 percent of the earth's terrestrial surface and are home to more than a third of the world's population. By analyzing observations for 1948–2008 and climate model simulations for 1948–2100, we show that global drylands have expanded in the last sixty years and will continue to expand in the 21st~century. By the end of this century, the world's drylands (under a high greenhouse gas emission scenario) are projected to be 5.8 × 106 km2 (or 10%) larger than in the 1961–1990 climatology. The major expansion of arid regions will occur over southwest North America, the northern fringe of Africa, southern Africa, and Australia, while major expansions of semiarid regions will occur over the north side of the Mediterranean, southern Africa, and North and South America. The global dryland expansions will increase the population affected by water scarcity and land degradations.
Numerical model of crustal accretion and cooling rates of fast-spreading mid-ocean ridges
Authors: Machetel P. , Garrido C. J.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. We designed a thermo-mechanical numerical model for fast-spreading mid-ocean ridge with variable viscosity, hydrothermal cooling, latent heat release, sheeted dyke layer, and variable melt intrusion possibilities. The model allows for modulating several accretion possibilities such as the "gabbro glacier" (G), the "sheeted sills" (S) or the "mixed shallow and MTZ lenses" (M). These three crustal accretion modes have been explored assuming viscosity contrasts of 2 to 3 orders of magnitude between strong and weak phases and various hydrothermal cooling conditions depending on the cracking temperatures value. Mass conservation (stream-function), momentum (vorticity) and temperature equations are solved in 2-D cartesian geometry using 2-D, alternate direction, implicit and semi-implicit finite-difference scheme. In a first step, an Eulerian approach is used solving iteratively the motion and temperature equations until reaching steady states. With this procedure, the temperature patterns and motions that are obtained for the various crustal intrusion modes and hydrothermal cooling hypotheses display significant differences near the mid-ocean ridge axis. In a second step, a Lagrangian approach is used, recording the thermal histories and cooling rates of tracers travelling from the ridge axis to their final emplacements in the crust far from the mid-ocean ridge axis. The results show that the tracer's thermal histories are depending on the temperature patterns and the crustal accretion modes near the mid-ocean ridge axis. The instantaneous cooling rates obtained from these thermal histories betray these discrepancies and might therefore be used to characterize the crustal accretion mode at the ridge axis. These deciphering effects are even more pronounced if we consider the average cooling rates occurring over a prescribed temperature range. Two situations were tested at 1275–1125 °C and 1050–850 °C. The first temperature range covers mainly the crystallization range that is characteristic of the high temperature areas in the model (i.e. the near-mid-oceanic-ridge axis). The second temperature range corresponds to areas in the model where the motion is mainly laminar and the vertical temperature profiles are closer to conductive. Thus, this situation results in less discriminating efficiency among the crustal accretion modes since the thermal and dynamic properties that are described are common to all the crustal accretion modes far from the ridge axis. The results show that numerical modeling of thermo-mechanical properties of the lower crusts may bring useful information to characterize the ridge accretion structure, hydrothermal cooling and thermal state at the fast-spreading ridges and may open discussions with petrological cooling rate results.
Seismicity at the northeast edge of the Mexican Volcanic Belt (MVB) and activation of an undocumented fault: the Peñamiller earthquake sequence of 2010–2011, Querétaro, Mexico
Authors: Clemente-Chavez A. , Figueroa-Soto A. , Zúñiga F. R. , Arroyo M. , Montiel M. , Chavez O.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. The town of Peñamiller in the state of Querétaro, Mexico, is located at the northeast border of the seismogenic zone known as the Mexican Volcanic Belt (MVB), which transects the central part of Mexico with an east–west orientation. In the vicinity of this town, a sequence of small earthquakes occurred during the end of 2010 and beginning of 2011. Seismicity in the continental regimen of central Mexico is not too frequent; however, it is known that there are precedents of large earthquakes (Mw magnitude greater than 6.0) occurring in this zone. Three large earthquakes have occurred in the past 100 yr: the 19 November 1912 (MS = 7.0), the 3 January 1920 (MS = 6.4), and the 29 June 1935 (MS = 6.9) earthquakes. Prior to the instrumental period, the earthquake of 11 February 1875, which took place near the city of Guadalajara, caused widespread damage. The purpose of this article is to contribute to the available seismic information of this region. This will help advance our understanding of the tectonic situation of the central Mexico MVB region. Twenty-four shallow earthquakes of the Peñamiller seismic sequence of 2011 were recorded by a temporary accelerograph network installed by the Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro (UAQ). The data were analyzed in order to determine the source locations and to estimate the source parameters. The study was carried out through an inversion process and by spectral analysis. The results show that the largest earthquake occurred on 8 February 2011 at 19:53:48.6 UTC, had a moment magnitude Mw = 3.5, and was located at latitude 21.039° and longitude −99.752°, at a depth of 5.6 km. This location is less than 7 km away in a south-east direction from downtown Peñamiller. The focal mechanisms are mostly normal faults with small lateral components. These focal mechanisms are consistent with the extensional regimen of the southern extension of the Basin and Range (BR) province. The source area of the largest event was estimated to have a radius of 0.5 km, which corresponds to a normal fault with azimuth of 174° and an almost pure dip slip. Peak ground acceleration (PGA) was close to 100 cm s−2 in the horizontal direction. Shallow earthquakes induced by crustal faulting present a potential seismic risk and hazard within the MVB, considering the population growth. Thus, the necessity to enrich seismic information in this zone is very important since the risk at most urban sites in the region might even be greater than that posed by subduction earthquakes.
Non-stationarity in annual and seasonal series of peak flow and precipitation in the UK
Authors: Prosdocimi I. , Kjeldsen T. R. , Svensson C.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. When designing or maintaining an hydraulic structure, an estimate of the frequency and magnitude of extreme events is required. The most common methods to obtain such estimates rely on the assumption of stationarity, i.e. the assumption that the process under study is not changing. The public perception and worry of a changing climate have led to a wide debate on the validity of this assumption. In this work trends for annual and seasonal maxima in peak river flow and catchment-average daily rainfall are explored. Assuming a 2-parameters log-normal distribution, a linear regression model is applied, allowing the mean of the distribution to vary with time. For the river flow data, the linear model is extended to include an additional variable, the 99th percentile of the daily rainfall for a year. From the fitted models, dimensionless magnification factors are estimated and plotted on a map, shedding light on whether or not geographical coherence can be found in the significant changes. The implications of the identified trends from a decision making perspective are then discussed, in particular with regard to the Type I and Type II error probabilities. One striking feature of the estimated trends is that the high variability found in the data leads to very inconclusive test results. Indeed, for most stations it is impossible to make a statement regarding whether or not the current design standards for the 2085 horizon can be considered precautionary. The power of tests on trends is further discussed in the light of statistical power analysis and sample size calculations.
Dispersion of aerosol particles in the free atmosphere using ensemble forecasts
Authors: Haszpra T. , Lagzi I. , Tél T.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. The dispersion of aerosol particle pollutants is studied using 50 members of an ensemble forecast in the example of a hypothetical free atmospheric emission above Fukushima over a period of 2.5 days. Considerable differences are found among the dispersion predictions of the different ensemble members, as well as between the ensemble mean and the deterministic result at the end of the observation period. The variance is found to decrease with the particle size. The geographical area where a threshold concentration is exceeded in at least one ensemble member expands to a 5–10 times larger region than the area from the deterministic forecast, both for air column "concentration" and in the "deposition" field. We demonstrate that the root-mean-square distance of any particle from its own clones in the ensemble members can reach values on the order of one thousand kilometers. Even the centers of mass of the particle cloud of the ensemble members deviate considerably from that obtained by the deterministic forecast. All these indicate that an investigation of the dispersion of aerosol particles in the spirit of ensemble forecast contains useful hints for the improvement of risk assessment.
O exercício resistido na mobilidade, flexibilidade, força muscular e equilíbrio de idosos
Authors: Wiechmann Marina Tássia , Ruzene Juliana Rodrigues Soares , Navega Marcelo Tavella
Published: October 2013

Introdução: Uma forma de reduzir algumas perdas relacionadas ao envelhecimento é a prática de exercício resistido. Objetivo: Analisar os efeitos do treinamento resistido na flexibilidade, mobilidade, força muscular e equilíbrio de idosos. Método: Participaram 20 idosos divididos em grupo atividade (GA, n=10; 66,16,35 anos) e grupo controle (GC, n=10; 65,47,54 anos). Foram avaliados mobilidade, flexibilidade, força muscular e equilíbrio. O GA realizou o treinamento por 13 semanas (duas vezes por semana, uma hora/sessão). Para análise dos dados, foram utilizados os testes não paramétricos de Wilcoxon (análise intragrupo). Foi adotado o nível de significância de 5% (p
Análise das repercussões hemodinâmicas e vasculares do treinamento Kaatsu
Authors: Wolinski Patrick Allan , Neves Eduardo Borba , Pietrovski Evelise Fernandes
Published: October 2013

Introdução: O método de treinamento Kaatsu tem como objetivo a indução da hipertrofia muscular. Objetivos: Investigar os diferentes protocolos utilizados na realização do treinamento Kaatsu e analisar as possíveis repercussões hemodinâmicas e vasculares provocadas pelo método. Métodos: Para tanto, foi realizada uma revisão sistemática da literatura na biblioteca virtual do SciELO e no Google Acadêmico, por meio dos descritores: treinamento resistido, oclusão vascular, trombose, Kaatsu, repercussões hemodinâmicas. Resultados: Foram encontrados apenas oito artigos que descreviam o protocolo de treinamento utilizado na citada técnica. Os principais resultados encontrados, após o treino com oclusão, foram aumento da força muscular e área de secção transversa. Conclusão: Ao mesmo tempo em que o método Kaatsu é referido como capaz de proporcionar hipertrofia muscular, estudos demonstram que nesse treinamento há maior risco para o desenvolvimento de tromboses venosas, insuficiência cardíaca congestiva e doenças hematológicas.
Prioridades em saúde de escolares do ensino médio
Authors: Azambuja Cati Reckelberg , Brum Liliani Mathias , Capilosvky Cristiane Kohler , Cureau Felipe Vogt , Duarte Paola Marques , Santos Daniela Lopes dos , Schetinger Maria Rosa Chitolina
Published: October 2013

Objetivo: Neste estudo, objetivou-se identificar qual dos condicionantes de saúde é considerado como o mais importante para estudantes do ensino médio das redes pública e privada da cidade de Santa Maria (RS), Brasil. Métodos: Os 1.142 alunos do ensino médio participantes responderam um questionário fechado com informações sociodemográficas e sobre estilo de vida. Resultados: Como resultado das prioridades em saúde, o primeiro lugar foi para o perfeito bem-estar físico, mental e social (36,5%; n=408), seguido pelo estilo de vida saudável (27,5%; n=308), ausência de doenças e enfermidades (22,9%; n=256) e boas condições de vida e de trabalho (13,1%; n=147). Conclusão: Verificou-se que a maioria dos escolares coloca como prioridade para a saúde a condição de perfeito bem-estar físico, mental e social, estando em conformidade com o conceito preconizado pela Organização Mundial da Saúde.
Os efeitos da estimulação elétrica aplicada nos músculos dorsiflexores em pacientes pós-AVE: uma revisão sistemática
Authors: Guimarães Maria Talita dos Santos , Liebano Richard Eloin
Published: October 2013

Introdução: A estimulação elétrica (EE) é muito utilizada nos programas de reabilitação para produzir contração dos músculos paréticos e/ou plégicos de pacientes que sofreram um AVE. Objetivo: Identificar os efeitos da estimulação elétrica aplicada nos músculos dorsiflexores de pacientes pós-AVE. Métodos: Realizou-se uma busca nas bases de dados Medline, Lilacs e SciELO, utilizando os seguintes descritores: fisioterapia, pé equino, paresia, acidente vascular cerebral e estimulação elétrica. Resultados: Foram analisados cinco artigos, que apontaram os seguintes efeitos: redução da espasticidade de flexores plantares, aumento da força muscular de dorsiflexores, aumento da ADM de dorsiflexão, melhora da simetria da marcha e da mobilidade da extremidade inferior e, consequentemente, do padrão da marcha. Conclusão: A estimulação elétrica mostrou-se eficaz no tratamento de pacientes pós-AVE, porém deve ser associada a outras terapias, com o objetivo de potencializar os resultados do programa de reabilitação.
Efeito hipotensivo do treinamento de força utilizando diferentes intervalos entre as séries
Authors: Paz Gabriel Andrade , Figueiredo Tiago , Silva Gabriel V. L. Costa e , Corcino Antônio , Luiz Fabio , Padilha Fabio , Simão Roberto , Miranda Humberto
Published: October 2013

Introdução: O intervalo de recuperação entre séries e exercícios apresenta relação direta com respostas pressóricas após o treinamento de força (TF). Objetivo: Comparar as variações da pressão arterial sistólica (PAS) e diastólica (PAD) com diferentes intervalos. Métodos: Dez sujeitos foram divididos por entrada alternada em dois protocolos: T1 – supino, leg press, puxada, mesa flexora e rosca bíceps (três séries de dez repetições a 90% 10RM), com um minuto de intervalo; T2 – protocolo similar, porém adotaram-se três minutos de intervalo. Resultados: Quanto à PAS, no T1, foi observada redução significativa após dez minutos; e, no T2, diminuição entre 15 e 20 minutos. Referente à PAD, no T1, houve redução entre 5 e 40 minutos. No T2, ocorreu diminuição significativa nos valores de PAD entre 15 e 20 minutos, após a sessão. Conclusão: Os achados indicam que intervalos entre um e três minutos promoveram efeito hipotensivo agudo após uma sessão de TF.
Acidente vascular cerebral isquêmico no Nordeste brasileiro: uma análise temporal de 13 anos de casos de hospitalização
Authors: Lopes Johnnatas Mikael , Medeiros Jovany Luis Alves de , Oliveira Kamila Brenda Almeida de , Dantas Fábio Galvão
Published: October 2013

Introdução: Acidente vascular encefálico isquêmico (AVCI) é o comprometimento neurológico mais comum na população geral. Seu estudo permite conhecer sua dinâmica epidemiológica objetivando tomada de decisões em saúde pública. Objetivos: Traçar perfil temporal da ocorrência de AVCI e sua taxa de mortalidade hospitalar. Métodos: Utilizou-se um delineamento ecológico de série temporal nas Unidades Federativas do Nordeste brasileiro. Os dados foram coletados no Sistema de Informação Hospitalar sobre os episódios de AVCI, entre os anos de 1998 e 2010. Resultados: Observou-se grande redução na incidência de AVCI no período analisado, com redução de 31,33 casos/105 habitantes em média até 2002, para 11,4 casos/105, após esse período. A incidência de AVCI aumenta com a idade e não há diferença entre os sexos. A mortalidade hospitalar não mostrou alteração considerável no período. Conclusão: A incidência de AVCI no Nordeste do Brasil declinou a partir do ano de 2002, mantendo um novo paradigma.
A termografia infravermelha na avaliação dos pontos-gatilho miofasciais em patologias do ombro
Authors: Rossi Camila , Sehnem Eduardo , Rempel Claudete
Published: October 2013

Introdução: Os pontos-gatilho miofasciais são bandas tensas perceptíveis à palpação. Eles podem ser de origem espontânea ou causados por estímulos mecânicos, podendo desencadear dor local e referida em sítios próximos ou distantes. Objetivo: Neste estudo, busca-se analisar incidência, sensibilidade e localização de pontos-gatilho miofasciais em pacientes com diagnóstico clínico de bursite ou tendinite em ombro, por meio da termografia infravermelha. Método: Foram avaliados 11 indivíduos, com média de idade de 40,8 (11,5) anos, utilizando-se algometria de pressão e termografia. Resultados: Todos os sujeitos avaliados apresentaram pontos-gatilho miofasciais em alguns dos músculos abordados, sendo estes o trapézio superior, elevador da escápula, supraespinhal, infraespinhal e romboides. Conclusão: Foi possível verificar a importância da termografia infravermelha como um componente auxiliar na avaliação dos pontos-gatilhos miofasciais.
O treinamento de força melhora os sintomas climatéricos em mulheres sedentárias na pós-menopausa
Authors: Dias Rodrigo , De Oliveira Adriana Terciotti , Vespasiano Bruno De Souza , Nascimento Dahan Da Cunha , Prestes Jonato
Published: October 2013

Introdução: Dentre os vários sintomas relacionados à menopausa citam-se os distúrbios do sono, as ondas de calor, as alterações psicológicas relacionadas à depressão e ao pânico. Objetivos: Investigar os efeitos de um programa de treinamento de força (TF) sobre os sintomas da menopausa. Métodos: Foram analisadas 16 mulheres sedentárias na pós-menopausa e que não estavam fazendo uso de qualquer tipo de terapia de reposição hormonal (TRH) ou medicações ao longo do estudo. Resultados: Observou-se redução dos sintomas da menopausa no grupo treinamento (GT), quando comparado com o grupo controle (GC), nos parâmetros de insônia, especificamente nas semanas 5, 6, 7, 8; e ondas de calor, de modo específico, nas semanas 4, 6, 7 e 8. Conclusão: O TF diminuiu a intensidade dos sintomas de insônia e ondas de calor, em mulheres sedentárias na pós-menopausa.
Análise por fotogrametria da influência da bandagem funcional no alinhamento da cintura escapular em idosas
Authors: Mota Diego Miranda , Nunes da Silva José Mário , Torres Michelle Vicente , Leal Seania Santos
Published: October 2013

Introdução: Entre as modificações fisiológicas que ocorrem com o envelhecimento, os desvios posturais são os mais facilmente perceptíveis nesse processo. Objetivos: Verificar a influência da aplicação da bandagem funcional no alinhamento da cintura escapular em idosos pela fotogrametria. Método: A amostra constituiu-se de 22 idosos do sexo feminino. A cintura escapular de cada voluntária foi avaliada por meio da fotogrametria nas vistas anterior, lateral e posterior usando-se o Software para Avaliação Postural (SAPO). Resultados: Houve melhora nos valores angulares e nas distâncias nas vistas anterior, lateral e posterior analisadas após a aplicação da bandagem funcional. Conclusão: O uso imediato da bandagem funcional nas idosas propiciou melhor simetria postural da cintura escapular.
Perfil clínico de pacientes atendidos em fisioterapia assistencial à cirurgia plástica: análise retrospectiva
Authors: Tacani Pascale Mutti , Tacani Rogério Eduardo , Machado Aline Fernanda Perez , Peroni Alani Eleutério , Silva Mariana Acosta e , Freitas José Octávio Gonçalves de
Published: October 2013

Introdução: Para que um serviço de fisioterapia possa oferecer tratamento adequado aos pacientes pós-cirurgia plástica, é preciso compreender as necessidades, limitações e queixas desses sujeitos. Objetivo: Identificar o perfil dos pacientes atendidos em fisioterapia assistencial à cirurgia plástica. Métodos: Realizou-se um estudo retrospectivo por análise de prontuários do setor de Fisioterapia do Hospital Ipiranga, São Paulo (SP), de fevereiro de 2009 a julho de 2010. A análise estatística foi descrita em porcentagem, média e desvio-padrão, sendo utilizados os testes de igualdade de duas proporções e Mann-Whitney. Resultados: Foram incluídos 102 prontuários de pacientes, destes, 96,1% do gênero feminino, com faixa etária de 45±13 anos, submetidos à abdominoplastia (50,5%) e à blefaroplastia (19,2%), apresentando queixas de dor (34,3%) e edema (33,3%). Conclusão: O perfil clínico de pacientes atendidos em fisioterapia assistencial à cirurgia plástica caracterizou-se por mulheres, por volta de 45 anos, submetidas a abdominoplastias e blefaroplastias, com dor e edema.
A Primal-Dual Heuristic for a Heterogeneous Unmanned Vehicle Path Planning Problem
Authors: Sundar Kaarthik , Rathinam Sivakumar
Published: October 2013

We consider a path planning problem where a team of Unmanned Vehicles (UVs) is required to visit a given set of targets. The UVs are assumed to carry different sensors, and as a result, there are vehicle-target constraints that require each UV to visit a distinct subset of targets. The objective of the path planning problem is to find a path for each UV such that each target is visited at least once by some vehicle, the vehicle-target constraints are satisfied and the total distance travelled by the vehicles is a minimum. This path planning problem is a generalization of the Hamiltonian path problem and is NP-Hard. We develop a primal-dual heuristic and incorporate the heuristic in a Lagrangian relaxation procedure to find good, feasible solutions and lower bounds for the path planning problem. Computational results show that solutions whose costs are on an average within 14% of the optimum can be obtained relatively quickly for the path planning problem involving five UVs and 40 targets.
Development of a Remote Handling System in an Integrated Pyroprocessing Facility
Authors: Lee Hyo Jik , Lee Jong Kwang , Park Byung Suk , Kim Kiho , Ko Won Il , Cho Il Je
Published: October 2013

Over the course of a decade-long research programme, the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) has developed several remote handling systems for use in pyroprocessing research facilities. These systems are now used successfully for the operation and maintenance of processing equipment. The most recent remote handling system is the bridge-transported dual arm servo-manipulator system (BDSM), which is used for remote operation at the world's largest pyroprocess integrated inactive demonstration facility (PRIDE). Accurate and reliable servo-control is the basic requirement for the BDSM to accomplish any given tasks successfully in a hotcell environment. To achieve this end, the hardware and software of a digital signal processor-based remote control system were fully custom-developed and implemented to control the BDSM. To reduce the residual vibration of the BDSM, several input profiles, including input shaping, were carefully chosen and evaluated. Furthermore, a time delay controller was employed to achieve good tracking performance and systematic gain tuning. The experimental results demonstrate that the applied control algorithms are more effective than conventional approaches. The BDSM successfully completed its performance tests at a mock-up and was installed at PRIDE for real-world operation. The remote handling system at KAERI is expected to advance the actualization of pyroprocessing.
Oriented Edge-Based Feature Descriptor for Multi-Sensor Image Alignment and Enhancement
Authors: Ju Myung-Ho , Kwak Dong-Min , Kang Hang-Bong
Published: October 2013

In this paper, we present an efficient image alignment and enhancement method for multi-sensor images. The shape of the object captured in a multi-sensor images can be determined by comparing variability of contrast using corresponding edges across multi-sensor image. Using this cue, we construct a robust feature descriptor based on the magnitudes of the oriented edges. Our proposed method enables fast image alignment by identifying matching features in multi-sensor images. We enhance the aligned multi-sensor images through the fusion of the salient regions from each image. The results of stitching the multi-sensor images and their enhancement demonstrate that our proposed method can align and enhance multi-sensor images more efficiently than previous methods.
Bromine Compounds
Authors: Yoffe David , Frim Ron , Ukeles Shmuel D. , Dagani Michael J. , Barda Henry J. , Benya Theodore J. , Sanders David C.
Published: October 2013

The article contains sections titled:1.Organic Bromine Compounds1.1.Physical Properties1.2.Chemical Properties1.2.1.Nucleophilic Displacement of Bromine1.2.2.Displacement of Bromine by Metals1.3.Production1.3.1.Addition Reactions1.3.2.Substitution Reactions1.4.Commercial Products1.4.1.1,2‐Dibromoethane1.4.2.1‐Bromo‐3‐chloropropane1.4.3.1‐Bromo‐2‐phenylethane1.4.4.1‐(Bromomethyl)‐3‐phenoxybenzene1.4.5.Bromoacetic Acid1.4.6.Bromomethane1.4.7.3‐Bromo‐1‐propene1.4.8.Bromochloromethane and Dibromomethane1.4.9.Trifluorobromomethane and Difluorobromochloromethane1.4.10.Flame Retardants1.4.11.Biocides1.4.12.Pharmaceuticals1.4.13.Dyes and Indicators1.5.Manufacturers1.6.Toxicology and Occupational Health2.Inorganic Bromine Compounds2.1.Hydrogen Bromide and Bromides2.1.1.Hydrogen Bromide2.1.2.Bromides2.2.Hypobromous Acid, Hypobromites2.3.Bromous Acid, Bromites2.4.Bromic Acid, Bromates
Tropospheric ozone decrease due to the Mount Pinatubo eruption: Reduced stratospheric influx
Authors: Tang Qi , Hess Peter G. , Brown‐Steiner Benjamin , Kinnison Douglas E.
Published: October 2013

We quantify the relationship between Mount Pinatubo eruption in June 1991 and tropospheric ozone abundances. The ozone reduction in the stratosphere and troposphere following the eruption is simulated by the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model and is in good agreement with the ozonesonde observations. Simulated anomalies in the global stratosphere‐troposphere flux of ozone following the eruption are well correlated with those in the tropospheric ozone column. Both are at their minimum in late 1992 to early 1993 (−70 Tgyr−1 in January 1993 for the flux and −1.9 Dobson Unit in November 1992 for tropospheric ozone) and recover after 1995. Therefore, this study identifies the reduced stratosphere‐to‐troposphere ozone flux as an important driver of the ozone decline in the troposphere following the eruption. A large fraction (67%) of the decrease in the flux is compensated by an increase in tropospheric photochemical ozone production. While both the strength of the residual circulation and the decrease in stratospheric ozone reduce the stratospheric ozone flux, the ozone reduction is identified as the dominant cause.
MHD numerical study of the latitudinal deflection of coronal mass ejection
Authors: Zhou Y. F. , Feng X. S.
Published: October 2013

In this paper, we analyze and quantitatively study the deflection of coronal mass ejection (CME) in the latitudinal direction during its propagation from the Corona to interplanetary (IP) space using a three‐dimensional (3‐D) numerical magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) simulation. To this end, 12 May 1997 CME event during the Carrington rotation 1922 is selected. First, we try to reproduce the physical properties for this halo CME event observed by the WIND spacecraft. Then, we study the deflection of CME, and quantify the effect of the background magnetic field and the initiation parameters (such as the initial magnetic polarity and the parameters of the CME model) on the latitudinal deflection of CMEs. The simulations show that the initial magnetic polarity substantially affects the evolution of CMEs. The “parallel” CMEs (with the CME's initial magnetic field parallel to that of the ambient field) originating from high latitude show a clear Equatorward deflection at the beginning and then propagate almost parallel to heliospheric current sheet and the “antiparallel” CMEs (with the CME's initial magnetic field opposite to that of the ambient field) deflect toward the pole. Our results demonstrate that the latitudinal deflection extent of the “parallel” CMEs is mainly controlled not only by the background magnetic field strength but also by the initial magnetic field strength of the CMEs. There is an anticorrelation between the latitudinal deflection extent and the CME average transit speed and the energy ratio Ecme/Esw.
ULF wave activity in high‐speed streams of the solar wind: Impact on the magnetosphere
Authors: Potapov A. S.
Published: October 2013

In recent years, the study of solar‐magnetospheric interaction has increasingly been focusing on wave phenomena and the role of turbulence in the processes of energy and momentum transfer from the Sun to the Earth's magnetosphere. Here we consider one aspect of the problem — the impact of wave patterns associated with high‐speed solar wind streams (HSSs) on the variable geomagnetic field and the trapped radiation. The superposed epoch method was chosen as our research technique. We use observations of the solar wind plasma and the interplanetary magnetic field at libration point L1, as well as measurements of electron fluxes at geostationary orbit and of geomagnetic pulsations on ground. Data from 31 corotating interaction regions (CIR), their sources being coronal holes on the Sun, and 13 streams from coronal mass ejections (CME) were processed. The focus is on the regime of ultra‐low frequency (ULF) waves in high‐speed flows and ULF fluctuations in the magnetosphere. A significant difference has been revealed between the wave activity characteristics of the two HSS types in the solar wind and on the earth. Irregular pulses are typical for coronal mass ejections and wave‐like conditions are common for CIRs. For the latter, the temporal profile of the normalized ULF amplitude in the solar wind is similar to the pulsation amplitude profile on the ground. We also found that a high level of ULF activity in the magnetosphere during CIR intervals is favorable to 2 MeV electron flux enhancement, but does not affect the flux of less energetic electrons.
Variability of Circumpolar Deep Water transport onto the Amundsen Sea Continental shelf through a shelf break trough
Authors: Assmann K. M. , Jenkins A. , Shoosmith D. R. , Walker D. P. , Jacobs S. S. , Nicholls K. W.
Published: October 2013

The presence of warm Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) intrusions on the Amundsen continental shelf has been linked to recent thinning of the outlet glaciers draining the West Antarctic ice sheet into the Amundsen Sea. Inflow of the CDW onto the shelf is thought to occur within a series of troughs that intersect the continental shelf break. We use observations between 1994 and 2011 and a numerical model to investigate the variability of CDW transport in a trough intersecting the shelf break at 113°W. The location of the main CDW inflow into the trough varies between its eastern flank and center, while the western part of the trough is filled by a recirculation that commonly entrains cooler water originating further south on the shelf. Thermocline depth decreases between the early and late 2000s with an indication that the depth of the 1994 thermocline was similar to the later years. Mooring results show that the CDW layer cools and thins in summer and thickens and warms in winter. In addition to a deeper thermocline in summer, we observe a stronger presence of Lower CDW in the bottom of the trough. Heat flux onto the shelf is controlled by current velocities rather than CDW temperature and the majority of the heat is carried onto the shelf by background flow rather than episodic events.